Picking up a bundle of quotes from the Dread Thread:
site23 wrote:Balladeer wrote:Definitely an open-minded and reliable view there. Dunno why you're so opposed to it Site, it's not got pixels.
You like what you like, of course! I'm only messing with you. To be serious, I'm not actually against visual novels or anything, but I don't think I would personally enjoy Fata Morgana - it sounds pretty heavy.
It bloody is, and I'm not usually here for heavy stuff myself... but I struggled through the heaviness (and, to be honest, a really duff first chapter) and got so much out of it. And that's just the main game, this version includes all the DLC! It's been a little bit of a revelation for me.
Tomous wrote:Those are pretty niche games to say the problem is Jenuall not the release schedule
I disagree on two counts. Firstly, they are niche, yes - but for NEO TWEWY and TGAAC they're the sort of niches that people on gaming fora are likely to know about. I don't think they should be considered niche
to us. Secondly, if you're not exploring the more interesting options, even when they're critically acclaimed, then I do think you have to take some of the blame for it being a duff year for yourself! I'm not even saying Jen's done that (see his post below yours), just if you're unwilling to explore the niches then that's on you.
Jenuall wrote:Ace Attorney is a franchise that's just not for me, I've tried a couple and bounced off them hard.
NEO I've never tried but again everything I've seen of the games makes me think I'd be wasting my money
Fata Morgana is a visual novel I believe? It's a genre that's again not one I have found any time traction with in the past
As for point and click games I genuinely think I burned myself out on them during the Amiga heyday, I used to play a huge number but can't seem to get back into them now. Maybe one day!
Switch is still by far my favourite console of the last few generations, and I'm sure I'll pick up some more excellent 2021 titles in the fullness of time, it's just been a bit of an initially underwhelming time based on what I've been tempted into buying so far
That's all fair enough if you've had goes at the franchises or don't like the genres. In that case though (and to be fair I think you're doing this), I think you have to acknowledge that this issue is to a large extent due to your own taste in games. For example, I've got to admit that last year was particularly iffy for me because I don't like musou, modern Paper Marios, roguelikes, or really Animal Crossing very much. I still think that it was 'objectively' a pretty duff year, but for sure a big part of that personal view is due to my tastes.
site23 wrote:My impression is that the Switch schedule has been a bit meatier if you're into JRPG / VN style stuff. Or (shudder) indie games.
This is bang on. In fact apart from Dread and MonHun my top games from this year, including ones I've played from years past, have been exclusively JRPGs and the VN-to-adventure-game spectrum. Fewer indies than sometimes though! Between Dread, MonHun, NEO TWEWY, and Ace Attorney, as well as some stuff bubbling under like Bravely Default 2, the bigger devs have come to the party a bit more this year, even if Nintendo's still been kind of absent.