Zelda: The Minish Cap – not a Nintendo game (pic: Nintendo)



The Tuesday letters page considers the lies that video game publishers tell, as one reader hopes for the best for Dead Island 2.



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Retro on the move Very happy with the Nintendo Direct last week and I have to say I have been quietly obsessed with the new Game Boy and GBA games they’ve released. I thought I’d just have a quick look but what I thought would only take me half hour has led to multiple games I’ve been playing ever since.



The OG games are basic but Super Mario Land 2 is still a great platformer and I couldn’t put it down until I beat it. I didn’t play Zelda because the remake is still fresh in my mind but Tetris is still amazing in its original form and I’m really enjoying Metroid 2, which I intended to beat.



The GBA games obviously have a bit more to them and I’ve loved the original WarioWare and Mario Kart. I intend to get round to Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga but the best of the bunch for me is Zelda: The Minish Cap, which I’ve never played before but is a really great entry.



It’s not even by Nintendo, I was surprised to find, but Capcom, who apparently also did some Zelda titles for the original Game Boy. I wonder what they’d do now for the series, if they were given the option? But anyway, The Minish Cap is my favourite Game Boy title on the Switch. Interested to know what others are enjoying. Lendal



Trust no one I’d love to know how much Microsoft is regretting trying to buy Activision Blizzard, I’ve got a feeling it’s quite a lot. There are certainly upsides to outsider observers, not only in terms of watching them squirm but the little titbits that are emerging, like this new one about Game Pass adversely affecting game sales – despite Phil Spencer saying other ways.



As someone in the comments said, never believe a word any of these people say. Phil Spencer is full of it and so is Jim Ryan, it’s just that Spencer is a better liar and able to project an image of being a gamer himself. They’re just individual people but to me it underlines the whole absurdity of being a fan of a company, when all you are to them is a customer to be exploited.



If the obvious assumption that Game Pass affect sales is true then I think it’s equally likely that the other assumption, that Microsoft is running Game Pass at a loss, must also be true – no matter what they say to the contrary. I think we only have to look to Sony not copying the model to prove that. Caffeineian



New name, same game I see EA spending all this money on their new football game but is there any hope that it’s going to be any different to FIFA or just the same game with a different name? I haven’t heard anything about them setting up a new studio to work on it or anything, which surely they’d need to do in order to make something brand new. Otherwise, wouldn’t they just have the usual one year to make their changes, which is never enough?



I’m not a FIFA hater but it is victim of its own success, because it can never take a break to improve itself, since there always has to be another one ready for the same time next year. I’m sure there’s multiple teams working on it, so we can get at some new features but EA never play it up like a Call Of Duty thing where each one gets three years to work on a new game. Maybe that would be a good idea for the future though? Elevenses



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Metroid Infinite What a Nintendo Direct that was last week. My jaw hit the floor when I saw the Metroid Prime Remastered trailer and I felt like an excited child when the announcement for its release was soon after the Direct.



The icing on the cake was the release date for the Advance Wars remaster. Going back to Metroid Prime tho…



What a remaster! At times it looks so good it’s more like a remake that’s been made from the ground up for the Switch, it’s impossible to tell it’s a 20-year-old game. The art design, the sound effects and soundtrack, the atmosphere, the feeling of loneliness and isolation is unparalleled!



Compare it to Halo infinite, which is another first person game set on alien planets, on vastly more powerful hardware and, well… there is no comparison, Metroid Prime is on another level!



It was evident within the first few minutes of playing it, the amount of attention and enthusiasm that’s been put into making it: the title screen, the opening section, I could go on and on…



It could have been a bare bones, cynical cash grab remaster but it’s just astonishing how much effort, love and passion for the game there was when developing it.



It’s what a remaster should be, an old game modernised and made accessible to a new generation and replayable to its original fans and not a cynical cash grab. I’m looking at Sony and The Last Of Us, Uncharted, etc…



I’ve no doubt the Advance Wars remaster will just as awesome and I’m also looking forward to the Resident Evil 4 remake. Again, these are what remasters and remakes should be. wasimr34



GC: Advance Wars 1+2 is a remake, built from scratch, as is The Last Of Us Part 1.



