VideoGame_Discussion

Let's go, guys!

@Roko @Cevil @TalonJedi @SwiftJAB @Gypsy @PizzaTheHutt @JD @Bogo @Bleed_DukeBlue @Archer @Boss @Thatfootballguy @Scott @Jim269 @Frank @GamersLyf @TerrHeel @Tonymack21 @Kommie @MSU_Dawg87 @Best1989 @BloodPuppetX @Mattyg00013 @Ryan @Apocram2222

Let me know if you guys have any issues submitting your lists or if you have any questions. I get alerts once a list is submitted so I'll add folks to the OP as the notifications come in.

Heavyd814life wrote:


I clicked the link but it says "This survey has not been activated."

PizzaTheHutt wrote:

Same for me.

I will be filling this out over the next week! Excited to give it a go again!

Frank wrote:

Should be active now!

Sent the list, ready to rumble.

Thanks for hosting again, had a lot of fun with this last year. Hopefully I don't have another Balan Wonderworld moment. A lot of games were rushed out and delayed which screwed a lot of people over last year. I'm sure there will be more of the same this year only slightly less (I hope). Anyways, after so many promising games went sour last year, I decided to go with a slightly unconventional approach and trust my indie instincts mostly with some AAA games mixed in. I'm pretty confident I will have many uniquely selected games.

Let's roll

Sent my list. @Heavyd814life, didn't I tie with you in 2018? I remember using the eShop you sent me to buy Smash Bros Ultimate.

im in of course

Definitely in. Will get the list in next week

Take your time, guys. 2 whole weeks before lists need to be submitted.

BloodPuppetX wrote:

We tied in The Game Awards betting special thing we did back in 2018 where we tried to guess the winners of all the dumb awards. Thinking back, that was actually kinda fun!

https://gametz.com/VideoGame_Discussion/game-award...

Gotcha. I knew it was something.

I'd like to join. I'll do some searching to determine my roster, but Breath of the Wild 2 is one of them.

@Heavyd814life in 2018 & 2019:

image

Kommie wrote:

Lol

I've had my list ready for three months, lol. I just submitted it. Probably a mistake to not check new upcoming games. But I'll roll with it. And complain in 11 months when it fails me.

I submitted my list. Admittedly I didn't put a whole lot of thought into it. I couldn't think of any indie games to include that I had enough faith in to know they'd review well, so I bet everything on my list will look similar to almost everyone else's lists.

Submitted mine. It's part games I think will be well-reviewed, part games I want to play myself.

Signed up!

I tried to mix in some obscure stuff with my big name AAA games

Do we need to specify the system if it's a multiplatform game?

Likewise, do we need to get the name of the game correct? For example, if I was choosing something like Madden NFL, if they drop the Madden moniker since he passed away and it just became EA NFL, would it still count (as long as its clearly the same game just a different name)?

Signed up.

benstylus wrote:

He puts the name in on release, I think. I think someone guessed a new Metroid game for this year but obviously they didn't know the name it would actually have.

Also I put Breaking of the Weapons 2 and I'm pretty sure he knows what I'm referring to.

Ok I did it.

If any of you score lower than me I will laugh with glee

I'm hoping this is my first year with ten games that actually come out!

I'm in too.

I think I'll give this year a try. Never really understood fantasy league stuff, but I think I understand this one. Will mull over my choices this weekend.

I really feel like 2022 is going to be a great year for PS5 owners.

SwiftJAB wrote:

I'm personally just bummed they're scaling back releases like Horizon, to allow compatiblity with PS4.

To be fair, HFB was in development probably right after HZD so.....

Kommie wrote:

I believe rumblings were that it was originally being made for next gen. Then there was backlash and they confirmed it would be both PS4 and PS5. Then they revealed the PS4 wouldn't have a free PS5 update and fans got mad again. Now the PS4 version WILL include a free update.

Yeah, it's gonna be the last free PS4-PS5 upgrade. Even more incentive to never buy anything at full price again.

Happy new year, everyone!

Just updated the OP. 15 entires already! Keep 'em coming!

Heavyd814life wrote:

Submitted!

submitted!

Heavyd814life wrote:


I'll get mine over by the deadline.

Signed up.

Submitted. Good luck, all!

I'm in! Just barely missed the cutoff to join this last year, so glad to get in this year. What a neat idea!

Submitted

Scott wrote:

Going for second to last place this time?

Kommie wrote:

A guy can dream, right?

Submitted! I was stuck at 14 for about a day...took a while to decide what to cut out

My list was super easy. I just used all the big annual sports games. So if anyone loses to me, I hope it's because your games got delayed.

This is just my opinion - but I don't think sports games should count... They may as well be remasters/remakes of the previous game....

HybridCRoW wrote:

This is a fair point. We can probably make this a rule starting next year if people are cool with that. The good thing though is that there aren't many sports games that really review well every year. So while they are definitely a safe choice because they come out every year, you don't really get the upside. Even MLB The Show which was almost consistently in the mid-80s took a dip last year and was at 77, I believe.

benstylus wrote:

I couldn't stop laughing when I saw your list lol.

