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Luckily for me I only played a handful of the 2023 releases, and it just so happens that they're the best ones!! Read 'em and weep: 1. Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon - I absolutely loved this. The atmosphere, writing, controls, boss fights, customization, and especially the music were all stand-outs for me this year. Hell, I still fire up Contact With You just to vibe with while I'm working. I hadn't played an AC game since the PSX offerings, but I trusted From enough to pay full price without reading reviews. I was rewarded with an intense game that was a thrill to play and a great story to experience. The further you dug, the more it had to tell you. It stands in the shadow of From's other games, but is a titan above its peers. This game rules, please play it if you haven't. 2. Baldur's Gate III - What else is there to say that hasn't already been said? A landmark game in the industry, BG3 kind of feels like the impossible being made possible. It's a testament to the game's overwhelming strengths that its VA cast have become industry celebrities and its devs have seemingly intimidated AAA studios into becoming corncobs. I was already a huge fan of the IE games, so this was an easy sell for me regardless, but I wasn't prepared for how good this would actually be. Tremendous poo poo, Larian. Well done. 3. Quake II Remastered - Nightdive Studios continues to be masters of their craft: bringing gaming's legendary roster of boomer-shooters to you in a gorgeous updated package with QoL features, packed-in expansions, new content, and the care these games deserve. You can tell that the Nightdive devs love these games, and they want to remind you that loved them too. I can't wait for System Shock 2. We don't talk about Blade Runner 4. Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin - Jack is the hero we need but don't deserve. After bouncing off Nioh but enjoying the demo for this, I hesitatantly bought this. After I finished, I was ready to go again. This game owns, owns, owns. The class system is a blast to engage with. The combat flows wonderfully, with an appropriate amount of challenge. Memes aside, the story is actually very interesting with the final stretch being particularly cool. This game didn't lose me or bore me even once. Even if you don't like FF or Nioh, you should play this. Don't be afraid to consult Beforeiplay or a guide if you need some help dissecting the stats; it is a Team Ninja game after all. It does have the issue of too much loot cluttering your inventory, but luckily it's pretty easy to solve that. Good rear end game, folks. 5. Silhouette Mirage - I had no idea this game existed before it was a Saturn Game Club entry. It's an amazing 2D run'n'gun with light RPG elements for Saturn/Playstation by Treasure that's oozing with style and personality. I have no loving idea what's going on in the game, even with a translation patch, but I don't care. The game is a buttery smooth Rollercoaster of cool setpieces and amazing boss fights, with enough depth in the combat system to keep you engaged. Hell, the first boss is a bug wizard that opens wormholes from which goddamn Battleships fire on you. Another boss has to be killed by poisoning his soup, and yet another is a horrific anime girl fish monster. This game is extremely rad. Emulate if you have to, but give it a chance. TheHoosier fucked around with this message at 16:09 on Dec 4, 2023 |
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Dec 4, 2023 15:44
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VG posted:Just an FYI, the previous posts have been discussing the rules and that you have to have at least 5 games for your entries to count. Are there two more you can add, and can you assemble them into an order? Otherwise these votes will not count. Yeah I'm an idiot. I edited the post.
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Dec 4, 2023 16:06
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Jordan7hm posted:This was so cool to watch. Couldn’t happen to more deserving guys either. I bought a copy despite knowing I’m not in my 20s anymore and my ability to devote hours to DF is just nonexistent, but it was payment for the huge numbers of hours I dumped into it 15 years ago. Probably the release of the year for me even if it’s not my personal game of the year. I didn't play DF this year, but I've played enough DF to completely agree. It's an amazing game and they deserve every dime. I was happy to buy it, and would do so again for whatever comes next.
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Dec 5, 2023 00:06
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Plebian Parasite posted:5. Doom Ayyy! I started doing that this year as well, and I have played some absolutely incredible stuff. I knew the Doom modding community was great, but I didn't know until I actually dove in and experienced it for myself. You're in for a very wild ride.
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Dec 11, 2023 22:31
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