Julius

A tweet from the game's Japanese account shows that Fast Travel in the game is indeed fast: Somehow it had completely slipped to the back of my mind that this would be an open world affair, just an overwhelming amount of games coming up these next few weeks. Crazy to think this game is just 6½ weeks away. Curious as to if and when we'll see a demo drop, maybe at the end of Jan/start of Feb?

Grounded II: The Making of The Last of Us Part II is on the way ~ Loved the first one, so I'm very curious to hear about the making of Part II! Also @Ashley (sorry, I never know who to ask ), would it be possible to fold this thread into the dedicated TLOU Part II one at all please? The titling/early marketing stuff made it sound more like a remake, but it's basically a Director's Cut akin to ones we've seen for Death Stranding and Ghost of Tsushima, so probably deserves to be slipped into the end of the original game's thread if that's possible

Muhahahahahaha No pressure of course, but would love to see what's left in your backlog at this point, especially if it's less than 10! I have not despite Galaxy being my favourite Mario of the ones I've played (haha, let's not start listing those ), it's just kind of been sitting on my shelf these past couple of years. Well no more! I'll get to it in 2024! I publicly pledged so!

Right, now that I'm caught up on last year's threads, time to post in this one - less about what I'm playing (although I have started playing my first game of the year!), and more to answer my own questions So, I think my New Year's Resolution for games is to simply play more. Easier said than done though, right? Over the last couple of years I've found myself playing fewer games, for a multitude of reasons, and I want to get back on the saddle and play a bit more than I have been, and also with a bit more purpose. With this in mind, I kind of want to broaden my horizons this year and start talking more about games I haven't really played before, be it classics I've never got around to, or indies which came and went and got lost a bit in the shuffle (I really enjoyed talking about and highlighting SANABI and Storyteller a couple of months ago). Hopefully me diving into older games on retro consoles, which generally makes way for shorter experiences, will aid my efforts. I think that while I generally play a good mix of games, a consistent thread I've spotted with my gaming over the last year or two where my desire to play has dropped has been in my approach: I have been getting more Platinum trophies than I typically would in a year, when I look back at old threads and on my PS profile. While there are some I've really enjoyed getting because it has involved seeing and experiencing more of the game (Bloodborne, the Yakuza games) or simply grinding mindlessly to zone out and listen to podcasts or some music (GT7), games I played last year like Final Fantasy XVI and Jedi Survivor I stopped enjoying after credits rolled. Heck, XVI involved another playthrough which I enjoyed much less than the first, and though I think it highlighted some issues worthy of criticism in the game (there's a sequence while skipping through cutscenes I came across where there were seven - SEVEN! - of them stitched together), it didn't really bring much new to my overall thoughts on the game. Why was I chasing something beyond the credits? Not to mention both had 20+ hours put into them after that point to get to the Platinum...that's 40 hours I could've put into other games! I think part of it is that I feel like it's a weird way of appreciating what I've played through and showing my love for the game (or some aspect of it), and I'm pretty sure I've mentioned on here before that I got the Plat in Yakuza 6 purely because it was my way of showing my love and appreciation for the franchise. I do think there's an interesting conversation to be had about trophies, less about the enjoyment they do or don't bring to the table and more about what it reflects of the mindset of the developers who crafted the game, and the difference between a good trophy list and a bad one, but this is hardly the place or time. Long story long: trophy notifications have been turned off, for now, and I'll probably only turn them on and hunt down Platinums for certain games this year, either ones which I already know I'll want to get going in due to getting more out of the game (Yakuza) or stick with games I've really enjoyed to get more out of them/experience them in new ways. Now, I also have a clear aim and hope for 2024: to find the last 3 games in my personal Top 10 list. I've been keeping a running list on my phone of my Top 10 for the past few years and after adding a certain game last year it's turned into an absolute ironclad Top 7, followed by around 10-15 games being in the conversation for the final three spots. So, yeah, I want to try some more games out and hopefully find those last few games to round out my personal Top 10. This