Looking ahead at thevideo game release calendar for 2024, there are definitely things that pique my interest. The much-delayed latest entries in the STALKER and Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines series are right up my street, even if their troubled developments leave me wary, and on a similar note the Silent Hill 2 remake makes me feel as nervous as it does excited.My fellow ‘Shockers have also found plenty to be excited about—from the Metal Gear Solid 3 remake, to Hades 2, to Hollow Knight: Silksong—but I’m pretty comfortable making the call that 2024 won’t be one ofthe best ever years in gaminglike 2023 was. Far from it.
And I’m totally fine with that. In fact, a lull in eye-catching releases will help me be more focused and mindful in the games that Idoplay, knowing that I can play them without the release date of the Next Big Thing looming over me like an oversized Soulsborne boss trudging towards me with a sword made of shrieking trapped souls.
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Too Much Of A Good Thing
Because beyond my editorial obligations to be at least somewhat in line with the latest releases rather than waiting months in the hope that they come to Game Pass (which I shamelessly did withDead Space), it’s nice to be part of the hype and discussions when a big game comes out. The problem is that so many big games came out in 2023 that the hot topics inevitably flitted from one game to the next, to the point that the likes ofDiablo 4andStarfieldsomehow condensed a whole revisionist cycle that would normally years into the space of just a few months, as public opinion on them went from ‘Pretty good’ to ‘a bit shit’ (or ‘Mostly Negative,’ as per the latest Steam reviews for both games).
Long gone are the days when I’d get a single $100 (adjusted for inflation, butstill) N64 cart every four months and become fully immersed in that game, good or bad though it may have been. For the most part, I’m glad those days of scarcity are gone, but there was something to be said for really settling in to appreciate what little you had.
We now live in a time of plenty, where almost every day there are free game giveaways, new games coming to Game Pass that you can hop into and out of without commitment, new indie games, sales, subscriptions, and, in the case of 2023, blockbusters busting those blocks at unprecedented rates. Many of us ownhundredsof games we’ll never play, or games that we just dip into without giving ourselves enough time to coagulate our thoughts on them, because there’s always the next thing to play, then the next thing, then the next thing.
We now live in a time of plenty, and many of us ownhundredsof games we’ll never play.
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It’s a lot to keep up with, and I like to think that 2024 will be a kind of natural self-regulation of the games market, slowing down to give each new game a bit more breathing room, as well as letting me explore the games I missed 2023, a number of which are likely to come to Game Pass at some point, or be available at heavily discounted prices with their main sales run well in the distance of the rearview mirror.
Expanding On Greatness
It looks set to bea great year for DLC or expansions too, with game- and story-expanding content expected forElden Ring, Starfield,Alan Wake 2, Diablo 4, and (hopefully)Baldur’s Gate 3. Again, I’m more than excited about the idea of going deeper on some of these great games and spending more time in their worlds, rather than flitting around between big new releases.
It’s fair to say that 2023 spoiled us, and instead of expecting the same of 2024, I can’t wait to weave what I missed from 2023 in amidst the more modest (but still exciting) offerings of the new year.
DualShockers Definitives: 2023 Game Of The Year Collection
Here are the DualShockers Definitives picks for the best games of 2023. And the winners are…
