John is joined this week by Rose, Lorelai, and Nikolas to talk about how few games they’ve been playing. John’s been playing the Pikmin 2 romhack Pecan 2 and Lorelai was on the road for 3 weeks for a stop at San Diego Comic-Con before arriving home to dive into the new Final Fantasy XIV patch and First Berserker Khazan. Rose has been digging into all of her Gatcha games while Nikolas on the other hand has been playing a whole bunch of Sonic Forces while the crew tries to sell him on the glory of Xenoblade Chronicles X.

In the news, the developers of Wuchang Fallen Feathers caved to right wing trolling and kind of ruined their game, Christian Whitehead teased that a sequel to Sonic Mania was nixed, Arkane’s union is demanding that Microsoft stop supporting Israel, and we touch more on the payment processor news.

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

Edited and Produced by Lorelai.

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

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Announced at SXSW, Sonic Mania Plus will feature a number of upgrades to Sonic Mania, and feature the game’s first physical release. In addition to a new “Encore Mode” and “Expanded [Four Player] Competition,” Sonic Mania Plus will add two characters: Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel, from the 1993 arcade title SegaSonic the Hedgehog.

Set for Xbox One, PS4, and Switch, the physical release includes a holographic slip cover, a “Reversible Genesis/MEGA-Drive sleeve” (assumedly the interior art), and a 32-page Sonic Mania artbook. With a price set at $29.99 and a release set for “Summer 2018,” it looks like the definitive edition of Sonic’s recent smash-hit will be rolling out sooner rather than later. In addition, the upgrades will be available as free DLC for anyone who already owns Sonic Mania.

Finally, the SXSW panel also announced an animated series, Sonic Mania Adventures. The five-episode series will carry of the style and tone of the Sonic Mania’s now-iconic intro cinematic, and will likely be helmed by the same director, Tyson Hesse. The episodes will feature Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails, take place in the world of Sonic Mania, and be connected by a single storyline.

Although not much info is out about the upcoming animations, they’ll be viewable for free on YouTube, and will kick off with “Classic Sonic getting back to where he belongs.” After several years of mediocre games and general disappointments, it seems like Sonic is running at full speed once again – let’s hope Sega can keep the momentum rolling.

EDIT: The panel’s conclusion also teased the previously rumored Sonic kart racing game, employing a quick teaser featuring a revving car and a single letter “R.” This is likely a reference to the Sega Saturn game Sonic R, a racing title featuring all Sonic characters. Indeed, if the rumors are true, this new game will eschew the “All-Stars” of Sonic & All-Star Racing Transformed, and instead focus entirely on the hedgehog and friends.

Check out the teaser below:

The post Sega Announces Sonic Mania Plus; Plus Animated Sonic Series appeared first on Gamesline.

10. Danganronpa V3

It was tough to decide if I even wanted to put V3 on the list. There were numerous things I disliked about this game, but there were also some really fantastic aspects of it that surpassed previous games in the series. Most of the negatives were related to things outside gameplay like character personalities and especially the ending. However, the wild storytelling itself is what truly puts it on my top 10. The mystery of the trials, intense executions, twists, turns, and polishing of the trial minigames really make my heart flutter with excitement and make it notable, but I will still yearn for something better.

9. Emily is Away Too

I’m not gonna lie; I wasn’t greatly impressed with the first Emily is Away, so I didn’t expect much from the sequel. It was short and there was nothing particularly stunning about it, other than the fact that the story was a little depressing. One of the best things about Emily is Away Too was the creator’s ability to push his goal of the original game in a much more accessible way. The game immerses you into the world of early 2000s, expanding from the Windows ’95 sounds and graphics by allowing the player to change their desktop to one of the classic wallpapers from that era, saving chat logs to your actual desktop, bringing back early Facebook, Google, and—my personal favorite—early Youtube (with fully working videos!) 2017 was a year of nostalgia for video games, and I think Emily is Away Too does the best job of capturing those feelings from our younger years.

