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The Monday letters page looks back at readers’ first weekend with the Nintendo Switch 2, as Summer Game Fest 2025 gets a mixed response.

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

Good weekend
I’ve been playing the Switch 2 pretty constantly since launch and I’ve had a great time with it.

I’ve played a lot of Mario Kart World, single-player, online, and local multiplayer and it’s been a blast. Being able to trundle around in free roam while you wait for a new race is fantastic.

I would like to specifically highlight the amazing soundtrack to the game, particularly in free roam where there are some beautiful new versions of Mario classics. I found an unofficial playlist on YouTube and it’s gone from 131 tracks when I first found it to 168 at time of writing.

It seems Nintendo have gone through every mainline Mario Kart and Mario platform and produced some amazing music in a variety of styles. I really liked hearing Yoshi’s Island or Dire, Dire Docks. I didn’t expect a Mario Kart game to rival Smash Bros. for echoing Nintendo’s aural history.

I’ve also been playing Hitman and Cyberpunk 2077. The former could do with a slightly better frame rate but otherwise is a great version of 47’s globetrotting murder spree.

Cyberpunk is truly astonishing though. It seems unbelievable to see graphics like this on a Nintendo system. I’ve yet to try out the different control methods they’ve included for the system – I don’t yet have a sword to try the motion controls, but I’m really impressed by the effort that’s gone into this port.

The console itself feels very satisfying and premium quality. I think if I was going to complain about anything it’d be the shorter battery life, but even then the extra USB-C port makes charging while playing handheld easier.

Now I just need a new Direct to tell me what exciting things are coming in the future.
Euclidian Boxes

Maybe later
I was tempted to pre-order and load up my credit card but in the end decided against it, as I’ve got a massive backlog of games I’m going through at the moment. But from the early reactions of people who have got one, I’m pleased I resisted.

Mario Kart World was the game that was tempting me but overall it sounds like a disappointment. The comments (one in your Inbox) about how DLC will improve the game are pretty disgraceful as you pay £75 for an unfinished game. That, along with the game key issue for all third party games is also putting me off.

Although come the Donkey Kong release I will no doubt be tempted again anyway, but I suspect I will be able to hold off for at least a year and take another look at the console.
Simon

Super Nintendo Kart Bros.
I think it’s time Mario Kart introduced a bigger roster of characters from other Nintendo games. Maybe even other games, like in Super Smash Bros.

The few that were added into Mario Kart 8 was a good start but going all in with Minecraft, Pac-Man, Sonic the Hedgehog, Street Fighter, Mega Man, etc. would have excited me more than the duller than expected open world of Mario Kart World.

Hoping this is something introduced as DLC.
Mark Matthews

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The Okay Circle
I played it for 36 hours and saw the credits roll but I wasn’t as taken with Indiana Jones And The Great Circle as the reviews.

As has been said in reviews, it’s not an especially action-packed game and has the pace of a walking sim or old point ‘n’ click adventure game for long periods of play. Taking photos, reading notes, collecting stuff, doing puzzles.

Stealth is a prominent gameplay attribute which adds to that slow pace. When you do engage in some fisticuffs it doesn’t quite work in first person. The traversal also feels very stiff and slow.

I laughed when promoted to run from a collapsing or water filling structure with tense music playing, to then stiffly scale rock faces and with arthritic speed shuffle across ledges.

Along with finding the story boring I just didn’t find the whole mix that interesting, exciting or fun.

Still looking forward to MachineGames’ Wolfenstein 3 though. That’s still happening, isn’t it?
Simundo

GC: Wolfenstein 3 was never happening, sadly. Or at least it’s never been announced or hinted at.

Goat killer
After maybe three hours of actual play, I’m loving the Switch 2. The console is just a vast improvement on the original, which I think was exactly the right way to go at this juncture. The Switch is the best console I’ve ever owned, closely followed by the SNES and hopefully once everything beds in, it will be a similar bump from the NES to SNES.

Mario Kart World clearly has a lot to offer and I’ve found myself grinning ear to ear whilst playing it. Street Fighter 6 looks amazing and plays so well and Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom is improved simply due to loading times. Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom too (which I need to complete).

I think Nintendo perhaps made an error in not releasing to the press, makes life difficult for you guys, and I think that may take some shine and excitement away from reviews but hopefully for the house of Mario that doesn’t happen.

I’m really interested in a current review of Cyberpunk 2077 and I want that snowboarders game from the people who made Lonely Mountains. Tired now, as I stayed up far too late setting up and having a first taste, but I think this console could really rock. I’m expecting special things in the first two years software wise….

There remain some issues: microSD Express cards aren’t available in decent sizes, why can’t I play with a friend and others in Mario Kart World Knockout Tour (which really is quite intense!) and where is the next big Mario entry?! I do wonder if they should have saved some stuff from the Switch, but then it wouldn’t have been the GOAT!
team_catcave

Nine of a kind
After playing the new Mario Kart, one thing we probably don’t give it credit for is there’s actually nothing else out there that’s like it or, may I add, as good as it – even with 20-odd crazy racers behind you, wanting banana revenge.

