Its not often that you find such a dark and adult story wrapped up in such a whimsical and beautiful package, this one could be a contender for RPG of the year.
I’m not going to lie; I LOVE everything about this game. In fact, the only thing I wish is that I was able to get out of the ship and walk around as Nara. Much like the Galaxy on Fire series all conversations happen in ship, unless it’s a cutscene. But even that is not really worth counting as a strike against the game because literally everything else is such a smooth experience. While the story can get a bit confusing, if players are fans of breakneck speeds, and thrilling dogfights in space then Chorus is going to be right up your alley. I cannot wait to see what Deep Silver Fishlabs can do with a sequel to this game or even some DLC, with the world that has been created here it really would be a shame to let it go to waste.
I freaking loved Sea of Stars, from its adorable graphic style to its heartwarming story Sea of Stars is a sure-fire hit. Even the times I ran into glitches and bugs I still enjoyed my time within its world. Sabotage studios already proved the pedigree of their studio with The Messenger but I fully expect them to level up with the release of Sea of Stars. With its enjoyable story, utterly fantastic musical score, and beautiful pixel world if you are a fan of RPG’s this one is NOT to be missed!
The Plucky Squire is an absolute triumph of artistry and gameplay. I didn’t even mention the stellar narration that is done by Philip Bretherton, his voice gives the tale being told a certain gravatas, I do wish that the individual characters were voiced but you don’t really miss it with the amazing music and killer narrator. The Plucky Squire’s a charming, inventive, and utterly delightful adventure that deserves a place in every gamer’s collection. Whether you’re drawn to its unique mechanics, captivating story, or simply the joy of exploring a beautifully crafted world, this game offers something special for everyone. Don’t miss out on this enchanting journey—The Kingdom of Mojo needs their hero!
The story has it all, humor? Yep. Trauma. Oh, it’s here for sure in some big doses. Even though I already know the story beats from Final Fantasy 7 but Rebirth still managed to surprise me time and time again in the best way. Come for the Queen’s Blood, stay for the excellent Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth tale.
Quote not yet available
I really can’t recommend this game enough, even with the lackluster facial animations this is an experience that shouldn’t be missed if you value narrative; in particular mysteries.
If you are a fan of rogue-lites there is absolutely no reason for you to not be playing Hades, and if you aren’t a fan of the genre but enjoy action RPG’s with the above ingredients then you should give this a try. If Hades becomes the gold standard for rogue-lites going forward, then consider me a willing convert and long live the rogue lites!
Deathloop is a fantastic game and worth the price of admission, my hope is that it is not left by the wayside due to its exclusivity and the sub sequential buyout of publisher Bethesda by Microsoft. I know a lot of fans feel they need to be on one side of this or the other, but I am here to tell you that Deathloop is a great game and worthy of a playthrough wherever you choose to experience it. Deathloop is probably one of the best examples of really blending those rogue-lite elements into an otherworldly and excellent story, freedom of choice, tight controls and a delightful cast of characters all wrapped in a beautiful package.
However, the fantastic gameplay, the beautiful graphics, and the amazing soundtrack just to name a few things make this an enjoyable experience. That being said, if you are not a fan of difficult games, I’d recommend renting this one first if possible because it is an extremely difficult game at the outset and will require a grind to be successful. But if that doesn’t bother you in the slightest, then come on in; the dojo is all set up.
Sifu remains a difficult game taken at its standard difficulties but with the addition of an easy mode it is vastly more approachable than it was at launch. I loved this game at launch in 2022 and the fact that it’s more accessible now in 2023 just makes me love it even more. If you were on the fence before due to the difficulty, I would encourage you to give it a try especially for those of us waiting on the Xbox release; if you are a fan of things like the Matrix or Kung Fu movies in general then don’t sleep on Sifu.
Diablo 4 is a massive game dropping in a year chock FULL of massive games. 2023 has already seen Nintendo’s behemoth drop by way of Tears of the Kingdom which has been dominating charts and peoples’ times. Now Diablo 4 is going to come bursting in and demanding that same type of time commitment with a sprawling game world to explore on foot or horseback. Between dungeons, world events, side quests and even the main quests players will never be too far from something interesting to inspect or kill in Sanctuary. Diablo 4 feels like a wonderful homecoming, with its darker tone and sublime cutscenes which Blizzard has always been wonderful at; the whole game just feels like a love letter to us fans who have waited so long to return to Hell and defeat its denizens once more.
The team at Larian Studios are to be commended, Baldur’s Gate 3 is nothing short of a masterpiece when it comes to RPG’s.
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown is hands down the best metroidvania that I have played in a long time. My gold standard has always been Castlevania: Symphony of the Night but Ubisoft has really knocked this out of the park. As a long time, fan of the series, I was elated to see the first trailer for this game and am so glad that the team stuck the landing. Sargon is a fantastic character in this universe and I for one am so proud of the fact that he is black and leading this game. I know that some people are upset at not playing as the prince but to those folks I just want to say give this game a chance, if you are a fan of the Prince of Persia series, I can almost guarantee that this game will make you smile. And after the banner year that video games had in 2023, it bodes well for 2024 that the first big game out the gate is as fantastic as Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown.
If you can’t tell, I loved Cat Quest 3; as I said I was already a fan of the series and this entry is its best. The Gentlebros is a small team of 8 developers but playing Cat Quest 3 you wouldn’t know it, there is even a local co-op option available to players. (I wasn’t able to test this but I have played the past games in co-op with my kids and it was a great time). The greatest thing about Cat Quest 3 is its simplicity, any level of gamer is able to pick this game up and jump in as its combat systems and exploration are easy to grasp and once you get sailing it’s extremely hard to put this one back in drydock.
This was a really genuinely touching story and there is a ton of payoff for players who are caught up with the series; especially the ending, while I have not played all the latest games, I am aware of the things that occurred in the last two games. I honestly can’t recommend this game enough for newcomers and longtime fans alike.
Split Fiction is a clear and early frontrunner for my Game of the Year for 2025. Every moment of this game was enjoyable, even just sitting on a bench and overlooking some epic landscape while the characters shared a bit about themselves.
If you have been waiting for the PS5 release then I am here to tell you that this game is going knock your socks off and I am not even on a PS5 Pro; I can only imagine how well it handles an adventure of this magnitude.
I honestly loved this game more than I thought I would. I’m not a huge fan of racing games or anything but much like Tony Hawk’s games this one just did something for me. The fun of pulling off tricks, or trying to keep my multiplayer high and see how many flips I can do before I hit the ground took me back to those days of trying to beat my little brothers score in Tony Hawk 2. Admittedly I prefer multiplayer, being able to put my skills against other people is fun to me, but as I said if you don’t enjoy other people the single player gives you the same experience with none of the folks. Crash Drive 3 is a lot of fun, it’s a great game to pick up have a little fun and move on till next time, but if you choose to stay longer you’ll find a ton of stuff to unlock and secrets to chase that will keep you busy for quite a while.
As tower defense games go, this should be the new gold standard as it’s chock full of strategy but levels that with being able to actually control your hero and let you go hands on with the action. Hopefully this one doesn’t get forgotten due to its exclusivity to Stadia because it will be a real shame if this is the last Orcs Must Die…especially since I am now a huge fan.