Discovering this channel this year and binge watching ALL your vids, has rejuvenated my hope in detailed, fresh intellectual gaming reviews /breakdowns! 🎉 Thank you gor all what you do! I look forward to hearing your views on how the new SOR5 might pan out!
Oh I love when viewers go through and binge watch the channel ❤ I m really curios how sor5 will turn out as well, as 4 was a pretty great release. But you never know what lessons or ideas a dev might have for better or worse until we have the game in our hands ha
Ha yeah though I think even the bros have to admit that bayo 3 just was not a good action game. It s bloated with tons of mini games and essentially qte sequences and the combat has been morphed into this lame fight from a distance fish for witch time and use summoms flow.
hey Mark thank you for all the amazing content this year, it feels like you are one of the last hardcore gamers on youtube, I hope the new year brings you a lot of success so you can keep doing what you (and us!) love
Thank you for the really kind comment Rex :-) I'm really excited to see what happens with the channel next year as I have a lot of cool video plans already
Your channel owns! you talk like a true spirit and connaiseur of video games, and rejuvenate my passion for action games. Thanks to your review of Resident Evil 5, I too rediscover this classic, did a playthroug with my beloved and praticed a lot of menu reloads :P! Happy new Year Marc!
Great video Mark as always! Also, I'd like to request your next 1cc video: Hotdog Storm, it's a hidden gem shmup IMO and havent seen anyone talk about it yet, there aren't as many hotdogs as I'd like, but still the name alone warrants a playthrough IMO
RE5 mercs is really good but I think it also illustrates how disappointing the main game is by comparison. In contrast, I think a lot of the things surrounding Wanted: Dead's gameplay makes the game more interesting. Regardless, when the RE5 Remake comes out I suspect we are going to see some really bad hot takes about the original RE5 from influencers who barely even played the game.
RE5 was my first RE game I ever beat, and is one of the best coop experiences I ever had. I've played through it countless times. I have never ever touched Mercenaries mode. Looks like I need to check it out.
@@TetsuoIronMan RE5 Mercenaries, from a gameplay standpoint, is probably peak for the series. I personally just have issues with RE5 boss design, art design, story, encounter design. The actual gameplay is great and its a fun co-op for the most part but I think RE4 is way better.
Omg I can just imagine the reviews and comments about resi5 when the remake comes out, how it revivied a deeply flawed game or whatever ha. I ll def cover resi 5 remake when it comes out though
Void Stranger is my personal GOTY. I played games that were "better" than it this year, but none of them made me go as insane as Void Stranger did. It's funny. Based on my very limited experience, there were two types of people who evangelized the game: Shmup fans who loved Zero Ranger, and people who love deliberately obtuse narrative games like Pathologic and Lobotomy Corporation. Not exactly a venn diagram that overlaps frequently!
Great list! Void Stranger was my personal favorite this year. I’m glad I’ve really gotten into shmups this past year and found your channel. I don’t always agree with your lists or takes but it’s nice to see my perspective on things being challenged :)
Oh yeah void stranger is really cool! It s insane how much content that game has! Also I m glad you are enjoying shmups now! I know my tastes won't always line up with my viewers, but the discussion around taste for me is just as important as picking out what games I like :-)
It would be nice to hear what you have to say about the original Bayonetta, it is definitely one of my favorite games and Dodge Offset is one of the coolest mechanics that I know of. It completely changes how the game feels, you can just hold the button and wait for the right moment to dodge and then continue the combo for the Wicked Weave. It's really fun to do with the Scarborough Fair guns and the unlockable Sai Fung gunchucks. I also hope you'll talk about Vanquish and especially its hardest difficulty, God Hard. It removes the upgrade system of the lower difficulties which is a good thing imo because the upgrade system disincentivizes you to use different weapons and the grenades/EMPs to their fullest. I used to think the hardest difficulty was kind of busted because you die so fast and easily but after trying it more I don't really think that anymore. If you use all the tools that are available to you, the mode becomes manageable though still really difficult. It would also be really cool if you talked about the Smilebit Xbox games, namely Gunvalkyrie and Panzer Dragoon Orta. Both are really challenging and well-designed games that people don't talk much about. I haven't played enough of Gunvalkyrie but I think it might be the best movement-based third person shooter I know of next to Vanquish.
I have good news, I am definitely working on a bayo 1 video and will be comparing it to the rest of the series for sure. I think this is really needed to give more contexf to the changes and decline of the series since the awesome first game
@@TheElectricUnderground here me out, mark. don't you think playing as V in dmc5 is a bit underrated? i think he kinda improves the game. V makes dmc5 less about styling on boring enemies, and more about using the familiars effectively to not die. in that way, it brings dmc just a little bit close to ninja gaiden. even the way you have to execute enemies as V reminds me of obliteration techniques. his play style takes a little getting used to, but i think it's great once you get it down. this is coming from a ninja gaiden and metal gear rising revengeance fan. i'm not big into dmc, but i really like playing as V in dmc5.
@@nanashi384 Problem with V is: it's wwwaaay to easy. The moment you understand you can mash every button to get S rank it's over (on every difficulty). It discourage you to improve on its playstyle.
@@filloriza7079 that has not been my experience with V at all. if anything, i think what you say applies to dante, virgil, and nero. i can't get away with mindless button mashing with V. when i was playing as V, i actually took the time to consider what the moves do and in which situation they're best used in. i even went as far to remap some of the controls to make it easier for me. also, i occasionally letting griffin to do it's thing auto mode while i focus on shadow(more depth right there). i think V hit the character action summon combat out of the park. it seems like mark doesn't think it can work, but i think V falls into some of what the @TheElectricUnderground says are good. positioning is a big thing with V. i don't really like devil may cry, but i love playing as V
I found your channel through BestGuyEver's podcast a couple of months ago and I've really been enjoying watching every video, even as someone who isn't a shmup guy. I'm a huge fan of Void Stranger and was looking to watch your stream of it but I can't manage to find the VODs. Have they been taken down? Either way, really excited to watch whatever you put out next
Very good list! I'd love to know your opinion on what you'd think would make AC6 cross the line to become special for you? I very much enjoyed myself with it and thought it has a lot of potential to build on a whole gen based on this instalment. Had issues for sure like with chapter 1 pacing and some weapon balance but overall I thought it was great. A lot of interesting mechanics under the hood too. Happy new year!
I would really like to hear some talks about the original Bayo since most people didn't play the game at the Infinite Climax level. I am not trying to be an elitist, but I feel that Kamiya's games were mostly designed and balanced with the highest difficulty in mind and then retroactively downgraded into normal difficulty. Thus talking about Bayo with its default difficulty sounds quite boring to me. Personally I think Bayo is a great case of looking at dynamic cameras vs static ones. Granted I only played about 100 hours or so of this game, but the cameras can really piss me off sometimes. I feel you always walk between abusing the camera(off-camera enemies didn't attack) or getting abused by the cameras(enemies jumped into the camera etc, don't get me started with three Joys, like wtf) Large enemies can give you souls like camera experience. Over the years I really begin to hate babysitting the cameras and even punching the enemies out of the edge in 2D games piss me off since I didn't see the point. In fast-paced action games, the cameras tend to have its own will and like to spin around against your will, it feels as unpredictable as the lock-on system in DMC. As a side note, I really wish Nioh didn't have those diablo/wow loot system so I could actually enjoy the game. What a shame.
I really appreciate games that are designed around the highest difficulty, where that is the most fun and interesting way to play. I think Treasure’s games like Alien Soldier and both Sin and Punishment games do a really good job with that.
still disagree with you on AC6, i think time will treat it exceptionally well (agreed on everything else though) but i will always respect your opinion. your perspective is vital, thanks for making these videos
Yea I just don’t like the reasoning that no one is talking about it. Not a lot of people are talking about wanted dead but that wasn’t a factor in deciding if it was a good game or not.
6:48 He didn't really say what exactly made him leave but I'd bet the directors saying that they want to focus more on GAAS after their biggest commercial and critical failure ever was a GAAS was the bigger factor here.