all sort of ties into the new approach to how I play this year, but something else I've done in years past is generally say I want to get to X and Y games, or make a crazy long list of games I'd like to get to...and then end up feeling weird when I don't really get through many of them. Failure to prepare is preparing to fail and all that, so with that in mind, I headed over to backloggd.com to clear out my already exisiting profile and start over with game ratings, and limiting my listed backlog on the site strictly to the games I physically have on my shelf. Similar to my Top 10, I've been keeping a note on Google Keep I've been updating with every game I play, but it gets a bit messy and hard to follow at times (especially when I start to annotate), so I'm hoping to use the site as a much more succinct way to quickly see what I've played, and keep the note-taking for my thoughts on the games. I have some issues with it (for instance, I wish remakes/remasters also listed the release dates of the originals), but it's otherwise Letterboxd-lite, and well, I love using Letterboxd. Anyways, with all that out of the way and my NYR and gaming goals for the year in mind, I started writing three lists: games I want to revisit in 2024. games I want to get to from my physical backlog in 2024. games I want to get to from my digital backlog in 2024. The games I want to revisit were a bit of a mix: just a handful of games I'd like to see through to the end which I either technically hadn't already in the case of one (whoops), wanted to clarify my thoughts on, or even just favourites to revisit. The backlog lists were all made from memory to really narrow down what I wanted to play from what I could recall rather than when I was staring at a wall of games, and both ended up being just over 20 games long; my aim isn't to get through all of them (I want to get to new releases too!), but I have then ranked the games in each list by how much I want to play them, and that was going to be my guiding star. I mean, it still kind of is. But then I saw the below post in the Favourites Games of 2023 thread, and well...the plan has been tweaked slightly. Firstly, thanks for posting that vid H-o-T I hadn't watched any of MLiG's content before and after adoring this video, I've since gone back and watched their 'The Games We Played In' for 2022, 2021, and 2020, and I'm sure I'll be going back further and digging into their other types of content too. Super cosy vibes but also really honest, and I love the variety of games they play and how console agnostic they are, definitely added a few games from their lists to my various wishlists to check out at some point or another The reason I bring this video up is because of Coury and Try pledging to beat their own lists of 10 games they want to get to in the following year. Now, I've had a bit of a hum and haw over the idea of doing similar the past few days, but, well, ultimately I think it keeps me somewhat accountable and transparent by getting hyper-specific about the games I want to get through in the coming year; with that in mind, here are my 10 games that I pledge to beat in 2024: I ended up using the Top 5 in both of my physical and digital backlog lists, and the rule I gave myself was only listing one game in a series in the pledge list because it keeps things varied and interesting; some are going to be introductions to series I plan to play more of, and others I'm sure I'll get to shorter games in their respective series before getting to the one listed. I could try to explain why each game is on the list...but well, I feel like I've waffled on long enough, some seem super obvious (Julius hasn't played KoToR?!), for those which aren't, I'm sure the reasoning will come up when I play and talk about them Anyways, if you'd like to join me in making a pledge list for 2024, I used topsters.org to make my list - would love to see what similar lists would look like for some other folks on here! You don't need to pledge to beat 10 games, by the way - some people might have lists that are longer or shorter than this, but I think 10 for me personally is good enough to set up a nice cadence of getting through games; feel free to make a pledge list of 3, 5, or however many games you want. It's all in good fun, and I think is an interesting way to try to keep ourselves accountable in trying to get through some of those pesky games on our backlogs: by making a public pledge to clear your declared list to everyone else on here Here's to 2024, everyone

4 million Switch units sold in Japan in 2023, with all 10 of the best-selling games being on the console: Insanity. I'm ready for new hardware as much as anyone else is from Nintendo now, but I fully expect that announcement to be followed by some point in the following 12 months by the first official price cut for the Switch. It's pure insanity that the console turns 7 years old (!!!) in less than two months and still hasn't seen one of those.

