Games Inbox: Redfall is not the worst video game of 2023

The Wednesday letters page thinks Call Of Duty could work on Nintendo Switch, as one reader has no sympathy for Zelda pirates.

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Difficult times
So Redfall has become yet another disaster for Xbox this week, they really are not having a good time of it, are they? Their first Xbox Series X/S exclusive, first party game and it’s got some of their worst reviews ever. Plus, it doesn’t even run at 60fps. I don’t know that anyone was really looking forward to the game but that’s not really the point, it’s come at a terrible time for Xbox’s public perception. Although I suppose it does aid their point that they need help competing against Sony.

Redfall must have been greenlit before Microsoft bought Bethesda but even so, Xbox has go to get a grip on its line-up. Who really has any faith in Fable, Avowed, or a new Perfect Dark? I do think there’s a good chance that Starfield will impress but what Xbox needs to do is project some kind of consistency and I think Starfield will end up being one brief highlight.

All this negative press is already taking its toll though, with talk of Redfall being the worst game of the year, which it clearly isn’t. It’s opportunist YouTubers and streamers, as usual, trying to push this sort of message but it’ll stick and Xbox will have an even harder job improving its image from now on.
Danoid

Lowered expectations
Well… after my letter of disgust at Redfall’s 30fps limit, and all the lukewarm reception in the press, I sat down this evening waiting to be supremely disappointed.

I don’t know, maybe expecting the worst and going in with low expectations helped, but I had quite a lot of fun playing with two friends, through the first couple of hours of the game.

Clearly, it isn’t finished, and Microsoft’s insistence on releasing games too early is only going to backfire on them and lead to further negative press, but Arkane need to take some responsibility too. This game has been in development for the same length of time as Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom. Who’s betting we’ll be seeing even a fraction of the bugs in Nintendo’s sure to be masterpiece?

But the thing we all kept coming back to was the fun we had figuring out this new game together. Hidden loot stashes and secret mini-bosses were found as we slowly completed the first few missions, enough fun for us to reconvene Thursday night to keep going.

Just hurry up with 60fps mode…
DarKerR (gamertag)

No say
Thank you for stating that’s it’s usually publishers responsible for games that are buggy. I’d like to go further and ask: who sets the release date of an upcoming game? The publisher too? This makes me have to remember the good old days before the internet.

When a game was released, it had to be complete or is there any way you could be sent a floppy or tape in the post containing a patch that improved it? This is an example of negatively exploiting the internet, don’t you think?
Henry

GC: Developers make the games, publishers sell them. A developer, certainly one making triple-A games, typically has no say over when a game is released or in what state.

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Impossible port
I’m very confused as to why people seem to think the Switch can’t handle Call Of Duty, as if it’s the Crysis of this age (funnily enough Crysis is available on the Switch). Yes, it’s not going to be the exact version you see on the PlayStation and Xbox, and anyone who thinks otherwise… well, that’s on them.

The Switch has always been about compromise and it’s userbase is fine with the compromises, which is why we have amazing ports of games like The Witcher 3, Alien Isolation, Doom Eternal, Wolfenstein, Hellblade, NieR:Automata, No Man’s Sky, Dying Light, Metro Redux, etc…

While the series might not be financially viable on Nintendo platforms that is not what is being argued. Call Of Duty ran fine on the Wii U, so no reason it can’t run fine on the Switch.
Anon

GC: Call Of Duty’s appeal is built on its 60fps gameplay, which the Switch is never going to be able to match for something like Modern Warfare 2. And then there’s the question of how it would work with Nintendo’s underdeveloped online service.

No sympathy
I would love to see the look on some of these numbskulls’ faces when they get sued into the sun by Nintendo. No one likes video games being so expensive but if there’s any better value for money than a Zelda game I don’t know, so ripping it off as a pirate copy gets no sympathy from me.

Nintendo are going to go ape over all this and while I understand why it’s only going to kill physical copies of games even quicker. People are so short-sighted and selfish: save £60 on a game that would’ve been totally worth it, help destroy the whole concept of boxed sales and ensure millions of people’s experience of the game is potentially ruined by spoilers.

The deed is done now though, no matter how much they get fined or have to go to jail for we’ve all got to dodge a constant stream of spoiler bullets now for two whole weeks. Pirates… I really have no sympathy.
Jaybird

Just started
I’m sure the PS5 Pro is coming sooner or later, probably sooner, but gods it really feels like yesterday that the PlayStation 5 came out and as if nothing has been happening for it for ages. It’s a good job God Of War Ragnarök reviewed well or otherwise their situation would be no better than Microsoft at this moment. And at least Microsoft has actually released a new game this year.

I know it’s done by different departments, but it just seems pointless to be releasing a mid-generation upgrade, and all this other junk that nobody’s going to want, instead of just more games. The PlayStation VR2 was bad enough but who wants a portable that’s only for Remote Play?

All I can say is that Sony better have the mother of all summer previews, Xbox too, or this whole generation is going to be a complete wash. And yet why do I get the feeling that all they’re going to talk about is Spider-Man 2 and The Last of Us multiplayer? It’s feeling pretty hard to be optimistic about things at the moment.
Royston

Unimaginable Pass
Michael Pachter made a great observation in this discussion about Nintendo. Can you imagine how many subscriptions Nintendo would get if they did their own Game Pass like service and allowed it onto other platforms?

Judging by how many people watched the Mario movie, it would be a lot! They would crush the competition. That day will come one day I imagine.
Anon

GC: You must have a more active imagination than us.

Crash warning
Gaming just seems to be in a mess at the moment… we’ve got horrendous PC ports that are practically scams; new triple-A title development seems to have ground to a halt; a glut of safe bet remasters, remakes, and sequels because new ideas are too risky; bloated and unsustainable resource costs to produce any new titles at all; and hardware manufacturers selling consoles at a loss to people who mostly play free-to-play and live service titles. It doesn’t feel like the current gaming market (outside Nintendo) is sustainable at all… Is a crash of some kind coming?

I’ve thought for a while that maybe we just need to stop and consolidate where we are. Everyone wants the latest and greatest but can’t afford to pay for it (both consumers in the wallet and developers with their limited resources to produce it).

I’d certainly take a step back, accept titles at early PlayStation 4 or Xbox One fidelity (basically a generation behind on current machines) if it meant more stable technical experiences, more titles made, and more risks taken – as the losses would be less severe. Use the power of PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X to make game development easier and quicker, not just escalate graphics and play world sizes.
Marc

Inbox also-rans
Just to add to the Activision outrage, they’re having to pay tax like everyone else.
Wonk

Wasn’t Mortal Kombat 9 already a reboot? It was just called Mortal Kombat as I remember. Why do they need another one? If it’s just the story are there really that many people that care? Couldn’t they just carry on anyway?
Moley

This week’s Hot Topic
The subject for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by reader Cabal, who asks how often do you buy a video game as soon as it comes out?

Do you always buy games you’re interested in day one or do you always wait until they’re cheaper or the bugs have been worked out? If you take it on a case-by-case basis what is it that influences your decision the most and do things like pre-orders bonuses make a difference?

Price is one obvious reason not to buy a game straight away, but what else puts you off and how have you made your recent decisions, including for upcoming games like Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom?

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The small print
New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers’ letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content.

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MORE : Games Inbox: The PS5 has no games paradox, Redfall concerns, and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor praise

MORE : Games Inbox: Xbox beating the PS5 this generation, Call Of Duty on Switch 2, and GTA 4 love

MORE : Weekend Hot Topic: Do you always play a video game to the end?

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