Hope

Gachiakuta has been a welcomed surprise, I really enjoyed the first season and can't wait for more. The animation is absolutely gorgeous and the story is far more entertaining than I was expecting.

For me, Lord of mysteries is the best anime I have seen in a long time and I highly recommend it to fans of demon slayer as it has gorgeous animation and a very unique story with likeable characters.

I have a question, why are people so upset with Expedition 33 winning? Yes, I agree, Silksong deserved more love too, but what happened to all the support for Expedition 33? I thought people liked it?

Mark_Sammut Bloodborne is one of my absolute favorites too, it's one of the few games where I actually enjoyed the story. Have you tried Onimusha? It's an older game but the gameplay and story are still good.

Mark_Sammut Nioh 2 is still so incredible to play even now, really has a good quality in terms of gameplay experience.

Nioh 3 is such great news because I was worried we wouldn't get more. I'm glad it's still going because as a Souls fan, I highly recommend it as it's unique in it's own way while still appealing to us. Code Vein wasn't my favorite, actually forgot about it but it's good to see it continuing. I hope they add more depth this time as the first game felt like it lacked something. Yakuza is always a win, can't go wrong there.

Let them take their time with the game, maybe they found some issues that they are fixing. We've seen a number of recent games with problems that heavily impacted player experience so perhaps they are making sure everything is working well.

The variety in Elden Ring makes it more accessible. You can block with a shield, parry or dodge, those paired with a large selection of weapons and skills allow for people to play comfortably. Yes, you do still need to learn which style is best for you, but each option is available from the start. The games on this list are good too though.

FromSoftware is extremely good at world-building, it's something that has always made me enjoy their games. When Elden Ring came out I think they not only cemented that fact but also showed how they could take their strengths and create new, exciting games. Elden Ring is by far my favorite open-world game, easily surpassing ones that I used to enjoy.

Comparing Shadow of the Erdtree to the base game, it's clear to see the progress FromSoft achieved with how it handles open worlds. In the base game they did so well, but the DLC was an improvement in every way. Bosses were fun, rewards were all worth searching for and the world itself was fun to travel across without feeling like it would take years to get from point A to point B.

Oh my word, best news ever! Elden Ring has honestly become a very beloved game to me and I'm glad it's getting new content added. Got Platinum right after beating the DLC for the first time and glad I did so before updating because the bosses were so much fun.

In the case of silent protagonists, it differs from game to game. There are times when it works well, giving the protagonist an air of confidence and strength, then there are times when it falls flat. Depending on the writing, a silent protagonist in an RPG can detract from the immersion since it tends to work better for games where you create your own character. I really love when a game will warn players that they are approaching the end, this feature should be implemented more often, especially in games with side missions or quests that give alternative endings. Great list by the way, the things mentioned are always fun to see in games.

In terms of story and well-written characters, Final Fantasy IX and X have the lead. Both manage their cast of characters with great care, making each one feel important whereas other games might struggle with that. Next are Final Fantasy X-2 and XII, seeing as they are often looked down upon, it's easy to miss what good they have to offer. X-2 does a good job in showing how things have moved on after the events of the previous game while simultaneously adding more details to it's lore. Final Fantasy XII could have done a lot more with its story, but it did build a foundation for an intriguing fictional world. Gameplay for both X-2 and XII is what makes them standout as each has refreshing, fun gameplay mechanics that are worth a try. Not having Final Fantasy VIII on this list is criminal, gameplay and story-wise it is an excellent game.