Old school undead I hope Dead Island 2 is good after all this time. I do feel for these developers that get stuck on these projects forever, not able to move on until they’re done but uncertain whether it’s going to turn out well. Dead Island 2 looks okay but it’s missed the boat by so much I don’t know whether there’s much interest out there.



I guess you could say The Last Of Us has renewed interest in zombies but the Dead Island ones are pretty old school in look and tone, so I don’t know. Developer Dambuster are what’s left of Free Radical Design, who are what’s left of the team that worked on GoldenEye 007, so I wish them all the best. Jason XI



Switch forever So, downloaded Metroid Prime Remastered immediately after hearing about the shadow drop. I remember playing this in my parent’s house so many years ago, and it’s testament to the quality of the remaster that it seems like I’m back there, GameCube set-up in the spare room and in-between appointments to a ship. Happy days indeed.



Best thing I’ve played all year, and so hard to put down. Retro Studios really nailed maintaining that Metroid feeling despite the transition to first person, and the urge to explore just that bit farther is just as strong as it in the 2D versions.



Been reading about how the Switch is entering its final year(s) in all probability, and I’m inclined to agree. Yet I’m currently on a ship were it seems that anybody who doesn’t own one is talking about getting one, undoubtedly due to the Mario Kart sessions we’ve been having on a projector in the bar! There’s life in the old girl yet, and this remaster of Metroid Prime only confirms it. G



The boss of you I read your Metroid Prime Remastered review with interest. I loved that game on my original playthrough but I have harsh memories of bouncing off the final boss harder than Plastic Man in a trampoline Park. I seem to remember needing super rockets or something…



I’ll probably pick up a physical copy but did anyone else find it a difficulty spike or do I just suck? DarKerR (gamertag)



GC: It’s difficult but are you sure you’re not thinking of Metroid Prime 2’s final boss? That was absurdly difficult and painfully long.







Breaking of the fellowship I’m looking forward to playing the Metroid Prime remaster. The thing I remember most about my first playthrough (2003? Wow!) was that atmosphere; the eerie, ominous, feeling of isolation.



I know the game had many outstanding elements, not least the intricacy of its design, but moving from 2D to 3D, whilst still retaining the unique sense of foreboding from Super Metroid is, for me, the game’s crowning achievement.



It also seems a shame what has happened to the developer, Retro Studios. I know the game had a rocky development, and Nintendo’s support was crucial, but they were undoubtedly a talented bunch. Their subsequent releases have been solid, but I don’t think they ever quite lived up to their early promise.



Also, where does GC stand on Super Metroid vs. Metroid Prime? I’d still give the nod to the former but it’s a close one. Mark Fitz



GC: They’re different enough that we’ve never really considered it; they complement each other perfectly. A lot of staff left Retro after the trilogy ended and, sadly, lead programmer Mark Haigh-Hutchinson and technical lead Andy O’Neil have both since passed away.



Inbox also-rans You know who else I think lies about stuff, other than Microsoft and Game Pass? Nintendo. If the Switch 2 doesn’t come out next year I’ll be Donkey Kong’s uncle. Lemon Master



Is Nintendo ever going to bring Super Mario Galaxy 2 to Switch? Anon



GC: Sadly, no one has any idea except them.



This week’s Hot Topic The subject for this weekend’s Inbox was inspired by reader matc7884, who asks what you consider to be the best value for money in gaming?



It can simply be a good bargain you found in a sale but perhaps it’s a free-to-play game that you’ve spent dozens of hours with, or a paid-for title you’ve put even more time into?



What is your minimum requirement for good value for money, in terms of length and quality, and when have you been most let down by an otherwise good game? What’s the most surprised you’ve ever been at a game’s value and what do you think other games could learn from it?



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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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