An RPG Gamer's Guide To The Holidays - Holiday Buyer's Guide

[@EventHorizonGames]

Thank you for mentioning our game! We are still working on Dark Envoy, including some extra content that we will add in future updates. The next big update is planned for December, so you should definitely check it out! :)

[@cbake52]

I wishlisted your game back in 2020 and have greatly enjoyed it. Really appreciate the constant updates!

[@jaydiaz2124]

Any future plans for a console release?

[@Scarygomez]

Great game guys! Keep up the great work !!

[@jonathanpickles2946]

@@cbake52 Same here

[@ulukahio]

Loved Tower of Time, keep up the good work !

[@HiddenAdept]

One game I will mention from this year that was incredible was made by fellow Canadians, the indie game "Trepang 2". A first person shooter in the mold of the old F.E.A.R. games. Really nails the atmosphere and personality of those Monolith classics with some cool new ideas.

[@jakeryan2805]

Wow I loved Fear1, heck even 2 with its batshit crazy ending....but man they really messed up with the third game. Such a shame the series ended so terrible story wise, and gameplay. I will look up this Trepang. Never heard of it.

[@adambbecker]

Such a great list, just in time for all the holiday sales and the Steam Deck Oled. Very impressed Mortismal with your ability to create so much great quality content, so consistently (one of my favorite channels here by far!)

[@valacarno]

I second that. 👍

[@varieedeventualii]

I was waiting for this! Your Holidays suggestions are the only one I take into account when it comes to RPGs 🤩

[@ragvald8835]

Well done, as always! Almost have nothing to add... almost. A few more additions that are worthy to mention are - Street fighter 6 and Mortal Kombat 1, huge games for fighting fans, Metroid Prime remaster for the Switch, and Horizon: Forbidden West for PS5.

[@bigzachful]

Horizon is beautiful and was Amazing

[@LORDOFDORKNESS42]

Glad to see Dark Descent get some mention. That game got overshadowed quite a bit, but it's the best Alien game I've played since Isolation.

[@coconutologist]

Disgaea 7 was the release that I had the most interest in for this. Not because I thought it would be great, but because the last one was that terrible. Thanks for the video. Onward to 300k. All glory to the algorithm.

[@SageofStars]

For JRPGs, try out the remake of Star Ocean: The Second Story. It's a fantastic place to get into the series, and the remake is just great in terms of accessibility and design.

[@junk3996]

though i believe people who haven't played the original can and will enjoy this game, they may have gripes about the pixel sprites. however this game is by far the best game i've played this year. a huge fan of the original, the changes and additions put this title so immensely over the top. they completely nailed the environments and streamlining dungeons etc, its just wonderful.

[@SageofStars]

@@junk3996 Indeed, there are a few references to the first game in the plot, but they are sparse. It is a stand alone story, like most games in the series(The Fourth is questionable given it's a prequel and LOADED with call forwards to later games). So you can enjoy the second game all on its own without any big things. That QoL features are great, and they even added New Game + to the game, something I feel needs to be a standard feature in all games, especially RPG genre ones. The Sprite Graphics with 3D world looks quite nice, even lighting the sprites up in certain areas with the natural lighting.

[@AtomicBrows]

I’ve been wanting to get into star ocean for the longest time, but never knew where to start. I’d been eyeing second story, so this seals it 😤

[@SageofStars]

@@AtomicBrows The series is great at letting new players into its world, as while the series all takes place on the same timeline, WHEN they take place is sometimes hundreds of years apart, and given space is really big, like possibly bigger than Texas, the actions of the protagonists are known only in vague terms. They happened, they mattered, but save for Star Ocean 3, none of them are universe spanning sorts of things. But yeah, Star Ocean 2's remake is probably the easiest place to get into the series, thanks to all the QoL improvements, and all the little things they added. Also it is DANG pretty.

[@junk3996]

@@AtomicBrows i entered the series with star ocean second story, it was the original but still the second game from there i played the 3rd one, then the 1st one. but if you like the series and want to continue, i suggest going to the 1st then the 3rd 1st is basically just as good as 2. also very wonderful. 3rd one is great too.

[@hanssen71]

I am planing to finally finish my 175hours playthrough of Pathfinder Kingmaker. Last time played november 2022 :D At this point I just wanna be done with it. might cranck the difficulty all the way down. I got lost in the kingdom management, side quests, what actually is going on in the story in the last acts. No clue what class builds I was running. So hard to get back into after a long break. man I am so lost.