It does play a lot like its predecessor or that’s exactly how I’m playing it now. I’ve figured out that holding jump down makes you do a big hop, with some detriment to your speed; which I’ve used to some success and to some huge losses also. I can see there’s lots going on that I’m not accustomed to and I’ll work it out.

Is it fantastic? I don’t know. It’s not the finished game; anyone that’s played it already knows that. Open world we are all pointing your way: point, point, pointing at you!

The courses are really long. I can’t make a cup of coffee anymore and run back to the kettle to pour in-between games. Save me some Kenco money in what I’ll spend on new Nintendo releases, I guess.

What I will say is it’s made me smile a lot for one reason or another tonight. Little bits of Nintendo magic here and there, but not a constant smile as it all feels too familiar. It’s not the opening I got from the last Switch curtain opener in 2017, but having all my games transported across is a massive plus. They need to be given some credit for that.

Do I feel like I’ve been fleeced? £500 lighter with what I’ve bought. Do I feel like Nintendo has lost their way? Do I feel like it’s another Wii U? Do I feel like I’m getting ripped off on £80 games? Do I feel like Mario is the most Japanese Italian man I’ve never met? It’s all a no, except for Mario. Why isn’t he eating sushi and spaghetti in the games yet together?

All in all. Tiring but great day.

Dead bones, Ryan O’D I’m calling you out. I want to see a Reader’s Feature on the new Mario Kart with screenshots and your verdict. You did a good job on Zelda. I never forget.

One last thing; yes, there’s a skill to Mario Kart. I know that Ryan O’D knows it and he knows, that I know it. We met here and played against each other a long time ago and it was 51/49 his way because I’m not in an argumentative mood. He knows I’m the daddy really!

Enjoy your new consoles that jumped in.
Nick The Greek

GC: None of the Switch 2 games are £80?

Sequels find a way
One game I’m so looking forward to, now it’s been confirmed, is Jurassic World Evolution3. It’s one of them games I love so much; just sit down, relax with a Coke in one hand and a controller in the other hand and become John Hammond every night.

Can’t wait for that game. I’ve loved the last two games and this one has babies.
David

Endless Souls
Just seen the Summer Games Fest 2025 and boy I thought it was a belter or at least a 7 or 8 out of 10. But how many Souls type games were there?! I felt there was one every 10 minutes or something. Don’t get me wrong, a lot of them looked pretty good but we don’t want saturation unless the quality is maintained throughout.

Mortal Shell and ILL looked graphically awesome but graphics were what nearly every game shown had in their arsenal, and then some. The Cube, Code Vein 2, Stranger Than Heaven, and End Of Abyss were artistically very good, even though CGI was used a lot for some.

Killer Inn had an interesting premise, as well as Out Of Words. Again, the presentation of the show was near spot on, with Geoff Keighley doing a fine job of presenting, along with co-hosts and special guests.

Talking of special guests, what about Hideo Kojima talking about Death Stranding 2 near the show’s beginning, which was pretty cool and interesting to say the least. Much anticipation as to what bizarre and deep storytelling is to be expected in the game and, quite frankly, it will probably be up there with David Lynch’s Twin Peaks: The Return’s storytelling of the bizarre.

Resident Evil Requiem looks like a possible new style or take on the genre but with a more reserved style, like if Fox Mulder and Dana Scully took on an X-Files case involving mysterious outbreaks of missing people.

But seriously, it’d be wrong to think that it’s looking like a quiet future for gaming with these belters that have just been revealed. Congratulations to Geoff Keighley and his show and here’s to the rest of 2025.
Alucard

Inbox also-rans
Wow, that Summer Game Fest was completely boring. I greatly regret staying up for it. Resident Evil Requiem was good but other than that I don’t think there was a single thing I cared about.
Goulash

Liked what I saw of the new Resident Evil. Only negative is the name. Requiem is such a cliched, boring subtitle that’s been used in a billion low rent sequels already.
Cubby

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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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MORE: Games Inbox: What are your Nintendo Switch 2 first impressions?

MORE: Games Inbox: When will there be Nintendo Switch 2 console reviews?

MORE: Games Inbox: Is Mario Kart World on Nintendo Switch 2 a disappointment?

Microsoft’s Xbox Games Showcase has revealed a host of new multiformat games, including Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy, Super Meat Boy 3D, and Grounded 2.

The June Xbox Games Showcase has been on a roll since its inception, repeatedly showing up Sony’s attempts to fill the E3 gap. Even though this year is a relatively quiet one for Xbox, it was still generally more interesting than the PlayStation State of Play last week.

It’s still unclear if there’ll be a Nintendo Direct this month, given the Switch 2 has only just launched, but there was no mention of the new console at Microsoft’s event, especially when it came to Call Of Duty: Black Ops 7.

