Another year, time for another list of games we're looking forward to. FWIW here's last year's thread.
I'm genuinely interested to see what everyone else is anticipating. I'm sure I've forgotten and/or overlooked some things. I'm making this initial list mostly for my own reference, so I can better keep track of what's coming that I actually care about.
I'll list everything by order of release date, so far as it's been announced.
Persona 3 Reload (February 2): Persona 3: FES was my first Persona game, and it's still a sentimental favorite. Safe to say that this remake is one I'm hotly anticipating (especially after they did not do justice to the Persona anniversary re-release). At this point it's been a decade and I've forgotten much of the main story (though @zombiepie's excellent_blogs have refreshed my mind somewhat) so I think the combination of novelty and nostalgia should really do it for me. I do feel fairly certain that Atlus will eventually pull their usual stunt of releasing a new version of the game 1-2 years later (which will hopefully include the currently missing Female MC), and if I was more disciplined, maybe I would wait for that. But who am I kidding... I'm definitely getting this one at launch.
Helldivers 2 (February 8): I did quite enjoy that first game. It's not entirely clear whether the change from isometric to 3rd-person over-the-shoulder will hurt or help with the immersiveness, but I'm willing to give it a shot. The gameplay and the humor are a potent combination that I hope won't be lost with the sequel.
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree (February?): A credible leak placed the release date in February, which makes a certain amount of sense, given that the original game came out in February 2022, so it would be the two-year anniversary. I'm definitely ready to dive back in to Elden Ring just as soon as this thing gets released.
Dragon's Dogma 2 (March 22): The first Dragon's Dogma not only had good gameplay, but the most insane ending, story-wise, to a videogame that I had ever seen. If the sequel is even half as good as the original, we're in for a good time.
Rise of the Rōnin (March 22): After being smitten with Nioh and Nioh 2, I was less impressed with Stranger of Paradise and Wo Long. That being the case, I don't think RotR will be a day 1 buy for me, but I'll surely be interested to see what the general reception is. If I have one wish for it, it's that Team Ninja will do away with any kind of randomized loot system, because they seem to suck at designing those.
Earth Defense Force 6 (Spring): EDF6 came out in Japan in August 2022. So far there has been no western release, but word is that it will get one sometime in 2024. It's not a game I'm going to pay full price for, but as soon as I see a half-off sale, I'll be happy to murder some giant alien insects, janky and low-budget as it all may be.
Hades 2 (Q2 Early Access): Hades 2 is supposed to enter early access in Q2 2024. Depending on what kind of discount/price they've got going, I may very well *buy* it then, though I'm not sure whether I'll actually want to start *playing* it until it's somewhere closer to complete. I certainly liked that first game as much as many other people on GB did, and so I'm naturally looking forward to the sequel.
Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII Remake: There are only a handful of games that have kept me playing to the next morning without realizing it. I distinctly remember a moment in my childhood when I was playing RotTK7 on my PS2 and kept playing "just one more turn" until there was light coming through the windows at about 7am, and I realized what a mistake I had made. TBH, I remember 7 and 10 more fondly than 8, but I still have the latter PS2 disc sitting in my shelf, and if this is the one they've decided to remake, that's fine with me. IMO these are some all-time great strategy games, largely unappreciated, and I'm looking forward to this remaster.
Xenonauts 2: I have very, very fond memories of playing the original X-COM: UFO Defense on the PS1 with my identical twin brother (available on Steam for $5, FWIW... or on sale for $1.24 through January 4, hint, hint... genuinely shocking how modern a 30-year-old game can feel). Xenonauts is basically a homage to that game, one that hews more closely to it than the more recent Firaxis remakes. The first Xenonauts was good, and the second one looks to be even better. It recently entered Steam early access, and I've mostly stayed away, waiting for a more final product. Not sure that it will actually happen in 2024, but regardless, I'm looking forward to the final release of this thing, whenever Goldhawk Interactive actually finishes it.
Hollow Knight: Silksong: This thing has been delayed a lot. Most recently it was slated for a Q1/Q2 2023 release, which clearly never happened. But it has to come out sometime... right? Right? IMO, that first game is the best 2D Souls-like there's been, with apologies to James Silva, and I can't wait to jump back in to a new Team Cherry adventure.
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