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Reviews EDGE Magazine #393 review scores + The 2023 EDGE Awards

mazi

mazi

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Reviews:
Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora - 5
The Anacrusis - 5
Assassin's Creed: Nexus VR - 6
Gangs of Sherwood - 4
American Arcadia - 8
Arizona Sunshine 2 - 5
Knuckle Sandwich - 6
Bahnsen Knights - 7
Neurocracy 2.049 - 7
Before the Green Moon - 7
Slay the Princess - 8


Cover - Den of Wolves
Hype - The Mermaid's Tongue, Spine, Zenless Zone Zero, On Your Tail, Otogi Katsugeki: Mameda No Bakeru
Hype Roundup - Hermit and Pig, Home Safety Hotline, Cryptmaster, Dome-King Cabbage, Open Roads
Studio Profile - Sports Interative
The Making of - Cocoon
Time Extend - Alone in the Dark
The Long Game - Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew


The EDGE Awards 2023:
Playstation Game of the Year: 3. Marvel's Spider Man 2, 2. Season: A Letter To The Future, 1. Humanity
Xbox Game of the Year: 3. Forza Motorsport, 2. Hi-Fi Rush, 1. Planet of Lana
Nintendo Game of the Year: 3. Pikmin 4, 2. Super Mario bros Wonder, 1. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
PC Game of the Year: 3. Darkest Dungeon 2, 2. Counter Strike 2, 1. Baldur's Gate 3
Mobile Game of the Year: 3. Laya's Horizon, 2. Subpar Pool, 1. Finity
VR Game of the Year: 3. Synapse, 2. Horizon: Call of the Mountain, 1. Humanity
Best Visual Design: 3. Cocoon, 2. The Invincible, 1. Alan Wake 2
Best Audio Design: 3. Hi-Fi Rush, 2. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, 1. Alan Wake 2
Best Performance: 3. MJ Deans (A Highland Song), 2. David Harewood (Alan Wake 2), 1. Neil Newbon (Baldur's Gate 3)
Best Hardware: 3. PSVR 2, 2. Steam Deck OLED, 1. Quest 3
Publisher of the Year: 3. Devolver, 2. Capcom, 1. Nintendo
Studio of the Year: 3. Remedy, 2. Geometric Interactive, 1. Larian Studios


Best Games of the Year:
10. Counter-Strike 2
9. A Highland Song
8. Street Fighter 6
7. Chants of Sennaar
6. Alan Wake 2
5. Cocoon
4. Humanity
3. Super Mario Bros. Wonder
2. Baldur's Gate 3
1. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
 
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Good to see SF6, Cocoon, Sennaar, A Highland Song, Humanity in the top 10. I don't get the CS2 praise though, but they really like it. Nice of EDGE to pick an underrated game for the top spot. :)
 
this is the 8th time edge has given their goty to a nintendo game, and the 4th time they've given it to a zelda game (the awards started in 1998)
 
Nice to see Tears of the Kingdom still winning Game of the Year from some places, it really deserves it. I'm sure it won't stop people on Reddit from claiming the game is bad because some Youtubers made videos to that effect, but I don't want it to be lost in the conversation just because so many other great games came out this year.
 
Glad to see Zelda's audio design be appreciated. Stuff like the metal stakes making different sounds depending on how deep they are in the ground blew my mind :D

Also never heard of Geometric Interactive before. Cocoon looks damn interesting though.
 
LegendHero said:
Nice to see Tears of the Kingdom still winning Game of the Year from some places, it really deserves it. I'm sure it won't stop people on Reddit from claiming the game is bad because some Youtubers made videos to that effect, but I don't want it to be lost in the conversation just because so many other great games came out this year.
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Seeing Zelda win from the Larger Publication websites makes me happy.
 
GrislyRaccoon said:
Seeing Zelda win from the Larger Publication websites makes me happy.
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I'm not just referring to this one, my point is just that I think it deserves recognition. It doesn't change how I think about it, but if I think something's good I'd rather not see it dismissed, particularly when so many of the criticisms I see of it are so poor.
 
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Finally someone gave Wonder the spot it deserves. Always on 8's or 9's. Come on people, it's literally the best 2D platformer in decades...

Really good top 10 here, Senaar, Highland Song and Cocoon. I love it when I share EDGE's refined tastes.
 
Dardan Sandiego said:
Alan Wake 2 winning best visual design is more than deserved. I've only played for 3h so far and it's absolutely stellar in that department.
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The game has some of the most genuinely breathtaking sunsets I have ever witnessed in a game, and the ways in which it plays with light and shadow in many sections is immaculate. It's a mostly-realistic title, but by damn does it have an incredibly unique and impressive identity.

That and 'Coffee World' is most definitely the best representation of "Depressing Local Attraction Based on Very-Specific Niche," that there has been, and likely ever will be, in a videogame.
 