I love your lists man! I may not agree with all of it but it's refreshing to see a no BS list of actual games you like, as opposed to just putting a bunch of the obvious AAA titles on there like a lot of other video game content creators do.
Thank you very much my dude! Yes it s sort of funny and annoying that most best of lists from youtubers are just the big releases shuffled into some kind of order, rather a reflection of the critics tastes and interests. These types of lists should actually say more about the critic than they do the games themselves :-) thanks for the kind comment ❤
wanted dead is great thank you Mark. i ve finished all difficulties and now wish for more content. i hate boss battles and everything between stages, but the main gameplay is magnificent and pure poetry. when you get how the game works and start to execute properly it becomes john wick but with nice girl (im also in love with Fee Marie Zimmermann now btw😳). and overall "the room" technical execution and nice ost both add individuality in good way. all thats left for now - 1cc space runaway
That s awesome my dude! Congrats on the clears! 🎉 the boss battles are on the weaker side for sure, but it is fun how you can lock them down or cheese them in various ways ha
Man, I love that you enjoyed the Mercenaries mode so much! I love the mode and wonder if you would enoy the merc mode of Resi6 with advanced melee and dodge moves. The game gets a bad rep but the actual gameplay is amazing!
No way Bayo 3 is a step down from 2. The combat in 3 is absolutely off the wall bonkers in the best way, brimming with creativity. The demon slave system is awesome and the weapon list is absolutely nuts. Bayo 2 has the most watered down combat of the series, neuters player expression. 3 is way more fun despite its low points
Resident evil 5 is great. If you get bored, try ps move controls on ps3 for a new experience, its like RE4 WII. Also mercenary mode is so fun with point and shoot arcade controls
Yes! The game is really fun to play with gyro controls on the deck and switch. Though when you get used to the core combat of mercs mode, you won't get bored 😊
RE5 is miserable to play on the PS3, the framerate is so bad (sub-30fps about 90% of the time) that it makes aiming a pain and the game is nauseating to play because of how choppy the framerate is.
I still haven't played Bayonetta 3 yet, but I will at some point. I'm actually in the camp where I like 2 better than the original, If only by a slight margin because it's a bit less punishing. The original is awesome, but there are sections that were just maddening to me because of how difficult they were. In particular, some of the Alfheim challenges were so difficult, and a few of them took me literally dozens of attempts to get them complete. That's when a game stops being fun to me, and I am tempted to tap out. But I pushed through because the game was otherwise so good that it carried me through. The sequel being less frustrating was good for me. But I understand why purists prefer the original and why the sequel was a letdown by comparison.
There s no big hurry to play bayo 3 honestly. Even if you aren't as cranky as me, the game is still really mediocre. Even on a more basic content level the game is a hot mess
Fun video. On the topic of Wo Long, I kinda trust Team Ninja and have a strong feeling that the hate for the game is unwarranted, but I have not played it yet either so can't really say. :/ I'm working on Blue Revolver Parallel right now myself, so it'll be cool seeing that (and Gunvein, of course)
It's not terrible or anything, but it feels funky to me and I think maybe the games was kind of rushed. I do plan on giving stranger of paradise some time in 2024 though :-)
I think the big problem with wo long is that it is a step back from nioh 2 and stranger of paradise in almost every way. It runs like garbage even after all this time, the combat system feels like it was designed for the boss fights but not the regular enemies, it has less depth than previous team ninja games in terms of your characters offensive and defensive options, the element system which is interesting on paper is barely utilized in the actual gameplay etc.,
Wo Long Fallen Dynasty was pretty bad. I never sell my games after I'm finished with them and I sold it immediately after beating it. It had the same inventory issues as Nioh but what REALLY made the game bad for me was constant connection issues that cost my friend and I several hours of game progress. We kept losing connection to the server and then had to go through the entire level from the beginning all over again. I could understand once or twice but this was a consistent issue throughout the game and it was just completely inexcusable by the end.
@@TheElectricUndergroundno idea how you'll feel about it, but I LOVED SoP, even if it's firmly below both Niohs to me. The way it implements guards and parries is so much more engaging with more trade-offs and decisions than most "parry focused games," and the class system has a TON of variety. Plus, I'll say it: The story and writing is rad. Video game scripts don't need to be some sort of "sad dad walks through snow" melodrama to be good. Its got heart and puts a grin on my face, what else do you need?
@@Galaxy40k I'm curious as to why a lot of Nioh players (Or fans of that specific gameplay) prefer Nioh 1 and 2 over SoP because I'm of the opposite experience, I played Nioh 1 first and didn't like it and never bothered with Nioh 2. The game felt too bloated and unfocused in both it's gameplay and storytelling, at least that's how it was to me. I picked up Stranger of Paradise about a week after it first came out and I personally found it so much better. Stranger of Paradise feels like Nioh but with a lot less bloat and with actual focus in both it's story and game design. Jack is a much better protagonist than William and making builds wasn't too overly complicated like it was in Nioh 1, especially with the Job System. I have like 15+ builds in SoP whereas I only had like 2 or 3 in Nioh 1. I tried to return to Nioh 1 after SoP but I find myself not having fun again, is it not for me or am I missing something?
I'd love to see a more longform react/review for Void Stranger! I was surprised at how much I ended up enjoying it, and without spoiling anything, it definitely has a certain undervalued appeal for those that aren't typically puzzle gamers.
That would be a really fun project! It would be difficult for me as I m not as versed in puzzle games, but the game is really cool and deserves more attention
Great video, as always! Love that you gave Void Stranger a nod, thats my undisputed GOTY; theres nothing quite like it. Quick Q: Whats the name of the channel that did a Lies of P video? It sounds like "eris," but nothing comes up when I search that. If they're a fellow Gameplay Chad channel, I've got to check it out, haha.
Oh the channel is aris from avoiding the puddle. He used to make this amazing podcast about tekken (still worth revisiting) but became a pretty big streamer and now mostly plays dark souls and stuff like that. So avoiding the puddle is the channel but sadly his content is mostly just random clips these days
I felt crazy playing Wo Long. Thought I was missing something. Every part of the combat felt bad. Loved Wanted: Dead. I would've had no idea how to play w/o watching your video. So fun.
Wanted Dead is such a cool game. Glad I gave it a shot recently after hearing the endless praise on the Channel! I'd have to say Void Stranger and Gravity Circuit were my favorite new games this year.
I didnt intend on being the game's big defender, but here we are ha! I had such a great time with it that I hope more people give it a fair shot rather than immediately dismissing it as garbage
I'll give you my top 5 flops and favs beat'em up of 2023: Top 5 Flops 5- Asterix & Obelix: Slap em All! 2 (after the first one, I wasn't really expecting a good game, but they've sill managed to make it worse!) 4- Hi-Fi Rush (badly paced with way too much 3D platforming sections, actual combats offer good feedbacks but no real interesting decisions in-the-moment) 3- Wo-Long (another boss rush with simple Souls mechanics and levels that feel like time-wasting fillers) 2- Double Dragon Gaiden (It's enjoyable... for like 3 hours. I don't understand all the praise) 1- Bayonetta 3 (one of the worst pacing I've seen in the genre, combined with one of the worst balance and a pretty bad enemy-design) Top 5 Favs 5- Skinny and Franko (a mix of goods and bads but an overall cohesive and unique experience, very grounded, very violent, pretty satisfying) 4- En Garde! (quite active and fun gameplay for such a small game, even if it won't remain on your hard drive for long) 3- Sifu's DLCs (the devs have been very generous with this well-designed free mission mode!) 2- Wanted: Dead (counters might be a bit too strong but the gameplay is still solid and they nailed the level design. The only thing that hurts the pacing are those forced interludes between levels... "Neunundneuzig luftabllons auf irem weg zum horizont...") 1- Solas City Heroes (need to put my boy Mr. Z up there! :) )
@@soratheorangejuicemascot5809 Only interesting for the mature content, not for the actual gameplay. But I love his approach of letting the players customize everything and the iterative nature of his games that let him pour a lot of content into them.