2.6 million PS5 units were sold in Japan in 2023, the most units a PlayStation console has sold in the country in 20 years: Pretty insane stuff, all things considered. Wonder if that's a case of big names like Final Fantasy making it to the system (where the hell is DQ?!) or if Japan became less of a focus during the shortage and they're only catching up now? But either way, pretty good news for PS in Japan. Makes it even more of a shame/stupid that you shut down Japan Studio, though

In this episode of Nintendo Continues To Be Weird About Their Music!, here's a 3½ minute compilation of music from the game put up by Nintendo UK: I mean, at least it sounds awesome

Last few retro pick-ups, for now...probably Also had my Retrovision component cables arrive (in case I end up with any suitable games to use it), PS1 and PS2 memory cards, and a newly refurbished DualShock 2 controller. Finally got around to setting up my PS2 the other night, which was surprisingly straightforward and heard that PS2 startup for the first time in a good while: Took me back this was before the memory cards arrived but I couldn't wait to test it out, so changed over to 4:3 and then immediately threw in my copy of Battlefront II for a round of Instant Action on Coruscant (awesome) followed by a go around Trial Mountain in GT3 in the Castrol NSX after testing GT and GT2 a little while back I'm not too sure how much time I'll commit to those, but everything from GT3 onwards is set to be a timesink, and in the space of a few weeks I've gathered every PAL released game except for GT6 and Sport, but I'm sure it won't be too long until those are added to the collection too oh! And I also twisted the PS logo to be horizontal because I never knew about that when I was a kid Unfortunately, I swapped in Dino Crisis to test the resolution change in the menus on the RAD2X for @Hero-of-Time, and...my PS2 took a while to pick up on the PS1 disc (several resets). When it did eventually load, it got stuck at the warning about the game containing 'scenes of explicit violence and gore' (seriously, why did my dad let me boot this up as a little kid?!), and got no further I then tried every PS1 game I own on the PS2, and same issue: multiple attempts to read the game, when they did eventually read, it'd get stuck. From what I could figure out it was because of the PS1 games - all of them I had available - being black-backed, which can cause some difficulties in weaker lasers. I went inside and cleaned up the PS2 and wiped the laser down (by the way, up until the other night, still had the guarantee seal on after 20 or whatever years, so I was the first to dive into this PS2! Felt strange to take it off, and the 'VOID' sticker gave me a good chuckle still have the Cash Converters price label on the bottom from when I picked it up, too!) but it didn't make a difference. No issue, right, I'll just test it on the PS1 my dad also dropped off? Well, turns out no luck there either (also a little more involved in getting the timing on turning both the RAD2X and PS1 at the same time) that one just straight up isn't reading games, so I'm fairly sure the laser is gone on that too. Oh, also obligatory: My PS2 model is an SCPH-39003 so I've gone ahead and found a KHS-400C laser replacement I'll try fitting myself, so hopefully that works. If not? Then it might be something with the motor - but it'd be weird if that were the case seeing as all my PS2 games worked, and only the PS1 games don't. Anyways, hopefully I'll be back with thoughts on the RAD2X sooner rather than later, sorry to keep you waiting H-o-T!

Well, I gave up on praying for a re-print and imported an SEA copy, so expect an announcement of a fresh batch some time in the next 6 months S-E, my fully logical and emotion-free message to you:

Guide to Exploration video: So many games this year...

Am I misremembering, or did NieR:Automata also have R2 mapped to dodge? If so, it seems we've found the culprit: it's a Platinum problem Thanks for the thoughts @drahkon, yeah I think I'll wait it out and dodge the demo for now. Hoping by the time they get around to it that the HUD has been cleaned up (or that there's at least an option to) and that rebinding has been added how was the music?

Looks like we've got our answer on that front from the JP press release:

April 26th it is, folks! Looks bonkers and jolly as all heck. Will definitely be keeping an eye on how this turns out!