[@Crimsondeeds]

Good luck. Last time I played kingmaker was 2021. I restarted again this year and got distracted. I'm starting to think I'll never beat. Win one for me.

[@sharangcool]

Bro, u gotta play wrath of the righteous! Its 10 times better!

[@hanssen71]

I have that and already started but couldn't bring myself to play this without finishing kingmaker :D@@sharangcool

[@shawngillogly6873]

Every time I look at Aliens: Dark Descent, I ask myself why I haven't bought it yet. Then I remember I have BG3, Wartales, JA3, and Beta-Tested Rogue Trader, and answer my question.

[@frooglepete]

Had this on as background noise while I work on some code, ended up firing up steam so I could wishlist everything you mentioned that I don't already have. Thumbs up!!

[@bigiron1990]

I've been meaning to pick up that System Shock game, Prey 2017 introduced me to that genre and I've been dying for something like it.

[@anthonycoppola5613]

Great Job Mort! I think Lies of P was a huge surprise. Great Game!

[@dimi7242]

It's just such a great idea for a video! Thanks a lot for doing it :) hope you have some great holidays this year!

[@TimeIsMine93]

This is such a cool idea for a video. I was looking for something like this without having a name for it 😂

[@karohemd2426]

BG3 and Alan Wake 2 are my contenders for GOTY and while I really liked the beta I'm not sure Rogue Trader will be able to steal it. I'm definitely going to play it because I want to see where they are going to take the actual story and to see how trading and voidship combat works (I didn't play far enough into the beta for either of those to come up because I wanted to wait for the full release).

[@theheadytimetraveler3864]

​@@shanew7361Not the person that you replied to but I'll give a crack at a few of these. I would highly recommend Ghost of Tsushima, along with DLC Iki Island....Tons of a great fun, I'm 99 hours in and still have the majority of Iki Island to go, been doing absolutely everything. In regards to playstation plus, it depends on what you have or have not played....Plenty of good classics from playstation. Tons of Assassin's Creed and Far Cry games, bunch of indie games that seem great as well. Personally speaking, I would say it is worth it, especially if you haven't gamed a ton (I really haven't).

[@ebsibal7318]

The new Warhammer game is on my up next. I haven’t played a TRPG in some time and I’m quite excited for it next month.

[@kilivanjg2813]

Wartales is easily the best game ive played for Rpgs recently!

[@firstMDMX]

Colony Ship was a surprise hit for me. Finished the game and was left badly craving for more. So I played it again, and finished it again. That's not something I usualy do.

[@derheadbanger9039]

This year had so many phantastic games - a nightmare for my backlog!

[@ungreatfulduck750]

On a positive note, if next year there are less, you have a backlog, no?

[@RobertFromEarth]

lol yea the backlog problem! This year, I was able to get rid of my backlog. I still have a list of "games to play" but I don't buy games in advance. I used to have 5 or 6 "unplayed games" on my computer and this was annoying. Now I finished a game, I look at my list and buy the next game I feel I want to play.

[@maximnewman2483]

Dave the Diver is my current Switch game. Really enjoying it!

[@shupasopni]

I just got done finally watching Edgerunners recently, so I'm very excited for Cyberpunk 2077, especially since the game was apparently very improved by 2.0 and has recently been further improved and feature completed with 2.1. After seeing the adventure of David and Maine's Crew and learning about that dystopian world I want more, much as I can get. Even with the game apparently being good now I still wouldn't have gotten interested if not for ER hooking me. Plus I want to see all the ER easter eggs and things the anime got from the game, and beat Smashers ass. Good thing I happened to be getting a Steam Deck, which apparently can play it even though my computer can't.

[@TheCyllenian]

Resident Evil 4 Remake came out this year too. Dead Cells got the Return to Castlevania DLC and is one of the best games of all time

[@RexfelisLXIX]

Available everywhere but the Switch. The mantra for this years episode.

[@magecraft2]

My top 5 (I think you mentioned them all 1) Rogue Trader (this is based on playing what has been released so far but love company and subject) 2) BG3 (while I still have reservations on some of the mechanics Bunny Gate 3 was imenses fun) 3) Dredge (only caught because saw a video on it and had a blast) 4) JA3 (just a good game) 5) Alien Dark Descent (came for the Aliens stayed for the game :) ) I suspect Diablo would have made it but still prefer my Diablo single player or co-op so will be waiting until Blizzard convince me with a sale.

