These are the only two new games I played this year, but they're both good. Only problem with Fallen Aces is that it's technically in Early Access and a lot of the content isn't done yet, but the good news is that the next update will have a free level editor, which will dramatically increase the lifespan of the game. I wish Boltgun, which came out last year, also had a level editor, but it seems they didn't want to go that route for whatever raisin.

>Helldivers 2 It started out really really great, and probably reignited a bit of my love for games, but the unexpected community explosion made it so the devs had to satisfy a very casual audience and they ended up ruining themselves on it overtime instead of having to invest development time on things that actually mattered. Not that they didn't launch glitchy things, but I bet the studio went in flames because of the popularity. 9/10 first week experience, now a 7/10. >Dragon's Dogma 2 Then came this disgusting piece of shit to ruin my view of the entire series so badly I can't even like the first one anymore, even though it used to be one of my favorite games. 3/10 bordering on going 1/10. Fuck this gay game.

Reminder that EDF 6 comes out in less than 2 weeks.

>>989782 I'll try to go over a few stand out games to me that I've played this year. I'm not gonna go super in-depth or whatever since I have things I need to do, but I feel like recommending some games to anons who're interesting in hearing what I have to say, Oh, and thank you Acid/Codexx for raising the character limit for posts. >Slave Zero X Pretty solid 2D action game with a actually well written gay subplot. I know some anons are gonna be super autistic about it since some of the devs are faggots despite one of the lead devs being an oldfag /agdg/ dev who worked on Devil Engine and went pro. Still, I had a lot of fun with this one despite its issues with super armor and how the second to lass boss was just super armor on steroids. That being said I wish the game had more moves to experiment with since you only have your single sword, and I can understand why as it's not an AAA game with a large multi-million dollar budget. Still, I'd like to see the game get some more love. >Tekken 8 As a newcomer to the series I had a lot of fun with it, although shit like the season pass and the Tekken shop really turned me off from the game. I stopped playing it since my friends who were playing it at the time stopped, and I can't find anyone on /v/, but I enjoyed the time I had with it. >Helldivers 2 Really solid MP version of MGSV, I would recommend it, but the game is dying due to some bad community management/Sony moves. >Dragons Dogma 2 I know this one is extremely controversial since it's technically a downgrade in some areas of the game, and doesn't have enough meat as the previous game. Although I highly enjoyed my first play through of the game that being said performance is 100% an issue, and I have to Switch to Windows in order to get decent performance. I would highly recommend it if you have a BEEFY RIG or something that can use Frame Generation on the Nvidia side of things, >Devil Blade Reboot Probably the best SHMUP of the year. It's not ball bustingly difficult but it's also not piss easy. As someone who's new to SHMUPs I highly recommend it, and it probably my GOTY along side DD2 so far. It's REALLY fun if you're going for score and value a high quality arcade shooting experience. I know I'm a babby for playing on normal mode, but I've been enjoying the game regardless and I know the SHMUP autists are calling it a masterpiece, so give it a go if you like these types of top down SHMUPS. >Penny's Big Breakaway Pretty solid Mario 64 clone, it doesn't really do anything new in the genre and Penny's sonic spindash move goes a bit slow for my taste, although I understand why they did it. I understand why some anons might avoid this one as it chooses to be politically correct when it comes to pronoun usage. That being said if you can overlook the PC autism, you'll end up with a highly enjoyable game. >Vividlope Really fun indie Puzzle game. I only played about 40 minutes of it since I got it around DD2 and haven't really put much tme into it. Although it feels like a fun quirky SEGA dreamcast like puzzle game that you can play in short bursts and just have some classic fun