Yeah, sports games almost never go 85+. That's on you for picking crap games for your list.

bogo wrote:

Same here! It's the reason it took me an extra day to post this new thread. I like to have my list done before other people submit theirs and I was stuck on 14 games for a couple of days. I even left my most anticipated game of the year off my list because it felt too risky.

HybridCRoW wrote:


That applies to the FIFA games on Switch at least. I know sports games always get a bad rep for just being "nothing but roster updates", but that's literally all EA Sports does for the Switch version of FIFA.

PizzaTheHutt wrote:

I agree. Sports games that get yearly releases shouldn't count. I know that some sports games don't always come out every year, like ufc, racing games, tennis, etc.

But then if we don't allow sports games, what about call of duty? They come out every year and imo they are mainly reskins, so that could also count as a remaster as well. Then it starts to get tricky. I vote by saying leave it as it is. If someone wants to lists sports games, go right ahead. They would only be hurting themselves in the long run

I agree with all the reasons as to why sports games should remain. While sports games are a safe bet that they're going to release, it doesn't guarantee a high score. When it comes to winning things like this, it requires people to take risks and pick games that they think will score higher than what the masses might be picking. A lesser known indie titles or obscure JRPG could be the gamble that gets you the points you need. Nobody is forced to pick titles that are unsure of being released.

SwiftJAB wrote:

Alternatively 2022 could be the best dang year for sports games EVER

All I need is for WWE2K22 to not score a 22

Is there any way of making a quick edit as long as it's before the deadline or once it's submitted we are locked in? Forgot a smaller title that I think will review real well and was hoping to slide it in there somewhere

Ryan wrote:

Yeah, you can definitely make edits before the deadline. I'll shoot you a pm with your list so you can make the change.

Ryan wrote:

Silksong won't come out, don't bother.

Quick bump.

Signups close in 5 days so get your list in soon if you haven't already.

Kommie wrote:

That's what the two backup games are for!

Is there an entry fee for this? It sounds like fun. I'll do it.

bonham2 wrote:

Nope, no entry fee!

bonham2 wrote:

Just send him your list of 10 games and 2 backups as soon as possible.

Looks like this year's turn out is higher.

bonham2 wrote:


No entry fee but I'll take on side bets. (Whoever ranks higher at the end wins).

PS: We are overdue for a Poker Tournament

I submitted my list. Thanks for running this again.

I want to understand the remake vs remaster thing. I'm guessing the Link's Awakening remake on Switch would have been ok (if anyone saw it coming). But what about Advance Wars 1 & 2: Re-Boot Camp? There are remaking those games, even if they are mostly the same with updated graphics.

bonham2 wrote:

I would probably argue Link's Awakening is somewhere between the two. While it was remade from the ground up, it very much feels like the original.

Ok, list submitted

bonham2 wrote:

I put that on my list. @Heavyd814life said he will allow it.
I wasn't sure myself, but the eShop listing does refer to it as a remake so I thought it'd be fine.

PizzaTheHutt wrote:

Yeah, the remake vs remaster thing seems to come up every year. I wonder if we should just do away with remakes moving forward to keep things simple, but then games like Resident Evil 2 wouldn't qualify which wouldn't feel right.

Advance Wars is a strange one. Some sites consider it a remake while others consider it a remaster. But I saw that Nintendo refers to it as a remake so I think it qualifies under the rules.

@Gypsy @Jim269 @GamersLyf @TerrHeel @Tonymack21 @MSU_Dawg87 @Best1989 @Apocram2222

Yo guys, just a quick reminder that signups close in 3 days. Get those entries in!

We can change our list before the deadline, yeah? one of mine got a big delay, and I expect another one....

Kommie wrote:

Yeah, of course. I'll shoot you a pm with your list and you can just let me know what changes you want to make.

Thanks for tagging me but I'm going to sit this year out

GamersLyf wrote:



No worries!

im working on mine, i had a reminder set in my phone which just went off so i wouldnt forget lol.

One of my games got a confirmed release date today, which is nice. I was a bit worried that game would get pushed to next year.

sent a list, that should be my final unless something just occurs to me that i missed

Thanks for the reminder. Will turn mine in close to the deadline like the true procrastinator I am.

Today is the last day to sign up. I'll have the OP updated tomorrow morning and we'll be good to go!

For games that release on multiple platforms, do you count the average of all of them or just the highest?

benstylus wrote:

Usually it's the PC version

Kommie wrote:

Nah, not the PC version. We just go with the version with the most reviews.

I learned nothing and made risky picks again. LMK if I fudgeed up any picks but I think they should all be legal.

Gypsy wrote:

Star Citizen, Silksong, Scorn on that list?

Kommie wrote:

I'm not that crazy.

Just sent mine. Some cool games for this year.

Boss wrote:

I'm feeling pretty good about my list. Let's do it before Heavyd posts our lists.

bonham2 wrote:

How about whichever of us that scores lower owes the winner a $20 eshop card?

