![\"Hades](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SEI_267353154-1a04.jpg\")
\n\t\tHades 2 \u2013 one of many great indie games this year (Supergiant Games)<\/p>\n
\t\t
\n\t\tHades 2 \u2013 one of many great indie games this year (Supergiant Games)<\/p>\n
The Monday letters page asks whether Nintendo<\/a> is now a spent force, as readers worry about the future of Warner Bros.<\/a> game developers.<\/p>\n Games Inbox<\/a> is a collection of our readers\u2019 letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n PLEASE NOTE: We are currently preparing articles to run over the Christmas<\/a> and New Year break, so if you\u2019ve been thinking of writing a Reader\u2019s Feature now would be the perfect time to send it in. It can be on any subject you want, as long as it\u2019s a minimum of 500 words long.<\/p>\n Year of the independent But this year has been amazing. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33<\/a> gets all the attention, as it deserves to, but there\u2019s Blue Prince<\/a> too, Hades 2<\/a>, Hollow Knight: Silksong<\/a>, Dispatch<\/a>, Sword Of The Sea<\/a>, Monster Train 2<\/a>, Absolum<\/a>, and so many others.<\/p>\n I haven\u2019t played all of them, obviously, but looking at the reviews and the diversity of what the games are, it seems so much healthy than the triple-A gaming business. Constantly the same game, again and again. This year we had Battlefield<\/a> 6 vs. Call Of Duty<\/a>: Black Ops 7 (actually the 22nd game in the series) and which one was the most popular<\/a>? The pluck new indie rival, Arc Raiders.<\/p>\n I\u2019m certain that big publishers won\u2019t learn anything from this, but triple-A games feel like they\u2019re becoming increasing irrelevant. What\u2019s the point, when indie games are cheaper, better, and more innovative? If this isn\u2019t their best year ever, I don\u2019t know what it is. \t\t\t\tExpert, exclusive gaming analysis\t\t\t<\/p>\n Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter<\/a> for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning.<\/p>\n Unhappy memories I\u2019d found my way to two paths in opposite directions, both leading to bosses, by then I just could not be bothered dying again and again, no desire to see more, no desire to learn their patterns and just spending the entire session spitting and swearing at the screen, coming away more stressed than when I started. I moved on\u2026 to Blue Prince, lordy!<\/p>\n Looking back on it now, there\u2019s no fondness, no warm feeling welling up in me, just angry memories of frustration and vitriol. Predictable outcome I really don\u2019t know why company\u2019s get the go ahead from the regulator when they know what\u2019s going to be happening with jobs and cuts. Oh well, another company swallowed up by another company. GC: The regulator did try to stop Microsoft<\/a> buying Activision Blizzard, and every negative thing they warned of has come true<\/a>. The current US government seems far less concerned with such things though.<\/p>\n Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n Christmas favourite Anyway, this game seems criminally underrated as no one ever talks about it. It set the scene for Breath Of The Wild, with all the items and dungeons being accessible from the start and has such a great soundtrack. It\u2019s the last Zelda game I can remember where I got stuck in the dungeons, which is a sign of a great Zelda game, in my opinion. Secret mode Setting the items to only Kamek, it\u2019s just stark bonkers crazy and a real change of pace. It gives me hope for further updates that make a real difference to the initial releases gameplay modes. GC: It is really good fun. We\u2019d love to know whether it was intentional or not.<\/p>\n Time poor Do you know if developers hire playtesters of varying abilities?<\/p>\n Korey mentioned something about a lack of respect for the amount of spare time people have. That\u2019s the core complaint that I have with regards to difficult games\/sections of games. Wasted time. When I repeat a task in a game over and over again and I\u2019m only punished and not rewarded I count that as a waste.<\/p>\n Where\u2019s the fun in getting beaten down by a game again and again?<\/p>\n Time really is precious. Unlike real world currency you can\u2019t regenerate lost hours. You can never get the time that you spend back, that\u2019s why I personally avoid games that are known to be difficult.<\/p>\n I did give Dark Souls a try, due to the hype and the good reviews behind it. Needless to say, I didn\u2019t enjoy that game at all. In the bunker Turns out 2K took this game off sale on August 30 2025, and shut down the servers on October 30. But there it still is in the Nintendo store, \u00a349.99. No refund though, T&Cs! Calibrate your pessimism Since Mario Kart World, Donkey Kong Bananza, and now Metroid Prime 4 are not exactly setting the gaming world on fire, what would happen if we are witnessing in real-time the beginning of the end of Nintendo magic?<\/p>\n (All great artists suffer a blip, such as my favourite singer Michael Jackson and his \u2018Invincible\u2019 album but most can usually bounce back.)<\/p>\n Yes, it\u2019s still early days for the Switch 2 but what if the next 2D or even 3D Mario fails to excite?<\/p>\n (These are the games, alongside a new top-down Zelda, I\u2019m specifically looking out for.)<\/p>\n Traditional Pok\u00e9mon will always sell (won\u2019t it?) but then does that mean Nintendo consoles are just \u2018Pok\u00e9mon machines\u2019, as CameronAllOneWord said on YouTube?