Introduction

So here we are finally at the end of 2023, and man what a year it has been. We've seen so many games come into their own and flourish, so many different genres thrive, we've seen so many success stories from both the Indie and Triple A sides of the gaming industry. Whether you're a lover of Survival horror, fighting or RPG's we have seen so many games thrive.

Today is a day to reflect and celebrate the year that was 2023, and for me to share with you many of the standouts that really meant something to me this year. This will be my opinion, and if something didn't make the list or get a mention it's more than likely because I didn't play or finish it within this year. I'm still making my way through many of this years highlights. But with that being said I can tell you now, 2023 has exponentially increased the size of my backlog, and I urge you all to post your favorites below and let me know if there is any gems that I've missed. But with that being said let's dive into my Top 10 games of 2023.

Number 10: Sea of Stars

To kick this list off is with Sea of Stars, man I loved this games visuals and soundtrack straight out the gate I was really invested simply by its presentation alone. We've seen so many games recently from Octopath Traveller, Live A Live or even the most recent Star Ocean remake we've seen these HD 2D adventures that have taken the old school JRPG and added some modern design elements to spice it up and in many ways Sea of Stars feels like a reinvigorated homage to the JRPG's of old, whilst instead of taking these modern principles that define modern RPG's and packing them into a retro experience, Sea of Stars feels like it is a retro inspired experience packing its own original ideas into this experience and making something distinct and unique and I love this game for that.

Couple that with the way that Sea of Stars handles turned based combat and you're truly onto something exceptional here. I loved the interactive elements of Sea of Stars combat where you'd be able to have different types of abilities that you could use to hone in on an enemies weaknesses, but the additional flare that Sea of Stars adds to mix up the combat is this interactive feature that allows you to interact with each ability in a different way that helps dictate how much damage each ability will do.

The locations in this game are also so diverse and so awe-inspiring, the boss encounters feel clever and distinctive both in terms of their mechanics, and their presentation. The characters are endearing and although the story may take a few hours to pick up some steam, once you're in the story, the journey and gotten to spend time with these characters you get invested in this adventure.

Number 9: Cyberpunk 2077 (A Definitive Experience)

![[CyberpunkPL.png | 500]] Okay, number 9, I know I'm going to anger some people with this choice but I feel like Cyberpunk 2077 was one of the best experiences I had this year and with the new Phantom Liberty expansion, and big Update 2.0 the game itself feels like it has ben improved to a state where the game I enjoyed in 2020, despite its myriad of flaws and a dumpster fire of a launch, is now a game that I now truly believe is insanely good. The story is still as good as it ever was, but retrospectively re-experiencing the game and it's many ending provided a new outlook on how I viewed Cyberpunk's story, finding it a lot more meaningful and it's many endings serving a more holistic experience of this world.

The update 2.0 provides a plethora of new reworks to the areas of Cyberpunks gameplay that felt either average or undercooked such as the skill trees, crafting, which in term impacted how the combat felt, providing new builds and approaches to combat, that make Cyberpunk feel like great action game. The Phantom Liberty expansion provides a compelling narrative that I would say is one of if not the best story that we've seen and touches on many of the criticism with relation to choice. Overall Night City was always an excellent universe to get lost in and now with Update 2.0 and Phantom Liberty, people are now able to experience the greatness that Cyberpunk had buried under the weight of all it's launch problems.

Number 8: Spider-Man 2

Next up we have Spider-Man 2, which was the follow up to the critically acclaimed Marvel's Spider-Man from 2018. Spider-Man 2 to me is an interesting entry, as I loved everything that this story had to show, and had fun with the combat, but I felt that the choice to limit the amount of gadgets available between Peter and Miles did feel like a step backwards. But man the abilities and the ability to seamlessly hop between Peter and Miles was something that was awesome, and I feel like the set piece moments are incredible and Insomniac's second outing with Spider-Man doubles down on many of the core themes, and foundations that were established in the previous games.

What I find even more fascinating with the sequel is how it is able to tell two different Spider-Man stories in parallel and make it work so well. For this video I'm going to be avoiding any spoilers because I definitely think if you're a fan of Spider-Man than this is a no brainer to check out.

