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Event (WINNER ANNOUNCED!) The Famiboards Game of the Year Celebration prelude: Most anticipated 2024 game

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Irene

Irene

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The Famiboards GAME OF THE YEAR celebration: The prelude

MOST ANTICIPATED 2024 GAME​

Hello everyone, and welcome to this year’s Game of the Year ceremony, where we all gather together to write about, talk about and yell about our favourite games from 2023.

2023 was an incredible year, where we participated in touching stories, had fun with engaging gameplay, overcame devious challenges, and just stood still to soak in some good vibes. Some of us grit our teeth as we became invisible, some of us broke into a castle, some of us commanded plants around, some of us spun some webs, some of us became a reptile with wings, and some of us built a hoverbike with five lasers on it. Just like last year, there will be a proper Game of the Year celebration kicking off on January 1st.

But! Before that: we will host a "prelude" event for a single category, namely ”Most Anticipated 2024 Game”, an opportunity to look forward instead of back, and write about, nominate and vote on what we look forward to next year.

HOW TO NOMINATE​

The prelude will have its own process of nomination, voting and results and will run from today, December 21st, all the way to the day we present the winner - December 31st, one day before the real Game of the Year event starts. The nomination process will take place in this very thread, where you fine folks will nominate your most anticipated game for 2024.

To nominate, you only need two things in your nomination:

1. The name of the game in bolded text
2. A motivation

The motivation should be at least one paragraph, but don't hold back on what you want to say - let the passion flow!

Once the nomination process is over, the voting will take place. Voting will be made in this thread via a ballot, where all who participate will vote for what game should win the Most Anticipated Game category. Voting will go on for 5 days, and after that, the winner is decided.

RULES TO FOLLOW​

1. You can only nominate one game to be added to the ballot. You are free to mention and talk about other games, but your top choice is the only one that will be added. We are encouraging as many members as possible to nominate!

2. The game must be formally announced. It cannot be a rumored title or simply the next project that a studio is working on (i.e "Next 3D Mario game" or "Naughty Dog's next project")

3. The game needs to at least have an announced release window of 2024. Any game that has been announced with no official date cannot be included. (Sorry, process trusters!) If the game has been announced for Steam Early Access in 2024, however, it does qualify.

4. Any games that are nominated in this thread will be included on the ballot, assuming that they are eligible games of course.

THE SCHEDULE

December 21st to December 25th: Nomination period
December 26th to December 30th: Voting period
December 31st: Winner is presented​

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Now, LET'S LOOK FORWARD!
 
Need a few ideas? Here are some of the games currently scheduled to launch in 2024.

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  • Ace Attorney: Apollo Justice Trilogy
  • Afterlove EP
  • Angeline Era
  • Another Code: Recollection
  • DECAPOLICE
  • Dragon's Dogma 2
  • Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth
  • Hades 2
  • Helldivers 2
  • Hollow Knight: Silksong
  • Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
  • Little Nightmares 3
  • Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
  • Penny's Big Breakaway
  • The Plucky Squire
  • Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
  • Princess Peach: Showtime!
  • Rise of the Ronin
  • SaGa: Emerald Beyond
  • Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution
  • Splatoon 3: Side Order
  • Star Wars: Outlaws
  • Tekken 7
  • Trails Through Daybreak
  • Unicorn Overlord
  • Visions of Mana
  • World of Goo 2
 
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I would like to officially nominate Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Not much needs to be said about this game that hasn’t already been said. It already won most anticipated at TGA. But the thread requires more words so I will say them. I consider Final Fantasy VII Remake to be one of my favorite games of all time. It was everything I wanted and more. However, if we‘re going back to the OG game, the middle third of the game was my favorite part. Seeing all these iconic characters in an open world is everything I’ve ever dreamed of. I also can’t wait to see how THAT scene is handled. I am giddy with anticipation. February 29th cannot come soon enough.
 
