An 18-year-old has died following a harrowing incident in Central Park where a horse-drawn carriage bolted, throwing him and other passengers to the ground.

The New York Police Department confirmed the teenager‘s death after he was initially hospitalized in critical condition.

The accident occurred just before 3 p.m. on Wednesday. The 18-year-old was one of four passengers in the carriage when the horse suddenly took off, causing at least two individuals to be ejected from the careening vehicle.

A representative for the Transport Workers Union, which represents carriage industry employees, stated that the driver had dismounted to take a photograph of his passengers, an action they are not permitted to do. The other passengers involved in the incident reportedly refused medical treatment at the scene.

The horse had been in the park for only six weeks, according to Alexander Kemp, the administrative vice president of the union’s local chapter. He said he wants a full investigation.

“Safety in the park has been a growing concern among many, and improvements are needed to be made with respect to all vehicles, including e-bicycles, delivery vehicles, pedicabs, and horse-drawn carriages,” he said in a statement.

Video showed the horse sprinting through the park as two people appeared to jump from the four-wheeled carriage. A second video shows the cab toppling over after clipping the wheels of another carriage on the park’s busy loop.

It’s a fraught moment for Central Park’s 150-year-old horse-drawn carriage industry, which is facing the growing threat of a ban from opponents who say the rides are both inhumane to horses and a danger to city residents.

Wednesday’s event follows several recent horse-related problems in the park, including the fatal collapse of a horse last week.

The Central Park Conservancy, the nonprofit which operates the park and came out last summer in support of banning horse-drawn carriages, said the back-to-back events should bring an end to the industry.

“A young man came to enjoy our park and lost his life,” the group said in a statement. “That is not an acceptable cost of an antiquated industry operating in the middle of one of the most heavily used public spaces in America.”

Suspicious activity was reported near a property in South Belfast

A man has been arrested following suspicious activity near a property in South Belfast.

The incident took place in the Iverna Close area of the city on Wednesday June 17.

The 31-year-old man now faces several charges including burglary with intent to steal, common assault and possessing an offensive weapon.

A statement from the PSNI on Wednesday evening said: “A man arrested following a report of suspicious activity at the Iverna Close area of south Belfast on Wednesday 17th June, has been charged to court.

“The man, aged 31, has been charged with a number of offences including burglary with intent to steal, common assault and possessing an offensive weapon in a public place.

“He is expected to appear before Belfast Magistrates Court tomorrow, Thursday June. 18 As is usual procedure all charges will be reviewed by the Public Prosecution Service.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Belfast is at least short by 820 beds in terms of elderly care

A spate of newly approved Belfast care homes are vital to address an ageing population across the city, particularly in East Belfast, planners have explained at City Hall.

This week the Belfast City Council Planning Committee approved four major applications relating to care homes and assisted living quarters for the elderly -three of those pertaining to East Belfast, one at the old Netherleigh House, two at Stormont Hotel, and one at Halifax House, the Gasworks, South Belfast.

One of the planners involved with Netherleigh House said there “was a chronic shortage” of beds for “an ageing population,” and said the city is already 820 beds short for those elderly members of the public in need.

READ MORE: Sinn Féin push through care home plans for Stormont Hotel despite local opposition

READ MORE: No extra crime or antisocial behaviour reported outside site of controversial Belfast homeless centre

Two of the applications courted controversy in the chamber on Tuesday evening. Sinn Féin pushed through plans in East Belfast to convert the Stormont Hotel site into a huge care home and assisted living complex, despite major opposition from local residents and elected representatives. The applications got through on knife-edge votes in the chamber.

The first application involves the change of use from hotel, conference centre and offices to a 97-bed care home and 1,559 square metre diagnostic medical facility, with associated access, car parking, landscaping and open space. The site is the still functioning 105 bed Stormont Hotel, 587 Upper Newtownards Road.