Arguably the biggest reveal of the show (despite the fact it had been leaked previously) was the two new ROG Xbox Ally portable devices, but there was also plenty of other traditional news, as you can see from this bountiful selection of trailers below.

The format of the Xbox Games Showcase has always been the same, with an hour or so of various different first and third party titles, followed by a 30 minute showcase of a specific game. Previously that’s been Starfield and Black Ops 6, but this year it was The Outer Worlds 2, followed by a bonus 30 minutes on the newly revealed Grounded 2 – also by Obsididan Entertainment.

Oh, and before you ask, Hollow Knight: Silksong was not featured, although Xbox exec Sarah Bond did mention in passing that it was still coming out this year. Although we’ll believe that when we see it.

High On Life 2

Somewhat surprisingly, given what happened to creator Justin Roiland, there is going to be a sequel to comedy first person shooter High On Life. Roiland quit developer Squanch Games in 2023 (apart from anything he was the voice of the main character) but the sequel will carry on regardless, with the pre-rendered reveal trailer featuring a range of new weapons but surprisingly few jokes. It’s actually out this winter too, for Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC.

Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy

Leaked a few hours before the show itself, a third entry in the Plague Tale series is now confirmed for sometime next year, on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC. Although the trailer makes it unclear when the game is set exactly, it apparently tells the origin story of Sophia. Although there’s obviously a lot of references to the myth of Theseus and the minotaur from Ancient Greece, as well as what looks like a Roman amphitheatre. Strangely, there’s no rats at all, nor any obvious sign that part of the game will be set in the modern day, which was hinted at by the ending of the previous entry.

Super Meat Boy 3D

One of a few genuine surprises during the showcase, there hasn’t been a new Super Meat Boy game since the disastrous Super Meat Boy Forever in 2021. Developer Team Meat are back though, with a new game that is 3D in the sense of Super Mario 3D World rather than Super Mario Odyssey. It seems to have captured the look and feel of the originals perfectly, but as the previous title showed getting the right balance between difficult and head-gnawingly frustrating is not easy. It’ll be out on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC next year.

Ninja Gaiden 4

Microsoft has long seen Ninja Gaiden as one of the few Japanese-made franchises that is inextricably linked to Xbox, despite its many multiformat releases, and they’re probably right. Although the game had been revealed earlier in the year the big news here was that it’s out – on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC – on October 21 (the same day as Jurassic World Evolution 3, which also featured in the showcase, just in case you wanted further proof of how terrible publishers are at scheduling).

Indiana Jones And The Order Of The Giants

The only obvious hook for DLC in Indiana Jones And The Great Circle was a sub-villain that didn’t get killed. There’s no obvious sign that they’re involved in this first expansion, so maybe they’re being saved for the next. As it is, this is set in Rome (so expect some nods to The Last Crusade) and involves exploring the origins of the giants from the main game, possibly incorporating the secret ending from the original. Although the fact that actor Tony Todd has sadly died since then, may have changed MachineGames’ plans. The DLC will be out on September 4 for Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC.

Beast Of Reincarnation

The idea of Pokémon developer Game Freak making multiformat games is not a new thing, although usually they tend to have a similarly family friendly appeal. This looks to be a more serious affair – some manner of action adventure that almost has a Soulslike feel to it. It also features robots, samurai, and a pet wolf so we’re immediately interested. But if Game Freak can put out graphics like this for a side project they’re going to have even less excuse if the next Pokémon game is the usual broken mess of low-tech visuals. Beast Of Reincarnation is out next year on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC.

Clockwork Revolution

One of the longest gameplay trailers of the evening was this new action role-player from Wasteland developer inXile Entertainment. Its tone is awkwardly similar to The Outer Worlds but with a neat set of time-altering powers and lots of steampunk style gadgets and world design. It’s being co-developed by new studio Shapeshifter Games, who are made up of a lot of Saints Row veterans. It’s also one of the few games in the showcase that is not coming to PlayStation 5, likely because the studios are quite small and they started work on the game before Microsoft began their current multiformat policy.

Grounded 2

Another genuine surprise was a sequel to Obsidian’s pint-sized survival game, which will also be making heavy use of early access to evolve its design. It’s the same basic idea as before – of trying to survive as one of a group of tweens shrunk to smaller than ant size – but this time in a local park instead of a back garden, plus now you can use various creepy crawlies as mounts. The original Grounded was one of the first of Microsoft’s games to go multiformat (including on Switch), but the sequel will only be on Xbox Series X/S and PC, at least when it launches on Xbox Game Preview on July 29.

Cronos: The New Dawn

Developer Bloober Team went from zero to hero with the remake of Silent Hill 2, so if they can pull it out the bag a second time, for this new original IP, they will have established themselves as one of the most important horror game developers of the moment. Cronos seems to have something of a Dead Space vibe going on, as well as perhaps influences from Returnal, at least in terms of the story. It’s due out this autumn on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC.

