Mailbox: The Joy of Astro Bot, Ciri in The Witcher 4, and Terrible Trophy Lists

Well, here it is: Push Square's first ever Mailbox feature, where we publish (and reply to!) letters from our readers.

This new, monthly feature gives the Push Square community a chance to have their thoughts curated right here on the site, complete with insight from the editorial team.

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 first mailbag has in store...

Push Square Mailbox - January 2025

Astro Bot a New Mascot

I just wanted to write in and say I think PlayStation have something amazing on their hands with Astro. I played it, Platinum'd it, loved it, then my son saw the box and became obsessed. He's three and we have sat and played it again bonding over this amazing little robot.

It's got to the point where I went to local game shop to get cardboard advertising, and for Christmas I bought him a plush and the controller. Seeing him open them is now a treasured memory. I really think, given the support and backing, in the not too distant future we might be going to the cinema to watch an Astro Bot movie.

- James

We're with you on this one, James. There's just something so pleasing about Astro's rounded robot design... And based on the personal experiences of several Push Square staff members, the bot really has been a hit with kids — and that's always a good sign when it comes to building an iconic mascot!

Just like you, we can't wait to see what's next for Astro Bot in general.

PS1 Memories

Hi team,

With the advent of the new Push Square mailbox, I think it'd be pretty cool to get a rundown of one of your other starts... each member of the team's first memory of PlayStation existing.

I first got my PS1 in 1999 for Christmas after witnessing Crash and Spyro at various friends' houses. But my first experience came a few years earlier. I was obsessed with Sonic the Hedgehog, being a SEGA Mega Drive owner.

I was with a childhood friend from primary school and telling him all the Sonic games and toys / memorabilia I had at the time, and he said he had a "Sony PlayStation". Being the little kid that I was, I exclaimed in shock: "A Sonic Police Station?!" and imagined in my head, a Batman Gotham City jail playset but with Sonic.

I never got to see this Police Station, but I did realise what he actually meant months later after I'd seen / owned the Sony PlayStation for myself.

It's amazing where our brains can go when we've never heard of something before and learn of it for the very first time.

What's your first memories of even the words "PlayStation"?

- kevinm360

For most of us here at Push Square, the original PlayStation was this cool new thing that took our schools by storm back in the 90s. We never quite confused it with a police station — although we can see the resemblance! — but there was definitely an air of mystery to the console itself.

And much like yourself, some of us were introduced to the system through friends; having our tiny minds blown upon seeing crazy games like Crash Bandicoot, Tekken, and Metal Gear Solid. At the time, the PlayStation really did feel like a glimpse into a future with unlimited potential. And in a way, it was!

What Happened to Twisted Metal?

Happy New Year, everyone!

I wanted to reach out about a Sony franchise that has been dormant since 2012: Twisted Metal. With the recent success of the TV show, do you think Sony has any plans to bring the franchise back? It feels like the perfect time for an epic revival, especially as a standout entry in the 'Games as a Service' genre.

What are your thoughts?

- Tyler

Well to be honest with you Tyler, we had expected a new Twisted Metal to have been announced by now — but a report from last year said that a live service Twisted Metal title had actually been cancelled at PlayStation Studio Firesprite.

From what we understand, this project was still in pre-production, but its rumoured cancellation would explain why PlayStation never pushed on from the Twisted Metal TV show you mentioned.

It's a real shame, because we tend to agree that the old-school car combat property is perfectly poised for the multiplayer, live service space.

Why The Witcher 4 Starring Ciri Was the Right Decision

Whatever direction CD Projekt Red ventured after declaring Geralt of Rivia not the main protagonist of The Witcher 4 would’ve hit resistance. Because of the Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt’s massive success, the expectations for its sequel’s lead grew rampant. Despite some clamoring for a new protagonist unrelated to the current timeline, fan favorite Ciri took the mantle from Geralt at The Game Awards 2024.

Whether one’s read the books, watched the Netflix adaption, played all of the games or only TW3, Ciri’s overlaying importance to the world is undeniably massive. The contrasts between Geralt and Ciri are immense. Female Witchers aren’t exactly commonplace. With commoners discounting Ciri, she must prove herself capable compared to Geralt whose looks alone grant credibility.