The web swinging is as tight as ever with more freedom, flow and style than any of the previous games, and the inclusion of the wing suit, which I feel like absolutely rocks and feels like a great new addition to the experience that can break up the flow of web-swinging. Many of the side activities will feel familiar to those who have played the previous games, but are interesting in there own ways, and do feel satisfying, and do lead to some more interesting side missions too which I thought were interesting. But for the most part Spider-Man 2 is a fairly familiar experience, and having replayed the previous two games before diving into this one, it could really be felt.

But Spider-Man 2 really did do something for me, telling a fantastic story, that I felt really got me into the Spider-Man comics and wanting to read more about the character in my spare time. Because I grew up watching the cartoons, watching the movies, and of course playing the games. But Spider-Man 2, reawakened the Spider-Man fan inside of me, and I thank the game heaps for that.

Number 7: Like A Dragon Gaiden / Ishin

With this one I'll be cheating a little bit, it's a nod to two different games, which I feel are both impactful and deserve a nod on this list. Those games are the two Like A Dragon games that released this year, with the first being Like A Dragon Ishin, and the smaller but still quite sizeable epilogue Like A Dragon Gaiden.

It's been a crazy year for RGG, putting out two exceptional games one being a fully fledged remake of a PS3 game that we never saw localized back when it originally released, and the final sendoff for Kiryu. But it's crazy to think that they'll have there next major entry with Like A Dragon Infinite Wealth hitting shelves within the next couple of weeks too, meaning that within the span of a year, RGG would have put out three full games, and two of them so far have been exceptional and Infinite Wealth doesn't look to be pulling any punches.

Like A Dragon: Ishin

But today we're here to talk about the year that was, and man Ishin and Gaiden were simply fantastic. The cleverly crafted retelling of Japanese history, through the avatars of many iconic characters established throughout the Yakuza franchise, was enthralling and engaging throughout 40+ hours I had with the games. The changes to combat, felt fitting whilst not compromising the core brawler elements that defined the series throughout the first six entries. There is an abundance of different substories, game systems, and side activities to get lost in that you'd expect from an RGG game too. I absolutely adored the environmental work and the bonds that you could form with many of the different people that you could encounter in this world too, and it's clever take on how you learn different styles too.

With over eight mainline games the Like A Dragon series can appear a little daunting to take the leap and dive into, but I do feel like Like a Dragon Ishin is a great independent experience that feels like a great encapsulation of what the series has to offer without and of the baggage of understanding any of the previous stories

Like A Dragon: Gaiden

On the flipside of this is Like A Dragon Gaiden, which serves as the epilogue, the send-off to our long standing protagonist Kiryu Kazuma. Like A Dragon Gaiden comes in as being one of the shortest games in the series being around 17 hours long to complete its main story, but it is definitely packed with amazing sub stories which are told through this new sub-system called the Akame Network, which is a different approach to the whole sub story formula which has defined the series for so long. It's important when going into Gaiden and particularly it's side content understanding what this experience is, being a much more compact experience, compared to the previous games that we've played over the years. There's one big game changer here in Gaiden and that is the different tools and abilities such as the the grapple hook which can pull enemies or wrap and restrain them, to the real MVP for me which was the jetboots, which had me going from Like A Dragon Gaiden, to like a dragon glidin. The overall experience was solid, and if you're someone who is invested in the series and Kiryu this is a no brainer and for me it was the culmination of my time following this series for the past few years which in a sentimental way is why it makes this list.

But for the more definitive whole package, I feel Like A Dragon Ishin is a fantastic all around experience that is welcoming as an entry point for newcomers to the series and RGG games, and it is a great entry overall in the bigger picture of RGG's portfolio. Seriously Like A Dragon Ishin is a phenomenal game and one I wish I got around to earlier within the year

Number 6: Resident Evil 4 Remake

Okay, now we're moving on to number 6, and that would be none other than Resident Evil 4 Remake. It's an interesting situation I find myself in with this game, having played both the original and the remake for the first time this year. The original Resident Evil 4 served as a big turning point for the series, balancing the action elements that the series would go on to embrace and the survival horror elements that were the series roots. One of the big hooks for me with the original RE 4 that made it such an amazing game was how it made Leon a badass, and the cheesy one-liners and roundhouse kicks.