The second application involves outline planning permission for independent living units and up to 62 assisted living units, as well as associated internal access roads, communal open space, revised access and car parking, and landscaping. The plan involves the demolition of a host of dwellings at Castleview Road and Summerhill Parade.

The applicant for both is Summerhill Retirement Developments Ltd, Victoria House, Gloucester Street, Belfast. The council received 47 third-party representations, from 26 persons, all of which objected to the scheme. Objectors and local elected reps objected to the closure of a tourist offering, and said car parking for the new facility would overwhelm residential areas.

A representative for the applicant told the committee: “Retirement living has become a highly sought after housing requirement across the city, not least in this part of Belfast. East Belfast has a very high level of population over the age of 65, much higher than the average across the rest of the city.”

Two other major applications relating to elderly care were passed at the Planning Committee, without controversy.

In the Gasworks area of South Belfast, councillors unanimously approved a proposed change of use from offices at the Halifax Building, 24 Cromac Place, to a nursing home comprising 156 bedrooms.

The application, by the Healthcare Ireland Group, Holywood, includes an ancillary scanning unit and all associated accommodation including dining and café areas, day rooms and lounges, a hairdressers, cinema rooms, treatment rooms and internal courtyard. The proposal also includes ancillary offices, landscaping, and cycle parking.

The five storey office building is currently vacant and was previously occupied by Lloyds Banking Group and Halifax. Healthcare Ireland says the proposal represents an investment of £16 million to the local economy, with the potential for 80 to 100 construction jobs and creation of 180 permanent employment positions.

Only NI Water objected from the list of statutory consultees, and council Planning officials recommended the application for approval. There were no third party objections.

A plan to convert the former headquarters of Stormont’s Department for the Economy into a nursing home was also approved at the Planning Committee on Tuesday.

Advertisement

Councillors unanimously approved the conversion of the listed Netherleigh House and existing blocks, at 1 Massey Avenue, East Belfast, to a nursing home, and the erection of assisted living apartments over two four-storey blocks. The site is currently vacant.

The residential and nursing care facility plan involves extensions to an existing office block, including a fourth storey floor, eastern and western gable extension and two front projections from the northern elevation. The proposed development overall will provide 209 one bed residential units and 36 assisted living apartments.

Further works will include new site parking, landscaped amenity areas, and woodland trails across the six acre site. The applicant is Y3 Care Ltd, of Holywood.

Council Planning officials recommended the application for approval, while NI Water objected to the plan. The council received one letter of objection and one letter of support from third parties.

The Planning officer’s report states: “Policy states that Planning permission will be granted for the change of use of a listed building where this secures its upkeep and survival and the character and architectural or historic interest of the building would be preserved or enhanced.

“The new use of residential and nursing care is considered appropriate for Netherleigh House and will bring the vacant building back into use which ensures that the architectural and historic interest of the building is preserved.

“Although the proposal does not include any extension to Netherleigh House itself, it includes various extensions and alterations to the existing built form on site which is attached to the listed building along with two new build assisted living units and are consequently subject to the same level of statutory protection.”

Alliance Councillor for Ormiston Hedley Abernethy asked at the committee meeting: “How do we assess the need for nursing care facilities? It seems everyone must be getting sick in East Belfast, because we seem to be getting more of these facilities.”

An agent for Y3 Care Ltd replied: “We highlighted in our submission that in the 2021 census, data obviously shows there is an ageing population. We highlighted stats around the need for specialist residential and nursing dementia services, all which will be offered in the Netherleigh House proposal.

“The council’s own team states there is an additional need for another 820 bed spaces in residential care homes during the planned period of the Local Development Plan. The council’s LDP team is supportive of this proposal and that we have demonstrated that there is a need for the proposal.” He said there was “a chronic need and a chronic shortage of beds.”

A council officer said: “The Local Development Plan identifies the need for beds, and we take that statement of need and consult. The consultation response said there was a fall in nursing bed care due to certain homes closing since 2015.

