What game has surprised you the most this year?

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SolidGame_basic

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#1 SolidGame_basic  Online
Member since 2003 • 45307 Posts

I’m going with Octopath Traveler 2. Never played the original, but this one is great. Love how it’s an old school game with a modern twist. It has voice acting, the pixel graphics are beautiful, and the turn based combat has some interesting mechanics to keep things fun. Also love how you can play as different characters with different stories. I’m only 5 hours in, but very impressed so far. How about you, SW? What game has surprised you the most this year?

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Pedro

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#2 Pedro
Member since 2002 • 69980 Posts
Loading Video...

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deactivated-65dd04f21decf

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#3 deactivated-65dd04f21decf
Member since 2022 • 3769 Posts

Man, I've hardly played anything new. Just got around to Demon's Souls, lol. Was amazing, but that's not really a surprise.

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hardwenzen

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#4 hardwenzen  Online
Member since 2005 • 39335 Posts

Redfall. By how pathetic it is. Nothing is worse, its literally the bottom of gaming.

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lundy86_4

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#5 lundy86_4
Member since 2003 • 61515 Posts

Of what i've played, not much. TotK did some great things to build on BotW, but it's still got very similar bones. RE4 Remake was solid, but it'd be a real challenge to **** up that game.

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judaspete

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#6  Edited By judaspete
Member since 2005 • 7326 Posts

I played Knockout City before the servers were shut down. Had always meant to get around to it but never did until then. Too bad it was hit by the great live-service purge, because it was a lot of fun. Would make for a good couch multiplayer game.

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Archangel3371

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#7 Archangel3371
Member since 2004 • 44344 Posts

Hi-Fi Rush. Really great game.

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SolidGame_basic

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#8 SolidGame_basic  Online
Member since 2003 • 45307 Posts

@lundy86_4 said:

Of what i've played, not much. TotK did some great things to build on BotW, but it's still got very similar bones. RE4 Remake was solid, but it'd be a real challenge to **** up that game.

I’m surprised you say that about ToTK. They added the Sky Islands, the Depths, the Building Mechanics which opened up a lot of gameplay options.

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onesiphorus

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#9 onesiphorus
Member since 2014 • 5272 Posts

Tears of the Kingdom. The possibilities of using Zonai devices to build almost everything, even mechs, surprises me. Also, how dark the Depths really is makes me uneasy whenever I travel to uncharted territory there. And finally, how scary the Gibdos are as they remind me of the ReDeads from Ocarina of Time.

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PCLover1980

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#10 PCLover1980
Member since 2022 • 1270 Posts

Hi-Fi Rush for sure. Great game, especially for its price.
Battlebit Remastered of course, scratched the battlefield itch for sure, despite it looking like Roblox.

Also I was a bit harsh with Rift Apart. Apart from Sargasso and Savali, the game was pretty good and well-paced in the end.

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sakaiXx

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#11  Edited By sakaiXx
Member since 2013 • 15949 Posts

In term of good surprises Chained Echoes, FFXVI and Octopath Traveler 2 for me. Really good jrpg selections this year.

In term of "holishit how could that happen!" Definitely Redfall.

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Pikminmaniac

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#12 Pikminmaniac
Member since 2006 • 11513 Posts

I might be becoming a broken record at this point, but TOTK being the sequel to my favourite game of all time made me hope for a game that would build and expand upon the vision that came before it. I was surprised to see they undid what made BOTW so progressive as an open world game in favor of something more generic. BOTW was a fully immersive experience that was more about the journey than the destination. TOTK is about a laundry check list that focuses on the destination while not caring about the journey at all.

Also the story and upheaval stuff is absolute nonsense. Why did anything happen? Why are there sky islands?

It really felt like some other team took over and made a sequel without having a clue what made the first game so good.

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R4gn4r0k

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#13 R4gn4r0k
Member since 2004 • 46483 Posts

@hardwenzen said:

Redfall. By how pathetic it is. Nothing is worse, its literally the bottom of gaming.

Yeah for me it was Redfall as well. I was surprised by how awful the movement and combat felt in that game.

Seeing as how it's a game where you will be moving and engaging in combat a lot.

Gollum was another big shock for me.

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MirkoS77

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#14 MirkoS77
Member since 2011 • 17678 Posts

Probably RE4 Remake, I was surprised at the liberties taken. For the most part, I believe it lays a solid example as to how to do a remake.

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Ghosts4ever

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#15 Ghosts4ever
Member since 2015 • 24988 Posts

RE4 Remake. I disliked original but Remake become on of my GOAT action game.