[@s.p.q.r195]

Thanks for the guide, very useful. Strange not to mention Dead Space 1 Remake and RE4 Remake since you mentioned Alan Wake 2?

[@aersla1731]

I want to buy bg3 for my sister, but Idk if she will even try it. I know once she actually gets into it she will enjoy it though. Thanks for the video, reminded me I need to buy jagged alliance 3, at this point I might as well wait for a sale. Gosh what a stacked year for gaming, despite having my issues with the industry we got some bangers.

[@rust_and_ruin]

I'm adding a recommendation for Cocoon. A neat indie puzzle adventure game. I haven't played them yet, but I've seen good things about "The coffin of Andy & Leyley", "Slay the princess", and "Little Goody Two Shoes". "Alien hominid invasion" also looks good. I played the demo, and it's certainly fun. Reminds me of Risk of Rain a bit. And speaking of, "Risk of Rain returns" seems to be a good remaster. It's getting good reviews. What I'm waiting for, is to finally get my hands on BG3, but I'm waiting for the Xbox release. Because my laptop can't run it. And Rogue trader, of course. There are also some cool boomer shooters and immersive sims that I'm looking forward to - Fallen aces, Peripeteia, Retrospace, Core decay, Selaco, the Ashes 2063 sequel, Zan's next game etc.

[@stuartmorley6894]

I know puzzle games don't tend to be why people are watching this channel but i heartily recommend both Cocoon and Jusant. Neither are huge in length but they are both very different from each other but very fun. Cocoon has a really interesting mechanic where you carry worlds into other worlds and use those as solutions to each others puzzles. Jusant is a climbing game and it has a really meditative vibe. The music is great and I found myself looking at the clock and realising I'd been playing for way longer than I thought. As a bonus for parents I played both with my three year old son and although the actual solutions were above his head he absolutely loved helping me and playing along where he could. I'm always on the look out for games that we can play together so these were a double win. That's not to say either game is a kid's game, they absolutely aren't, but just seeing how excited he got when we solved a particular part or got to the top of a difficult climbing section made me smile.

[@SlappizTV]

System shock remake was so damn good!

[@twistedknightmarestudio]

But not on PlayStation 5 like he said.

[@bigego503]

@@twistedknightmarestudio It's not on xbox either. My guess is that it will arrive sometime in next 3-4 months

[@twistedknightmarestudio]

@@bigego503 and yet, somehow, on Google, it says that it’s available for all platforms

[@Moritz19081980]

6:40 OMG you can highlight the clickable objects. NO need to mouse scan everything.^^

[@Meepyvern]

I would give a friendly reminder that Steam has a 2 hour or 2 week refund (whatever comes first). Also, if you don't think you'll know within that time , I would suggest checking whether it's on a subscription service like gamepass. That might help give a bit more of a buffer since it's potentially cheaper at $10-$20. Hopefully, this might help someone. I've also tossed my 2 cents on a few of the games this year. Baldur's Gate 3 was quite enjoyable for me and is my GOTY. Jedi Survivor was good, but I played it on pc when it came out. Looking back on that one, I kinda wish I just got the premium EA subscription to play through it (iirc the sub is something like 20-25cad) rather than pay full price (100cad after tax). Cyberpunk was really good with the dlc and 2.0 update. Went and got that 100% finished on it during my 3rd playthrough, since I was relatively close to it before they came out. I'm also really looking forward to Rouge Trader coming out. I enjoyed Owlcat's previous games, and everything I've seen so far of it has been good.

[@blaarfengaar]

Correction: the System Shock remake is not currently available on consoles. They are still working on the console versions and hoping to release them soon but there is no tentative release date yet, so as of now it is still PC only

[@henrychang2267]

The Thaumaturge releasing date is postponed to Feb 2024. It's quite an interesting game.

[@TheGridan]

brilliant list! 🎉

[@EnricLlonch]

Not sure if you saw but The Thaumaturge was delayed to next year!

[@peters6345]

I think this Christmas my shopping list is Rogue Trader, WoTR: Lord of Nothing and probably want to get Vagrus on sale

[@HeWhoShams]

Wartales is good just waiting for the new class and such to come out.

