Zapp Branniglenn Posted January 2 Share Posted January 2 (edited) Hey wait a minute. We all played some games in 2023, and before we start the new year I want to see some accolades given out. You can think up your own categories like Most Surprising Game. Or cut past the pretense and just talk about your most treasured experiences. It can be only games that released in that year, or all of the games you just happened to play in that year. As for myself I've played a lot of 2023's games and put together a ranked list: Spoiler Although I want to say up front though that I enjoyed ALL of these games. The ones ranked low are not there just to dunk on them. It’s just the mathematical nature of ranking things that something has to be in last place so be cool Hi-Fi Rush Resident Evil 4 Remake Pizza Tower Pikmin 4 Fire Emblem Drums of War Street Fighter 6 Robocop: Rogue City Kirby's Return to Dreamland Deluxe Gravity Circuit Starfield The Legend of Zelda: The Sealed Palace Super Mario RPG Remake Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon Paper Mario TTYD 64 The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog Punch Club 2: Fast Forward Vernal Edge Warhammer 40K Boltgun Esperia: Uprising of the Scarlet Witch F-Zero 99 Skator Gator 3D Pokemon: Puffy Pink Edit: Oops I forgot about the Kirby game I've done writeups for most of these in the usual thread. I also want to give Honorable Mention to last year’s Darktide. It didn’t have a great launch, but they never stopped updating it. And now a year later it has more satisfying progression systems and mechanics. Granted, all the additions are ideas taken straight from Vermintide 2, but pretty much all of us expected that game in the 40K setting at the outset. So this feels like fulfilling a promise rather than copying their previous game. What games do you want to shout out before we say goodbye to 2023? Edited January 2 by Zapp Branniglenn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabulously Olivier Posted January 2 Share Posted January 2 So, I haven't actually played enough 2023 games to judge. Fire Emblem Engage is everything I want from Fire Emblem gameplay, and nothing of what I want from any other aspect of Fire Emblem. I've played Hi Fi Rush and it was amazing. I've played Sea of Stars and it was also great. Fuga Melodies of Steel 2 was an even better JRPG than Sea of Stars. Hogwarts Legacy started great, but it gets bland and bloated. Just finished Jedi Survivor and it is great, but less so than Fallen Order. I've put about 10 hours into Baldur's Gate 3 and it's mindblowing. Just not far enough in to know where it stands in my lifetime rankings. I got TotK and Octopath 2 for Christmas but haven't played them yet. I got dad FF16 and also haven't played it yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Integrity Posted January 2 Share Posted January 2 (edited) for games that came out in 2023, dredge takes it for me and it isn't close, though baldur's gate 3 would probably sweep (deservedly) if i'd found the time to really sink my teeth into it e: i clicked the spoiler in the OP and completely forgot re4r. that's absolutely competition to dredge, but i still think dredge takes it extending to games i discovered in 2023, pentiment or one of the two shu takumi masterpieces (tgaa, ghost trick) could go up there, but dredge probably still takes it e2: sorted my steam by release date. not doing a proper ranking, rather a tiering: the winner: dredge great, but not the winner: resident evil 4, boltgun, wargroove 2, lies of p, 30xx, age of wonders 4, baldur's gate 3 enjoyed: the travellin cats games, the great war western front, the murder of sonic the hedgehog, yeah you want those games right so here you go now let's see you clear them, gloomgrave didn't really play enough yet to decide between those two tiers but the outlook is good: shadows of forbidden gods, islands of the caliph, thirsty suitors, rogue trader didn't particularly like: fire emblem engage, like a dragon ishin!, like a dragon gaiden the man who erased his name my stalwart franchises in their flop eras Edited January 2 by Integrity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanguard333 Posted January 2 Share Posted January 2 Here's the games I played that released in 2023: Spoiler Tears of the Kingdom Fire Emblem Engage + DLC Mario RPG Remake Here's my awards for these games: Game of 2023: Tears of the Kingdom Here's the games released earlier that I played in 2023: Spoiler Persona 5 Royal + DLC (since it's the Switch port) Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak (DLC) Ocean's Heart Here's my awards for these games: Best Game Played This Year: Persona 5 Royal Best DLC: Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak Best Indie Game: Ocean's Heart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indigoasis Posted January 2 Share Posted January 2 If DLC counts, then I would say Future Redeemed. It puts together everything I love about Xenoblade and wraps everything up in a neat little bow. There isn't anything negative I can really say; it was short, but it was a full experience. As for "full" games, I would have to say Engage and Tears of the Kingdom... but only because I didn't really play a whole lot of other "new" games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perkilator Posted January 2 Share Posted January 2 Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe Metroid Prime Remastered Fire Emblem Engage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Etrurian emperor Posted January 2 Share Posted January 2 (edited) It be between Tears of the Kingdom and Octopath Traveler II. Between those....yeah its Octopath. -I really like Tears of the Kingdom and I don't fault it for being so alike its predecessor. The combination of said predecessor being really good and it being ages since I last played it made Tears a welcome trip down memory lane with a ton of nice extras. The supportive cast got nicely incorporated and even expanded with Tulin and Purah taking more of a center stage. However it being so extremely like its predecessor does make it inherently less special. I've got less to say about the game because I feel I already said all there is to say last time it came out in 2016. -Not so with Octopath which isn't just like its predecessor