VideoGame_Discussion

@Roko @Cevil @Sefjwm @BloodpuppetX @Kommie @Archer @PizzaTheHutt @SupremeSarna @SilverOwl @Frank @Benstylus @Sailorneorune @SwiftJAB @HybridCRoW @Lunar @TalonJedi87 @Ryan @Boss @Thatfootballguy @EB @Scott @Bogo @Bleed_DukeBlue @Mattyg00013 @Bonham2 @Incubus421 @Tonymack21 @Gypsy @Best1989 @Apocram2222 @Codester

With all the big games pushed to this year it's going to be hard for indies and rando sports titles to make the list hmmm...

Some big games coming out next year.

Going to share this link here to help anyone wondering what is coming out this year: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_in_video_game...

Credit to @benstylus for his post in the 2022 thread

Got my list submitted

Submitted mine as well.

Thanks Heavy!!! Submitted!

Submitted. I think they are specific enough but if you feel like I need to clarify or replace any of them, let me know.

Also, my picks all relate to console/pc, I am specifically excluding any mobile only releases

Submitted. Playing it safe-ish, but hoping for some smaller titles to do well.

I submitted.

New top 10 list submitted. Thanks for hosting again @Heavyd814life and congrats on the win in 2022! Looks like we would have tied had I played my alternate pick of Tunic in place of the disappointment that was the Saints Row reboot. I'm going to get you this year!....maybe

I'm not going to win but if even half my list happens it's going to be a great year

going to try and get my list submitted before i leave the office today!

BTW, should the 3rd rule be for 2024??? Or maybe I'm confused on it??

I'm in it to win it!

HybridCRoW wrote:

Fixed!

My goal is to do better than last time (in which I was second to last), so I feel like that’s achievable lol.

SwiftJAB wrote:

After some research, it's going to be another amazing year!

i also submitted my answers

Idk how I’ve missed this each year, this seems like a ton of fun. Count me in!
I’ve submitted my picks

Submitted my picks

Work for slammed and I'm still deciding my last couple. There are so many huge games coming out because of the delays

Submitted my picks. I didn't recognize most of the games people are buzzing about, and one of my picks may have its user score seriously impacted by external forces. We'll just have to see how this year shapes up.

bogo wrote:

No rush! Plenty of time to submit your picks.

yep, i just have my running list on my work computer so i wont be able to get another chance to submit until tuesday when im back in. i'm just trying to find a better mix of games that are actually likely to come out and trying to pick some things that others might not

Need to free some time to pick.

Working on my picks and I have like 5-6 games that start with 'S', I wonder if I can get a full 12 all that way. It's not looking likely so far though I want a chance to win

EDIT - Submitted my picks. Wasn't able to do the every game begins with S thing. Even had to pull a couple because it really looked like they won't even make it in 2023 :( I have a feeling a lot of us are going to have the same games but I still tried to sneak in a couple more obscure things

submitted!

Will work on it this week.

Thanks for doing this again Heavy

alright...i'm submitted...and i left out 2 games that i absolutely thought i would have on my list. there are so many potential superstar games coming out this year.

Also, if there's a nintendo direct in the next week, i may alter my list lol

bogo wrote:


For the past few years we get a Nintendo Direct within 2-3 weeks of the deadline for submitting our lists with a whole bunch of announcements that are too late to add.

bogo wrote:

I might make a small change if something gets announced, but I sorta like the idea of only guessing based off information we have before any big announcements for the year arrive

My entire list this time around is games that haven't even been announced. No need to wait for a Nintendo direct when you can just guess and wish.

Hollow Knight 3: Silksong the Return is going to be fire yo

sefjwm wrote:
Building your 2030 list already? Lol

sefjwm wrote:

I made that mistake twice. Not again

Silksong was one of the "S" games I was trying to make work but with almost nothing shown so far I wasn't going to risk it. I was actually surprised at how many of my initial short list of games was still likely a couple of years away. Even games in early access and some Kickstarter games were saying 18+ months to go xD

At that recent Xbox live steam Silksong was shown and it claimed all the games shown would be released "within 6 months" or something..... No news about Silksong since.

Hey guys, signups are open for 6 more days. Going to tag the peeps who participated last year but haven't submitted lists yet.

@kommie @archer @lunar @boss @scott @mattyg00013 @bonham2 @tonymack21 @gypsy @best1989 @apocram2222 @codester

Heavyd814life wrote:

I'll send a list now but may want to adjust if Nintendo Direct happens.

just went back to look at Nintendo's first direct of 2023: they announced Mario Strikers, Switch Sports, and Xenoblade 3...all which came out last year. thinking there's going to be at least one brand new game that's announced that ends up coming out this year. sadly, that first direct was in February...

Heavyd814life wrote:

I'm out this year

Kommie wrote:

Bummer. But hopefully you join up again next year.

bogo wrote:

Yeah, I'm thinking we get a Direct after Fire Emblem drops not before.

i was hoping that they were going to do a direct earlier on to get the hype up for FE...i can still hope lol

Submitted my picks. Not confident about them at all.

I keep seeing mentions of changing your picks. If we want to do that how do we go about it? Not saying I am for sure, but if there is a direct, then maybe lol

Shane12m wrote:

Yeah, anyone can change picks between now and the deadline. Just shoot me a PM and I can make edits.

Heavyd814life wrote:

Awesome, thanks : )

Submitted mine

Are there rumors of an incoming Nintendo Direct this month? I wouldn't worry about it too much, the bigger ones are pretty much always in February for as long as I can remember, so the deadline will have passed.

