Mailbox February 2025
Image: Push Square

Welcome to the Push Square Mailbox for February 2025!

Once again, our lovely readers have sent in letters (emails) about all kinds of PlayStation-related stuff.

If you want to send us a letter, please use the Contact page and select 'Reader Letters' as the subject.

Every month, we'll pick out a Star Letter — the writer of which will win a one month subscription to our ad-free Supporter programme.

Without further ado, let's see what our mailbag has in store this time...

Push Square Mailbox - February 2025

Chasing Live Service Success

Hey guys,

Can we talk about why Sony is wasting their time trying to break in into crowded live service genres and not going after more unique live service titles. A big reason Helldivers 2 succeeded was that the game stood out from other live service titles whereas Concord failed for many reasons including competition from crowded hero shooters genre.

Twisted Metal would have stood out if it wasn't cancelled. Am I the only one who feels like this? Are there live service genres you would like to see Sony try to tackle? How about a new PlayStation All-Stars or even an Astro Bot karting? There's plenty of crossover potential for both and judging by Astro Bot it looks like all the third parties are willing to work with them (except for Square Enix).

- Americansamurai1

We understand your frustration, Americansamurai1. For the entire generation — or thereabouts — we've watched Sony wrestle with the concept of 'live service', and it hasn't been pretty.

Like you say, the success of Helldivers 2 is built on it being a fun, fairly unique game. It's not just another hero shooter or extraction shooter or MOBA or... well, you get the idea.

Since you asked, we wouldn't mind seeing someone take another crack at PlayStation All-Stars, or just some kind of crossover title that draws from PlayStation's extensive history.

Or better yet, just give us that Astro Bot kart racer. That sounds like a ridiculously good idea.

Persona-l Taste

Ever since PSP ports to PS4 / PS5 have been a thing I’ve been hoping for the earlier Persona games to get ports to round out the series on those consoles. Hell I’d even take remasters in the vein of P3P.

Just putting it out there in case someone from Atlus reads Push Square.

- HeeHo

Well, if the people at Atlus do read Push Square, then consider this an official request: we'd love to have the old Persona games on current consoles.

They're obviously a departure from what more recent fans of the series have come to know and love, but they deserve to be remembered (and replayed).

Sequel Fatigue

Ghost of Yotei

Ghost of Yotei is probably the game I've been most excited about in a very long time. I loved Tsushima so of course I'd be excited for this one too, right?

I was recently talking with someone about it and I think the reason is because it's not just a continuation of what came before; new protagonist, different time period, etc. I was hooked immediately. You often see gripes with Sony's sequels with common ones being "it's just the first game again", or "glorified DLC".

And while I don't agree with that sentiment, I do understand where it comes from. This one just feels fresh, like a clean slate where anything can happen. That makes it exciting.

Of course, there will always be those against changing things in established properties (obviously it's already happening with this game too) but I just wanted to get your thoughts on whether or not putting new characters in new settings like this can help combat "sequel fatigue", while also allowing the devs to try new things, or will it just turn longtime fans away because it's "not the way it used to be"?

- JackiePriest

This is a very interesting topic, JackiePriest — and one we've mulled over ourselves on multiple occasions.

We think, first and foremost, you want a sequel to improve on the game(s) that came before. Whether it's telling a better story, or giving players a better gameplay experience, improvement has to be your starting point.

Then, we suppose it comes down to what the sequel actually wants to be. Is it a direct sequel? If so, then you might want to just build on the plot and characters of the previous game. But this is where things get complicated, because your writing team may want to tackle the same concept and themes, but from a new perspective.

Friction around sequels often comes from people's attachment to characters (The Last of Us, anyone?) — and so it usually takes a daring developer to subvert expectations. But that's risky business when modern games take so much time and money to make!

In the end, it's probably about striking a balance. While it's true that you can't please everyone, sequels can take a safer path by building on the foundations of their predecessors, and at the same time, try something new with regards to settings and characters. And Ghost of Yotei could end up being a great example of that.

Gen X Gaming

PS2

It's crazy to think it's been nearly 30 years since I bought my first PlayStation back in late 1995, and quickly became addicted to the next level of gaming it brought. Many fond teenage memories of pulling all-nighters glued to the screen with its futuristic controllers, and regular gaming sessions with friends.