Og resi 5 is such a fun game. I really hope it gets more love and appreciation before the remake comes out because you know the reviews are going to say that resi5 og is bad and the remake "fixes" it, I can see the video titles now ha
I don't think Kamiya quit Platinum because of B3 but despite B3 imo, especially if you are familiar with W101 you would see the same mini-game/spectacle obsession easily.
yeah the director of Bayo 3 was one of the lead designers under Kamiya on Wonderful 101 and you can definitely tell. Kamiya presumably left because of some kind of disagreement with the Project G.G. game he was directing.
Miyazaki could show up to my house personally, tell me he’s working on Bloodborne 2 and also hand me a million dollars cash and I wouldn’t shriek and howl like Nintendo fans when literally anything is announced at a Direct.
Final fantasy 16 is a significantly shittier game than bayonetta 3. I don’t get that comparison. FF 16 has no substance, barely any different mobs, just nothing. It’s basically a movie
I am extremely surprised how slept on fire emblem engage has been this year. I don't think I've seen a single person mention it when discussing 2023's best releases, even though I think it is one of the most well designed srpgs that has come out in quite some time, and arguably the best fire emblem game since radiant dawn in 2007.
Fire Emblem Engage is the only modern FE game I wanna try. Awakening to Three Houses feels of for me. As someone who loves Yggdra Union, I gotta give it a try since I hear that Engage isnt as too into stories.
Good list. Personally gotta disagree on RE5 though. What few cool ideas it has just feels muddied by how boring and uninspired it’s level design can be. It’s a game I can only say I like with some heavy caveats applied to it, like mercenaries mode is fun, but mercenaries mode is almost always fun, and I wouldn’t say it’s any better or worse than any other iteration of the game mode, and coop is cool, but it’s never really fully taken advantage of in the campaign. RE5 overall isn’t bad, but I’d rather play any other mainline RE
Yes I hope I explained the science of the Flop ratio where I had to be excited for the game as well as annoyed by it. And in the case of Resident Evil 4 remake, I didn't expect I would like it that much to begin with, but what really got me fired up were all the reviews and discussion around the game that ignore the merits of the original game an acted like remake with some kind of outright Improvement . If everyone recognized how much of a step down remake is to original 4 I would have a less passionate review ha
I kind of agree with AC6. It's a good game but perhaps my expectations were too high. I felt like the stance system made a lot of fights feel too samey and not reward customization. Once you figure it out the whole game is solved, where in previous games it felt like you might have to retune your build at any moment.
Yeah ac6 was a game that sort of tugged at my interest more than most because of the arcade style of the mech genre (at least from the virtua on side) and so even though the game is good and most people will enjoy it, it did feel a bit mainstream in terms of its design decisions. I was really hoping for that x factor
I really appreciate your takes and as a armored core vet, i agree, part 6 is underwhelming as hell transitioning from last raven, to for answered, to verdict day; 3 different iterations of a terriffic mecha paradise. It's a shame fromsoftware fumbled hard by trying to jampack old mechanics locked behind ability chips (quick turn) and implementing sekiro soulslike meter mechanics that makes the game play different from its older counterparts....
Wonderful top 5. I LOVE Wanted: Dead. I can't wait to see new content they are talking about. You've hit the nail on the head with Wo Long and Bayo 3. Thanks god i'm not alone! Bayo3 really left me speechless. It's just a... mess. Even worse: an unfunny one. Definitely gonna check Universe, thank you! I'm glad to have found someone with similar tastes.
Time to group hug in the W:D discord 😆. Would love to see these lists extended to 10, or some honourable mentions. Would definitely love more games discovery 😊.
I really liked Wo Long. Great game imo, the Lu Bu fight was nuts. Now Strangers of Paradise..I couldn't get into that one, and like you, I love Team Ninja. If you only played the Wo Long demo, give the full game a shot, it will grow on you. It really is Nioh 3 in a way.
Wait how come Bayo 3 is on here when it came out 2022? Also i dont think its core combat is nearly as bad as you make it out to be. They added in a ton of tech from 1 that was missing in 2 and gave the player so many more offensive options and depth its unreal. That being said I agree that every good aspect of it is burried beneath tons of mini games, a lame story and a shallow second character
I'm loving MKII Remix even though I've fallen out of MK. I realized too, my SnackBox is making me try a bunch of fighting games. It's like the shoulder buttons on a controller were always a barrier for me. I mainly play SF6 but, I have like 15 fighting games now. Try Dong Dong Never Die lol.
Yeah I think there is probably some meat to the game that I could go back and enjoy, but it felt like an overall step back from nioh. I still love team ninja though, sometimes a great dev can try something new with mixed results. I m gonna cover stranger in paradise this year though ha
@@TheElectricUnderground I really encourage you try it again. It’s insane how many people I can see reviewing the game or talking about it and by their clips I can tell they don’t understand how the combat works or how it should be played. Cool, looking forward to seeing stranger of paradise. I haven’t gotten around to that one yet
I definitely need to give Void Stranger a chance. I enjoy puzzle games, but I haven't played that many that recently. I played Baba Is You, loved it, never finished it. I played A Monster's expedition, loved it, never finished it. I don't even consider myself that dumb, but you get hard stuck on a puzzle, it can be discouraging to continue playing.
Nice lists. My problem with AC6 is with its pvp, I know every generation is different, but the pvp felt like a step back compared to the previous games (especially 5th gen pvp), it really felt like they just added it for the sake of it, rather than put effort in, the single player campaign however is great. I started playing RE5 mercs this year too, its that old school arcade capcom fun, and its got me wondering about re6 mercs mode, I'll need to try that out soon, it seems these modes are where the true fun is to be had with these action RE games, rather than survival horror.
Why? Resident Evil 4 Remake was RE4, but better. I’m sure they will upgrade RE5 at its finest. I’f you’re one of those that said that the remake was horrific and the OG was better, well, let’s debate. But at least, talking objectively. The remake is far better than both RE4 and RE5.
Are there links for the different games somewhere? "universe" is a bit generic to search for and Steam doesn't really find it. The Dodonpachi game I have a hard time finding as well. Steam only has one, but I don't think it's the one you're mentioning. Thanks for the list. Nice to see a completely different take than just TotK, BG3, Alan Wake 2 and such.
DoDonPachi DaiOuJou Re:Incarnation is PS4 and Switch exclusive right now, and unless I'm misremembering it's JPN exclusive, so it's either import a physical copy or make a JPN PSN account.
I loved AC6. So much fun, but you’re right about it not bring the old school hardness but is that really the games fault if that isn’t what it was going for?
At this point it’s just getting weird that Team Ninja hasn’t done a new Ninja Gaiden. I get that, that was Itagaki‘s thing, and he’s not there anymore, but it’s been over a decade now since they tried their hand at a Ninja Gaiden without him and they seem to have found their footing since then. Even if they made a Ninja Gaiden in this style of action game they’ve been working in, just using some version of the Ninja Gaiden setting would be a nice mix up from the type of setting the majority of these types of games take place in...especially if they went back to something like the enemies and setting of the Arcade and NES titles. They haven’t done a new game in over a decade and it’s probably still the thing Team Ninja is most well know for next to Dead or Alive...which they should do a new one of those too. It’s not like Itagaki created the Ninja Gaiden series anyways. It’s almost weirder they went on longer with DoA since that actual was created by Itagaki. I would really love to see one of these 3D fighting games go for actual full 3D movement like Def Jam: Fight for NY, Urban Reign, and Power Stone have...it would be interesting to see Dead or Alive do that. I am looking forward to that Power Stone remake that’s likely a few years off, (especially if it’s being made by Hideaki Itsuno) and the new Streets of Rage which looks like it’s going in that “3D combat influenced by AKI wrestling games” direction.