While I do like how Nintendo does a fair amount of announcing games and releasing them in the same year, it does kind of suck for this thread.

Kommie wrote:

They also showed Slime Rancher and a think a couple others that "released" in early access. Slime Rancher says maybe 18 months or more in early access >.>

Early access launches are for companies who are too cheap to pay for good testers and focus groups. In terms of fantasy picks, you certainly get a better idea of what the game is going to be like when it launches, but you never know when that will be.

@kommie

Would you rather submit a 2023 fantasy list or play through the latest Pokemon game? :)

Cevil wrote:


List

I'll do my list up over the next day or so.


gonna guess Trails to Azure and Trails into Reverie are not eligible? they're just localizations and its already known how the games are?

tonymack21 wrote:

They won't score that high, in all honesty.

probably not, they're amazing but not that mass market high review appeal

@tonymack21 Yeah, they both count. We had that a couple of years ago with Ys 9 and a couple of years before that with Yakuza 6. They’d both been released in Japan. I think as long as they’ve never been released in the West, they are fair game.

list is in

Heavyd814life wrote:

I could see them slipping one in right before launch. Obviously, they wouldn't spend a lot of time on FE, but they have done similarly timed Directs in the past.

I have submitted my picks, a lot of great options this year so the picks should be interesting. Thanks for keeping this going, and congrats on the 2022 win.

Beyond Good and Evil 2 is officially still in development if anyone wanted to add that one last second.

sefjwm wrote:

It?s pretty much vaporware at this point. So sad.

Tomorrow is the last day to submit your entry for 2023. I?ll close signups sometime tomorrow evening and update the OP with all our picks.

I was hoping to have this wrapped up before the reviews for Fire Emblem Engage dropped, but looks like they came in this morning. Didn?t review as well as Three Houses did, but it?s at 82 from 63 reviews which is still very solid!

https://www.metacritic.com/game/switch/fire-emblem...

Heavyd814life wrote:

I don?t remember all my picks but want to make a couple changes. I?ll PM you before the deadline

Joined for the first time
“A new challenger approaches”

Oh crap I just read about Fire Emblem Engage after I entered. I can replace with something else however that’s possible

3hitcombo wrote:

I’ll allow it (says the one not in charge) lol

Shane12m wrote:

Lol I'll send you guys PMs with your lists so you can make changes.

Final call, guys. Today is the last day to submit picks if you'd like to participate this year.

@gypsy @apocram2222 @codester

Think im in, one or 2 of the games I listed might count as remasters. though :(

A Space for the Unbound getting really good reviews. Who had that one?

sefjwm wrote:

Yeah, really great early reviews. Only @HybridCRoW had it on his list. I'd never even heard of it.

I picked my titles off that wiki link you posted... I did also dbl chk to make sure they were within the rules of the League... at least hopefully... and since I haven't heard anything sounds like I'm good.

And we're live! OP has been updated with all our picks! Thanks for joining, everyone. We've got 33 this year (one more than last year) and I think it's going to be a really close race. Please look over the OP when you have a minute to make sure I have all your picks listed correctly.

And like last year, I've added release dates to the OP. If I've missed any please let me know and I can update the list.

@HybridCRoW is our early leader with 2 games on the board. Great start! 18 of us are on the board with Fire Emblem Engage. Next up is Forspoken. I honestly have no idea how it'll review. Probably in the mid 70s, if I had to guess. I hated the demo at first, but I played through it again last night and the combat definitely grew on me. The world is completely barren, though and the dialogue is unbearable so it'll be interesting to see how it does.

Wow, I was mostly joking but nice that someone actually had A Space for the Unbound. It's definitely on my buy list.

Some initial things I saw. Eiyuden Chronicles! super excited for that game and happy someone picked it. Silksong, will be shocked this makes it. If it does it will likely score super high though. Unannounced Mario movie tie-in, lols. Shout out to fellow Sea of Stars fans. Ben definitely has... a list of something and nice Metsfan {insert bold strategy cotton meme here}. Overall seeing a lot more smaller and "off meta" picks. Will be an interesting year.

sefjwm wrote:

Hey someone has to be last place!

That our we will have one of the greatest gaming years in at least a decade.

Awesome lists! Even curious I'm already in the lead, and early as well. It will be interesting to see how everyone does this time! I even see titles on lists I didn't notice doing my research.

I’m dying right now because the game I love and am definitely buying. I forgot about when making the list! Sorry Like a dragon! 😭🤣🤣

Btw I really love ballsy picks like Forza Motorsport, or basically anything on bens list. “New ARMS game”? The original I think was only a 70 🤣

I really wanted to put "New 3D Mario game" on my list because I think there's a solid chance we get one this holiday, and they usually review very well. But, I decided to play it safer this year. I hope that one doesn't come back to bite me.

Anyone else see the whole "Cancel Culture" going on about Hogwart's Legacy?? You don't think this is going to affect the ratings is it? Why can't people just leave things alone??

Crap, I didn't think about that. That very well could affect its ratings.

It’s the only reason I didn’t put it on my list. It looks amazing, but I worry it won’t get a fair shake. It’ll get review bombed by users for sure, but I hope reviewers are professional enough to review the actual game and not J.K. Rowling.

Yeah that's why I don't take a lot of reviews seriously... I don't know if it's legit, unbiased opinion based off the content itself or if it's someone attempting to sabotage a good thing because of something they didn't like personally.