with. >Ghost Trick Really well designed game, I know it was technically released years ago on the NDS, but this is the first time I'm playing it and I really enjoyed it. It's a really well polished puzzle game with some clever mechanics and well written story telling. That being said I kinda wish its launch wasn't hit with the bullshit enigma controversy since I don't know if the game sold well, and I would like to see an expansion on its gameplay concept someday, although at the same time the same could probably be said for a lot of capcom games like God Hand and Power Stone. >Bat Boy Really fun Megaman clone, although get it in a bundle or on sale as its published by DANGAN who are basically nicalis tier and fuck over developers. Highly recommended as a pirate. I had a lot of fun with it and I really like the waifus, although the fact is that the publisher is really, REALLY bad news. That being said, I got the game in a bundle offer, and I don't regret it since I think the game was really well done and had some really fun moves where your character would progressively get new moves as the game went on. There's even a new game plus mode where you can play with all the moves unlocked and can just have fun with the game. >Touhou Artifical Dream in Arcadia I just picked this one up on a Steam sale, if you like old school SMT, do NOT skip this one out. It's really well designed and the game is a ton of fun. The game is still being updated with the dev going on to make a dungeon editor, and hopefully will continue to add some more content to the game afterwards, although I think it's more likely a Hotline Miami 2 situation where the dev will focus on making other games, I'd say this is my GOTY of this year, but it released towards the end of 2023. Still, it's most likely the best traditional RPG you can get this year and is highly recommended for fans of SMT. >Sanabi This is a 2D story focused platformer with a solid gameplay loop and a solid story. I really liked this one and also highly recommend it if you have the money to purchase it. Just keep in mind that this is NOT an indie, but rather a low budget experimental title from Neowiz. Still this game was really good and the true ending made me feel a feeling. Really solid game if you like grappling hook mechanics in video games >Onirism I have no idea what the fuck I'm supposed to do, but it's a really fun FPS/TPS action game where you play as a little french girl who's actually really fun to play as. Another thing I like is that you unlock most of your weapons in the first act of the game, so experimentation is great for those who like exploring the game world and fucking around with things. Dev hates cunny posting sadly, so don't expect the typical cute and funny lolicon shit from the game. >Wanted Dead I liked this game, but I'm currently stuck in a mission where one of the mini-bosses is extremely unfun to kill since he has a ton of super armor and bullets barely do any damage in this game. Perfectly acceptable if you want a solid game to fuck around with for a few hours and then fuck off to play something better. Just don't go in expecting NInja Gaiden levels of quality when it comes to combat >Ghost of Tsushima Pretty solid, I don't really have the drive to really give it an in-depth look since despite being competently made, I find it has a lot of the same tropes as SSS budget level games, which to me aren't really that appealing, but at least it does a few things interesting with the core gameplay. Probably the best experience you're gonna get if you want a Japanese Assassins Creed game since Ubisoft can't make games worth a damn anymore >Megaton Musashi W Solid mecha shooting game, just don't go in expecting a mecha masterpiece with Armored Core/Daemon X Machina levels of freedom when it comes to movement since the Mecha's basically feel like normal people but with special moves that you can combo into, but don't really have an incentive to switch up your playstyle. Get this one on a sale if you already own most of the games I mentioned, or are looking for a fun mecha customization game. I would recommend waiting for the new Gundam game that comes out next month since if it's better than New Breaker then it'll eat this games lunch money. Then again I've never played the Gundam Breaker games since 3 wasn't on PC for some reason.