Tekken 8

The pinnacle of 3D fighting games graces us with a new entry! Tekken affords its players with an insane level of self-expression, and even newbies will be able to string together a few basic combos after a few matches. But while it's easy to understand and get into, mastery is a whole other ball game. Tekken 8 also seems intent on beefing up the singleplayer content, such as with an over-the-top story mode that feels like it burst out of an anime. Most important part though is that the costumes look slick again!
 
1. Rise of the Ronin.

2. Team Ninja never misses with action games. Nioh 2 is GOAT. Wo Long with DLC is amazing. Ronin is from the proper team as well.
 
Dragon's Dogma 2

What if Itsuno made an RPG set in an open world inspired by medieval Europe and fantasy? And what if, eleven years later, he did it all over again? Dragon's Dogma features great action gameplay, challenging foes to fight, and loyal pawns that will never shut up for more than two consecutive seconds. And this sequel looks like more of the same, only better! More vocations, new vocations, new monsters, a new playable race, camping, cooking – the list goes on.

Dragon's Dogma 2 is one of many games I'm looking forward to next year, but it's the one that came to my mind first, and I can't wait to dive into this familiar, yet new adventure, that will hopefully make Dragon's Dogma a staple among Capcom's IPs.
 
I'd like to nominate Ace Attorney: Apollo Justice Trilogy. I came to the franchise relatively late, having skipped portables entirely during the DS and 3DS generations. The memes had seeped into my consciousness through general internet exposure, but I couldn't understand what made the games so special that they occupied such a major part of the pop culture world. And then my friend told me to play the Switch port of the first trilogy, and I figured it out.

These are perfectly-paced visual novels, with just the right amount of interactivity, thought, and mechanical variety to justify their fanbase. I'm excited to get back into the world of these characters and experience the next few stories in the franchise!
 
I'm going to nominate Helldivers 2.

I can't wait to starship troopers the hell out of this game on PC.
 
Quick question, but does this include games that are currently in early access but slated to exit it for full release in 2024?
 
i'd like to nominate Angeline Era, the new game from Analgesic Productions (Anodyne, Even the Ocean, Sephonie). society has been clamoring for a return to early-Ys-style bump combat, and the Analgesic duo have taken it upon themselves to fill that woeful hole in the contemporary games landscape. it's a nonlinear action game with "Bumpslash" combat and (seemingly) zelda-style dungeons. and like all their other games, it looks strange and beautiful and convention-defying and will have one of the best game soundtracks ever. really looking forward to it!

here is a link to the steam page and also here's the logo just because it rips:
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Hades 2 is a close runner up for me, but instead I'd like to nominate Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution


I'm a big fan of the Shantae series. They're kinda like the metroidvania equivalent to Kirby imo; a consistently fun series that at it's best is fantastic and even at it's worst is still pretty good. And in recent years I've also really come to appreciate the GBA and how well its library holds up to this day. So reading about how Wayforward had tried to make a Shantae game for the GBA but couldn't make it happen financially has always been a tantalizing part of video game history to me, an elusive "what might have been". It's sorta just accepted that these cancelled projects we hear about stay in the past as interesting bits of historical trivia though; very rarely do we really get to see what those demos and prototypes would have actually amounted to.

So the announcement that now, all these years later, they're actually going to finish the game they wanted to make way back when (and even keep it as something that could still run on an actual GBA) was a huge surprise and something I'm really looking forward to playing next year.
 
I'll nominate SaGa: Emerald Beyond. Some of my favorite games from the last few years are among Square Enix's AA RPG output and I've really liked everything I've seen from this one so far. A combination of a strong turn-based battle system, a ton of characters, and lots of different paths you can take make me excited to try it out.

Shoutout to Eiyuden Chronicle and Unicorn Overlord as well. Wasn't sure which I wanted to nominate since I'm really looking forward to all three of them. They all release so close together too
 
How about Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

4 years after the announcement of the Sands of Time remake, 14 years after the last Prince of Persia game, 19 years after the SoT Trilogy ended and... jesus christ over 30 years since the last 2D-Game, Prince of Persia is finally back come January 2024! Reimagined as a Metroidvania, obviously inspired by Metroid Dread, with the official Jordan Mechner stamp of approval and the people behind the fantastic Rayman Origins behind it. AND it even has the Switch as target platform if the previews are to believed. Personally, it's very likely already my game of the year 2024 and it definitely is my most anticipated game of next year.
 