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KathaarianCode

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#16 KathaarianCode
Member since 2022 • 3449 Posts

Hi-Fi Rush was a huge surprise. My first reaction was "wtf is MS doing to Tango? This is not Evil Within 3!!!", then some thrust worthy independent people started saying good stuff about the game. I was still skeptical but decided to give it a try and I'm happy I did because it's really really good, like every thing about it is great.

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Last_Lap

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#17 Last_Lap
Member since 2023 • 6377 Posts

@hardwenzen said:

Redfall. By how pathetic it is. Nothing is worse, its literally the bottom of gaming.

And yet this PS4 exclusive with 1.7 million views enters and wins your race 🤣🤣🤣

Loading Video...

Sony promoted this 💩 on its official YT channel 🤦‍♂️

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Litchie

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#18  Edited By Litchie  Online
Member since 2003 • 34696 Posts

Tears of the Kingdom. Thought it was gonna be more boring.

Really need to play Hi Fi Rush..

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Djoffer123

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#19 Djoffer123
Member since 2016 • 2253 Posts

Despite having played only the demo, i would have to give it to FF16. Had zero hype for the game, but damn it was really solid and looking forward to play it at some point!

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Macutchi

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#20 Macutchi
Member since 2007 • 10494 Posts

revisiting deathloop nearly two years on and seeing all the great new sp additions that had been made since launch and completely changing my mind on it (now my favourite arkane game which for me as a bit of an arkane fanboy is high praise).

and then the other side of the coin after seeing how much deathloop has improved is how monumentally bad redfall turned out to be.

it didn't look great from the first reveal but for a studio of that calibre i would never expect them to release a bonafide stinker. didn't think it was possible. sadly dont see a deathloop-like turnaround for redfall, but deathloop was in a very different place when it launched. decent just not great

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SolidGame_basic

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#21 SolidGame_basic  Online
Member since 2003 • 45307 Posts

@Macutchi said:

revisiting deathloop nearly two years on and seeing all the great new sp additions that had been made since launch and completely changing my mind on it (now my favourite arkane game which for me as a bit of an arkane fanboy is high praise).

and then the other side of the coin after seeing how much deathloop has improved is how monumentally bad redfall turned out to be.

it didn't look great from the first reveal but for a studio of that calibre i would never expect them to release a bonafide stinker. didn't think it was possible. sadly dont see a deathloop-like turnaround for redfall, but deathloop was in a very different place when it launched. decent just not great

Hmm now you got me curious. What did they add?

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uninspiredcup

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#22 uninspiredcup
Member since 2013 • 59124 Posts

Vagrant Story.

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Mozelleple112

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#23  Edited By Mozelleple112
Member since 2011 • 11293 Posts

Although its not really 2023 related as its a 2021 game, Halo Infinite surprised me over its quality. I didn't play it until I got my PC this summer so I'll mention it anyway:

Very enjoyable 30 hour campaign, great mechanics, stunning graphics, super smooth 4K/120 performance, high production values, excellent etc.

Didn't even get to try the co-op as I have no PC friends with Game Pass.

The multiplayer is complete BS though. Made me feel like I was playing a 2007 game. Who enjoys that kind of MP in 2023?

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Robbie23

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#24 Robbie23
Member since 2015 • 2082 Posts

Final Fantasy 16. I really enjoyed the change. It should of let you play on hard mode to begin with because normal mode was ridiculously easy.

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SolidGame_basic

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#25 SolidGame_basic  Online
Member since 2003 • 45307 Posts

@Mozelleple112 said:

Although its not really 2023 related as its a 2021 game, Halo Infinite surprised me over its quality. I didn't play it until I got my PC this summer so I'll mention it anyway:

Very enjoyable 30 hour campaign, great mechanics, stunning graphics, super smooth 4K/120 performance, high production values, excellent etc.

Didn't even get to try the co-op as I have no PC friends with Game Pass.

The multiplayer is complete BS though. Made me feel like I was playing a 2007 game. Who enjoys that kind of MP in 2023?

I enjoyed the Infinite mp for a few hours but then yea, you realize there’s not much to it

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robert_sparkes

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#26 robert_sparkes
Member since 2018 • 7266 Posts

Redfall the fact is it's just not a good game.

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#27 Macutchi
Member since 2007 • 10494 Posts

@SolidGame_basic said:
@Macutchi said:

revisiting deathloop nearly two years on and seeing all the great new sp additions that had been made since launch and completely changing my mind on it (now my favourite arkane game which for me as a bit of an arkane fanboy is high praise).

and then the other side of the coin after seeing how much deathloop has improved is how monumentally bad redfall turned out to be.

it didn't look great from the first reveal but for a studio of that calibre i would never expect them to release a bonafide stinker. didn't think it was possible. sadly dont see a deathloop-like turnaround for redfall, but deathloop was in a very different place when it launched. decent just not great

Hmm now you got me curious. What did they add?

lots of stuff. new areas, enemies, weapons, trinkets, new slab, story paths, side quests, lore, mp stuff although i only play sp so cant comment on that.

i revisited it a few months ago and was like how the fck did i miss all this when i first played it?! it was so much better second time round. was only later i learnt they'd added loads in subsequent updates. didn't make me feel so much of a dumbass

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Mozelleple112

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#28 Mozelleple112
Member since 2011 • 11293 Posts

@SolidGame_basic: Exactly.

