It’s a special guest episode this week as John and Lorelai are joined by Xyros, a variety VTuber and the leader of the Xybatsu. John’s been playing Deltarune Chapter 5 and a little more Marathon while Lorelai’s gotten deeper into The Adventures of Elliot: The Millenium Tales and Fuck’s Quest II between sessions of Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time. Our special guest Xyros has been playing Alien Isolation, Tormented Souls 2, Romancing SaGa 2, and Mina the Hollower. In the news, they go over all the potential studio closures coming from Microsoft, some EVO shenanigans, and Team Ninja clearly not understanding why Dead Or Alive 6 didn’t work and making everyone even angrier with the release of Dead or Alive 6: Last Round.

You can support us on our Patreon, and follow us on social media @gamesline.net, John, Lorelai, and Xyros. You can also find Xyros on his TikTok, Twitch, and Youtube channels.

Also, don’t forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, and tell a friend about the show!

If you want to send in questions, send them to our email podcast@gamesline.net!

You can also join our Discord channel at thegamezone.zone!

Our theme song is “Crush” by Melt Channel, from the album Magic is Real.

Edited and Video Production by Lorelai

The post The Gamesline Podcast Episode 96: Boning Up with Xyros appeared first on Gamesline.

Please, if you read this, read other articles by our staff. Share posts and dig deeper into the author’s work. We have been around for a long time, and we have a body of work beyond what you see when you click on the article you got posted onto your Bluesky feed. That’s all I can ask of you, and that’s all I will say. Besides the following, which is my cool badass list of video games that I played and thought were good.

10. Digimon Story: Time Stranger

I told you I liked it!!!!! I told you there were aspects that I enjoyed!!! People on Reddit were freaks to me about this game but who cares. I don’t. Anyway dang, they made a Digimon game that you don’t have to be a JRPG pervert to like. I am a JRPG pervert and this was still easier to get through than the previous games. There were a few fun characters and the combat was enjoyable to interface with! I got to ride around on Diaboromon’s back! I feel more hopeful for the future of Digimon than truly in love with this game, but I still had a good time. The DLC is still a huge letdown so far though. 

9. Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army

I will always love interacting with the Shin Megami Tensei universe in all of its forms. A noir-esque detective story set in the Taisho era of Japan? With SMT’s coolest protag of all time (at least top three, Flynn and the Strange Journey Marine are up there)? I’m seated. The combat’s a bit of a mash-fest, but it’s far better than the original PS2 version’s, since it’s based on the updated form it took in the sequel.

Even though its gameplay is a bit lacking compared to other action games, Raidou stands out by telling a story about having pride in your country and not your nation, in which you believe in the people living around you. Going into this, I didn’t know that Raidou was a hero of the people, and that made me love him far more than seeing him in Nocturne and going “woah cool outfit” even though the outfit is REALLY cool. I’m hopeful for another remaster, but I truly want a sequel, to polish what’s here and to tell a new story about why community is worth protecting.

8. Trails in the Sky 1st Chapter

Speaking of community, the Trails series is famous for feeling so alive. I remember starting the demo for this remake of the original Trails game and speaking to an NPC. He was ruminating on asking his crush out, and when I returned to him after a bit of progress, he was in the process of proposing a date. I was able to chart their relationship blossoming and evolving as Estelle and Joshua begin their career as peacekeepers. The duo’s adventures across their home country of Liberl introduce them to a variety of people, and the writing supports that their lives continue to exist outside of their interactions with them. 

I enjoy softening up enemies with overworld combat before shifting into turn-based tactics! I love seeing how Estelle and Joshua mature in such a short time as heroes! I love the pacing of the plot that slowly expands the world for both the characters and the player. I need to finish this game completely still, and we need the remake of 2nd at the end of the year to put a bow on the story, but what’s here is strong and I can tell why so many people I know are obsessed with the Trails world. I’m on board now!

7. Donkey Kong Bananza

I have seen a lot of my fellow critics wrestling with their feelings on this game. It’s not deep in the slightest. It’s kinda dumb, honestly, when you think about it for a few minutes. You’re a big ol ape crushing rocks and punching things. You are jumping around and picking up bananas. There’s barely a plot, there’s a ton of nostalgia-bait, and it’s an exclusive on an overly-expensive console released right when America’s economy took a downturn that is only getting worse. Donkey Kong Bananza is a game of excess. But excess rules sometimes. I don’t want a world where people are harmed for the benefit of the elite. I do want a world where people can do dumb shit like buy a game like Bananza without worry. I want the people who make big games like Bananza to be compensated well for their efforts and not rushed. And I want to indulge in a lil nostalgia pandering here and there. JUST SOMETIMES!!!! 

