Into The Breach 1.5 - Key Discusses Game of the Year

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Key Discusses Game of the Year - 2023

I kept going back and forth whether I wanted to make it a separate section in my journal or to simply create a new focused journal, and obviously I have gone with the 2nd option. To me, this allows me to focus solely on the topic at hand instead of getting distracted by other things that would fit in my other journal. This isn't going to be super crazy or in-depth but simply a place for me to discuss the games that have come out this year / I have played this year and sort of place them in a single file line of where that fall, for me, in regards to game of the year. We have had so many great releases this year and while I think I already know what's getting my game of the year, we're going to discuss the games first, and then we'll reveal that. I may have revealed this information already but for conversation sake, it'll be revealed at some point in this thread.

So sit tight! Lots of things to go over and discuss!

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Dead Space Remake - Released on January 27th 2023

Seems rather timely that I discuss the Dead Space Remake given that I just found out yesterday that it was put on Game Pass so of course I installed it right away and jumped in. I've played both Dead Space and Dead Space 2 before when they originally released over 10 years ago now, and honestly, I'm so happy with this remake. It happens quite often when a game gets remade and the developers behind it simply didn't care about the original game whatsoever, or didn't do enough to warrant a remake. Dead Space is quite the opposite. In my opinion, the original Dead Space and Dead Space 2 are must plays if you are even a small fan of survival horror games. This one mixes that with some real anxiety inducing moments which really separates it from other survival horrors. And this remake just accentuates that. To me, it feels like the Dead Space Remake just kept everything that was already great about the original and just added a lot of quality-of-life changes that makes the game feel more fluid than it did before. The addition of the tram system and being able to basically fast travel to different parts of the space shuttle you find yourself stranded on. It's certainly one of the best changes that was made in this remake, but there's a laundry list of changes like this that is making the game even more enjoyable to play now than ever before. And again, there was absolutely nothing wrong with the original Dead Space games, so I'm glad this remake just makes the game shine more as a whole.

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Hogwarts Legacy - Released on February 10th 2023

I keep thinking to myself that it's not possible that Hogwarts Legacy came out in the same year that Diablo IV and Tears of the Kingdom came out. That's wild, but here we are. Back when I originally played Hogwarts Legacy, I had nothing but praise for it. Many months later and with taking a long break from it, I can say that I will be going back to it to finish it at some point. With having a year such as we have where there's a great new game every month, it's hard to dedicate a lot of time into one game despite it being a really good game. I do tend to go back and finish what I started though but I always need something to kind of break the cycle and keep gaming interesting.

What do I think of Hogwarts Legacy as a game and what do I think of it as a game based on Hogwarts? I think it nails it on both counts. I understand the controversy that arose due to J.K. Rowling not having favorable views to a number of individuals, and the way I see it is the way I've always seen it: Hogwarts Legacy was developed by a team that had nothing to do with J.K. Rowling and she had no input on the game whatsoever so in this case, while I disagree with her outlook on things, I didn't think it was fair to punish the hard work of the developers. Honestly, Hogwarts Legacy is a really great game based on the world we know and love. It's got an enormous open world with so many things to do that it's almost impossible to put the controller down sometimes. At a certain point in the game, you gain the ability to fly on your broomstick and I have never felt more freedom in a game than when I was flying around the world of Hogwarts on my broomstick. You just felt like a true wizard and that was the main focal point of the game - becoming a powerful wizard. With all the spells and other wizardly mechanics at your disposal, Hogwarts Legacy, during my playthrough, did a wonderful job at making you feel like the most powerful wizard in Hogwarts. And man oh man, if you have not stepped into this games version of Hogwarts Castle, you have not lived. It is without a doubt one of the best interiors to a building in a video game that I've probably ever seen. Which is certainly hard to do with the amount of great games that have come out. But the feeling of being surrounding by nothing but wizardry just immerses you into the world and you just don't want to leave. But if you don't leave you don't get your broomstick so you have to weigh your options.

Hogwarts Legacy was and is a great game and it's in my top 5 games that I've played this year without a doubt.