My "I-guess-someone-else-will-nominate-Another-Code" nomination is of course Afterlove EP.



The game has been in development for quite some time, and the passing of Fahmi, the founder of Pikselnesia, (Rest in peace) shook the development up significantly. But it's now slated to release in Q3 2024 according to the most recent update.

The game just looks extremely charming and wholesome and yet has some kind of sad undertone that is bound to tug at your heartstrings. It is part a visual novel-ish slice of life game - a story set in Jakarta, where the main character Rama is struggling to move on from the death of their girlfriend - and part rhythm game, as Rama plays in a band.

It's just been a long time coming for Afterlove EP, and I've had my eyes on it ever since it has been announced.

Can't wait.
 
I nominate:

Visions of Mana

The long awaited new entry to the Mana series is finally here. We're in luck as the game looks to be played pretty similarly to 2020's Trials of Mana. Visuals got a level up and character designs, as always, look top notch. What's more we have Koichi Ishii, creator of the series back as the monster designer. What else can we ask? Switch version of course. I'm hopeful we will get the game on Switch as the dev team ALWAYS release Mana games on mobile, this will be no exception. The game is coming next year, I feel we won't wait much long to get it.
 
Pleased to be the first to nominate Princess Peach: Showtime! Why? It looks like a ton of fun, and like the sort of ass-kicking & cake-topping adventure Peach has deserved to herself for far too long. There better not be one freaking trace of Marty-O in this game!
 
I nominate:

Unicorn Overlord


The next Vanillaware title. For me at least, they haven't failed with a game so far and this looks really ambitious.
It is sure to be an audiovisual delight, so there's that, but they have been improving in the other areas with each game they release. Can't wait.
 
1. I would like to nominate Star Wars Outlaws.
2. I have been a Star Wars fan for almost my entire life. I still remember my dad bringing home The Empire Strikes Back from the video rental store - it was the first movie we watched on our brand new VCR. Some of my all-time favorite video games are from Star Wars (so many hours spent on the various Battlefront titles, along with The Force Unleashed and Rogue Squadron, to highlight a few). I am looking forward to playing a game focused on the gritty underworld of the Star Wars universe, and it will be cool to play as a bounty hunter. Can't wait!!

Honorable mention to the Silent Hill 2 remake, although I don't know if there is any official confirmation yet that it is coming out in 2024. I think it's just been strongly rumored to at this point.
 
1) I have a tie for most anticipated game but I nominate Another Code: Recollection

2) I like too see dormant or very niche IP gets a glow up and another chance. Not to mention, regardless of its outcome (I think it will do fine), there is a chance we get Hotel Dusk and Last Window, with a possible closure game. Also kinda neat some of the og team are still involved so it must have been nice or bittersweet to return to these games.

My other shoutout was SH: Death Mark 2, but that is even nicher lol.
 
1. World of Goo 2
2. Motivation: I only recently finished the first, and I adore the music and ideas presented in the trailer. The official window is 2024, though they've also said "soon" on the official website. World of Goo 1 was an iconic Wii Ware game, I have every expectation the second will be just as good - or even better!
 
For my nomination, I'm gonna go with Penny's Big Breakaway.

Sonic Mania was an incredible achievement: a who's who of Sonic hackers, fan game developers, and artists coming together to produce a love letter to the Genesis/Mega Drive era of the Blue Blur. The success lead the once separate team to form Evening Star, and anticipation grew for their next title. Surely they would be given the keys to 2D Sonic for the foreseeable future? As we now know, this wouldn't be the case. Creative differences lead to an amicable split with Sega, and while the Retro Engine physics would be preserved with Sonic Superstars, Evening Star would move on to their own original project. This was definitely a bummer. The team nailed it with Mania, and all we needed was a chance for them to make a fully original Sonic title! So close to greatness, and sadly Superstars was not quite the follow up we hoped for.