Bananza feels good to play, that’s the long and short of it. Running, punching, digging, surfing, every movement option is a joy to use and a blast to master. What was established by Mario Odyssey is improved with Bananza. I know buying a Switch 2 is a hard ask at the moment, even if you have the money, due to lack of exclusives, but damn does this one make a great case for it. This should’ve been the pack-in instead of Mario Kart.

6. Umamusume: Pretty Derby

I am going to skip the diatribe about how evil gacha games are. I know it, you know it, I will still drink that garbage etc etc etc. There is also the layer on top of this that is horse racing, an often inhumane institution that is based around gambling. I would not blame you if you’re unable to divorce any of this from the goofy horse girl game, and it’s good to be aware of it all even if you are, but hey, I still love this game!

Umamusume has an overwhelming amount of personality. A problem with gacha games is how often you can miss out on a character’s writing and inclusion in the story beyond their introduction if you don’t pull them. Uma does a great job of weaving each character into multiple events and into the stories you actually do play so the cast feels consistently full. If you have a favorite, they will keep showing up, interacting with new additions and the original cast in unique ways. The raising sim gameplay is a nice reminder that we need more Monster Rancher in modern times, and I’ve been having a lovely time connecting further with my friends by cracking jokes about dumb things we imagine the horses doing. A gacha game is obviously carried by its cast, and Uma has one of the best in the business.

5. Blade Chimera

Team Ladybug has finally made a Metroidvania without an outside license, and they did a fantastic job. I wrote a whole dang review about this one, and I ate it up like I have every previous game they’ve released. The pixel art is gorgeous and emotive, there’s a ton of flavor in each gameplay interaction, and the weapons are slick and fun to use. There are a lot of mechanics, but they blend very well and don’t feel overwhelming. Blade Chimera is a new classic that I push everyone to check out. I feel a bit bad that I didn’t get around to Shadow Labyrinth this past year, but you all didn’t talk about Blade Chimera, so I’ll call that even. 

4. Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition

I only kinda enjoyed Xenoblade X for most of its runtime. I would’ve had it on this list, but we wouldn’t be talking about it in the top five if the new chapter wasn’t there. There’s a lot to love here that was in the Wii U version. Customizing your mech is a blast no matter what console you’re doing it on, and the evolving politics of the various alien races on planet Mira lead to thought-provoking, funny, and heartwarming events. By the end of the original story, there’s a slight feeling of emptiness, a feeling of “where does this story go, was the battle this group of people fought worth the effort?” Luckily, the new chapter answers that question in a big way, introducing a new character, Al, who pushes things forward in ways that feel similar to what I loved about Xenoblade 3. As I was playing X, I initially felt interested in a sequel for more mechanical reasons, but now I am truly excited to see what happens with the characters.

3. DELTARUNE Chapters 3+4

Deltarune is hitting the middle of the story, and normally stories can lack standout events in these sections. Deltarune bucks that trend, introducing characters and concepts that have recontextualized everything you’ve experienced so far. Toby Fox and co. made me feel emotions about a television set. One of the coolest characters this year is a Hammer Bro from Mario but old. The high quality Deltarune has set in the past was easily met with the new chapters, and the rest of the story is going to be difficult to wait for. 

2. of the Devil Episodes 0-2

I played episode 0 in 2025, and episode 2 released in 2025 technically. I am going to shout it all out together. Who cares….I do care about how flawless the worldbuilding is in of the Devil. There are articles spread through the environments, and usually these are created to give background to events that aren’t essential. of the Devil expects more from its readers, not only giving you extra points for picking up on the point of articles, but uses the articles actively in the main story. Current events affecting the day to day lives of citizens? It’s like real life!! 

I don’t think a single line of text is superfluous in of the Devil. Character beats are built on while exploring environments. Dumb references are used to humanize someone during stressful moments. I don’t want to claim this will 100% be an all-timer off of a half-released game, but so far I am…”all in”!!!!! Like cards. Because they have poker stuff in this one. 

1. Pokemon Legends: Z-A

I’M SORRY I’M SORRY I’M SO SO SORRY THAT IT’S A MONSTER COLLECTOR I’M SORRY
What else could it have been? It’s always good when Pokemon does new things, and I think Z-A is the perfect experiment with the formula. More active combat with cooldowns instead of turns is a fun choice, especially for me as a Xenoblade fan. Similar to Xenoblade, I appreciate how well a sense of community is formed within Lumiose as time goes on. The player character’s rise up the ranks not only proves their worthiness to wield Mega Evolution, but also brings perhaps Pokemon’s best cast together. I adore that someone like Tarragon, the local game streamer’s construction worker grandpa, has interactions with the ex-criminal barista Grisham that make sense and add onto both of their characters. I will always, ALWAYS love a game that makes me feel at home with its cast, and Z-A does that every time I run into one of the main crew. It also helps that it retroactively patched up some (not all, you can’t fix everything wrong with X/Y without remaking them or going back in time and not cancelling Z) of gen 6’s story issues. Game Freak is getting better and better at making the Pokemon world feel less like a fake place that exists for RPG mechanics to happen in and more locations that human beings would live in lately, and Z-A is the best example of that.

