RudeAnimat0r

I actually prefer the Original Sin games to BG3. I might check this out at some point.

My number 1 game for the year isn't listed, but it's Wheel World. I've adored playing that game this year, it really captures the feeling of cycling, which I adore.

My 2-5 are Clair Obscure, Shinobi, Dispatch and Ninja Gaiden Ragebound. Fatal Fury would be an honorable mention. It's really fun but was also pretty disappointing as an entire package, following SF6 to me.

Major bummer. I honestly forgot Creative Assembly was still owned by Sega - I'm probably confusing them with Relic. Anyway, I was definitely hoping we'd see an update on any of the other 4 titles they teased in that now infamous Sega revival trailer from several years back. It's wild that Shinobi is the only one of the group to see release.

I instantly knew it was a new Nagoshi game. My reaction was... these games need to be shown with Japanese dialogue

Honestly, it looks nice, but I don't think the market for Yakuza games is big enough for 2 competing franchises?

Bummed, but hopefully we'll get something better in the end. I honestly didn't think they're take looked as awful as others, but I'm okay waiting.

I'm hype that Vampire Savior is the classic game this year. I've never really seen that game played at a high level, so that should be pretty interesting.

Even if Tokon isn't one of the "main" games, it's not like they can't have some sort of big invitational or other unofficial tournament. I think since it's being published by Sony that they are being cagey about the launch window. Holiday feels too far off for me, but Winter 2026 also seems too close. Sony has in recent years dropped occasional releases in the late Spring window, so it might just be cutting it too close to make TOKON a main stage event.

I recently looked through the Fatal Fury characters from over the years and found shockingly few characters I recognized. All I want is Freeman, after that maybe Duck King? I'd like to see some new characters. I think that's one of the reasons I loved Garou, it really kind of hit a reset button for FF.

I don't have high expectations for this, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't morbidly curious. I would love some solid B games.

Looks predictably awesome. The Housemarque legacy continues.

I'm currently playing through it and I've played a single episode at a time. I'm always tempted to play a second in one go but I like the cadence of playing a little bit and then waiting for more.

I agree that Dispatch works because it's episodes are really bite size and the releases were tightly spaced and effectively communicated. It also works because the writing is mostly good - I would argue it tries a little too hard with "mature cartoon" vibe, which isn't all that mature.

MGS4 might be my least favorite entry. I'm kind of okay with it being stuck on PS3.

I haven't waited for any of the definitive editions of Atlus titles, but I have felt bummed out when they drop. But I haven't double dipped on any of them initially - I do have P4G now, but I got it for $10 on Switch.

If anything I would guess the expanded versions pad Atlus game sales because some people do double dip. I considered it with Royal, but I did not want to start over a 95 hour game that I played a year or two prior.

As far as Metaphor goes, if they aren't satisfied with sales I would assume it's due to it being a new IP and it hedging very close to Persona underpinnings. I loved it by the end, but I think it's a hard sell to someone who doesn't like Persona.

I still play the previous Lonely Mountains on and off, so I'm happy to have a winter version.

I think shadow dropping a remake of a beloved entry in a hugely popular series works. People largely know what they are getting, and therefore people didn't need to be convinced over months or years that this was a game for them.

Now, it's interesting to think of whether this would have beneficial for Starfield. I don't think Microsoft would have allowed it, because at that point they still wanted to sell Xboxs, but the game wouldn't have had the same troubled pre-release narrative that it got - even if it was warranted.

This is a great get that I've been following for a while.

I'm only 2 episodes in, but I'd give it an 8 so far. I like it a lot, however I do think some of the writing is a bit too over the top.

I just have no desire to go to Premium, so this is the annual bummer. I get not wanting people to stack them years in advance, but it'd be nice if there was some sort of smaller discount to resub - like give me 20% off, or only allow a single year purchase.

I like episodic conceptually, but a lot of games that tried it were spaced too far apart. I agree that a weekly schedule was definitely in its favor, but can see how that quick a turnaround only works if all of the episodes are already complete and ready to go. That doesn't usually seem to be the case with episodic series.

Man, stacked indie week for me, with Demonschool, Neon Inferno and Morsels. Not sure I'll get anything at launch, but tempted.