But all that disappointment washes away as soon as I remember what Evening Star has been cooking up.



Folks, Penny's Big Breakaway is the real deal. A fresh and funky 3D platformer from folks who get the importance of good movement and level design that supports said movement. The yo-yo as a moveset basis is extremely clever and well though out. Use the yo-yo to attack in all directions around you! Use it as a platform, as a dash, as a swing mid air! "Walk the dog" and then ride the yo-yo for lots of speed! Rack up combos with the movement for points, use it to speed run through levels, or slow down and use those abilities to find secrets and solve puzzles, akin to a game like Kirby and the Forgotten Land or Super Mario 3D World.

I haven't even gotten into the art design, which looks incredible, like a cleaned up and modernized Saturn game! Or the music, which brings in Tee Lopes, Sean Bialo, and others for a bouncy, jaunty good time! Prnny's Big Breakaway oozes with charm and has the substance and pedigree to back up that style. If you like 3D platformers, this is the game to look out for in 2024.
 
King_Dodongo said:
I nominate:

Unicorn Overlord


The next Vanillaware title. For me at least, they haven't failed with a game so far and this looks really ambitious.
It is sure to be an audiovisual delight, so there's that, but they have been improving in the other areas with each game they release. Can't wait.
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Definitely looking forward to the soundtrack of this one, it's Keiichi Okabe's first gig outside of Nier. It's gonna slay.
 
Unicorn Overlord
Looks like a fresh SRPG to me. I like the art, and the real time aspects as units move to engage, followed by the actual combat resolution itself, appeals to me a lot more than full-on RTS games.

Prince of Persia is currently my runner-up- it’s rare for me to be excited by a Ubisoft title but it looks great.
 
My nominee: Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door

I picked this game for a couple of reasons:
  1. Most importantly, I loved the game when it released on the Gamecube, but I never finished it. I rented it from Blockbuster, got through almost the entire game, and then I had to return it. I never bought the game and never rented it again. It's unfinished business.
  2. The discourse is going to be awful, but it will definitively settle a couple of disputes. Would a traditional Paper Mario outsell a newer game? Is love for this game really as widespread as the Internet would have you believe? It will be very interesting to see how things shake out.
 
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Hollow Knight: Silksong

go ahead and laugh, but this might really be the year…
 
BlackthornOrion said:
Hades 2 is a close runner up for me
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I got you

Hades 2 is my pick, easy. The original Hades was by far the best game of 2020 and from Supergiant, one of the best studios in the industry, in general. It's a seminal roguelike, built to be enjoyed by even people who do not normally like roguelikes, with a well thought out and impeccably researched story set in a familiar flavor. Every bit of the game is unbelievable quality and this being the first direct sequel Supergiant is doing will make Hades 2 something quite special indeed.
 
I’m going to nominate Trails Through Daybreak which is the 11th(!) directly connected Trails game and the start of a new saga for Trails as we finally travel Eastward into Calvard. For the past eight years in the West, we’ve been in the Cold Steel era and while I really adore those characters, I’m so excited to meet new characters and explore a new country after 500 hours of RPG adventuring with Rean and friends. The teases we got for Calvard in Trails Into Reverie are super exciting and the strength of the writing in Reverie has me even more excited. I don’t know all the returning characters we’ll see, but the few I know will be there are all ones I want to see more of.
 
The Plucky Squire
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I just love how vibrant, charming, and creative it looks. The core concept is cool and looks to be implemented brilliantly, the art style is phenomenal, and it just looks like exactly the kind of game we don't see enough of nowadays. I get definite sahdes of Mario Odyssey and A Link Between Worlds from its gameplay, yet it still has an identity all its own and feels fresh and unique.
I can't wait to experience it.
 
