An innocent father spent 16 hours in a police cell and four months unable to drive after a devastating clerical error wrongly branded him a disqualified driver.

IT consultant Andrew Lees, aged 47, feared he could go to jail after being arrested while driving his wife’s Kia Sportage near their home – when police checks incorrectly showed he had been banned from the roads.

But the driving offences that triggered the disqualification did not belong to him and had been mistakenly copied onto his DVLA record.

Before his arrest, Mr Lees had repeatedly tried to resolve the issue himself, contacting the Single Justice Service after discovering the error via a DVLA letter in November 2025.

The letter told him he was banned from driving at Carlisle Magistrates’ Court after receiving 19 penalty points.

The ban had been imposed under the controversial Single Justice Procedure which sees magistrates convict drivers for minor motoring offences behind closed doors in fast-track hearings without them being represented.

The case was heard in Carlisle because it is a centre for handling Single Justice Procedure cases but the offences are understood to have been committed by another driver in Greater Manchester. 

Mr Lees, who had never appeared before the courts before, went to ‘considerable lengths’ to get to the truth of how he was falsely implicated.

But he was unable to obtain a response or even identify the court file responsible for the incorrect record.

Mr Lees, who lives with his family in the leafy suburb of Sale, Greater Manchester, said: ‘I absolutely knew those points were not mine. I thought it was just an admin error that would be easily cleared up.

‘But, after repeated emails, letters and calls to the DVLA, to the Cumbrian Magistrate’s Court and to the Single Justice Service, I had no resolution.

‘It was clearly a mistake, so I genuinely thought it would be ok to drive.’

However, worse was to come for Andrew three months later.

His ordeal came to a head in February when he was stopped by police while driving. Because official records wrongly showed he was disqualified, officers arrested him and held him in custody for 16 hours.

Andrew said: ‘They pulled me over, breathalysed me twice and then said ‘let’s just get in the back of the van and we can sort this out’. Suddenly I’m arrested and heading to the cells.

‘It was terrifying. The officers just wouldn’t listen to what I was telling them. I was locked up eight miles from home for something I hadn’t done and facing a court case which could lead to jail.

‘I tried to stay strong in the cells, but inside I was crying my eyes out.’

Mr Lees said the mistake had a huge impact on his family life and prevented him from carrying out everyday tasks, including the school run

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While in the cells, he said the only food was ‘pot noodles for breakfast, lunch and dinner’. 

After being released on bail and given a June court date, Andrew was then facing four months being unable to drive.

Mr Lees said the mistake had a huge impact on family life, preventing him from carrying out everyday tasks, including the school run and taking his daughters, aged nine and five, to extracurricular activities or birthday parties.

The family instructed criminal defence specialists Olliers Solicitors, which now added the expense of hiring a top legal firm to their other challenges.

After examining the records, Olliers specialist motoring solicitor Austin Anderson-Brettell discovered that offences committed by another defendant had been incorrectly assigned to Mr Lees’ driving licence number.

Despite informing the Crown Prosecution Service of this fact, they didn’t immediately drop the case.

Mr Anderson-Brettell said: ‘It beggars belief that the case got this far. It should not have needed a legal professional to make it right. This could have been rectified so easily.

‘There were so many steps that could have been taken by the court, the police and the prosecution to have avoided Mr Lees going through this awful ordeal and wasting so much taxpayers’ money.’

Following representations made by Olliers, the Crown Prosecution Service finally dropped the case – the day before it was due to be heard in court.

Mr Lees said: ‘The relief when I got the call from Austin was amazing.

‘I immediately took two days off work and just drove. I drove to Wales and Scotland and enjoyed the freedom to finally get behind the wheel again.’

His lawyer has called for reform of the Single Justice Procedure.

Mr Anderson-Brettell said: ‘The system has significant flaws that cannot be ignored. The main flaw is the lack of transparency.

‘Justice must not only be done, but must be seen to be done. 

‘By allowing cases to be determined behind closed doors, the Single Justice Procedure at times risks undermining public confidence.

