I've been watching a podcast led by Bosman for... I don't know how many years, but since day one. Not every opening bit has been a winner but I've always appreciated them in some capacity. I just... can't stand Pro Strats. Reading through the comment section shows I'm not alone but this is the first time I've ever started to consider skipping the opening segment. Maybe I'm just getting grumpy with old age or maybe this segment is a real stinker, I'm not sure.

@sazime Sounds like a real similar system to what we use, haha.

Warhammer: Vermintide 2

I had been waiting for friends to pick this one up but I couldn't wait any longer and decided I'd hop in by myself. As much fun as I'm having with it, it apes so much from Left 4 Dead at times that I really wish it wouldn't have played it so safe. When I saw you could carry one healing item, one bomb, and one buff exactly like L4D, I felt a strange wave of familiarity and slight disappointment. Even still, it's not like there's many things out there that carry the L4D torch and this does everything very, very well. Acquiring new loot and crafting don't have a whole lot of depth but it's that extra wrinkle of progression that helps you want to go back and play scenarios, aside from just cranking up the difficulty. As much as I was loving the fire wizard because of her playstyle, I eventually switched to Saltzpyre due to his voicelines and haven't looked back.

Overall, lots of fun. I can't wait to play with people I know and to eventually get the DLC chapters.

I'll admit, the 2017 GOTY deliberation was extremely frustrating but luckily, this one really wasn't. I'm not a major fan of the idea Ian kept pushing through these deliberations though, with certain games "getting their time in the sun", as then it feels like they're silently pushing a one award per game rule. I'm glad a few other Allies tried to steer away from that line of thought and it still ended up being a pretty even spread throughout.

I really do think the deliberations would feel more fluid with some sort of time limit on the smaller categories, say 15 minutes or so. Because it's so loose, some categories get extremely bloated and the same point can often be brought up for a game, multiple times.

Played the entire series last year and watched the Danganronpa 3 anime as well - not sure why it's getting dislike here, it was decent, especially the Despair side. I liked the first Danganronpa quite a lot and the second didn't initially stick with me quite as much until I got into the back half of the game, which was pretty damn brilliant. As the ending started to unfold, I just sat there dumbfounded with how well everything tied into the first and some of those twists were just outright painful (but fun!) to experience. Ultra Despair Girls is also alright, besides the villain kids... those are beyond annoying. V3 I absolutely despise. While it feels more polished, it's much too similar and that ending left me feeling like I wasted my time. It really, really irks me when a writer cops out like that - but I won't dig in too much farther to avoid spoilers. Since the writer is now gone from the company (I think?) I'm really curious to see if they continue the series.

I would have started a riot if number one wasn't number one.

@robbobwill I agree with you. Nearly anything you do outside of the story mode that is entirely in the realm of being an outlaw, you are immediately reprimanded and punished for doing. I stopped playing as "the bad guy" because I got tired of bounties and how the game already knew I was doing something wrong, even if I purposely did it in an area with no witnesses or hunted down any witnesses. A lot of people haven't experienced that problem since most play a good guy on first playthroughs of games. This game more than any Rockstar game has a way they want you to play and you are given plenty of discouragement to stray from that very rigid path even a little. By far, the most restrictive open world I've ever encountered.

Good ol' Ben has my back and gave Travis Strikes Again a 5.5. It's currently sitting at a 73 but I'm hoping it'll slide down at least another point or two.

Deltarune: Chapter 1

Although someone could easily dismiss this as just an extended demo for a project far away, I'm counting it as a game considering its length and how it tells a complete story. While this isn't as exciting or nearly as heartbreaking as Undertale, it's pretty impressive how much Toby has improved certain elements of the game - having a party is a welcome addition and the UI looks so much cleaner, along with battles/moving around the world requiring a lot more urgency and precision. It's got a lot of similar humor and even the "bad guy that really isn't bad" trope going on but it still maintains all the charm expected from the series at this point. It didn't change my perception of gaming as a whole as Undertale did but that's okay, I don't need it to. Well worth a romp if you loved Undertale, especially for the 'shocking' ending.

I nearly cried when I saw Sans. While Toriel, Asgore, Undyne, and Alphys have special places in my heart, Sans is up there as one of my favorite characters ever.

I honestly didn't want to counterpick a game just because of a potential delay, so I went with something I feel lacks the most ambition. For a series that has been dormant for awhile, Travis Strikes Again just isn't really a game anyone was asking for, especially since it's more of a spinoff than a proper sequel. As much as I love Suda, his games are hardly ever critical darlings. I'd honestly be surprised if it surpasses 75, so I don't mind a few negative points.

Ace Combat 7 feels like a game that will get a solid 82-85.