The Thursday letters page features a variety of opinions from readers, including skepticism about user reviews, frustration with August's game release schedule, and a plea for Assassin's Creed to revive its present day storyline.
User review reliability
One reader, Wotan, expressed confusion over Splatoon Raiders user reviews that ranked it the seventh best game of all-time. 'I’m as confused as anyone about the Splatoon Raiders user reviews and becoming the seventh best game of all-time. I haven’t played it but I’m going to go out on a limb and say it’s not actually better than The Last Of Us and every Zelda game ever made.' Wotan dismissed user scores as 'fanboy wars' with extremes of 10 or zero, noting that Steam seems to have more sensible ratings due to larger voter numbers. 'So on this occasion I will say that I am not convinced Splatoon Raiders is the best Nintendo game ever and I’ll stick with the regular reviews for my advice.'
Co-operative arguments
Reader Korbie welcomed Capcom's talk of Pragmata 2 but lamented the long development times. 'Oh, they’re fast-tracking a sequel? Yep, so fast that it probably won’t be out until next decade and the PlayStation 6.' Korbie noted that the original game set up a follow-up well and suggested variety as the key improvement: more enemy types, weapons, and hacking puzzles, plus potential co-op mode.
Slow month
Reader Cubby commented on the slow August release schedule, noting that no company moved a September game to August. 'It’s barely any better than July and that’s really disappointing. There’s going to be so many flops in September and October, because they’re too grouped together.'
Play less
Reader Londi found Shigeru Miyamoto's advice to base games on personal hobbies interesting, contrasting it with Western developers' technical approach. Londi speculated that Miyamoto's lack of interest in non-Nintendo games explains Nintendo's quality. 'He’s not chasing trend or trying to emulate something someone else has already made, he’s just coming up with ideas and making things he thinks will be cool.'
£5 off
Reader big boy bent reported seeing a used copy of Mario Kart World at CeX for £60, while Currys sold it new for £65. He questioned the viability of second-hand game shops: 'Is it any wonder second-hand games shops are dying out, that’s lack of competition, I guess.'
Radio silence
Reader Michael Veal asked about GameCentral's access to Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo for interviews. GC responded: 'Microsoft and Sony haven’t given proper interviews to gaming press since before Covid. It’s not just us; they hardly speak to anyone anymore. Sony’s plan at the moment is clearly complete silence.'
Trucking on
Reader Beastiebat inquired about a review of Truxton Extreme, praising GameCentral's reviews. GC thanked them and said they would try but haven't received a copy yet.
Start from the beginning
Reader Adam_Lion_23 called for Assassin's Creed to return to its roots. 'I’m a huge Assassin’s Creed fan and have been since the very first game. I’m also one of the few people who actually enjoyed the modern day sections.' He argued that the modern day storyline tied everything together and that protagonists should be young learners like Altaïr and Ezio, not starting as elite warriors.
Inbox also-rans included a suggestion for EA Sports FC to be a simple yearly update instead of a new game, to which GC replied that EA would prefer £70 yearly. Another reader criticized an EA boss's £29 million bonus while developers were laid off.