“We had a baseline of 820 beds, but we have identified that due to those closures but there are probably more than that. And we certainly haven’t exceeded that in terms of any of the applications we have seen so far.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

“Playing The Killers at full volume in the middle of a game during the hydration break. Games never been more gone man”

Advertisement

Whether you like it or not, Mr Brightside by the Killers is the iconic soundtrack to thousands of nights of partying.

It doesn’t matter if it’s a particularly raucous bar, the final few moments of a wedding or a dozen other types of occasion, many people have at some point found themselves bellowing the chorus out with a pint in hand.

Now it seems the song has started making appearances in more place – second half hydration breaks in the World Cup 2026.

The breaks, which essentially divide the game into four quarters, have proved controversial, with many England fans booing the one during the first half of the team’s opening match against Croatia on Wednesday night.

Click here to get the biggest stories straight to your inbox in our Daily Newsletter

However the familiar tune was played during the hydration break in the second half, with many fans at the stadium singing along.

There was a bit of a mixed reaction to the popular song being blasted out however – with users on X, formerly known as Twitter, divided.

Some people welcomed the choice, with one writing: “They are legit playing the English national pub anthem during the hydration break..”

Another wrote: “Not sure I’ll ever get over that Mr Brightside hydration break. Soccer.”

A third added: “Watching the footy and the music during the hydration break is Mr Brightside by The Killers …. I would bet good money that it’s one of the few songs that everyone in the world knows pretty much all the words to.”

Another added: “They are legit playing the English national pub anthem during the hydration break.

Not everyone was happy however.

One fan wrote: “Hydration break and if that isn’t bad enough they’re playing Mr Brightside. And just in case that isn’t bad enough, the crowd are singing along to it.”

Another added: “Playing The Killers at full volume in the middle of a game during the hydration break. Games never been more gone man. The Yanks have won.

Gwent Police have launched an appeal for information following a report of a robbery in Nash Road, Newport, at around 4.15pm on Wednesday 17 June.

Officers investigating the robbery would like to speak to anyone in the Nash Road area between 4pm and 4.30pm who might be able to assist our enquiries.

Superintendent Mike Preston said: “We understand that reports like these will prompt concern from our communities so it is possible that you will see officers in this part of the city as we conduct enquiries.

“If you have any concerns about this report or other matters, then please take the time to talk to our officers.

“Anyone with CCTV or dashcam footage could hold a piece of information that could assist our investigation, so we would urge you to speak to officers.”

President Donald Trump, famous for his love of gold, toured the opulently gilded Versailles palace on Wednesday alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, and the Republican used the royal venue for some high-level statecraft of his own, signing the Iran deal during the visit.

“It’s signed, yeah,” Trump told reporters as he left dinner with Macron at the palace. “I signed it in Versailles.”

The signing was something of a surprise, and prior to the visit, Trump had described the upcoming tour as more about architectural appreciation than international diplomacy

“I’m a fan of beautiful places,” Trump said Tuesday of his decision to accept Macron’s invitation to tour the palace. “And Versailles is not a gold leaf. Versailles is the real deal.”

Upon arriving on Wednesday evening, Trump again praised its beauty, thanking the French president and First Lady Brigitte Macron.

“This is so beautiful, and we thank the president,” Trump told a group of waiting reporters. “Brigitte is an amazing woman.”

As photographers snapped pictures of the trio, a reporter shouted out a question about whether Trump would do more to support Ukraine in its war with Russia.

The American president smiled wordlessly and kept walking with his French hosts.

Inside, prior to the signing, Trump took in the splendor of the palace, which features more than 1,000 kilograms of 22-carat gold across its iconic gates, sculptures, and interior trim.

Tourists outside complained that Trump’s visit shut down access to the French landmark.

“We came out here expecting to go inside,” visitor Ben Olson told The Associated Press. “That is not the case today as we learned upon our arrival, so it’s quite unfortunate.”

“I don’t know what they’re going to talk about,” he added. “I don’t know what their relationship is like. Personally, I dislike Trump, so it’s ever more disappointing that that’s the reason it’s closed today.”