8. A Mortician’s Tale

I’m such a sucker for smaller indie games like A Mortician’s Tale. It was short and simple yet unraveled such a beautiful tale of the social aspects of working in a funeral home. Most of the story relied on reading the character’s emails, and in those emails you get to experience the real emotions of clients, your long-distance best friend, and coworkers. What broke my heart was the slow crumble of the family-owned funeral home as it’s bought by a large corporation and how it negatively affects the feelings of your clients. This game did a great job of de-stigmatizing the lives of morticians, and that’s something so rarely touched on that I can truly appreciate. Not to mention the art in this game is very cute, covered in such a soft lavender color.  It’s a fantastic game for when you need a relaxing, little distraction.

7. Doki Doki Literature Club

Doki Doki Literature Club appeared out of nowhere as a sort of satirical view on the typical dating sim. I came into the game knowing already that there was something messed up about about it, since the game was causing quite a stir on my Twitter timeline, but I never anticipated the creative use of creepy graphics and storytelling that would come about.  Unfortunately, the “delete this file” bit is a bit overdone at this point and only caused some eye roll. Other than that flub, I’d take my morbid “waifus” over those charming pigeon boys of Hatoful Boyfriend anyday.

6. Sonic Mania

Sonic Mania blends every enjoyable feature from old school Sonic games to create a modern masterpiece.  It simultaneously captures the feelings from playing Sega Genesis as a child and introducing a new game, which takes some skill. It also pulls in a bit of Puyo Puyo for one of the boss battles, which, after the release of Puyo Puyo Tetris earlier in the year, I have to give some applause.  

5. A Hat In Time

I was pleasantly surprised by A Hat in Time, especially after playing the Kickstarter disappointment that was Yooka-Laylee. The biggest difference between the two was that AHIT actually accomplished bringing back N64-esque platforming with proper controls and enclosed levels. I was mostly impressed with it, between the uniquely colorful worlds and the stories that were told through each one, particularly in Dead Bird Studios and its incorporated noir train mystery. This is definitely in my library of feel-good games due to its bright and cheery atmosphere, even in the darkest and creepiest of levels.

4. Night in the Woods

Many games in 2017 aimed to fire up your nostalgia, but NITW handles the “right here and now” recreation of today’s struggles that is feeling misunderstood and confused. Mae’s issues with college and living in the past when it came to her relationships with her pals and hometown was deeply relatable. I’m very thankful this game came out when it did because it helped me feel not so alone. I feel like the hype for it has died down immensely in the past couple of months, which is a darn shame, but it still has such a special place in my heart.

3. Breath of the Wild

I get why this was a letdown for a lot of people, but for me it was everything I could have wanted in a Zelda game. In my opinion, exploration is essential in a game like this, and BOTW kept me busy for hours trying scope out every unfamiliar area I can find or easter eggs and other collectables I could dig up.  As you can imagine, I’m still hunting for Korok seeds. Every bit of landscape is beautiful, Zelda herself is smoking hot, and the shrine puzzles are a refreshing stop in between your main adventures. I’m baffled that there’s still so much to do, and I have zero complaints about any of it.

2. The Sexy Brutale

I haven’t been able to stop thinking about The Sexy Brutale since I first played it. Being a murder-mystery game, it was bound to be in my top favorites, but it was more than that; the use of time travel and location in this game is just too brilliant to pass up. While you are solving the mystery of a murder, you can hear the sounds throughout the day of the separate homicides happening throughout the mansion, something that was eerily fascinating to me. The stylized designs and cartoony movements were also particularly endearing. In the end, The Sexy Brutale leaves you with an emotional twist to conclude the reasoning behind the unusual deaths. The entire game was unpredictable, satisfying, and kept me eager to progress through the story. To top it all off, its jazzy soundtrack is to DIE for.

1. Super Mario Odyssey

Ever since E3, I’ve been excited for Super Mario Odyssey, and boy, did it live up to all of my expectations. I can’t get over all the little details, not only in the textures of Mario’s clothing, but in the gameplay itself. The little homages to previous Mario games brought the biggest smile to my face, especially upon seeing the Mario 64 skin. I think the New Donk City festival was the cherry on top to the amazing use of nostalgia, though. I haven’t played through anything that gave me goosebumps like hearing Jump Up Super Star above rushing through the classic Donkey Kong event and seeing the fireworks light up the sky. The vast amount of moons scattered throughout the beautifully crafted levels left so much to do even after finishing, which makes it such a powerfully replayable game. There’s just too much to note about how wonderful the Odyssey experience was for me.

