JDINCINERATOR

@LiamCroft I don't think it'd be perfect anyway because what game is, except Astro Bot obviously.

Move over Alan Wake 2 then. I don't think switching from third to first-person is that big of a deal, but I guess Capcom had to come up with something more to innovate.

Push Square are quite soft with all due respect. Not sure of the last game they really friend, especially a mainstream one. I get it isn't their way as they are an accessible PS gaming website, but if they feel like being stricter then they should go for it.

After playing this for review, I find Code Vein 2 carries many of the blandest tropes an RPG could have, such as a player character who doesn't speak, and it's a predictable soulslike. The creation suite is nice, and the art style is pleasant, though it would've been nice if Lou Magmell didn't treat the who amnesia/memory loss cliche with such carelessness. She's basically a seductive lass for the protagonist to trust-probably because she looks pretty.

I'm not buying into the hyperbole. Sure, RE9 will be awesome, but it has some way to go to rival RE4 and RE2. If it's anything like RE8 then it'll be another "Resi's greatest hits" compilation.

Clair Obscur took risks that's why people love it as much as they do. Clair Obscur isn't a game with mindless trend-following in mind, and when those games come along they're held aloft like the holy grail. This is the state of the games industry now, where the games with the most outstanding ideas are seen as the best, though the industry used to be full of outstanding ideas. If Clair Obscur came out in say 2013 with the likes of The Last of Us and GTA V, would it have been GOTY then?

Cairn seemed like Jusant when I first saw it. Having played the demo, I can tell it's more like Baby Steps.

That monkey really does define Ubisoft as a company. Only thing missing is all the feces.

Maxine and Chloe aren't "iconic" because if they were millions and millions of people would know who they are during conversation. You mention Batman and Robin you know who they are, they're an iconic duo, Maxine And Chloe are a niche duo by comparison.

@dskatter Well the industry is hitting new levels of stupid and we tend to take the bait, so expect it to continue. Let's remember what Yahtzee said-"Let's all laugh at an industry that never learns anything tee-hee-hee."

I don't believe anything Ubisoft is saying. They probably made a great game but decided to put up the finger to fans because we actually wanted this remake, but in the triple A industry it's not about what we want anymore, it's about how they can swindle us with their generic trend-following trash. But hey at least there was that Metroidvania a couple of years ago The Lost Crown.

I always said games were much better and the industry was much healthier during and before the 7th generation, and now we the loyal gamers are nothing but slaves to the greediest and most corrupt publishers.

Bethesda dangling carrots in front of us, but I think we're too busy playing and anticipating the current crop of games to give a monkey's nipple about what they're doing. Rumours shouldn't be entertained because they're not factual.

Anthem was made due to the radical changes in the industry we've been seeing since the start of the 8th generation. Triple A games and their studios are no longer as interested in creating a unique vision as they are about making money. During the 7th generation and before, there was a balance where the devs created games with a unique and pleasing vision and that made money, now it's about exploiting trends and perpetuating ideas that sell-an approach which does indeed work, but it's sterile. This is why I'm personally dismayed and critical of the industry now, there just aren't enough bold ideas. The reason Clair Obscur won GOTY last year is because it dared to push the boat out in a very unique, and all other contenders were either sequels or something glaringly familiar.

This is ultimately an issue beyond PlayStation and far above the games industry, it's our culture and that's why Anthem exists because it represents what our culture and what the games industry is obsessed with. Ok, Anthem failed where many succeeded, but EA don't tend to learn their lessons due to the formula they've adopted with publishing games. Bioware simply make these games, and I don't think it's right to blame them for Anthem's failure.

Nintendo gave a young man the same honour of playing Super Smash Brothers: Ultimate early. Sometimes the industry can brighten the days of individuals facing harrowing and morbid circumstances, and it reminds us of the inherent beauty still left behind in this world.

Bungie must like those pre-90s US Snickers bars.

Not releasing a demo isn't that big of a deal, but the quality of all the Resi games that included a playable demo were still top notch. Maybe Capcom has something to hide, either that or they'd just rather put all their resources into making the best Resi game possible. I think it'll be like Village-just a Resi's greatest hits kind of game.

Should've stopped after True Colours because that was the best one.

@PinderSchloss Same happened with Huntdown in 2020, games media skipped on a brilliant game. Ahh well, they lost out.

Jesse Faden was a snore and the game's map was iffy in Control, but Resonant will probably get 8s, 9s and 10s from easy to please critics.

Nice selection of games, can't really complain. Village of course is getting featured in the line-up to pump up the hype for Requiem. Personally I felt like Village was Resident Evil's greatest hits and doesn't do much that was new or unexpected, but still a good Resi.

I appreciate that Detroit: Become Human is a narrative adventure game to get stuck into, but David Cage games have a tendency to come across as really silly and (in my mind) fail to convey the seriousness to which it tries so hard to convey. For example, trying to give A.I human feelings-which I guess is an interesting premise for a videogame, but I think there's more to laugh at than take seriously in David Cage games. I used to champion Heavy Rain in 2010, but when I returned to the game a handful of years later, I realized just how hilarious it really is. I mean when you're Norman Jayden, you chase someone through a closed-in marketplace and you can comically trip and slip up on numerous obstacles-so much for the seriousness there!

@RawnDawn I agree, though I am weary too. I thought MindsEye looked cool in trailers, then I like many others played it and it was diabolical.

I don't really know why Samson is being heralded right now when it hasn't even come out yet. What if it gets mediocre review scores, would we still want it on PS5? Just because the trailer looks good doesn't mean the game will be.

@AhmadSumadi Well it's got no real identity or aplomb of its own is what I'm saying.