Aphelion

Don’t Nod’s mountain climbing adventure Jusant is an underappreciated gem, so if this sci-fi adventure ends up being a spiritual successor we will be more than happy. That’s certainly what it looks like, although with a less laidback atmosphere and what sounds like some considerably more dangerous monsters. It’s coming to Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC next year. Aphelion means the point at which a planet or moon is furthest from its star, which we guess explains all the snow.

There Are No Ghosts At The Grand

One of the best surprises of the showcase was this bizarre new game from a previously unknown studio in Bristol, called Friday Sundae. The set-up is that you’ve inherited a hotel, as well as a bunch of implausible gadgets that are used to repair and prettify it and the rest of the town. However, they can also be used to bust ghosts at night, as you battle a Lovecraftian invasion. And on top of that it’s a musical. It’s due out next year, but only for Xbox Series X/S and PC, which implies Microsoft must have put up some of the budget.

Planet Of Lana 2: Children Of The Leaf

We weren’t as impressed by 2023’s Limbo inspired platformer Planet Of Lana as some people but there’s no doubting it was a very pretty game. There’s also no doubt that the sequel looks to be even prettier, especially with its new underwater sequences. Whether the gameplay and storytelling proves to be any more substantial though, remains to be seen. It’ll be out on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC next year.

At Fate’s End

As attractive as Planet Of Lana 2 might be, this new game from the makers of Spiritfarer looks even better, with some really gorgeous animation. We’re not entirely sure what’s going on with the playing cards but it’s clearly not just a simple action game. If this ends up playing as good as it looks it’s going to be amazing; it’s out next year on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC.

Gears Of War: Reloaded

It’s already had one remaster but this new version of the first Gears of War will also be released on PlayStation 5 (but not Switch 2 – in fact, there wasn’t a single game for Nintendo’s new console in the whole showcase). The release date was already announced as August 26, with confirmation of 4K resolution, 120fps support, and modernised multiplayer with cross-play and cross-progression across all formats.

Persona 4 Revival

It’s been rumoured for ages, and it’s always been pretty obvious it was real, but Atlus chose the Xbox Games Showcase as the venue to announce their remake of Persona 4. Not much was shown but it seemed a pretty major glow up in terms of graphics, although it’s unclear if there’ll be any substantial new gameplay or story elements. There’s no indication of a release date, but it’ll be released on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC.

Invincible Vs

All of a sudden, superhero themed 2D fighters are all the rage but there seems to be a gulf of difference between this, from unknown developer Quarter Up, and Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls from genre masters Arc System Works. Maybe it’ll be good though; it certainly seems bloody enough to be authentic, although there’s something a bit off about the visuals that doesn’t really match the look of the show. It’s out next year on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade and Final Fantasy 16

It was always inevitable that these two would end up on Xbox Series X/S sooner or later, but while Final Fantasy 16 is out now there’s no date for Final Fantasy 7 Remake other than later this year. That practically guarantees that Rebirth, and the third game, will follow eventually. Many fans had hoped that Square Enix would announce the final chapter this month but as the Xbox Game Showcase was the last major preview event it looks like that’s not going to happen.

Keeper

Psychonauts developer Double Fine were rumoured to be about to unveil their next game but, funnily enough, no one guessed that it would involve a sentient, preambulatory lighthouse, whose best friend is a bird. Despite the wonderfully weird visuals and fantastical designs the game is apparently set on a ‘post-human’ Earth and features no dialogue of any kind.

We sense something of an early era Pixar vibe but it won’t be long until we know for sure, as it’s out on October 17, for Xbox Series X/S and PC – again, a PlayStation 5 version will probably follow later.

The Outer Worlds 2

Although the 2019 original didn’t seem to set the world on fire the sequel to Obsidian’s satirical sci-fi role-player is looking considerably more refined. Although they’ve made plenty of games in their time, including this year’s Avowed, we’ve never heard Obsidian compare one of their games quite so much to Fallout: New Vegas before.

That’s clearly intentional and the original certainly did have a Fallout vibe, in terms of its critique of capitalism and the hubris of humanity. It was never quite as funny as Obsidian seemed to think but it appears that aspect may also have improved in the sequel. The guns certainly have, and we really like the look of that BFG style one towards the end.

The game’s out on Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC on October 29… a week before Ninja Gaiden 4, which is just four days after Keeper. So, very impressive showcase, typically moronic release scheduling.

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Microsoft is finally set to release an Xbox branded handheld console but it’s actually being made by Asus and is very similar to the existing ROG Ally.

There wasn’t much at the Xbox Games Showcase that hadn’t already been leaked out weeks before (well, maybe the fact that Double Fine’s new game features a walking, sentient lighthouse) and so it was not the surprise it should’ve been that one of the main reveals was the ROG Xbox Ally and ROG Xbox Ally X handheld devices.

As previously rumoured, these are not consoles being made by Microsoft but basically rebranded versions of ASUS’s existing ROG Ally line. The big difference is an Xbox button used to access chat, apps, and other setting relating to Game Pass and cloud gaming.

They also have contoured grips, designed to be similar to the official Xbox controllers, but they’re not Xbox consoles and instead run Windows 11 – so they’re essentially just portable PCs.