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Very Honorable Mention: For Honor

While the single player mode didn’t grab me hard enough to finish it, the multiplayer of For Honor is exceptionally good. Some modes get weighed down by bad map design or gameplay that encourages unfairly teaming up on individual players, but the moment-to-moment multiplayer combat in this game is some of the most fun I’ve had this year. It’s a shame that such fun combat got weighed down by an extra pricey season pass that excluded people from new content which the multiplayer sorely needed to stay fresh, poorly conceived microtransactions, and a convoluted faction system that never really felt like my investment in any one clan meant anything meaningful. Still, I found a lot of fun in grabbing a friend or two, hopping into 1v1 duels, and just having a few fights.

10. Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

The latest incarnation of the Zelda series twists the standard conventions of open world games to make something wholly unique within its franchise and in 2017. Emergent gameplay allows you to solve problems through such a large variety of solutions that it’s not uncommon to feel like the experiences you had were unique to you and nobody else. Before I picked up the game for myself, I had heard that the final boss becomes easier the further you play to the point of triviality, and I wish other people heard this too before hopping into it. It allowed me to tailor my experience to my play style in a way that was totally effective. I collected the bare minimum of hearts needed to acquire The Master Sword and only completed two of the game’s four main dungeons, which led to a really satisfying 4 stage final boss battle where I found myself using up all my weapons and items. It was a lot of fun and I highly recommend you play the game this way. I haven’t gone back since beating it, but I’m honestly considering it with the new DLC and especially Master Mode.

9. The Last Guardian

Due to it’s late December launch, The Last Guardian didn’t really get a lot of attention during Game of the Year coverage in 2016, and the coverage it did get were mainly focused on how the game doesn’t really control too well at parts. While this seems like a really strange statement to make about a game that has been in development hell for a decade, The Last Guardian clearly needed a little more time in the oven. However, that didn’t stop me from totally loving this game. It understands what it means to be a pet owner and all the heartbreaking moments that come with it. There are scenes in this game I legitimately cried at from being able to empathize with the struggles Trico and The Boy which is where it’s at its most affecting. It’s a game with highs and lows, but its highs absolutely outweigh its lows and I highly recommend sticking through it if you haven’t already played it.

8. Sonic Mania

I had the biggest, goofiest grin on my face while playing through Sonic Mania in its entirety. The early Sonic games were some of my favorite platformers growing up, so much so that I went out of my way to replay them years later. Mania manages to recapture the feel of those games flawlessly, while also updating that pixelated style with some more modern design ethos. Mania understands what Sonic fans are looking for in a game and it’s hard to say much more about it other than it’s fun. It’s fun! It’s a colorful tip-to-toe thrill ride that I left with a smile.

7. Doki Doki Literature Club

It’s really easy to see this game and write it off as another cheap, free horror game. I feel like this game is a masterwork in breaking down the visual novel genre and it’s standard conventions in order to manipulate players towards a destined path of misery and psychological horror. While it may not seem like it at first, every single inch of this game is meticulously crafted to make you fit the shoes of the player character, only to cut those legs out from under you and leave you completely disarmed. I love this game, and if you have a Steam account, there’s no reason for you not to play it (unless you’re sensitive to disturbing imagery or just aren’t really a big fan of horror, which totally makes sense).

6. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds

The menu music of PUBG is so burned into my brain that it being changed for the upcoming final release leaves me sad. Thankfully this video will serve me well to put me in the ASMR like trance I need to focus on finishing this list.

PUBG is the asymmetrical Battle Royale style loot collecting game with arcane controls that I knew I wanted in my life but didn’t know existed. I know other stuff is out there. It’s not out there for me, though. Some of the greatest moments 2017 came from grouping up with some good buddies, getting lost in the wild, barely scraping together to survive until we eventually became the winner winners of some delicious chicken dinners. Hopefully they employ some Final Fantasy XV style food tech to simulate the most delicious chicken dinners imaginable in upcoming updates.