Decent month with an eclectic mix of games. I already have Pacific Drive, which is pretty neat, but I'm definitely excited to check out Thank Goodness You're Here. Probably too much of a wuss for Still Wakes the Deep - I tried one Chinese Room game and it was a hard nope!

Fallout 4 was a thoroughly solid game that I played the heck out of. My complaints about the game largely stem from it moving even further away from the Black Isle Stuidos DNA and base building. But I enjoyed it, and there's some memorable stuff there, however, it might be least favorite Fallout of the Bethesda era - even including 76?

I guess I'm curious how popular it is. I understand Sony is pleased with it, but I don't know anyone IRL who owns one and I doubt any of my PS5 owning friends even know what it is.

I think it's a cool device but I just have a lot of doubts about how well it would stream on my hone network, so I don't think I'd ever get one. The other thing is, I don't think a lot of the games I play would be enjoyable on handheld - I had this problem with some Switch games too.

Stray is great but I played it a while back now. I'm sure the rally game is decent but it's a rally game!

I mean, I've never been happy multi-player for online multiplayer. Most of the time I don't play games online enough to warrant the expense, but now I do play online weekly and I get PS Extra, so I kind of forget I'm evening paying for MP rather than just game catalog.

I would love to see online gaming on PS6, but I suspect if Sony does anything it will be highlighting all of the other Plus benefits, so you're not thinking about the MP cost. But also, they may do nothing if the next Xbox is as PREMIUM as insinuated, which will make up the cost difference.

I try to play something spooky but it doesn't always play out that way. This year I made good playing Crow Country and finally playing my copy of Silent Hill 2, which I am still working through (at the prison now).

I had my eye on Signalis too, but might save that for next year.

For $10 I'll upgrade. They referenced the VF4 SP mode when making the new mode, and VF4evo has IMO the pest SP mode in the genre.

I'm sure lots of devs use AI now, but EA is basically toast to me with this and the sale to the Saudis. I know it isn't much but I sold Jedi Survivor and deleted Skate, which I was actually enjoying.

I was into 76 for a little bit. Played through the campaign and dabbled online a bit - I actually enjoyed the old Battle Royale mode it had. I haven't touched it since Wastelanders, though. Maybe a PS5 version would be the reason to boot it back up.

I think there's even a part of me that liked it more than 4... but still much less than 3 and NV.

Did they announce if there's an upgrade path for PS4 owners?

I already have SH2 and Like a Dragon, so kind of meh for me. V Rising looks alright, but not really interested in the genre anymore.

@twitchtvpat I know this is blasphemy, but I liked Downpour as well. It's honestly my 3rd favorite game in the series, following 1 and 2.

I'm really happy Konami returned to the series and has partnered with developers who've done a solid job so far. I hope they continue to nurture the series and recognize it isn't a massive franchise, but it can be a profitable one with the right partners and budget.

Good on them for experimenting and trying someone outside of their wheelhouse, but damn, this is hard to see finding an audience.

Hopefully they prove everyone wrong!

I didn't mind Ragnarök and Forbidden West also being on PS4, but I don't think there's a feeling that we haven't even gotten PS5 exclusives from MOST of Sony's first-party studios. I don't really feel like I'm close to being done with the PS5 personally - I haven't even played a Naughty Dog game on it yet, nor a Media Molecule game!

I get that tech continually advances and the PS5 is older than I think it is, but it still feels newish to me. I can't see myself upgrading until 2028 or 2029.

I adored this game. I never really got into making tracks but this was just a delightful, solid kart racer. I loved making my own characters and karts.

I tried out Firebreak when it launched, but like others, I found it to be a meh-to-decent co-op shooter. While I liked the Control dressings of the game, I just didn't really jive with it as a game.

It's a bummer. I too hope it doesn't totally drag down the studio. They make great single player games, and I'm glad to see them experiment, hopefully they've learned some important lessons.

I hope Heart Machine has more success in the future. Drifter is an all time favorite of mine, and like others have said, Breaker just never looked all that appealing to me. It didn't capture the vibes of Drifter and it just seemed like such a huge departure.

