2023 - 6 Month review

[sXeth]

Do you mean Lost Crown? That's a 2024 game.

(If it was a 2023 game, it would actually be Silver tier for me, in case anyone's wondering.)

Probably, silly me not paying attention to the actual dates. (Path of Exile 2 for that matter may or may not be in 2023, allegedly they're announcing it at whatever their con thng is next week (originally it was late 2022 lol). And Wayfinders is early-access in August but I think actually 2024

 

[Catfood220]

Well Tears of the Kingdom is probably the best game I've played this year. The rest of the games I've bought this year have been remakes, remasters or re-releases.

I am currently playing my way through Persona 4 Golden, I stopped playing shortly after beating the first dungeon due to playing my way through something else at the time. I came back a couple of weeks ago and this has gotten its hooks right into me now.

Tales of Symphonia Remastered is looking at me begging me to play it. Though from what I understand it is not a good port. Which is a shame as I consider the game to be a classic.

Resident Evil 4 Remake is great.

Megaman Battle Network Battle Network was going to be played alongside Persona 4 Golden, but after playing a bit, it isn't getting much of a look in after P4 got its hooks into me.

Fire Emblem: Engage. It has the name of a money grabbing mobile game and instead of a decent plot like many of the other games, now has far too many squealing anime girls. I mean, there were a couple in Three Houses but it was kept to a minimum. The gameplay is alright but the gimmick of this game where you have rings that contain the souls of previous Fire Emblem games just service to remind you of better Fire Emblem games. I should put this back on to see if it gets any better. But I'm not holding out much hope.

I'm interested in picking up Dredge and Tchia at some point. Super Mario RPG remake has my attention. As does Persona 5 Tactics, but will wait for the reviews for that.

Oh and Spider-Man 2. Liked the other 2 so I don't see why this should be any different.

 

[CriticalGaming]

Oh and Spider-Man 2. Liked the other 2 so I don't see why this should be any different.

Spider man 2 is going to be the best game that i am not hyped to play. It is like when marvel movies were good. I never cared when they came out and i never looked forward to seeing them. But i saw them all and i had a fun time at every movie.

It is a weird feeling because im usually hyped for games i wanna play. Final fantasy, diablo, persona, whatever. Spider man 2 is a game i want and will play, but i also dont care when it comes out, it is weird.

 

[BrawlMan]

Spider man 2 is going to be the best game that i am not hyped to play. It is like when marvel movies were good. I never cared when they came out and i never looked forward to seeing them. But i saw them all and i had a fun time at every movie.

It is a weird feeling because im usually hyped for games i wanna play. Final fantasy, diablo, persona, whatever. Spider man 2 is a game i want and will play, but i also dont care when it comes out, it is weird.

I know Spider-Man 2 is going to be great, but I am way more excited for Double Dragon Gaiden, Sonic Superstars, and Mario Wonder! Here's hoping I can get DD Gaiden early.

SOR4 came out 3 years ago, but still got another update and added more crazy shit! I still can't stop playing and brought back the co-op moves!

 

[BrawlMan]

​

 

[BrawlMan]

This year will definitely end in a bright bang! 2023 is the best year of this decade, and I highly doubt any other year will top from this decade.

 

[Drathnoxis]

Super Mario RPG - I mean, yes please.

What does this mean? Remake, or a re-release or what?

 

[CriticalGaming]

What does this mean? Remake, or a re-release or what?

Remake.

 

[Drathnoxis]

Remake.

Wow, that sucks. Didn't ever expect Nintendo and Squeenix to team up again to do that.

Edit: also I didn't realize that this thread was a necro. Brawlman strikes again.

 

[CriticalGaming]

Wow, that sucks. Didn't ever expect Nintendo and Squeenix to team up again to do that.

Edit: also I didn't realize that this thread was a necro. Brawlman strikes again.

i think Nintendo is doing it by themselves, I can't find anything that says Square is involved anywhere

 

[hanselthecaretaker2]

Wow, that sucks. Didn't ever expect Nintendo and Squeenix to team up again to do that.

Edit: also I didn't realize that this thread was a necro. Brawlman strikes again.

Curious if there is a legit parameter for necro’ing though while it’s mentioned. Like, once in a while I’ll go to a thread that shows new posts, but it brings me back to the beginning instead of the first new post. Just not sure what the threshold is for triggering this occurrence.

 

[BrawlMan]

The thought occurred to me, and still 2023 right now. There's plenty to add on this thread before the end of the year.

 

[FakeSympathy]

Assuming we aren't strickly restricted to games before July 2023:

The good:

RE4R AND Dead Space Remake
Both games did amazing to bring back the classic TPS horror games to modern machines. I personally thinkg RE4R did a better job on the controls and gameplay while Dead Space Remake did better in terms of atmosphere. If both of these games get nominated for an award at TGA 2023, I would honestly have a hard time picking it.

Baldur's Gate 3
I had this game sitting on my steam library since the early-access. The full release was well worth the wait. Converting DnD into a videogame is a daunting task, and it always won't work. But this game... oh wow. It's one of the rare times where I truly felt I got my moneys worth.

Lies of P
Okay, I know I had my criticism over this game on the other thread, but I found myself going for a NG+. The game has strange way of making you wanna try over and over again, teasing you with "Oof, you were THIS CLOSE!" every time you die. The gameplay will definitely drive some people away, but the gameplay, story, costume and weapon designs are all bombers

Mortal Kombat 1 AND Street Fighter 6
Just like with RE4R and DSR, it's gonna be a tough call to say which fighting game came out on top this year. Both are great in their own way, especially on being beginner friendly.

The bad:

Redfall
Fuck you, Spencer.

