I played 46 new games (released in 2023) this year and finished 35 of those games. I’ve already cataloged what my five least favorite (worst) of the year were and with the podcast out showcasing our individual top 10s and our joint top 10, I thought it was time to finally lay out my personal 13 favorite games of the year. To note, if you listened to the podcast, this list has one difference from that list as I excluded the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster from my podcast list due to its technical classification as a 2023 game (it released on PS4 and Switch this year but on Steam in 2021).
Before we jump into it though, I do want to Pikmin 4 (#15) and Humanity (#14) for almost making this list. Both were great games and just missed out on my slotting them in here.
13. Baldur’s Gate 3
I can already hear the gasps of indignation at Larian’s latest, which is a certified commercial and critical success, being so low on my list. And the long and short of it is, that while I think it is a great game, I just did not play enough of it. I spent roughly five hours with it in December and once I devote some time specifically to it, I can see myself dropping 75 more easily into it but, I just didn’t play enough for me to place it higher.
12. Final Fantasy XVI
I struggled with placing these three bottom games as again, like I explained with BG3, I didn’t finish them, but Final Fantasy solidifies the 12 spot because I’ve recently returned to it and my appreciation for it grows the more I continue in it. I already liked it quite a bit, the first 10 hours or so are phenomenal but then I fell off in the slower start to act 2. It’s moving again though and I’m really into it now. Ultimately, yes, the gameplay is completely foreign to the series (calling it an RPG is stretching that definition a ton and I think it is more a straight action game) but its fun to play and narratively, it is doing a lot of what I want out of a Final Fantasy story. In fact, it might be one of the best Final Fantasy stories told to date. I will definitely be finishing it.
11. Starfield
Expectations are everything with this game. I wanted Fallout/Elder Scrolls in space and that is exactly what Bethesda delivered me. Sure, the space bit of it is mostly just window dressing but I don’t really care. It works for me. I still need to wrap up the main quest in this one (and a lot of the side quest too) but the 20+ hours I spent cruising the stars and playing the sci-fi version of a dragonborn were fantastic and I feel, I’ll continue to dip and out of this world for years much like I did with Skyrim and Fallout 3 before it.
10. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
For a bit there, Spider-Man 2 was in danger of not making this list because I personally think the game has a horrible first five hours of the game. There was way too much exposition and non-Spider-Man (Men) narrative missions in the outset of the game that I was frustrated the game wouldn’t just let me do what I wanted to do and then the symbiote gets introduced properly and the guard rails came off the game letting me just be Spider-Man. Sure, there still were some additional non-Spidey narrative missions but they were spaced out more appropriately and were more a much needed change of pace from the frantic and often tense Spidey-centric missions. I ultimately ended up getting the platinum trophy for it (something I don’t do a ton of) and am excited for where the inevitable close to the Spidey trilogy of games takes us.
9. Hi-Fi Rush
I love character action games and I love rhythm games but generally they are two very different genres. Hi-Fi Rush proved that you can mix the two and make a super fun, super compelling game mixing the two together. And it wasn’t just the gameplay that played with the rhythm, it was everything about the game. The environment, the animation, everything was designed around the music playing and it created such a fresh and exciting game that helped kick off 2023 in fine fashion. And it hands down has one of my favorite boss fights ever in a game (the Korsica fight), so great.
8. Star Wars – Jedi: Survivor
Everyone knows I love Star Wars, so a Star Wars game on this list isn’t surprising anyone but truthfully, Jedi: Survivor is a great game. It’s a refinement of everything that was in Fallen Order, toning back some of the Souls-like inspirations, and giving us a true Star Wars adventure to explore and engage in. There are great combat encounters, great puzzles, and great platforming sequences. It’s easily one of the best Star Wars games ever made and I hear the snarky laughter back there about the quality of Star Wars games but there are a lot of really good ones despite all the fluff there has been in the past three decades.
7. Dead Space (2023)
I see some of you side eyeing the list a bit as you don’t see the RE4 Remake on here (I did play it and I did enjoy it) but yes, I choose Dead Space over RE4. I love the original Dead Space and this remake takes everything about that game and brings it forward in fine fashion. The Ishimura is a fantastic setting and absolutely terrifying to explore and it’s absolutely stunning looking here. The weapons are all fantastic to use and the new animations and visuals make dismembering things with them so much more grisly (and satisfying). The tweeks to the game they made were all for the better both in gameplay (goodbye awful asteroid shooting turret sequence) and narratively. I loved it so much, I hope that a Dead Space 2 remake isn’t far off (as it is my favorite game in the series).
6. Theatrhythm Final Bar Line
The Theatrhythm series has been a great rhythm game since the outset on the 3DS years ago. Final Bar Line is the ultimate version of the series. Featuring an absolute ton of music from Final Fantasy (and other Square games), a ton of characters to play as (and level up), artwork and music videos to unlock and collect, it’s just a love letter to Square’s games and their fans. I originally bought the deluxe version on the Switch and I played it there for half the year and as soon as I completed everything I could in that version, I bought it again on the Playstation and have been playing it all again for the first time for the latter half of 2023 and into 2024.
5. Disney Speedstorm
Listen, I know people hate free to play games but Disney Speedstorm is a fantastic kart racer. It has a great collection of characters that they keep adding to (which mind you, if you want to play local races, they are all unlocked), the tracks are wonderfully designed (themed around Disney movies and the parks), the powers and pickups are fun to play with, and the music (which is absolutely perfect) tops it all off. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is still the king of kart racers but Disney Speedstorm would easily be my second choice as a recommendation to people.
4. Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster
I mean, it is one of my favorite games of all time and this version is maybe my new favorite way to play it (the boosts make grinding relatively unnecessary).
3.Super Mario Bros. Wonder
I had to ration myself on playing this game and pull myself away because if I didn’t, I’d have burned through it in one extra long sitting. It’s very simple, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is an absolute joy. That’s all I really have to say about it.
2. Sea of Stars
Speaking of joy, Sea of Stars is another game that is an absolute joy. Taking place in the world of The Messenger, Sea of Stars takes a different approach to gameplay than its predecessor being a bonafide RPG. Inspired by the likes of Chrono Trigger and Mario RPG, Sea of Stars delivers fantastic, fun gameplay and an emotional narrative. Sometimes with these types of games, I hit a wall that I need to power myself by but there was no such wall with Sea of Stars, its just so perfectly paced and each bit propels you appropriately towards the next quest goal that while it is a 25-30 hour game, it never feels like it. I love it.
1. Alan Wake II
I loved Max Payne and its sequel. I loved Alan Wake. I loved Quantum Break. And I loved Control (my game of the year in 2019). I love Remedy, they are one of my favorite developers (right up there with Insomniac for my money) and as such, it did not surprise me that I loved Alan Wake II. But even so, knowing what I know about Remedy and how they make and present their games, I was still surprised by so much in Alan Wake II. It’s visually stunning but on top of that, its gameplay mechanics and narrative allow Remedy’s artistry to shine by having instances where all of the in-game reality will shift and alter. Add in its crazy use of FMV both directly and indirectly and the game just consistently wowed me. It’s a twenty hour horror masterpiece and my favorite game of 2023.
So, those are my favorites, what were your favorite games of 2023?
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