That fact that people are praising Lies of P like it's the reincarnation of Bloodborne makes me think that large swathes of the population were replaced by Pod People at some point in the last couple of years. The game plays like petrified wood
I got some flops this year. They are not newly released games but just the ones that I played this year so here goes. Disappointment: 5. Radiant Historia - "deEZ iZ de best RPGee ever in twee dee Es" so they say. I gotta admit that it is a nice take on time traveling stories but the turtlish combat is just ..... ugh! The best way to maximize the damage potential in this game is to give up your turns until the enemy got no turn left. Also the enemies are abit of a pushover even in hard. 4. Mushihimesama - this game is good. It really is well designed game like how everyone praises it. My problem is that its also gave me one of my most hollow victory towards a shmup. Original mode just feels sterile in my opinion. 3. Kokuga - not for me. I really regret trying this game. 2. Ilvello Dilinjah - I should have listened to M Knight. This game isnt much. Its enjoyable but not really for me. 1. NieR Automata - this game. I am really sorry for ranting how frustrating this game is. I am interested in this game because I wanna run and swing swords but enemies in the game just doesnt feel right. I feel like I am hitting something that came from an mmo rather an enemy that came from a hack n slash. Empty big ares, terrible visibility of enemies that easily blend in background, miniature simplistic modern text makes the unvoiced dialogue uninteresting and treasure chest that I cant open unless I go further to stories.... I really feel bad that I didnt enjoy it like everyone does.
I recently remembered that Bayonetta 3 came out and then I got sad with how much it bored and annoyed me. I still love 1 and 2 so much, but the endless genre switching minigames and the generic toothpaste enemies irritated me to no end. Well deserved #1 spot!
I'm a huge Nioh fan, so I was also a little disappointed by Wo Long (because I assumed that Fumihiko Yasuda was directing, but he's doing Rise of Ronin). Wo still has its moments but my interest did fall off after a few weeks with it. Nothing quite compares to the Nioh magic (one of my all-time favorites, Nioh 2). Also, Wanted Dead was an enjoyable experience for me. A game that focuses on putting you right into the action without the walking sim and dialogue-heavy crap that pads so many games now. I still like RE4 Remake personally, but now I tend to agree more with your sentiments (which were my initial thoughts but I wanted to kind of accept it for what it is). I think RE4R is at best one step forward and 2 steps back. I'm not a big fan of remake culture, either. I hope Capcom comes up with something new and improved for RE9.
after Nioh 2 i had so much hope for Team Ninja but they keep shitting out what feels like "games out of a can" i can excuse the Final Fantasy thing since they got paid for it but Wo Long...
Upon revealing the number one flop I removed my thumbs up so I could cathartically give it again. Coincidentally, I also played of RE5 this year, including a bunch of mercenaries to 100% the game. I really enjoyed how the balance seemed all over the place. Sure, it's a bummer if your fave is kinda trash, but it's so much more refreshing to have a really wide range of character capabilities instead of everybody being balanced but boring. (RE5 is kinda rough playing with M+KB, though.)
Just picked up wanted dead during sale, haven't been this hyped to play a game since dmc5. Soonest i get home from Vaca it's #1 on my to do list. And dodonpachi is just a no brainer. I don't remember dates of release but i really enjoyed unsighted, sea of stars, and pga tour this year as well. Biggest flops for me would be mk1 and dirt rally easilly.
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 is awesome. It has its balance issues, but it's a blast and plays way better than any other 2D MK game. Glad to see a shoutout to that game in this video.
Good list and nice watch. After watching your videos all year this was mostly easy to see coming. I'm with you on all the flops and favs except Bayo 3 (you didn't have to drag Bayo back from 2022 to diss lmao). I actually really love Bayo 3 but it definitely suffers from identity crisis with the deviation from the refined arcade stage design of the first two games so I definitely see your criticisms. Wanted Dead is a banger. Wish a couple spots in that game would have been improved but it's still tons of fun and super replayable. Void Stranger looks interesting. Might have to check that out.
I can immediately recommend Zero Ranger if you are looking for a shmup with a story. The Touhou series also has story between the stages. Eschatos has good visual narrative of its story, but the "story" is light. Other than that, I could recommend maybe Drainus, but that plays a bit differently from a normal shmup.
Zero Ranger, as mentioned before. Touhou has light story inbetween, and if you want more there's plenty of supplemental material produced by ZUN. There's also Radiant Silvergun, with it's Eva inspired stuff, and if you want to expand slightly outside of shmups, Sin and Punishment. The game is a more of a weird puzzle shmup hybrid, but there's also Murasaki and Murasaki Tsurugi. The actual runs are plot lite, but you can use points to unlock more story info. I don't think it's the best shmup on a pure gameplay level, but Genetos goes through an interesting tonal and emotional journey, like moving through a good concept album. EDIT: Oh! Almost forgot Ginga Force and Natsuki Chronicles. Both different sides of the same scifi story, and from what I've heard are a bit more plotty than must shmups. Also from the Eschatos team.
![ไข้ขึ้นเลย! เมื่อแฝดโดนจัดเต็มวัคซีนครบ2เดือน🤒 [cc] แดนแพทตี้ SS2 | EP.54 |](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/z2VHItnyyvY/mqdefault.jpg)
Discovering this channel this year and binge watching ALL your vids, has rejuvenated my hope in detailed, fresh intellectual gaming reviews /breakdowns! 🎉 Thank you gor all what you do! I look forward to hearing your views on how the new SOR5 might pan out!
Oh I love when viewers go through and binge watch the channel ❤ I m really curios how sor5 will turn out as well, as 4 was a pretty great release. But you never know what lessons or ideas a dev might have for better or worse until we have the game in our hands ha
"Shmup guys... We're not really that into puzzle games"
Wut about Ikaruga?
😛
LOL
Touche
Nah every shmup is a puzzle game. We all know that
OOF
My number 1 pick this year was finding your channel
The list will inevitably piss off modern actionbros and mainstream gamers hah, but it's good to give spotlight to underappreciated games.
Ha yeah though I think even the bros have to admit that bayo 3 just was not a good action game. It s bloated with tons of mini games and essentially qte sequences and the combat has been morphed into this lame fight from a distance fish for witch time and use summoms flow.
Good! I hope it does piss them off 🙃
hey Mark thank you for all the amazing content this year, it feels like you are one of the last hardcore gamers on youtube, I hope the new year brings you a lot of success so you can keep doing what you (and us!) love
Thank you for the really kind comment Rex :-) I'm really excited to see what happens with the channel next year as I have a lot of cool video plans already
I legit spent over 500 hours on RE5's Mercs mode alone back on the PS3. Love the shoutout here.
Great list!
Wanted dead is amazing, I feel most people just don’t understand it for what it’s doing. I love it
Your channel owns! you talk like a true spirit and connaiseur of video games, and rejuvenate my passion for action games. Thanks to your review of Resident Evil 5, I too rediscover this classic, did a playthroug with my beloved and praticed a lot of menu reloads :P! Happy new Year Marc!
RE4R > RE4 > RE5.
Try the remake of the 4, it’s a masterpiece.
Great video Mark as always! Also, I'd like to request your next 1cc video: Hotdog Storm, it's a hidden gem shmup IMO and havent seen anyone talk about it yet, there aren't as many hotdogs as I'd like, but still the name alone warrants a playthrough IMO
Oh wow I ll have to take a look at it, I havent heard of this game before. Hotdog storm is a really fun title for a game though ha
RE5 mercs is really good but I think it also illustrates how disappointing the main game is by comparison. In contrast, I think a lot of the things surrounding Wanted: Dead's gameplay makes the game more interesting.
Regardless, when the RE5 Remake comes out I suspect we are going to see some really bad hot takes about the original RE5 from influencers who barely even played the game.
Capcom will never fail again. Turns out you don't have to make good games, just have an army of shills and an army of fanboys at your side.
RE5 was my first RE game I ever beat, and is one of the best coop experiences I ever had. I've played through it countless times. I have never ever touched Mercenaries mode. Looks like I need to check it out.
@@TetsuoIronMan RE5 Mercenaries, from a gameplay standpoint, is probably peak for the series. I personally just have issues with RE5 boss design, art design, story, encounter design. The actual gameplay is great and its a fun co-op for the most part but I think RE4 is way better.
