I've Spent Over 500 Hours In A Game You've Never Heard Of Because New Releases Are Boring

This year has been an absolute drought in terms of new games and exciting IPs outside a few rare titles like the recent DLC. And while one could argue that certain, lesser-talked-about games like,, or even the are worth celebrating (and they are), they just don't have that kick or general consensus appeal that games released in the prior few years have had. We're already in July, and from the looks of things, it doesn't look like it's going to get any better.

Outside of a few upcoming anticipated titles like,, and (notice the trend there?), there aren't many other games I'm looking forward to in 2024. Most highly-anticipated games are slated for 2025, with studios busy working on their next iteration of hardware. 2023 had the likes of and — and that's just scratching the surface, further illustrating 2024's flop status. That said, this drought has driven me back to one of my most beloved franchises of all time, and it's one that probably doesn't get enough attention —.

A list of three historically significant empires with cultural swag and strategic approaches that Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord players can borrow.

is a 9/10 «Very Positive» strategy and action RPG on Steam that lets players live out a rags-to-riches story of a lone wanderer amassing a massive army against the game's eight different factions. Here, players are presented with a true sandbox as they go from a paltry band of ragged looters to (if they want) running their own kingdom and granting fiefdoms to the vast array of lords and ladies that make their homes in the lands known as Calradia. With skill trees, armor, and weapons that make players feel like Achilles from, the game mixes action and strategy elements together in a fun way.

Originally released in 2022, the initial reception of was generally positive, though it didn't receive the marketing push as other AAA titles and may have flown under the radar for some. At its peak (four years ago), it reached nearly 250,000 concurrent players but