@Matthewnh You really think this games industry can muster "originality"? All games get inspiration from somewhere and will be linked to other games. GTA has always wowed us and I don't think Rockstar will make another GTA unless they can wow us. I'm sure they know they'll wow us, no matter how long the game takes to come out.

As for making a modern satire being "redundant" I don't think Rockstar does anything without knowing how funny it will be. They've done a phenomenal job of satirizing our culture in the past, and I've no doubt in their abilities to do so for as long as GTA exists.

@J2theEzzo Yes indeed lol.

I can see a younger looking Del Toro made it into GTA VI if the article image is anything to go by.

Epic Mickey Rebrushed is pleasant. Good to see it's been uplifted nicely from its 2010 Wii release. Need For Speed Unbound might be cool if your expectations aren't high and you can ignore the garish artstyle that looks like a teenager threw their art project up all over the screen.

Marvel Cosmic Invasion is meh. It is kinda like Streets of Rage Marvel style, but I can't help but think it's rigid and pared back.

Probably would've been more appropriate if the dlc came out last year for its 10th anniversary, but if it is true then that would be delightful. Wouldn't give your hopes up on media rumours though.

Looking at that image for Bunny Rampage, I think of Gori: Cuddly Carnage and how most of the PlayStation community skipped on that gem.

Ghost of Yotei misses out on top honours again.

Congratulations to these former Ubisoft employees, they managed to get away with Clair Obscur being labelled an indie game.

I think DS2 just like the original caters to pretty much everything modern gamers and our culture seems to want. Great graphics, relatable/pretentious storytelling, set in America somewhere because that's real original, and of course it has to be huge too.

I do believe DS2 deserves its praise, but only because it coheres with the culture we're in. However, I think Kojima could do something far more audacious and enjoyable.

@MrPeanutbutterz It's not a motif that permeates the game.

Unbound's art style looks like a teenager who threw up their art project.

@get2sammyb You don't need anyone's permission to share this list as you're the editor, but kudos for the kind acknowledgment.

A nice wealth of Japanese influence in this list.

@Nicekix Clair Obscur and its combat system and its French elegance. What I really meant regarding Yotei is that it does what many sequels do-refine and improve what came before. We fell in love with Ghost of Tsushima 5 years ago for its artful visuals and satisfying combat-but what does Yotei do to add beyond that really? It's the same issue with Horizon: Forbidden West, it's just an improvement rather than a game-changer. But then again, it makes me wonder why Silksong doesn't fall into this camp for many. My guess is the hype surrounding it was lived up to and that is why many would consider it the GOTY.

I know it's not easy nor is it necessary to completely "change the game" with a sequel, yet if you don't do something huge and unexpected then it'll likely be destined to fall into second place or below.

@Rich33 They gave Lost Soul Aside a 6/10 so wouldn't make this list.

@BintendoMan That depends on the extensiveness of your backlog.

The PS5 deserves a long life cycle, but then again if the PS6 brings newness to PlayStation that would be for the best. PS5 has mainly lived in the shadow of the PS4 due to all those pretentious emotional storytelling games that try so hard to be like The Last of Us.

A game that shows beauty is skin-deep. Sure, the combat is as lavish as ever too, but I struggle to harmonize with a lot of these triple A games SONY do their best to make us emotionally care about. I know there was a ton of inspiration and effort infused into the development of Ghost of Yotei just like with Ghost of Tsushima, yet it's not doing a lot we haven't seen before.

@SeaDaVie Silksong was hyped up for years and met expectations, this is why it's not quite as lauded as Clair Obscur, which came out of nowhere and everybody loved it so much that they couldn't stop talking about it. Lesson is it's best to bring out games we don't expect to be much, but surprise in new and unique ways.

I do think the personalities and the humour is brilliant in Dispatch, but the Dispatch gameplay while definitely coherent, is a hectic rush that (in my mind) undermines a lot of the brilliance elsewhere. I don't think sending superheroes out on missions you don't see the progress of is immersive, and all those charts and the minigames don't help. Of course I'm in the minority because everyone seems to love it.

I wonder if Skate Story is going to be in this list somewhere because that's one game which makes me almost as conflicted as Dispatch does. Skate Story has a good look and is quirky, but gee the writing is overly flowery. Just because Skate Story is spews descriptiveness everywhere, that doesn't mean it has any substance.

@MrPeanutbutterz Fair enough, though I still reckon that the Elden Ring name and reputation is the reason some will still consider Nightreign to be one of the best of this year. As for Far Cry: Primal, at least Primal was very different in terms of setting, time period and so on, and I don't think it leans as heavily on the FC name as Nightreign leans on the Elden Ring name.

This list is quite arguable. Nightreign isn't on many people's GOTY lists and it is ultimately more Elden Ring, begging the question of whether expansions should be up for any GOTY contention. It is a personal list I understand, but c'mon-if you have to put an expansion of a game that came out a few years ago over the many other great games that came out this year, it kind of makes this year appear weaker. It is a bit smug to say the list is very hard to argue with because someone like me is going to find something to argue with.

Nevertheless, it is reasonable to put a list together of games that the industry has celebrated time and time again. Personally I do tend to deviate from standard mainstream praise because I can't help but find many games cloying rather than emotionally engaging. Death Stranding has always come across to me as a franchise that has an elegant setting and a pleasant soundtrack, but also has goofy product placement and appearances by famous personalities. It's a Kojima product and I appreciate his whimsy, but to me MGS2 is the zenith of his creativity.

Congratulations to all the games on this list. Sure, they may not ever reach the story excellence of Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, but they sure put in a valiant effort.

@GeeEssEff Awesome stuff. When it comes to Electronic Symphony, check out Gouryella-that's the best club tune I've ever heard anywhere.

A brilliant rhythm action game, though the soundtrack is weak compared to Electronic Symphony on Vita.