What games are y'all looking forward to?

[Natalie]

I feel like we ought to have an upcoming games thread. For future readers, the year is 2023, Baldur's Gate III is the most hotly-anticipated furry dating sim of all time, and a remake/remaster of Tomba! (a.k.a. Tombi!) has just been announced. What else are folks excited about on the horizon? Hebereke 2 was just announced at BitSummit, that's pretty crazy, and Marble It Up! is finally getting its DLC out of Apple Arcade hell. And I think we should get more details on Earthblade this year. Lots of excitement.

[Luca]

Unfortunately 2023 already had it's single-banger with Legend of Zelda WindWaker III, and there was a Warframe update which was pretty hotly anticipated since 2019 that launched this April. But I'm not expecting too much more for the rest of the year.

I'm waiting on Endless Dungeon, which is a less-aesthetic sequel to Amplitude's Dungeon of the Endless, but their speed and quality since being acquired by SEGA has been questionable. Endless Dungeon's release has already been delayed by six months, and I don't know that it looks like it has as much content or charm as the original. But it's on my wishlist still either way.

I'm also waiting on Hyperlight Breaker, which like Endless Dungeon is another game that's moving away from its pixel art style that I liked into a 3D model system. I'm not really sure why developers decide to 180 their art style for a sequel when it was so central to the theme of their earlier work, but if I remember right, even CrossCode is doing a similar shift. Maybe people feel like they have done everything they can with a 2d environment and want to do something different, maybe they don't feel like people want something that looks the same as a last game unless it's 3d. It's unclear, but Hyperlight Breaker is still on my list because I enjoyed the first game and that reputation alone will make me give this a chance.

[Natalie]

A lot of games have totally changed their art style for the sequel recently - Anodyne, Risk of Rain, Unexplored. I think the indie 3D look is in right now and everyone's keen to explore it, the same way everyone was doing uncanny pixel art several years ago. I'm not sure whether it's paid off for those devs but I kind of appreciate the willingness to do something new.

[Catherine]

I'm looking forward to the Sims 5, although that will still be a good couple years, and the sequel to Fantasy Life. I played the first one a lot (and still do) on 3DS and I'm interested to see how the next one will go.

[Aav]

Depressingly, I have no games that I'm currently looking forward to. I used to adore new videogame releases, but now I barely pay attention to release schedules, and instead just pay attention to the Steam sale for what new content I will mindlessly consume for the next few months.

I'm looking forward to this thread for game recs tho.