@@VariousMethod5 What is your opinion on RAID mode in RE: REvelations 2? I've put hundreds of hours into that
Omg I can just imagine the reviews and comments about resi5 when the remake comes out, how it revivied a deeply flawed game or whatever ha. I ll def cover resi 5 remake when it comes out though
Void Stranger is my personal GOTY. I played games that were "better" than it this year, but none of them made me go as insane as Void Stranger did.
It's funny. Based on my very limited experience, there were two types of people who evangelized the game: Shmup fans who loved Zero Ranger, and people who love deliberately obtuse narrative games like Pathologic and Lobotomy Corporation. Not exactly a venn diagram that overlaps frequently!
Yes, i m not even a puzzle game guy and I can still feel how excellent and inventive the game is
Wait this game is like pathologic??? I'm sold,patho2 is my favorite game currently
Patho AND shmup fan here. 😊 Puzzle games though - so so.
Great list! Void Stranger was my personal favorite this year. I’m glad I’ve really gotten into shmups this past year and found your channel. I don’t always agree with your lists or takes but it’s nice to see my perspective on things being challenged :)
Oh yeah void stranger is really cool! It s insane how much content that game has! Also I m glad you are enjoying shmups now! I know my tastes won't always line up with my viewers, but the discussion around taste for me is just as important as picking out what games I like :-)
It would be nice to hear what you have to say about the original Bayonetta, it is definitely one of my favorite games and Dodge Offset is one of the coolest mechanics that I know of. It completely changes how the game feels, you can just hold the button and wait for the right moment to dodge and then continue the combo for the Wicked Weave. It's really fun to do with the Scarborough Fair guns and the unlockable Sai Fung gunchucks.
I also hope you'll talk about Vanquish and especially its hardest difficulty, God Hard. It removes the upgrade system of the lower difficulties which is a good thing imo because the upgrade system disincentivizes you to use different weapons and the grenades/EMPs to their fullest. I used to think the hardest difficulty was kind of busted because you die so fast and easily but after trying it more I don't really think that anymore. If you use all the tools that are available to you, the mode becomes manageable though still really difficult.
It would also be really cool if you talked about the Smilebit Xbox games, namely Gunvalkyrie and Panzer Dragoon Orta. Both are really challenging and well-designed games that people don't talk much about. I haven't played enough of Gunvalkyrie but I think it might be the best movement-based third person shooter I know of next to Vanquish.
I have good news, I am definitely working on a bayo 1 video and will be comparing it to the rest of the series for sure. I think this is really needed to give more contexf to the changes and decline of the series since the awesome first game
Chuckled at the Mario RPG soy boy reel 😂
Totally hit the nail with Bayonetta 3. What a tragedy. By the way bro, you were so right about Wanted-dead. I was so late to that party.
You have seen the light ha! Yes! Wanted was getting laughed at on release, but I really hope it gets a second chance as a cult classic type of game 😊
@@TheElectricUnderground here me out, mark. don't you think playing as V in dmc5 is a bit underrated? i think he kinda improves the game. V makes dmc5 less about styling on boring enemies, and more about using the familiars effectively to not die. in that way, it brings dmc just a little bit close to ninja gaiden. even the way you have to execute enemies as V reminds me of obliteration techniques. his play style takes a little getting used to, but i think it's great once you get it down.
this is coming from a ninja gaiden and metal gear rising revengeance fan. i'm not big into dmc, but i really like playing as V in dmc5.
@@nanashi384 Problem with V is: it's wwwaaay to easy.
The moment you understand you can mash every button to get S rank it's over (on every difficulty). It discourage you to improve on its playstyle.
@@filloriza7079 that has not been my experience with V at all. if anything, i think what you say applies to dante, virgil, and nero. i can't get away with mindless button mashing with V.
when i was playing as V, i actually took the time to consider what the moves do and in which situation they're best used in. i even went as far to remap some of the controls to make it easier for me. also, i occasionally letting griffin to do it's thing auto mode while i focus on shadow(more depth right there).
i think V hit the character action summon combat out of the park. it seems like mark doesn't think it can work, but i think V falls into some of what the @TheElectricUnderground says are good. positioning is a big thing with V.
i don't really like devil may cry, but i love playing as V
I found your channel through BestGuyEver's podcast a couple of months ago and I've really been enjoying watching every video, even as someone who isn't a shmup guy. I'm a huge fan of Void Stranger and was looking to watch your stream of it but I can't manage to find the VODs. Have they been taken down? Either way, really excited to watch whatever you put out next
Very good list! I'd love to know your opinion on what you'd think would make AC6 cross the line to become special for you? I very much enjoyed myself with it and thought it has a lot of potential to build on a whole gen based on this instalment. Had issues for sure like with chapter 1 pacing and some weapon balance but overall I thought it was great. A lot of interesting mechanics under the hood too. Happy new year!
Super excited for those indie player commentaries next year!
Yes it s gonna be a fun time! Especially because I want to try to involve the devs in the discussion a bit :-)
This channel is a pure gem I’m glad I came across it for one that appreciates old arcade style game design
I would really like to hear some talks about the original Bayo since most people didn't play the game at the Infinite Climax level. I am not trying to be an elitist, but I feel that Kamiya's games were mostly designed and balanced with the highest difficulty in mind and then retroactively downgraded into normal difficulty. Thus talking about Bayo with its default difficulty sounds quite boring to me. Personally I think Bayo is a great case of looking at dynamic cameras vs static ones. Granted I only played about 100 hours or so of this game, but the cameras can really piss me off sometimes. I feel you always walk between abusing the camera(off-camera enemies didn't attack) or getting abused by the cameras(enemies jumped into the camera etc, don't get me started with three Joys, like wtf) Large enemies can give you souls like camera experience. Over the years I really begin to hate babysitting the cameras and even punching the enemies out of the edge in 2D games piss me off since I didn't see the point. In fast-paced action games, the cameras tend to have its own will and like to spin around against your will, it feels as unpredictable as the lock-on system in DMC.
As a side note, I really wish Nioh didn't have those diablo/wow loot system so I could actually enjoy the game. What a shame.
I really appreciate games that are designed around the highest difficulty, where that is the most fun and interesting way to play. I think Treasure’s games like Alien Soldier and both Sin and Punishment games do a really good job with that.
still disagree with you on AC6, i think time will treat it exceptionally well (agreed on everything else though) but i will always respect your opinion. your perspective is vital, thanks for making these videos
Yea I just don’t like the reasoning that no one is talking about it. Not a lot of people are talking about wanted dead but that wasn’t a factor in deciding if it was a good game or not.
6:48 He didn't really say what exactly made him leave but I'd bet the directors saying that they want to focus more on GAAS after their biggest commercial and critical failure ever was a GAAS was the bigger factor here.
here is my theory. he blocked so many people on twitter he accidently blocked some of his bosses as well. when they found out they fired him.
Yes, I was mostly jusr kidding when I said he quit because of bayo 3. It probably was a lot of various reasons, but the timing is really funny
love hearing your thoughts.
I love your lists man! I may not agree with all of it but it's refreshing to see a no BS list of actual games you like, as opposed to just putting a bunch of the obvious AAA titles on there like a lot of other video game content creators do.
Thank you very much my dude! Yes it s sort of funny and annoying that most best of lists from youtubers are just the big releases shuffled into some kind of order, rather a reflection of the critics tastes and interests. These types of lists should actually say more about the critic than they do the games themselves :-) thanks for the kind comment ❤
Very hard to argue with either list. Entertaining vid as always!
Glad you enjoyed the vid! Yes it is mostly intended as a fun way to wrap up the year, nothing too serious
wanted dead is great thank you Mark. i ve finished all difficulties and now wish for more content. i hate boss battles and everything between stages, but the main gameplay is magnificent and pure poetry. when you get how the game works and start to execute properly it becomes john wick but with nice girl (im also in love with Fee Marie Zimmermann now btw😳). and overall "the room" technical execution and nice ost both add individuality in good way. all thats left for now - 1cc space runaway
That s awesome my dude! Congrats on the clears! 🎉 the boss battles are on the weaker side for sure, but it is fun how you can lock them down or cheese them in various ways ha
hope they'll add something like vr-missions, hope there will be not boss rush mode🤔 @@TheElectricUnderground
Man, I love that you enjoyed the Mercenaries mode so much! I love the mode and wonder if you would enoy the merc mode of Resi6 with advanced melee and dodge moves. The game gets a bad rep but the actual gameplay is amazing!
