2023 was a year of games. I didn’t get to play EVERYTHING, so forgive my soul…that includes Zelda. In a year where the industry had more cuts than a AEW match out of ideas, we were sent some genuine classics. From indie, Triple-A and those in between, here’s 10 games I really really liked.
Warhammer 40k – Rogue Trader
I’ve not finished it yet, but it’s great…ok, I’m not doing that again. Rogue Trader is so unashamed of its source material that it often feels like a rib. Reading like an advanced English test the British government would put you through for looking like a spy, it’s bold, grim.. yet oddly self-aware. The level of depth each character offers in builds is staggering, allowing you to go full Frankenstein. Sneaking in at the end of the year, it’s chunky, clunky and… funky?… punky?… ah fuck it, it’s just very good.
Resident Evil 4
I didn’t need it, none of us did, but it’s cool that it turned out so good. A bit like a new pair of Nikes or health insurance. I’m not entirely sure if it was a sense of oddly placed nostalgia or the simple joy of a shotgun, but Resi 4 just hit right. The stupid plot was made less stupid, but still stupid enough to enjoy. It looks great, plays great and is paced great. Great!
Trepang 2
You can dual-wield Spas-12 shotguns and you reload them with one hand-pumping. We’ve not seen such power since The Punisher on Xbox/PS2.
BattleBit: Remastered
Seemingly a darling for a few months then was just kinda…ghosted? BattleBit did what EA has struggled to do for years, make a good Battlefield game. It’s simple and robust, understanding why older Battlefield titles worked so well. Even the silly building options added a new layer of depth that I ate up. A great game sadly washed away in a great year for great games. Great.
Jagged Alliance 3 (This year’s unsung hero)
It is a series brought back to shine once again. It’s fairly harsh but ridiculously fun. The action-trope roster provides a huge selection of skills and styles that give the player a genuine sense of freedom. You’ll feel like a small force, slowly pushing on, struggling, growing, and learning. But then you figure out your best setup, and their best skills and start biting back. Oh baby it blows hard in all the best ways.
Armored Core 6
I caught onto this late, like really late. If there’s anything that vomits out pure, oozing, unadulterated video game fun then it’s Armored Core 6. It’s loud and proud, stupid and cool. Like getting two grizzly bears drunk and covered in metal and watching them fight. I love it! That’s before we get to the ridiculous amount of customization options in cosmetics and mech specs. 11/10 all-time EAR BANGING BANGER!
Sea of Stars
It’s probably the best gateway game for JRPGs…a shocking claim.
The mixture of simple mechanics that flawlessly flow together, great characters, and a near-perfect sense of pace are impressive. Sometimes, you don’t need to rewrite the script but just rejig it for a better flow…which is exactly what Sea of Stars has done.
Robocop: Rogue City
They understood, loved, and harnessed the license. The clunky, slow-moving, dispenser of justice plays exactly how he should. Dripping in the satire and ultraviolence of the first two films, Robocop: Rogue City is a triumph in licensed games, and FPS. Truly. This will be remembered as a cult classic, in a similar vein to Escape From Butcher Bay.
Baldur’s Gate 3
It shouldn’t have been as big of a hit as it is, but here are. Sadly, it seems the qualities of its mechanics and freedom of play have been lost in the fandom around ‘shipping’ culture but it’s a small price to pay for people to play an actual RPG. A grand showcase of writing, production, mechanical soundness, and…fun. 2023 is the year of Baldur’s Gate 3…even if it may have just ruined CRPGs for newcomers to the genre.
Shoutout to the following, you were great too
You Will Die Here Tonight – Resident Evil…OR IS IT?! Genuinely smart and deserved so much more attention.
Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened – I don’t give two shits about Sherlock, but this was a wonderful exercise of intrigue and restraint. Showing more understanding of cosmic horror that games often called ”greats”, it deserves a play.