I'm not against people having thoughts and opinions of their own, but geez-louis, let everyone else have their own thoughts and opinions but not coerced through propaganda shoved down their throats.

Scott wrote:

Don't worry, I took that risk

Would a 3D Mario game released near the end of this year count for "Unannounced Mario Movie Tie-In"? I thought you at least had to specify 2D or 3D for a franchise like this. If I could have just put "New Mario game" I would have been a bit more likely to take a chance on it.

Scott wrote:

If it releases alongside the movie, or is directly tied into the movie is what I was going for, but I did ask HeavyD if that was acceptable prior to submitting my picks.

Well, I would love for a new Mario game to suddenly drop in April!

Frank wrote:

Yeah, as long as it releases alongside the movie or is an obvious tie-in and not a standalone game then it’ll count.

I was going to put Hogwarts Legacy as a bonus runner up game but said let me put in Starfield in case HL gets review bombed since it has all that controversy surrounding it.

I love how like 90+% of folks put The Legend of Zelda: TOTK on their lists like I did. I mean it's pretty much a guaranteed 90 or above as is tradition with a new Zelda launch.

HybridCRoW wrote:

I thought about this a lot, but ended up picking it anyways. As I feel the game, from the footage shown in the last game play stream they had, is too good of a game and will survive all that. I'm expecting at least an 82, but hoping for an 87. But what do I know. Last year I finished dead last, lol.

TalonJedi87 wrote:

Yeah, Zelda was on 28 out of 33 lists. Pretty surprised it wasn't a unanimous selection, actually.

I’m gonna go ahead and say @Metsfan718 has the best list and it’s not even close
😂

I wanted to include more PSVR2 games on my list, but too many are ports that have already released on PC's VR headsets, so I didn't think they'd count. I had to at least include Horizon though.

Scott wrote:

I did the exact same thing. I think there's a pretty good chance we see a new Mario this year, and I wouldn't be surprised if it's a movie tie-in.

bonham2 wrote:

It's gonna suck if we miss out on it. 3D Mario games usually score in the 90s.

PizzaTheHutt wrote:

I totally spaced on VR games. Horizon looks like it could be a really solid pick!

Heavyd814life wrote:

I passed on Hogwarts Legacy for this very reason. Every single preview has to mention the "controversy" at some point in the article. I absolutely believe there will be a handful of "woke" reviewers tearing the game apart in any way they can. The sad part is it looks really good, and I'm actually looking forward to trying it.

bonham2 wrote:

I hope so too! Not just because it's on my list, but because I think a Mario Movie tie-in game would be a breath of fresh air.

Imagine a Mario game, stylized like the movie, that combines elements of the 2D platformers, 3D platformers, Mario Kart, Mario Party, and the Mario Golf/Mario Tennis franchises into one single adventure. Maybe Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad get some playable sections in the main story mode as well... Maybe a playable Bowser section as well (ala-TTYD)... I'm hyping myself up over something I just made up.

Finger's crossed Nintendo has something neat up its sleeve!

Shane12m wrote:

He may or may not have had some assistance forming a solid list

OP updated with scores for Forspoken. It's currently at 69 on Metacritic from 58 reviews.

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

Oof, was the demo really that bland? SE gonna make all that money back with FF 16 however.

yikes...i was thiiiiiis close to adding it to my list as well. glad i held that one off!

Dang, feels like I'm already out of the top 3 for the year with that low scoring game and we're not even out of January.

Forspoken demo was so blah. Surprised it didn’t get lower TBH.

Now at a 68 from 61 reviews.

Looks like we should get Dead Space reviews on Thursday. I was surprised to see it included in just 15 of the 33 lists. I know anything EA is scary, but it looks like they really nailed the look and feel of the original. I'll be shocked if it isn't in the high 80s. I'm guessing 88. But maybe I'm a little too optimistic.

I am a tad concerned with the Dead Space remake. Besides screenshots, I haven't really seen anything gameplay wise so I am of course nervous like some others I'm sure. IMO it's either going to do really well in the high 8's or really bad in the low 5's- 6's. It's on my list so I am hoping for gold plus it's one of my all time favorite horror games. Come on EA, you did it with Star Wars, do it again even if it's nothing more than a remake. Redemption time!

Damn, I thought Forspoken had good stuff to it.

The Hogwarts Legacy devs are hyping it up so much. I'm expecting it to suck but I also don't like HP at all.

Added the release date for Redfall to the OP.

I just assumed Dead Space was just a remaster, guess I should have paid more attention.

sefjwm wrote:

Don’t worry it’s not gonna review super high I don’t think

OG Dead Sapce has 86 (pc) 89 (360) on Metacritic

Pretty high, especially if you picked a potential dud like Hogwarts

I picked the Dead Space remake and hoping it does well although I’m worried it’s gonna do the opposite since with what little we’ve seen of the remake so far. It looks good in the screenshots. Does anyone know when the review embargo lifts?

Tomorrow at some point

I'm surprised to hear such mixed feelings about Dead Space. It was one of the first games on my list. We'll know for sure soon enough. Embargo is tomorrow at 8AM PT

Kommie wrote:

Are you down on Hogwarts based on what they've shown? I know vertical slices can be misleading, but I think it's one of the most impressive-looking games slated for this year. Traversal, exploration, combat...it all looks really good and the previews that dropped for it today were very positive. I don't know. Maybe it's just the Harry Potter fan in me, but I can't wait for this game! I just don't know what effect the JK debacle will have on its final Metacritic score.

