RBMango

One of the least appealing Xbox games this gen imo

Looks alright. I don't know why this took over 6 years to make, but it has potential.

If they're another one of these UE5/Creation Engine amalgamation remakes, I'm not interested.

I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing how this does.

Very strange casting choice imo

I might have to borrow my buddy's Xbox for this one. Driving around gorgeous landscapes in Japan is too enticing to pass up.

Crossing my fingers Decapolice and the next Professor Layton turn out well too.

Played it at launch and it was one of those games where I could tell very early on that it lacked a clear creative focus and tried patching together multiple disparate ideas (some decent, some dreadful). I didn't "hate" it, but Anthem was a mostly boring, and disposable thing.

I don't see Hermen Hulst leaving any time soon, sadly. I'd love for someone else to be in the role who doesn't sound like an android and avoids obviously stupid decisions, but I don't know who at PlayStation is even capable of shepherding the first-party stuff outside of people who will never be asked to lead.

I'm surprised no one brought up anything related to Fairgames considering everything that has happened with that.

I'm always rooting for the folks at Obsidian (I've met many of them over the years, and they are lovely people), but this one did not click for me at all, sadly.

Limited Run is an automatic no for me. Screw that company.

@LifeGirl Amen

Easily my favorite gane of the year and one of my all-time favorites.

Also, wheeeee

Happy New Year, everyone!

If Expedition 33 wasn't in the picture, Ghost of Yōtei would be my pick for the best score of the year. It has a spaghetti western vibe that I love and there are so many catchy melodies. Lumines Arise's soundtrack is awesome too. Hades 2 and South of Midnight aren't on PS5 yet, but the music is very high-quality in those as well.

That being said, E33 has one of my top 10 game scores of all time. It's the obvious winner by a gigantic margin.

Epic Mickey is an interesting get. I'll play that.

The insane finale alone makes DS2 a worthy contender for GOTY. KojiPro's imagination is one-of-a-kind.

And none of these updates will be Persona 6. =D

@Logonogo 10000% agreed. I think Hazelight reached the peak of their prowess and creativity with It Takes Two. Still, Split Fiction is VERY good. It speaks to how good they are that even a much weaker version of ITT is better than the vast majority of games I played in 2025.

After almost 150 hours of playtime, I fear jumping back in.

I had never heard of Needy Streamer Overload until reading this list, but it's such an out-of-pocket pick and I respect that.

#4 is where it's on my list as well. Great fun, but it would have been even higher if the story had resonated with me.

E33 is my top pick for best storytelling and nothing else that I played this year came close. Phenomenal characters, fantastically written dynamics and arcs, skillful mixture of tragedy and comedy, and hard-hitting and thought-provoking exploration of the themes its tackling. Even with the gripes I have with certain elements, it's one of my new gold standards for video game storytelling. Blows me away even after three playthroughs.

I need to play this at some point. This kind of setting and humor isn't normally my thing, but I was pleasantly surprised by the writing quality of some of the cutscenes I saw.

@Oram77 I wish I could heart this comment more than once.

I'll die on the hill that exclusives are healthy for the console industry. Not a fan of the "when everyone plays, we all win" nonsense.

@Balaam_ We get it. You think E33 is overrated. You don't need to repeat the same point in different ways in multiple comment sections, especially resorting to saying something highly questionable like "it's hard to defend game XYZ being in the top spot." God forbid the author love E33 in spite of your opinion of the game.

Any time Expedition 33 is the #1 on someone's end of the year list, an angel gets its wings.

@TheArt I love the little details I've seen like getting chastised by guards for not carrying a lit torch at night or getting knocked off your horse by a low branch. I'd gladly trade fancy graphics for those fun, immersive little things in an RPG any day of the week.

I haven't played KCD2, but the depth of outcomes and consequences that some of the side missions I've seen have blew me away.

Ghost of Yōtei getting only a bronze award for art direction should be illegal.

I need a screenshot of Don Lee slapping someone.

I took a near fatal huff of hopium when I saw this supposed leak. Like Banjo-Kazooie revival and Bloodborne 2 level of hopium.

Blue Prince was an extraordinary experience. I had so much fun writing in notebooks to keep track of and uncover the puzzles within puzzles. Loved it.

I hope this isn't yet another case of Naughty Dog management's "scope creep" problem and obsession with fancy graphical details causing problems for the people who now have to crunch like crazy to get this thing out.

Ooof this was one of my least favorite side activities in the past....

I adored Elder Scrolls during my middle and high school years, but I can't bring myself to be excited about ES6. Bethesda has fallen off hard in my mind, and Starfield did nothing to change that perception.

Damn, another legend leaving PlayStation.

They need to seriously tone down the autocombos and make it easier to execute defensive strategies. Once they have that down, this will be a damn good fighter.

@Oram77 Destiny might have a best feeling gunplay in gaming history imo

Credit where it's due, visually it looks much better compared to the April reveal footage. This genre isn't for me, but I can also see ARC Raider's success having a positive effect on Marathon. A rising tide raises all boats and all. So I'm really looking forward to seeing how it does.

Also, people who are saying this will be the next Concord have absolutely no idea what they're talking about.

Wow, even Call of Duty's Christmas cards are soulless and low-effort.

Damn, not even Push Square is convinced Fairgames is coming out next year. =P

LOL the obvious damage control continues. Love to see it.

We've had numerous Star Wars projects announced without release over the past decade or so, so I still have doubts that this will even come out.

1. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
2. Blue Prince
3. Fantasy Life i
4. Ghost of Yōtei
5. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

Expedition 33 is my GOTY by an enormous margin though.

Very smart of them to delay this to the end of April.

This might have been the best Game Awards yet.

I rarely get wowed by game trailers these days but WOW. Looks stunning.

I wish it had a harder sci-fi edge to it instead of the quirky stuff they were going for in the trailer, but I'm intrigued.