It’s been a monumental year for RPGs, if not one of the best ever. I say this to make clear that it’s no small feat there was a single frontrunner for me despite the steepest of competition. The RPG (of the Year) That Delivered on My Dreams It’s Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. Like, oh my god, for me thi… Read More »
Three Favorite 2024 RPGs Unicorn Overlord This incredible SRPG would’ve flown under my radar if not for the praise fellow RPGFan staff members kept heaping on it. I’m glad I listened, as Unicorn Overlord is a graphically stunning, entertainingly meaty adventure that the strategy RPG lover in me read… Read More »
So! About that 2024, huh? A year of difficult (yet fulfilling!) personal change for me was punctuated by one of the all-time best years in RPG history. As I made my way through treacherous personal waters, I found myself further away from the games I love so much until later into the year, when I st… Read More »
It’s been a great year for RPGs, and I’m always trying to keep up with the great titles of this year, last year, the previous year, and so on. Last year, I hadn’t beaten Baldur’s Gate 3, and here I am, a year later, and I still haven’t beaten it! Anyway, that was last year. Here’s what I played this… Read More »
Best 2024 Game (That I Played): Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth In a year full of extraordinary RPGs, I’m unashamed to say that I’m sticking with my comfort food: the Yakuza series. Why? Because Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is simply some of the tastiest video game comfort food you could find outsi… Read More »
Bat Dad Is Best Dad Award! Metaphor: ReFantazio was easily the best RPG this year. No doubt in my mind. It had a fresh new setting, took the long and sometimes stale Persona gameplay loop and streamlined it, and combined a job system with the Press Turn system to make for amazing top-tier turn-based… Read More »
Top 3 RPGs That Held My Attention This Year SKALD: Against the Black Priory If you’d told me a year ago that my favorite gaming experience of the year would have been an Amiga-inspired retro RPG, I’d have likely shot a pessimistic glance. But SKALD was so draped in dark atmospherics, both in its det… Read More »
We’re on to part 2! There are plenty of excellent remasters here, an early game that might have been in Games of the Year if the full one wasn’t releasing next year, and at least one game in a long running franchise that is so unbelievable that it’s downright perfect. Go to Part 1 Go to Part 3 Fable… Read More »
Here we have some remasters that this author might be chomping at the bit to play, new entries in some long-running franchises, and some indie releases we’re chomping at the bit to play. We also have a couple of late bonus entries that we just had to include! Go to Part 1 Go to Part 2 Monster Hunter… Read More »
Origins is so much more than just board gaming with strangers and buying the latest and greatest. You can meet your favorite designers and chat with them! Imagine going to ye olde E3 and having a chance to talk with Hideo Kojima or Shigeru Miyamoto. With a wealth of guests and board gaming celebriti… Read More »
Do you enjoy tea? What about escape rooms? Interested in the logistics of actually manufacturing a game? What about LGBT non-profits and queer friends who play and make games? Origins has all of that and more. Tea Punk Teas In years past when we’ve covered Origins, we discussed the odd and novel bus… Read More »
A Message From the Stars I must have been sleeping on AllPlay pre-pandemic, or they’ve just grown tremendously since then. Initially a luxury board game table developer, AllPlay has leaned heavily into publishing board games that they describe as “approachable and easy to learn,” which I agree with,… Read More »
I’m a medium-to-heavy board gamer. I don’t turn my nose up at any game, but if I had my way, I’d be chompin’ on an intense, complex, multi-hour battle for first place. That said, short, snappy games have their place, especially depending on who I have over. 5-Minute Dungeon contributes nicely to a s… Read More »
And now we’re on to part 2 (games ranked 17th through 9th on our list). A couple of series have multiple entries here, but each game is very different. Check them out! Go to Part 1 Go to Part 3 #17 Undertale Writeup by Tim Rattray The PS4 has many great RPGs, but I’d wager that none were more influe… Read More »
And we’ve come to the end of our list! While there will be some surprises, the top of this list is very good and showcases just how excellent the PS4 library is! Go to Part 1 Go to Part 2 #8 Disco Elysium Writeup by Aleks Franiczek Disco Elysium is, first and foremost, a PC game, heralding back to t… Read More »
Page 1 Page 3 Flammie (Secret of Mana) Writeup by Patrick Gann Lifting the spin drum into the sky and giving it a sharp turn, the Mana Beast, Flammie, descends to sweep up you and your two companions. Goodness gracious, I always loved calling upon this lovable cutie as the ideal mode of transportati… Read More »
Page 1 Page 2 Nidhogg (Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward) Writeup by Zach Wilkerson We had a hard time deciding on the best dragon from Final Fantasy XIV. There’s certainly no shortage of excellent dragons, but even amongst them, Nidhogg soars above the rest. In many ways, Nidhogg becomes the tem… Read More »
The Go Away Rean Schwarzers Award I’m seeing double here: four winners! Congrats, Rean Schwarzer, you somehow won this award again for the fourth time. So yes, notice the plural. There are two of them now. Yep, two of them. I can see the developer meeting now. Falcom: Everyone loves Rean, so w… Read More »
New Guy Walks in With an Obvious Game of the Year Pick: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom What can I even add to the conversation here that hasn’t already been said? Tears of the Kingdom is just that awe-inspiring. It’s the perfect balance of sandbox freedom, bespoke puzzles shrouded in a de… Read More »
2023 was an incredible year for video game releases (and a disgusting one for video game company layoffs. Let’s hope 2024 makes huge improvements there). Still, I always manage to play far more “old” games than games from the current year, so I split my selection into two categories — games first re… Read More »
Favorite Game of 2023: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom If you ask most people what seasons 2023 had, you’ll get, well, a funny look but also an answer of the expected four. But for me, I missed summer. My 2023 was late winter, spring, Zelda, autumn, and winter again. Tears of the Kingdom w… Read More »
Best Gateway Into Chinese RPGs: Wandering Sword I had no idea what I was missing out on by not playing Chinese RPGs until I played Wandering Sword. The unique Wuxia-inspired setting, deep character building mechanics informed by martial arts fantasy, and ingenious mix of CRPG and JRPG influences com… Read More »
Best Game of 2023 (That I Played): The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom When The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was released in 2017, it was heralded as one of the greatest Zelda games of all time, if not one of the greatest GOATs, period. Knowing everyone was eagerly awaiting word of the… Read More »
My Top 5 RPGs: 5. The Legend of Heroes: Trails into Reverie Trails into Reverie reignited my passion for The Legend of Heroes: Trails series, making me extremely excited for what’s next. I adore its characters and story resolutions, and give special kudos to protagonist C for phenomenal character de… Read More »
Proof That Giving Gust Time and Money Is a Great Idea of the Year: Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key Ever since 2019’s Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout reignited the Atelier series, the Secret (Ryza) sub-series saw drastic improvements from one entry to th… Read More »
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