5. Absolver

Play this game. Play this game! Absolver manages to make over-the-shoulder 3D fighting with other players super fun. Absolver carries a lot of the same ethos with For Honor and while For Honor’s trappings held it back from being something good, Absolver’s always online open world is amazing and more games can learn from how it handles player interaction. You can try and troll players by getting into fights with them at random, but then a revive system after combat that shows you physically helping them up to their feet helps facilitate that the fights are just in good fun. Getting surrounded by a group of guys goes from scary to incredible when some random player you’ve never met before rushes in, goes back to back with you, and helps you fight them off, before leaving, never to be seen again. This game also has what For Honor did right as well, which is a mode that just allows you to hop into 1 on 1 matchmaking with other players or friends without any of the extra frills on the side. It’s an extremely good game that more people should play. Come fight me.

4. Puyo Puyo Tetris

The ability to pick up and play Puyo Puyo Tetris whenever I want on the Nintendo Switch makes this game one of my absolute favorites of the year. While it’s certainly not a new game by any stretch, it’s first localized launch in the US is my first experience with it and I had nothing but fun. There are so many different game modes with extra menus that have even more game modes that it feels like a bunch of designers got in a room, asked “how can we combine Puyo Pop and Tetris into one game?” and came back with a bunch of different designs that all got included. Being able to just play a round of Tetris whenever I feel my brain ready to shut off and keep me focused has been such a huge boon in my life. This game rules and it’s a must own for any Switch owner.

3. NieR:Automata

Not knowing anything about previous games in the Nier/Drakengard timeline, some of the major references in Nier were totally lost on me. That said, Nier still managed to hit close to home with a lot of ideas of grief, loss, legacy, and letting go. I felt a mechanical significance to the endgame choice of helping those in need by letting go of your memories or by holding onto them just a little while longer until you felt comfortable letting them leave forever. Not many games manage to be that emotionally resonant through mechanics alone, while Nier’s handling of that idea is totally superb. Nier is dense and asks a lot of questions about your relationship towards games, and to loved ones, drawing a synonymous line through the two. I’ve lost a lot of people in my life, a lot that I’ve loved and many I straight up hated, and Nier reflected those feelings back at me in a way that truly understood like they’d really felt the same in ways no other game I’ve played has.

2. Night In The Woods

I think everyone growing up as a twenty-something in 2017 can identify with something, big or small, in Night In The Woods. This game handles character writing and personal moments very effectively, and it puts to words a lot of deep emotions and ideas that many people simply can’t. The heartbreak of only having a best “available” friend, the existential terror of an encroaching conservatism that threatens your very existence, the value we place in others after our lives have been filled with nothing but terror. Night in the Woods attempts to tackle these ideas not only head on, but with a smile and a sense of humor that lets you know that uncertainty is normal. Night in the Woods is comfort in nightmarish times, a striking condemnation of capitalist America that so many of us live in, and the albatrosses around our necks.

1. Nioh

This is probably gonna sound a little hollow after how deeply resonant games like NitW and NieR:Automata have been for me in 2017, but Nioh is truly the game I had the most fun with all year. Many people reductively refer to it as Samurai Dark Souls, but it’s much more than that. It’s an alternate history story about Irish-born English sailor William Adams’ quest to save his ghost girlfriend from an extremely goth twink Edward Kelley as he treks around Sengoku Era Japan and fights loving recreations of the Yokai of Japanese mythology. The game is steeped with a lot of creative irony, as the very first level takes place in the Tower of London, utilizing the medieval aesthetic to effectively subvert your expectations of playing a samurai game and place you right into another Dark Souls for its first mission. It’s also got a great sense of humor that is completely unexpected to people conditioned by Souls-like games. There are several cutscenes in the beginning of the game where William, who only speaks English throughout the game, is surrounded by Japanese people speaking Japanese, and thus just says absolutely nothing. It’s really easy to interpret William as just plain not understanding what anyone is saying and being completely confused all the time, and once the game sets that expectation in your head, the rest of the cutscenes that follow that same methodology become a joy to watch. Nioh is such a fun game with a lot there, and even in a year full of big games with long stories and huge open worlds, I can still go back to Nioh and have a good time.

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Scott and Rose… enjoy??? A Sonic game??? What the!!!

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