Mortal Kombat 1 on Switch
Runs and looks like shit. I don't know who to point fingers at; People at NR for even attempting to bring it to Switch in the first place, or the folks at Nintendo for false advertisement claiming it runs just like on PS5/XBXS.

Forspoken
The only good thing is it probably helped with Hi-fi Rush sales.

The disappointing:

FF16
If even @CriticalGaming can't defend the game fully and say it's disappointing, then you know just how mediocre the game is.

Diablo 4
This game physically hurts me. I had my fun with the game, I really did. I want to like the game so bad. But it has too many bullshit going on for me to love it. Crappy season designs, brain-dead balancing, boring world-design, ridiculous requirements in gearing just to be considered decent, etc. I would say the only saving grace is the story, but even that feels shallow compared past Diablo games, even Diablo 3.

SW: Jedi Survivor
Just like Diablo 4, I did have tons of fun with the game. However, I cannot forgive the way the game was released, on top of some of the weird design choices.

 

[CriticalGaming]

FF16
If even @CriticalGaming says it's disappointing, then you know just how mediocre the game is.

What does that mean?

 

[FakeSympathy]

What does that mean?

Just saying that if someone who absolutely loves the series is disappointed by it, it speaks volume about how the game is like for the casual players. Good thing FF7 Rebirth is just around the corner and we can all drool at how great that one will be

 

[CriticalGaming]

Just saying that if someone who absolutely loves the series is disappointed by it, it speaks volume about how the game is like for the casual players. Good thing FF7 Rebirth is just around the corner and we can all drool at how great that one will be

Don't even get me started on Rebirth....that game looks fucking ridiculous.

 

[hanselthecaretaker2]

Mortal Kombat 1 on Switch
Runs and looks like shit. I don't know who to point fingers at; People at NR for even attempting to bring it to Switch in the first place, or the folks at Nintendo for false advertisement claiming it runs just like on PS5/XBXS.

WB Games is almost certainly to blame more than either of them. Instead of trying to fix it like they should just offer refunds and make a statement that some things just aren’t meant to be as what the suits want them to. I’d also be surprised if Nintendo cared enough to try strong arming the game onto their system.

It's true: Mortal Kombat 1 on Switch is just too big an ask for the hardware

Mortal Kombat goes back to its roots with Mortal Kombat 1, a fresh reboot that delivers some of the most striking visua…

www.eurogamer.net

Yeah, I’m going to post this on the MK Reddit and Test Your Might forum to see if anyone had any more details.

 

[Drathnoxis]

Curious if there is a legit parameter for necro’ing though while it’s mentioned. Like, once in a while I’ll go to a thread that shows new posts, but it brings me back to the beginning instead of the first new post. Just not sure what the threshold is for triggering this occurrence.

I think if you haven't gone to a thread for a certain amount of time it takes you back to the start instead of the new post. I think it's around a month. Annoying, but as some other people have pointed out to me you can click on the 'jump to new' button in the top right and go straight to the new post.

 

[Hawki]

Mortal Kombat 1 AND Street Fighter 6
Just like with RE4R and DSR, it's gonna be a tough call to say which fighting game came out on top this year. Both are great in their own way, especially on being beginner friendly.

...

Mortal Kombat 1 on Switch
Runs and looks like shit. I don't know who to point fingers at; People at NR for even attempting to bring it to Switch in the first place, or the folks at Nintendo for false advertisement claiming it runs just like on PS5/XBXS.

Wait, you got MK1 twice? 0_0

FF16

If even @CriticalGaming can't defend the game fully and say it's disappointing, then you know just how mediocre the game is.

So, quick question, what was wrong with FF16? I checked the thread, but it veered way off course towards the end, can't find much discussion of the actual game itself.

Diablo 4

This game physically hurts me. I had my fun with the game, I really did. I want to like the game so bad. But it has too many bullshit going on for me to love it. Crappy season designs, brain-dead balancing, boring world-design, ridiculous requirements in gearing just to be considered decent, etc. I would say the only saving grace is the story, but even that feels shallow compared past Diablo games, even Diablo 3.

Okay, I can agree to disagree with all of that without much issue, but the story being shallow compared to past games? Really? Come on, this is Diablo, 1 and 2 barely had stories at all. I could understand putting 3 above 4, in that 3 runs a tighter story and arguably has a better cast of characters, but above 1/2? Really?

(If I had to rank the series based on story, it would go 4>3>I>2>1, in case you're wondering.)

 

[FakeSympathy]

Wait, you got MK1 twice? 0_0

I got lucky enough to try out both without spending too much. Played the non-Switch version at buddy's house. As for the Switch version.... it speaks for itself

So, quick question, what was wrong with FF16? I checked the thread, but it veered way off course towards the end, can't find much discussion of the actual game itself.

Even with the new combat design and the awesome dominant battle, I feel everything else about the game was lackluster. Certainly not terrible, but not too great either. I.E. flat characters, beautiful world desgin but little to do, etc.

Okay, I can agree to disagree with all of that without much issue, but the story being shallow compared to past games? Really? Come on, this is Diablo, 1 and 2 barely had stories at all. I could understand putting 3 above 4, in that 3 runs a tighter story and arguably has a better cast of characters, but above 1/2? Really?
(If I had to rank the series based on story, it would go 4>3>I>2>1, in case you're wondering.)

Yeah, they tried to go out of their comfort zone with the story, and while I do like some moments overall I don't think it really worked. The beginning and the final act? Superb especially with those cinematics. The middle portion kinda felt flat. Charcters kept popping in and out of the cutscenes, parts that don't involve Lilth/Inarius were mundane, and the overworld design doesn't seem to go well with the storytelling.

Lorath doing voice over was okay, but compared to cinematics in D1 or 2 where things were happening on the screen, it just felt lifeless.