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It should come as no surprise that I amassed quite a sizeable backlog after how great a year 2023 turned out to be.

Persona 5 Tactica

I have actually purchased Persona 5 Tactica for the Nintendo Switch but couldn't find time to play it. Hopefully I can rectify that in January.

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name was released at the absolute worst time. Between Baldur's Gate 3, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Super Mario Bros Wonder, and my trip to Japan, all of October and November was booked up.

I really want to play it before the release of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth on January 26 but I fear this is going to be another game that slips through the cracks.

Alan Wake 2

From what I have heard Alan Wake 2 is an fantastic story inside of a bad game.

Way back in 2010 I played the first Alan Wake:

On numerous occasions I became frustrated with the controls or the composition of enemies I was fighting and didn't want to play the game anymore. The promise of more of the amazing story was all that kept me going.

And in February 2021 after playing Control I wrote:

I feel as if Remedy is at a crossroads. They need to decide if they really want to be a third-person shooter or not. Personally I want to see them take a more interactive storytelling approach and make a game like The Walking Dead or Detroit: Become Human. But they could just as easily go the other way and double down on the combat.

So I guess I shouldn't be surprised that even after 13 years Remedy decided to double down on their subpar combat.

Super Mario RPG

I didn't own a Super Nintendo growing up so I was never able to play Super Mario RPG. I had hoped that would change with the release of a remake in 2023 but alas I will have to carry this shame into the new year.

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun

I am a heretic for not playing Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun. The Emperor demands my life!

The Last Spell

I was told that as a fan of XCOM I would probably enjoy The Last Spell because it is a tactical roguelite. After being in early access for over two years it was released in 2023 and has solid Steam Deck support so it does seem like something that is right up my alley.

Mr. Sun's Hatbox

Mr. Sun's Hatbox is another roguelite that I was told I would enjoy as a fan of XCOM.

Lies of P

As a fan of "Soulslike" games Lies of P definitely caught my eye. The biggest reason I didn't play it was that I heard it still retains the worst aspects of older FromSoftware games, most importantly the run back to the boss room when you die. In a post Elden Ring world, where checkpoints are literally right outside every boss battle, I cannot put up with games that waste your time like this anymore.

System Shock

I was too young to play the original System Shock when it came out in 1994 but always heard about what an amazing, seminal game it was. This year saw the release of a remake by Nightdive Studios but middling reviews caused me to put off playing it which is how it finds itself on the backlog.

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader

Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is on my radar because in a year of great CRPGs this sounded like another solid entry. Its December 7th release meant that it had to be added to my backlog but I do hope to make time to play it one day.

Poly Bridge 3

I am a huge fan of the Real Civil Engineer YouTube channel which was how I got introduced to Poly Bridge 3.

Metroid Prime Remastered

It is pretty crazy that in the 20 years since the release of the original Metroid Prime no other game has nailed that 3D Metroidvania experience. I really should revisit it through Metroid Prime Remastered just to make sure I am not just wearing rose-coloured glasses.

Counter-Strike 2

I have played a lot of Counter-Strike in my life but I could not gather enough energy to play some matches of Counter-Strike 2 this year. It has been quite a while since I've played any competitive multiplayer games and CS2 would definitely be jumping straight back into the deep end of the pool.

Street Fighter 6

I just wanna see how Ken became a cryptobro and lost all his money in Street Fighter 6.