[@sebastianstark8517]

If that "Aliens" game was turn-based, I'd be all over that. Not a fan of real-time with pause. Been waiting on JA3 so will for sure pick that one up. Been playing DOS2 after finishing BG3. Larian is the new king of crpg for my tastes. Definitely picking up "Colony Ship", since I loved "Age of Decadence" made by the same studio. Looking forward to "Rogue Trader" as well. Another one that I've played the early access and beta of that I really like is "Xenonauts 2". It's looking like it will surpass the original for sure and give us all a fun experience in the vein of "XCOM" and "Phoenix Point".

[@Nostromo2144]

Of your list, still slogging through S2 of D4 with the Mrs (she has terrible eyesight & can't do 3D fps unfortunately). Only dipped my toe into the BG3 waters - really need to come back to it & give it a fair crack. Also really looking forward to Rogue Trader - love me some Owlcat! ;). Btw Mort, did you ever play Marvel Heroes? Still my all-time favourite arpg. If you love spandex, you couldn't go past it, with 70+ superheroes to level up. Mrs was totally addicted to it & put in over 5000hrs in the 4.5 years before they shut it down (I only did around 3K hrs from memory). Oh how I wish someone would resurrect it, ala City of Heroes, which I'm still playing (thank the Gods for Homecoming! ;).

[@MortismalGaming]

Not yet at least

[@TinMan445]

Great video idea. What an amazing year for gaming!

[@Mystra]

I agree with these but would like to add Star Ocean 2 The Second Story R and FFXVI.

[@kameronbelcher]

System Shock remake hasn't made it to consoles yet unfortunately. Still looking it up every few days and I can hardly find anything, feels like it was forgotten or something

[@Outmind01]

I hope that Cyberpunk is finally ripe enough to give it a shot for the holidays!

[@sonjaR2]

It absolutely is. Like any game, it still has its flaws, of course, but now it's really good. One of my easy favourites.

[@iconocast]

played ja2 when it came out . loved the f out of it. ja3 is so good.

[@Mentatskillz]

Hey Mortim, I'd love to know your opinion on the indie TRPG "Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga."

[@TimSedai]

For the d&d nerds BG3 For the sci-fi or shooty types Starfield For the old school fellas Mario rpg For the grid/japanesey lovers P5 Tactica If you REALLY love them Sea of Stars

[@erikskoog8415]

Good show sir

[@adambbecker]

Thanks!

[@MortismalGaming]

and thank you!

[@topcover7390]

System Shock isn't available on PS5 yet...sadly.

[@d34rth]

the title of the video alone strikes existential fear into my wallet

[@thewretch4081]

Armored Core 6 is amazing, even jf you don't like mecha (like me)

[@onatgz]

free comment.

[@dominiccenteno1233]

Any jrpg?

[@Crimsondeeds]

There was eternights and trails into reverie that came out

[@dennisdavidov782]

Octopath Traveler 2, Sea of Stars, Star Ocean: The Second Story R, Disgaea 7, Persona 5: Tactica, One Piece: Odyssey, Crymachina, Wandering Sword, Cassette Beasts, Labyrinth of Galleria: The Moon Society, Trinity Trigger, The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails, Atelier Ryza 3.

[@junk3996]

wandering sword and star ocean second story R

[@assassindelasaucisse.4039]

Chained Echoes is awesome!

[@charlesmccrea834]

For the algorithm!

[@TheGronkus]

Gronk!

[@HeWhoShams]

Wo Long was fun until I had to go up against Lu Bu. He's just a overpowered cheat. Dropped the game after that fight

[@rainerunsinn123]

thaumaturge has been postponed to 20 February 2024

[@Dermetsu]

So many delays this year.

[@kylekirton2299]

Just buy Baldurs Gate 3 :)

[@elliotfrost8412]

What's wrong with lamplighters league?

[@cirelancaster]

I like BG3 but I do feel it's overrated. There's a ton of great in it, but then you're faced with the terrible UI, inventory management, and party management system. Hopefully these can be patched out but they feel so ingrained into the code that they might not be able to.

[@Khan69317]

comment

[@Shadsix]

Mortismal, another youtuber is doing 1 youtube short a day. And got 500,000 subs in less than a month. Food for thought if this is useful to you. Also cryptark and wall world are nice Rougelikes

[@MortismalGaming]

I have no interest in creating or watching anything to do with Shorts.