The post John’s Top Ten Games of 2025 appeared first on Gamesline.

5. UNBEATABLE

For all the gripes I have with the narrative, I still think everyone should go play D-Cell’s hot new rhythm game. The soundtrack rules and the character designs are fun as hell! I didn’t mention it in my review, but the voice cast is also a lot of fun, a mix between people new to the VO scene and some seasoned actors giving fun performances. It’s also been a catalyst for getting me back into my rhythm game fascination as of late, especially thinking about the ways rhythm games handle their own systems of making the player interact with a song beyond solely listening. 

4. Dispatch 

I feel like the older I get the less and less I’m eyeing release calendars. Things that get announced at a Keighley sanctioned event can show up in my radar, but it’s not like I’ll sit there and mark everything that I’ll be eager to see once it’s out, especially now that concerts and games are costing the same and I usually know which one wins out for my tastes and wallet. It wasn’t until Jackson was playing this game on stream where I went “oh yeah this was shown off a year ago” and got a little intrigued to pick the game up. Turns out it’s pretty damn good as well! As a team management sim, the game is fun to engage with and I had a great time sorting my heroes for a day’s worth of missions and obstacles. It’s simple, but in a way that makes the guessing of which stats to prioritize for a request fun by having to guess through the writing. I also had a pretty good time with the story! Aaron Paul’s performance as Mecha Man is subtle but still a lot of fun, as is the rest of the cast. The romance side of the narrative is definitely the weakest which makes its prominence a little jarring, but all the chances I got to hang with the Z-Team made those stumbles just another part to experience overall. Whatever the plans for a next game look like, the massive success this game has had should hopefully allow for a vision that can take a few more risks while still keeping this newly found core of what makes a superhero narrative work in games. 

3. Umamusume: Pretty Derby

I am not a gacha gamer. I have next to no experience with gacha games and don’t really plan too. Outside of the moral decay that comes with everyone going for a loot box, as games they never really interest me and I never get deep enough to warrant that hook in. Even with friends who talk to me about the narrative in games like Arknights or Honkai Impact and Honkai StarRail, the act of playing through the game just never appealed to me and would make me not care enough to get through the developing plot. All of this to say the horse girls got me, they got me good, dog. Umamusume: Pretty Derby is something I knew little about in the years prior to its global release. At most, I watched an episode of season 3 of the anime while getting ready in my Japan trip last year. As news came about the impending global release in June, I didn’t anticipate what a tidal wave of adoration was coming in the months to come. The game itself is a raising sim akin to Monster Rancher or Princess Maker where you train a young Umamusume during the three years of her racing career at Tracen Academy. Build her stats correctly and you ensure she’s prepared to take on the obstacles ahead of her. The simplicity makes the game pretty easy to hop in which I appreciate, a full gameplay loop taking about 20-30 minutes. On top of that I just had a lot of fun with each character and how their real life horse racing career correlates to the gijinka being shown off on screen. The music is also really fun to listen to, which makes the various remixes I’ve heard at raves all the more fun. Seeing the way multiple people have built out smaller communities through art and music based on this game has been very interesting to see, and is something I do feel positive about as we go through an ever expansive wave of gambling on everything. 

2. DELTARUNE Chapters 3+4

2025 marked 10 years of Toby Fox’s Undertale, and also marked the release of the next installments in his current game Deltarune. I’ve been a fan of Fox’s work for some time now, and these current releases have definitely kept the anticipation for the full game well satiated. Chapter 3 felt light when it came to its story, but was still fun to get through and have these character moments crop up between Kris, Ralsei, and Susie. Chapter 4 in turn had a huge focus on where to take the next beats of the story as we get past the halfway point of this game. It’s interesting to follow the path Deltarune has taken since its initial release in 2017 and how the addition of more people to the team has allowed Toby to iterate more on what this story can be. Chapter 5 releases the very next year and I wait excitedly for whenever the next installment of the game will be available. But never forget, until there is an actually slated day of release, any day can be Deltarune Tomorrow. 

1. Skate Story

Skate Story and Unbeatable are games about the process of making things, and both of these games released in a year where I felt the least creatively tapped in to my writing. It’s appropriate then that they bookend this list given how much I still think about Skate Story’s approach to rekindling a desire to create. I spoke about the game at length already, but it really is something to be felt and experienced on its own. I actually got to talk with Sam Eng at MAGFest, and something that was interesting to learn was the inclusion of Blood Cultures’ music into the game and how it came about. This game had been in development for some time and as both Eng and the band are creative pen pals of sorts, it would lead to some songs released before the game having this focus on the moon or of fragility through metaphors of glass. In turn, the game and levels become built around songs and also led to further discussion around albums, Eng being a fellow album enjoyer and the importance of tracklisting when it comes to putting a series of songs together beyond just a concept album. I think that’s what makes Skate Story so compelling to me, that its focus and ideas exist beyond the inherent artifice of the game. Its music is what I listen to when I cross the Manhattan Bridge to work, and while I might not be heading down to Zumiez to pick up a board, I do look at 2026 as an opportunity for more, regardless of how that more takes shape. 