<\/p>\n I always wanted a free roam Mario Kart ever since wondering or imagining what was beyond the track barriers in the original Super Mario Kart and did love Super Mario Bros. Wonder but the reviews of Mario Kart World don\u2019t fill me with wanting to go out and buy it.<\/p>\n For the record, I can afford the \u00a3400 for a Switch 2 but with nothing of interest to play, I have kept those notes in my Super Mario Bros. NES cartridge-themed wallet.<\/p>\n After Zelda: Breath Of The Wild and the very similar Tears Of The Kingdom, where can Nintendo go from here?<\/p>\n I liked the change of play in Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom but if Nintendo games are no longer as fantastic as they used to be, does this spell the end of fun in gaming?<\/p>\n Because from my understanding, there appears to be a massive first party games drought on the PlayStation 5 and does anyone care about Xbox exclusives? GC: The Switch 2 is the fastest selling console in history and Donkey Kong Bananza is the fifth best game of the year (and the number one full price title) according to Metacritic<\/a>, if you discount the Switch 2 Editions of the two recent Zeldas at one and two. Mario Kart World is the 29th best, ahead of Ghost Of Y\u014dtei, Arc Raiders, and Silent Hill f. Gamers need to recognise that it is possible for a game to not be the best thing ever or the worst.<\/p>\n Inbox also-rans I\u2019m worrying about Rocksteady again, with all this Warner Bros. business. At least Hogwarts Legacy and Mortal Kombat are successful. When they\u2019re looking to see who to lay off what are they going to think when someone explains Suicide Squad to them? Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n The small print You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader\u2019s Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page<\/a>, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.<\/p>\n You can also leave your comments below and don\u2019t forget to follow us on Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Arrow Arrow Arrow
Thanks for the Horses review<\/a>. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s for me but, like you said, it\u2019s got that daring games like that exist. I feel that at the start of this generation indie games<\/a> had become sidelined to a degree. Maybe it was something to do with Covid<\/a>, but it felt like for a good few years there weren\u2019t really that many indie games making an impact, even though there were more than ever.<\/p>\n
Colin<\/p>\n
RE: Silksong. I gave up on this eventually, after I\u2019d finally gotten to the citadel, after around 60, probably closer to 100 hours. When every encounter ramped up and felt like a mini-boss (those giant hovering grasshopper things, three in a row!<\/p>\n
big boy bent
PS: Clair Obscur\u2026 game of the year, in fact I already voted for it.<\/p>\n
So if the Warner Bros. deal<\/a> will complete in June\/July time we can expect lay-offs to start in August, because, as we know, that\u2019s what happens when a company gets bought out; they start cutting costs to start getting some of their money back and its normally the ones that work on the games that face the chop.<\/p>\n
David<\/p>\n
One of my Christmas traditions is to play through Zelda: A Link Between Worlds<\/a> on my old 3DS, to get me in the Christmas mood and give me a bit of nostalgia for older times, when I had a job where I actually liked the people I worked with\u2026<\/p>\n
For me, it is peak Nintendo and I wish they would go back to making games of this calibre, as from everything I\u2019m hearing about the Switch 2 at the moment, it is a dud and going down the PlayStation 5 road.
Simon
PS: I forgot to add how the 2D painting mechanic isn\u2019t just a gimmick, but a major part of the gameplay and really enjoyable. It\u2019s such a good game.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
I can\u2019t remember the name of the fellow reader that wrote in about the items choice update on Mario Kart World but it\u2019s putting a real smile on my face.<\/p>\n
Nick The Greek<\/p>\n
That was a very interesting reader feature by Korey<\/a> at the weekend with regards to game difficulty. Sometimes, when I encounter a really annoying difficulty spike in a game, I do wonder about the playtesting that went into the game that I\u2019m stuck on. Some levels\/sections are so frustrating and unenjoyable it\u2019s hard to believe that they\u2019ve been checked off as acceptable.<\/p>\n
Michael Veal (@msv858<\/a>)<\/p>\n
On November 21, for my birthday, my wife bought PGA Tour 2K21 from the Nintendo online store. We used to play Tiger Woods on the GameCube a lot and thought we\u2019d enjoy this just as much. But wait, there\u2019s no online connectivity at all, you can\u2019t even buy your character a hat without a \u2018no connection\u2019 warning.<\/p>\n
Best
Mick McMahon<\/p>\n
There was a comment in the Underbox of the Metroid Prime 4 review<\/a> that said, \u2018Nintendo could be a spent force\u2019 and it has troubled me since reading it.<\/p>\n
LeeDappa<\/p>\n
I can\u2019t believe that any company would be crazy enough to give money to Yu Suzuki for Shenmue 4, after the complete disaster that was the last one. So far that reason alone I\u2019m calling the leaked trailer<\/a> a fake.
Freddy<\/p>\n
Tacle<\/p>\n
New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers\u2019 letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content.<\/p>\n
\nMORE: Games Inbox: Was the Dreamcast better than the PS2?<\/a><\/p>\n
\nMORE: Games Inbox: What Nintendo Switch 2 games are out in 2026?<\/a><\/p>\n
\nMORE: Games Inbox: Has Nintendo had a bad year for games?<\/a><\/p>\n