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>XDefiant It's basically CoD but F2P and has skills that you can use as a way to mix up the gameplay. If you want a popcorn shooter but don't want to pay 60 dollars for the new Call of Duty game nor do you want to get a gamepass sub, then this is a game I'd recommend for short bursts. Just don't expect to unlock any weapons for a while since they're hidden behind challenges and shit instead of the traditional level system. >Ninja Gaiden Black I just got into this game recently, and while I was doing well for a while. Chapter six really kicked my ass with the exploding knives shit. I was able to beat it by countering the ninjas when they did their combos, although don't go into this game expecting Nioh on steroids, this is a completely different beast to Dork Souls and any of those games. If Normalfags think Elden meme and souls games are hard then they should play Ninja Gaiden as that game eats Soulsfags lunch. >Mr Domino NO ONE CAN STOP HIM >Ace Combat 3 JPN Really fun game, I'm currently in my first play-through of this game, the SMT Touhou game I mentioned and Resident Evil 4, and I'm heavily enjoying all three of them. That being said I'm surprised how well AC3 is made mechanically speaking since my first AC game was Ace Combat 4 and I was basically taught how to play the game by the tutorial in the games menu. From there I went AC4 > AC5 > AC:0 Merc > AC 7 > Project Wingman. I want to do another play-through of AC:0 after I'm done with this fan translation of AC3, although It probably won't happen for a while since I also have EDF6 coming on the horizon, and I'll probably be focused on that as the game comes out really soon. >Resident Evil 4 I'm really enjoying this one as well. It's my first play-though and I really like the game. That being said it doesn't drive me in like DMC3 did after the first Vergil fight, but I've been really enjoying the game when I've been playing it and reinstalled the HD mod in order to have a better experience when it comes to graphics. I also like how Leon stops and shoots which gives it a more realistic feel despite being a really campy game. I feel it has a nice mix of realism and campy action goodness. I'm at the part where I just reunited with Ada and seeing her in game for the first time, so I've been looking forward to see what comes next with the game. >Bomb Rush Cyberfunk I'm also having quite a bit of fun with this game although while I would recommend it by itself. I don't know how it compares to JSR by itself since I haven't played that game yet. Still I've had quite a bit of fun progressing through the story and spamming the right stick to make some cool graffiti on the walls of the city. You can tell the devs really were going all in with the JSR influence and have a pretty solid soundtrack to go with it. >Robocop: Rogue City I know this is technically cheating since I started it in 2023 but finished it in January of 2024, but I cannot recommend this game enough. It's a really solid game where it makes you really feel like you're playing as Robocop. Honestly, I'd like to see the devs of this game make a mecha FPS since there's a lot in Robocop they could use for a really cool mecha FPS. I know they're rumored to be working on another licensed movie game, although I really hope they make a mecha game as an original IP one of these days as Robocop is a great game where you play as a slow moving wall of destruction, where it feels more like a light gun game than a traditional FPS. It's just a really well done game with a LOT of respect to the source material. >Batman Arkham Asylum I know this is a really old action stealth game, but I haven't played the first one in years, and while I assume most anons have already beat the trilogy, I haven't even finished the first game. That being said I understand why people love this game since it's a love letter to TAS Batman and the characters surrounding it, even if it's not a TAS related project. Still I probably won't finish this one for a while since I have other games I want to finish like Resident Evil 4 and Ace Combat 3 in addition to newer games coming out like Akiimbot and Earth Defense Force 6, although I'd recommend anyone who hasn't already played the game to give it a good look. There's probably some other games like Sparl and KinnikuNeko that I've missed, but I'm about to hit the character limit, so that's all I ha

>>989812 Oh, and I separated each mini review to make things more legible. Please forgive me for reddit spacing anon-sama. I kneel

>>989782 I played both Helldivers 2 and Dragon's Dogma 2. I disliked them both. Overrated garbage. >Helldivers 2 Got boring fighting the same enemies over and over. And it was just PvE with no good story to make up for the lack of PvP. >Dragon's Dogma 2 Some of the worst lore and worldbuilding I've ever seen in a video game. Horrible boring game fighting the same enemies with a terrible plot/writing.

>>989824 Apparently with DD2 the localization fucked up the lore, at least it did with the Seneschal reveal in the game. Still it doesn't excuse the lack of enemies and performance issues.

>>989824 >I disliked Dragon's Dogma 2. Overrated garbage. Some of the worst lore and worldbuilding I've ever seen in a video game. Horrible boring game fighting the same enemies with a terrible plot/writing. Dragon's Dogma 2 is overshilled, not overrated. Unless you think picrel's overrated? It's rated almost like shovelware.

>>989920 >>989827 >>989824 >>989803 Reminder to complain in survey about all the shit ("body type", no lolis, denuvo/engima protector killing performance, limited skills, no layering). If Capcom is doing a second survey and one this long an open period (started last month, goes end of August) they care. https://jp.research .net/r/P_DD2?lang=en

>>989930 I did, I doubt they take the complaints written out into account at all, and I doubt that they will fix the several atrocious game design choices by the time the DA equivalent launches, but I still filled it in. God, I hate this game. I seriously wish it was never announced, the original one had its niche and was decent for its own time, but this came bad enough to sour everything inside me.