The whole free for all / team deathmatch / plant the bomb / capture the flag FPS mp is dead to me. This was extremely fun in 2000-2006 (Counter Strike) and 2007-2013 (Call of Duty) but for the last 10 years is been a dated game mode. Warzone is where its at if you want FPS MP.

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#29  Edited By Sancho_Panzer
Member since 2015 • 2524 Posts

I think Gollum.

To see even the hardcore LOTR fan community take turns squatting over the pinned creators' forced-open jaws while everyone fist-pumped and gleefully chanted "Chug! Chug!"... I was honestly taken aback a little by that. It was like some truly monstrous version of 2 girls 1 cup. My heart goes out to the victims.

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hardwenzen

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#30 hardwenzen  Online
Member since 2005 • 39335 Posts

@last_lap said:
@hardwenzen said:

Redfall. By how pathetic it is. Nothing is worse, its literally the bottom of gaming.

And yet this PS4 exclusive with 1.7 million views enters and wins your race 🤣🤣🤣

Loading Video...

Sony promoted this 💩 on its official YT channel 🤦‍♂️

Wasn't this your goty? Don't be ashamed of liking💩💩💩

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#31 dabear
Member since 2002 • 8875 Posts

@SolidGame_basic: Why didn't you play the original? Don't you have an Xbox and Game Pass?

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#32 lebanese_boy
Member since 2003 • 18042 Posts

I'm going to go with Zelda ToTK. I'm usually not into the "crafting" aspect of certain games but I surprisingly found myself enjoying it in that game.

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SargentD

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#33 SargentD
Member since 2020 • 8316 Posts

High on Life

Pizza Tower

Hi Fi Rush

Those 3 games I had no knowledge of before release, didn't know anything about them untill I played them.

And enjoyed all 3 alot.

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#34 SargentD
Member since 2020 • 8316 Posts
@Mozelleple112 said:

@SolidGame_basic: Exactly.

The whole free for all / team deathmatch / plant the bomb / capture the flag FPS mp is dead to me. This was extremely fun in 2000-2006 (Counter Strike) and 2007-2013 (Call of Duty) but for the last 10 years is been a dated game mode. Warzone is where its at if you want FPS MP.

Disagree warzone is BR trash. It's not truly competitive. It's a MP mode that's 50% fueled by RNG. Which means it can never truly be competitive. It's one of the most casual MP modes ever created.

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Mozelleple112

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#35  Edited By Mozelleple112
Member since 2011 • 11293 Posts

@sargentd: Thanks for proving my point.

Hardcore sweaty online players can **** off. I want to casually enjoy a game with my friends after a long day of working at the office. I don't want to face sticky iPad kids or sweaty nerds that play 12 hours a day.

the more 'competitive' something is, the lower its quality.

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SargentD

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#36 SargentD
Member since 2020 • 8316 Posts

@Mozelleple112: so now balance in MP is frowned upon. Great.

It's like making a fighting game where you have an RNG system of getting moves during the match. No one ever knows if they are actually good at the game.

"Wow I got lucky and got one of the best weapons and everyone around me still has pistols"

Maybe I'll win! Yay!

What absolute garbage BR is

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madsnakehhh

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#37  Edited By madsnakehhh
Member since 2007 • 18257 Posts

Street Fighter VI by far ... i knew i was going to play it a ton ... but i never knew the cast would be so fun, is the first Street Fighter where i have around 6 "decent" characters, World Tour while basic is a lot of fun too and Battlehub is so much better than expected. I'm honestly nowhere near close to stop playing it.

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Mozelleple112

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#38  Edited By Mozelleple112
Member since 2011 • 11293 Posts

@sargentd: Warzone is perfectly balanced. In fact, it is so balanced that sweaty gamers cry about matchmaking every single post I see about the game.

Skill based match-making (SBMM is brilliant) but of course the sweaty nerds keep crying about having to face other sweaty nerds. people who spend 14 hours a day playing Warzone are upset that Activision doesn't let them play against senior citizens that play once a month. Can you imagine crying about that? Well millions do.

Also, its random, but its random for everyone. You win some and you lose some.