And we're live! OP has been updated with everyone's lists. Please look over the OP to make sure I have your list right. I'm pretty sure I do, but I'll double-check myself later today.

I've also added release dates to the OP and I'll keep adding to that list as more games get dated. Lastly, I've added prizes for 2nd and 3rd place. We're 32 deep this year so I think it makes sense.

Should be an awesome year. So many great lists. It's going to be another really close one, I think!

Going to be crazy, everyone has the same 5 or 6 games mostly. If Ben wins I quit, looks like scott might actually get some points this year, and the most unique list goes to @sefjwm imo

I think I'm the only one to pick Shovel Knight Dig.

And the Kirby game looks really good, but they don't traditionally score very high. If it turns out as good as it looks, it might be a 7/8.

Lot of good games here folks. Although I see a lot of God of War: Ragnorok on these lists. You all realize they confirmed that's a 2023 Sony title, right? That's why I kept it off my list as much as I wanted to add it and you people are brazen for listing Bayonetta 3. That game has become myth.

TalonJedi87 wrote:

Its still scheduled for holiday 2022 actually.

I'm not aware of that Talon, when was that announced?

TalonJedi87 wrote:

The last I saw, Ragnorak was "confirmed" by Sony as a 2022 release. I'm also not feeling Bayonetta 3. That was one of my two stretches, the other being Breath of the Wild 2. I don't see it coming out this year, but I'm hopeful. The only other scary pick is Starfield, but I'm hopeful that it will be Xbox's big holiday game.

"It's unlikely that Ragnarök's release will get moved into 2023, especially since the reveal trailer shows how far along it is, but a slim chance exists."

Ragnarok and Bayo 3 are my 2 long shots. They could def be delayed, but I think they both make it out 2022. Especially Bayo 3. I think or at least hope Nintendo waited til it was far enough along before re-revealing it and slapping a 2022 date on it.

I'm bummed I couldn't find a spot for Zelda. Just couldn't do it. And those of us who don't have it will definitely be behind the eight ball if it does come out this year.

I could have sworn I read somewhere God of War Ragnorok slipped into 2023 but ah well. I'll be happy if it comes out this year but bummed I was overly cautious to not include it on my list as it'll likely be my GOTY like God of War 2018 was.

bonham2 wrote:


I agreed to this before I looked at any lists.

Heavyd814life wrote:

https://www.polygon.com/22880013/stalker-2-delay-r...
Stalker 2 is Dec 8 now.

I had to drop Stalker 2, got a big delay.

Boss wrote:

I'm still not 100% confident Bayonetta 3 is coming this year, but I really hope it does. In February 2019, Bill Trinen at Nintendo said Bayonetta 3 is "maybe coming a little bit sooner than people anticipated." We're still freakin' waiting.

@benstylus with an absolute joke of a list

Kommie wrote:

I was going to put WWE2k22 in my reserve list and put Gran Turismo 7 on the main roster since that one will almost certainly be highly rated, but I wanted to be faithful to the annual(ish) sports(ish) theme.

I couldn't think of any other sports games that go on an annual basis, so that's why my reserves are gt and forza. Would have loved to put a snooker game on the list, but I don't think they come our every year.

If God of War Ragnorok AND Bayonetta 3 come out this year with all the rest then we're all getting laid.

benstylus wrote:

You could have at least put in Call of Duty, it's practically a sports game with its yearly releases.

I thought about it, but I didn't want any Cosby Suite games on my list.

Cevil wrote:

I tried to pick some different things heh. Could severely backfire. Also, I wanted to put GoW but I don't think that game makes it this year.

I am just surprised some were brave and didn't put: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2. Thats a sure 90+ lock in my eyes.

Didn't think it would release this year. Though I guess an argument can be made to put it and then have a really good alternate to get the best of both worlds.

I thought Nintendo confirmed a 2022 release for it? Though I guess it is a Zelda game and those have a long history of being hit with constant delays

i hadnt heard god of war wasnt pretty much assured to come out this year, when the last god of war came out i missed having it on my list that year as i started making a list and then went away and came back and forgot to put it thinking id already typed it, so i put it down first this time lol. thinking that one was pretty for sure i put BOTW 2 and bayo 3 down thinking at least if they dont id have alternates. starfield was the most iffy to me, though im looking forward to playing it. it just seems like it cant make the first actual date they give it, can it? bethesda will release an incomplete game and patch it for months as much as anyone so... maybe.

oxenfree 2 and triangle startegy i didnt have a place for but looking forward to both.

@Archer i see you with Stray... that is one i wondered if anyone else would pick i was hoping that would be my wildcard since most everyone will have the same big hitters.

Yeah my guess is God of War Ragnorok, Zelda Breath of the Wild 2 and the myth known as Duke Nukem Forever, I mean Bayonetta 3 all slip into 2023.

Breaking of the Weapons and Generic Dungeons 2 is one of mine that I think gets pushed back.