The remake of Resident Evil 4, whilst preserving the roundhouse kicks, and the iconic Bingo line, does modernise the masterpiece that is Resident Evil 4 and recontextualizes aspects of it's tone and themes to have it more neatly fit with the previous two remakes and the newer entries in the series. Personally this game really was a blast to experience, especially with the original fresh in my mind.

The combat of RE 4 remake, adopts the control schemes found in the previous remakes, it also does cut out moments of the original RE 4 campaign that I do feel draw out the story and feel a little unnecessary, making the remake feel more compact, and action packed, hitting all the key high points of the RE 4 story. Seriously the uplifts to combat, weapon upgrades, the melee mechanics, and more importantly the relationship between Leon and Ashley was something that I feel was really well executed. I personally found myself really liking Ashley a lot more in the remake. Many of the boss encounters saw a facelift where they feel like they fit within many of the combat refinements and systems that work around it. Even narratively some of these encounters are quite special and a done a little more justice, which I detail in my full review if you're interested.

But overall Resident Evil 4 remake is as big a juggernaut as it's original was all those years ago and was an easy highlight of 2023 for me.

Number 5: Master Detective Achieves: Raincode

Master Detective Archives Rain code is a weird one. Is a game that really flew under the radar this year, for reasons that are understandable being the niche story and mechanics the game was offering in a month that was packed with banger titles like Final Fantasy 16 and Street Fighter 6. To me, Rain code really did manage to scratch a particular itch, being the spiritual successor to Spike Chunsofts Danganronpa series, Rain code's gameplay placed a heavy focus on gathering information and it's zany portrayals or deduction and debate.

The story is wacky and zany and what you'd expect from the studio behind Zero Escape and Danganronpa. I seriously love how out there this game can be. Story follows amnesiac junior detective Yuma Kokohead who is boarding a train heading to the Kanai Ward as apart as the Detective Agency. Yuma is greeted by a group of other elite detectives known in this world as Master Detectives, who're special detectives that have innate detective skills and supernatural ability referred to as a forte. After a whirlwind of oddities unfold, Yuma is placed in a situation where he is needed to solve a case, and is awakened to the pact and powers of his sidekick Shinigami.

Shinigami's powers teleport Yuma and the player into this metaphysical version of the case that is currently unfolding called labyrinths, where Yuma must fight back and uncover the truth. The different forms of mini-games and sword fights that are like an overdramatic debate slicing through each argument. It was absolutely wild, and I thought by the midway point that I had experienced all the different forms of mini-games and they'll throw a new idea at you, and it keeps the game feeling fresh and fun throughout. The game, is this odd and niche title, but damn I'm praying that we get a sequel, because Too Kyo Games has actually created the blueprint for something special here and this one is a quality time for it's whole 30 hour runtime.

Number 4: Alan Wake 2

Next up is one of the most mind-bending and absolutely outstanding narratives that I've experienced in 2023, and that is Remedy's long awaited sequel Alan Wake 2. Man, it is hard to put into words all the moving parts that make this game truly incredible, but I'll try my best here. Alan Wake 2, tells two stories between it's two main characters Alan and Saga's stories running in parallel with one another. But the contrast between the mechanics and tone are quite a sight to behold.

Where the Saga segments feel like modern survival horror where Resident Evil meets Twin Peaks, the Alan segments feel like this more sinister noir New York, where you're able to use the light to manipulate and write different scenes into existence.

What is beautiful about Alan Wake 2 is how cleverly these two sides of the game serve as a ying and yang to one another and the gameplay elements serve to better understand and convey the concepts and laws established in this universe. Alan for example being able to find echos of influence which help him create a new scene, which will then transform it's influence and impact on the world is a brilliant idea that marries the narrative theming with practical gameplay mechanics in such a clever way that makes you eager to engage with it everytime you get the chance.