‘There are also concerns that the process increases the risk of convictions being secured without meaningful engagement from defendants. 

‘In some cases, important mitigation is not properly considered, vulnerable individuals do not receive the attention and consideration they require and questions about whether a prosecution is truly in the public interest goes unscrutinised.

‘Unless these concerns are addressed, there is a real risk that the system will continue to produce avoidable mistakes and injustices (such as this one), eroding confidence in the justice process it was designed to improve.’

Despite his eventual success in halting the court action, Mr Lees’ wife’s car remains still impounded by Greater Manchester Police, despite attempts to reclaim it.

The CPS said the accusations against Mr Lees were of a category where police can authorise charges without consulting them.

It was not until the case was reviewed by a Crown Prosecutor, the day before it was due to come to court, that the prosecution ‘immediately decided the matter should be discontinued’.

A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: ‘Officers acting on good faith with incorrect information from a clerical error made the arrest of a man in relation to a driving offence.

‘Once this error was rectified, the matter was discontinued and the crime closed. The car has since been passed back to a third party pending final release.’

He added: “Westminster’s proposed approach would, if adopted, undermine City Hall’s efforts, supported by London businesses and others, including UK Hospitality, the Night Time Industries Association and Music Venue Trust, to make London’s nightlife the best in the world.“

Royal Navy surveillance drones used by Britain’s elite special forces were fitted with cameras containing Chinese-made components that were secretly sending data to an address in China.

The K3 Scout drones, operated by Royal Marines, were found to be transmitting so-called ‘heartbeat’ communications to an IP address in China.

The signals were designed to tell a remote device that the cameras were online and operating normally.

The discovery has triggered national security concerns and forced the Ministry of Defence to strip the cameras of their internet connectivity.

Officials insist there is no evidence that sensitive military information or Ministry of Defence systems were accessed or transmitted overseas.

But the revelation has raised fresh questions about the security of Britain’s military supply chains – and whether Chinese technology has found its way into highly sensitive areas used by special forces.

The £12million fleet has been in use since March and was supplied by British defence contractor Kraken Technology Group.

Kraken had sourced the cameras from a third-party supplier which had provided assurances over their security.

Defence Secretary Wes Streeting poses with outgoing Chief of Joint Operations, Lieutenant General Nicholas Perry (left), and incoming Chief of Joint Operations, Air Marshal Allan Marshall (right)

An investigation subsequently discovered that the cameras contained components manufactured in China and were communicating with an IP address in the country.

The incident was considered serious enough to prompt concerns over the potential exposure of personnel at the Special Boat Service headquarters in Poole, Dorset.

There are also fears that the cameras may have been operating in the vicinity of sensitive meetings involving senior special forces personnel.

Particular concern has been raised over reports that the cameras could remain active even when the drones themselves had been switched off.

A defence source familiar with the matter told the Telegraph the drones had been used during preparations for a potential British defence package designed to help protect freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

The source described the discovery as a serious procurement failure, saying confidence in the platform had been lost.

The incident is a major blow to Project Beehive, the Royal Navy programme aimed at integrating unmanned vessels with conventional warships.

The K3 Scouts form part of the Navy’s surface flotilla and are operated by the Coastal Forces Squadron and 47 Commando Royal Marines.

The unmanned vessels are intended to give British forces greater surveillance and war-fighting capabilities while reducing the risks to personnel.

The K3 Scout is capable of carrying a payload of up to 600kg and can operate continuously for as long as 30 days.

The system has also been acquired by US Special Operations Command and has taken part in Nato exercises and trials in the Baltic.

The discovery comes as Britain faces growing warnings over the potential security risks posed by China’s dominance of global technology and manufacturing supply chains.

Alicia Kearns, the shadow security minister, called for urgent scrutiny of military equipment containing components sourced from China

Alicia Kearns, the shadow security minister, said: ‘If we cannot say with confidence what is inside our own military equipment, we cannot say it is ours, or that we are sovereign.’ 