Even including Steam Deck, which is the most successful of the PC portable gaming devices, the whole market only amounts to a few million units, so it’s not really clear what Microsoft expects to gain from this move.

It’s likely they’re just trying to dip their toe in the water, as this is not the next gen portable device that they previous alluded to. Although recent rumours suggest that they’ve put that idea on the backburner, in order to focus more on Windows 11 gaming – which this essentially is.

The two devices are due to launch this Christmas in ‘select markets’, of which the UK is one. That suggests that, like the Steam Deck, it won’t be easy to get hold of an Xbox Ally, especially this year.

There’s no price information for either device yet, but the ROG Ally is £522 in the UK and the ROG Ally X is upwards of £800. Perhaps Microsoft will absorb some of that cost for the Xbox Ally, but since it’s not technically their hardware that’s not very likely.

With those prices it’s not hard to see why these PC devices haven’t been bigger hits, compared to the 150+ million sales of the Nintendo Switch, but Microsoft is promising a full bloodied Xbox experience, with support for all Xbox Play Anywhere titles, as well as Steam, GOG, Ubisoft Connect, and Battle.net.

The main difference between the two models is storage and power, with the standard Xbox Ally utilising an AMD Ryzen Z2 A processor, with 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD.

By comparison, the Xbox Ally X has an AMD Ryzen AI Z2 Extreme processor, 24GB of high-speed RAM, and a 1TB SSD. Both are implied to have multiple different configurations though, potentially increasing the price further.

Both devices have a 7 inch touchscreen, with the Xbox Ally aiming for a 720p ‘gaming experience’ and the Xbox Ally X targeting 900p to 1080p.

Despite the costs involved, Microsoft (or perhaps it’s ASUS’s idea) does seem to be going after the family market, as they’ve already announced a partnership with Roblox, that will see the platform run natively on the devices.

Microsoft will also be operating a partner programme that will encourage developers to optimise their games for their handhelds and advertise the fact if they do.

There’s detailed technical specifications on Xbox Wire but what’s interesting here is not the hardware – which is very similar to the existing ROG Ally devices – but how much Microsoft is going to push the new portables, and whether they see them as a niche product or an important new direction for the whole Xbox brand.

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The Xbox Games Showcase has unveiled this year’s new Call Of Duty game and as rumoured it’s a direct sequel to 2012’s Black Ops 2.

Last year the big showcase reveal for Xbox, that got half an hour all to itself at the end of the main livestream, was Call Of Duty: Black Ops 6. This year It’s The Outer Worlds 2 and Grounded 2 that was given the slot, but that didn’t mean that this year’s Call Of Duty wasn’t announced anyway.

That implies that from now on each year’s new game will probably always get unveiled at the Xbox Games Showcase, although the reveal for Black Ops 7 was mostly just a pre-rendered trailer and for most of the time it wasn’t obvious it was Call Of Duty at all.

The fact that this year’s game is Black Ops 7 was leaked some time ago (as was next year’s game) with insiders suggesting that it’s a direct sequel to 2012’s Black Ops 2. Activision has now confirmed that, with the trailer showing that you’re playing as David Mason from that game, with villain Raul Menendez also making a return.

Black Ops 2 was set in both the 1980s and 2025 (which was the near future at the time) but Black Ops 7 takes place in 2035, which is 40 years after the events of last year’s game.

It’s not entirely clear what’s going on with the plot but apparently you, as David Mason, are fighting ‘a manipulative enemy who weaponises fear above all else.’ Black Ops 2’s plot revolved around deadly cyberattacks, which has only become more relevant as time has gone on.

There’s very little concrete information on the gameplay, with a full reveal promised for later this summer. However, it’s confirmed that the story mode will feature campaign co-op and that there’ll be a lot of ‘near future weaponry’ and brand new maps in ‘a signature multiplayer experience’.

A new round-based version of Zombies will also be included, continuing the Dark Aether storyline – which means little hope of a revamp for the mode this year.

There’s no real explanation for why we’re getting two Black Ops games in a row, other than it’s being developed by Treyarch and Raven Software, who also made Black Ops 6. Usually, Activision’s developers take it in turns, so the real rarity here is the same studio releasing any game back-to-back.

What’s also interesting is that there’s no sign of a Nintendo Switch 2 version. Not that fans have ever been desperate for one, but Microsoft made a big fuss about bringing Call Of Duty back to Nintendo formats, when making their argument as to why thy should be allowed to buy Activision Blizzard.

Thus far though, they haven’t announced anything for the new format, with Black Ops 7 only confirmed for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and PC.

There’s no release date but new Call Of Duty games are usually released around late October. Since Activision do now belong to Microsoft, the game will be available day one on Game Pass.

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GameCentral gets a hands-off demonstration of the next Jurassic World Evolution, which is shaping up to be the most in-depth dinosaur sim yet. 