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What's the criteria by which Baldur's Gate 3 is excluded from the Playstation or Xbox GOTY categories? Does EDGE have a rule that titles have to be put into one platform bucket and no more?
 
Sheldon said:
What's the criteria by which Baldur's Gate 3 is excluded from the Playstation or Xbox GOTY categories? Does EDGE have a rule that titles have to be put into one platform bucket and no more?
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just based on what i'm seeing from this and last year's awards, i think the game has to be exclusive or launch exclusive to a platform for them to consider it, except for xbox where it has to be xbox/pc exclusive or xbox/pc exclusive at launch. basically a game you associate with that platform more than others.
 
mazi said:
just based on what i'm seeing from this and last year's awards, i think the game has to be exclusive or launch exclusive to a platform for them to consider it, except for xbox where it has to be xbox/pc exclusive or xbox/pc exclusive at launch. basically a game you associate with that platform more than others.
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That'd explain some of the overall top ten not showing up in the individual top 3s. I'd love to read the fineprint on that rule, because I reckon it might get messy around the edges.
 
SuperFakerBros said:
Based on what you played so far, would you say you can get into it if you haven’t played the 1st game? I wanna avoid having to do HW :p
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Tough to answer. AW2 is obviously a continuation of the first AW and heavily references it but at least so far I felt that a basic understanding of what happened at the end of AW1 is enough. It's heavy on meta-narrative so I don't believe it'll stay that way, however.
 
SuperFakerBros said:
Damn, EDGE showing their Nintendo bias once again, smh


Based on what you played so far, would you say you can get into it if you haven’t played the 1st game? I wanna avoid having to do HW :p
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From my experience that has only played AW2 and am only 20-30% through it. Yes. But also no? Playing as the first character; going in blind feels VERY nice because the first character knows just as much as you ( at least I think so) so its like your sharing the experience. I deliberately avoided listening to a youtube Alan Wake 1 story summary due to this character.

However, once you play as a second character, they definitly show you more stuff that reference the first game. Its not bad where I feel lost though...just sections where I dont go "OH!!! I remember that item/person/event...I see what they are doing!" Thus, playing the first game will enhance your AW2 experience but if you dont it won't detract too much from it or make you feel lost.
 
SuperFakerBros said:
Based on what you played so far, would you say you can get into it if you haven’t played the 1st game? I wanna avoid having to do HW :p
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Whilst you can play the game without knowing about the 1st, I think it would be wise to at least watch a decent recap video of Alan Wake 1 and Control. It is a bit of homework, but 1-hour-at-most is far better than the 25-or-so hours it would take to finish both games. However, if you don't want to do that even, don't be discouraged into not playing AW2. It's an incredible experience.
 
Dardan Sandiego said:
Tough to answer. AW2 is obviously a continuation of the first AW and heavily references it but at least so far I felt that a basic understanding of what happened at the end of AW1 is enough. It's heavy on meta-narrative so I don't believe it'll stay that way, however.
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blue2425 said:
From my experience that has only played AW2 and am only 20-30% through it. Yes. But also no? Playing as the first character; going in blind feels VERY nice because the first character knows just as much as you ( at least I think so) so its like your sharing the experience. I deliberately avoided listening to a youtube Alan Wake 1 story summary due to this character.

However, once you play as a second character, they definitly show you more stuff that reference the first game. Its not bad where I feel lost though...just sections where I dont go "OH!!! I remember that item/person/event...I see what they are doing!" Thus, playing the first game will enhance your AW2 experience but if you dont it won't detract too much from it or make you feel lost.
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Plum said:
Whilst you can play the game without knowing about the 1st, I think it would be wise to at least watch a decent recap video of Alan Wake 1 and Control. It is a bit of homework, but 1-hour-at-most is far better than the 25-or-so hours it would take to finish both games. However, if you don't want to do that even, don't be discouraged into not playing AW2. It's an incredible experience.
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Ahh alright. Hmm…so I guess I’d mostly be alright if I went in blind but playing the first would definitely help. Honestly, if the first game isn’t too long, I wouldn’t mind going through it just so I can better appreciate the second. It did get a remaster recently so it’d at least feel fine enough to play. Wouldn’t wanna in anyway lessen my experience if I ever did get around to it

BTW, thank you all for responding!
 
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SuperFakerBros said:
Based on what you played so far, would you say you can get into it if you haven’t played the 1st game? I wanna avoid having to do HW :p
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I'm going to say no, but not because you can't play AW2 without AW1 just fine, but because there's no reason to skip AW1. Aside from it taking a bit to get into it's still a very good game, flawed, but good, and it's only like 10-14 hours. 2 is almost twice that time. You'll probably get more out of the story if you play AW1 since you play as Alan in 2 as well. I will say you can skip American Nightmare though, all you really need to know about that is that Alan Wake gets a body double named Scratch which I think the first game even hints at. Don't open that spoiler till you've played 1.

edit: Should add I played AW1 and American Nightmare for the first time right before playing 2, so this isn't a nostalgia post. Alan Wake 1 is a legit fun romp, though it's more of a fun action romp than a masterpiece like what they were going for in 2.

edit 2: Actually you can probably just watch a Youtube recap if you want to be honest, no harm in that
 
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Good for Zelda, and nice to see others not being weird about it as usual.