She called for urgent scrutiny of military equipment containing components sourced from China, warning that the incident demonstrated the risks posed by hidden vulnerabilities within apparently British systems.

The concerns come amid a wider series of warnings over Chinese technology.

Last year, MI5 warned MPs that Chinese intelligence services were making persistent efforts to interfere with and influence Parliament, including through professional networking platforms used to gather information.

The warning followed the collapse of a case involving two men accused of spying for China, after prosecutors faced difficulties in establishing the required legal classification of Beijing as an enemy state.

Britain has previously taken action against Chinese technology on national security grounds.

In 2020, the then Conservative government ordered the removal of Huawei equipment from the UK’s 5G network after security concerns were raised over the company’s links to China and the potential risks posed by Beijing’s national security laws.

More recently, vulnerabilities in military supply chains have led the MoD to remove Chinese-made hardware and cameras from sensitive locations.

The Labour Government has pursued a diplomatic reset with Beijing, including high-level visits aimed at improving relations and securing new trade opportunities.

Earlier this year, ministers approved plans for a controversial Chinese super-embassy at Royal Mint Court in London, despite concerns over the site’s proximity to sensitive communications infrastructure.

The case also comes shortly after British citizen and Hong Kong pro-democracy media tycoon Jimmy Lai was sentenced to 20 years in prison under the territory’s national security laws.

The MoD said the vulnerability was identified during a routine cyber security assessment.

It said investigators found no evidence that MoD information or systems had been accessed, compromised or transmitted outside approved channels.

An MoD spokesman said: ‘Our assurance and testing processes are designed to identify and address potential vulnerabilities early, and we continue to undertake routine security activity across our systems and equipment.’

Kraken Technology Group said it was aware that some of the cameras used in its systems contained a small number of components originating outside Britain.

The company said it had carried out a full audit alongside the Royal Navy and was satisfied that no sensitive information had been shared outside authorised channels, adding that any potential vulnerabilities had been identified and closed.

The cameras had been described as NDAA-compliant, a US defence procurement designation intended to ensure equipment does not contain components from prohibited manufacturers.

There’s an easy way to stop bananas from going brown and mushy quickly

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Their wonderfully sweet flavour and minimal calorie content make bananas a perfect snack, but they do come with the drawback of having a relatively short shelf life.

If you purchase an entire bunch at the supermarket, you’ll frequently discover that several have gone brown and soft before you’ve had the chance to eat them, often resulting in unnecessary waste. When kept at room temperature, bananas typically last anywhere between two and six days, though this can differ depending on how ripe they are at the point of purchase.

Once fully ripe, they begin to turn brown rather rapidly, but will generally hold out for a few days before their texture and flavour become compromised. Unfortunately, bananas ripen more quickly in warmer conditions, and with summer well under way, you may notice your bananas are browning at an even faster rate.

Fortunately, it is possible to slow down the ripening process and preserve bananas for longer with a clever storage technique, which simply involves wrapping the stems in tin foil.

Tin foil works by trapping ethylene gas, a naturally occurring plant hormone that triggers and speeds up the ripening process, causing bananas to ripen and soften, reports the Express.

The gas prompts starches to convert into sugars and breaks down cell walls, which is what brings about a change in colour and texture in the fruit, turning green bananas yellow and sweeter, while yellow bananas will gradually begin to turn brown. Ethylene gas is mainly released from banana stems, so containing it with tin foil can help delay ripening and stop the fruit from browning too rapidly, thus prolonging its shelf life and maintaining its freshness for longer.

In its online guidance on preventing bananas from ripening too swiftly, Food Republic said: “Compared to other fruits and veggies, bananas are one of the biggest producers of ethylene gas, a natural chemical compound that promotes ripening.

“The majority of this gas is released through the exposed stem of the fruit, which allows a bunch of bananas to continue ripening even after it’s picked from the tree.

“Wrapping the top of your bunch with aluminium helps to trap in some of the ethylene, so it won’t escape into the atmosphere and touch the body of the bananas (or other produce you have sitting nearby, for that matter). This slows down browning and gives you more time to enjoy your bunch.”

