I Have A 1st World Gaming Problem
Too Many Games Not Enough Time
I knew before going into this year that 2023 was going to be an incredible year of games. It’s been delivering so far too with games like Tears of the Kingdom, Final Fantasy XVI, Dead Space and Resident Evil 4 Remakes, Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Final Bar Line and Street Fighter 6 plus many more.
I was perusing the IGN Games Release Calendar and had what felt like a mild heart attack as I saw the games being released before the end of the year that I am wanting to play. There are far too many that I can see myself catching up well into 2024 but the problem is Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Persona 3 Reload and Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth all due early next year which will inevitably take priority for me. I wish I could finish more games but in reality, I can only complete roughly 2 a month I have found.
Below is the list of games I plan to play at some point that are being released in the next 3 months:
September
Baten Kaitos I & II HD Remaster – I haven’t played these before but have heard great things about them and I love an old-school JRPG. I am currently playing Sea of Stars and with Mortal Kombat 1 being released around the same time as this, this is a game that I will likely be forgotten about for a while.
Lies of P – I quite enjoy the Soulsborne series and came away with a positive feeling from the bits of the demo I played. Chances are though I won’t get to this one quickly. Fortunately, it will be on Game Pass.
Mortal Kombat 1 – Whilst I am bad at fighting games, Mortal Kombat remains my favourite series and a reboot of the lore and story is really exciting for me. Their story modes have always been enjoyable for me too.
Starfield – I am not a fan of Western RPGs and Bethesda Game Studios games but I have Game Pass and love Sci-Fi so I am morbidly curious although history suggests I will play it for about 5 hours and never come back but tell myself I will even though they aren’t to my taste.
October
Detective Pikachu Returns – I only recently played the first game and enjoyed it a lot. I see it more as a relaxing visual novel with light puzzles. Something to maybe play whilst watching TV.
Sonic Superstars – This coming out in the same month as Super Mario Wonder I feel is sadly a mistake. I want to play this with my nephew at some point if the co-op is good but it’s another candidate for a game being pushed out and picked up when it’s on sale.
Spider-Man 2 – This is a game I don’t need to see much of, I am all in, I loved the original and Miles Morales. Still gutted I missed out on getting the face plates though.
Alan Wake 2 – I just finished Alan Wake for the first time which I only played because I was incredibly impressed by the recent showings of its upcoming sequel. Sadly this might end up being my December game because of the other games out in this month.
Super Mario Wonder – Elephant Mario sitting on poor Yoshi. What more could I want?
Metal Gear Solid Collection – I have completed the series before except for 5, therefore I can circle back around to this one later.
Ghostrunner 2 – I loved the first game and am definitely intrigued by its sequel. I even on occasion listen to the soundtrack whilst doing exercise but sadly this game will also be lower down on the priority list for me.
November
Star Ocean The Second Story R – I have played the first game before and did enjoy it but a recent playthrough put me off finishing it because of its difficulty spikes. Despite this, I am looking forward to the sequel as I understand it’s one of the better games in the series. Sadly as I had just played 1 recently, I will be playing some of the other games on this list before this.
Thirsty Suitors – I played the demo of this game and was thoroughly impressed. The game is just downright bizarre but has turn-based combat and summons like old JRPGs crossed with a story about an Indian woman returning to her hometown and coming across her exes who wish to date her again and her navigating this awkwardness.
Like A Dragon Gaiden The Man Who Erased His Name – I love the Yakuza/ Like a Dragon/Judgement series. A part of me does wish they would just let Kiryu-San stay retired but I am almost always going to play the next game in the series.
Super Mario RPG – Of course, this got announced after I finally played the game last year. Square Enix meets Nintendo, yep that’s enough to drag me back in.
Alas, all of the above means I am panicking but happy I have this problem with the amount of games I wish to play. Arguably this is one of the greatest years of games ever. Next year is likely to be quieter I reckon so hopefully I can catch up quickly enough.