Game Inbox: Calling Red Dead Redemption 2 a bad game

cowboy developer
Fun Reader’s feature over the weekend, about overrated franchises, and I wouldn’t necessarily argue with any of them. Or at least I wouldn’t pretend that any of them come close to being my favorites or having any games that I love. It’s hardly a franchise since it only has three games (if you even count Red Dead Revolver), but the one that immediately came to mind was Red Dead Redemption.

I always thought the original was overrated, but the second might be my least favorite game I’ve ever beaten. Thinking back now I don’t know how I made it this far as it goes on forever and I was fed up with it long before then. But I was intrigued to see how it would end and what it would build upon, and the answer was…nothing more than a time warp back to the first game.

The already very vague story fizzles into nothing and the resolution with the main characters is extremely unsatisfactory and somehow underpinned despite the length. The endless conversations on horseback become more and more meaningless the further you get into the game, as you even start to resent the action given how heavily scripted and one-dimensional everything is.

Yes, the graphics are nice and the game world is fantastic, but that doesn’t contribute to an entertaining game. The voice acting is great too, but that doesn’t make what they’re saying any more magically interesting. Just a bad game all round for me.
couscous

Two horse races
I’m interested in the showdown between Elden Ring and God Of War Ragnarök at this year’s Game Awards, but I really have no idea who will win because I still don’t know what kind of sequel God of War wants to be. At first it just looked like it did it again, with a different story, but since the last trailer… as another reader said, it almost seems like there’s a secret element Sony is trying to hide.

I’d almost say that Atreus is the big culprit, but there’s too much of him in the promotional material for it to really be a Hideo Kojima-style twist, if that were the case.

I hope it has something up its sleeve as I’m not the biggest fan of the Elden Ring and while it was good I don’t really consider it the best of the year. If there’s a big twist, I just hope it doesn’t get spoiled before the game comes out.
benson

Always a bigger fish
It would be amusingly ironic if Embracer Group — a faceless company I’d never heard of until recently — were bought out by another, even more anonymous company, but I really hope Capcom or some other long-running company does doesn’t do same way. These companies have been around for almost half a century at this point, and to imagine them being sucked into just one division of a larger company is unsettling.

I have yet to see or hear anything positive about these endless purchases. Microsoft hasn’t even promised to fix Bethesda’s QA, so what are the benefits to non-shareholders? None I suppose.

Unless those new owners come along and tell the Resident Evil crew to downgrade their dialogue, I’d be happy with that. I miss the good old days where that was half the fun.
pendulum guest

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The footwork
I certainly agree that Google and the other big companies seem to underestimate gaming. They seem to be very patronizing about it, as if it’s something simple that they could easily take on with enough money. As the Reader’s Feature showed over the weekend, this is essentially Microsoft’s stance as well, albeit slowly learning.

However, the attitude still seems to be sticking, with a very narrow view of gaming that Japan seems to largely exclude and, at least judging by their own games, anything that isn’t heavily multiplayer-leaning. Sony and Nintendo have a much larger selection of games, and it basically took Microsoft 20 years to realize that they should too.

I doubt Google will even get that far unless they fundamentally change their mindset and don’t believe that simply showing up is an automatic win. However, the impression you get is that they don’t feel like doing the legwork anyway.
Tully

One more thing
I just finished XCOM 2: War Of The Chosen on Switch again. Coupled with the base game on the PlayStation 4, then the War Of The Chosen DLC, and now the Switch Collection, I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve played it.

My Hot Topic suggestion is game campaigns that you can repeat over and over again and have as much fun with each subsequent playthrough as the first time, you won’t get bored. No prizes for guessing my suggestion.
Chevy Malibu (PSN ID)
PS: Towards the end of the campaign it seemed like the game would freeze during the loading screens, however patience is a virtue. It took a few minutes, but the Switch eventually gasped out of what seemed like an endless loop.

you must be kidding me
It would be an atypical Nintendo strategy, but I think the best way for Switch 2 would be more of the same. The hybrid handheld/console key hook and perfect form factor remains a strong pull. As is the game library of multiple 10/10s that each generation delivers. I would assume here that I was squeezing in a slightly bigger and better screen and upgraded specs capable of running PlayStation 4-era ports efficiently.

From there, the strategy for Switch 2 would be mostly outside of the hardware. Nintendo should double down on cementing the reasons the original Switch was a resounding success:

• Indie Games: The Switch is the best way to experience what indies have to offer. Many are handheld well and don’t benefit from being on the big screen TV. Nintendo should invest in timed exclusives for the most popular series and maintain them over time.
• Retro Machine: Differentiate yourself from PlayStation/Xbox by nailing the virtual console perfectly (it breaks away from the current Nintendo Online drip-feed model). Have a hybrid console capable of playing major games from the history of SNES, Mega Drive, N64, GameCube, Konami, etc. Sell ​​the games individually and celebrate Switch 2 as your personal mini-console for your own nostalgic purposes.
• Peripherals: Nintendo loves an eccentric add-on featuring Labo, Ring Fit, and the Mario Kart thing that seems to be selling well. Keep up the good work and it may quench the itch for more innovation as the core hardware model remains relatively unchanged. Anyone Nintendo VR?

Eventually I would consider naming it Switch U. Guaranteed Sales.
iemcr (NN ID)

retro hardware
Can anyone recommend a good place to buy a PlayStation 3 console? You probably can’t get new ones now, but is there a used or refurbished one out there for a reasonable price?

I have a CeX nearby, but have had trouble buying hardware from them in the past. Thanks in advance.
ANON

CONDITIONS: Have you tried Ebay? The current price seems to be around £50.

Remaining theories
I played the first few minutes of What Remains Of Edith Finch on Game Pass right before it went as it had been on my list since release. That walk halfway up the driveway was enough to convince me to buy the game. I went with the Switch version so I could play it without having to confiscate the TV and… my word.

I couldn’t remember the details of your review and only went back to read it again after I finished the game. As a result, I felt impending fear like an ooglie-booglie was about to pop out at any moment until I got down to the basement where I realized what the game was and wasn’t.

What a journey it was. Learned just enough about the details of family members’ lives to make sense of them, but left a nice bit of ambiguity. And the gameplay of some of the flashbacks was interesting and often heartbreaking – especially with Gregory and Walter.

I’ve looked up a few theories on a finch or two, but honestly I prefer what the game lets us do.

And it stays no longer welcome.

If anyone has been procrastinating longer than me, grab the game now!
FoximusPrime81 (Gamertag/NN-ID/Twitter)

inbox mitran
If Lucasfilm Games is going to make two Star Wars games a year, I just hope that doesn’t affect them making other games as well. I loved Monkey Island and would hate that it’s their final graphic adventure.
Poirot

Finally reached level 10 in Splatoon 3 and unlocked the additional game modes. As this other reader said, they’re pretty awesome, the whole game actually is. Probably my favorite of the year so far.
ogram

This week’s hot topic
The theme for this weekend’s inbox was suggested by reader Razzledazzle, who asks what game mechanic you never understood?

Its example was swinging the webs in Spider-Man, but it can be any element of a game, from a general concept like flying to something more specific like the special moves in a fighting game.

Can’t you pull off the mechanics at all or are you just not very good at it? How much effort have you put into getting better and what would you change to make it easier?

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The fine print
New inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special hot topic inboxes on weekends. Letters to the Editor are used on merit and may be edited for length and content.

You can also submit your own 500-600 word Reader’s Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be featured in the next available weekend slot.