RE4R Mercenaries >
No way Bayo 3 is a step down from 2. The combat in 3 is absolutely off the wall bonkers in the best way, brimming with creativity. The demon slave system is awesome and the weapon list is absolutely nuts.
Bayo 2 has the most watered down combat of the series, neuters player expression. 3 is way more fun despite its low points
Resident evil 5 is great. If you get bored, try ps move controls on ps3 for a new experience, its like RE4 WII. Also mercenary mode is so fun with point and shoot arcade controls
Yes! The game is really fun to play with gyro controls on the deck and switch. Though when you get used to the core combat of mercs mode, you won't get bored 😊
RE5 is miserable to play on the PS3, the framerate is so bad (sub-30fps about 90% of the time) that it makes aiming a pain and the game is nauseating to play because of how choppy the framerate is.
@@drlight6677 this is true, so our best bet overall is probably gyro of some sort on pc
I still haven't played Bayonetta 3 yet, but I will at some point. I'm actually in the camp where I like 2 better than the original, If only by a slight margin because it's a bit less punishing. The original is awesome, but there are sections that were just maddening to me because of how difficult they were. In particular, some of the Alfheim challenges were so difficult, and a few of them took me literally dozens of attempts to get them complete. That's when a game stops being fun to me, and I am tempted to tap out. But I pushed through because the game was otherwise so good that it carried me through. The sequel being less frustrating was good for me. But I understand why purists prefer the original and why the sequel was a letdown by comparison.
There s no big hurry to play bayo 3 honestly. Even if you aren't as cranky as me, the game is still really mediocre. Even on a more basic content level the game is a hot mess
Fun video. On the topic of Wo Long, I kinda trust Team Ninja and have a strong feeling that the hate for the game is unwarranted, but I have not played it yet either so can't really say. :/
I'm working on Blue Revolver Parallel right now myself, so it'll be cool seeing that (and Gunvein, of course)
It's not terrible or anything, but it feels funky to me and I think maybe the games was kind of rushed. I do plan on giving stranger of paradise some time in 2024 though :-)
I think the big problem with wo long is that it is a step back from nioh 2 and stranger of paradise in almost every way. It runs like garbage even after all this time, the combat system feels like it was designed for the boss fights but not the regular enemies, it has less depth than previous team ninja games in terms of your characters offensive and defensive options, the element system which is interesting on paper is barely utilized in the actual gameplay etc.,
Wo Long Fallen Dynasty was pretty bad. I never sell my games after I'm finished with them and I sold it immediately after beating it. It had the same inventory issues as Nioh but what REALLY made the game bad for me was constant connection issues that cost my friend and I several hours of game progress.
We kept losing connection to the server and then had to go through the entire level from the beginning all over again. I could understand once or twice but this was a consistent issue throughout the game and it was just completely inexcusable by the end.
@@TheElectricUndergroundno idea how you'll feel about it, but I LOVED SoP, even if it's firmly below both Niohs to me. The way it implements guards and parries is so much more engaging with more trade-offs and decisions than most "parry focused games," and the class system has a TON of variety.
Plus, I'll say it: The story and writing is rad. Video game scripts don't need to be some sort of "sad dad walks through snow" melodrama to be good. Its got heart and puts a grin on my face, what else do you need?
@@Galaxy40k I'm curious as to why a lot of Nioh players (Or fans of that specific gameplay) prefer Nioh 1 and 2 over SoP because I'm of the opposite experience, I played Nioh 1 first and didn't like it and never bothered with Nioh 2. The game felt too bloated and unfocused in both it's gameplay and storytelling, at least that's how it was to me.
I picked up Stranger of Paradise about a week after it first came out and I personally found it so much better. Stranger of Paradise feels like Nioh but with a lot less bloat and with actual focus in both it's story and game design. Jack is a much better protagonist than William and making builds wasn't too overly complicated like it was in Nioh 1, especially with the Job System. I have like 15+ builds in SoP whereas I only had like 2 or 3 in Nioh 1.
I tried to return to Nioh 1 after SoP but I find myself not having fun again, is it not for me or am I missing something?
I'd love to see a more longform react/review for Void Stranger! I was surprised at how much I ended up enjoying it, and without spoiling anything, it definitely has a certain undervalued appeal for those that aren't typically puzzle gamers.
That would be a really fun project! It would be difficult for me as I m not as versed in puzzle games, but the game is really cool and deserves more attention
Great video, as always! Love that you gave Void Stranger a nod, thats my undisputed GOTY; theres nothing quite like it. Quick Q: Whats the name of the channel that did a Lies of P video? It sounds like "eris," but nothing comes up when I search that. If they're a fellow Gameplay Chad channel, I've got to check it out, haha.
Oh the channel is aris from avoiding the puddle. He used to make this amazing podcast about tekken (still worth revisiting) but became a pretty big streamer and now mostly plays dark souls and stuff like that. So avoiding the puddle is the channel but sadly his content is mostly just random clips these days
@@TheElectricUnderground thanks Mark, I'll check that out! (And happy new year!)
I love how your top 5 flops is probably in my top 10-20 most wanted, and yet I don’t disagree very much at all
I felt crazy playing Wo Long. Thought I was missing something. Every part of the combat felt bad. Loved Wanted: Dead. I would've had no idea how to play w/o watching your video. So fun.
Wanted Dead is such a cool game. Glad I gave it a shot recently after hearing the endless praise on the Channel! I'd have to say Void Stranger and Gravity Circuit were my favorite new games this year.
I didnt intend on being the game's big defender, but here we are ha! I had such a great time with it that I hope more people give it a fair shot rather than immediately dismissing it as garbage
Oh look... it's Electric Underground,...a 5 year old in a grown man's body.
I'll give you my top 5 flops and favs beat'em up of 2023:
Top 5 Flops
5- Asterix & Obelix: Slap em All! 2 (after the first one, I wasn't really expecting a good game, but they've sill managed to make it worse!)
4- Hi-Fi Rush (badly paced with way too much 3D platforming sections, actual combats offer good feedbacks but no real interesting decisions in-the-moment)
3- Wo-Long (another boss rush with simple Souls mechanics and levels that feel like time-wasting fillers)
2- Double Dragon Gaiden (It's enjoyable... for like 3 hours. I don't understand all the praise)
1- Bayonetta 3 (one of the worst pacing I've seen in the genre, combined with one of the worst balance and a pretty bad enemy-design)
Top 5 Favs
5- Skinny and Franko (a mix of goods and bads but an overall cohesive and unique experience, very grounded, very violent, pretty satisfying)
4- En Garde! (quite active and fun gameplay for such a small game, even if it won't remain on your hard drive for long)
3- Sifu's DLCs (the devs have been very generous with this well-designed free mission mode!)
2- Wanted: Dead (counters might be a bit too strong but the gameplay is still solid and they nailed the level design. The only thing that hurts the pacing are those forced interludes between levels... "Neunundneuzig luftabllons auf irem weg zum horizont...")
1- Solas City Heroes (need to put my boy Mr. Z up there! :) )
Solas City Heroes looks suspicious. Are you really sure its that good? I am willing to try weird looking games.
@@soratheorangejuicemascot5809 Only interesting for the mature content, not for the actual gameplay. But I love his approach of letting the players customize everything and the iterative nature of his games that let him pour a lot of content into them.