Kommie wrote:

that’s just my opinion. I wasn't trash talking. But have at it lol
I was just stating I don’t think it’s gonna review super high, but I hope it does!
I want all these games we are excited for to be great

Heavyd814life wrote:

I think it’s gonna be great. I just meant by not ranking super high as in not reaching the 90s. I hope it does though.

I’m hoping and wanting it to also be great like an 8.5 or higher as it’s one of my favorite horror titles of the 360/PS3 era, I’m just preparing for the worst. Gotta set expectations low that way I’m not too disappointed if EA ends up crapping the bed.

From everything I've seen, it seems like its in the vein of the RE remakes and Demon's Souls remake. 90% accurate to the original. And with qol improvements, not just graphic updates. So I think it should review well.

Heavyd814life wrote:

They're just doing so much advertising and hype for it, just feels like CP2077 all over again. There's an 11 minute clip floating around now and it just doesn't look that impressive.... I know HP fans want it to be good though.

I've read that Dead Space is not as much of a jump forward as the Resident Evil games, but they make sense given the age of the originals. I think a mid 80s score is likely.

Hogwarts looks good, but I am a little concerned that it might not be as fully fleshed out as expected. I have hope. I am definitely interested in giving it a shot. With that said, I fully expect reviewers top bash it for political reasons. Any issue with the game will be blown out of proportion to justify the low review scores. At least, that's my prediction.

for Hogwarts, with the amount of publicity and marketing money they're throwing at it, i'm thinking that they believe its going to be a hit.

also, for review scores in this thread, do we count critics AND users, or just critics? when i added it to my list, i was under the expectation that it was critic only; might be disappointed if its got user bombs in there too...

bogo wrote:

Just critics.

Dead Space currently 88 on OpenCritic

Currently at 90 on Metacritic

Wooooo! Can't wait to play the Dead Space remake even more now. Glad to see EA is putting their greedy money to work in good devs again. Let's hope that they don't give Motive Studios the banhammer like they did to Visceral Games.

Nice! I’m glad it’s reviewing well. Nice pick for those that chose it :)

I didn't even consider Dead Space as I don't know much about the original. Guess I should have looked into it more.

How long after release do you wait to get the final metacritic score?

Currently an 89 with 51 reviews.

Positive: 50
Mixed: 1

Not a single negative review for it.

Okay guys. I just updated the OP with the scores for Dead Space. It's still at 89 on Metacritic from 52 reviews. I guessed 88 so not far off! Can't wait to play this!

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

DemonAlcohol wrote:

So I update the OP once a bunch of reviews come in. I then make edits as the year goes on if the score changes. Using Dead Space as an example, there are enough reviews in where it's probably going to stay at 89. If the score does change, it'll either go up or down a point. At the end of the year when I do the final tally to crown a winner, that's when I grab the final metacritic score.

I just saw they are charging full price for it, $69.99. I guess I'll be waiting for this to drop in price. Or get added to GP in 6 months since it is an EA title. Not sure why I was expecting Dead Space to be $39.99 or something.

Yeah I am so over these remakes at the new $70 price tag. The Last of Us, Dead Space. I will definitely wait for that $39.99 price tag myself as that is what I feel a remake should be priced at. I'd even pay as much as $50 for a game I really love like TLOU or Dead Space, but $70? The must be on all of the drugs.

I'll probably buy it at $70. I liked the original Dead Space quite a bit.

I'll wait on the Silent Hill 2 remake though, that's bound to be... Not great.

I like Bloober Team but yeah Silent Hill is going to hold some high expectations from fans and they’re a B level developer sadly. Blair Witch was plagued with performance issues, albeit having a very cool story and puzzles and The Medium was middle of the road good but not great.

I also am waiting for a price drop on Dead Space. I don't have as much issue with the price though. I would if it was a full priced simple remaster or port, but it's more than that, so I expected $70. Currently saving up for a new tattoo though, so Dead Space gets bumped down a couple notches on the priority list.
I did install the original Dead Space on Steam to play through in the meantime.

I just realized that the OG Dead Space came out 15 years ago! That doesn't even sound right. I feel so old lol.

I'm halfway through Dead Space (2018) and it still holds up. New version def isn't worth $70 but i'll pick it up when it gets under half that.

I have the original on Steam, but all three of the original games are on Gamepass.

OP updated with scores for SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake. It's at 68 on Metacritic from 12 reviews.

https://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-4/spon...

Heavyd814life wrote:

I feel like this is a game only kids would enjoy....

HybridCRoW wrote:

I guess you're calling me a kid.

Battle For Bikini Bottom Rehydrated was actually really good... It's a shame this one doesn't live up to its predecessor.

60-70 is where I would expect a game like that. Still going to play it eventually.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor has been delayed to April 28. Just updated the upcoming releases section of the OP.

https://www.gematsu.com/2023/01/star-wars-jedi-sur...

Hogwarts Legacy reviews are out and better than I expected. 86 on Open Critic right now. I have 0% interest but looks good for anyone who was looking forward to it.

Nice! All the stuff I read from people who played the game early has been positive, so I was hopeful. I’ve been looking forward to it for a long time.

Kommie wrote:

I may have to get it eventually. Not for $70 tho.

Day 1 for me. Can't freaking wait! Still can't believe I let the JK stuff scare me away from picking it. I should have had more faith in the reviewers lol. Updating the OP now...

