When it’s July, it’s halfway through the year. Now that June came and went, we can reload our release calendars with new dates and expectations. Spider-Man 2, Starfield, and more headline the rest of this year’s release slate. From the Lords of Gaming’s writing staff, here is our list of most anticipated games.

Editor Daniel May:

Spider-Man 2

Spider-Man easily sits as my all-time favorite hero. Thanks Sam Raimi and Tobey Macguire, not just for the movies, but also for the Spider-Man 2 tie-in video game. As such, Insomniac’s 2018 Spider-Man got me to finally buy the PS4. That game was everything I wanted out of a Spider-Man game, and now we’re getting the sequel in October.

Anyone who saw PlayStation’s trailer saw and heard Yuri Lowenthal’s take on the Symbiote Spider-Man. As such, we’re also getting Venom, and not the traditional-Eddie Brock Venom. Those narrative elements, thrown in with new traversal skills between both Spider-Men and other iconic Spider-Man villains put this on top of my personal excitement for the second half of this year.

Starfield

As an open-world junkie, Starfield looks right up my alley. Massive galaxy to explore, copious NPC’s to (potentially) romance, even space piracy options scream an incredible time. More importantly, this is a do-or-die game for Xbox. Redfall, their main release for the first half of the year bombed badly. Phil Spencer and company can’t let that happen again with their other major release this year.

Writer Eugene Schaffemir:

Firewall Ultra

When Firewall Ultra launches later this year, it will be the first relevant PS VR2 game to release following the platforms launch this past spring. As an owner of the HMD, I am disappointed that it has been collecting dust all year. When Firewall launches later in 2023 I expect that to completely change.

Firewall Zero Hour was one of my favorite VR games of all time. Plus I firmly believe it was the best exclusive multiplayer shooter across the entire PS4 console generation. I cannot wait to see how Firewall looks and play a full hardware generation later.

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name

I absolutely love what Ryu ga Gotoku is doing with the Yakuza franchise. Brining Kazuma Kiryu back into the fold and getting him a stand alone prequel game that ties into Yakuza (Like a Dragon) 8 is utterly brilliant. I can not believe we are months away from returning to the life of Kiryu and Yakuza action brawlers.

Writer David Schallert:

I’m of two minds on my most anticipated games this year. On the one hand, we have games that will be amazing to play with/introduce to my kid, like Super Mario Bros. Wonder or Super Mario RPG. But then there are games I’ll want to play alone, like Baldur’s Gate III.

Persona 5 Tactica

But in the end, the game I’m most excited about is Persona 5 Tactica. I’m worried about whether the sim element is still incorporated into the game, as they appear to be in some sort of magical alternate universe. Still, I’ve been a sucker for tactical RPGs since Shining Force. The combat and a bit of persona crafting is all we’ve seen, but it looks great with a Disgaean feel that could work well.

Writers David Yerion and April Prince: Mortal Kombat 1

April’s Thoughts:

My most anticipated title for the latter half of 2023 is Mortal Kombat 1. After seeing in the trailer that Kenshi is returning to the series, Netherrealm got me hooked, line, and sinker. Although I’m apprehensive about yet another reboot for the series, I am interested to see what the team has cooked up this time. Though, I will suggest that this be the last reboot. There are only so many times that we can play through the Scorpion and Sub-Zero enemies-to-allies story.

David’s Thoughts:

At this point I’m barely finding time to play. Hopefully, when Mortal Kombat 1, comes out I’ll have more time. This is the one game I’m really excited to play. My journey with this franchise started back when I was young and played the original at the arcade. Even today that game gives off those original vibes.

Writer Chris Jones:

There are a plethora of games releasing throughout the rest of the year. I am excited for many of them, but the game that I want to play most is Suikoden I and II HD Remaster Gate Rune and Dunan Unification Wars. It’s my favorite series and Suikoden 2 is my favorite game of all time. To see the game that made me love gaming when I was young get a remaaster is a joy I cant fully explain. A whole new crop of fans will be born and will be able to talk about and share their love of Suikoden for years to come. I look forward to playing on all platforms and share my love with everyone

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