Gold is the president’s aesthetic signature, adorning his company’s logo and the famous escalator in Trump Tower, which he used to announce his 2016 presidential campaign.

Since returning to office, the president has decked out the White House in numerous bits of Versailles-esque, gold-toned trim, and he and his aides regularly proclaim the U.S. is living through a new “Golden Age” under his leadership. He also rolled out a “gold card” visa for wealthy immigrants.

The Republican is so enamored with Versailles that he previously said he modeled a ballroom at his Mar-a-Lago club after the palace.

“I modeled the interior after Versailles, and there is nothing like it in the United States,” Trump said in a 2005 magazine interview.

Foreign leaders have picked up on Trump’s love of all things gold, often incorporating it into elaborate gifts.

Trump has gotten a golden pager from Benjamin Netanyahu, a golden replica crown from a Korean delegation, a gold-and-glass plaque from the CEO of Apple, and a gold Rolex desk clock from a group of Swiss leaders.

Versailles, whose gold-flecked incarnation was meant to embody the power and prestige of Louis XIV, the “Sun King,” eventually became a symbol of the decadence of the French monarchy.

A 1789 march on Versailles was among the key moments of the French Revolution, and Versailles continues to be used as a byword for opulent and out-of-touch leaders.

Doubters have referenced the French palace as part of their criticisms against Trump’s proposed $600 million ballroom complex at the White House, which is being funded through a mix of public money and high-dollar donations from large corporations.

“Trump could spend his time fighting childhood hunger, reforming healthcare, or building affordable housing,” Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts wrote on X in August of the project, sharing a rendering of the gilded ballroom design. “Instead, he’s focused on turning the White House into Versailles. His billionaire buddies get a tacky ballroom to feast on champagne & caviar. The rest of us? Let them eat cake!”

The president has embraced a similar royal preoccupation with fountains and classical monuments as part of his efforts to renovate Washington.

His administration has poured millions of dollars, thus far with uneven results, into cleaning up the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, and the White House has proposed a French-style victory arch for the capital.

After the president’s dinner with Macron, he may stay in Europe to attend a signing ceremony in Geneva on Friday for a tentative deal to end the Iran war. He joked with reporters that he may not attend the ceremony, so that Vice President JD Vance will take the blame if the agreed-upon early-stage memorandum of understanding later falls apart.

“It’s very important,” Trump said. “But it might not be the kind of document I should be signing.”

“This way, if it works out, I’m going to take the credit,” Trump added. “If it doesn’t work out, I’m blaming JD!”

Bradley Thomas, 23, was found guilty of the murder of his 14-week-old son, Emmerson-Oak Thomas, by a jury at Teesside Crown Court after the baby boy wouldn’t settle during the night

Advertisement

A father from Redcar has been convicted of murdering his infant son.

Bradley Thomas, 23, “violently shook” his 14-week-old baby, who refused to settle during the early hours of October 5 last year.

A jury at Teesside Crown Court delivered the guilty verdict against Thomas. During the trial, Thomas’ partner testified that he had consistently shown gentleness towards their son, Emmerson-Oak Thomas, and she couldn’t fathom him causing any harm.

She described her relationship with Thomas, who earned his living as a window cleaner, as “near perfect” and said he was content to handle night-time feeds. The court heard that she continues to visit Thomas while he’s in custody and they remain together.

That morning at 5.30am, she initially assumed he was calling out to show her something Emmerson had done. However, she detected “terror” in Thomas’ voice.

Emmerson was lifeless and pale, with Thomas having captured footage of his “raspy breathing”. The mother immediately started CPR while instructing Thomas to ring for emergency services, reports Teesside Live.

By the time paramedics reached them, the little boy had lost consciousness. Three days later, baby Emmerson passed away in hospital. Medical experts confirmed he had sustained “catastrophic brain injuries” which were “non accidental”.