Then as the years went by, I bought the PS2, PS3, PS4, PS4 Pro, PS5, and now the PS5 Pro which is an absolute beast. I may be a 46 year old female Gen X, but I still game every day, spend many evenings gaming and connecting with my kids (also PlayStation gamers), and still pull an occasional all-nighter glued to a game. Old habits die hard lol. I'm also now a YouTuber with a gaming channel. I'm totally like Peter pan, that kid who never grew up!

It's also another anniversary... 10 years since I stumbled across a fantastic website called Push Square back in 2015, and I've been an almost daily visitor since then. Love it! You rock.

- Ellie K

Thanks for the kind words, Ellie — it's always invigorating to hear that people enjoy the site on a daily basis!

We're in the same camp with regards to PlayStation (well, most of us). We've spent decades with Sony consoles at this point, and honestly, it'd feel incredibly weird to step away from them.

Stay youthful, enjoy your gaming, and good luck with the YouTube channel!

Let's Get Physical

Hi Push Square,

Just so happened upon your recent articles on readers features and buying habits dropped on consecutive days, and I feel obliged to contact you as I feel I am the only one that buys 99% of my games physical still, and that's only because the 1% don't have a normal physical release — looking at you Baldur's Gate 3!

I am really intrigued to understand your own buying habits on this, as my driver for buying physical is they are almost always cheaper than digital, at worst the same price. Buying physical allows me to buy more games as those that I am not particularly keen on I can resell rather than sit forever unplayed.

I really struggle to see how the convenience of digital is so much it outweighs the cheaper physical, especially as physical can still be delivered to your door for less, still resulting in more games for the same cost! Added bonus, there is just something much nicer about handling a physical game. Imagine just having pictures of Lego instead of the real thing, its just not the same.

Your forever physical buyer,

- Alex

It's a tricky one, Alex. From our own perspective, digital is just far more convenient — but that's because our job revolves around redeeming digital review codes for games. What pampered lives we lead...

But yes, you make very good points about physical media. Collecting boxed games is always going to be satisfying, and we'd be lying if we said we didn't miss the days of picking up new releases from an actual shop, and cracking them open to find lovingly-crafted manuals. Nostalgia incarnate.

You have to be of a certain age to fully appreciate this stuff, though — and maybe that's a big part of the shift towards digital media. As strange as it can seem to us, millions upon millions of people simply didn't grow up with discs!

Git Gud (Outside of Souls-likes)

Elden Ring

Hey friends, I wanted to write in with a question for everyone. The "git gud" mentality is mostly associated with Souls-like games — but have you ever had a game where you loved the challenge and eventual success in a different genre?

For me it would have to be any of the rally car games. My first was Dirt 2.0 and I said no to any driver assists. Of course I was terrible at first — in the red with every interval. But I kept at it, learned to focus and get the rhythms of the turns. One night after more than a little work and interval time popped up green, after that the hooks were in.

So I ask you folks, have you had a game where you wanted to "git gud" outside of a Souls-like?

Enjoy your week!

- David

It's a great question David — we've definitely found ourselves striving to "git gud" at games that aren't necessarily difficult, but we've felt the need to master, if that makes sense.

Fighting games immediately come to mind, since the skill ceilings tend to be so high. Once you reach a certain level, you feel compelled to keep advancing. That's gittin' good, right there.

But ultimately, we reckon you can apply this line of thinking to any game that you truly enjoy playing — even something like a JRPG! If there's a sufficient level of depth, there's something to "git gud" at.

Still, we asked each member of the Push Square team to name one game they felt the need to "git gud" at (Souls-likes included):

Rob: Monster Hunter World
Sammy: Bloodborne
Stephen: Returnal
Liam: Elden Ring
Aaron: Cuphead

Modern Game Bloat

Hello Push Square,

After the release of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II, I've been been pondering about whether games need to be hard work in order for the fun to reveal itself. I know there's a great satisfaction to building up your character and making him or her stronger and stronger as you progress, but is it any fun to wade through so much grunt work to get there?

