2023 TGA Most Anticipated Game

Every year, TGA selects five new works that will be released the following year.

The five games shortlisted this time are Enix's most popular card "Final Fantasy VII Rebirth", If there is news about Dragon Quest 3 HD2D Remake, it may be able to compete with FF7 again, and Ubisoft has a high degree of open-world role-playing production experience Entertainment, the upcoming "Star Wars: Outlaws" will be released in 2024.

Kazuma Kiryu of SEGA’s studio "Like a Dragon" was shortlisted for the first time. Surprisingly, "Like a Dragon" was not the first time it was shortlisted. It was nominated for the Best Role-Playing Game in 2020. But the shortlisted work is "Like a Dragon 7"  in which Kasuga Ichiban plays the protagonist. This time Kiryu Kazuma + Kasuga Ichiban. There are also regulars in TGA's annual games, Bandai Namco's Tekken 8, and Hades 2, which will only be released in the EA version next year. Only the EA version will be released next year. I think it's okay, but it's not too much. , because the original EA version of Hades had a lot of content.

As you know, there are some minor flaws in the Most Anticipated Game Award. Some games will be shortlisted for the most anticipated new game release for two consecutive years in the following year. For example, the sequel to The Legend of Zelda was shortlisted for the most anticipated game in 2020 and 2021. Looking forward to the game, it has not won an award for two years, because both years were taken away by the similarly postponed Elden Ring. In 2022, the title of the sequel to The Legend of Zelda was finally announced, and it also won an award.

It has also become the only game among TGA's most anticipated games that has been shortlisted for three consecutive years. Due to the delay in production, the next year's most anticipated games were successively shortlisted. This award is subtle.

Anyway! I’m so glad that this didn’t happen this year. Let’s take a look at some of this year’s finalists.

Star Wars: Outlaws

Star Wars: Outlaws is a new open-world game from Ubisoft. You say, everywhere in the world. Who else is better at making open worlds than Ubisoft? Who knows more about numerical control and balance updates than Massive Studio?

No! No! There is no such company in this world! You should know that this is the only game among all the highly anticipated works this time that is not a sequel. I don’t know if I should attribute this to Massive’s strong development capabilities, or the vast audience of “Star Wars”. You must know that another Star Wars IP, the Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, was shortlisted only after its release. Game of the Year 2020.

The highly anticipated title has never been shortlisted, and the game only debuted at the Xbox Showcase in June this year. I feel that Massive deserves a lot of credit, but Massive is the lead developer and assisted in the development, including eight different Ubisoft studios in Shanghai, Chengdu, Milan, Paris, and Toronto. What is this? We share the blessings and bear the hardships together! When something goes wrong, we all shoulder it together.

The story takes place between The Empire Strikes Back and Jedi Counterattack in Parts 5 and 6. Seriously, the game looks pretty good. Especially when the game was released to the public, 10 minutes of actual gameplay was included. There's stealth, puzzle-solving, and third-person cover-shooting gameplay. I believe that Massive has become a veteran after Tom Clancy's The Division 1 and Tom Clancy's The Division 2. This is not to say that I insist on speaking for Ubisoft. Look at this animation of an airship boarding from the ground, and then the airship flies from the surface of the planet into space. Then seamlessly enter the battle in space, and after the battle is completed, the animation of the star leap will follow. To be fair, doesn't this look more fun than the Starry Sky? Maybe because we have already seen the finished product of Starry Sky, I think it is. After all, although Ubisoft's games play the same way, they are also very fast to get started. It’s all about setting up scenes, creating a worldview, and character backgrounds. Ubisoft makes open worlds, and apart from being very formulaic, there is nothing to choose from. Look, if Harry Potter was made by Ubisoft, maybe TGA would be on the list this year. I think I would be so indifferent, maybe Because Star Wars has never been a particularly favorite IP. Although there have been so many Star Wars works before, and recently there have been high-profile works such as Lego Skywalker and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, as an open world, Outlaws is still the first Star Wars game. Understandably, it's highly anticipated.