Hogwarts Legacy rumored to be pushed back to 2023. That was an easy one to avoid.

Kommie wrote:

I'm pretty excited for Hogwarts Legacy, but yeah it was a pretty easy pass for me. No gameplay and it is being made by a studio that hasn't made anything on this scale before. Too risky.

One game I thought would be on a couple of lists is Salt and Sacrifice. They say it's coming early 2022, but indies are so hard to trust. Just look at Hollow Knight.

And then there's Granblue Fantasy: Relink...thought maybe a couple of the JRPG peeps in here would include it. This might finally be the year, but it was too risky for me.

Do I want Silksong to come out this year? Yep! Do I trust it to? No.

To be fair, I made my list based on what Metacritic was listing as releasing soon... I don't exactly have any sources (or actually follow anything) to give me more... particularly jrpgs... have quite a few in my game pile to play and I've had quite a few I enjoyed at the time I did play.

It looks like we should do 2 of these a year. A Jan - End of June one and then a July to End of Year.

All the big release news coming out on e3 will make for an action packed Fall/Winter contest. As it is now after March the hype for this topic may die down a bit.

Just my 2 cents, happy to participate either way.

Sony just advertised again GoW coming this year. I may regret being of little faith. We'll see haha

Haha same here. Damn. The ONE time I don't pick a game that doesn't get delayed it has to be a potential GOTY contender 😂

Heavyd814life wrote:

ya it seemed even more risky than botw2 or bayo 3 so i crossed it off early

Cevil wrote:

Congrats on being the 100th person to make that joke.

bonham2 wrote:

It was on my list but got narrowed out.


I'm hoping this one revolutionizes Kirby games, kinda like BotW for Zelda. It could just be totally average though, who knows.

bonham2 wrote:

I was hesitant to put Ragnarok on my list. I follow non-Nintendo games very little, I just knew it was supposed to come out last year then got pushed back. I didn't see much reason to believe it would be pushed back again.


Based on how far apart Nintendo has historically released new Zelda games, it could have come out last year. An extra year due to covid makes sense, but I'm pretty confident it won't get pushed into 2023.

PizzaTheHutt wrote:

It said 2022 at the end of the last trailer.

The first review of the year is in! OP updated with the score for Rainbow Six Extraction. It's currently sitting at 72 on Metacritic from 24 reviews.

https://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-5/tom-...

Wwe2k22 might even beat that

Lol!

benstylus wrote:


If they learned from their mistakes it might. The last one (WWE 2K20) was so bad they skipped doing a 2K21 version.

@EB

2. Dead Space


Bold pick, I certainly wouldn't count on it though.

Kommie wrote:

Yeah, we'll see. I figured I'd go for some wild cards, just to see how they shake out. I'm hoping it comes out this year. I am looking forward to it, as I've never played a Dead Space game.

I thought my list was fairly reasonable this time around, but I feel like many of you are doubtful about several of my games releasing this year. Should be interesting!

Looks like Hogwarts is coming out this year. And I put it in my alts and not my list, damn.

Archer wrote:

Well Oxenfree II and Stray, off your main list, might get delayed.

Archer wrote:

+1 Gamble payoff secured for me, hopefully.

Gypsy wrote:

You're gonna regret not putting Scorn on your list!

Only 3 of us have Hogwarts Legacy on our main list, and 2 have it as an alternate. Much less than I expected!

And no one picked Scorn or Star Citizen!! Lost points, people!

Kommie wrote:

I had Scorn on my original list as an alternate, but I edited my list and removed it.

I had Star Citizen even though I don't know anything about it. I wound up deleting it before I submitted the list and replaced it with Breath of the Wild 2 instead.

Nice to be in 1st place for a moment, even if it is with a 74 game, lol

It looks like everybody picked Horizon Forbidden West (except BenStylus 😂). That's going to be an early GOTY contender. Honestly, if all of the expected games come out this year, this could be the greatest year for gaming in history.

bonham2 wrote:

To take a page from IGN's book, "there's a little something for everyone" this year.

You all are going to be kicking yourselves for not having two golf games on your list.

I'm kicking myself for thinking God of War Ragnorok would slip into 2023 and not including it in my list, which will likely end up being my GOTY. The ONE time I want a game to get delayed and it doesn't. You had one job industry. ONE JOB!

Imagine if Horizon, GOW, AND Breath of the Wild 2 come out in addition to Eldin Ring and Starfield! OMG, what a year.

TalonJedi87 wrote:


There is still lots of time to delay it.

Here's hoping to obligatory delays!

Zelda delayed is not only going to hurt the game it will crush our souls.

I'll be a little surprised if Zelda gets delayed. This fall will be 5 1/2 years since the first one released, and they're re-using a lot of stuff from that one as it is.

How do you guys think Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin will review? I just watched the final trailer and I'm so ridiculously hyped for this game, but I don't know anyone else who is lol.

Scott wrote:

If Zelda comes out and Bayonetta 3 gets delayed again, I'm gonna be livid! I left Zelda off because we've seen virtually nothing from the game and it just felt risky. But I can totally see Nintendo doing a massive blowout at some point in the next 2-3 months and then releasing it in the Fall.