We now have our Dina in Isabela Merced: Okay, then yeah: in terms of public Zeitgeist and awareness, I think it's honestly pretty much already supplanted the game, though I think there's a huge asterisk next to that in that I'm not sure if it will have the staying power to remain that way in the same way the game has for over a decade. This is a game regularly featured in Top 10 lists for greatest of all-time in the medium and the first to really nail serious storytelling in a way, whereas the show, while a great adaptation, is yet another dark, gritty, dour tale set in a zombie apocalypse in that particular space. The only real differentiator and pull factor, honestly, if you haven't played the game and are fully casual when it comes to TV and hames (and away from the hive mind of the public consciousness), is that it's an adaptation of a video game's story. Totally get where you're coming from, and I think it's a great though experiment, but honestly? I think it's the other way around, as you kind of touched upon. The games simply take too long to make and are far too expensive to be relegated to becoming spin-off material for a show which - while very popular, critically acclaimed, a great video game adaptation, etc. - is absolutely not at the forefront of television in the same way these games are for the video game industry. At the moment it looks like Part III is going to continue the cadence we have of getting a game in the series once per generation, one every seven years, and at the tail end of each generation, no less! I do think Part III gets adapted after it releases, but I also think that project's wheels were spinning long before the TV series was a guaranteed success. The only way the games become spin-offs - and I mean even if there's a possibility of spin-offs in both mediums - is I think if PlayStation somehow go against the very trends rotting their core away: bloated AAA budgets with increasingly long development time. I look at DC since James Gunn has taken over and laugh at this idea that they're planning games between films when dev on the games has barely started and the films are well under way; you can knock out a blockbuster in three years, two years if you're really pushing it, and that's assuming cast/director overlap. Games? You know this, the AAA ones take way longer to develop and are far, far more likely to hit blocks in the road as a result of the tech being used, moving deadlines thanks to corporate reshuffles, are often more open to cancellations or complete overhauls, etc. I really can't see PlayStation prioritising Part III's show over the game, but I do think there's plenty of room to flesh out the world in spin-off TV series; as you say, they're generally more affordable and can be put out at a faster rate, and I do genuinely think there are plenty of story opportunities you could take there which would be a pain to develop an entire game for - reused assets or not, this is Naughty Dog we're talking about, not Insomniac. I think the answer to your question of what happens when the show catches up is that the shows are to build popularity for the games, where they can make much more money from sales, and that they slow down and spread out with spin-offs in the TV space; which, very importantly, they can do without risking the brand image of the games or the particular seasons/show based on certain games. If a spin-off TV show flops? Eh, typical Hollywood, they could've done X, Y, Z better. If a spin-off game which takes Naughty Dog away from other projects bottles? Then man, you've got people questioning the entire pipeline - which is way more malleable than a TV show pipeline because of comparatively shorter production times, etc. So yeah, I do agree with your suggestion of it going the spin-off route more than any other. I think it gives them the most opportunity to explore new ideas in a way which can be profitable but also cause the least impact if things don't go their way. I think the TV shows becomes what keeps people engaged between the tentpole releases which are the games, which is what's really making PlayStation the money. (I was quoting you part at a time so we kind of came to the conclusion from different perspectives on the games being tentpoles here naturally, which is super interesting) Man, it's really hard to say. On the one hand, I'm sure Naughty Dog are looking over at what Remedy has been doing lately and going "holy shoot, we have way more money in our purses, we can do something with that sort of mindset and aim but in a way which is uniquely ND and impactful in the same way our other projects have been", but on the other, they kind of have a set tone with Uncharted and TLOU which I'm increasingly getting the impression that they want to break out of – or, at least, take a break from. I like the idea of the games being tentpoles and having the show between be less what I was suggesting in terms of being a "let's keep them engaged" sort of sense and more "let's bridge the gap between these two stories", but again, the only thing that gives me pause - as much as I think ND could do that better than most - is that, well, it's the time it takes to develop a game. Part II had this fervour around it purely because it was a sequel to a damn near-perfect game in my eyes and the hunger of nothing between releases kept people wanting, whereas a great hypothetical First Game in some original, cross-media game trilogy followed by a middling story bridging the gap in TV really puts Second Game in an odd spot, and makes a show between Second Game and Third Game, well, a really questionable decision. There's also the fact that if you don't AAA and at the level that Naughty Dog has made us expect then that's at least a decade+ commitment. Again, I just think it adds too much risk to the brand, whatever brand that would be. I think it really comes down to Neil, at this point after Factions got closed down I feel like he and Naughty Dog taking a hard stance against PlayStation's/Jim Ryan's push for live Service and giving the reasons they did (which were likely BS, but whatever) shows that they don't care what the mandate is, if a project isn't work or is jeopardising something else in the pipeline they'll be able to argue a way out of doing it. They have that deserved pedigree and level of respect within PlayStation. Going back to Part III to wrap up: the other thing is that Neil is a huge Godfather fan, you can tell from Part I and Part II of TLOU if you've seen the first two Godfather films, and he'll have seen what a mess Part III was, for a number of reasons, growing up, let alone every other film trilogy which has more often than not turned out to not be the strongest in the trilogy. Would he then jeopardise the third and I reckon final act in Ellie's story? I think he'd rather leave the company, to be honest with you, if they start to strong-arm him into making certain story decisions, I really do.