Hades II

Hades is a top-down action Rogue game released by EA at the end of 2019. The official version was released at the end of 2020. It can be said to be the ceiling of the top-down action genre. It has received an overwhelming 98% praise from more than 220,000 articles. It is like a god. results. The company was originally a studio that mainly produced action games. The first one I played was Bastion, which was released in 2011. It has an excellent feel and sexy narration, and it also received an overwhelmingly positive score of 95%. Pyre, released in 2017, was also shortlisted for the Best Independent Game Award that year.

Hades is one of my favorites. To be honest, the one I support the most is Hades. In the 2020 TGA Game of the Year, it and Final Fantasy 7 Remake were both shortlisted for the Best Game of the Year Award. In 2023, Hades II and Final Fantasy 7 Remake 2 were also shortlisted for the Best Anticipated Game Award. It can be seen that the performance of the two previous games is quite excellent. Due to the accumulated experience in action games for a long time, Hades' action feel is almost top-notch, let alone excellent. In addition, there are a variety of gods to choose from, providing a variety of different genres and directions, allowing you to play every game. Every game has a new experience. Not much news has been released so far. The official website only provides game promotional clips from eleven months ago. It was originally expected to provide an early access version at the end of this year, but it was later postponed to the second quarter of 2024. EA version. In terms of progress, it is indeed a bit slow, but compared to the long-lost Hollow Knight - Silk Song, at least Hades 2 is now a game with a release date, and I look forward to it in 2024. Not only the EA version, hope to see the full version released.

Like a Dragon

Being shortlisted for the most anticipated game is not easy for Like a Dragon Studio. I am quite surprised, although I am also looking forward to it. It is also an old IP that has been around for many years, an evergreen tree in the gaming industry. The biggest difference from Final Fantasy is that the storyline of Like a Dragon continues. Each generation of the Final Fantasy series is an independent story, and even the worldview is also a continuation of some core elements, such as crystals, passersby, cacti, people's struggles, and some basic tones. The most important character in the Like a Dragon series is the protagonist Kazuma Kiryu. Although there are many supporting characters in The Like a Dragon that are very popular and have obvious character curves and are very three-dimensional, there seems to be no problem in The Like a Dragon being described as Kiryu Kazumaden.

In some respects, this kind of super long story is quite disadvantageous. The game itself is a few years older, some gameplay habits, and the performance of the graphics will be different. If you haven’t played it in the middle one or two generations, a new one will be released now. , I might have been very interested in it, but I was afraid that the plot would not connect, and some people gave up in the end. The Like a Dragon Studio did a wonderful operation in the seventh generation. It boldly changed the battle mode from the real-time action ARPG that everyone has been accustomed to a turn-based command operation that is almost at both ends of the spectrum. At the same time, it also made Kiryu Kazuma withdraw from the game.

The protagonist was handed over to an afro-headed "Kasuga Ichiban" who had never heard of it. The production team must have put a lot of pressure on this decision. Fortunately, the results were quite good. I don't like turn-based systems very much, but people Because of the turn-based combat, Like a Dragon 7 can show more creativity. It is also very consistent with the main tone of the Like a Dragon series, and I feel very comfortable after watching it. It’s not that I want to help their turn-based escort, that’s it. The main reason is the combat system of Like a Dragon, which is not fun. It’s indispensable, and it’s pretty much the same as playing around. When I meet gangsters on the road, I just pick up my bicycle and fight with them. I’ve been playing this for a long time. What school, what boxing method, one inch long, one inch Strong, simple moves and powerful, Japan saves energy and reduces carbon, there are so many bicycles on the road, they are everywhere, and the turn-based system is also new. No matter how many generations you have played in Dragon Among Men, I know and have come into contact with most of them. People like it very much. It can also be seen from the Steam reviews that some players may not have played for several generations and gradually forgot about it. Now the 7.5 generation has made up for the timeline of Kiryu Kazuma in the 7th generation story, and at the same time brought out the personal charm of Kasuga Ichiban. , the dual protagonists of the Eight Generations come to wrap up the final chapter of Kazuma Kiryu. The expectations are definitely off the charts, and the production team also said so. This time it will be the biggest and longest plot in history. Isn’t it exciting? Although they seem to have said this twice in their previous works, by the way, among the long-running series of works, the only games that are shortlisted for the most anticipated are Castle Evil 8, Tekken 8, and Uncharted 4, among which the nature is quite different. The closest one is "Drake"'s "Uncharted". Uncharted 4's subtitle is A Thief's End, which is also the last episode of Drak. Like a Dragon 8 is an action game starring Kiryu Kazuma. It will be the last work, witnessing the life of a real man, it is highly anticipated!