Back in ye olde early 00s, games were straightforward and delivered fun in spades, enough to make a sandy version of Windsor Castle. However, I feel the arcade qualities and pick-up-and-play nuances of games started to wash that glistening sandcastle away during the early stages of the PS4's prominence, and emphasis shifted from accessible pleasure, to ginormous and complicated games boasting huge open-worlds and excess.

- JDINCINERATOR

Yeah, there's no getting away from the fact that so many modern games are designed with longevity in mind — even if that longevity is sustained through busywork and by-the-numbers gameplay.

The recent Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is an interesting example, because like you say, fans will defend the game's often slow pacing since it promotes immersion. Taking the rough with the smooth can give an experience texture; titles like Red Dead Redemption 2 thrive on punctuating mundanity with moments of thrilling drama and action.

But yes, there's always something to be said for tightly designed, arcade-esque titles. Thankfully, we think plenty of those still get made — it's just that the bigger budget projects have become increasingly complex, and they're usually the games that make headlines!

The Magic of Kingdom Come: Deliverance STAR LETTER

Kingdom Come Deliverance 2

Just writing really quick to try and explain why Kingdom Come: Deliverance sometimes just hits differently and can be a challenging, even confusing game for newcomers.

My story starts in the middle of a beautiful Bohemian Forest and I am tired in-game. Henry needs some well deserved shuteye. The problem is a bed is hard to come by in this game. Something that might frustrate and confuse newcomers, but old hardened veterans know that this is what the game is really about.

So, I am breaking into a house to try and find a spare bed, and it is pitch black. But still, sounds and especially guard dogs keep foiling my plans, and attract the attention of the inhabitants who DON'T want me sleeping in their homes — I am a stranger after all.

So I dump like ten pieces of meat to allow the dogs to be occupied and maybe I can steal a couple of hours of sleep for myself. That just doesn't work, so I go uphill and find a house with a ladder up to a loft — with a bed! Mission done, right?

So I lie down and set the clock for tomorrow, but I am woken up too soon for any real sleep to occur. An old man, strikingly similar in looks and voice to a man I had saved and sent into hiding, is angrily accusing me of breaking and entering.

The whole thing is a bit on the nose at this point. "Don't you know who I am?" I ask. But he is deadpan and laser focussed on getting ME arrested. ME, his supposed savior. So, I convince him in conversation that it isn't worth it to incarcerate me, and he kindly asks me to leave, which I do for two seconds before promptly sneaking right back there... rinse and repeat.

Now really tired, I start meandering downhill only to find... a cabbage on the trail. That's odd, I think. Ten meters further down I find another cabbage. Lo and behold ladies and gentlemen: a real, genuine cabbage trail! Let's see what on earth is going on. My thoughts are immediately interrupted by eerie sounds from the forest. Now I am sneaking, cowering even. Paranoid. I keep passing these damn cabbages.

THANK GOD I happen upon a little roadside camp completely abandoned and complete with a no-chill, bare bones, hard as a rock and nary a piece of cotton blanky on the ground, which in the game constitutes as a place to sleep. Mana from heaven at this point. I am elated and frankly just grateful that the cabbages revealed themselves to be probiotic orbs of benevolence.

The morale of the story is that I was on an actual quest to find a legendary suit of armour when this much more practical and down-to-earth meta quest to find a bed suddenly interjected itself in all of its immersiveness — something that's inherent to this game.

And I know... I have walked into a devilish design by Warhorse. Game working as intended, and frankly, I wouldn't want it any other way!

- EfYI

This is what it's all about, EfYI. For us, this is the kind of story that makes role-playing or open world games special. That entire experience is unique to your playthrough, and that's why it feels so impactful. Immersiveness is the right word!

Obviously, not every game can be designed with this kind of scope in mind, but it's hard to overlook the magic of these memorable moments.

Thanks to everyone who sent us a letter last month! Even if your letter hasn't been published, there's a chance that it'll feature in a future article — so don't be disheartened!

If you want to send us a letter, use our Contact page and remember to select 'Reader Letters' as your subject. Letters should be around 300 words or less.

What are your thoughts on this month's Push Square Mailbox? Feed us even more opinions in the comments section below!