The Monday letters page pits Dragon Age: The Veilguard against Elden Ring, as one reader offers a very detailed round-up of high-end Xbox gamepads.
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Downloading now
I’m a gamer in my early 40s and started with Super Mario Bros. on the NES. Due to a busy family and professional life I rarely feel the need to buy games when they launch, unless I’m particularly excited by them (or they’re from Nintendo), as I know I won’t get round to playing them for a few months (or In some cases, even more) down the line.
The last Call Of Duty I bought, and loved, was Infinite Warfare. The campaign was superb but at the time I remember it being really unpopular. Since then, I’ve looked on with disinterest at subsequent releases and moved onto playing more indie games and enjoying my Switch, which has just delivered throughout its lifetime. Due to a lack of excitement and interest, I haven’t picked up and will likely skip the PlayStation 5 gen altogether – not for a lack of budget, etc. but it simply just has nothing to offer me.
So with much surprise, I decided to pick up the latest Black Ops last Friday, knowing about long load times but anticipating still being able to play on Friday night, or even on Saturday. I have a PS4 Pro, I have a superb Wi-Fi connection, I have plenty of hard drive storage. I have two PS4 Pros I’d install It on and jump between the two depending on rook availability.
Nope. It’s Sunday and I still haven’t had the chance to play the damn game. After a sizeable day one download, which required clearing a stupid amount of space, I then load up this weird launcher, which I now know to be some kind of game hub, to be told 36GB install is required for campaign, never mind the other bits. After leaving it to do its thing on Saturday afternoon, it’s Saturday night, 10pm, and it’s still only have way installed.
So, I download Europa on Switch instead, takes 10 minutes and is £13, and I’m playing and having a great time.
Triple-A gaming is so dead to me. When I do finally play, it won’t wipe this sour taste from my experience.
Very excited about Switch 2 and hoping it continues the gaming tradition of, you know, having good games you can play quickly and easily.
Super zedtendo
Peas in a pod
I don’t know that I necessarily believe any of the specific rumours about GTA 6 Trailer 2 but if it doesn’t come out this year that will be very strange. That would make it more than 12 months since the first one, which to my mind makes it very likely that it’s going to be delayed into 2026.
I do find it interesting that the two most unpredictable, uncommunicative companies in the world are Nintendo and Rockstar, and they’re also the best at actually making games.
I’m not sure there’s much else they have in common but shutting up and just getting on with the business of making games seems a pretty good attitude to take. I wonder if that’s what Sony is trying to do but never quite getting right, since they just come across as arrogant and distant instead.
Holland
We predict a riot
A bit shocked to see the Monster Hunter Wilds beta doing so well on Steam but while I have no interest in it, I support anything that makes Capcom money… assuming they plough that money into make games I do like. which admittedly is mostly anything except Monster Hunter.
After such a long run of good games though I do think it’s about time they made good on their vague promises about bringing back classic franchises, because if one of those is Dragon’s Dogma 2 they must know that’s not what people were hoping for.
Ghosts ‘N Goblins, Bionic Commando, 1942, Knights Of The Round, Strider… the list of options is endless. Just please Capcom, let’s have one or more of these get a full-on reboot, or at least a good quality indie sequel by someone that loves the original. I’ll give you until March next year to announce something or otherwise I riot.
Benjy Dog
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Be kind Rewind
As a fan of Totally Spies! (and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers), I’m super-excited to know there are new games in each series.
I’m looking forwards to Rita’s Rewind but in the meantime, I have Totally Spies! – Cyber Mission to play as I got it a day after launch day.
Will you be reviewing either game please?
LeighDappa
GC: This is the first time we’ve heard about Cyber Mission, but we really liked the look of Rita’s Rewind when it was first unveiled, despite having no interest in Power Rangers, so we’ll definitely be reviewing that when it comes out in December.
Fan horror
RE: RetroRealms: Halloween Vs. Evil Dead. I don’t know if you have played it or are planning on reviewing it, but I’ve had my eye on it for a while, so thought I’d get it (expensive though) but I’m really enjoying it.
It’s just a fan’s dream for both franchises, with so many nods to the films all over the place. It’s a fun 2D beat ’em-up (or whatever the genre is) and there are better out there with more depth and combos but it makes up for it with the settings. The boss battles are surprisingly difficult as well.
Highly recommended and the Myers pitchfork weapon is the best weapon in all gaming!
Simon
PS: I don’t usually watch extras on games or DVDs but I have gone through the behind the scenes stuff and I really enjoyed it. I just had to mention there was a ‘favourite horror film’ extra and one of them said The Void – that film doesn’t get any love and it is an absolute classic as far as I’m concerned.
Simon
GC: We were going to review it but then it got delayed at the last minute and it slipped through the net.
The one to beat
Dragon Age: The Veilguard certainly looks like the epic we hoped for from the series. Graphically, it looks interesting and the visuals and artwork remind me I am playing a Dragon Age game, with the characters looking the part, as well as the environments.
The difference with playing Dragon Age now, compared to a few years ago, is that Elden Ring and Shadow Of The Erdtree has made fantasy role-playing more interesting on another level entirely. What got me back again and again was the focus and excitement of building your character and levelling them up, and deciding on your preferred specs whilst testing a number of items, weapon, incantations, and sorcery types out.
