When SEGA announced a new 3D Sonic platformer for iOS devices and Mac, it was hard to tell what kind of game this would end up being. Something more in line with SEGA Hardlight’s prior Sonic Mobile games, but a bit bigger? Or something genuinely more ambitious?
Releasing early December 2023 on...
In a year like 2023, it is easy for smaller games to get lost amid the deluge of AAA games and their marketing dollars. When seemingly every month there was a game from a studio with several hundred people and $100+ million dollar budget, the small team labors of love have to fight even harder for...
We generally do not do genre-based awards as part of our year end celebration of gaming. This year, though, a few games kept coming up that didn't have a place in our regular categories. These games were exemplars in their fields. It was clear that they stood head and shoulders above any other...
Games are nothing without the people behind them. In this time of uncertainty surrounding the ethical usage of AI, it has become increasingly critical to celebrate and acknowledge that the games we love aren't made by a nameless corporate structure. They are made by people. Sometimes a single...
Immersion comes in many forms. These days it is all to common to have Discord or group chat, or even a podcast playing in the background while gaming. However, some games just demand you give them your full attention. Not just with your hands or your eyes, but with your ears. They call for you to...
The 2023 Golden Lance Award for Best Soundtrack is not just an award for the best music that underpins and accentuates gameplay and story. It is an award that is a suggestion for what you should be doing right now. The beats behind the games in this category stick with you. They can (and should) be...
The Best Narrative category is one that typically involves 2-3 games in a given year that stand out above the rest. 2023 was not a typical year. This year featured tremendous stories. Stories that took us from the furthest depths of space to the nightmares of our own design. Great games that told...
The staff here at Lords of Gaming varies wildly in age range, from early 20's to mid-40s. Fundamentally, that means that the amount of time we have to dedicate to gaming each year also varies wildly. There are constant conversations amongst the staff about what games should we be playing. We all...
For as incredible of a year as it was to be a gamer, this year felt oddly quiet on the movie front. A big part of that was no doubt due to studios finally recovering from COVID. The bigger story though was the Writers and Actors Strikes. Beyond any other story, or any single film, the rights of...
Vocal Performance of the Year is perhaps my favorite category in our annual awards. It is a category that specifically celebrates the fusion of a single individual with the character they inhabit. A stellar vocal performance elevates a good character to an unforgettable one. It makes lines of...