A doctor informed the court that Emmerson’s injuries were comparable to those that might result from a fall from a third storey window onto concrete. The court heard it was impossible for the infant to have sustained bleeding on the brain from tumbling off his father’s lap onto carpet, contrary to Thomas’s account.

Alongside the brain bleeding, Emmerson had also suffered bleeding on his spinal cord and haemorrhaging behind both eyes.

Dr Jennifer Bolton, a pathologist, gave evidence that the injuries resulted from the child’s head being “vigorously moved backwards and forwards”. An expert in paediatric ophthalmic pathology determined that the eye haemorrhaging “was severe and very characteristic of an abusive head trauma”.

Thomas maintained he had never shaken his son. Prosecutor Toby Hedworth told jurors that Thomas had “lost self control and become angry” when Emmerson refused his bottle that evening and remained “unsettled” from 2am onwards.

The court accepted that Thomas was alone downstairs with Emmerson that night, while his partner slept upstairs.

Jurors were informed that police discovered cannabis at the family’s Eston residence, with Thomas stating in his testimony that he smoked “one joint” each evening outdoors after Emmerson had gone to bed.

On Wednesday afternoon, Judge Clive Sheldon expressed gratitude to the jury for their service, remarking: “We’ve had difficult evidence to hear but you’ve carried out your responsibilities with care and consideration”.

Thomas, currently residing on Grasmere Road in Redcar, is due to be sentenced on July 15. He has been remanded in custody until that date.

Following the sentencing, Detective Superintendent Deb Fenny, from Cleveland Police, said: “Emmerson-Oak was an innocent three month old child whose life was cruelly and senselessly taken. I am pleased that today we have secured justice on his behalf.

“This has been an exceptionally complex and deeply distressing investigation, not only because of the nature of the injuries involved, but also due to Emmerson-Oak’s age and vulnerability. Throughout, our officers and staff remained steadfast in their commitment to securing justice, demonstrating diligence, professionalism and compassion in the most challenging of circumstances.

“While no outcome can ever undo the harm caused or bring Emmerson-Oak back to his family, today’s verdict ensures that Bradley Thomas is rightly held accountable and will have to live with the consequences of his actions”.

When an exam board for England, Wales and Northern Ireland recently clarified that students are now permitted to use gender-inclusive or gender-neutral forms in French, Spanish and German exams, it marked more than a technical adjustment to assessment criteria.

These updates highlight an important fact about the nature of languages. They are not fixed systems but evolving, social practices.

The exam board guidance has not been universally embraced. Allowing references to diverse gender identities is perceived by some opponents to be ideologically driven. It has also been criticised that these novel forms, such as the French gender-neutral pronoun “iel”, are not widely used or endorsed by authorities (yet).

These arguments surface some common misunderstandings of how languages work and what language education is for. Two fundamental insights of sociolinguistics – the academic discipline that studies language in its social contexts – are that languages are as diverse as the people who use them, and they are constantly changing and shifting.

The ‘rizz’ of languages

Languages are not neatly defined, unambiguous systems, but rather complex and dynamic. How we express ourselves is influenced by a range of factors including geographical regions, social aspects and identity, formality, medium and context – as well as individual preferences. Consider the differences between varieties of English spoken around the world, or the way you speak in a formal work meeting compared with how you talk to your friends in a café or pub.

In addition, languages are constantly evolving and adapting. Youth language and slang are well-known and frequently discussed examples of language change. In 2025, I took part in a radio debate about the decision to include Gen-Z slang words like “skibidi”, “delulu” and “rizz” in the latest edition of the Cambridge Dictionary, a dictionary for learners of English.

The discussion asked a central question about the purpose of dictionaries: do they tell us how languages should work, or how they actually do work? And which is it that language learners need?

At the core of this question lies an important distinction that linguists make: prescriptive versus descriptive approaches to discussing language.

Prescribe or describe?