If you haven’t got any tin foil available, then cling film should perform equally well, and both usually cost under £2 at most leading supermarkets.

It’s also advisable to keep your bananas separate from other fruit once you’ve covered the stems, as the ethylene gas can prompt neighbouring fruits to ripen more rapidly, meaning they will deteriorate sooner.

Numerous fruits react to the ethylene gas emitted by bananas, including apples, pears, and passion fruit, but citrus fruits like oranges and lemons remain unaffected. To prevent damaging other fruits, specialists advise hanging your bananas on a banana hook as this not only maintains separation but also avoids bruising that can occur from resting bananas against the kitchen counter.

Those who dream of staying in an enchanting Airbnb which feels like stepping into a ‘fairytale world’ can book this magical hideaway home in the Scottish Highlands.

Earthen Home situated in rural Moray, is described as a multiple award-winning hideaway ‘under the stars’ at the foothills of Ben Rinnes with spectacular views from every window.

This whimsical little Hobbit hut-style property, which is surrounded by nature and wildlife, sleeps four guests with two bathrooms and even comes with its own private fairy glen and pools that guests can enjoy a dip in.

On the outside, this natural home resembles something out of a fantasy film with an earthy moss-covered roof and large irregular tree trunk branches forming a covered porch at the entrance.

The property, which caters to three nights minimum stays, is surrounded by lush green grass in the open countryside at the foothills of Moray’s highest mountain with its rural setting making it the perfect peaceful escape.

Inside, the Earthen Home is open plan but is also deceptively spacious with room to comfortably accommodate four people in two quirky bunks and a double bedroom.

To add to the cosy feel, there is a wood-burning fire beside a cob sofa in the living area. There is also a spacious shower room with additional storage, instant hot water, and a flushing toilet.

The Airbnb listing states that guests are provided with firewood, towels, cruelty-free soaps & cleaning products, cooking essentials, and a variety of Fairtrade beverages. Dogs are also welcome to stay at the home and are provided with a treat, 2 bowls, and a towel.

Despite being so remote, the earthen home comes with unlimited wifi and a Bluetooth speaker. However, there also more traditional forms of entertainment inside such as books, games, jigsaw puzzles and giant Jenga.

In addition to this, the property comes with a private garden kitted out with a fire pit, BBQ, various seating areas and outdoor games.

Guests have full access to the child-friendly wider garden too which includes wide-open spaces to run and play, including a play den and a quirky seesaw.

There, you can pick your own fresh and seasonal produce for dinner in the property’s Garden of Eat’n, and learn about our permaculture garden and natural builds if it’s of interest.

Chickens and Indian Runner ducks also live on the grounds and visitors are welcome to meet the animals and enjoy some fresh eggs when in season.

The listing adds: “You are surrounded by wildlife, a multitude of birds, and you may spot a few passing deer, or on a rare occasion, an otter swimming down the stream. Be prepared to be amazed!”

That’s not all as down the bottom of the garden guests will also find an enchanting Fairy Glen with a witch’s hut, magic cauldron witches kitchen, bubbling brook, mini waterfalls, hidden fairies, and fairy pools for a refreshing dip.

At night guests can soak up the total lack of air, noise, and light pollution and a spot of stargazing with a Dobsonian telescope.

The closest village to the property is Aberlour, which is a 5-minute drive or a 45-minute walk away while Elgin is the closest city about a 40 minute drive away.

Earthen Home receives excellent reviews on Airbnb and is recognised in the top one per cent of highest ranked homes on the website based on ratings.

One impressed guest gushed: “Hideaway under the stars is a must stay! Magical is the best word to describe this place.

“The amount of effort that has been put into the place is phenomenal. The attention to detail is unmatched! Theres something for everyone here.

“The peace and quiet was amazing, so nice to block out the rest of the world and reconnect with nature and your family. Honestly hands down the best place we have stayed. Highly recommend.”