OP updated with scores for Hogwarts Legacy. It's currently at 86 from 42 reviews.

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

Heavyd814life wrote:

Idk your list is SOLID. What would you have replaced it with?

Shane12m wrote:

Trails to Azure. I initially had Hogwarts in my top 10 and Azure and Wo Long as my alts. But yeah, I should be okay. Azure is generally considered the best in the series and it felt like a really safe pick. Probably won't hit 86, but it should be between 80-85.

Heavyd814life wrote:

I think Azure is a good pick and I had it on my list but swapped it with a gamble pick in Silksong. Azure will review well and may hit 90 or close to it partially due to those games not getting a ton of reviews and it’s generally reviewed by hardcore fans of the series or genre

TalonJedi87 wrote:

I feel this way about every game now.

I’m so glad it’s not just me. Even the heavy hitters for me like Jedi Survivor I’m going eh I’m sure it’ll be $40-50 in a month or so after release.

I usually wait about a year to play any game. Not only is it cheaper, they work out any bugs or glitches.

Another wise way to play. Nowadays there’s at least 5 post launch patches for these big budget games before they get it 100% up to spec. Heck I’m still waiting on a 60fps patch for Gotham Knights that I’m sure will never come long after I’m even finished with it.

Wow Pikmin 4 has a date - July 21, 2023

sefjwm wrote:

I had that on my list but pulled it to play it safe. Now I'm kicking myself.

8/29 for Sea of Stars
5/12 for Zelda

Sea of Stars looks great.

Thanks guys. Just added those dates to the OP

Boss wrote:

I heard of the devs when they had The Messenger getting good reviews and after an hour with it I immediately kickstarted Sea of Stars. I'm super excited for it.

Sorry still watching the Direct (happened during work) looks like Advance Wars 1-2 is finally coming 4/21

sefjwm wrote:

Thanks! Added that one as well.

sefjwm wrote:

Still salty about this one.

Some neat Animal Well updates but no release date :( It's only February but feels like this one might slip already https://blog.playstation.com/2023/02/09/an-update-...

OP updated with the score for Theatrhythm Final Bar Line. It's currently at 87 on Metacritic from 21 reviews. Did not see this coming at all. Only @frank has it on his list and only as an alternate.

https://www.metacritic.com/game/switch/theatrhythm...

Heavyd814life wrote:

Happy birthday!

3hitcombo wrote:

Thanks!

Atomic Heart reviews incoming early next week. I am very pumped for that game. It looks ridiculous. Come on big money, no whammy!

Heavyd814life wrote:

That was actually my safe bet backup for the "bold" Mario prediction

Horizon reviews are coming in. Currently at 79 on metacritic

Reviews for Wild Hearts also coming in. It's currently at 80 on Metacritic. Gonna give it a couple of hours so a few more reviews can come in for both before updating the OP.

I’m still excited to play it, but that’s a little disappointing. I thought it would be higher.

Shane12m wrote:

Bleed_DukeBlue wrote:

Yeah I am still excited to play it and it still has some really high praise for it.

Shane12m wrote:

RIP my list xD

2 more games on my list are due out next week:

Like a Dragon: Ishin
Atomic Heart

I’m predicting Like a Dragon to be low 80s. Atomic Heart is the wild card one. No idea how that’s gonna go but I’m hoping for low 80s as well.

sefjwm wrote:

Nah, you're good. 79 isn't a death sentence at all. I had F1 2022 on my list last year (also a 79) and won and the year before that, @Ryan had two games in the 70s and won.

TalonJedi87 wrote:

Atomic Heart looks rad! I hadn't even heard of it until I saw it on a few lists here. It looks like a cross between BioShock and Wolfenstein and could definitely be in the 80s.

I think nearly every game except Zelda will struggle this year. Last year was super strong at the top with Elden Ring, Ragnarok, and Gran Turismo 7, all of which have been anticipated for years.

This year's games seem to be a lot more likely tk be mid to low-80 material.

I guess that means people with a few more esoteric picks still have a decent chance to compete with those who went full mainstream.

benstylus wrote:

That's fair, but I think there's more depth this year. More games with a chance to be in the mid-80s. But the potential to join Zelda in the 90s is there for games like RE4, Diablo 4, Spider-Man, and BG3 if they all make it out this year.

Ok guys I just updated the OP with scores for Horizon Call of the Mountain and Wild Hearts. Both are at 79 on Metacritic. Solid scores. About what I expected for Wild Hearts, but definitely a little lower than I expected for the PSVR 2's first-party system seller. The game still pretty rad tho and I'll definitely give it a try when I finally get my hands on the headset.

Other than maybe RE, I really don't see any of the other non-zelda's breaking 90.

Reviewers seem to be getting a little more critical because there aren't really many new ideas happening right now.

The one I’m really concerned with on my list is suicide squad kill the justice league. The more I read about that about how it might be targeted as a live service, and have live service elements similar to how Gotham Knights appeared to be set up before they changed it, worries the crap out of me because I hold Rocksteady in such high esteem and to see them bend the knee to their corporate overlords would make me a very sad panda.

TalonJedi87 wrote:

Yeah I’m feeling the same way. I picked it because of it being made by rocksteady but that live service stuff has me bummed

Reviews are in early for Octopath Traveler II. It's currently at 86 on Metacrtitic from 23 reviews. OP should be up to date!

https://www.metacritic.com/game/switch/octopath-tr...

I put Suicide Squad as an alternate due to it being developed by Rocksteady.