Prescriptivism is an approach that focuses on standardised rules and norms, telling us (that is, prescribing) how to express ourselves in a way that is considered “correct”. Descriptivism, on the other hand, observes and describes how a language is really used and acknowledges its variable, constantly evolving nature.

In dictionaries, both approaches have their place, but we need to be clear what the purpose of any given dictionary is.

Language classrooms may, for good reasons, lean towards a prescriptive approach. Exams need clear marking criteria. Learners need stability, especially at the beginning.

There are also very practical considerations: you can’t teach everything, especially with limited contact time and set curricula to be covered – so how do you choose? As a teacher, how do you stay on top of all these new developments? These are all valid points and the answers are not always straightforward.

On the flip side, you could argue that language teaching should represent languages the way they really are, and learners should be introduced to their nuances. Languages are not just transactional tools for ordering food or asking directions (although they are that too, of course!).

Importantly, they are a means through which people describe their lives, relationships and identities. If teaching and assessment materials only reflected a narrow slice of this, they would fail to represent cultures, societies and communication authentically.

Be it in films, social media or interactions with other users of the language, learners encounter not just textbook-standard language, but a wide range of forms and styles. The annual German youth word of the year competition, for example, is a great resource for students to learn slang words that are popular among young German speakers. In 2025, shortlisted words included “checkst du”, meaning “get it?” or “do you relate?”

It’s easy to see why it’s important to equip learners with the means to express themselves flexibly and appropriately in a range of different contexts and situations.

Ultimately, it’s about finding the right balance between prescriptivism and descriptivism in language education. This, as is often the case, is easier said than done. In my view, though, the exam board guidance did not deserve the criticism it received.

After all, the guidelines afford students the freedom to express themselves flexibly using gender-neutral forms, without mandating it. This approach empowers learners to express themselves in a way that reflects their own identities if they wish to do so.

Relatable classrooms

Allowing and modelling inclusive language is a way to ensure that all learners see themselves reflected and respected. It helps create environments where students are able to engage fully and relate to the content, which is a core part of responsible curriculum design.

Language both reflects and shapes social reality. Therefore, excluding diversity from language teaching risks perpetuating invisibility and bias. It may also create an unrealistic, unrelatable and potentially rather bland curriculum.

And this is where some of the real potential lies. Creative, culturally rich and linguistically diverse content, which reflects current shifts in societies and empowers learners to connect them to their own experiences and realities, may be just the recipe to make learning a language even more exciting.

The Thursday letters page compares Capcom’s successes to Xbox’s failures, as a reader thinks Bungie should’ve made Destiny 3 instead of Marathon.

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

Hardware upgrade
Just saw a thing saying that sales of the PS5 Pro are up, because people are upgrading to buy GTA 6 this autumn. They’re going either straight from PlayStation 4 or upgrading from the PlayStation 5.

That’s not very surprising, and makes plenty of sense, but as a standard PlayStation 5 owner I do wonder how well GTA 6 is going to run. We’ve all seen the trailer a hundred times (or is that just me?) and those graphics are out of the world. They’re also far beyond anything I’ve ever seen on PlayStation 5, so the idea that they look that good and they run at 60fps seems impossible.

I’m not suggesting Rockstar is lying about anything, but I do have serious worries about performance, to the point where I’m thinking of getting a PS5 Pro too. The problem is we’ll never find out what the situation is until days after the game’s out and I know I’ll never be able to wait that long.

Sony must be rubbing their hands in glee, especially as no one’s going to be crazy enough to buy an Xbox Series X, given what’s happening at the moment.
Steiner

A feast of crows
I really feel for all the people working at Microsoft developers right now. I’m not clear whether they know what’s going to happen to them yet or when we might get an official annoucement, but I hope this doesn’t drag on too long.

I also hope that all those people you were egging on the Activision Blizzard buyout are now eating crow. Although this is far worse than anyone could have imagined, the basics are exactly what more sensible people were warning about.