Im wondering your thoughts on Resi 6
Most authentic content creator of all TH-cam ❤
I also replayed RE5 again this year to share with a friend who never played, and still love it to death. Also, Wanted Dead rules
Og resi 5 is such a fun game. I really hope it gets more love and appreciation before the remake comes out because you know the reviews are going to say that resi5 og is bad and the remake "fixes" it, I can see the video titles now ha
Sorry man but you are wrong about wo-long, that gameplay is top tier, give it a real shot
I don't think Kamiya quit Platinum because of B3 but despite B3 imo, especially if you are familiar with W101 you would see the same mini-game/spectacle obsession easily.
yeah the director of Bayo 3 was one of the lead designers under Kamiya on Wonderful 101 and you can definitely tell. Kamiya presumably left because of some kind of disagreement with the Project G.G. game he was directing.
Yes I m mostly just kidding about kamiya quitting over bayo 3, it was probably a bunch of other reasons, it s really funny timing though
Miyazaki could show up to my house personally, tell me he’s working on Bloodborne 2 and also hand me a million dollars cash and I wouldn’t shriek and howl like Nintendo fans when literally anything is announced at a Direct.
Final fantasy 16 is a significantly shittier game than bayonetta 3. I don’t get that comparison. FF 16 has no substance, barely any different mobs, just nothing. It’s basically a movie
No pizza tower 😥?
he will play it down the line probably
I hope we can get DDP from M2. Or even a DonPachi/DoDonPachi combo release
Yes me too! If we got ddp with campaign version included that would be the most legendary pory
I wish M2 would port their work to steam eventually.
Great list
Thank you very much my dude!
I am extremely surprised how slept on fire emblem engage has been this year. I don't think I've seen a single person mention it when discussing 2023's best releases, even though I think it is one of the most well designed srpgs that has come out in quite some time, and arguably the best fire emblem game since radiant dawn in 2007.
Fire Emblem Engage is the only modern FE game I wanna try. Awakening to Three Houses feels of for me. As someone who loves Yggdra Union, I gotta give it a try since I hear that Engage isnt as too into stories.
Good list. Personally gotta disagree on RE5 though. What few cool ideas it has just feels muddied by how boring and uninspired it’s level design can be. It’s a game I can only say I like with some heavy caveats applied to it, like mercenaries mode is fun, but mercenaries mode is almost always fun, and I wouldn’t say it’s any better or worse than any other iteration of the game mode, and coop is cool, but it’s never really fully taken advantage of in the campaign. RE5 overall isn’t bad, but I’d rather play any other mainline RE
I was surprised RE4R was so "low" on the flop list. Thanks for sharing! Looking forward to your videos in 2024! Happy new year soon!!
Yes I hope I explained the science of the Flop ratio where I had to be excited for the game as well as annoyed by it. And in the case of Resident Evil 4 remake, I didn't expect I would like it that much to begin with, but what really got me fired up were all the reviews and discussion around the game that ignore the merits of the original game an acted like remake with some kind of outright Improvement . If everyone recognized how much of a step down remake is to original 4 I would have a less passionate review ha
Street Fighter 6 overshadowed every other fighting games this year.
No it didn't, MK1 is still better than SF6 in any regard whatsoever.
Where can we get your Favorite 5 game = "universe" (?? If I clearly understand???).
Can't find any link with STG shmups Universe or Fan made....
Just bought Wanted:Dead because of you. Didn't have the chance to play it yet since I was on holiday, but will do today... :D
I kind of agree with AC6. It's a good game but perhaps my expectations were too high. I felt like the stance system made a lot of fights feel too samey and not reward customization. Once you figure it out the whole game is solved, where in previous games it felt like you might have to retune your build at any moment.
Yeah ac6 was a game that sort of tugged at my interest more than most because of the arcade style of the mech genre (at least from the virtua on side) and so even though the game is good and most people will enjoy it, it did feel a bit mainstream in terms of its design decisions. I was really hoping for that x factor
I really appreciate your takes and as a armored core vet, i agree, part 6 is underwhelming as hell transitioning from last raven, to for answered, to verdict day; 3 different iterations of a terriffic mecha paradise. It's a shame fromsoftware fumbled hard by trying to jampack old mechanics locked behind ability chips (quick turn) and implementing sekiro soulslike meter mechanics that makes the game play different from its older counterparts....
Wonderful top 5. I LOVE Wanted: Dead. I can't wait to see new content they are talking about.
You've hit the nail on the head with Wo Long and Bayo 3.
Thanks god i'm not alone! Bayo3 really left me speechless. It's just a... mess. Even worse: an unfunny one.
Definitely gonna check Universe, thank you!
I'm glad to have found someone with similar tastes.
i saw your video on Rise of Ronin, it was really insightful but i loved my time with re4 remake
Great list, and thank you for turning me on to WANTED:DEAD.
Just for the record, Bayonetta 3 on yuzu at 4K 60 max settings is something else. Part 1 still better I agree
Time to group hug in the W:D discord 😆. Would love to see these lists extended to 10, or some honourable mentions. Would definitely love more games discovery 😊.
I really liked Wo Long. Great game imo, the Lu Bu fight was nuts. Now Strangers of Paradise..I couldn't get into that one, and like you, I love Team Ninja. If you only played the Wo Long demo, give the full game a shot, it will grow on you. It really is Nioh 3 in a way.
Wait how come Bayo 3 is on here when it came out 2022?
Also i dont think its core combat is nearly as bad as you make it out to be. They added in a ton of tech from 1 that was missing in 2 and gave the player so many more offensive options and depth its unreal.
That being said I agree that every good aspect of it is burried beneath tons of mini games, a lame story and a shallow second character
I'm loving MKII Remix even though I've fallen out of MK. I realized too, my SnackBox is making me try a bunch of fighting games. It's like the shoulder buttons on a controller were always a barrier for me. I mainly play SF6 but, I have like 15 fighting games now. Try Dong Dong Never Die lol.
You know it’s serious when mark himself is on the thumbnail
Re4 in VR on Psvr2 is pretty friggen game changing. Its absolutely mind blowing
I knew RE4R was going to be the first flop, I felt it in my bones. Side note, rockin that longer hair my man.
I didn’t like Wo Long at first but tried it again months later and enjoyed it a decent amount. I like the spirit system
Yeah I think there is probably some meat to the game that I could go back and enjoy, but it felt like an overall step back from nioh. I still love team ninja though, sometimes a great dev can try something new with mixed results. I m gonna cover stranger in paradise this year though ha
@@TheElectricUnderground I really encourage you try it again. It’s insane how many people I can see reviewing the game or talking about it and by their clips I can tell they don’t understand how the combat works or how it should be played.
Cool, looking forward to seeing stranger of paradise. I haven’t gotten around to that one yet
I definitely need to give Void Stranger a chance. I enjoy puzzle games, but I haven't played that many that recently. I played Baba Is You, loved it, never finished it. I played A Monster's expedition, loved it, never finished it. I don't even consider myself that dumb, but you get hard stuck on a puzzle, it can be discouraging to continue playing.
Oh yes void stranger is legit, and I never play puzzle games ha
Nice lists. My problem with AC6 is with its pvp, I know every generation is different, but the pvp felt like a step back compared to the previous games (especially 5th gen pvp), it really felt like they just added it for the sake of it, rather than put effort in, the single player campaign however is great. I started playing RE5 mercs this year too, its that old school arcade capcom fun, and its got me wondering about re6 mercs mode, I'll need to try that out soon, it seems these modes are where the true fun is to be had with these action RE games, rather than survival horror.
You had me with the guilty gear strive of armored core. It hurt so much with brutal truth, I love it.
Would like to hear your opinion about the rumoured RE5 remake lol. Capcom has completely lost it if the rumours are true.
Why? Resident Evil 4 Remake was RE4, but better.
I’m sure they will upgrade RE5 at its finest.
I’f you’re one of those that said that the remake was horrific and the OG was better, well, let’s debate.
But at least, talking objectively. The remake is far better than both RE4 and RE5.
@@TipoIrritableNah they ruined it, I’m not talking about QoL changes, they inserted woke changes in too so that’s not improvement in my eyes
Are there links for the different games somewhere?
"universe" is a bit generic to search for and Steam doesn't really find it.
The Dodonpachi game I have a hard time finding as well. Steam only has one, but I don't think it's the one you're mentioning.
Thanks for the list. Nice to see a completely different take than just TotK, BG3, Alan Wake 2 and such.
