Games Inbox: EA Sports FC improves FIFA 23

Appropriate quality
I don’t think it’s unreasonable that FIFA 23 isn’t a groundbreaking milestone for the series. I get the urge to get high, but there’s no way any sane company will ever make major changes to the last entry in a series before losing its license. Especially not in a World Cup year when an empty box would sell just as well.

FIFA on EA had its issues and the microtransactions are always gross, but overall I’d say it was still a really good game. The old problem, like the tropics, should have been fixed earlier, but it’s not hard to imagine that they’ll do that for EA Sports FC next year and use it to show how much better it is.

It’s not the most honest approach imaginable, but let’s face it, companies, including EA, have done a lot worse. Considering that FIFA would sell regardless of quality, I think they’ve generally done a good job over the years and I don’t blame myself for putting the time or money into it.

I’m very confident that EA Sports FC will get even better, but I’ll still be buying FIFA 23 and I’m pretty sure I’ll enjoy it as much as ever.
Blue

dead and loving
So the Google graveyard finally welcomes Stadia through its gates, right? It won’t be missing, but I find it fascinating how little Google has bothered with it and seemingly gave up even before it came out. I think these giant multinationals always fail because they underestimate the gaming industry. They seem to think the hardware/service is the most important thing and completely forget about the game element.

You could tell that Google was doomed when it gave up making its own games, and it was the same with Amazon and Luna (has anyone ever used that?!). Microsoft kind of got it for a while, then got arrogant and shut down most of their studios, and they’re still trying to make up for that mistake.

This makes me think Sony isn’t as doomed as some people think. In my opinion, they understand gaming better than anyone but Nintendo, and to me the biggest threat they face right now is not Game Pass, but forgetting everything they’ve learned over the last 30 years and focusing on Live – Allow service games. Hopefully they’re smarter than that.
Ten to

real fans
I think Overwatch suffers from the same issues as Call Of Duty, where its fan base seems to actively hate it, but for everyone else it’s a perfectly good game. I can’t say I’m counting down the days to the sequel, but since it’s free I’ll definitely give it a try.

It seems unusually generous, and if people are stupid enough to spend all that money on cosmetic microtransactions, well that’s up to them, it doesn’t affect the way I play and it allows the game to be free is.

Some games just became fashionable to hate I think and I will give the new game my full attention and my best. What if I don’t like it? Well, it’s not the end of the world, is it?
Poindexter

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Forgotten reissue
I totally agree with the reader who says GoldenEye 007 deserves a modern remake, but nodding along, I suddenly remember that there actually already was one. Type of. It was more of a reinterpretation as no attempt was made to accurately replicate the original, but it lost all of its charm.

Having Daniel Craig as Bond didn’t help, but it all felt like a bad photocopy of the classic original. I’d blame the developers, but I think a lot of that was Activision and Eon interfering and thinking they knew best.

That’s perhaps what holds back a modern remake, as I have a feeling Eon thinks the original’s success is primarily due to James Bond, rather than just being a welcome bonus. I’m afraid the game will never find its place in the modern era and it’s a shame.
Kasper

universal interest
RE: Terra Invicta (PC). This is a game I’ve been watching with interest for some time. It almost seems too good to be true, a great strategy on an almost unbelievable scale. I’ve only held off buying to see if the developers (who were responsible for the Long War mods on XCOM 2) can get this all working in a coherent and fun way.

I know TommyFatfingers said they won’t be in touch for a while because they’re busy with the game, but still I’d appreciate any updates or input from you or any GCer on this game.
rsw

What’s on yours?
Disk space is usually expensive unless you want to pay for extra space, which I don’t. But I was wondering what games people have built into their drives. I guess for most it will be online games. Mine are currently Microsoft Flight Simulator and Rayman Legends, Xbox 360 and Xbox One versions.

While not a real game, Microsoft Flight Simulator is truly stunning and although the game is over 100GB I can’t bring myself to remove it as it’s a delight for short two hour sessions.

I’ve been playing the Rayman Legends challenges for about five years now as they are surprisingly nuanced with move sets and strats that take time to master. I used to play on PlayStation 3/4 (each has different challenges or spawns as they are auto-generated) on my old account but switched to purchasing an Xbox Series X as I can play the Xbox 360 version and Xbox A version on the same box.

The Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 servers were supposed to be shut down last month but were given a stay of execution, but for how long I don’t know. I think it might just take a month and they will close in a few days.

I wonder if we will get another mainline rayman? However, I’m not aware of any murmurs or rumors unless I missed something.
Simundo (Shiremann – Gamertag/PSN ID)

CONDITIONS: Rayman is part of the DLC for Mario + Rabbids Sparks Of Hope, which is the first time he’s been mentioned in years. So that’s a bit encouraging.

Slightly realistic
I played the Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Beta and had a lot of fun with it, I don’t know what the “fans” are complaining about. If there is a technical problem that I have not noticed well, but the definition does not matter.

As for the complaint that it was too difficult to see people from afar… I thought everyone wanted to be realistic? I mean, it’s not, but at least that little bit is. It’s a fun arcade shooter with an illusion of realism and under those conditions I really enjoyed it.
cut

No winners
With more and more people considering turning to the Xbox instead of the PlayStation 5, there’s no question that this generation will be a close affair, but in the end I’m not sure it’ll really matter.

I don’t mean that in a philosophical sense, but that every generation where the two main consoles did well ended up selling pretty much equally. The PlayStation 2 only sold so well because it had next to no competition from GameCube and Xbox, and while it wasn’t quite as bad, the PlayStation 4 was the same situation.

But when it came to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 or Mega Drive and SNES, where each of the consoles were of good quality and didn’t have any major flaws, they ended up selling about the same. I think both because there wasn’t a clear leader, but also because a lot of people ended up buying both.

The longer a generation goes on, the more people are tempted to take the other console, and I can’t imagine this time being any different. The PlayStation 5 might be the top choice for most people, but as long as it’s a close second for the Xbox, it won’t make much of a difference in the end.
Gax

inbox mitran
What makes me laugh about Shenmue is how many times Yu Suzuki missed an opportunity to finish the story. I understand that he wants it all to end up in a big budget video game, but I think we have to accept that that doesn’t happen anymore. Shenmue 3 was his chance and he blew it.
corbie

Thanks for reminding me about the trailer for Beyond Good And Evil 2. By that I mean no thanks. I really think this might be the worst trailer I’ve ever seen. I have no idea what they were thinking, unless it was, ‘We want to stop everyone from ever looking forward to this game.’
orca

This week’s hot topic
The topic for this weekend’s inbox was suggested by reader Jericho, who asks what do you expect from a Switch 2?

Rumors notwithstanding, it’s inevitable that there will be a new Nintendo console in the next few years, but what form should it take, both physically and in terms of how powerful it is and how much it will cost.

Now that there are several portable consoles that look similar, how do you think Nintendo should respond and what are the key changes and improvements over the current Switch? Or would you like to see a new console that’s completely different?

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The fine print
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