The post Maverick’s Top Five Games of 2025 appeared first on Gamesline.

John is joined by Scott, Lorelai, and Lilith to go over the goings-on in the gaming sphere! After a long talk about Western comics, the crew goes over Konami’s fashionably late not-E3 stream, and everyone had something to get excited about in it except John’s and his Yu-Gi-Oh expectations. The crew has all played Deltarune‘s new chapters, and they have thoughts! Plus, Lorelai and the Nioh 3 test, Lilith went deep on the Next Fest demos, Scott’s Nightreigning, and John beat Xenoblade Chronicles X.

You can support us on our Patreon, and follow us on Social Media @TheGamesline, Lorelai, John, Scott, and Lilith.

Also, don’t forget to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, and tell a friend about the show!

If you want to send in questions, send them to our email podcast@gamesline.net!

You can also join our Discord channel at thegamezone.zone!

Our theme song is “Crush” by Melt Channel, from the album Magic is Real.

Edited by Lorelai

Here’s an excerpt by Crystal:

[Listener Question: What is your favorite evil choice in a game?]

John: Yeah, I don’t know, I don’t have a great answer. I’m never really inclined to do that. I’m such a goody two-shoes I just want to do the nice things.

Scott: Doing evil choices in video games is fundamentally unpopular, people only want to be good.

John: And sometimes in a lot of games it just sucks!

Lilith: Most of the time, an evil choice in a video game amounts to something that’s a bad option for literally everyone involved. You’re just doing it to be a dick.

Scott: Right, games that actually embrace what an evil choice would be are games where you gain something out of it that you wouldn’t otherwise, because you’re incentivized to treat people that way. Like, that quest in Pathologic 1 where you’re carrying a bunch of food around, and you can just steal that food. Because otherwise, what’s the point? You’re not going to get much out of this otherwise.

Lilith: Most evil acts that we understand in real life come from this—as silly as it is to say, the smallest scale of it is choosing not to return the cart at the grocery store. Real evil choices are just that exploded in scale, where it’s like “I could spend $300 million to give my employees healthcare, but then I wouldn’t have $300 million.” So, if we’re really answering it that way, the best evil choice in video games is giving a poor person a gold coin and then immediately pickpocketing it back from them.

Lorelai: That’s honestly what I was going to go with. There’s so many games where you can do it, like all of the games from Larian where you spend a ton of money buying everything and you just steal it all back. Or you just steal a thing, sell it to them, then buy it from them.

John: I’ll always love that clip where it’s a Khajiit that robs you, and then they turn around and you take it back and they’re just like, “It was worthless, I don’t care.”

Lorelai: In Divinity: Original Sin, there was this one plotline with a beggar who’s like, “Hey man, I’m gonna steal from that cart over there so I can get some food. Can you please watch out for me?” And you can be like, “Yeah man, I can do it.” and then immediately tattle on him to a cop. And then you can watch him get taken to jail, for the thing you said you were going to spot him on, and you can then go to that jail, and then murder him in jail, and take the thing he stole.

Scott: I love open-ended games. It’s nice that we’re having an actual exploration of what it means to be a shitty person. You obviously should never do something like this in real life, but the fact that you can simulate it in some way… that is an achievement on its own.

John: I will say, I don’t fully think that it’s a really amazing way to do it, but I do appreciate that they give you the Accomplice option in Persona 4. Figuring out what was going on, and being like, “You know what… I’m into it, let’s keep it going.” That’s interesting. I don’t think it fully pulls it off, but I think it’s an interesting concept and I would love to see that kind of stuff happening again. If Metaphor had a thing where it was like, “You know what, this Louis guy… I’m gonna team up with him, fuck y’all,” that could be interesting!

The post The Gamesline Podcast Episode 54: Whipping It Out! appeared first on Gamesline.

It’s a John and Maverick show for episode 412 of the podcast! We talk stupid news, GTA 6 leaks, Splatoon 3, Splatfest, John continues to enjoy Xenoblade 3, has mixed thoughts on Soul Hackers 2, Among Us and Hololive have a new collaboration out, GameStop is giving out copies of Babylon’s Fall, Deltarune’s Spamton makes some noise, EVGA and Nvidia split, Maverick takes us deeper into the world of Honkai Impact, and Twitch is now regulating gambling content.