I felt so spoilt with the hidden lore and combat, whilst exploring a huge land that It’ll be a high bar to beat Elden Ring for sure.
One thing that Dragon Age will have over Elden Ring is the character quest lines, which will definitely be all logged, as well as how far you’ve progressed in the side missions. So you’ll know where you are! I loved the side missions in Soulsborne games but what annoys me is that you can miss out on quests without knowing that there was a quest line here in the first place! Which for lore building purposes is frustrating.
You’ll need a guide to know you’re not missing anything and even then you can accidentally trigger or miss something which can mess the following part and break the link. So many random nonsensical things, that stumbling across them accidentally is the only way you can do it without the guide! Bloodborne was difficult enough, and Dark Souls, but they were smaller games, whilst Elden Ring is epic!
Despite this though Elden Ring is the best game of recent times and Dragon Age definitely has to do a lot to stand out in a post-Elden Ring world. But I am sure it’ll do this. Its past has shown this, and I can’t see the developers not creating a game that will not be another hit in this awesome series of games.
Alucard
Late night roller coaster
After your review, I’ve pre-ordered Planet Coaster 2. I was going to pre-order it anyway. I know you said there is a few things missing, like staff being linked to things like shops or fixing rides without me doing anything, or the entertainers sticking to an area, but an update will sort that, I’m sure. When players start moaning they will bring it in.
I loved the last one, the only thing I don’t like is I can start playing at midnight and I’ll still be on it at 6am. I love them sort of games. I was into Call Of Duty but feel out of love with them and really got into these games. Sit down with a cup of tea, lights off, controller in my hand and try and be a theme park owner.
David
Joypad round-up
I mentioned in my letter last week that I felt that some gamers were receiving an advantage in Black Ops 6 due to advances in controllers vs. a basic model. Having noticed that my stock Xbox Series X controller was starting to occasionally miss an input on X and Y (rarely affecting a game but I’d notice it happen), I’ve been keeping an eye out for something ‘better’ these past few weeks and playing Black Ops 6 has given me the perfect excuse to take the plunge.
Initially I was considering the Microsoft Elite Series 2; it has four great back buttons but reviews often commented about them generating stick drift and sometimes within only a few months, so for £150 this seemed to be priced far too high. I’ve been watching it to try and catch a sale but it has never dropped below the £140 mark.
A recent sale on Amazon/Argos pointed me towards the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra Wireless, which at £50 off was still £130. The main selling point was this uses hall effect sticks (HE) which should be much more resistant to developing stick drift and allow for a much smaller dead zone, think 0-2%, rather than 8-10% on a normal controller. Reviews of the product were still a bit hit and miss however, with quite a lot made of poor build quality by many and it still priced at only £10 under the Elite Series 2.
This did get me into looking at HE controllers and eventually led me to a YouTube channel called The PhotoTechy. This guy takes comparing controllers seriously and while many YouTube reviewers just show something being unboxed and talk through the main features of a product, he was actually testing all sorts of information, from measuring frames per second delay between input and it showing on screen, to using a mechanical device to test each stick’s range of movement on a software side – then mapping the differences to discuss why some feel a little odd for aiming. The PowerA Fusion Pro 4 is a good example of this and his testing was enough to put me off it.
To wind up a long story, I’ve now bought a GameSir G7 HE. It features hall effect triggers and sticks, has microswitch face buttons, two (sadly not four) back buttons, and most importantly for my current gaming in Black Ops 6, hair triggers.
It doesn’t have physical trigger stops like the previously mentioned £130+ models, but the free software allows you to set a depress limit to engage the actual function of the trigger. I have mine at 5%, so depressing the trigger only 5% of the way has the same effect as a full depress which speeds up my reaction time in those 1v1 scenarios.
It also allows the default polling rate (how often it communicates with the PC/Xbox) to increase from 250Hz to either 500 or 1,000Hz. The stock Microsoft controller runs at 125Hz, although I’m not convinced that I can feel the difference as yet for this.
The biggest drawback of the G7 is it is a wired controller, which is something I have always immediately dismissed. If you had said a week ago I’d be sitting playing Black Ops with a wired controller I would have laughed at you. The new back buttons are going to take some getting used to but I’m loving the hair triggers, that already feels like an improvement. And the best bit of all? The G7 can be found for under £50 at your local Argos, as well as the technically very similar G7 SE in various different colours.
There is a G7 Pro coming sometime soon(-ish) which appears to be wireless, whether it will have four back buttons and trigger stops is yet to be known. I’m really hoping it does and that it comes in under the £100 mark, rather than the £150-200 most third party wireless controllers seem to aim for. It may end up being a worthy purchase as I do preferred to play wirelessly.
I can totally recommend a look at a G7 HE/SE for anyone in the market for a new controller at a budget price and you never know, it may make those lobbies seem a little less sweaty?
Adam W
Inbox also-rans
I’m going to say it but I just don’t think anyone’s interested in a new Halo, no matter who makes it. I think the Sony equivalent would be LittleBigPlanet. Big in its day but its time has passed. Not ever game can go on forever.
Massi
Kind of shocked how badly SI has messed up this year’s Football Manager. I don’t think there’s a single thing that hasn’t gone wrong. For me they’ve got to cancel it and just make sure Football Manager 2026 is perfect.
Rosco
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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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