but an improvement in literally every single way. The playable characters are better, their stories are better, the stories are tied far stronger to the ending than the original and the obnoxious grind from the original is mostly gone. Its just a great game from start to (almost) finish with no significant flaws to speak of. The worldbuilding isn't really special but I think the idea of a mostly pre industrial west and an upcoming industrial revolution from the east is a fun idea. Meanwhile the story keeps the very novel low stakes that I think are a boon to both Octopath and Triangle Strategy. Its refreshing to mostly fight bandits, evil industrialists, evil nobles, rogues and other misfits rather than yet another evil cult and yet another evil god. Both of those things may be present but they're mostly in the background until the end. I think the cast should also get some credit for not being quite your average collection of prettyboys and cute girls. Overall they're a little older than average and not scared to be a scruffy redneck like best boy Partitio or an ''over the hill'' lady like Agnea. Surprisingly the most obvious prettyboy is the oldest of them all. The villains all seem better incorporated too. In the Original most villains only really showed up at the end while in Octopath they tend to be important figures in the travelers story one way or another. I'd probably put Engage at a solid number three. Its not the game I wanted to be or the game the series needed, but that doesn't mean it still can't be a solid title on its own merit. Gameplay good/story bad is about the most boring take to have about the game, but its my take. And how fortunate for Engage the gameplay is good enough to carry the bare bones story....at least until the endless reinforcement spawns show up. The Emblem mechanic is fun to play around with and the maps are mostly fun with varied objective and thrilling difficulty. That said the gameplay occasionally bring the game down as well. Some design decisions are just downright goofy. The endless reinforcement spawns are one of those, but also the strange decision to make skirmishes so oppressively hard that they're completely useless to train units, and not fun enough to play them for enjoyments sake. There are also some very jarring difficulty spikes that come without rhyme or reason. New units being far better then the ones you trained being the rule rather the exception is also very strange too. If the gameplay had cooked in the oven a bit longer to iron out those kinks, and if the story had received more love and care it might have been my game of the year, but it wasn't, and thus it isn't. I'd place Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed and Detective Archive Raincode somewhere below it. They're very nice games but they have some flaws. Raincode was clearly constrained by its budget and while I like the story and cast they don't always stick the landing. Still its a fun game with a lot of heart. Future Redeemed meanwhile is a bit constrained by being an expansion rather than a full game. I think the game just needed a little more of everything. There are also some story decisions that didn't quite click with me. I think Shulk and extreme Gigachad Rex are mostly fanservice over function. I'm a fan and I'm being served so I don't mind per se, but its hard for me to avoid the conclusion these two are stifling the rest of the cast. The kids never quite come out of their dad's shadows, and those poor other founders are complete non entities due to being completely overshadowed by Shulk and extreme Gigachad Rex. I think ultimately the game tried combining too many ideas and ultimately not doing either of them as well as they should have. The inclusion of supreme Gigachad Rex and Shulk, and their fight against Onthus and ''that scene'' are a nice finale to the series but I don't think the story of the Founders lends itself well to that event. Overall Torna knew far better what it wanted to be. Edited January 2 by Etrurian emperor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fire Emblem Fan Posted January 3 Share Posted January 3 I only played three games released in 2023. Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Crash Team Rumble, and Fire Emblem Engage. Mario Wonder was far and away my Game of the Year, second place is Rumble, and third place is Engage. Once I play more games from 2023 in the future my 2023 GOTY could change, of course, but Wonder really is pretty fantastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shanty Pete's 1st Mate Posted January 3 Share Posted January 3 Disappointment of the year: Fire Emblem Engage. No, it's not an awful game, and there are certainly things it got right. But honestly, I just got exhausted with it. Both in story, and in gameplay. When I don't want to play a game anymore... what's the point? (Old) Game of the Year: OG Paper Mario. Not my first timevplaying it, but my first time beating it. I grew up with TTYD, so I feared the original would be strictly worse. But honestly, it stands very well on its own. An inspired game that changed what "Mario" could be. Game if the Year, by Default: F-Zero 99. This is literally the only new game I've played this year that I want to go back to. It's a lot of fun, and fulfills the "skill-based grown-up driving game" itch that kart racers don't always scratch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imuabicus der Fertige Posted January 3 Share Posted January 3 Brotato. Swift, easy to access, a modding community that keeps things interesting and incredibly fun to find out the different ways u can shoot, poke, punch, stab and blow up innocent eldritch creatures on their native planet. I guess it´s part of the Vampire Survivors spawned genre and if so, it is most definitely the highest this genre can go. Baller´Gate of the Third Incarnation be ballin` but it´s just another rpg at the end of the day, no amount of weird shit be fixing that. And in my head it didnt come out in 2023 anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabulously Olivier Posted January 3 Share Posted January 3 18 hours ago, Etrurian emperor said: It be between Tears of the Kingdom and Octopath Traveler II. Between those....yeah its Octopath. -Not so with Octopath which isn't just like its