As always, you can support us on our Patreon, and follow us on Twitter @VGChooChoo,  @john_michonski, and @mavsplaniamania

Also, don’t forget to rate and review us on iTunes, and tell a friend about the show! If you want to send in questions send them to our ask box at videogamechoochoo.tumblr.com/ask.

You can also join our Discord channel at thegamezone.zone!

Our theme song is “Crush” by Melt Channel, from the album Magic is Real.

Subscribe via iTunes, Hipcast, direct download, or listen below!

The post VGCC Episode 412: Vtubers are Sus appeared first on Gamesline.

Remember how last week we mentioned Babylon’s Fall will be shutting down? In anticipation of its closure, some Gamestop stores have been giving away copies if you ask them nicely.

Beta testing for Dragon Ball: The Breakers is now open for the public. The game’s official worldwide release will be October 14, 2022.

Twitch has updated two of their policies. One is regulating gambling streams, prohibiting the streaming of gambling websites not licensed in the US. Secondly, the streamer-site revenue split was changed from 70-30 to 50-50 for bigger streamers. They will also be running more ads on the site, even if the streamer disables midroll ads. Many streamers are already threatening to leave the site.

Among Us has launched a Hololive crossover, introducing costumes based on VTubers for your amogus to run around in. No word if the Pekora costume comes with a monkey.

Grand Theft Auto VI leaked. A hacker, allegedly the same one who recently hacked Uber, shared ninety pieces of leaked video, screenshots, and code from the long awaited game. Rockstar confirmed the leaks as genuine, and have said they come from an early version of the title. A suspect behind the hacking has been apprehended.

The first two Suikoden games are getting remastered. Announced at Tokyo Game Show, the PS1 classic JRPGs by Konami are getting up-rezzed and re-translated. They will launch for all major platforms in 2023.

New screenshots of the A Wonderful Life remake have been published. The screenshots stress the expected graphics overhaul and update, on top of what looks like the (what we feel) tragic yassification of some characters.

In celebration of the shared Undertale and Deltarune anniversary, an update on Deltarune’s future was posted by Toby Fox. The update showcased some new music and locales, plus launched Spamton’s Sweepstakes, a charity drive for Child’s Play that gave out very stupid prizes. It went on to raise over $322,000. The prizes were rewarded on a…very special livestream.

EVGA, one of the largest graphics card manufacturers, has both broken off their deal with Nvidia and backed out of the GPU business altogether. Nvidia is reportedly undercutting all other GPU makers by making their own, cheaper graphics cards to keep third parties like EVGA out of the loop.

The post The Bulletin: HEY EVERY !!!! appeared first on Gamesline.

AIn the news Babylon’s Fall is shutting down, Deltarune is getting an update, Overwatch is going offline for a couple days, EVGA is leaving graphics card manufacturing, and major layoffs have hit G4TV and Fanbyte. We also go over all the news from the Nintendo Direct like Zelda : Tears of a Kingdom, Pikmin 4, Fire Emblem Engage, Octopath Traveler 2, and all the farming games. At the Sony State of Play, we say a new Team Ninja game, Tekken 8, Pacific Drive, and the show closer, a God of War controller. Finally, we go over everything from TGS from Like a Dragon: Gaiden, Like a Dragon: Ishin, Like a Dragon 8, Street Fighter 6, Mega Man Battle Network, and the ultimate rare Konami W. That’s right, the remaster they’ve been teasing announcing forever wasn’t a Bluber Team Silent Hill or a Metal Gear remaster. No, it was a Suikoden 1 and 2 HD Remaster, and Lorelai is incredibly emotional about it.

As always, you can support us on our Patreon, and follow us on Twitter @VGChooChoo,  @john_michonski, @ChorbySP and @JudgementScythe

Also, don’t forget to rate and review us on iTunes, and tell a friend about the show! If you want to send in questions send them to our ask box at videogamechoochoo.tumblr.com/ask.

You can also join our Discord channel at thegamezone.zone!

Our theme song is “Crush” by Melt Channel, from the album Magic is Real.

Subscribe via iTunes, Hipcast, direct download, or listen below!

The post VGCC Episode 411: Suikoden Day appeared first on Gamesline.

Best Ongoing: Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker

Runners-up: Hot Wheels Unleashed, Chivalry 2

Final Fantasy XIV has always been a reasonably good MMORPG, developed and maintained by one of the most consistent teams in the AAA space. Its 2019 expansion, Shadowbringers, elevated it to new heights of popularity as a result of several conjoining factors: the global pandemic pushing more online interactions, and the decline in popularity of one of its main competitors, World of Warcraft in the wake of its ill-received Battle for Azeroth expansion and decline of Activision Blizzard’s image—to name just two. The buildup to 2021’s Endwalker expansion was measurably more pressurized than any previous expansion’s launch from the sheer popularity growth and constant upwards explosions of its player base. This pressure was compounded by it being delayed from the typical summer expansion release schedule all the way to the end of 2021, as a direct result of pandemic-related delays in the development cycle the year prior.