I'm hearing some bad things about some others I expected to be good (Diablo IV, Redfall, etc). This life be a rough year for some of our lists.

Heavyd814life wrote:

Woohoo, I forgot I picked this one.

bonham2 wrote:


Between your list and mine we have like a 3 game difference.

Okay folks, just updated the OP with scores for Like a Dragon: Ishin! It's currently at 82 on Metacritic from 41 reviews.

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

Sweet! Exactly what I was predicting for Like a Dragon too. Nice!!!

If only I had looked into the Sherlock Holmes remake more and saw it is being done by a company in the Ukraine... Stupid political agendas messing w/ video games!!

On the positive note, this is interesting.

image

That's not a good sign

Oh wow. Definitely not a good sign. I think the embargo was a few mins ago. We should have reviews coming in shortly.

Open Critic is at 72% with 60% of critics recommending it.... Not looking great.

OP updated with scores for Atomic Heart. It's currently at 75 on Metacritic from 22 reviews. Honestly not too bad. I expected way worse after that PowerPyx post.

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

Yikes, that made my final short list... Dodged a bullet there

Crap I was afraid of that. Still 75 isn’t terrible for Atomic Heart. I was expecting 80s but I’ll settle for a 75. I’m glad it’s on Game Pass though since I do not feature on spending full price for it since it sounds like a clusterbang.

I just realized I forgot to put Lies of P on my list.

Archer wrote:

I'm not expecting it to do that great, outside of From Software those games usually don't score that high

Kommie wrote:

I'm just exited to play Bloodborne 2.0 I guess. It might not review well. But damn does it look great based on the gameplay footage from the other day.

I hadn't even heard of Lies of P until I saw it on a couple of lists. Couldn't find any footage that really did much for me, but I'll have to check out whatever they posted recently because Bloodborne 2.0 is...whoa!

Also looks like Company of Heroes 3 is reviewing well. No one has it, but It's currently at 84 from 20 reviews. I had it on my shortlist but it didn't make the final cut.

This one has the strongest BB vibes from the combat. Plus it looks like it as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yDx7Px6yMU

I think Lies of P is another Game Pass title at launch too. It doesn't look that amazing to me like Bloodborne, the king of kings, but I may check it out on GP.

Reviewing surprisingly better than those initial reports.

OP updated with scores for Kirby’s Return To Dream Land Deluxe. It's currently at 80 on Metacritic from 57 reviews.

https://www.metacritic.com/game/switch/kirbys-retu...

I thought the rules prohibited remakes and remasters.

SupremeSarna wrote:

Remakes are allowed. Remasters and ports are not.

Which category does Kirby fit into, though? I know it has a bit of new content, but more of those reviews call it a remaster than a remake. I personally thought it was the former. I'm fine with it counting though and either way I'll be skipping it because they couldn't even be bothered to add in online co-op like how they did for the Super Mario 3D World port.

Its a remake.

Personally I think it's a little silly to have to distinguish between the two for the fantasy league.

Do remasters typically score as high as the original? Or does the passage of time mean the gameplay is beginning to show its age so they typically score lower?

Unless remasters are consistently high scorers, it seems like including one on your list would be a "safe" 75+ pick rather than a good 85+ one.

Metroid Prime Remastered says hi.

bonham2 wrote:

Yes, that's one example, but not a great one... because the people who would have picked it the last 3 years it was rumored to be coming out would have scored zero in all those years.

Could eliminate remakes and remasters entirely next year to simplify it

Frank wrote:

Welp there goes 60% of modern gaming

3hitcombo wrote:

Fantasy League 2024 Hard Mode

I went to metacritic and looked at the first 50 results that popped up when I typed the word "remaster" in the search bar.

Seven of them score 86 or higher.
Twenty of them scored 79 or lower, including four that were in the 60s and one that did the get enough reviews to be ranked.

So it seems they are almost three times as likely to be poorer performers than they are to be excellent. But just over half are in the 80 to 85 range.

Frank wrote:

Get rid of sequels too while we're at it if you really want hard mode.

Thrn the challenge is coming up with a list of 12 games at all!

benstylus wrote:

Damn man, that would be Hard Mode. I'm good with it the way it is

Lol yeah maybe it’s time to get rid of remakes so we don’t have this debate anymore.

In other news, I just watched the gameplay stuff they showed for Suicide Squad and I honestly can’t put into words how disappointed I am. It looks awful to me. It’s like Avengers meets Anthem meets Crackdown 3. Gross!

Sounds like what I expected..... Another crappy live service game made because of a popular IP

Kommie wrote:

Redundant wording.

It's Ike when you're in Kentucky, you don't have to call the famous chicken chain restaurant KFC. You can just call it C because 1 you are in the state, and 2 fried is the default food option here.

Heavyd814life wrote:

I don't really care too much either way, just curious, why would you prefer this over just allowing remakes AND remasters?

Heavyd814life wrote:

I regret putting this as my 2nd alternate. I saw Rocksteady and thought the guys behind the Arkham series couldn't possibly screw this up. I guess I was wrong.

Scott wrote:

I don't even remember anymore lol. I think it's because when we started this up 6 years ago, we were in that phase where there was a new remaster being released every other week. They didn't feel like new games and the idea was that since a remake is something built from scratch, it really should count as a new game. But even that definition doesn't work anymore because while something like FF7 Remake definitely feels like a new game, something like The Last of Us Part 1, which is built from scratch, doesn't feel like it should qualify.

