HerlockSholmes

My number 2 for the year after Astro Bot (Balatro at number 3). The story stumbles a bit near the end but the game is absolutely fantastic. Should have guessed this would be #3 and Metaphor #2. Metaphor got the platinum for best RPG, whereas this took the gold one.

Cant wait for the next game. The series goes from strength to strength. Roll on Pirate Yakuza.

@Corc11 By that logic Call of Duty or Assassins Creed should be GOTY every year right?

Balatro would be higher on my list. An awesome game and an incredible achievement.

@breakneck Fair criticism and it's fine if they aren't your thing. However, Rebirth and XVI are both critically acclaimed, well loved games. Final Fantasy's identity has shifted game from game since 9 and has resulted in some hits and some misses.

Between 7 remake, XIV and XVI they seem to be in a really good spot with the franchise.

@MaelysLeFleau 'A proper noun is a noun that serves as the name for a specific place, person, or thing. To distinguish them from common nouns, proper nouns are always capitalized in English. Proper nouns include personal names, place names, names of companies and organizations. Etc.'

I feel like I knew this at some point in my life but it had been long forgotten.

@UltimateOtaku91 Are you certain about Wukong? I would suggest Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth in its place.

@Kira_Moonvalley Yes. It's superior to playroom in every way.

Great pick. Played it earlier in the year as my first experience with Persona 3. It will probably be a little higher on my personal list but glad to see it here.

I think I'm going to grab Alan Wake 2 at that price. For those that have played it, are the DLC's worth it? I notice the deluxe edition is also on sale....

I have the best part of three weeks off now so I plan to finish Astro Bot, Indiana Jones and God of War Ragnarok. Will probably sprinkle in some Final Fantasy XIV in there as well. Working on getting my last tank (Dark Knight) to max level.

Enjoy the holiday periods all. The world seems a crazy place at the minute so take some time to chill out, relax, game and spend quality time with loved ones. 🎄 🎄 🎄

Always the same handful of people talking a load of sh*te. I am so exhausted with modern outrage culture. It saddens me that these are the articles which get the most engagement.

I feel like that character in Mean Girls that just wants everyone to go back to how they were in kindergarten and just get along. Can we focus on the games guys? Not the political discourse around them.

@UltimateOtaku91 Haha, I was going to make this point. We have had that term locked down for decades.

Good stuff. I'd be stoked as well. You guys need to stop giving air time to the trolls. Most people are very excited about a new Naughty Dog IP.

RIP. It must be a great feeling to know you are leaving a lasting legacy. His company's games bring a lot of joy to a lot of people.

@breakneck Reddit always used to be OK but it's definitely made a turn for the worse in recent years. r/games was great for discussion and news but it's just full of doomers now.

@breakneck It's not luck my friend. I ditched all social media except for these comments sections long ago. My mental health is significantly better because of it. It does lead to being slightly ignorant on some matters (such as this one) but ignorance can be bliss.

@colonelkilgore There has been vitriol? Is it because of the female protagonist? I really enjoyed the trailer and am looking forward to a new Naughty Dog IP. It's been so long....

@Anti-Matter As somebody that loves Bluey and watches it with my kids whenever the opportunity presents, I was very disappointed in the game. The show is of such a high quality but it did not translate at all. This is a sentiment shared by my kids.

'We will be back soon' just in time for your 2025 wrap up.

It's decent. I uninstalled it yesterday though. I just don't have the time or level of effort required for a live service PvP game. I wish it all the luck in the future. Hopefully the player base will stick around.

Get used to the idea of cross gen. It isn't going anywhere. Consoles are basically just PCs at this point so the graphics and frame rates can be scaled up and down to suit.

Great list. I'll never understand people bemoaning the lack of games. Maybe it's because I'm older now and have less time but my backlog just seems to be growing and growing. I'm excited to see what the second half of this gen holds.

Great comments section. Why anyone engages with any form of social media in 2024 is beyond me.

@AdvocateUK Press your PS button. They are now at the bottom.

@BeerMonster Got nothing for that money no? Thanks for donating. I've spent a decent amount of it too but got games and consoles in return.

33 heroes at launch seems insane. Gonna be so hard to balance that.

God of War Ragnarok and Diablo 4 with the expansion for me.

@Cloud39472 I don't see how this is different from every other AAA game these days. It seems there is a subset of 'gamers' who do nothing but moan and stoke the flames of outrage culture. I'd agree that it's the vocal minority but it gets tiring.