[@Shadsix]

@@MortismalGaming I am also not a fan of tictok trends.

[@shara7554]

I recommend placing a graphic on the screen with the title of the game in future holiday videos... It would make it easier to tell what is being talked about if the viewer is doing multiple things at the same time but gets interested in the game. Love the video

[@michaostrowski6316]

Can't wait for Rogue Trader. I never was a Warhammer fan, but I love some of the books and I love Owlcat games so I'm having some good feelings about this one.

[@matekiddleton828]

Been playing Jagged Alliance 3 and Baldurs Gate 3 non stop since release. It's been a 20+ year wait for sequels to the previous edition to both games, and they have not disappointed.

[@ChesterRico]

JA3 surprised the hell outta me, they really pulled it off.

[@dennisdavidov782]

The Thaumaturge got pushed to February next year. Another game which was supposed to release this year (is still listed Q4 2023) is Zoria: Age of Shattering but it looks increasingly unlikely that it will actually come out before the end of the year.

[@reinierdash9020]

IT GOT PUSHED? fuck sake

[@karohemd2426]

Ah, that's a shame, I loved the demo. However, I'd rather they release a polished game later than scheduled than a buggy mess too early. AND I'll be busy with Rogue Trader for most of December, I'm guessing.

[@rogerbabin8175]

Its a shame the Trails series hasn't caught the attention of big youtubers yet. Many of them got on board with Yakuza's long running story in recent years but Trails continues to get snubbed despite doing the same sort of thing but better (at least in my opinion). I'm currently playing through Trails to Azure for the first time and am about 90% done the game...its probably the single best entry in the entire franchise. I've yet to play Trails into Reverie and I won't be able to get to that until next year but I'm really looking forward to it as well since the Cold Steel series is my favorite arc.

[@PleasantSkulman]

There's a lot of reading and talking to NPCs to get the best experience, especially the Sky games.

[@rogerbabin8175]

@@PleasantSkulman For sure. I play them with guides by default which admittedly does not speak highly of the game design.

[@dennisdavidov782]

I've also got sucked into Trails recently and finished Zero last week and am now in CS3. These are some of the most intricately written games I've yet to play and following the story and characters has been fascinating so far. Trails through Daybreak is in the top of my 2024 wishlist now.

[@friegolit]

A problem with the early Trails games IIRC is that a lot of things change between the major story beats and if you want to see all the lore and sidequests it means that you will have to do a LOT of backtracking. Considering how many games there are in the Trails series that is a whole lot of time to be invested just to reach the “modern” games.

[@rogerbabin8175]

@@friegolit Yeah the games are definitely flawed but I feel very much the same way about Yakuza games which is why I drew the comparison with that franchise. There's absolutely a reason why these games aren't talked about along side your Final Fantasy or Tales of Arise...but that doesn't mean they need to be niche fan favorite games either. As much as I like Trails to Azure I find the game strikes a poor balance with going from zone to zone speaking to 1 or 2 NPC's and repeating that process for a very long time and combat. I think pacing is an issue in the entire franchise where a final dungeon typically involves more combat than the entirety of the first chapter of any given Trails entry. There's way more I could say as a fan but the games are ultimately greater than the sum of their parts.

[@gabvsd5934]

Im on Divinity Original sin 2 - act 3 :D

[@assassindelasaucisse.4039]

It maybe is just a detail, but I love a critic who knows how to accurately categorize the works he's talking about. Makes me feel respected in my niche tastes :) I went to buy Wartales, cheers Mortis!

[@natehammondtrio]

Talos Principle 2 and Viewfinder for puzzle fans, Age of Wonders 4 for 4X fans, Oxenfree2 and Slay the Princess for people whjo want a great story experience

[@jeffstewart2083]

Cocoon and Chants of Sennaar for puzzle fans too. What an amazingly overloaded year we've had!

[@kalemuteki]

Age of Wonders 4 just dropped a patch and DLC last week that vastly improved the game too. So if you were turned off at it at release, I suggest giving it a second go. I've been really enjoying it the past week.

[@boeserKadser]

Age of wonders 4 is definitely on my list. Just waiting for a sale since i have still a big backlog to play

[@MSaint]

I planned to buy BG3 during Steam Sale, but after physical edition announcement for Q1 2024 I will most likely wait for that.

[@bakuiel1901]

Great list Mortim. So sad about what happened with Lamplighters League, I hope Harebrained Schemes can pull through.