Not only has Xbox destroyed itself but it’ll be lucky not to take the whole Western games industry with them. Frankly, I’ll be glad if Microsoft just sell up and leave the business, their influence is purely negative now.
Ashton Marley

GC: Although talks are ongoing with upper management at the various studios it’s not clear when there might be any kind of official announcement. There’s been some suggestion it might be Friday, but Microsoft’s financial year doesn’t end until June 30.

Busy period
Never mind the rigours of the World Cup. My concern is for the stamina, well being and mental fortitude of Jenkins, Beckworth, Gillett, Orr, Boxer, and Jessop to manage the tsunami of titles dropping weekly or twice a week, from September 3 to October 29 that need reviewing.

It’s always a busy window for game releases but i can’t remember one with as many potentially bit hitters as this. Hope you’ve got your training camp, drinks breaks, and media obligations sorted out. I believe in you guys, but don’t envy you. As Optimus Prime would say, ‘Rollout GC!’
Somasonic

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

Educated guess
I was wondering, how do you pick the games that you review? Even a casual look at the PlayStation online store, for instance, reveals a plethora of mainstream and indie titles. How do you decide what to spend your valuable reviewing time on? I’m guessing that time is a major factor when it comes to review choices. Unless you have an army of reviewers you can’t play everything.

It’s easy to understand why you review high profile releases such as 007 First Light and Resident Evil, because coverage of AAA titles is an obvious draw for web traffic, but how do you decide which less well known releases deserve a page on the site?

I’m guessing that by doing what you do you’ve developed an instinct to detect and avoid low quality shovelware and novelty games. I’m just interested to know exactly how you differentiate.
Michael Veal (@msv858)

GC: Every day we get sent dozens of press releases for different indie games, so between that, previews, and general word of mouth we’re generally aware of most interesting games before they launch. But not only is it impossible to review everything but a lot of reviews would be of no interest to most people, so we just have to take a chance on what’s going to be worth spending time on.

Don’t miss Gaming news! Add us as a Preferred Source

As a loyal GameCentral reader, we want to make sure you never miss our articles when searching for gaming stories. We have all the latest video games news, reviews, previews, and interviews, with a vibrant community of highly engaged readers.

Click the button below and tick Metro.co.uk to ensure you see stories from us first in Google Search.

Add us as a Preferred Source

Advertisement

Year of the remake
Some interesting discussions about Zelda: Ocarina Of Time and I’m not really sure where I stand. Ordinarily I’m not keen on companies doing too many remakes but Nintendo generally doesn’t and few games deserve one like Ocarina Of Time does.

But then again, it is unfortunately going to come out the same year as another N64 remake, with Star Fox, which is taking two spots away from what could’ve been new games. I get that it’s a coincidence, and a remake of Star Fox 64 is probably the best way to restart interest in the series, but it’s still not a good look.

The best way out of the problem would be to promise plenty for next year that is brand new, but for whatever reason Nintendo is being extra secretive at the moment. We know about Pokémon Winds and Waves but if they’d only announce the new 3D Mario I feel there’d be much less unease amongst fans. Just a name or teaser the length of Ocarina Of Time would be fine.
Onibee

Customer loyalty
I completely agreed with the recent Reader’s Feature about Capcom being a model for how publishers should carry on. I know we shouldn’t put these companies on a pedestal, but when you see the likes of Microsoft bumbling around aimlessly, destroying everything they touch, including their own reputation, you’ve got to hand it to Capcom, who just sits there and gets on with the business of making good games – and are well rewarded for it.

They don’t brag, their execs aren’t constantly giving interviews where they manage to say nothing of value, and they don’t make promises they can’t keep. Instead, they nurture their moneymakers, like Resident Evil; they bring back old franchises when they can; and they’re constantly taking a risk on IP.

That’s made me want to take a risk on their games too, and I’m rarely disappointed. I get what the reader the other day was saying, about never buying games at full price, but while I wouldn’t criticise him for doing that I would say he then has no right to complain if a franchise or company he likes goes under, if he wasn’t willing to support them.