Though good for Humanity and Cocoon as well for getting that high. Best puzzle games this year for sure. Both are definitely worth a purchase for anyone on the fence.
 
Yeah, plenty of stuff I've really enjoyed is well represented, but also glad to see stuff like Alan Wake 2 and Chants of Sennaar popping up yet again because it serves as more incentive to get around to them. I've already bought Highland Song and Baldur's Gate 3.

Early 2024 is going to be catching up on GOTY 2023 nominees/winners and Old RPGs for me.
 
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I’m in Act 2 of BG3 and still trying to sort out what my GotY is. It’s a testament to BG3’s quality that I’m even having this internal debate. BG3 feels a lot like the Divinity games for me, plus a bit of Witcher and Dragon Age. It’s a wonderful experience, doubly so playing coop with my partner.

I think I still lean towards TotK. The game is an absolute triumph in gameplay freedom, mechanics and world design, and its biggest problem is that I spent 200 hours on that world already. I so wish it had been a Switch 2 launch title with improved visuals - that might have been enough to give it a clearer identity over Breath of the Wild.
 
Kreese said:
The best critics are getting it right (Polygon, IGN, Edge) as far as their GOTY choice is concerned.

Talent wins.
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It's funny seeing this considering you were implying a conspiracy when Edge gave BG3 a 10 :ROFLMAO:

Sheldon said:
What's the criteria by which Baldur's Gate 3 is excluded from the Playstation or Xbox GOTY categories? Does EDGE have a rule that titles have to be put into one platform bucket and no more?
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BG3 was released for PC a month before the PS5 version came out so maybe that's why.
 
RoqueSanteiro said:
It's funny seeing this considering you were implying a conspiracy when Edge gave BG3 a 10 :ROFLMAO:



BG3 was released for PC a month before the PS5 version came out so maybe that's why.
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Just because I disagreed with one of their scores on account of BG3 being bug ridden, artistically bland and heavy handed in terms of narrative doesn't mean I admonish the entire EDGE publication. They are still one of my favourites.

I think nigh the entire gaming media collective over-rated BG3... but now that the Doritos Pope awards are over things seem to be course correcting which I also expected would happen.
 
AngryAlchemist said:
I'm going to say no, but not because you can't play AW2 without AW1 just fine, but because there's no reason to skip AW1. Aside from it taking a bit to get into it's still a very good game, flawed, but good, and it's only like 10-14 hours. 2 is almost twice that time. You'll probably get more out of the story if you play AW1 since you play as Alan in 2 as well. I will say you can skip American Nightmare though, all you really need to know about that is that Alan Wake gets a body double named Scratch which I think the first game even hints at. Don't open that spoiler till you've played 1.

edit: Should add I played AW1 and American Nightmare for the first time right before playing 2, so this isn't a nostalgia post. Alan Wake 1 is a legit fun romp, though it's more of a fun action romp than a masterpiece like what they were going for in 2.

edit 2: Actually you can probably just watch a Youtube recap if you want to be honest, no harm in that
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Honestly, if it’s that short, then I don’t mind going through it then. Heck, it being short would be a positive to me because I kinda appreciate not having to spend an absurd amount of time on a game :p

Also, yeah, that makes sense if it’s doing a lot of building off of what the 1st one did as opposed to being more self contained
 
I can feel my brain cells deteriorating every time the Baldur's Gate 3 vs Tears of the Kingdom media bias argument starts again

SuperFakerBros said:
Honestly, if it’s that short, then I don’t mind going through it then. Heck, it being short would be a positive to me because I kinda appreciate not having to spend an absurd amount of time on a game :p

Also, yeah, that makes sense if it’s doing a lot of building off of what the 1st one did as opposed to being more self contained
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Glad you took it the right way haha, I realized after writing the post that some people don't have the luxury of playing 10 or so hours worth of set up, and that it might have sounded elitist to advise someone play the first game first, which was not my intention 🥲
 
AngryAlchemist said:
Glad you took it the right way haha, I realized after writing the post that some people don't have the luxury of playing 10 or so hours worth of set up, and that it might have sounded elitist to advise someone play the first game first, which was not my intention 🥲
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lol oh no, you good and, yeah, depending on the person, that may not necessarily be practical and watching a story recap online would work better but, thankfully, my days aren’t too packed so I can at least manage it alright
 
Alan wake 2 is the first game that’s making me want a ps5. Every times I hear about that game it sounds like the greatest game ever.
 
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