[@EerieV23]

Same here, I want a BattleTech Sequel

[@Morden97]

Glad you mentioned octopath traveler 2.. the actual biggest snub in the game awards IMO. Besides Rogue Trader, I think my pick for this christmas is gonna be either Lies of P or Remnant 2. Both look like really great games.

[@tayw6466]

Hello Mortismal, I've been watching your channel since you only had like 20k subs, I just wanted to say I really think you make good videos and while I dont always catch them all, I always learn something interesting whenever I do, I am very happy you have found success and I wish you the best of luck in 2024 as well, thanks for all your hard work.

[@MortismalGaming]

Thank you!

[@jamiedavies3810]

I got Aliens: Dark Descent over the weekend for the PS5 and I'm having a lot of fun with it! The controls work very well from what I've seen so far, the environments look very cool! I'm looking forward to playing more!

[@adielubbe4200]

Love this idea for a vid. Very helpful and informative 😊.

[@Evanz111]

Awesome idea for a video! As my own contribution, for anyone who enjoyed the Recettear shopkeeping game - there’s a fantastic indie RPG called Final Profit - A Shopkeeper RPG. It’s got loads of fantastic systems and it’s really well designed and unique. Hidden gem for sure, but it still has overwhelmingly positive reviews.

[@bigzachful]

I have to complete Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, Baldurs Gate 3, Pillars of Eternity 2, Lost Judgement, Trails to Azure, Trails into Reverie, Octopath Traveler 2, Elden Ring, Ghost of Tsushima, Lies of P, Star Wars: Jedi Survivor, Like a Dragon Ishin, Horizon: Forbidden West and Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.. Crazy.. I completed Remnant 2, Cyberpunk 2077, Yakuza 7: Like a Dragon and Hogwarts Legacy this year so far..

[@voyddd]

Playing cRPGs saves so much money considering how much gameplay they offer :D

[@jaleshere]

Man I wish Epic games made their launcher better, I still have to change my settings everytime I open the application and occasionally sign in every single time.

[@ulukahio]

Great list of yours. You could have mentioned Spellforce, conquest of Eo, Stories from the Outbreak, Tainted grail The Fall of Avalon, The new Wizardy, cyber knights, iron oath or Dungeons of Aether wich are all pretty decent games

[@kronosleblu888]

I really wanted to love baldurs gate but the gameplay was a huge turn off. Oh well at least i supported the devs.

[@kevineldredge9404]

Are any of these games worth picking up over Elden Ring??

[@Obloms]

I really recommend checking out Wandering Sword as well. It's basically a Chinese Wuxia RPG in the vein of Octopath Traveler 2 and it's quite unusual/engaging.

[@garethdavies2093]

I know there's the steam 100% aspect to this channel, but it's probably worth mentioning when a game is on game pass. Since game pass tends to go on sale at online resellers over this period. If a game is available on that (or in this case numerous games) it's astounding value. Thanks for noting the lesser known / indie games. Many are pretty great, but are just never seen. I very much enjoyed Colony Ship and i'd never have seen it without you mentioning it.

[@ungreatfulduck750]

Disagree. People are not babies, if they are interested in a game they should be willing to take the 5 second it takes to search for the game and see which platforms are gonna be launched. We PC games never get any info, we never get announcements for platforms, it just says "PC" as if that was self-explanatory. So for every single game we have being interested, we spend a few more seconds to check if it´s in our platform, when, if there are time exclusives, specs for PC version... Why can´t console players do the same? Are they all stupid children with no attention abilities? If no, then they should be fine googling a game they are interested.

[@cirelancaster]

The problem is that games rotate out of game pass. While some games like Starfield are probably permanent, he'd have to update the video if any other games rotate out.

[@jonathanpickles2946]

@@cirelancaster It's a holiday buyer's guide for 2023 if it's on Gamepass now it's relevant. It just makes the reviewer look ill informed. & @the other guy this is supposed to be a guide. not a great one if it's missing info - just google another guide.

[@Llortnerof]

@@jonathanpickles2946 It's a holiday *buyer's* guide, exactly. So gamepass is off-topic.

[@capablanc]

​@ungreatfulduck750 if you disagree with letting people know where to find games, surely you disagree with letting people know which games to find? P.S, gamepass is on PC. Hate to have to tell you seeing as your own logic forbids telling people where to find games.