From Polygon: I don't know who decided to wake up at Konami over the last couple of years, but damn, this is shaping up to be one hell of a window we're in now for their back catalogue. Suikoden I + II, Silent Hill 2 Remake, Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater, and now this all seemingly taking aim at 2024 releases, after recently releasing the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1 (to mixed reception, but it's being patched, which is...something?). And a new announcement for another Carbon Engine collab with LRG a month and a half from now. Did we swap timelines?

Ai Shark, previously Game Shark, have announced the revival of the brand being aimed at September 2024 – according to them, to coincide with the launch of the Switch 2. It's going to be a long 9 to 11 months, folks... EDIT: Schreier with the totally unforeseeable scoop that this is a guess... ...and almost certainly for marketing.

It's already up on PlayStation over here, so I'm guessing someone over our side of the pond at Ninty has forgot to press the button I just checked the eShop myself and it showed the demo tab over the game, but then it vanished when I opened it up. I'm sure it'll be sorted in a bit Anyways, reviews for the game are dropping and it's currently at an 87 on both OpenCritic and Metacritic. Some reviews: Seems like we've got our first great game of the year already (on paper, at least ) That demo + review drop combo is spicy, love to see it!

Demo is available now

From the talk I'm seeing it might be midnight JST? So in just under three hours, if that is the case! One part of me really, really wants to try this demo out...but I've waited this long and already know that I'm in, and I feel like playing it will make me want to pick it up at launch and foolishly (with VII Rebirth releasing 4 weeks later) rather than wait until a time in the year when I actually have the time to play it. Grr. Decisions, decisions... Would love to hear your impressions if you do get around to checking it out @drahkon