You might say that’s not our problem, as customers, and it’s not. No one’s making you buy a game day one or even first-hand but if you don’t you’ve got to be prepared for the consequence of those actions.

I’m not a charity and I don’t mindlessly buy every Capcom game, or anything from anyone else, but if I know a company has a long history of not letting its fans down then that’s something I bear in mind when spending my money.
Olliephant

Better than nothing
I really don’t understand why Bungie didn’t make Destiny 3 instead of Marathon. Nothing about Marathon ever looked good, or like something that could be a major hit, and I don’t understand how it’s got this far.

If I remember, people were against Destiny 2 at the time because it was too soon and they didn’t want to start from scratch again but that seems a minor problem when the alternative is Bungie being gutted and not making any new games at all.
Benjy Dog

Buy one, get 49 free
Marhaba GC and the fellowship of savvy readers. UFO 50 has been an immensely impressive retro inspired compilation for me these past few months. Easily the most ambitious and ingenious indie game I’ve played since arguably Outer Wilds. The variety and consistency in quality across the 50, mostly completely disparate games, is an outstanding artistic achievement.

No wonder this grand undertaking took the best part of a decade to come to fruition. Upon booting up the game for the first time, I was pretty overwhelmed with the wealth of choice on display and what to play first.

Being the type that is easily chronos triggered, I started right at the beginning with the very first in the game’s internal timeline of releases, the brutal, seemingly inscrutable, captivating minimalism of 8-bit Zelda and Dark Souls-a-like, Barbuta.

But that moment when you first initiate UFO 50 and lay eyes on the massive selection of games felt almost tantamount to entering a big sweet shop as a child and being mesmerised by the sheer dizzying array of enticing, succulent goods on offer. UFO feels like the pick ‘n’ mix sweets of the gaming world, and it’s just magical. So many flavours, so much texture, lots of fun to be had exploring the gamut of sensory delights.

It’s not every day that I await a limited run physical edition of an indie game to release to support the developers, but with UF0 50 I just felt it was incumbent on me to purchase the Olivia Newton John version. The Switch physical edition didn’t disappoint, with a lovely poster advertisement of the pseudo console (LX III) that hosts the multitude of games and some other cool stuff.

I also appreciated all the little details in the fictional history of each game’s development and how they tie into the meta, alternate 8-bit universe UF0 50 so delicately weaves, making me feel all tingly and nostalgic inside. All very convincing stuff for gamers of a certain vintage.

Here are a few personal favourites of mine: a clever and challenging take on Metroidvania with a gravity shifting mechanic at its core (Vainger), a breezy but challenging and inventive racing shoot ’em-up (Seaside Drive), and a brilliantly off-kilter and deceptively deep house party management simulator (House Party).

Then there’s the quirky and strategically nuanced cowboy train heist game with a focus on stealth gameplay (Rail Heist), a charming platform adventure where you can shrink down in size to access a hidden miniaturised world and microscopic wonders in a bedroom you’re trying to escape (Max And Mini), and a fun platformer with a ricocheting football as the main mode of attack (Kick Club).

I’ve been playing UFO 50 since March and at this rate of discovering more and more gems in the library of exquisitely curated games, I’ll be playing this game(s) well into the year and beyond!
GG

Inbox also-rans
So what happens when Control Resonant is a flop, just like all other Remedy games? They should team-up with PlatinumGames because they’re both developers I love, who have been around for ages, and yet have never had a single major hit.
Danson

I put Game Pass down as the main reason for Xbox’s failure. It was a gamble, perhaps the biggest gamble ever in gaming, and it just didn’t work. I don’t know whether to pity or blame Phil Spencer now that we see what it’s all led to.
Wizrobe

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

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.

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

You can also leave your comments below and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.

MORE: Games Inbox: Is Xbox worth saving?

MORE: Games Inbox: What is happening to Xbox and can it recover?

MORE: Games Inbox: Are the original Halo games still worth playing?