[@abraxis59]

This was a terrific list! Really great selections. I have a few more of my own to add: 1. Cocoon - this is a super clever world within a world puzzle game with elegently simple controls. There are actually boss fights in the game which I think conflict with the otherwise pure puzzle feel of the game, but it is truly a special game well worth the $25 asking price 2. Chants of Sennaar - this is a puzzle and language game that is pretty unique and very interesting. The color palette for the game is a bit jarring, so play the demo or just watch a brief video to make sure it is your cup of tea, but I think it is fantastic for $20 3. Hi-Fi Rush - This for me was a serious game of the year contender as a unique rhythm based action game with amazing gameplay, easy and solid mechanics and great style. It is also well priced at $30 4. Everspace 2 - Think of it as a true spaceship story driven looter shooter. With excellent graphics, a decent story and tons of different ships equipment and guns, it is surprisingly well worth the $50 5. Age of Wonders - for the 4x fans out there (if you are not familiar, think Civilization) this one is a terrific new spin on the genre with the ability to have meta progression from game to game as well as massive customization of your starting civ. They are also adding to the game very regularly with both free and paid content. So be warned. It is a $50 game, but you can pay more like $70 for all the content that is out if there is no discount. Others worth checking out since this is getting too long: Brotato (Bullet Heaven), Immortals of Aveum (Solo FPS if you have the system to run it), Boltgun (Blaster Shooter), Wall World (Resource tower defense). As it is a good time to be a PC gamer 😀

[@acolyte1951]

Upon clicking, I thought this video would be a meta guide about how an RPG gamer should live their life during the holidays, and plan for a gaming schedule.

[@kn0bhe4d]

Final Fantasy 16 came out this year as well, as a PS5 exclusive right now. But it may release on the PC next year as well if you want to wait for it, which I will be doing. Trails into Reverie came out this year too, and if you want to play it, you will have to play the previous Trails games to get the context and the story of it. It's a JRPG franchise, and the Trails game universe is vast and really good, so you have the Sky trilogy, the Zero and Azure duology, and the Cold Steel quadrology to play before playing Reverie. I haven't played Reverie yet, but plan to in the near future.

[@JFoMu]

Hey Mortismal, thanks for another awesome video. Would you consider a similar video focusing on holiday recommendations for the steam deck?

[@jojounin]

Personally I'd put all these in the Soulslike category: Lords of The Fallen Lies of P Star Wars Jedi Survivor Wo Long Remnant 2 Great year for this genre.

[@bigzachful]

Yes!

[@megmucklebones7538]

Rogue Trader is a def purchase for me.

[@RollinRamsay]

Really glad to see aliens dark descent, truly a slept on strategy game. Overall great video with even better recommendations☝️🤓

[@jameshughes1500]

Aliens Dark Descent was one of my favorite games this year (and gamers had a hell of a year!), I'm glad to see you recommending it.

[@javiernovoa8756]

Tremendous year in gaming! I'll be playing catch for a long time with everything that released. I cannot rave enough about Dave the Diver, I got all friends into it and it is so good. Played or will a lot of back half of this list. One note on Super Mario RPG, the original was fantastic and nothing I've seen of the remake makes me believe it is anything less than fantastic as well.

[@jeffdietz630]

You mention Cyberpunk DLC, any thoughts on Wrath of the Righteous DLC or Solasta DLC released this year?

[@MortismalGaming]

I've reviewed them individually, all pretty good stuff

[@jeffdietz630]

@MortismalGaming Thank you sir, your opinion always appreciated.

[@mucho9boy]

Thank you for the guide Morti. Will try some of the crpgs . The space colony one is really interesting.

[@joshuarogue9345]

I appreciate your vids and the work you put into them, to bring us all this content man. For someone like me that has to choose/limit his games due to financial limitations, your vids are a goldmine.

[@Serendipity_GamingX]

Crusader kings 3 is half off I just got it my first one of the trilogy and it's to addictive.. Steep learning curve but very rewarding

[@christophertheofilos1063]

Mortim, you might as well have just said get a game pass subscription. The Lamplighter's League, Wartales, Atomic Heart, Wo Long, Lies of P, Atomic Heart, Redfall, Starfield, and Sea of Stars are all available to play through the subscription, and much cheaper to pay for a month or two and see if you like the games, than to buy them even on sale.