DoDonPachi DaiOuJou Re:Incarnation is PS4 and Switch exclusive right now, and unless I'm misremembering it's JPN exclusive, so it's either import a physical copy or make a JPN PSN account.
@@elseifgames129 Thanks. Seems to be region locked to Japan.
I loved AC6. So much fun, but you’re right about it not bring the old school hardness but is that really the games fault if that isn’t what it was going for?
12:50 Okay, that got me good. I burst out laughing. 😂
At this point it’s just getting weird that Team Ninja hasn’t done a new Ninja Gaiden. I get that, that was Itagaki‘s thing, and he’s not there anymore, but it’s been over a decade now since they tried their hand at a Ninja Gaiden without him and they seem to have found their footing since then. Even if they made a Ninja Gaiden in this style of action game they’ve been working in, just using some version of the Ninja Gaiden setting would be a nice mix up from the type of setting the majority of these types of games take place in...especially if they went back to something like the enemies and setting of the Arcade and NES titles.
They haven’t done a new game in over a decade and it’s probably still the thing Team Ninja is most well know for next to Dead or Alive...which they should do a new one of those too. It’s not like Itagaki created the Ninja Gaiden series anyways. It’s almost weirder they went on longer with DoA since that actual was created by Itagaki. I would really love to see one of these 3D fighting games go for actual full 3D movement like Def Jam: Fight for NY, Urban Reign, and Power Stone have...it would be interesting to see Dead or Alive do that. I am looking forward to that Power Stone remake that’s likely a few years off, (especially if it’s being made by Hideaki Itsuno) and the new Streets of Rage which looks like it’s going in that “3D combat influenced by AKI wrestling games” direction.
That fact that people are praising Lies of P like it's the reincarnation of Bloodborne makes me think that large swathes of the population were replaced by Pod People at some point in the last couple of years. The game plays like petrified wood
If veteran souls people are playing and praising it, than that’s a sign it’s a good soul game.
Great lists I definitely need to try wanted dead.
I got some flops this year. They are not newly released games but just the ones that I played this year so here goes.
Disappointment:
5. Radiant Historia - "deEZ iZ de best RPGee ever in twee dee Es" so they say. I gotta admit that it is a nice take on time traveling stories but the turtlish combat is just ..... ugh! The best way to maximize the damage potential in this game is to give up your turns until the enemy got no turn left. Also the enemies are abit of a pushover even in hard.
4. Mushihimesama - this game is good. It really is well designed game like how everyone praises it. My problem is that its also gave me one of my most hollow victory towards a shmup. Original mode just feels sterile in my opinion.
3. Kokuga - not for me. I really regret trying this game.
2. Ilvello Dilinjah - I should have listened to M Knight. This game isnt much. Its enjoyable but not really for me.
1. NieR Automata - this game. I am really sorry for ranting how frustrating this game is. I am interested in this game because I wanna run and swing swords but enemies in the game just doesnt feel right. I feel like I am hitting something that came from an mmo rather an enemy that came from a hack n slash. Empty big ares, terrible visibility of enemies that easily blend in background, miniature simplistic modern text makes the unvoiced dialogue uninteresting and treasure chest that I cant open unless I go further to stories.... I really feel bad that I didnt enjoy it like everyone does.
Always good to see recommendations for new games! Thanks for sharing.
No problem! Especially since a lot of people probably havent come across universe or void stranger!
I recently remembered that Bayonetta 3 came out and then I got sad with how much it bored and annoyed me. I still love 1 and 2 so much, but the endless genre switching minigames and the generic toothpaste enemies irritated me to no end. Well deserved #1 spot!
Also, super excited to hear more about Bayonetta 1 from you!!
Could you make a video about the best shmups on PlayStation?
Its Einhander
The extreme coomerism in the mario clip makes me cringe.
I'm a huge Nioh fan, so I was also a little disappointed by Wo Long (because I assumed that Fumihiko Yasuda was directing, but he's doing Rise of Ronin). Wo still has its moments but my interest did fall off after a few weeks with it. Nothing quite compares to the Nioh magic (one of my all-time favorites, Nioh 2).
Also, Wanted Dead was an enjoyable experience for me. A game that focuses on putting you right into the action without the walking sim and dialogue-heavy crap that pads so many games now.
I still like RE4 Remake personally, but now I tend to agree more with your sentiments (which were my initial thoughts but I wanted to kind of accept it for what it is). I think RE4R is at best one step forward and 2 steps back. I'm not a big fan of remake culture, either. I hope Capcom comes up with something new and improved for RE9.
after Nioh 2 i had so much hope for Team Ninja
but they keep shitting out what feels like "games out of a can"
i can excuse the Final Fantasy thing since they got paid for it but Wo Long...
Upon revealing the number one flop I removed my thumbs up so I could cathartically give it again. Coincidentally, I also played of RE5 this year, including a bunch of mercenaries to 100% the game. I really enjoyed how the balance seemed all over the place. Sure, it's a bummer if your fave is kinda trash, but it's so much more refreshing to have a really wide range of character capabilities instead of everybody being balanced but boring. (RE5 is kinda rough playing with M+KB, though.)
Just picked up wanted dead during sale, haven't been this hyped to play a game since dmc5. Soonest i get home from Vaca it's #1 on my to do list. And dodonpachi is just a no brainer. I don't remember dates of release but i really enjoyed unsighted, sea of stars, and pga tour this year as well. Biggest flops for me would be mk1 and dirt rally easilly.
If MK1 is a flop to you than you don't know what quality is then.
What was the Lies of P video Mark mentioned? I cant tell by ear...
kinda shocked to see doj over wanted: dead. you played the hell out of wanted!
RE5 mercenaries is superfun. Played it with my brother over Christmas. It was if we'd bought a brand new game it was so fresh.
Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 is awesome. It has its balance issues, but it's a blast and plays way better than any other 2D MK game. Glad to see a shoutout to that game in this video.
i was a god at RE4 mercenaries on Gamecube. Going to have to check out RE5.
I agree. B3 was a major disappointment. But I thought B2 was better than B1.
damn no way. never expected to see EU talking about Lies of P now it officially made a splash
can someone link me Eras(?) video EU mentions?
@potatopower2144 what?
Good list and nice watch. After watching your videos all year this was mostly easy to see coming. I'm with you on all the flops and favs except Bayo 3 (you didn't have to drag Bayo back from 2022 to diss lmao). I actually really love Bayo 3 but it definitely suffers from identity crisis with the deviation from the refined arcade stage design of the first two games so I definitely see your criticisms.
Wanted Dead is a banger. Wish a couple spots in that game would have been improved but it's still tons of fun and super replayable.
Void Stranger looks interesting. Might have to check that out.
I wanna see you play/review Devil’s Third lol
Could you make a video on shmup with amazing stories? I want to get into the genre but I need some narrative to drive me forward
I can immediately recommend Zero Ranger if you are looking for a shmup with a story. The Touhou series also has story between the stages.
Eschatos has good visual narrative of its story, but the "story" is light.
Other than that, I could recommend maybe Drainus, but that plays a bit differently from a normal shmup.
Zero Ranger, as mentioned before. Touhou has light story inbetween, and if you want more there's plenty of supplemental material produced by ZUN. There's also Radiant Silvergun, with it's Eva inspired stuff, and if you want to expand slightly outside of shmups, Sin and Punishment.
The game is a more of a weird puzzle shmup hybrid, but there's also Murasaki and Murasaki Tsurugi. The actual runs are plot lite, but you can use points to unlock more story info.
I don't think it's the best shmup on a pure gameplay level, but Genetos goes through an interesting tonal and emotional journey, like moving through a good concept album.
EDIT: Oh! Almost forgot Ginga Force and Natsuki Chronicles. Both different sides of the same scifi story, and from what I've heard are a bit more plotty than must shmups. Also from the Eschatos team.
Is reincarnation only available on switch? I got resurrection but want to check that out.
switch and ps4
@@marinn00 Thanks!
I’m really sorry that you didn’t have anything to… … …playonetta