>>989798 oh survivor is very good, I keep returning to it. Each class feels distinct, just wish there wasn't some little crevice that prevents your character from moving (got killed a few times by that)

>>990046 also forgot to add about survivor is the fact a recent update added a ton of game mods like a longer mission. Helldivers 2 had a lot of potential but alas it's the classic case of swedish devs that don't play their game past early difficulty, have an holier than thou attitude and are hellbent on giving use peashooters because YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DIE LOL. The sony problem got quickly memoryholed by the bootlickers but shown their real faces, the boss trying to save his popularity on twitter just like discord moderators was hilarious to see. And finally the warbond system is extremely cancerous if you don't farm like an autist

>>989920 IGN was comparing it to Skyrim. Which to me is a bullshit overrated take.

>>989920 To be fair, Steam reviews for AAA games that are negative are usually about performance, crashes, bugs, DRM like Denuvo, and technical issues rather than the game sucking.

>>990545 >negative are usually about performance, crashes, bugs, DRM like Denuvo, and technical issues rather than the game sucking. Boy, this comment didn't age well.

Mullet Madjack is a video game and its fun

>>989782 Best f2p game of the year.

>>1008858 I like it, it does show how the Post Void style can get pretty repetitive, and the thin excuse for some sorta philosophical point whimpers out, but man do I love the Moderator's one liners.

>>989782 Crime Scene Cleaner was great. Only other two things I've sunk hours into is the DLC for WOTR where Cami so very much wants to stab you and finished up Samurai Remnant. Otherwise it's mostly games from last year.

>Elden meme's DLC >Granblue Relink >Helldivers 2

Dragon's Dogma 2, Helldivers 2, and the Elden Ring DLC.

emberward, veritus, quest master, hd2, balatro

Rise of the Ronin for Playstation 5.

>>989812 >Onirism >I have no idea what the fuck I'm supposed to do Tell me where you are, I can guide you. >Another thing I like is that you unlock most of your weapons in the first act of the game Define "First act", because if you mean "up to the treetops", you didn't unlock even a third of the shit at the store.

>>1008989 The gameplay loop, cinematic and operator are great. The story is irrelevant. Bosses are pretty easy. Making a dark synth/electronic setlist goes amazingly great with the game. "Lustful sacramets" by Perturbator goes great with it.

I had fun, I hope Space Marine 2, Sparking Zero and STALKER 2 are decent Waiting for The Scramble Vice and Firestorm X

>>1009202 >Sparking Zero As long as it keeps the same "depth" of gameplay as Sparking! Meteor it should be fine. If they fuck that up and reuse the same 1 button mash+watch cinematic type of gameplay (popularized by the ultimate ninja storm games), it's going to be absolute shit.

>Kingdom Come Deliverance Impressive Switch port albeit the occasional crashes are its biggest issue, had four of them happening in-game for a total of 50 hours. It's a fun and immersive game even if a bit janky at times. >Earth Defense Force World Brothers 2 Fun spinoff which is more or less the same as the previous game, with more enemies & squad characters as well as a few QoL features. >Ace Combat 7 10 out of 10 Switch port, pretty much a carbon copy of the game I once played long ago on PC. >Earth Defense Force 6 Sole PC release I'm bothering this year but it's also my most anticipated title. Game unfortunately got its momentum destroyed by the poor implementation of EOS (which was used in Japan for the PS4/PS5 crossplay) so I only played the offline part of the game. It's a better EDF5 when it comes to the pacing itself and the mission packs are balls hard. There are several titles released this year that caught my interest but I'm waiting to clear out my backlog of older titles first: >Unicorn Overlord >Uma Musume Pretty Derby Hot-Blooded Chaotic Festival >Gundam Breaker 4 >Famicom Detective Club Emio >Rusted Moss >Iwakura Aria >Dokyuusei 1 remake >Touhou Mystia's Izakaya >Rajirugi 2 >Shiren 6 >Bar Stellar Abyss >Game Center CX 1+2 Replay

This looks fun

>>1009206 That kind of game got popularized by Tenkaichi, CC2's games just made it worse by making the cutscenes padded to shit.

