I just played this for the first time a few months ago via the remaster. Having only played Kiwami 1&2 and a bit of Zero before it, this definitely felt clunky but it’s still a good overall experience.

It reignited my hype for the series and now I’m up to 5. Hot take: that one might end up my fave.

I NEED a mute button for that annoying dude. His presence is both so annoying and so antithetical to what a Metroid game should be that I am baffled this made it into the game.

I don't think it will "ruin" the game for me, but it's definitely a giant factor in the negatives pile.

didn't realize I was craving or even missed. I haven't even finished any of the Prime games before, but my immediate feeling was "Oh yeah, we're so back." Something about the slow movement and bullet speeds is endearing.

The math checks out. Enjoy!!

Also, don't let the naysayers get you down. Even according to Team Cherry it's totally valid to stop playing Silksong at the end of Act 2.

That said, I'm one of those sickos that is going to go for Act 3. I just ended up getting sidetracked after rolling credits the first time.

Going along with the Yakuza-adjacent elements of Promise Mascot Agency, the voice actor for the main character is the same as well.

South of Midnight was definitely overlooked. Even though it isn't in my top picks of the year it's a really good time and taps into an underutilized setting.

I have played a bit of Automata before, but I haven’t fully seen it. Maybe just the first “part” from what I gathered.

Really excited to have the full experience.

Posting this list both as a bit of personal accountability and also in case anyone has any recommendations to prioritize, or something similar I may or may not already have.

(Aside from the existing recommendations I have for Disco, Obra Dinn, and Outer Worlds I promise I'm still working on.)

I'm not discounting buying new games next year, but I'm not planning to do so unless it's something I'm going to play right away. And frankly there's not a lot on the horizon I'm really excited for, so this is perfect timing for me to just play what I've already paid for.

what I want in the moment. Right now I have prioritized:

Disco Elysium
Outer Wilds
Return of the Obra Dinn
Nier Automata
Nier Replicant
Dust: An Elysian Tail
1000xResist
CrossCode
Dark Souls 2 and 3
Final Fantasy XIII Trilogy
Octopath Traveler 1&2
Bug Fables
Batman Arkham Origins
Binary Domain

B - Balatro

Perhaps an "easy" answer, but between the multiple game modes and random elements this is almost as good as a standard deck of cards for near-infinite replayability.

My top-ten, if anyone is curious. I swear I genuinely enjoy more types of music than just metal. lol

Ohhh man, I’d hate to hype it up too much but I think you’re in for a treat.

I’ll be eagerly waiting to hear your thoughts. 😁