Always appreciate these threads but forget spoiler tags, I'm screaming my favourite games and GOTYs for the year from the rooftops, as I think we all should be I'm going to tweak it slightly so that my favourite first-plays of older games aren't mixed in with the rankings for new releases, but I will say what was my favourite game - new or old - that I played in 2023. Because it's not even close to being a question for me. More fleshed out thoughts in my final 2023 Gaming Diary update, but to keep it to a line or two for each of my favourite games this year; I'm also going to start with highlighting what I didn't get to because, well, *heightened drama* Games I didn't get to/complete in 2023 So, early honourable mention to Baldur's Gate 3 here as it was one of my favourite gaming experiences of 2023 playing with friends in a multiplayer campaign, even just up to wherever we are some nearly 50 hours into our campaign I've had a blast as my Half Wood-Elf Bard with Fireball who plays his flute in the middle of combat just because I can, and with some mean dice rolls to boot. I regret not completing this game in single player, though, as multiplayer is definitely a very different experience (and despite that, if I had to rank it - which I won't, because I haven't finished it - it would already be challenging around the 3rd or 4th spots of my favourite games of the year) and I do think it could have been one of my favourite games of the year; that being said, having played enough of BG3 to know what it is about and having completed my GOTY, I know that in my heart of hearts that there's little BG3 could do to move into top spot simply because my favourite game of the year does one of my favourite things in games, and that is something this game is pretty much mechanically incapable of. Also: still really gutted about no height slider. Really wanted to be a Dwarf-height Dragonborn Bard The big hitters I feel I missed playing through in 2023 are Metroid Prime Remastered and Hi-Fi Rush. I have a sneaking suspicion I would enjoy both a whole lot and for very different reasons, but unfortunately, I didn't get around to either. Also gutted I didn't get to Jusant, that just really seems to vibe with the sort of experiences I look for in games. I did a lot of research into indies towards the end of the year, and so to just quickly reel off a few of the ones I regret not getting to and would love to check out in 2024 or beyond (there's more to the list but it would get very long if I didn't stop myself at some point ): A Space for the Unbound - on my console all year but just didn't get to it and had my eye on it well before it even released, so I'm sorry. Venba - dude: vibes. and awesome food vibes throwing you into a certain culture, too! Chants of Senaar - seen it described as Duolingo Souls, which I am so down for! Planet of Lana - Ghibli vibes + Playdead-ish inspired puzzle platformer? I mean, yeah, it's me bait. Videoverse - I feel like so many people here would appreciate this, as it looks back at the older days of the internet and the early days of things like forums, and makes it part of a game. Only on PC atm, so really hope we see it come to consoles and that it gets some love in 2024. Cocoon - I mean, it was a GOTY contender for a lot of people who played it, and I need to know what's up with that. Viewfinder - love me a good puzzle, and this has always looked super unique. Tchia - jolly vibes with mechanics stolen from Uncharted and Zelda. As you do. Dredge - seems very...moreish, which I definitely have a penchant of buying into. Gravity Circuit - beautiful pixel art, from what I've seen of it there seems to be some really cool ideas going on mechanically, but yeah, didn't get to it. Anyways, @Glen-i rightly mentioned we didn't have a thread like this for 2022, so I'm going to sneak those (just the titles, no explanation) into spoiler tags. I'll make both Top 3s, for the sake of brevity (and totally not because I didn't play enough new good games in 2022 where I couldn't come up with a list long enough to feel like more than a Top 3 was deserved ) And now that that's out of the way... Favourite releases of 2023 5. Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name Bite-sized, Dragon of Dojima madness and despair which sees a return to the brawler combat of older Yakuza titles while adding Spider-Man abilities. I mean, c'mon. 4. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 Best side quests of the year no doubt, awesome soundtrack, and traversal which somehow manages to improve on the original formula with the addition of Web Wings, more momentum-based swinging, and just a greater sense of speed. I think the 2018 game has a more consistent and cohesive plot, whereas this seems to get a little lost in the epicness of its final act, which is why it isn't higher. 3. Final Fantasy XVI Best soundtrack and best boss fights of the year for me with awesome characters and a really well-paced first half, but unfortunately it just gets lost in the winding and meandering of side quests and fetch quests turning up in the main quest, completely tanking the pacing when combined with a trope which most FF games I've played seem to end up succumbing to when it comes to its main story: third act dumb stuff. 2. Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon My GOTY until around a week ago, the customisation options are absurd and I spent 10+ hours with them designing and testing tens of ACs, I love the mission-based structure of the game allowing you to hop in and hop out with purpose and ease, which is great as it very quickly became a moreish game for me as I played through this game at least four times - and could easily see myself returning to for a single playthrough just for the hell of it. Really hope they figure out a better balance for the sake of single- and multiplayer enjoyment in whatever comes next, be it a sequel or DLC, though. ~ My 2023 Game of the Year ~ 1. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom A flawed but overall brilliant game maybe described better as a masterful experience, and also which is, perhaps, more of an enhanced and definitive edition of its predecessor, with a bunch of half steps taken across the board rather than making any giant leaps. Some issues from before still remain - be it combat peaking 20 hours in, menus and inventory management taking up way too much of your time for a game like this, or one new area growing a bit stale due to the sameyness of it all - but this is the single greatest adventure game I've ever played thanks to the constant uncovering of new discoveries and things to do coupled with a more precise and tactile toolbox at your disposal. It also has some excellent new music (and many more opportunities to encounter music than in the last game), boss fights, and a finale which I do think will go down amongst the greats of this generation of games. How the hell this thing manages to run on the Switch - and run well; almost flawlessly, in fact - is beyond my comprehension and deserves special recognition. Favourite first-plays of games released before 2023 3. Dark Souls: Artorias of the Abyss Amazing DLC for an amazing game with awesome new locales and backstory to explore and unravel, great boss fights (with a higher hit rate than the base game), more excellent music, and just more excellent ideas. Weirdest way I've ever accessed DLC in a game, mind you. 2. Yakuza: Like a Dragon I think there's an argument for this game being the best example of a successful extreme genre switch in gaming, period. To go from a brawler to a turn- and job-based JRPG?! RGG are mad, but thankfully, it paid off, because this game is amazing. Stellar cast as always but this time at the front of the pack is a new protagonist who just hits every. single. mark. and effortlessly took the reins from his predecessor after a decade a half. Best side activity content I experienced this year, brutal twists and turns as expected in the series, great moments for longtime fans but also potentially a really solid introduction to newcomers, this is one of the best JRPGs of the modern era. ~ My 2023 New-to-Me Game of the Year ~ 1. Bloodborne Bloodborne isn't just my New-to-Me GOTY, nor is it just my favourite game that I played in 2023 new or old: it is one of my new favourite games of all-time. Blemishes in the form of not-so-great framerate and Chalice Dungeons aside, I think this is the best From Software game (of the ones I've played so far) to date, and the closest they've come to perfection. The world drips with atmosphere which is all-consuming in its malice and cruelty, there's its gripping narrative and lore, the amazing mechanics of its combat and its ludonarrative consistency within the world that the game takes place, the epic boss fights and this haunting gothic orchestral soundtrack which just sweeps you away every single chance it gets. And then in its DLC you get even better music, some of the best bosses in the entire game, and cool new shiny weapons in a more linear experience which streamlines an already near-perfect experience even more? Bloodborne is one of the best games I've ever played, and The Old Hunters is, undoubtedly, the best DLC I've ever played. This is undoubtedly and without question one of the greats, and, thus, my overall 2023 GOTY.