I know this is slightly off topic but I'd like to ask of you here that have a pro how the fan noise is? My PS4 Pro was unbearably loud (couldn't hear the TV when it was going full pelt). My base PS5 is silent. Can anyone speak to how loud the pro is? Is it noticeable?

Sounds ridiculous but after the PS4 Pro trauma it's actually a bit of a deal breaker for me.

@nessisonett My wife was 6 months pregnant so we skipped the line. That's the key - taking an impregnated woman with you.

I can imagine the pope playing Baulders Gate 3 on his projection screen in the Sistine chapel, guzzling on Mountain Dew and Doritos.

I am sure this comments section will be civil....

Not enough in it for me to upgrade at that price. Fair enough for anyone that does though. Looks a handy piece of kit.

No, no, no, that cannot be right. The Internet assured me this game would crash and burn. It assured me that it was going to be a steaming pile of garbage that was to be the nail in Bioware's proverbial coffin.

Surely the collective hivemind of the internet wasn't wrong, was it...?

@ShogunRok Don't engage with those that act like paid reviews are 'fact' or whatever. 99% of us rational human beings know it's nonsense. People like that have been moaning for years and will continue to do so regardless of what anyone says - they always know better. If I were Bioware and had paid you for a review score, I'd be on the phone complaining that it's only an 8!

The game looks decent. I don't have much affinity for the series but I do love Mass Effect. There have been quite a lot of turn based RPGs this year so I'm looking for something more action based. I'll likely wait until a sale and chip away at my backlog some more.

Isn't that 9 months between releases? Japanese companies seem to have worked out how to pump games out a regular pace using reused assets. Why do most Western companies start from scratch every time?

@CrashBandicoat OK. Maybe it just isn't as big of a deal to others as it is to you.

What is with the comments section on this site? We used to discuss the product itself but now everyone seems too focused on some stupid American culture war nonsense. Woke this, unattractive/ scantily clad female that. Every comments section decends into it now and it is usually the same few people. It must be genuinely exhausting.

On more relevant matters - I'll give the show a watch. There are an abundance of good animated shows available right now and I'm all for it.
Just finished Castlevania which is absolutely sublime.

@nessisonett Never heard that before but it is brilliant.

The game seems OK for what it is. I'll pick it up in a year when it's cheap and fixed.

Thanks for the review Liam. Really glad this turned out well after the initial concerns. Never played the original so will be picking this up.

I played Dead Space on Gamepass last year and loved every second. It's a phenomenal game. Might have to do another run for those sweet trophies.

It clearly was a bug. I'm playing Octopath Traveller 2 and the splash screen was 'Octopath Traveller 2 is out now'. Obviously it is - i'm playing it.

For those with tin foil hats on talking about coding. These images already existed in the same space. Clearly the bug was just showing them in the wrong spot.

I'm usually very cynical about this stuff and think Sony will squeeze every penny where they can. Advertising is very likely coming to the dashboard but this just was not it.

Awesome. Sea of Stars has been one of my favourite games this year. I'll replay the whole thing when the DLC drops.

Hopefully they will add a bike in game and make it like Tony Hawk Ride. Even better, add a lance accessory to it and swing it around your living room like a Wii mote.

@Kienda Nope, this is 2024. It's either all or nothing. I'm completely right and if you don't agree with me then you are utterly wrong. The world only exists in black and white.

@Fishysensei Isn't that true of every game? The media cycle covers it for a week or two then moves onto the next thing.

@MasterChiefWiggum I'm definitely playing this one on fidelity mode. The ray tracing is transformative.

Where are all the Pucky Squire reviews? Strange that embargo still hasn't been lifted.

It's not. I've played it multiple times with my son. It's a by the numbers survival crafting game. Minecraft is miles better (I play that one with my Daughter all the time...)

@Bobtheking That's fair enough but it isn't for me. I still use my PC for PC related things and I do not want it located in the living room. Sounds like you have a sweet set up but it must have cost a pretty penny. I'm lazy and tight with my cash so I'll stick to PS5 and my LG B4. Looks good enough to my aging eyes.

PC has always been popular. I have one but prefer the simplicity of the PS5. I also spend all day at work on a PC so it's the last thing I want to do when I come home.

The console market is still booming and there will always be a market for something that you can plug in and it just works. One way to kill it is charging obscene amounts for new hardware though....

@Ooccoo_Jr For a second there I thought you were calling your wife a 700 pound white elephant. That'll teach me for skimming comments.

On topic: it's too rich for my blood. The improvements are far too negligible for the cost associated. Good luck to anyone that puts their money where their mouth is.

Quickest 100 comments on an article ever? Got to be close.