Tekken 8

Bandai Namco is different from other game manufacturers. It is a frequent visitor to TGA. Dark Souls, Elden's Circle, Crimson Knot, and Legend of Dawn are all published by them. From the first generation released at the end of 1994 to now, they will be released in early 2024. Tekken VIII should be regarded as the key work of the 30th anniversary. Tekken is the oldest 3D fighting game in history. But before, I thought it was the same as VR Kombat. To defend, you don’t go backward but press a fixed button. I have never played it. I don’t understand the Tekken series. Even though there are people around me who have played it, they are not fans of the series. It is said that the games sell better in Europe and the United States. This may be because I don’t understand why I am so prepared. The main reason for the anticipation may be the same as Star Wars. The main audience is overseas. I feel sorry for the fans of the Tekken series. I haven’t been able to find out the core reason why it is anticipated. If you can, please leave a message in the comments section. Have your say.

Final Fantasy VII Reborn

Final Fantasy 7 Remake is nominated for the Most Anticipated Award, which should be no problem. The Final Fantasy series has always been the core IP in Japanese role-playing games. The online version of Final Fantasy 14 is nominated for TGA almost every year, and even Best Ongoing, the Best Sustained Development Award won both in 2022 and 2021, and Final Fantasy 16 was also shortlisted last year and was the most anticipated. And this year, the 16th generation was also nominated for the best role-playing, best narrative, and best music. Even the stand-alone mobile game Ever Crisis from the seventh generation was shortlisted for the best mobile game this year.

If this isn’t sweeping the major TGA awards, what is this? It’s not a shout. This is a sweep of all major TGA finalists. After all, they haven’t won any awards yet. I’m not shouting at the Final Fantasy series! Not, being shortlisted is a sure thing, but being shortlisted is not simple. Look at Harry Potter not being shortlisted for any award this year.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the second part of FF7-Remake. This time the story follows the end of Final Fantasy, Seventh Generation, Remake, and the first game. It starts from leaving Mako City Midgar, crossing the Wall of Destiny, and entering the unknown. Wilderness, previously during the Tokyo Game Show, SE released gameplay clips of FF7R2. I had no idea what I would be playing. For example, I have the new combat system, the new magic stone installation, and the new companion system, but I am only moderately interested in these. I feel that the gameplay of FF7 is almost the same, but those small games that adjust emotions may be more interesting. More attractive to me. What concerns me is the direction of the plot after the remake. Can Zack escape his fate? Does Alice know about another parallel time and space? Will the plot of the remastered version be a major reversal from the original version? It’s all highly anticipated content. Moreover, this time there will be two Blu-ray discs, which will provide over 100 hours of gaming experience. At the same time, it is said that PS5 will at least be exclusive to the game. 3 months, this is at least 3 months exclusive, which is also a time limit that is difficult to understand. I don’t know whether you will be able to play the PC version in three months. After all, some of the PC version’s MOD masters are at full strength, and the experience has also been greatly improved. I have talked about this famous brand many times, but I will talk about it again. Card code! HydraFXX.

After reading these five games, I am really curious about which one everyone is most looking forward to. It’s not that I don’t want to reveal mine. It would be too difficult to choose only one game. Even if I were asked to rank them, I might not be able to rank them. To come out, I haven’t played Tekken, so I just let him go in FF7 Remake. I am very concerned about the direction of his story and what the plot will be like. As for Hades 2, as a person who loves action Roguelikes, it is a good game that cannot be skipped. As for Like a Dragon 8, I cried bitterly after playing 7.5 some time ago. I'm concerned about whether Kazuma Kiryu can have a good ending in the end, especially when Kaoru Kaoru, who finally had a good role in the past, returns to Yashiro. Final Fantasy, Hades, and Like a Dragon, these three will be my must-play works, and I will be able to play them live on the day they are released.

The rankings of these three teams in my mind are the same, so which one are you looking forward to? Or are there any expectations for games that are not on it?