{"id":333270,"date":"2025-12-24T12:56:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-24T12:56:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/333270\/"},"modified":"2025-12-24T12:56:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-24T12:56:09","slug":"games-inbox-what-video-games-will-you-play-over-christmas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/333270\/","title":{"rendered":"Games Inbox: What video games will you play over Christmas?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"646\" height=\"501\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/SEI_278866598-6f66.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-25746089\" alt=\"Super Mario characters at Christmas\" decoding=\"sync\"\/><br \/>\n\t\tMerry Christmas to everyone! (Nintendo)<\/p>\n<p>The Wednesday letters page hopes the rumours of more <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/the-witcher-tv-series\/\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The Witcher<\/a> 3 DLC are true, as one reader suggests Rockstar make a European sister series to <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/grand-theft-auto\/\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">GTA<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/games-inbox\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Games Inbox<\/a> is a collection of our readers\u2019 letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/12\/24\/games-inbox-what-video-games-will-you-play-over-christmas-25747541\/mailto:gamecentral@metro.co.uk\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">gamecentral@metro.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n<p>PLEASE NOTE: This will be the last Games Inbox of 2025, as we disappear for the <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/christmas\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Christmas<\/a> and New Year break. The daily Inbox will return as normal on Tuesday, January 6 but in the meantime we have a large suite of articles planned for the next week or so, including our Top 20 games of the year list and a host of Reader\u2019s Features. Merry Christmas one and all and see you next year!<\/p>\n<p>Merry gaming Christmas<br \/>I\u2019m hoping this will get in for the Inbox before Christmas, just so I can wish everyone seasons greetings and all that. It\u2019s certainly been a difficult year in a lot of ways but at the end of the day we did a lot of great games, even if most of them were indies.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking of which, I\u2019m intending to settle down to play <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/04\/23\/clair-obscur-expedition-33-review-a-classic-jrpg-made-france-22958398\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Clair Obscur: Expedition 33<\/a> over Crimbo. Rather than getting sick of hearing about it I\u2019ve actually decided to give it a go now, when I wasn\u2019t going to before, so I guess all the awards and critical acclaim worked.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a shame it\u2019s not on <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/nintendo-switch-2\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Switch 2<\/a> or I would\u2019ve played it on that, but I\u2019m sure we\u2019ll also have plenty of goes on <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/06\/10\/mario-kart-world-review-final-verdict-switch-2s-biggest-game-23373706\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Mario Kart World<\/a> as well over Christmas. Hope everyone has a good one!<br \/>Cranston<\/p>\n<p>Age concern<br \/>Merry Christmas one and all! I think I\u2019m starting to believe that rumour about <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/12\/23\/witcher-3-get-new-dlc-acts-witcher-4-prologue-says-analyst-25738388\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The Witcher 3 getting new DLC<\/a>. I actually really like the idea of older games getting DLC years later. I would\u2019ve thought the only real difficulty was the availability of voice actors, but other than that I don\u2019t know why it doesn\u2019t happen more often.<\/p>\n<p>We saw with <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/fallout\/\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Fallout<\/a>, when everyone was playing 10+ year old games because that\u2019s all there was when the TV show came out, that normal people don\u2019t care about age and graphics nearly as much as hardcore gamers, and publishers, think.<\/p>\n<p>Besides, unlike Fallout, The Witcher 3 was years head of its time anyway and still looks fine now. I say do more and have BioWare make more DLC for <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/mass-effect\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Mass Effect<\/a> 3 while they\u2019re about it. I know I\u2019d buy it, especially as it\u2019s going to be such a long wait to the next game.<br \/>Lumpy<\/p>\n<p>Sister series<br \/>I kind of get the argument about <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/12\/23\/gta-moscow-almost-a-thing-says-ex-rockstar-dev-well-tokyo-rio-25737049\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">not setting GTA outside of the US<\/a> but why not just make a new franchise and have it be Rockstar\u2019s own official clone? They could even have crossovers of characters and such. As I remember, Sleeping Dogs was going to be set in different countries, but always playing as an undercover cop, and it just happened to be Hong Kong first.