Absolutely! Think I've seen my Switch Pro controller say it's low on battery just twice the entire time I've had it (nearly 5 years), whereas I can sometimes get that message for my DualSenses the same number of times in a single week. Totally has nothing to do with me not playing on my Switch all that much, no siree So, I guess this was a lie

I enjoyed Mando S3, even if I do think it's pretty much objectively the weakest of the three seasons we've had so far (I mean, one of them has to be ), but I do agree with the general sentiment that... There was a moment in S3 where they added a new potential iuse for Grogu which I was excited to see play out...and it was over before it really had a chance to begin. Man, I'd be shocked if that were the case. Solo was sent out with the explicit purpose of dying at the feet of everything around it - it was sandwiched square in the middle of what, Infinity War, Deadpool 2, Incredibles 2 and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom? Yeah, it's a Star Wars film, but it didn't get a massive marketing push or the time to rake it in with a December release as many Star Wars films have before it. It also released a few months after The Last Jedi, which was, well, fanbase-splitting at best, and I think plenty were still reeling from that. Solo did approx $400m worldwide, and with Mando & Grogu being the first Star Wars film to hit the silver screen in 5+ years by the time it lands, the reception of the show, I imagine it being a continuation of the story and not a side hustle...I'd be surprised if it didn't do $700m+. Will it do $1 billion, as I'd argue every Star Wars film is positioned to very easily do, at least compared to the competition? I don't know. I also wonder if they'll adopt a parallel pay-per-view model as we saw during the height of COVID for people to rent it through Disney+, and thinking about this particular film, I can't help but worry a little bit for Filoni's live-action directorial debut with the movie which will seemingly end this entire New Republic era story. Then again, idk, fans of the animated stuff would go to bat for it I feel and probably watch it enough times to get over that line I haven't actually gone back to revisit Solo since the first time I watched it (when it dropped on blu-ray), but while I didn't come away absolutely loving it, I do feel the lack of expectations really softened that blow for me. As Huber would say: swimming in 7s it's also just a much more jolly time than I feel the other Disney-produced Star Wars films have been