>>1009223 Cute. There needs to be more cute vampire games.

>>1008847 He said "usually".

>>1009253 I know. They were a lot of step backwards, gameplaywise, from the sparking games. The animation were cool but they interrupt the gameplay (or lack there off) that is off putting. Worst thing is they never got better.

>>1009334 Specially when you compare how much better the gameplay (and overall experience)in sparking neo (T2) to its predecesor got.

>>1009336 Fuck yes, T1 was janky shit I really loved it when it came out as it was a fucking fully 3D with all kinds of movement fuckery. But goddamn, T2 and T3 were improvements in pretty much all aspects to the point that T1 feels like a fucking tech demo. I'm still amazed on how Spike Chunsoft was able to fit all that content on the PS2s DVDs 4.7GB filesize limit. It blows my fucking mind even today.

>>989782 >Dragon's Dogma 2 I've had considerable time to play the game and reflect on it, and the differences between 2 and the original. My final statement on it is that it is a poor sequel. It got rid of too many core components of the original that defined DD as a unique game to overlook. The gameplay, story, map, and music of 2 are somehow worse than a older game (many such cases). No DLC can save Dragon's Dogma 2.

>>1039570 it reeks of being unfinished and or rushed out by the publisher/bosses.

>>1039570 Its one step forward in some areas (combat, scaling enemies, bigger world, quests) and two step backwards (enemy variety, story, worldbuilding, retarded requirements). It ended up being diet MonHun. I'd be fine with nothing but good story and explaining the path of arisen but it doesn't even do that

Just finished this recently, this was a very solid 3D platformer/collecaton that feels amazing to control, if it wasn' for Nine Sols, this would be my GOTY so far. Still, there's still december and with the release of Anton Blast and me downloading alot of games released this year that I haven't played, I could have a new goty.

>>1046172 That Taxi is Crazy.

>>1046174 It is loco for the booba.

I've been just playing the same games for years. If it counts maybe the Anomaly DLC for Rimworld?

>>1039570 >>1039578 DD2 is one of those games where I struggle to point my finger as to what exactly is wrong with it like a bad taste in your mouth that you cannot explain in depth. Hopefully there'll be BBI tier DLC but seeing as Itsuno left Capcom to pursue other pastures not only explains a lot but also does not inspire hope.

>>1039570 As much as I want to say it was Capcom, I have to concede this weird mess was probably Itsuno's doing. People forget how many of DD1's problems were fixed by an expansion he had nothing to do with, and how many of those same mistakes are present in DD2. Kento Kinoshita should have been DD2's director.

>>989803 here, adding indies that technically released this year but were in early access before. >V Rising Every day is a day to mourn Battlerite, but V Rising is unironically a pretty good game that was made with love. The Dracula fight is fucking amazing and worth experiencing the entire game before just for it because it's that good, and the game before is nice as well. If there were some way to engage with the PVP without the Rust grindy experience I think it would be nice, but I can see why it also makes sense to be there. One of these days I might go into a PVP server to mess around, probably when 1.1 launches. >Core Keeper It's more Terraria for fans of Terraria, with a bit of a few more unique spins. I'd hoped there were more mods by now, but the game is reasonably fun as is. I haven't completed it just yet, but I also haven't played it too much either. It's still a pretty decent game, just haven't fully clicked to finish it which just means it's likely I'm getting old. >Elden Ring DLC It's more Elden Ring so it's okay. Haven't finished yet. Good lord, was this year awful. Not a single decent large release other than HD2.

>>1046953 play dd2 might like it lmao, you post like students who did no homework

>>1047056 What are you, a high-schooler? Do your homework kid, go away.

>>1047058 i'm a high scholar cause i just schooled you, no-dd2