I think going by overall mainstream appeal and zeitgeist it’s correct. Everybody was talking about BG3 that year, even people who are usually not fans of the genre. So in that sense I agree that 2023 was the year of BG3.
On the games’ merit alone as standalone pieces of art abstracted from context I think Alan Wake 2 puts up a good fight.
They threw out the original writer and composer, and seem to have changed most characters and the whole script. It also apparently plays more like Dishonored now.
While I admire the ideas behind patient gamers and think it probably works out really well for some people, I personally also enjoy participating in the zeitgeist from time to time. Playing Elden Ring on launch was fantastic - you really felt like you were exploring the world alongside everyone else as you’re finding Ashes and weapons that don’t even have wiki entries yet.
One thing I forgot to ask last post was the music, in particular the between-chapter songs. They were all written specifically for the game by various artists based on poems about the story Sam Lake gave them. I’ve seen lots of streamers just immediately skip and go to the next chapter, but I really recommend listening through each song. They’re all amazing, and it kind of makes me sad it didn’t get the award for best music.
I’m sure they are and I’m sure they’re doing their best, but such a huge part of why the original has become a cult classic was Brian Mitsoda’s script. They had him on board and threw him out. I really wish I knew what was going on behind the scenes. Did he piss someone off? Was the functional parts of the game not… functioning? Or was the script really that bad? They seem to be keeping basically none of it, but the characters in the Chinese Room trailers have none of the charm of Hardsuit Labs trailers…
I think we’ll get a mediocre Dishonored-like with a Vampire theme that is Bloodlines only in name, and fans will forever wonder about and mythologize that Hardsuit Labs version with Mitsoda and Rik Schaffer (which may well have sucked in reality).
It’s become one of my favourite games of all time, I think it’s a masterpiece. I love the Remedy connected universe, and as someone who played and loved Max Payne back in the day I got a huge nostalgia kick from the cameos in AW2. When you first see Casey in the Max Payne 1 outfit I squealed.
I also think Alice’s actress is absolutely killing it and am surprised she didn’t get more recognition.
I really need a behind the scenes documentary about the development of Bloodlines 2 in the future. They had literally the game fans of the first wanted: Brian Mitsoda writing and Rik Schaffer composing (which itself was a miracle since he’s previously said he never would).
What the hell happened? Did Brian piss someone off? Was the gameplay completely unplayable? How bad was the script? Did they choose to throw away everything Mitsoda wrote or did he not let them use it?
That’s only possible if the game is a rough diamond. Rik Schaffer might publish his unused OST for modders to do something with, but I doubt Brian Mitsoda’s script is accessible and looking at the changes here compared to the Hardsuit Labs trailers it doesn’t look like they kept much of it in.
I have literally zero hopes. But then again all the things I wanted from the sequel are the things Paradox threw out when they handed the game over to The Chinese Room. And looking at the character changes in this trailer compared to the Hardsuit Labs trailers I can’t say I’m hopeful things have changed for the better.