Despite all of this, Endwalker wound up being an exceptional addition to the core game. It succinctly delivers on the key narrative elements of the game’s main story in a satisfying and conclusive manner, which scales up in effectiveness with how much you paid attention during the game’s main story, as well as with how much of the side content you finished, while also opening up the world in new and exciting ways which pave several paths for all sorts of future adventures. Feature-wise, the game has been updated to finally service Oceania players more directly with their very own Data Center, Materia. The inclusion of the gender-locked Hrothgar and Viera player races was one of the primary criticisms of Shadowbringers, and Endwalker’s launch saw the addition of male Viera to the surprise and delight of many (and female Hrothgar are slated to be released in a later patch). This was in spite of previous statements that it would be incredibly difficult to add more player races after Shadowbringers. And yet, the development team was able to accomplish this feat anyway. Final Fantasy XIV’s journey to Endwalker took over a decade of development, and with all the failures and successes along the way, it’s proven to be an adventure worth taking.

– Spencer

Most Disappointing: No More Heroes 3

Runners-up: Pokémon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl, Halo Infinite

It shouldn’t have been like this.

No More Heroes 3 seemed like something Suda51 was going to give his all for. And maybe he did. But due to both his own insistence on trying to impress James Gunn and Takashi Miike, the realities of his company and Marvelous being sold to two different conglomerates, and the COVID-19 pandemic, NMH3 is an unfinished, empty mess of a game hung up on Guardians of the Galaxy, John Riccitello, and Miike’s movies instead of being inspired by them. Suda constantly bemoans the ruining of Shadows of the Damned when he now has the rights to the franchise and can just do whatever he wants. None of the bosses Travis faces add up to anything beyond spectacle, even reducing series mainstay Henry into a Loki ripoff. There’s a part in NMH3 where Travis straight up begs Miike to make a No More Heroes movie. In the previous games, I’d see this as a joke, a little rib at Travis wanting to be included in something he loves. Instead it reads more like Suda pleading for the acceptance of others, making punk feel dead and buried. No More Heroes 3 doesn’t kill the past, it wallows in it.

– John

Best Music: Deltarune Chapter 2

Runners-up: NEO: The World Ends With You, The Longest Road On Earth

I am no stranger to Toby Fox’s musical stylings. My man has been making hits for a while now; hell, I remember when “Megalovania” was the theme for a one winged dog killing an entire dream planet. As such, it’s not a surprise that Chapter 2 of Fox’s newest project Deltarune would deliver when it comes to the soundtrack department. While some pieces from the first chapter still stick around like the battle theme “Rude Buster,” Chapter 2 is unafraid to bring out new leitmotifs and tunes that will stick with you long after you hit credits. “A CYBER’S WORLD?” starts off with a simple melody but builds into a beat drop right as you get a glimpse of the new area you’ll be exploring this time around, confidently stating that there’s gonna be a lot to enjoy sonically. New character Queen has her own leitmotif that’s full of as much character as she is, popping up in different arrangements as you try to stop her nefarious plans. A lot of the musical strengths mainly come from new characters getting the chance to take some of the spotlight, such as Berdly’s themes that suits an awkward teen stepping in as an overzealous henchman for the day or Noelle’s theme which is able to hint at a lot more of the darkness this game has that is slowly starting to leak out.

Of course, I can’t talk about Deltarune Chapter 2 without discussing the sounds of EV3RY BODY ‘S FAVORITE [[Number One Rated Salesman1997]]. Spamton’s entire deal (I KNOW I KNOW I’M SORRY) serves to remind the player that Toby has, indeed, played Earthbound, and his music is no different. Cluttered with samples from not just that game, but also other media sources and a good spattering of the Mega Man X sound font, Spamton reaches a memetic level akin to Sans not just for his Jerk City-esque non sequiturs but from the fact that he’s got some bangers going on this OST. “BIG SHOT (vs. Spamton NEO)” is this chapter’s secret boss song and it manages to take not only bring in Spamton’s instrumentals, but also throws in leitmotifs from the last secret boss of Chapter 1, Mettaton NEO’s theme from the No Mercy route of Undertale, and the dummy theme also from Fox’s last cultural juggernaut. My man is hitting you with a musical brick over the head when it comes to themes of being puppeted around in life by someone else. Suffice to say, the music of Deltarune is usually the first thing that makes me remember that I do have so much anticipation and adoration for the worlds Toby has been able to create over the years, and I’ll be waiting until next time to see what else he has in store.