The Saga segments are full of open-areas to explore and neat collectibles to checkout and some truly tense sequences. The concept and idea of the Mind Place which is the detective office that serves as a visualization of Saga's mind where you can thread and piece each of the new threads of her side of the story together is such a killer idea and I feel like it absolutely works here.

I think what I love about Alan Wake 2 is how uncomprimising it is with the ideas that it puts out there. From it's Indie arthouse film energy that many of the live action moments portray, to the different gameplay mechanics, and meta references that Remedy use as callbacks. I feel like there is this certain charm in what we see with many of our prominent figures in the gaming industry. I think of how much we love someone like Hideo Kojima for his ideas and how he melds cinema with video games, and I truly do believe that Remedy and Sam Lake are in this same creative domain here with Alan Wake marrying many different learnings from their previous games, and the world of cinema into this game to create and tell a truly captivating piece of gaming here.

Alan Wake 2 is a big highlight for me this year, and one I'm going to be eager to return to in years to come, to see how I perceive many different ideas and concepts.

Number 3: Hi-Fi Rush

This next game is one that when it was shadow dropped out of nowhere, I knew that this was going to be something special, and that my friends is Hi-Fi Rush. This game, man this one really does in so many ways throw me back into a time capsule of Saturday morning cartoons and a PS2 era of games that were quirky, charming and ultimately different. Seriously, for a game that released all the way back in January I was worried that I would forget about it when the time to make this video came, but the opposite happened in fact. As the year progressed I only grew to love and remember Hi-Fi Rush more. Whether it is the games soundtrack that has made it into my regular rotation, or the insanely addictive combat that is easy to pick up and difficult to master.

Hi-Fi Rush is a game that oozes with charm in every department, whether it is this hybrid concept of marrying two genres of game such as rhythm with hack-and-slash or making a bpm horde rush mode or tower mode to finesse and perfect your skills. Hi-Fi Rush's gameplay and variant side modes make it a treat to playthrough and one that I'd highly recommend if you haven't. It's story is one that is quirky and quite charming and in many ways as I've mentioned feels like a throw back to this older more wacky era of video games that you would experience in something like the Dreamcast or PS2 days. The adventures of Chai and friends is a fun, bombastic experience that will keep you smiling, and is a game that even after finishing it, I found myself randomly returning to throughout the year, to try and up my skills.

Hi-Fi Rush is the latest from Tango Gameworks a studio primarily known for making horror games. It feels like a completely different direction than what the studio is commonly known for, but a direction that has paid off extremely well for them because I absolutely adore this game and it is one that if you have game pass, should absolutely give a try. Hi-Fi Rush was easily an overnight success and I can tell you right now that I myself am beyond excited to see where Tango take Chai and friends in the future.

Number 2: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom was an experience that was the the 2nd game to take up over 100 hours of my time that made it on this list, and honestly I loved every second of this experience. Tears of the Kingdom, iterated on the blueprint Breath of the Wild and established but doubled down on it, not only through its gameplay elements, but also through its underlying design philosophy.

What sold Tears of the Kingdom for me was how Nintendo were able to take this level of curiosity that makes this open sandbox of Hyrule such a wonder to explore, but cleverly marry the concepts of curiosity with it's exploration, with the philosophy of creativity. Where the mantra of Breath of the Wild felt it was fueled on visual queues, it really tapped into having us wonder what is over that mountain, what is that shining beacon in the distance. Where Tears of the Kingdom takes this notion of epistemic curiosity and fuels it with an endless level of creativity which is provided through the new inclusion of Zonai tools and devices handed out in this experience. Tears of the Kingdom is a boundless game in terms of its level of creativity and how it lets the player freely think and solve many of its puzzles which return both in the form of shines, but also through the open world and a new location known as the Sky Isles.

The narrative for Tears of the Kingdom is another aspect which I feel hits more of a higher note than its predecessor did back in 2017. Overall if you are a Switch owner, than Tears of the Kingdom would have been undoubtedly a high point for you and quite honestly there is so much to unpack which what I loved with this game, so if you're interested in hearing more of my thoughts full video is down below.

