Chance is doing his part, killing giant insects with democracy. He promises that it is exactly as good as you have heard. Alex crowns Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth one of the three best JRPGs he has ever played (without encouraging debate on what the other two are). And Chamberlain looks past the amazing environments of Avatar and finds that there just isn't anything to do.

In an unprecedented turn of events, all three of us play (relatively) new games! Alex in not skipping the cut scenes in Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth, loving the good natured Japanese mafia and all the good that they do. Chance is mourning the tragedy that is Suicide Squad, specifically that it is only when you are pushing buttons that it gets boring. And Chamberlain visited Pandora in the new Avatar game for about two hours before the siren's song that is Tekken 8 proved too strong. We tried!

It wasn't really a soulslike, but Chamberlain is still proud of himself for finishing The Last Faith. He is less proud of himself for buying Tekken 8, not because it was a bad game, but he is not looking forward to patching the drywall again. Chance finished The Last of Us Part II, and it is just as if not more emotionally draining as the first time, leading to a swift uninstall. And Alex to the financially responsible route and is replaying Dark Souls III again, this time with his eyes closed.

Chamberlain continues to play new(ish) things, finishing up El Paso, Elsewhere, a game everyone slept and missed out on, and The Last Faith, another overly difficult metroidvania. Chance plays a new version of something old, finding a new appreciation for The Last of Us 2. And Alex plays an older new version of something old, revisiting Persona 4 Golden. Because he still loves Chie.

What's indy as all get out, ugly as your favorite tiktok dog and a blatant homage to Max Payne? El Paso, Elsewhere, and Chamberlain is absolutely in love. Chance refuses to sully his eyes with games built of so few polygons so he is playing Baldur's Gate 3, again, and Cyberpunk 2033, again. And Alex lost his save file for Inscryption, then instead of getting mad about it, played the whole thing a second time.

Also, it's cold everywhere, and we wish it would stop doing that.

It's the first episode of the year! In which Chamberlain meets two games half way and enjoys them in spite of their obvious weaknesses. Chance buys Baldur's Gate III for the second time and starts a new character in Cyberpunk for the 100th and Alex does something absolutely unthinkable: he finishes an Assassin's Creed game.

There is nothing left to do in 2023 but catch up on missed games and worry about how few games are slated for 2024. Chamberlain got into the Skull & Bones closed beta and can confirm that it is indeed a game that can be played. He also enjoyed the free Valhalla expansion to God of War Ragnarök more than expected and Super Mario Wonder about the correct amount. Chance is still grinding away in Diablo 4 for gear he doesn't want and/or need and is frankly annoyed by his own persistence. And Alex just might finish an Assassin's Creed game (that came out several year ago).

Merry Christmas and a happy new year!

Yes, this is another game of the year list show. Ours is better. Why? No sponsorships, no external money at all, and very few, if any, fucks given. No Keighley, no Kojima, Alan Wake 2 gets nothing and Spider-Man 2 does not get ignored. It is also less then half the length of the Game Awards, so much more respectful of your time.

You heard us.

(Recorded during the first hour of The Game Awards, so be prepared for random outbursts, mostly by Chamberlain)

Different things satisfy different people. The Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer more than sated Chance's and Alex's desire for open world, booty filled ultra-violence but Chamberlain was left out in the cold. Chamberlain finds happiness in a game that could have easily come out ten years ago: Stray Blade. Alex and Chance are playing Diablo 4, but for different reasons, but what Chance really wants to play is Overwatch 2.

FYI, buffing Tracer literally broke the game on PS5.

With a week off there is much to talk about and unfortunately Alex is not here this week. Instead of making the world a better place, Chamberlain finished up Assassin's Creed Mirage, the first Ass Creed game in ages that had an actual ending. He also died an obscene number of times getting to the end of Ghostrunner 2, yet still says he had a good time. Chance beat people up in Overwatch, watched a ton of movies, and betrayed everything he stands for by purchasing Diablo 4. Microsoft own Blizzard now, so this is okay. Or something.