Another added: “I’m not sure I have enough words to review Kim as a host and her property. Incredible. Simply incredible. The place is so earth centered and nature focused, but with every detail and amenity thoughtfully addressed.”

More details on the Earthen Home listing can be found here.

Ms Bird added: “While young people in Scotland are benefiting from up to £1,140 a year in education maintenance allowance grants, to help them stay in education, the Labour Party’s refusal to reinstate the EMA means that young people in England will lose out on an estimated £775 million of support this year.

Tactical witch combat, medieval town building, and a cat-themed role-player are amongst the most interesting smartphone games this month.

As the games industry continues its traditional summer lull, touchscreen gaming continues as if it was Christmas. This month’s releases include the mobile ports of Middle Ages city builder Townsmen: A Kingdom Rebuilt, as well as Beat Hazard Arcade – which uses your music collection to procedurally generate a 2D shoot ‘em-up. Plus, there’s the latest addition to Game Stew’s long running Tower Of Fortune series.

Witchcraft!

iOS & Android, £2.99 (Mantita Games)

Witchcraft! is the touchscreen version of a solo card strategy game, that gives you control over a coven of witches with a set of discrete missions to undertake on behalf of local villagers, whose lives you must preserve.

That’s no easy task given the difficulty of many of the randomly chosen tasks, your witches’ powers varying depending on when they’re played, which other witches are on the board, and whether you choose to reveal them, removing them from play for the rest of the round, or let them work in secret.

It’s extremely complex, with decisions having knock-on effects not just for your current mission but also potential future challenges, although having your phone set everything up and apply a rule set that seems to have endlessly complex networks of buffs and bonuses, makes this far more accessible than it is on a physical board.

Score: 8/10

Townsmen: A Kingdom Rebuilt

iOS & Android, free – unlock all maps £2.49 and scenarios £2.49 (Handy Games)

Townsmen is an isometric medieval city builder, that has you reconstructing dilapidated villages into thriving towns, making sure their populations’ need are met, along with ensuring town guards protect against bandits, and firewatch prevents conflagrations.

As is traditional for the genre, you’ll be managing increasingly intricate networks of dependencies, and working your way past bottlenecks using your town’s labour force to build, operate, and maintain various pieces of Dark Ages machinery.

There is a sandbox mode, which starts you in differing landscapes whose size and difficulty you can select, but the meat of the game is scenario based, where you take on an existing town with a problem to solve.

Its visuals might look friendly, but it’s a rigorous challenge, the balancing act between keeping your populace happy, managing their various appetites, and not going bust turning out to be a significant acquired skill.

Score: 7/10

Meow Knights: Idle RPG

iOS & Android, free (Monster Planet Corp)

This slick idle game features charming cartoon cats in armour, their increasingly powerful attacks auto-slaying legions of enemies and bosses, the game getting on with everything from battles to deciding which loot to keep, leaving you mutely following along in its robotic wake, collecting rewards when buttons flash to tell you they’re ready.

It looks great, has jaunty music, and progress is initially swift, but it doesn’t take long to notice that your own humble button pressing is the real inhibiting factor, and if those few dexterity and skill free interactions were also automated, things would work even better.

That slightly depressing realisation doesn’t add to Meow Knights’ longevity, leaving you feeling like a spare part rather than a managing director, even if its high production values prop up a facade of colourful good fun.

Score: 5/10

Beat Hazard Arcade

iOS & Android, free – full game £5.99 (Cold Beam Games)

Beat Hazard Arcade is a twin stick 2D shooter that uses music from your phone’s library to fuel procedurally generated waves of invaders, with each song creating its own unique level to fight through.

The sounds trigger the appearance of attacking enemies, which leave behind power-ups when they die, letting you gradually increase your ship’s firepower as you progress through each song, the aim being to complete an entire track. Doing that unlocks a choice of new ships that are also created from the music, the twist being that everyone gets the same ones, so a tune that gives you an especially choice reward ship will give the same one to a friend completing that track.