– Mav

Best Audio: Unpacking

Runners-up: Inscryption, Death’s Door

The excellence of Unpacking’s audio design comes from both its attention to detail and its simplicity. The serene flow of unpacking and putting away your precious little things in a new place is made all the more immersive by the sound of it – every object unique by material, weight, and where it’s placed.

Excuse me what pic.twitter.com/cn6DYE04v1

— Francesco Del Pia (@frandelpia) November 4, 2021

This care for minutiae coupled with a soundtrack that matches the ambiance of each new room does a great job at underscoring Unpacking’s zen and heartfelt story without taking attention away from it. For us, the intricacy and sheer effort of its sound design makes Unpacking our pick for Best Audio of 2021.

– Franny

Worst Game, Presented by Balan Wonderworld from Balan Wonderworld: The Medium

Runners-up: Twelve Minutes, The Artful Escape

Content Warning: This section has mentions of child abuse, sexual abuse, and the Holocaust, which is content that is all present in The Medium.

The Medium is a psychological horror video game released in early 2021, and even now has subsisted as one of the most offensive byproducts of the year to its end. What The Medium got away with is a direct result of its stagnant and expansive press coverage, benefiting from this unintentional strategy of knowing that what the greater public does not see means they will also not be aware of.

The Medium puts the player in the role of a psychic who is able to see both the immediate world and a more metaphysical world, where thoughts and emotions are tangible. To portray this effect, The Medium gives the player the control between two different screens rendered in real time, showing two slightly different versions of the same space. This is executed pretty poorly: Between near-constant amounts of lag and multiple crashes, the gameplay experience (which has been done much more successfully in many other games) quickly becomes embarrassing. However, even that can barely hold a candle to the game’s writing.

Not only are the sparse trigger warnings at the beginning of the game written very vaguely, they also do not excuse just how appallingly things will be handled. As a psychic, players have to subdue a monster that turns out to be a manifestation of the trauma endured by their sister, a victim of sexual abuse. However, The Medium continues to bizarrely expand upon this by also showing the backstory of the abuser in question, which is stacked by even more instances of sexual abuse (with unskippable audio and cutscenes) using the backdrop of the Holocaust in an attempt to demonstrate how trauma begets trauma. The Medium thinks good, mature storytelling means painting layer and layer upon exploitative imagery to ultimately make a point that does not even make sense: The game seems deeply unsympathetic to the initial child abuse victim in question, unfortunately concluding with the implication of her death as necessary to end this horrific cycle…that was not even her fault? As if to add insult to injury, this game was initially released on January 28; International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

This is sadly not the first time developers Bloober Team have done something like this, mishandling similar issues in their Layers of Fear games and treating “sanity” as a mechanic in their game adaptation of Blair Witch while simultaneously claiming post-traumatic stress disorder is being realistically portrayed. It is cruel and downright offensive, and even worse, it somehow has all led to Bloober being rewarded the opportunity to explore their own take on Silent Hill. Everything about and around The Medium just sucks! But what is even sadder is that the game itself is a mere symptom of a bigger problem: Yes, the conception of this game to begin with rests on the developers for making it to begin with, but it is a stark reminder that as long as rampant ignorance and insensitivity on topics dealing with abuse, trauma, and mental health and illness continues to remain a problem, it will be exploited for even more mediocre attempts at edgy narratives.

– Elvie

The post Game of the Year Awards 2021: Day Three appeared first on Gamesline.

Honorable Mention

Community Pom Translation

This past year was absolutely incredible for fan translations. Games like Mizzurna Falls and Tomato Adventure were constantly being asked for and can finally be played in English, and even this early into 2022 we’ve already got heavy hitters like the Super Famicom version of Tokimeki Memorial. However, there’s one game that I saw maybe one other person talk about, and it’s a lovely little game called Community Pom for the PS1. Yeah, P O M. Get yer mind out of the gutter.

Community Pom is a sweet game where you play as a little girl witch who wants to help repair the image of critters called Poms, bunny-looking beings that are being blamed for the issues near your home village. You rescue Poms from dungeons, battle monsters, and other various RPG scenarios. Three things bring Community Pom above its contemporaries, in my opinion; The titular Community, its music, and its writing. The Community aspect sees you bringing Poms back home to their own little village, where they can farm, build, and otherwise help both you and their fellows live an easier life. Poms can even be brought out onto the field, assisting in combat and traversal.

Community Pom also has one of the most interesting soundtracks I’ve ever heard. There’s a song that’s a remix of an Earth, Wind, and Fire song, but it’s got its own flavor? There’s a song made up completely of those “DUN DUN DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUN” sounds you’d hear in like…Animaniacs. There’s nothing else like it. The entire soundtrack is up there. Please listen to it for me.

The writing is very funny and very sweet. Of course the original writers are a big part of it, but also shout out to translator TheMajinZenki for their absolutely sensational adaptation. The player character is such a bundle of sass, I loved hearing her mouth off to everyone she fights against.