Heavyd814life wrote:

From what I've played of that games demo, and what I've seen other people say about it. I'd be shocked if it scores any higher than a 78.

Archer wrote:

This game will be played for the gameplay, definitely not the story. And more meme material. Not like Final Fantasy is any good storywise anymore.

Kommie wrote:

You mean this isn't greatness?

https://youtu.be/WJotVinhXJ4

I mean, personally all Final Fantasy is meme level LOL. Isn't there one where somehow changing clothes mid battle is a thing and changes skills or something? FF XV is a boy band road trip with DLCs and movies that tie in and even then it still apparently makes no sense.

Heavyd814life wrote:

At this rate, Duke Nukem Forever 2 will drop before Bayonetta 3.

Boss wrote:

LOL. I couldn't stop laughing while watching the final trailer for Stranger in Paradise. The writing is soooo bad, but I'm weirdly into it. It's like they tried to cram all the terrible Final Fantasy cliches into one game. It feels oddly nostalgic.

The demo completely sold me on the game's combat, though and that's why I'm so excited for it. It was still a little rough, but it reminded me a lot of the Nioh demo. That demo was a little rough around the edges as well, but you could see there was something special there. I feel very confident that Team Ninja is going to deliver on that front.

Heavyd814life wrote:

At or better than Madden 23

benstylus wrote:

Most games will beat a 65 this year.

Archer wrote:

Just wait, you'll be singing the praises of the Turducken before long.

What's the deal with the Horizon and the BotW games being released the same year?

Pokemon Legends looking good right now with an 85. I should've picked it. The game looked subpar from what I had seen so I chose something else.

Agreed

@Cevil @bonham2 I thought it looked subpar from the initial trailer, but they've put out a lot of trailers and gameplay videos since then, and it keeps looking better and better every time.

Cevil wrote:

It wasn't even in the running for me. The 2-3 clips I saw were very underwhelming. Guess we were very wrong about this one.

Looks like 20 people had it on their list. I'll have the OP updated shortly...

I mean, Pokemon games typically score pretty well anyway, and this one is actually changing up the formula by incorporating BotW elements, one of most well-rated games of all time. On top of that, it was a guaranteed release for this year.

The last couple of Pokemon games were 80 Metacritic and below, kinda why I didn't put the new one on my list.

OP updated with scores for Pokemon Legends: Arceus. It's currently at 86 on Metacritic from 40 reviews.

https://www.metacritic.com/game/switch/pokemon-leg...

Scott wrote:

Yeah, Pokemon games review quite well historically. But as @Kommie said, the last two mainline games barely cracked 80. After seeing a couple of clips of Arceus, it was an easy pass for me. Maybe what I watched was an early build because it looked super rough and the world looked empty and uninspired.

These scores have definitely piqued my curiosity, though. Grew up a huge Pokemon fan, but I got sick of the formula ages ago. Maybe this new direction will be enough to get me back into the series.

@Heavyd814life Yeah the first trailer was pretty rough, I wasn't excited at all for it. But the more they've shown, the more excited I've grown. It looks like it will be pretty darn good, a nice change of pace for Pokemon games.

Most of these reviews are hilariously bad. Basically telling you the game is not great, that is a technical mess with single digit frame rates and lots of other issues. Yet they all scored it above a 80. What a joke.

I'm a huge pokemon fan so for me it's worth playing eventually. I have no doubt however that some of the reviews are more glowing than they should be. Gotta suck up to big daddy nintendo.

I started reading them because the high scores peaked my interest in the game. I haven't played a Pokemon game in forever. But the more I read the less I think I'll be playing the game until its patched.

Archer wrote:

Well, that sounds like my experience with Witcher 3 on Switch. Lots of technical issues, crashed on me about ten times, and I still considered it a 10/10 game.

BloodPuppetX wrote:

I mean, yeah I get that some people love games that are technical messes. I just find it funny how certain games get passes and others don't. These reviews remind me of Cyberpunk. But they are flipped. Cyberpunk had similar things said about it but got bad review scores. But I think its because of the audience. I think if this Pokemon game was on the other two systems, those scores would be in the 65-75 range. There would be no 90-100s.

Yeah, there is likely some bias involved, certainly from the Nintendo focused sites. (Though it's worth noting that Nintendo Life only gave Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl a 6.) I don't play Pokémon all that much, but I'm interested in Arceus after looking at some videos. The visuals don't bother me and I usually don't notice frame rate issues.

Edit: I see that Diamond/Pearl has a 73 on MC. Did that game have performance issues? It seems that reviews (the ones I looked at) are just happy with some of the changes to the Pokemon formula, and that's why it's scoring higher.

I've only read a few reviews, but they say a lot of great stuff about the game. The only cons seem to be framerate drops, and overall poor graphics/textures/etc. Sounds like the good far outweighs the bad to me.