This year, you have games like Kirby and Advance Wars that kinda blur the lines between remaster and remake, but since both are marketed as remakes, they qualify. So I don't know what everyone would like to do moving forward. I'm cool keeping things as they are or we could just scrap remakes as well to simplify things.

I'm good with keeping them.

Geez all this over Kirby

Welp, Clive N Wrench getting some bad scores. This is why I have trust issues, the game looked so good!

Cevil wrote:

Plucky developer tries to win the hearts of consumers by invoking the nostalgia of Rare's N64 platformers (back when Rare was at the top of their game)...

...Finished product ends up feeling closer to a 3rd party ps1 platformer.

But hey at least it ain't bubsy!

3hitcombo wrote:

Lol nah. This happens every year.

Cevil wrote:

I've had it wishlisted for years! That's a real shame.

I guess I shot my load early this time... I'm the only one with all but 2 titles released/scored already... everyone else has spread themselves out...

Not saying I didn't try to do that, I just didn't see any titles that piqued my interest.

Heavyd814life wrote:

Yeah it seems silly to me that if we removed remakes then great games like ff7 remake (an entire overhaul for a remake) and dead space wouldn’t count. I’m all for keeping remakes as an option but not allowing remasters.

HybridCRoW wrote:

Just enjoy your time in the top spot

Shane12m wrote:


That's how it is now.

I just think it makes it a bit more complicated when determining what is a remake vs a remaster. Because people gonna argue.

If the goal is to get people to not load the list up with a bunch of proven winners, a simpler solution would be just instituting a limit of 1 or 2 remakes/remasters, and everything else has to be a brand new game.

Maybe even limit then to the alts

Boss wrote:

I know :)
Just saying we should keep it how it is

Just updated the OP with scores for Clive 'N' Wrench. It's currently at 61 on Metacritic from 7 reviews. Wanted to wait for a few more reviews before updating the OP, but I'm not sure how many reviews are going to come in for this one.

Next up sometime this week should be Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty.

benstylus wrote:

See this is what I'd want to avoid. Adding more rules and qualifiers. I think that's what would make things more complicated.

As is, things are pretty clear. If a game is billed as a remake then it counts. You'll have cases like Kirby this year and Advance Wars which sparked this debate last year where the lines are blurred, but as long as a developer/publisher considers a game a remake then it qualifies under the rules.

HybridCRoW wrote:

Yeah, you're pretty much set. Even if your final two games get delayed, you have alts to take their place. Surprised you didn't have Zelda on your list, though. That seems like a lock to review really, really well.

Shane12m wrote:

Yeah, this is where I am at. And it seems most people are fine with the way things are.

Heavyd814life wrote:

I had this minor itch telling me not to put it on the list as it felt like it would be delayed again... Dunno why I didn't have that same itch about being delayed with the Sherlock Holmes one.

Anyone else play the Wo Long demo? Just played it for about 30 mins and I have no idea how it’s going to review. I didn’t like it, but I think it’s because I’m kinda over the Nioh formula. It feels like a reskin of Nioh 2 is many ways (level design, UI, loot system, boring story, mute protagonist etc). The combat is solid, though. It feels like a mix between Nioh and Sekiro. But it’s way too easy and just doesn’t feel anywhere near as good to play as either Sekiro or the Nioh games do. Maybe I’m just a little jaded, but I think I’m gonna skip this and wouldn’t be surprised if it doesn’t crack 80 on Metacritic.

EDIT: Looks like it’ll be on Gamepass day 1 which is awesome for the Xbox peeps. You guys get to try it out without having to shell out $70.

Yeah, I regret adding it to my list after playing the demo.

There was a demo awhile ago.... This is the second demo.

Yeah I’m over the Nioh style myself too. If it’s just another Nioh clone it’ll be a hard pass for me.

Wolf Among Us 2 delayed into 2024, I thought I saw someone had that one.

sefjwm wrote:

Bummer. And yeah, @bogo has it on his list.

yeah, disappointed, but not shocked that its delayed

Wo Long currently sitting at 81 on metacritic.
Def worth a look on game pass I think

Shane12m wrote:

Yeah the fact that it's coming to Gamepass day one is pretty awesome! Glad it reviewed well. This is what I hoped for when I picked it as an alt, but I was worried after I played the demo which I didn't like.

OP is now up to date, guys. Wo Long is still at 81 from 48 reviews.

https://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-5/wo-l...

I was expecting much lower based on that demo.

Starfield delayed, again. Wonder if it's because of the XsS not being able to play it?

So much for "all these games playable in the next months"

So, Silksong will not be this year it seems.

Kommie wrote:

Hogwarts didn't launch with an X1 or S version yet, but the X version is out. They seem to be relaxing on that rule. But then again, this is a first party title, so maybe that is the issue. Either way that is a stupid ass rule and from what a lot of devs has said its been a pain in the ass for a lot of them.

Archer wrote:

Bethesda games aren't playable until 1-2+ years after launch anyway

Damn. They are getting the Cyberpunk treatment I see. Starfield is on my list as a back up. There goes that...did they say how long the delay was for? Into 2024 or late 2023?

Only a couple months, September.
But I'd bet it gets pushed into 2024 later in the year.

They never had a release date, right? It was just "early 2023" I think

Kommie wrote:

On Xbox at least, the store said June 2023. But yeah I don't think they ever said an official date prior to today. Everyone just assumed June because of the Xbox store/app.

I just saw on IGN it says 9/6/23 is the new release date for Starfield...for now that is...

