Thanks as always @Axel!

I forgot to make a post for the GOTY so here's a quick little thing:

The Last Of Us Part II has one of the most challenging, complex, and daring narratives I have ever seen in a game. It challenges the player in ways I've never seen before, so it's easy to see why it ended up being so controversial. It's a game based around ripping your heart out, feeling unfair, hopeless, and unflinchingly human. It made me feel things that no game has ever made me feel before. It's not perfect, I may even call it messy, but ultimately it does what it sets out to do, and the result is something that is thus far unparalleled.

Few games have led to me having deep conversations about narrative and, to a broader extent, humanity, and none to the length and depth that I've had about The Last of Us II. I think that is part of the reason it should be considered so highly, even by those who dislike it. It is a controversial game, and it is through that controversy that I think it's greatest strength can be found. It is challenging, and it is because of this that the game is able to muster such controversy. A game that plays it safe would not be able to draw the ire or love that Last of Us has drawn. Not to throw Ghost of Tsushima under the bus, but it hasn't seen the level of responses on either side of the spectrum that Last of Us has because it has little complexity. It's a fun samurai game, I don't mean to take that away, I just mean that the very fact that Last of Us has seen such polarizing response means that it is unique and defies conventional norms, and I think that is something that should be at least respected.

Here is my list:

1. Last of Us Part II
2. Hades
3. Crusader Kings III
4. Spiritfarer

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Animal Crossing
Ghost of Tsushima
Flight Simulator
AC Valhalla

@e_zed_eh_intern He has been so good for Vegas this season that I hope something like this wouldn't define his legacy with the team, but oftentimes sports fans have short memories so who's to say.

So somebody in the reddit posted this, and it seems to be real. Not 100% but if it is, this is the weirdest response he could have given.

Here's a video possibly proving it's real. Don't know how easy it would be to fake.

I feel so bad for Fleury. It was an obviously dumb move but I can't imagine how shitty he feels right now.

@scotty We've found it everybody! The worst take!

Hello Allies,

So by this point I'm sure many of you are aware of BLUE BOX Game Studios and the weirdness that is going on with them, and this is turning out to be one of the most fascinating game news stories I have ever seen, so I figured I'd make a topic for it.

For those unaware, BLUE BOX is a studio developing the game Abandoned, exclusively for the PS5, but things may not be what they seem. See, many people, including Jason Schreier himself, are at least somewhat convinced that the studio is a front for a Hideo Kojima led revival of Silent Hills.

Now, the reasons for this theory are scattered and I don't even know where it originated, but there is some incredibly wild evidence that this game is not what it seems. Normally I wouldn't give much thought to conspiracy theories like this, but there is some crazy stuff going on here. I can't go over everything, so I'll leave a link to a reddit post that collects much of the information. Granted some of the "evidence" is a little far-fetched but there is some stuff that I find truly interesting.

https://www.reddit.com/r/TheBlueBoxConspiracy/comments/o1s5oy/here_are_all_the_possible_hints_that_blue_box/

Here are the "employees" of Blue Box, who are stock photos:

https://imgur.com/a/RknqPnz/

Here is a link to an inactive Silent Hill merch page on Konami's website that was supposedly opened recently (don't know how reputable that is):

https://officialkonamishop.com/collections/silent-hill

Edit: the merch link now 404s. Was active when I posted it.

Also here is a sketchy video from Geoff Keighley that I think implies he knows more than he's letting on:

There is even more stuff that I haven't linked, so I encourage you to research it on your own as well.

So what do we think, Allies? Is it a Kojima game? Is it Silent Hills? Personally, I am really unsure, but there are some shenanigans here that are undeniable. I also question how a studio with stock photo employees could secure an exclusivity deal with Sony.

Maybe this is all a bunch of BS, I don't know! What I do know though is that regardless of what it ends up being, I had a hell of a time being along for the ride.

Pixar sounds great!

Nintendo was an easy A+ for me. Absolutely adored it.

Without any spoilers, can someone tell me if the tone of this game is closer to Gundam, or Evangelion?

This is a great game that went on to become a good game through lackluster updates. It's Animal Crossing, so naturally I love it, but I'm very disappointed with the support it has received. It's still missing series staples like gyroids or Brewster, which were never promised but feel sorely missed in a game that was intentionally shipped unfinished with the promise of later updates. This is not an inherently bad system, and there have been some cool updates, but generally they have proven to be little more than seasonal events, making it so that the base game still feels a little empty. It's still a good game, but in my opinion it doesn't have the depth of New Leaf, making it feel like a bit of a step down.