The Jurassic Park franchise might be past its glory years in terms of enjoyable blockbuster movies, but it’s a different story in video games. Jurassic Park: Survival from Saber Interactive looks pretty promising based on its first trailer, and in 2021 we saw the best interactive adaptation of the series to date in Jurassic World Evolution 2. 

Developed by Frontier, the sequel refined and expanded on the original dinosaur park management sim from 2018, with plenty of nods to the movies. If you’re unfamiliar, it’s essentially RollerCoaster Tycoon spun through a Jurassic Park lens, where you build a park, manage the happiness of both dinosaurs and guests, and try to avoid causing a velociraptor outbreak in the middle of piling up profits. 

As revealed earlier this week, Frontier is developing another sequel which will launch across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC on October 21. Jurassic World Evolution 2 had some drawbacks, most notably in its thin campaign mode, but the improvements in this third entry are more robust and widespread than you might expect. 

In a hands-off preview session, Frontier debuted several new features in Jurassic World Evolution 3. The biggest, at least on the adorable scale, is the addition of baby dinosaurs. You can breed these through nests, either by creating a comfortable environment for your adult dinosaurs and hoping for the best or, if you’re too impatient to wait for natural horniness to strike, setting up a breeding programme led by some dork scientists. 

On the surface, this might seem like a cutesy marketing ploy to hook those susceptible to the sight of a baby Triceratops. However, mechanically, it comes with some surprising depth. There’s an entire system based around passing down traits of dinosaurs to their offspring, which you can modify and dictate via the breeding programme route. Each dinosaur also has a fertility scale, which naturally fluctuates with age, so you have to strategise when is the best time to endorse dino bonking season. 

The benefits of fostering baby dinosaurs will have a long-term impact on your park too. If you can maintain a family lineage of dinosaurs within the park, this will lead to extra bonuses and profits as a valued attraction among guests. In a neat additional detail, you’ll have to adapt your enclosure around them too. In the preview, the example highlighted was a baby long-necked Sauropod, which might require a raised platform to munch leaves off the high trees like its parents. 

Beyond babies, the other striking improvement is the maps themselves. There’s a stronger global focus, with Japan and China among the locations, alongside destinations across Europe and the US. The maps have a greater sense of verticality too, with rock formations and sloping water features you can build around, which all look impressively detailed. 

This plays into the expanded customisation tools for creating parks. At the brush of a cursor, you can alter the terrain on the fly, whether carving out canyons, implementing waterfalls and having the water trickle down sandy slopes, or applying a rocky texture to create an organic quality around your enclosures. It looks intuitively designed, easy to execute, and makes creating actual parks look far more enticing and versatile overall. 

In general, Jurassic World Evolution 3 is trying to become a stronger creative sandbox you’ll want to mess around with. You can now design buildings right down to the specific angles of tiles, colours, and blocks, or alter presets with personal flourishes, like a T-Rex skeleton looming over the doorway or themes inspired by the movies. Better yet, these creations can be shared with others through the Frontier Workshop, so if you’re lazy or creatively stunted, you can apply the designs of others into your park or visit other people’s for inspiration. 

If you’re more into the chaos management side, Frontier teased a new campaign, although it didn’t show any footage from it. However, the story will take place after the last film, Jurassic World Dominion, and will task you with trying to integrate dinosaurs at various maps around the world, under the guidance of Jeff Goldblum’s Dr Ian Malcolm. The campaigns in previous games have been little more than a glorified tutorial, but this sounds like it will be more substantial in scope. 

The developers at Frontier concluded the preview with a spinosaurus swimming out into a bed of water, created using the expanded terrain tools. The confirmation of semi-aquatic dinosaurs might be a small reveal to outsiders, but it’s representative of what’s promised with Jurassic World Evolution 3 – a sequel where every addition deepens the greater whole. We’ll have to play it ourselves to see how the new aspects come together, but based on this early look, this is easily the most promising reason to stay invested in Jurassic Park.

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A reader gives their first impressions of the Switch 2 and is disappointed by what they see as a lack of new features and a weak line-up of games.

There’s nothing in gaming more exciting than a new console. Especially if you get it day one and know you’re getting it as early as anyone else in the world (even most journalists, as it turned out). Figuring out what all the sockets do, attaching the Joy-Cons for the first time, plugging in the dock… I loved all that stuff and it’s very obvious that this is a well designed and thought out bit of kit.

I got my Switch 2 on Thursday and so I’ve played it for around 12 hours, as I write this, and after the initial excitement ran out I have to say that I do have a lot of concerns. Most of it is with Nintendo and the games but the console has some issues too.

The LCD screen is a nasty backwards step from the OLED Model, and it really makes me not want to use it. I know it would’ve been too expensive with an OLED screen, but I do wish they’d given us the option at launch, rather than just try and make us double dip in a couple of years.

I also worry about the connection between the Joy-Cons and the console. I know Nintendo think it’s fine with the magnets and everything, and it is clever, but it worries me because it feels like it could snap, even if they say it won’t. But perhaps I’ll just get used to that.