Geralt is reserved, stoic and keeps to himself whereas Ciri would interfere to save everyone at all costs, damn the consequences. Both share a quick wit while Geralt’s sarcasm differs from Ciri’s snarky yet naive attitude.

Ciri’s own combat style explores new possibilities. From attack speed and dodging centric or magic and elder blood focused, potential builds are intriguing considerations outside of the Witcher’s silver and steel swords, signs, potions and mutagens. CDPR can develop Ciri’s combat to feel both unique yet still similar and true enough to The Witcher formula.

Despite Geralt not being the main protagonist, side quests, monster hunts, and storylines could revolve around him and other fan favorites. Old faces combined with Ciri building her own rapport of allies that carries over in future games would keep the world fresh and familiar while she slays monsters one village at a time.

Ciri as the new main protagonist is a slam dunk decision in my eyes. But enough from me; say your thoughts on The Witcher 4 in the comments section!

- CWill97

One thing's for sure: it'll be very interesting to see how CDPR writes Ciri in terms of tone and personality, now that she's in the lead role.

Geralt's (video game) story came to a near perfect end in The Witcher 3, and so a new direction was always going to be necessary. Truth be told, though, we had always thought that making Ciri the protagonist seemed too... obvious.

But the reveal trailer for The Witcher 4 did get us hyped, and at this point we wouldn't bet against CDPR when it comes to crafting fantastic characters. Plus, like you say, Ciri has such a rich and detailed background to pull from.

Hopefully we won't have to wait until 2030 to get our first real glimpse of this new adventure...

Why Doesn't PlayStation Do More Crossover Games?

Having played Astro Bot (again) and Sackboy's Big Adventure over Christmas it got me thinking, why don't PlayStation make more crossover content or games? They have enough IP to do this as shown with Astro Bot and the nostalgia trip it was which for me one of its main talking points.

They could make a proper game that includes multiple characters, for example a platformer that crosses Sackboy / Astro Bot / Ratchet etc, or another PlayStation All-Stars or even a party based game similar to Mario Party. I'd even settle for a PlayStation Warriors spin-off.

- UltimateOtaku91

Potential crossovers always make for interesting conversation, don't they?

Especially over the last decade or so, crossovers in games have become more and more popular. Whether it's limited time events in live service titles, or crazy guest characters in fighting games, it's clear that crossover content sells.

And so we totally get where you're coming from. Given Sony's long-reaching catalogue of properties — many of which have lay dormant for generations — we do wonder whether PlayStation's leaving money on the table.

For what it's worth, we wouldn't mind seeing someone have another crack at PlayStation All-Stars...

The Problem with Live A Live

I just purchased Live A Live on PS5 and it's an awesome game. I wanted to ask what is the pronunciation of the title.

Is it like both live as in living life or live like 'live on TV'? I've been thinking about it and don't want to butcher the name.

Thank you, Push Square.

- Michael Campbell

First of all, Michael, thanks for asking the important questions. Upon reading your letter, we realised that we actually had no idea how to properly pronounce Live A Live, so we did some research.

And by research, we mean that we went and trawled through all of the Live A Live trailers to see whether it ever gets said.

Thankfully, it does! It's officially pronounced Live A Live... er, as in, live on TV. Or being alive. Live A Live!

Why Do Classic Games Still Release Without Trophies?

You know, since Disney, Crystal Dynamics, Embracer Group (THQ Nordic, Crystal Dynamics, Plaion) and even Oddworld Inhabitants started to add Trophy support updates to their PS1 and PSP games on Plus, I wonder what's the hold up regarding Trophy support for said PS1 and PSP games from Capcom, Bandai Namco and Team17?

Who wouldn't want to earn the Platinum trophy on Tekken 2, Dino Crisis and all the PS1 Worms games? I even tried contacting Team17 about it, but I never got a response ever since. I mean, we know Sony's first-party games get these from day one and these are retroactive for third parties, but still. I was personally hoping to Platinum Star Wars Demolition and Worms World Party if those would ever get Trophies.