Without any progression between songs, things start to feel a bit formless after a while, and there’s something about the sparkling, strobing visuals that can make threats and buffs hard to distinguish, but if you’re looking for a quirky diversion, and one that features easily the best soundtrack of all time, the free version of Beat Hazard Arcade lets you see exactly what you’re getting.

Score: 6/10

Ringdown: Switchboard Puzzle

iOS, £3.99 (Ironic Thought)

Presented with an old school wooden switchboard that takes up your whole phone screen, your job is to connect incoming calls to the right internal phone line by dragging coloured leads and plugging them into the correct numbered sockets.

As you play, calls come in more rapidly and with shorter deadlines before they expire, forcing you to work quickly, prioritising high paying callers, who also have the shortest fuses, the whole thing becoming increasingly hectic as the calls rain in.

The interface works nicely, and is well suited to a mobile screen, but the switchboard process itself has too few surprises, settling for adding more lines and making you connect them more quickly, which doesn’t feel like enough to sustain interest.

Score: 5/10

Tower Of Fortune: Pralaya

iOS, £2.99 (Game Stew)

Game Stew’s Tower Of Fortune series has been trundling along for well over a decade, its peculiar mix of randomised action and role-playing scenarios soliciting an equally mixed response from players.

The latest, Pralaya, leans even further into RNG, with a fruit machine style interface that dictates your avatar’s movement, attacks, loot, and injury by enemies, with each turn bringing a new roll of almost completely random consequences.

It’s mildly compelling, the very small amount of input you have proving to be enough to make you feel at least involved. Its turn-based roguelike runs aren’t exactly tense, but they do leave you wanting to see more next time in this resolutely bizarre, pixel art take on role-playing.

Score: 6/10

Voidloop

iOS & Android, £1.99 (Jasper Levin)

Voidloop is a mining roguelite that arms you with a sword and pickaxe to take out enemies and mineral deposits as you adventure your way towards each level’s exit portal. Get through all 20 floors in a single run and you’ll find the material to forge a key to unlock the next biome.

You’ll need to do quite a bit of upgrading to get to that stage, smelting ore into ingots to improve your tools, unlocking new abilities in the game’s massive skill tree, and brewing potions at the witch’s hut to add temporary buffs.

Runs are tense, with each completed against the clock, but because movement speed and enemies are relatively slow, the touchscreen controls don’t feel too cumbersome, suiting the pace of the action, with Voidloop’s sense of compulsion coming mostly from its well-constructed meta game of upgrades and deeper exploration.

Its difficulty level is a bit uneven, causing plateaus in progress, and it suffers from a noticeable number of crashes, but with such a solid set of underlying mechanics those should be fixable problems, and despite its rough edges there’s a lot of entertainment here for a tiny price.

Score: 7/10

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By JADA BAS, REPORTER

Updated: 02:22 BST, 10 August 2026

Daniel Kinahan has been charged by police in Ireland, after his high-profile extradition from the UAE

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Daniel Kinahan has been remanded in custody after appearing before the Special Criminal Court in Dublin charged with directing an organised crime group, on his return from Dubai.

It comes after the arrest in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in April of the 49-year-old Dublin-based boxing promoter, who is an alleged leader of the Kinahan organised crime group.

Mr Kinahan was flown on a £39 million government jet belonging to the Irish Air Corps from Dubai to Ireland today where he was arrested after touching down at Baldonnel Airport at around 7.20pm, reports the Mirror.

Kinahan was whisked under armed guard from both law enforcement and the Irish Defence Forces to a special Sunday hearing at the Special Criminal Court to face charges of directing an organised crime group.

He was charged with directing the activities of a criminal organisation between October 18 2015 and April 6 2017.

He appeared in the dock wearing a black hoodie and put on a pair of dark-rimmed glasses after taking his seat.

Detective Sergeant Colin Davidson told the court that he had arrested Mr Kinahan at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel at 6.49pm that day.

Mr Kinahan was remanded to next appear on October 5.