The other more vague thing is the fact that the dashboard and interface is identical to the original Switch (at least after its most recent update) and that makes it feel like less of a brand new console. I prefer the way Sony does things, with each new PlayStation having a new interface that builds on the previous one, and sometimes isn’t quite as good, but at least it feels new.

This lack of new feeling stretches to the games too. Mario Kart World is fun but it’s basically just Mario Kart 8 for 24 players but with no anti-gravity sections. There’s also the open world but as people are starting to realise this adds absolutely nothing to the game.

It has nothing to do with the Grand Prix mode or Knockout Tour and there’s very little to do if you just free roam. It’s an impressively big world but the only thing you can do is complete little tasks and get stickers for your kart.

Maybe there’s more to it than that, because I admit I haven’t played it that much so far, but I don’t see anything online saying there is. Which makes me think that after only a few hours I’ve seen everything the game has to offer.

I’m not saying it’s not a good game but it’s not a very original or ambitious one and the one thing that does make it different from the others is a complete non-event.

The next problem is that there’s basically no other games beyond that. It’s all just third party games that have been out for ages already and I either already have or don’t want. So, stupidly, I bought Welcome Tour, because at least it was new and it was cheap.

But it’s not even a game. It’s just a bunch of boring quizzes and rubbish mini-games, with a ton of text to read through like you’re swatting up for a test, which you basically are. The graphics are completely boring and it’s not funny or charming or anything you’d normally expect from Nintendo.

I also got the upgrades for the two Zelda games, as at least they were relatively cheap, and… I can see the difference they make but it’s pretty minor. Unfortunately, that kind of sums up the Switch 2 so far for me.

The launch line-up is really bad, in my opinion, and easily one of the worst Nintendo has ever had, which is weird given how long they’ve had to get ready for this. And yet I bet next week we’ll be hearing about how it’s the fastest-selling console ever or something.

There’s nothing wrong with the Switch 2, there have been worse launches from other companies, but for me it doesn’t live up to the hype and I’m confused and disappointed that Nintendo has made such little effort with it.

By reader Coolsbane

The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.

You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you won’t need to send an email.

MORE: Why is nobody talking about the PS5 anymore? – Reader’s Feature

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This month’s most interesting smartphone gaming apps includes a new Game Of Thrones adaptation and a gacha free version of Puzzle & Dragons.

Getting things for free is great. The trouble is that, as the old adage says, there’s no such thing as a free lunch, a concept mobile gamers will be more than familiar with. Games that are free to download tend to extract their pounds of flesh through ads, microtransactions, or an unholy union of the two.

That doesn’t mean all mobile publishers are equally tawdry in their pursuit of revenue. Where Game Of Thrones: Kingsroad and Chainsaw Juice King beat you around the head with tediously relentless sales pitches, long awaited prequel Puzzle & Dragons 0 shows there are more player-friendly routes to monetisation.

Then again you could just pay upfront and enjoy the delightful Follow The Meaning or Rusty Lake’s genuine freebie, The Mr Rabbit Magic Show.

Puzzle & Dragons 0

iOS & Android, free – remove ads £9.99, unlimited stamina £9.99 (GungHo Online Entertainment)

Puzzle & Dragons featured a compelling blend of match-three puzzling and combat, your match-ups and the resulting combos triggering damage to colourful assailants.

Puzzle & Dragons 0 retains most of the original’s look, feel, and mechanics but removes its gacha elements. Now you add new monsters to your team using the crystals you win by completing dungeons.

It’s just as monumentally complex though, the interlocking sets of skills and team buffs taking a great deal of time and instruction to even start getting the hang of. You’ll also need to watch a fair number of ads to stay competitive, although none are forced on you.

It’s not easy reviewing games designed to be played for literal years, because they tend to change qualitatively as you master skills and inch your way up their mountains of content, but in this case the intricacy, level of polish, and only two options for in-app purchases are promising signs.

Score: 7/10

Follow The Meaning

iOS & Android, £2.99 (Second Maze)

With a charming art style slightly reminiscent of Machinarium, Follow the Meaning is a partially animated point ‘n’ click adventure with a lovely handmade feel about it.

Both its plot and limited amount of text-only dialogue are deeply surreal, centring on your investigation of a small town’s problem with three-eyed mutants who mostly come out at night, and whom most people are scared of. You’ll need to solve a range of simple puzzles using light deduction, a bit of trial and error, and a touch of dragging items from your inventory.

A few of its puzzles are a bit abstruse, but there are walkthroughs online if you get horribly stuck and the whole thing has such a unique atmosphere it’s worth a look for that alone.

Score: 7/10

Chainsaw Juice King: Idle Shop

iOS & Android, free – remove ads £11.99 (SayGames)

Build a fruit juice empire in this amusingly unserious business simulator, that begins with just you, a chainsaw, and a gaggle of panicking, wide-eyed fruit doing their best to avoid being traumatically juiced.