And its not like its a huge difference anyway.

So what if someone's weapon has 1 more attachment than yours, it doesn't matter lol.

By that logic you should win every single game you get RNG, which you don't.,

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WitIsWisdom

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#39  Edited By WitIsWisdom
Member since 2007 • 9580 Posts

@Mozelleple112: You clearly have no idea what SBMM is... saying it's brilliant in Warzone.. lol. CoD and Warzone do NOT have SBMM. Ranked games like Rocket League do. Warzone has Performance based matchmaking regardless of what they say it is or try to convince the uninformed.

What's the difference you ask? Well in true SBMM you are playing against people within your skill gap over the entirety of all games (or season) played and the average k/d and win/loss which makes for a fair play experience and you will still ride hot streaks and cold streaks and move through the ranks by being promoted for better personal and team play which also usually unlocks better rewards and gives people a reason to strive to attain thr next rank.

CoD moves you all over the place within a matter of 3 to 5 games. Now, why would that be a big deal? Simple, when you are on the down swing you win 2 or 3 out the 5 matches you play since you're playing against people that don't realistically have a chance against you, and then when the next set of games sets up on the upswing you are put in rooms with people that have similarly won 2 to 3 out of 5 games or more... Effictively punishing the better players.. your reward for winning? 29 cheaters and a rooms full of 3 to 1 players for the next few games.. where of course the legit player gets dominated for the next 3 to 5 games and are then placed in what are practically bot lobbies (players with much lower ability) where they will once again completely dominate..

Rinse and repeat.. See, the issue is that players that aren't very good will almost always be kept at the lower ranks and will likely see very few cheaters since those players arent winning a lot of games, but the ones on the bubble that win a lot of games are commonly forced to play in very laggy rooms filled to the brim with cheaters.

Those that don't have that problem because they aren't that great at the game don't see it, but those who like to play with a group of friends that are almost always on that bubble? Yeah, it's bs.

True SBMM belongs only in ranked games and needs to be done correctly like Rocket League or Warface. PBMM needs to become a term as well. Trying to sell each of the two (which are completely different) as one in the same is the issue.

The fact people buy that CoD is doing this to try to balance the game is a joke... they do it to maximize monetization. After someone has a few bad beats they are then put in bot lobbies where they feel like a God, get a W, and suddenly the wallet slips out because they feel as though they adapted and overcame never realizing they are in rooms full of 6 year Olds whose moms are calling them to come eat dinner.

SBMM only works with clearly defined lines and ranked gameplay. In RL you can play ranked against other bronze players if you aren't good at the game, and at least you know unless they ranked down over a series of days that you will have a fighting chance. The same can not be said about PBMM and it is taken advantage of at a much higher level since it's so easy to manipulate.

Have you ever wondered why you see 7 to 10 people at the edge of the map that don't jump? About 50 percent of those people are ranking down so they can then start their live stream... it's too easy to manipulate.

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SolidGame_basic

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#40 SolidGame_basic  Online
Member since 2003 • 45307 Posts

@Macutchi said:
@SolidGame_basic said:
@Macutchi said:

revisiting deathloop nearly two years on and seeing all the great new sp additions that had been made since launch and completely changing my mind on it (now my favourite arkane game which for me as a bit of an arkane fanboy is high praise).

and then the other side of the coin after seeing how much deathloop has improved is how monumentally bad redfall turned out to be.

it didn't look great from the first reveal but for a studio of that calibre i would never expect them to release a bonafide stinker. didn't think it was possible. sadly dont see a deathloop-like turnaround for redfall, but deathloop was in a very different place when it launched. decent just not great

Hmm now you got me curious. What did they add?

lots of stuff. new areas, enemies, weapons, trinkets, new slab, story paths, side quests, lore, mp stuff although i only play sp so cant comment on that.

i revisited it a few months ago and was like how the fck did i miss all this when i first played it?! it was so much better second time round. was only later i learnt they'd added loads in subsequent updates. didn't make me feel so much of a dumbass

dang, I guess I get punished for playing the game at launch lol

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Last_Lap

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#41 Last_Lap
Member since 2023 • 6377 Posts

@hardwenzen: The life of lemwenzen is to be wrong at least once a day, good to see SW still has some traditions.

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hardwenzen

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#42 hardwenzen  Online
Member since 2005 • 39335 Posts

@last_lap said:

@hardwenzen: The life of lemwenzen is to be wrong at least once a day, good to see SW still has some traditions.

You wish this being the case, but it was indeed your goty.

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Sam3231

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#43 Sam3231
Member since 2008 • 2966 Posts

GoldenEye 007 on Xbox was probably the biggest surprise for me.

Metroid Prime Remastered was also a pleasant surprise.