<\/p>\n<p>I really don\u2019t see why you couldn\u2019t have Eurotrash: Paris and Rome, or whatever, and just do similar gameplay to GTA but lampooning European culture and stereotypes. I don\u2019t buy the idea about not having easy access to guns either. I\u2019m sure it\u2019s not that hard for criminals and besides, it\u2019s not GTA is realistic in any way.<br \/>James Green<\/p>\n<p>Email your comments to: <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/12\/24\/games-inbox-what-video-games-will-you-play-over-christmas-25747541\/mailto:gamecentral@metro.co.uk\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">gamecentral@metro.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Unsung heroes<br \/>Pretty <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/12\/23\/games-industry-pays-respects-death-call-duty-co-creator-vince-zampella-25718411\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">terrible way to go for Vince Zampella<\/a>, didn\u2019t expect to be reading about that just before Christmas. I did know his name, but he wasn\u2019t that well known amongst ordinary gamers, I don\u2019t think. He should have been though, given the impact he had on gaming. He clearly still had the juice too, considering what a great turnaround Battlefield 6 has been.<\/p>\n<p>I do think companies don\u2019t do nearly enough to promote the people that make their games. I don\u2019t know why they\u2019re always going about having more performance awards at The Game Awards when actors have little real impact on the creation of a game. Shouldn\u2019t we be pushing for awards for programmers and directors and so on?<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\tDon&#8217;t miss Gaming news! Add us as a Preferred Source\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>As a loyal GameCentral reader, we want to make sure you never miss our articles when searching for gaming stories. We have all the latest video games news, reviews, previews, and interviews, with a vibrant community of highly engaged readers.<\/p>\n<p>Click <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=metro.co.uk\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a> and tick\u00a0Metro.co.uk\u00a0to ensure you see stories from us first in Google Search.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"363\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1766580969_764_SEC_278479390-558f.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-25613773\" alt=\"GameCentral collage of Mario Kart, Ghost of Yotei, and Halo\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\/><br \/>\n\t\tGameCentral has been delivering unique games news and reviews for over a decade<\/p>\n<p>The only time we ever hear from anyone at Rockstar is when they leave the company, which means almost no one has any idea who\u2019s making the most successful entertainment in the world.<br \/>Focus<\/p>\n<p>Personal experience<br \/>I\u2019ve got my new TV and it\u2019s got Game Pass built in. All I need to do is connect a controller but before I mess around do you use a console to review on Xbox games or do you use a TV?<\/p>\n<p>If you do use a console could I ask any readers if they use a TV and how it plays, but just so they know, I\u2019m on 500MB and if needs be I can get 8GB download and 8GB upload speeds. If I need to upgrade my speed I would.<br \/>David<\/p>\n<p>GC: We only use consoles. Just connect the controller and try it out; the quality of the streaming will depend on the consistency of your Wi-Fi as well as its top speed, and everyone\u2019s will be different.<\/p>\n<p>Prime conspiracy<br \/>Amidst the mixed reaction (to put it politely) to Metroid Prime 4, I wonder what happened to those alleged remasters of Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption? If the rumours were to be believed they were done and dusted ages ago and were sitting on the shelf waiting for Nintendo to drop them. Nothing was ever confirmed, but the details around them seemed far too detailed and specific to be pure conjecture.<\/p>\n<p>With Nintendo shifting its primary focus to the Switch 2 in 2026, next year feels like the only plausible window left for them to appear (which would coincide with the 40th anniversary of Metroid\u2019s release in Japan). Assuming, of course, that they ever existed at all\u2026<br \/>Needlemouse<\/p>\n<p>GC: It\u2019s impossible to say. The rumours seemed plausible but Nintendo leaks are always far less reliable than for any other company \u2013 probably because they keep changing their mind. And you\u2019re right, Metroid is 40 on August 6. Between that and Zelda, Nintendo has a lot of big anniversaries next year.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>Beating the odds<br \/>Happy Xmas to GC and the community. I would also like to take this time to thank people on my friends list, you know who you are for getting me through a very tough year.<\/p>\n<p>I had mass internal bleeding in May and was in ICU and an induced coma for 12 days with a 2% chance of survival. So, I thought I would annoy everyone and stick around a bit longer\u2026 all the best.<br \/>TWO MACKS<\/p>\n<p>GC: Gosh, wow. We don\u2019t know what to say, except Merry Christmas!