And on the topic of Disney, I'm surprised they don't realise (unless they actually don't care, which is actually *un*surprising) they own a slew of Ignition Entertainment games, including Archer MacLean's Mercury, as their Indian division bought up their stuff after Ignition went belly up.

I suppose that fact must have slipped their mind. Still, what's taking the other guys so long to add those shiny trophies, while Sony's own titles get these from the get-go?

- Kamil Drews

Kamil, don't get us started on the seemingly random nature of Trophy lists. This has been annoying us ever since the Trophy system was first introduced, and it still boggles our brains that there aren't any set rules for publishers and developers to follow.

Granted, Trophies are now mandatory in new releases — and have been for years — but like you say, classic PlayStation titles can still launch without a single Trophy to unlock. And then some games just refuse to have a Platinum for no good reason!

Baffling, especially when you consider that this lack of Trophies will result in fewer sales. There are plenty of people out there who buy games for the Trophies. When will publishers realise this?

Okay, we're ranting now, but we hope that our mutual frustration has helped ease your pain.

Push Square, From the Future!

I love Push Square because it's PlayStation news from the future. Just around the time I go to bed (11 PM) on the East Coast of the USA, Push Square is publishing news for the following day. If it's Tuesday, there will be a few articles from Wednesday I can read before I go to sleep.

When Push Square is the first to break news of the PS Vita 2, I'll know before the markets open in America so I can use my life savings to buy Sony stock (or a single PS Vita 2 memory card).

Thanks Push Square.

- Vincent

Thanks for giving us a fresh perspective on our news publishing process, Vincent. It's nice to know that we're part of your routine! And don't worry, we'll break that PS Vita 2 news just for you.

But because we're from the future, we'll give you an exclusive scoop right now: the Vita 2 doesn't actually use memory cards. It's got its own tiny, 20GB SSD that costs upwards of $750 to replace. Thank god for that!

The Underappreciated MediEvil 2

Can I just say how happy I am that MediEvil II is FINALLY getting a re-release? The game introduced me to one of my all-time favorite game characters, Sir Daniel Fortesque, back in the early 2000s.

The first MediEvil has been remade, reimagined and re-released so many times. Give me that darkly humorous, Victorian era adventure... with Trophies this time!

- Ty the Sega Guy

Yeah, we've always felt that MediEvil 2 is a bit underappreciated. The first game is obviously beloved as a proper PS1 classic, but the sequel never quite hit the same, even though it was met with equally positive reviews when it released in 2000.

As you mention, the Victorian setting definitely sets its apart, along with a greater emphasis on story and characters. We're glad it's getting a second chance, for Sir Dan's sake!

Push Square: It's All in the Name []STAR LETTER[]

Dear Push Square,

I’m pleased your company’s leaders decided on the name “Push Square”. It just wouldn’t seem right to call you Tap Triangle, Squish Square, Caress X, or Oblige The O.

Now Tickle The Trigger? Well, you might have had something there with that one, but not everyone’s perfect. Anyway, thank you for being you, Push Square!

Saluting the square,

- jgrangervikings1

Your letter gave us all a good laugh, jgrangervikings1. We've never doubted Push Square as a name, but we must admit, 'Caress X' and 'Tickle The Trigger' are incredible alternatives. We've chosen not to comment on 'Oblige the O'.

Just for you, we hunted our esteemed editor Sammy Barker down and forced him to recall the moment that he came up with the Push Square name, all those years ago.

Here's what he had to say:

"Basically I’d decided to do a PlayStation website, but I didn’t want it to be called like PS3 News or PlayStation Life or anything like that.

I really was drawing blanks for months until I thought of pressx.com which is usually what you do to start a game, but that was taken so I considered presscircle.com (too long). I also didn’t like how presssquare.com looked (three s’s).

Funnily enough, my dad was playing God of War 2 at the time, and one of the QTEs was square, so I told him to “push the square button”. I realised that didn’t have the three s’s and was available so I settled on it!"

Thanks to everyone who sent us a letter this 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 must be 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!