I didn't encounter any performance issues with Diamond and thought it was fun. I have Arceus coming in on Friday, so I'll see how it plays then. The graphics looked pretty rough in the previews (which almost made me wait on this one and to not put it on my list), but I generally have fun with Pokémon games, so I went with my gut.

BloodPuppetX wrote:

Half of us are now on the board.

My time will come

If y'all had to guess right now, which games do you think are most likely to get pushed to 2023? Not "most likely" as if it's probably going to happen, just most likely compared to all the other games, if that makes sense. Off of my list, I'd say:

Bayonetta 3
Hogwarts Legacy
Hollow Knight: Silksong

From my list: wwe2k22. It was so bad last time they just went ahead and skipped a year. I wouldn't be surprised if they did it again

Wow did not expect Arceus to do so well. A lot of reviews saying it's janky but still fun.

On my list, maybe Bayonetta 3 and God of War have the biggest chance of being delayed.
But I think it would be in the dev's best interest to get Bayonetta 3 out this year though. We're getting kind of late into the console's life now and there looks to be less and less major 3rd party games being announced for Switch these days. If God of War gets delayed, there are still plenty of AAA options to keep PS5 owners busy.

I agree with @PizzaTheHut

Horizon embargo lifts on 2/14

V-Day. Dawn of the Horizons

Scott wrote:

From mine I'd say

God of War Ragnarok
Hollow Knight: Silksong
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2
Starfield

How does a game that's so bad get good review score?? Hypocrites!!!

Money talks.

How do Bethesda games keep selling well despite all the bugs? Because the games are so good people are willing to play through the bugs.

People crave Pokémon but they also want something a little different. This new game fills the desire for familiarity but couples it with new experiences. The technical hiccups don't matter to a lot of folks.

The bugs in Bethesda games are a feature now. "Want to find some random way to break the game and become super OP? We got that. Want to skip important parts of the game? Go right ahead! Want something to slow you down from 100% the game? Look no further." - Bethesda

SwiftJAB wrote:


Those bugs are fine, it's the game crashing or save corrupting ones i dont like

The new Pokemon basically has sub-par graphics, and low frame rates, right? Is that really enough to automatically make a game "so bad" these days?

Graphics aren't that important but if you enjoy headaches, sure low/inconsistent frame rate is acceptable.

On the board with an 86.. I'll def take that

Pokemon is down to an 85. Will the OP get edited?

Opinions on it seem very mixed. I just read a 100/100 review and a 50/100. I wonder where I'm going to lay when I actually sit down to play.

I give it tree-fiddy...

bonham2 wrote:

I'll update the scores for Pokemon when I do the next big update. Looks like it'll be for Dying Light 2 which drops in a few days. I try to limit the number of edits because it becomes a bit of a chore trying the OP every time the overall score goes up or down a point or two.

Heavyd814life wrote:

Trust me, I totally understand.

OP updated with scores for Dying Light 2. It's currently at 77 on Metacritic from 45 reviews.

https://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-5/dyin...

How does Dying Light only have a 77, it's graphics are much better than Pokemon Legend Arceus!

Scott wrote:

OK Reed

That reminds me of a question I had. Which platform are we using for the points? The highest one? lowest one? average of them all? Dying light is 79 PC, 78 XBSX, 77 PS5

Platform with the most reviews

Ah ok, good to know. In other news it looks like the Suicide Squad game is getting pushed into 2023.

I can see myself going dead last.... *cries*

HybridCRoW wrote:

Buried beneath my stack of sports games muhahahaha

The Guardian with a 40 for Dying Light 2.

Letting reviews get out before day 1 patches, great idea.

What choice do they have? Patch the games before day one and send actual final copies to reviewers?

What do you think this is, 2004?

I was expecting Dying Light 2 to land in the low 80s. Ah well. Close enough

Ghostwire: Tokyo has been dated. It's coming March 25. I've added it to the list of upcoming releases in the OP.

Damn another one I forgot about! I'm gonna lose so hard this year. Worse than last haha

Heavyd814life wrote:

I thought this came out last year.

Suicide Squad KTJL delayed to 2023. Damn it I knew this would happen! Should have went with my frigging gut like I did with God of War Ragnorok!

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-02-02...

TalonJedi87 wrote:

Yeah, this wasn't even on my shortlist of games. It looks pretty unremarkable to me, but maybe I'm missing something. Plus The Evil Within 1 and 2, Tango Gameworks other games, both reviewed in the mid 70s. But I'm not typically into first person games so I may be missing something.

Side note: Looks like this will be the last Bethesda game on PlayStation consoles. Totally forgot Tango Gameworks was a part of Bethesda. Long live crapty acquisitions! Hopefully Nintendo can join the party soon. They could go after FromSoft and give us some Souls games with the Breath of the Wild aesthetic. That would be fun

TalonJedi87 wrote:

It would have been kinda weird to release Gotham Knights and Suicide Squad in the same year. Especially since both games are doing the whole coop multiplayer thing.