It originally had a release date of November 11, 2022. Then, it got delayed in May 2022 to "the first half of 2023" before this recent delay: https://twitter.com/bethesda/status/15247211327205...

Kommie wrote:

Yep, Starfield is now facing the Cyberpunk 2077 syndrome of delays.

Was CP massively delayed? It certainly should have been

It was, until it wasn't and they released completely broken. Did have relatively high review scores though.

Yea they delayed it like 3-4 times until the community got all up in arms about it, and then they released a broken game...and everyone got all up in arms about it...

And now over 2 years after its initial release it apparently plays like it should have at launch with patch 10.02828219299WTFBBQ?

I’m totally okay with a starfield September release. It’s nice to have a date now even if it’s later than anticipated. Plenty of awesome looking games coming out this year before September.

Why the comparisons to cyberpunk? Tons of games get delayed. I’m hoping that because they have Xbox money and time they are just letting the game really be special without rushing it and allowing things to be more polished

I mean let’s be real. I love Skyrim to pieces for example, but those Bethesda games are damn near by law are all buggy as heck at launch and sometimes months to years to come regardless of how many delays occur and that’s just fine. I’m sure it’ll still be fun to play like most of their games are. I’ll just be looking forward of those YouTube videos of all the funny glitches and bugs that happen post launch.

OP updated with scores for Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse. It's currently at 69 on Metacritic from 16 reviews.

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

Suicide Squad delayed to "later"

Yikes!

Later tho lmfao Probably to reconstruct that crappy live service model like they did with Gotham Knights. I’m kinda regretting having it on my list now. Oh what I do for Rocksteady. I have to keep remembering it’s really WB Games pulling their strings at the end of the day.

From what I've read it's just to add a little more "polish" and help them not be surrounded by Zelda, Diablo and Final Fantasy at launch. It's far too late into development to change anything about the GaaS stuff.

Ah okay. So not too long of a wait then. Maybe a late summer release then.

OP updated witch scores for The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure. It's currently at 83 on Metacritic from 10 reviews.

https://www.metacritic.com/game/playstation-4/the-...

Wait. How is that game allowed?

Archer wrote:

first official NA release is my guess?

Archer wrote:

Yeah, someone actually asked about Azure and Reverie a couple of months ago and I confirmed that they both count. We've had this before with Yakuza 6 and Ys 9 and with Fatal Frame this year. As long as it has never been released here in the US it's fair game.

PizzaTheHutt wrote:

At this point I think they would be better off canceling it, based on how poorly received recent superhero live service games like Avengers and Four People Not Named Batman in a Batman Game were.

Or just start over from concept stage, and reuse any art assets.

Yes I'm sure thr publisher has sunk a significant amount of money already, but comic book IPs are largely timeless. It's nice to get something out to coincide with a major movie release, but Suicide Squad 2 was two years ago so it isn't a great movie tie-in if that's what they were aiming for.

The review scores will scare people away, sales will be lower than the publisher wants, and after grudge-fulfilling their season pass obligations with the minimum effort to not be sued for false advertising, the game will be dead in a year.

Suicide Squad was never an IP that would be popular enough to sustain a long term live service model.

Suicide Squad seemed like it would be a cash-grab live service from the start..... not sure why anyone had hope of anything else.

Kommie wrote:

Because Rocksteady made some good Batman titles, they hoped they would just make more but with a different comic

Maybe... But I would assume this game was advertised as "OMG PLAY AS MANY DIFFERENT CHARACTERS FROM THE SUICIDE SQUAD" which just screams GaaS. Cause it does.

Has someone coined the term "GaaSlighting" yet? Because they totally should.

Heavyd814life wrote:

I expected a bit higher from that one. Glad I swapped it out. Not gonna lie, apart from suicide squad I’m feeling really good about my list. Hoping suicide squad just gets delayed to next year at this point

OP updated with scores for Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon. It's currently at 80 on Metacritic from 52 reviews. Very solid! Nice pick, @sailorneorune. This wasn't on my radar at all.

https://www.metacritic.com/game/switch/bayonetta-o...

That was one of the last games I removed from my list as I was trying to narrow down to 12.

same. it was just too far away from the gameplay and style that people are used to so i got scared away.

i think it was in between that and horizon for me, so at least i only lost 1 point

I decided on a few oddballs in my lineup for this year. However, I wish I knew back in December that Level-5 would come back with a vengeance so I could have Professor Layton and the New World of Steam on my list.

Reviews are in for Resident Evil 4. It’s currently sitting at 93 on Metacritic from 80 reviews. Looks like Capcom nailed it! I’ll have the OP updated sometime this morning.


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

Heavyd814life wrote:

Nice! Playing Resident evil 2 remake I had pretty high hopes for this one actually! Capcom isn’t trying to play with the remakes(even if RE3 was ok)

Okay guys OP should now be up to date. RE4 is still at 93 on Metacritic from 88 reviews.

93 tho...yipiee! I just watched ACG's review too and usually he titles his review videos "Buy, Wait for Sale or Never Touch" but his RE4R review just says "Buy RE4" haha and this is my all time #1 RE game which will be my 5th or 6th time playing through it and I still can't wait!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywET4ZF7BhA&ab_cha...

TalonJedi87 wrote:

He’s actually recently started tagging most of his videos this way lately by saying don’t buy or buy. But yeah, I’m debating if I wanna play when it comes out or wait for the PSVR2 version later. Never played re4 before either

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