Earlier the ministers of justice for Ireland and the United Arab Emirates confirmed the extradition, after a formal request submitted by Irish authorities, and the final decision was issued after a judgment by the Dubai Court of Cassation, in accordance with the extradition treaty between the two countries.

Jim O’Callaghan and Abdullah bin Sultan bin Awad Al Nuaimi said that the final extradition decision “reflects the steadfast commitment of both countries to the rule of law and reinforces international judicial co-operation”.

The plane landed at Casement aerodrome in Baldonnel on the outskirts of Dublin just after 6.30pm.

READ MORE: Family of tragic Minnie Merriman ‘left with nothing’ as they try to ‘rebuild life’

READ MORE: Fake doctor accused of conning patients out of thousands of pounds at bogus clinics

Shortly after the plane landed, a convoy of vehicles with blacked-out windows left the aerodrome at high speed.

Two separate convoys then arrived at Dublin’s Special Criminal Court, where Mr Kinahan was due to appear, as crowds watched.

Several BMWs drove through an open gate and into the underground car park at the court, with the gate swiftly closing behind them.

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The Monday letters page is very dubious about the potential for the live action Zelda movie, as one reader looks forward to Take-Two’s post-GTA 6 era.

Games Inbox is a collection of our readers’ letters, comments, and opinions. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk

Remake revelation
I see Final Fantasy 7 Revelation is due to be shown at Gamescom Opening Night Live and that makes me happy, but I have noticed a general lack of hype for the game and the remake trilogy in general over the last few years. This is a real shame because in my view it’s an excellent remake and one of the best Japanese role-players of all-time, regardless of its connection to the old game.

In fact, I’ve begun to think that it’s the old game that’s holding things back. It’s going to be 30 years old next year and that means you’ve got to be a certain age to remember or appreciate it, because I really don’t think many people are going to get much enjoyment out of playing the original PS1 or PC version. Final Fantasy 7’s days of being the most popular Japanese role-player are well behind it, in my view.

Obviously, that’s the main reason for doing the remake but I think Square Enix have realised that people not knowing the original or thinking they need to know it to appreciate the new one is putting people off. Being of the right age I don’t see it like that, but I honestly think the first two are great games that anyone can enjoy, and I expect the third one will be too.
Korbie

Yachts for everyone
Being only moderately interested in GTA 6 I’m more interested in what happens after it comes out and Take-Two have more money than they know what to do with. I realise, obviously, most of their windfall is going to be spent on exec bonuses but surely they’ll be looking to put at least 1% of their profits into making new games, and 1% of GTA 6’s profits is nearly infinite.

I read that they have 29 games in development right now, so even though they’ve cancelled one they’ve still got a lot more on the go, hopefully including Bioshock 4.

I agree that it is a worry that GTA 6 is going to be too big, and blot out everything else, especially if it has user-generated content like Roblox. But at this point I feel we’ve got to be optimistic and the best case scenario is that GTA 6 makes so much money Take-Two doesn’t have to try ever again, and just funds whatever because there’s no way it can lose more money than GTA 6 makes. At least there’s a chance, right?
Tacle

GC: Take-Two has said this sort of thing before, about having a dozen or more games in development, and nothing ever comes of it. We think they must be counting Zynga and/or multiple versions of the same game on different formats.

No way out
Agree completely with the Reader’s Feature about Mass Effect and BioWare needing to get out from under the control of EA. But I don’t think it’s going to happen. Double Fine might have left Microsoft but they had to lay off people just to keep the lights on and I doubt they’ll last much longer, not making the sort of games they used to anyway.

If BioWare did split off I don’t think there’s much chance that they’d be able to last long either and they definitely wouldn’t have the sort of budget they need to make Mass Effect. It’s like the reader said, Mass Effect is big but not that big, and it’s smaller now that it’s ever been, since it hasn’t had a proper new game out in ages. I think the only chance we have for a new game is if they stay on at EA, but I don’t think that chance is very big.
The Bishop

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

Public demand
Regarding Sony going all-digital and people complaining. I saw in the Inbox recently, someone saying they’re not interested in what we think and are not going to do what we want. If you are referring to the general population with we then these statements are false. They are acting on exactly what we have been doing and choosing for the last few years.