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I'm looking forward to most of the games already nominated (2024 is looking great, at least the first half)!

But if I had to pick just one, it's Unicorn Overlord. 13 Sentinels was amazing, and I love tactics games especially with a ton of characters to recruit so if you combine that with the Vanillaware art design and the food then I am all in.
 
Gotta say, looking through this thread makes me remember how many certified bangers are upon us. Especially stuff besides the obvious ones, completely forgot Plucky Spire and Shantae come out in 2024, for example.
 
Does DLC count? Because Splatoon 3: Side Order is still slated for 2024 and if it's as big as Octo Expansion was, that'll be basically a whole new Splatoon game.
 
shoptroll said:
Does DLC count? Because Splatoon 3: Side Order is still slated for 2024 and if it's as big as Octo Expansion was, that'll be basically a whole new Splatoon game.
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We've decided that DLC does count this time around.
 
Gonna have to nominate Trails Through Daybreak

I'm still working my way through the series (currently at Cold Steel II) but hopefully I'll be onto Daybreak by the time it releases. I'm excited for it because it's the start of a new arc in the long running narrative, taking place in the other big superpower of Zemuria, Calvard and featuring a brand new cast including a mid 20s protagonist instead of the usual late teens protagonist. Also recognise some returning faces from the trailer which is very exciting too as I'm looking forward to seeing how they've grown and changed through the years.
On top of that I have played through the recent Japanese demo on Switch and the gameplay has been smoothed out so much from Cold Steel II. The whole action/turn based battle system is incredible for the flow of the game and apparently so good even Atlus are borrowing it for Metaphor.
 
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

I really enjoyed the first game and am pretty excited to see how this sequel pans out. The combat was the best part of Remake, so I'm totally ready to have an excuse to experience more of it. I'm super interested in seeing how they'll approach the open world mechanics as well, and how/if they'll address the more common criticisms the last game received.
 
Irene said:
Definitely looking forward to the soundtrack of this one, it's Keiichi Okabe's first gig outside of Nier. It's gonna slay.
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Indeed. Got the Collectors Edition preordered and in addition to the CDs I know for sure that I'll protect those cards even better than I do with my mtg ones lol.
 
My pick for this first category would be Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth.

It looks like it’s gonna be huge, it looks like it’s gonna be emotional, but most importantly it’s finally the return of Ichiban Kasuga, one of the best and most endearing characters ever created. RGG Studio rarely miss, and I have high hopes for this one. What a great way to start the year!
 
Dragon's Dogma II

The first game is such a modern game in its gameplay systems still to this day, putting to shame the combat of every open world RPGs from today, and its sequel looks even crazier and smoother. The graphics are beautiful, I like the addition of the desert area with the beast kingdom, the new vocations look super fun and unique...
And the first game really has that weird, eerie aura througout the whole game. An uneasy feeling that never really leaves you (the world being full of monsters and empty of life beyond the only two towns, the lore, the ghostly figures that are your companions...), and it feels like the sequel will keep this aura. It really is a weird game, not for everyone despite being a AAA super ambitious open world RPG, and I like that about it.
 
2 days left!

It's been amazing to see everyone participate with such enthusiasm, and we've officially broken last year's amount of nominees.

Keep 'em coming!
 
I would like to nominate Penny’s Big Breakaway. Not only is this game made by the developers of Sonic Mania, not only does it look amazing from a gameplay and art style perspective, but it’s also one of the very few new platforming franchises that has come up in the past decade or so. We got Cuphead, Shovel Knight, a Hat in Time, YookaLayle, and Balan wonderworld and thats pretty much it, so having more new platforming series is always great
 
Splatoon 3: Side Order

Look, I haven't finished all the Splatoon 3 campaign yet. But, I'm a simple man. You give me a new Splatoon campaign, a rogue-like one this time (!), I buy it.

If this is anywhere near the level of quality of Octo Expansion for Splatoon 2 then we're in for a real treat, hopefully in a few months.
 
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