Hire staff, upgrade your blenders, raise prices, and gradually ratchet up the orders of magnitude in your juicing operation – which diversifies into jam and, for some reason, gem mining.

Unlike many incremental games this is emphatically not idle, requiring plenty of active management of your operation, including chasing down those pesky fruits. If it weren’t so riddled with advertising it would initially be quite addictive.

As it is, you’re regularly forced to watch ads and strongly incentivised to sit through a lot more. The real issue is how dystopian those ads are. Often 90 seconds long and with deliberate pauses you need to click through to continue watching, they actively prevent you from just leaving them on in the background.

You can, of course, pay to remove them, but the more Juice King you play the more its gameplay feels like skill-free busy work, which is fine for a bit but eventually boring.

Score: 5/10

Kumome

iOS & Android, free (Yannis Benattia)

Kumome’s turn-based puzzles get you to move your hero one space in any direction on the board, then add a new piece in an attempt to block your opponent. If they can’t move their hero, you win.

From those simple beginnings, Kumome layers on teleport tiles, multiple opponents, single-use power-ups, and online PvP combat.

Clearly a labour of love from a lone developer, its interface may be slightly rough around the edges but its gameplay is solidly designed, providing a varying challenge throughout its 200-level single player campaign and online multiplayer, once you’re confident enough to try it.

Score: 7/10

Pup Champs

iOS & Android, free – full game unlock £4.99 (Afterburn)

Pub Champs is a football themed puzzle game that despite its content requires neither a love of the sport nor dexterity. Instead, you’ll be greeted by an escalating series of turn-based tactical challenges in which you direct a set of animal footballers to kick a ball into the back of the net.

Initially, that’s a case of getting in front of the goal mouth and tapping but soon enough you’ll find your path occluded by road cones, piles of leaves, muddy puddles, and more.

You’ll also discover that different players interact with the ball in their own distinct ways, some kicking it straight, others curling it through the air to clear obstacles. Each also has a limited number of turns, so you’ll need to combine their skills to complete puzzles.

Highly polished, Pup Champs’ 170 levels also get pretty taxing, belying the cozy setting and menagerie of young animal protagonists.

Score: 7/10

The Mr Rabbit Magic Show

iOS & Android, free (Rusty Lake)

Indie developer Rusty Lake has a wonderfully offbeat signature style that blends the sinister, dreamlike, and mundane into some of the most idiosyncratic and enjoyable games on mobile.

To celebrate the studio’s tenth birthday, they’ve released this mysterious interactive magic show, whose 20 acts are punctuated by an interlude in the Rusty Lake offices where you need to make everyone a drink, solve some puzzles, and debug The Mr Rabbit Magic Show game ready to be published.

Its puzzles are mostly straightforward, although one demands such an extreme level of trial and error that you’ll need a pen and paper – or a spare iPad – to discover its lengthy and highly specific sequence of taps.

Still, for a freebie its hour of pleasing, self-referential puzzle solving can scarcely be faulted and if you’re new to Rusty Lake’s delights this could well act as a gateway to their superb back catalogue.

Score: 8/10

What the Clash?

iOS, included with Apple Arcade subscription (What the Games)

Made by the developer of the award-winning What The Car?, What the Clash? has a similar visual design, but instead of surrealist driving escapades it features a series of mini-games that you can play solo or against a fellow human.

Starting with table tennis and soon adding racing, target shooting, and others, each of its games can be modified using a growing set of special cards that unlock as you play. That means if you and an opponent choose Archery, adding the barrel and giraffe cards gives you high winds that affect the flight of each arrow, while barrel and rotate give you rocket launchers.

It means almost every game is different – often in quite surprising ways – and that you’re continually unlocking new and frequently outlandish add-ons almost every time you play.

Some of the games are a lot more fun than others but its high production values, zany humour, and continual sense of progression are a winning combination.

Score: 8/10

Game Of Thrones: Kingsroad

iOS & Android, free (Netmarble)

Game Of Thrones’ foray into mobile entertainment delivers excellent first impressions. A graphically intensive third person action role-player, it features the visual likeness of plenty of familiar characters, and while it doesn’t boast the original cast, voice-acting is first rate.

You also don’t need to be an aficionado of the books or TV show to get it, with everything conveniently explained. Starting as a knight, sell sword or assassin, you’re unleashed into an open world infested with white walkers, their world’s take on zombies.

Problems start to creep in with combat that’s instantly superficial, and even on an iPad Pro tends to drop numerous frames when the action gets frantic. Its real issue though, is your character’s Momentum Score; the total average level of every piece of gear you have equipped.

If it’s too low, missions are deliberately impossible until you’ve met its requirement, and the enormous range of different currencies you need to progress makes it a shamelessly extended grind, which naturally you can circumvent with microtransactions.

Inventory space is limited until you pay actual money to expand it, forcing you to sell each piece of unneeded equipment individually, and that’s just the start of a seemingly endless parade of different methods of fleecing you. Even if you’re a massive fan of the show, this is best avoided.

Score: 3/10

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