Aren't Gotham Knights and Suicide Squad supposed to be Live Service crap like The Avengers and Anthem? I really don't expect those to review well, at all.

No they're not. At least for Gotham Knights they confirmed no live service. Just story coop. We'll see.

Sifu's first reviews are coming in. It's sitting at a 79 on Metacritic right now. Most reviews are an 8 or 9. F-ing Gfinity killed it with a 40.

bonham2 wrote:

"40/100, no easy mode. Couldn't beat it."

--GFinity

Kommie wrote:

Pretty much. Every complaint is about the difficulty.

I'm certainly interested in it, but will probably wait for the physical copy.

Couldn't beat it. -60. What a cunty thing to do

Looks like Polygon is crying about it too.

Sounds like they got a touch of the snowflake virus that's going around.

Scott wrote:

Because Pokemon Legends is surprisingly really good. The fact that the game is reviewing so highly and looks as ugly as it does is saying something.

I've been spoiled having the opportunity to game on an EVGA 3090 at high framerate 4K resolutions, and even I am really enjoying Arceus. It's the first Pokemon game since Gold and Silver to really have its hooks on me.

For those complaining about BotW 2 not coming out, learn to like Pokémon

OP updated with scores for Sifu. It's currently at 81 on Metacritic from 53 reviews.

https://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-5/sifu

Lunar wrote:

There's a difference between a difficult game and an unfair/cheap/cheating game. An unfair game deserves to get a knock down on its score.

I would also say reviewers are also usually pretty decent at video games (it's kind of a job requirement). Maybe not competitive esports champion level, but better than average by a fair margin. If they can't beat a game, that's not a great sign.

And do you really think it would have gotten 100 if they didn't have an issue with the difficulty? It wasn't a -60, that's like when game publishers consider every pirated copy of a game to be a lost sale at full retail.

TLDR version quit whining and wait for my sports games to destroy you

If he could have beaten it, would that have improved the score?

Also that seemed like a lot of assumptions @benstylus

Reviewers are inherently good at games? Doubtful.

I might have made some bad choices for my list. Seems 3 could get delayed, and that's including the backup ones

Reviewers are crap at games by and large this has been proven time and time again.

Lunar wrote:

That's the question, isn't it? Answer is probably, but not by much. It likely would have been a "Ugh, FINALLY" sort of moment.


No it's not inherent, it's a skill they have developed from years of playing video games, just like the rest of us (Jimmy Woods notwithstanding). Except they do it for a living.

They are paid for strings of words. Not so much for their speed run WR.

I'm not saying they're the best in the world. Pretty sure I explicitly spelled that out. Just better than average.

And professional reviews are generally aimed towards influencing the decisions of the average gamer.

The funny thing about your comment is I would argue their writing skills as a whole are considerably weaker than in other areas of non-gaming journalism.

I would bet their writing is better than their game skills. Take that however you like.

There was the Cuphead tutorial thing, the Mass Effect thing where the person didn't know about skill points, reviewers weeping about Metroid Dread... The list goes on and on. Given how From makes games, I'm sure we are in for some moaning over Elden Ring. The Sekiro whinging was enough for a life time.

https://www.engadget.com/2010/05/03/nier-review-fa... (reviewer doesn't realize quest locations are shown on the mini-map)
https://gamecritics.com/brad-gallaway/3231/ (impossible not to die in Giga Wing 2 tbh, never once did someone achieve a 1CC of it)
https://www.vice.com/en/article/59xgqz/resident-ev... (lol)

I'm not looking to game reviewers for any kind of meaningful opinion and yet they are still somehow worse than I thought every time I look.

Lunar wrote:

Lol agree.

I'm actually surprised how well Sifu is doing. It seemed like a niche game a lot of people wouldn't love but it's performing admirably. Same thing for OlliOlli World. That game is doing awesome.

sefjwm wrote:

I hadn't even heard of it and I didn't see it when I was looking for upcoming games for this thread. Looks interesting.

"Honestly, if you want a punishing grind where your efforts will actually pay off you're probably better off just taking a Kung-Fu class in real life." - Another 40 review

I read a bunch of previews. There was a lot of excitement for Sifu. I expected it to do well, and it was a guarantee 2022 release. Seemed like a safe bet to me.

I hadn't even heard of Sifu until it was first mentioned in this thread a few days ago.

I'd watched a few videos and it looked quite solid, but it felt like a risky game to include on my list. Their other game, Absolver, which is also a martial arts themed game has a Meta score of 75 and I figured this would be in the same ballpark. But props to the folks who picked it. 81 is a very solid score!

Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp launches April 8. I've added it to the upcoming releases section of the OP.

I think this is the one game I regret not putting on my list. It'll probably be in the high 80s maybe even low 90s.

https://www.gematsu.com/2022/02/advance-wars-12-re...

Heavyd814life wrote:

I didn't put it on mine because I didn't think it counted, since it's remakes of the first two GBA titles.

Frank wrote:


Remakes count, it's remasters that don't.

Did anyone guess Xenoblade Chronicles 3 coming this year? Definitely looking forward to that.