85% of sales are digital. That’s a vast majority of people voting with their wallets, consistently. Times are changing, it’s not our world any more. Now we just need to end the ridiculous concept of every household owning a valuable piece of tech with RAM and storage space in it and move to the inevitable future of everybody streaming from one central super computer.

All of these things are inevitable and necessary, we have been wasteful and hubristic and needs to change, I for one hope it’s not too late.
Alex

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Fight the future
When the Switch 2 is done and dusted in 10 years’ time, I really hope Nintendo name their next console Phoenix.

Reinvent console gaming just as they did with NES and the Wii, with innovative ideas. Let’s see the competition jump on the bandwagon.

Mandatory streaming of video games is not the future…

It will be, but not just yet.
G4RBO

Catching up
So the Xbox Series S is almost the same price as the Xbox Series X was at launch now. So what’s the point in the Xbox Series S, as it was supposed to be the budget entry into the next gen? Also, what other trump card do Xbox have up their sleeves to kickstart sales? I get the argument that it’s AI’s fault and component prices, but this is getting ridiculous.

Such a shame because this is the perfect time to reduce Xbox Series X/S and bundle it with Forza Horizon, Gears Of War, Halo, etc. before GTA 6 arrives. I bought the Xbox Series X four years ago and I just can’t believe the price of it now and how Microsoft had no contingency plans in place for any of this.
icelticghost
PS: I agree with a letter commenting on Assassin’s Creed and the Roman Empire. I agree with you that Ubisoft is maybe keeping that as a last resort. Ever since I was a kid, I was fascinated with that time period and an Assassin’s Creed game during that era could have limitless possibilities. It could be set during the first emperor Augustus, the Roman Civil War, or the Punic Wars. Ubisoft have so much to work with there.

Blu movies
I’ve just realised, if Sony is ending Blu-ray discs for games, doesn’t that mean it will force Xbox to do the same?

Sony owns the rights to Blu-ray and if they’re saying no more surely that’s making Xbox do the same? Even if they don’t want to.
David

GC: No, the Blu-ray format was co-developed by Sony, but it’s used for many other things, including movies (and including Sony Pictures movies). Sony has only said that it’s stopping making discs for PlayStation 5.

Legendary reputation
The problem with a Zelda live action film is that it all depends on the script. They’ve got the actors, including the late lamented Sam Neill, and I assume the effects will be good, but when was the last time one of these sort of films had a decent script, with a logical plot and good dialogue? It definitely wasn’t either of the Super Mario Bros. movies.

I can just imagine Sam Neill reading the script and doubling his fee immediately, and even then he probably only did it because it’s being filmed in New Zealand. I doubt anyone could make a Zelda movie make sense and be entertaining on anything but a visual level and this film has got the scriptwriter of Pacific Rim Uprising… so I think that makes it physically impossible that it could be good.

And then Nintendo will have three critically mauled movies in a row. Never mind how much they make (and I can’t imagine the Zelda one will make even half of what Mario does) the damage to Nintendo’s reputation I think is worrying.

To a non-gamer, Nintendo is not the maker of the finest video games in history but that company that keeps making the hyperactive kids’ movies with no plot and constant references to things they don’t understand.

I get that the films are profitable, but does it have to be at any cost? At some point these films are going to stop being box office gold (the second Mario movie was already down on the first) and then Nintendo is back to square one, relying only on games and its newly ruined reputation.
Bison

Inbox also-rans
I’m going to bet the reason Sony didn’t send out review copies of Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls ahead of time is because of the PC version being bad, nothing to do with the PlayStation 5 version. Not exactly good for creating early hype.
Winston

It’s crazy that it’s now 10 years since Super Mario Odyssey and yet despite two Mario movies, that did really well, there’s still absolutely no sign of a new game. I wouldn’t be surprised if it wasn’t even out next year.
Gildar

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