Games Inbox: What will be in the Elden Ring DLC?

To join the discussions yourself, email gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Dream extension
So we finally have confirmation that Elden Ring DLC ​​exists and suddenly we have a new puzzle: what is it all about? I think GC has given a good summary of the most obvious questions and theories and I must say it definitely has to be Miquella on Torrent. The image is so close to the one in the game that it would just be unfair for Van to lure us and switch us around like that.

Whether that’s the Erdtree or the Haligtree I don’t know, but I think the best guess of what’s going on is that this is set in some sort of dream world created by Miquella. There was a lot of cut content in the game about him being the God of Slumber and a whole thing where you siphoned creatures’ dreams to use as an ingredient of sorts. You can read all about it on the wikis.

That seems like a pretty good idea for DLC, in that it’s pretty self-contained and creates a simple excuse to add and change things however you like. Although if that’s what’s going on, it seems odd that it presumably won’t be added to the main map, which is surprising as it has some big holes in it. Perhaps that is an indication that there will be more than one expansion?
Hammer iron

Cheap disclosure
So after months of speculation, the Elden Ring DLC ​​was just announced out of the blue on Tuesday morning, with no trailer, no information, and just one ambiguous-looking piece of art. It may have started with Sony, but I think the idea that the games industry ‘showmanship’ has been lost is absolutely true and is spreading to more and more companies.

I assume the problem is a combination of publishers thinking the hype doesn’t work (which seems… unlikely) and that it’s too expensive? But how expensive is a one-minute trailer and a piece of voice-over? And how much money do these companies have if they find it too expensive?

I hope this is what those fools celebrating the end of E3 wanted, because to me it has made the gaming industry considerably less interesting than it used to be.
Magpie

Fight against change
Watching the trailers for Tekken 8 and Street Fighter 6, it’s hard to get excited.

They are basically the same as before, but with slightly nicer graphics. What about things like destructible environments, watching the fighters get bloodied and bruised, and ripped clothing as the fighting continues?

Street Fighter 4 was such a success because it looked and played so differently from all previous Street Fighter games – it was a big step forward. Aside from those colorful finishing moves, Street Fighter 6 looks exactly like Street Fighter 5. The same goes for Tekken. Where is the big leap forward with the new generation of consoles? I wouldn’t be surprised if they both flopped.
Rangersingh (PSN ID)

GC: Surely Street Fighter 4’s success was largely down to nostalgia and the fact that it successfully channeled the look and feel of Street Fighter 2?

Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Chasing the 90s
In response to RickAndRolla’s Monday letter about new racing games, Horizon Chase Turbo is a really good arcade racer. It’s a throwback to games from the 80’s and 90’s like OutRun and Lotus Turbo Challenge, both in terms of graphics, music and gameplay. Highly recommended if you haven’t tried it before. The only thing it was missing for me was online multiplayer.

The sequel is already out on iOS, but I’m waiting for the console versions to come out this year.

On the same subject, I’d love to see sequels from Ridge Racer, Speed ​​Freaks, and MotorStorm.
Tony- -1975 (PSN ID)

No second choice
The game looked really bad, especially based on the demo, but it’s interesting to see how Square Enix didn’t give the creators of Forspoken a second chance. One flop and that’s it, they’re going to do background textures for Final Fantasy, or whatever the worst job on Square is.

It’s always interesting to see how long some companies are willing to stick with an idea or not. As has been noted, EA is surprisingly generous in the second (and often several other) chances, while Nintendo is somewhere in the middle.

However, what concerns me about Forspoken is that one of the studio’s main goals was to capitalize on the PlayStation 5 and the Luminous engine, but…didn’t anyone at Square Enix notice that the graphics were really bad? That should have been a warning sign long before it was about to be released.
Ishi

Difficult question
As an older gamer, I’m surprised by all the letters complaining about difficult games. I still like a challenge in games. I have the impression that games are made easier these days. I managed Elden Ring without the usual rage break (where you leave the game for a few days). Walkthroughs took away a lot of challenge, there are videos for most bosses in every game you’re stuck with. I don’t normally use this one unless I’m tempted to break rage, like when one of the Bloodborne bosses refuses to just die.

The big issue for me is the quality of the games themselves. Both Shadow Of The Tomb Raider and Far Cry 6 have been a rocky road of glitches, bugs and crashes. Tomb Raider sometimes even refuses to load, but this could all be due to my ailing/aging Xbox One S, which I’m hoping to trade for the Xbox Series X this year.

Does Sony have stricter quality assurance than Microsoft? I don’t remember many problems with my PlayStation 4 games.

I think I may have gone on a tangent.
Bobwallet

GC: Have there been many letters lately complaining about difficulties? We hadn’t noticed.

Rare opportunity
Rare Reply is currently on sale for £4.99 on the Xbox Digital Store, which includes the recently released GoldenEye 007 game. The offer ends in six days at the time of writing (Tuesday evening).

Just got it myself because I don’t have Game Pass and I enjoyed playing GoldenEye 007 on rental on N64,
earlier.
Andrew J .

More than late
Taking note of your article on Beyond Good And Evil 2 and the calamities that have surrounded its development, I thought I’d join in and say that the original game came out 20 years ago this year.

For a single experience so long ago, and nothing since, that’s an awfully long wait. Better in my eyes to pass it up, and I say that with respect, because I thoroughly enjoyed the original.

What would be the point of using number 2 if a lot of younger gamers haven’t played or heard of the original?

Perhaps a better attitude to take, should Ubisoft pull their proverbial finger, would be a remake and expansion of the original. Then they could consider the prequel they might be trying to build, add the original story elements, and also wrap up the cliffhanger at the end of the first game. Moreover, Ubisoft was then able to successfully sell it to the old and new audiences. It works for Capcom these days with Resident Evil.

Honestly, it would be great for Ubisoft to see a mature exit from Assassin’s Creed and let their studios breathe and get some creativity back. Some people may not like Immortals Fenyx Rising, but I quite enjoyed its playfulness and silly humor, not to mention ripping off Zelda in an appreciative way.

Ubisoft should aim for that new IP instead of constantly repeating what came before. Beyond Good And Evil could make that happen, if the investment is considered worth it these days. Let’s put it this way, I’d rather they ditch Skull And Bones because Rare got ahead of them long ago, and produce Beyond instead. But as always, the money will do the talking.
ZiPPi

GC: You are right, it is November 20th on November 11th. As for the sequel, there are suggestions that it was originally a completely standalone game to which Ubisoft just rebranded Beyond Good & Evil, which certainly makes sense given what we’re doing. have seen it so far.

Inbox is also running
Looks like I need to polish up my rusty anchor while waiting for the Elden Ring DLC ​​release. I just hope the map is different enough as I have over 200 hours in the main game and would appreciate a change of scenery.
Bobwallet

Just to let you know, the Gran Turismo 7 intro video is indeed not to be missed But… You can turn it off again once you’re in the game and turn it off in the settings. Hope it helps your sanity!
Alex

Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk

The fine print
New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes on weekends. Reader letters are used on merit and are editable in length and content.

You can also submit your own Reader’s Feature of 500 to 600 words at any time via email or submit our Stuff page, which, if used, will appear in the next available weekend slot.