<\/p>\n<p>Lay a bet<br \/>With the whole topic of AI in video games I have to say I\u2019m not completely against it, as such. However, with a number of conditions. For instance, I don\u2019t want AI to write scripts or take over voice acting or anything that is involved in the creative process.<\/p>\n<p>If AI can be used to take away some of the busy work and reduce production times without leading to job losses then great. Games take so long to make these days, if production times could be reduced surely this will benefit both consumers and the companies that make the games?<\/p>\n<p>However, I\u2019m sure what will happen is that the companies will use to AI to lay off staff to reduce costs and they are the only ones that will benefit. In this case AI can get in the bin.<br \/>matc7884<br \/>PS: I\u2019ve seen a Resident Evil Requiem Switch 2 pre-order that includes both Resident Evil 7 and Village for a reasonable \u00a370 but it\u2019s from an online shop called coolshop.co.uk. I\u2019ve never heard of them. They have good Trustpilot reviews, and I\u2019ve asked on Facebook and it seems legit, but I wondered if any of the visitors to GameCentral have ever used them?<\/p>\n<p>GC: You\u2019re almost certainly right about the layoffs. Despite all the wild and unlikely claims about AI it\u2019s telling that nobody has tried to pretend it will speed up game development to the degree that would make a real difference.<\/p>\n<p>Inbox also-rans<br \/>Merry Christmas and a happy new year to everyone reading this, especially the GC crew and everyone that\u2019s written in with a Reader\u2019s Feature this year. I did one myself and I know how hard it is!<br \/>Hammeriron<\/p>\n<p>Happy holidays to everyone and hope everyone gets what they want for Christmas! It\u2019s been a wild year but let\u2019s see what the next one will be like now.<br \/>Gazza<\/p>\n<p>Email your comments to: <a href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/12\/24\/games-inbox-what-video-games-will-you-play-over-christmas-25747541\/mailto:gamecentral@metro.co.uk\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">gamecentral@metro.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The small print<br \/>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<p>You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader\u2019s Feature at any time via email or our <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/submit-stuff\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Submit Stuff page<\/a>, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.<\/p>\n<p>You can also leave your comments below and don\u2019t forget to <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/gamecentral\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">follow us on Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\">Arrow<br \/>\nMORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/12\/23\/games-inbox-will-007-first-light-a-good-game-25720021\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Games Inbox: Will 007 First Light be a good game?<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\">Arrow<br \/>\nMORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/12\/22\/games-inbox-will-a-new-zelda-game-2026-25690210\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Games Inbox: Will there be a new Zelda game in 2026?<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\">Arrow<br \/>\nMORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/12\/19\/games-inbox-second-best-video-game-2025-25602780\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Games Inbox: What is the second best video game of 2025?<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"metro-button share-bar-comments\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"#metro-comments-container\"><br \/>\n\t\t\tComment now<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\tComments<br \/>\n\t\t<\/a><a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" class=\"metro-button share-bar-preferred-source\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/metro.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\tAdd Metro as a Preferred Source on Google<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\tAdd as preferred source<br \/>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\tGameCentral<\/p>\n<p>Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Merry Christmas to everyone! (Nintendo) The Wednesday letters page hopes the rumours of more The Witcher 3 DLC&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":333271,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[733,19422,3462,96,83211,209,205,59,1176,2871,376,86,39083,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-333270","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-artificial-intelligence","tag-call-of-duty","tag-christmas","tag-entertainment","tag-game-pass","tag-games-inbox","tag-gaming","tag-gb","tag-grand-theft-auto","tag-mario-kart","tag-nintendo-switch-2","tag-technology","tag-the-witcher","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333270","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=333270"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/333270\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/333271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=333270"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=333270"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=333270"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}