predecessor but an improvement in literally every single way. The playable characters are better, their stories are better, the stories are tied far stronger to the ending than the original and the obnoxious grind from the original is mostly gone. Its just a great game from start to (almost) finish with no significant flaws to speak of. The worldbuilding isn't really special but I think the idea of a mostly pre industrial west and an upcoming industrial revolution from the east is a fun idea. Meanwhile the story keeps the very novel low stakes that I think are a boon to both Octopath and Triangle Strategy. Its refreshing to mostly fight bandits, evil industrialists, evil nobles, rogues and other misfits rather than yet another evil cult and yet another evil god. Both of those things may be present but they're mostly in the background until the end. I think the cast should also get some credit for not being quite your average collection of prettyboys and cute girls. Overall they're a little older than average and not scared to be a scruffy redneck like best boy Partitio or an ''over the hill'' lady like Agnea. Surprisingly the most obvious prettyboy is the oldest of them all. The villains all seem better incorporated too. In the Original most villains only really showed up at the end while in Octopath they tend to be important figures in the travelers story one way or another. You know, I actually liked Octopath 1's characters, and don't think they needed improving on, other than their lack of conversation/involvement with eachother. I loved Cyrus, and Alfin and Tressa were really endearing as well. The dancer being a vengeful assassin was also an excellent twist that made her the standout of the cast. I'll probably go with Osvald as my starter in this one, just like Cyrus was in the first. Not because mages are my favorite or anything, but because my other choice was Partitio and all indications from my research lean towards hin being the worst starter and Osvald being one of the better ones. But yeah, I'm looking forward to it. It'll be pretty high on the backlog. 6 hours ago, Imuabicus der Fertige said: Baller´Gate of the Third Incarnation be ballin` but it´s just another rpg at the end of the day, no amount of weird shit be fixing that. "Just an RPG" is a weird statement. RPGs are the most ambitious game genre other than MAYBE grand/4X strategy. "Just a ..." sounds like something one would say about a rail shooter or some other hopelessly outdated genre like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imuabicus der Fertige Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 13 hours ago, Fabulously Olivier said: "Just an RPG" is a weird statement. RPGs are the most ambitious game genre other than MAYBE grand/4X strategy. "Just a ..." sounds like something one would say about a rail shooter or some other hopelessly outdated genre like that. its not what i said wrote and ambition is not a noteworthy quality Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florete Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 Octopath Traveler 2 is my game of the year. Great gameplay, great characters, great story, overall improvement on the already-impressive first game. I will likely be the only person in this thread to shoutout TEVI. I loved its predecessor, Rabi-Ribi, so I jumped on this one right away and it did not disappoint. I don't spend 80 hours getting all achievements in just any game. HoloCure didn't technically become available this year but it did get its Steam release this year and most of my playtime was this year. It is a free and amazing survivor-style game and you don't need to be interested in Hololive or Vtubers to enjoy it. Resident Evil 4 was a great remake of a great game. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is a great game marred by a disappointing story. I also kept pressing the wrong buttons all the way to the end, which seems to have been a common occurrence among players. Fire Emblem Engage was another great game marred by a disappointing story. I like it more than Three Houses, but not as much as most of the games before then. The Talos Principle II is a game I didn't even know was coming until it was out. Its puzzles are largely an improvement over the first game, though I do have some issues with other aspects of the game. It is also very brain hurty. Afterimage was a fun enough game for one run, though its general gameplay leaves a bit to be desired. Still hoping to play: Lies of P, Baldur's Gate 3, Armored Core VI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tryhard Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 (edited) Baldur's Gate 3 is the best I've played from this year, although good other games I have played: Lies of P, Lords of the Fallen, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, Boltgun. Want to try the RE4 Remake at some point. Edited January 4 by Tryhard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Etrurian emperor Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 On 1/3/2024 at 6:21 PM, Fabulously Olivier said: I'll probably go with Osvald as my starter in this one, just like Cyrus was in the first. Not because mages are my favorite or anything, but because my other choice was Partitio and all indications from my research lean towards hin being the worst starter and Osvald being one of the better ones. I don't think Partitio is regarded as all that bad actually. The Merchant's ''hired help'' ability is deemed as significantly powerful albeit probably more at mid-late game than early game. But aside that Partitio's got a pretty varied weapon variety to break weaknesses with and has a decent enough traveler skills. Of the Traveler stories Oswald peaks at his first chapters which makes him a pretty neat starting point, but I think in Gameplay he's somewhat disappointing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterIceTeaPeach Posted January 5 Share Posted January 5 Games from 2023 I played in 2023: Fire Emblem: Engage Kirby's Return To Dream Land Deluxe Trails of Nayuta: Boundless Trails Also played a bit Super Mario Bros Wonder and Octopath Traveler II, but they don't count. And I played the Japanese demo of Ys X. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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