Heavyd814life wrote:

I thought I remembered it not making the cut on my list, but evidently it did (alternate). Sweet!

Frank wrote:

I asked. Otherwise I wouldn't have included it. I can't see it snowing less than an 80. I think mid 80s is a good guess.

I think next year, unless it's a remake in the vein of FF7 or RE2, it shouldn't count. "Remakes" like Link's Awakening or Advance Wars, to me, come off as the same game with a fresh coat of paint. Link's Awakening on Switch I played all the way through, but it was still very much the same game. Just better visuals and refined controls.

But that's just my opinion on the matter. Either way, these fantasy leagues are all in good fun, and I'm sure it's a lot of work on @Heavyd814life to constantly update a list for 30+ people.

There are probably plenty of remakes that fall in between those two extremes, so there could easily be disagreement on what counts as different enough. Probably best to either allow all remakes, or not allow any.

Based on the SwitchUp preview, I think those of you that picked Triangle Strategy are going to be very happy with the results. I'm kind of kicking myself. I didn't have high expectations, honestly.

bonham2 wrote:

It was one of the first games on my list. The demo was fantastic!

I considered Triangle Strategy, but was too unsure about it.

King of Fighters XV is at 79 on PS5/PS4

Thanks @Kommie. I'll update the OP tonight.

I kind of wish I had known about Ghostwire: Tokyo... that looks interesting. Sucks it's only a PS5 and PC exclusive.

Likely a timed exclusive seeing as Microsoft owns the studio now.

OP updated with scores for King of Fighters XV. It's currently at 81 on Metacritic from 16 reviews.

https://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-5/the-...

Forbidden West so close to that 90 xD Pretty sure everyone had it though so playing field should be level.

sefjwm wrote:

You keep your filthy AAA games out of my annual sports list!

Total War: Warhammer III at 87

Kommie wrote:

regretting not having this now

Happy Birthday!! @Heavyd814life

OP updated with scores for Horizon Forbidden West (89 Metacritic) and Total War: Warhammer III (87 Metacritic).

We are all on the board now. Well, all of us except @benstylus the sports guy lol.

@Lunar Thanks man!

Happy cake day @Heavyd814life

Happy Birthday @Heavyd814life

Its going to be a close one this year.

Warhammer games are always so risky. Such a wide range of quality.

Happy Birthday!


Heavyd814life wrote:

Total War: Warhammer II had an 87, so I figured III would be similar

Thanks guys!

Kommie wrote:

Yeah, and the first Total War: Warhammer game had an 86 I believe. Definitely one of those games I felt really good about.

Heavyd814life wrote:

Just biding my time to keep things exciting

Happy birthday Mr. @Heavyd814life !!! Thanks for all you do in this thread!!! Enjoy your day !

happy bday heavy.

happy to see warhammer was a good one. i usually try and find a spot for a couple pc games so glad it worked out

Thanks guys!

Kommie wrote:

Football and Golf totally still on though

Total War went up by 1 point...

OP updated with scores for River City Girls Zero. It's currently at 70 on Metacritic from 4 reviews. It doesn't look like this one will be reviewed by many outlets.

https://www.metacritic.com/game/switch/river-city-...

Everyone has it, but Elden Ring is at a 98!

Ryan wrote:


GOTY

https://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-5/elde...

97, as if there was any doubt.

In a year with some absolutely amazing games coming out, Eldin Ring might end up being #1.

Everyone has it....oh wait @benstylus

@benstylus How do you go all sports games, and leave off the one sports game that will actually score very high? Football Manager.

Actually, looking at scores for sports franchises, most of them average in the mid to low 80s. Ben could end up actually winning this. If all his games end up being 80-84. That would be hilarious.

Archer wrote:


That's a management sim. As far as I know you can't actually get on the field and play footie yourself.

benstylus wrote:

Correct, but it always scores in the mid to high 80s, because Europe. I thought it did better than Madden score wise, but recently they've scored the same with the last few iterations.

Archer wrote:

But I'm not necessarily in it to win it, I just wanted to give everyone a good laugh and see how I do

Elden Ring is getting very high scores

SilverOwl wrote:

I don't think people realize it's not a sports game

OP updated with scores for Elden Ring. It's at 97 on Metacritic from 44 reviews!

https://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-5/elde...

benstylus wrote:

I think you'll be in the top 10 for sure. Last year, only 7 people had at least 10 games come out. Same thing happened in 2020.

Interestingly, I think your 2 alternates will be your highest scoring games and they probably won't count towards your total since all 10 of your games should come out. As @Archer said, I'm pretty sure Football Manager will be the best-reviewed sports game. Either that or F1 2022.

Heavyd814life wrote:

I agree, but I intentionally put them as alts because they aren't annual releases, and that was the point of my list.

I did leave off a couple of annual releases like Rugby because they don't get enough reviews to get a ranking on metacritic.

This topic has new posts which were moved here:

http://gametz.com/VideoGame_Discussion/op-updated-...