I would guess on average per year I buy a game per month, but 90% of those games are probably digital versions for $20 or less, usually marked down a lot. I possibly buy 1 or 2 AAA games for close to full MSRP per year - I think the only games I got at launch this year were the new Shinobi, for $40, and City of the Wolves for $60. I'm probably done buying full priced games for the year, though.

I guess my point is I'm not sure I'm exactly a whale. Maybe I spend $300/year on new games? I'm definitely not buying any premium editions or fancy accessories.

@Meowmixes98 Almost every fighting game has auto combos and some version of "modern" inputs these days. They're completely optional and most experienced fg players don't use them.

I'm not really worried about this game. I haven't played it yet, but these are the same people that made DBFZ, which was a huge breakout success in the fg space. I don't think it's going to be moving Smash numbers, though @_@

There's one supposedly coming to my area, New York's Capital Region. I've been thinking about going, but honestly, I don't really love any of Sony's first party music. Everything is big and orchestral, and while it's certainly good, it's not really my bag.

I think my desire to go is more some misplaced brand loyalty nonsense

Microsoft should get out of hardware, at least internally developed. What exactly is the selling point of a new Xbox? Every console generation has largely been pushed as a means to play exclusive titles to that ecosystem, and if Xbox publishes everywhere, it has nothing of its own. Spencer has talked many times about making all sorts of things "Xboxs", so a dedicated Microsoft branded box seems pointless - certainly one that Redmond spends a lot of money for R&D on.

Sony still has to compete with other media, but I think Microsoft getting out of hardware is still an overall negative for the industry - just like letting them buy Activision @_@

Not sure if I'm buying any new games in the next few months, but I'll be tempted by Terminator 2D and Demon School.

Uninterested in most of what they showed, but was happy we got a Saros date, which I'll probably get day one.

Otherwise, it's cool Deus Ex is getting updated officially, although I'd love to see a more thorough remake, cause the game while excellent, definitely shows it's age now.

Wolverine looks pretty solid at first blush. I know it fits him, but kind of taken aback by the violence. I think being a dad now my first reaction is, "well, guess this is a 9pm or later game..."

Man, people still blaming Downpour for the end of SH. It's a solid game that people wrote off because the marketing was horribly misguided (Korn trailer) and it was another Western developed game - that I would mention was waaaay better than Homecoming.

Metal Gear 1 and 2 would be my choices.

I'd also like to see a new version of 4 without the cutscenes

Is there any chance Twin Snakes can be ported? Or does Nintendo own that work?

I felt pretty bad for Rogue Factor when. Team Cherry landed on the same release date. As everyone has said, Team Cherry is free to do whatever they want, but Silksong has definitely taken over the current gaming conversation.

Outside of reviews, Hell is Us (and Cronos) have very little coverage, while opinions and features about Silksong become fiercely debated topics. For example, every site covered Steam collapsing from people buying it, players bemoaning Hornet's diagonal attack, whether it's too hard, can it dethrone Expedition 33, etc.

I really hope Hell is Us finds it's audience. I do think there is crossover, because if your game sells millions of units at launch, sure, some of those people might have been interested in Hell is Us at launch.

The faces look really off in the cutscenes. I think they need to revise the designs.

I'm all for streamlining 7. I played a fair amount of it and it is horribly paced. I wanted to like it but found it super dull.

But also, DQ12!?

Hype for Crow Country. Have had that on my to play list for a while now. Will be a nice pre-Halloween treat!

No, but I did buy a Saturn at launch

@LogicStrikesAgain I just disagree. Rift Apart was totally solid, but also the most Ratchet by numbers game since, well, the previous Ratchet.

I was also just totally let down about the rifts. Insomniac really leaned into how they were game changing and NEXT GEN and then they were mostly just bonus levels that loaded seamlessly.

Again, it's not a bad game, but I haven't been blown away by a Ratchet game since Tools of Destruction.

Well I think they should spin off that 10% into a sister studio to make a new Sly.

I agree that not all franchises should live on forever, and yet, we keep getting new Ratch and Clanks of diminishing returns.

I would be surprised if we don't get a character reveal for the new VF. Japan is the heart and soul of the VF community, so it feels right for them to give it the spotlight.

It's also been a long time since the Wolf trailer.