So yes, I feel like everyone should try this game if you missed it last October! Here’s a link to the translation patch!

5. New Pokémon Snap

Pokémon for the most part rested on its laurels for 2021, in the worst possible way. BDSP was pretty embarrassing, and all the other Pokémon content was pretty lame overall. One highlight, however, was New Pokemon Snap, Bandai Namco’s sequel to the beloved, but maybe overblown, N64 classic. New Snap blows the original out of the water with far larger areas, gorgeous visuals, and the ability to unlock not only new Pokemon but new interactions and spectacles with each playthrough of each map.

New Snap could have been the most bland remake in the world and it would’ve sold like crazy. Instead, B-N actually put in the effort and surpassed my expectations, and then kept going! There’s a few headaches here and there, mostly in the boss fights, but New Snap is a game I can see myself returning to and finding new things instead of just retreading the same animation of Charizard popping out of the magma again and again.

4. Deltarune Ch. 2

Toby Fox just gets it. He’s so goddamn funny, dude. Every time Queen spoke I lost my mind. The music!! The music. I don’t know what I need to say about this game that hasn’t been said by literally everyone ever but yes, I’m excited for more Deltarune and even if this was maybe held back by being “part two of whatever the hell” there’s still a lot to love about this entry by itself, and a continued improvement on top of this is an enthralling prospect.

3. Metroid Dread

I remember when the new Metroid was revealed, I was saying “they’re gonna call it Dread, it’s such a cheap pop but god it’ll be so good” and as soon as it was revealed I clapped and laughed to myself, knowing this was gonna be a great game. It absolutely was; the return to form 2D Metroid needed after so long.

I liked what I played of Samus Returns, but MercurySteam came fully into their own with Dread, perhaps thanks to the help of Nintendo EAD and Yoshio Sakumoto. The melee attack has become a far more rewarding aspect of the gameplay, the maps have a perfect flow to them, and (most of) the bosses are exciting and fun to fight. The future of Metroid feels secure here, and I cannot wait to see what happens next. They gave Samus a devil trigger, they’ve gotta let us use it in another full game, right? RIGHT???

2. Disco Elysium The Final Cut

I’m so sorry. I didn’t play Disco Elysium when it was new, and I missed out on one of the smartest, funniest, downright best games I’ve ever experienced. I am a pretty big hater of top down, western RPGs like this, but every line of dialogue, every music sting, every piece of art that makes up the city, no, the world of Revochol combines together to form an absolutely breathtaking story that I believe everyone should experience. The nuanced portrayal of a variety of people, a variety of politics, and a world on the brink…There’s nothing else like it.

The Final Cut upgrade is a big reason why I waited to play, and I’d say the wait was worth it. Almost all dialogue is now voiced, including each and every inner monologue the player character has. Great writing complemented by just as good voice acting makes said writing even smoother! The gameplay updates and extra quests don’t do much for me, but the voice acting in itself was more than enough. This is a dense, unique masterpiece of a game that’s pure lightning in a bottle.

1. Resident Evil Village

Resident Evil Village is stupid. It’s that special kind of dumb that makes me laugh out loud, clutch my forehead, and mutter “oh wow” under my breath. It’s a game where an extremely tall vampire woman cuts your hand off with her huge nails and you graft it back on moments later. There’s an evil dollhouse where you run from a giant fetus demon. There’s a guy with the most insane accent ever who controls metal and says “bitch” like he’s being held at gunpoint to be sexist. It rules.

On top of all the silliness, Resident Evil Village is downright fun to play. Structured similarly to Resident Evil VII, it builds on the house the Bakers built with better combat and easier treasure hunting, filling each new location with memorable encounters and intriguing puzzles. I don’t think it does anything truly revolutionary, but it does everything it’s trying to do so well, and is clearly having a blast every step of the way. Resident Evil Village is this style of RE polished to a fine sheen, and I can’t wait for IX, with whatever nutso psychic powered kids and plant monsters it dares to bring into the franchise.

…However, on top of that, the real John’s Pick of 2021 is Shin Megami Tensei. Like, all of it, or at least what I’ve played. I finally dug into SMTIV after falling face-first into the ground every time I tried the training grounds. I finally made it over that hump, and my goodness, did I become obsessed. I have beaten IV and IV: Apocalypse so far, have started III, V, and Strange Journey, and now daydream about buying a Samurai cosplay to wear around the house. I know it’s crazy that my answer for GOTY isn’t just SMTV but I haven’t played enough yet! So for now I’m just gonna say that RE8 is my favorite game from 2021 and that I’m just glad SMT entered my life this year. May war continue to break out in heaven, and may we all keep rejecting just one more god.

The post John’s Top 5 Games of 2021 appeared first on Gamesline.

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