Number 1: Baldur's Gate 3

The Game of the Year for 2023 is undeniably, undoubtedly Baldur's Gate 3. Larian Studios has truly created a video game that continues to remain fresh and exciting throughout it's long 80 hour plus runtime. Baldur's Gate is an RPG that doubles down on all the components that make the genre so phenomenal. A plethora of excellent and well executed choices that make the weight of your decisions feel felt throughout the world, and the legend that you leave behind. Characters that are well written and multifaceted with an ever evolving storyline that unfolds in a multitude of ways depending on the relationships formed with the player. How each of these characters flesh out a subsect of Baldur's Gates richer lore and universe so effortlessly is something that I think is what makes this game feel so special. Another aspect of Baldur's Gate 3's brilliance stems from how densely packed and interactable the world feels. Some examples here are the ability to freely move items around, and the hidden levers or switches that may reveal a hidden passageway that were hiding behind a portrait or box. The different spells that can enable the player to interact with different NPC's such as spells that let you talk to animals or the dead. It really does bring this fantasy to life where you are constantly wondering "but what if I did this?" and what is the real crazy part, is that 9 times out of 10, Larian have an answer.

Baldur's Gate 3 holds much more significance to me personally on top of being an excellent game, as this year was the year that I also took a leap into the world of D&D and understanding the early learning curves of creating a character, understanding game terms, lore, and the vast overload of information that one acquires when diving into the world of D&D. The release of Baldur's Gate 3, served in many ways as a mechanism to better understand many of the foundations that make up the D&D experience. The character creation, the skill checks, and understanding advantage/disadvantage, along with its wealth of appropriate starting traits and classes that overlap with many different races that exist within the Sword Coast.

But back to video games, Baldur's Gate 3 really does encapsulate the feeling of playing a D&D campaign through a video game format so effortlessly, as I've started many different playthroughs both solo and with my friends, and it is so comprehensive in its approach and design, that players with no experience can understand the mechanics of the game, whilst Baldur's Gate simultaneously stays faithful to the tabletop that it is built upon. If you have been keeping up with the latest with video games, you'd know that Larian won the Game of the Year award, which should come as a surprise to no one, but it also won another award which I think speaks true to how well put together Baldur's Gate 3 is, and that is the best multiplayer game. Because seriously playing solo and with friends do feel like two separate experiences, along with the dark urge and origin character playthroughs, that make Baldur's Gate feel like there is an endless amount of content to experience here.

A game with this level of depth and substance, that pushes a genre forward in the way that Baldur's Gate has is a rarity and one that should be admired and appreciated for all that Larian have managed to accomplish. In every respect this game is outstanding from it's banger soundtrack, it's exceptional acting and performances, it's brilliant reimagining of what RPG's can be and overall a story and experience that will stick with you, and even after your hundreds of hours completing your first playthrough, will leave you eager to jump into more.

Like with every video on this list and especially Baldur's Gate 3 in particular, there are so many things to discuss about why I love this game, and if you want to hear my full thoughts and breakdown on why this game is truly something special, please check out my full video in the description below.

Conclusion

So to conclude this video, I want to say that honestly this year in terms of the games that we've seen release has been absolutely exceptional, the amount of diverse and interesting games that have released, and games that have gotten the limelight and their moment to shine. It's crazy, despite making this list I look at the games I have on my list that I'm still playing and wanting to finish like Lies of P, Dave the Diver or Super Mario Wonder. Hell I look at my shelf and see Octopath Traveller 2, Star Ocean 2 R, and then I just recently picked up Armored Core 6. It's absolutely insane to me I feel so overwhelmed with choice, and I'm going to be working through all the highlights of 2023 for years to come. It's also been the first full year for me making videos on this channel, and man as someone who loves video games it has been a riding playing and discussing these games with all of you. So I'd like to close the video by thanking you all for the ongoing support of this channel and tuning in for this video. It's been a great year, and I appreciate all the time you put in to watch these videos. I hope you're all enjoying the holiday season, and I look forward to seeing you all in the new year. Let me know your standouts for the year in the comments below, and thanks for watching.

Honorable Mentions So whilst there are many solid games that are missing from this list that I feel could or would be on them, I have decided not to include them because I either haven't played them, or I haven't finished them or felt I didn't experience enough of the game to properly assess. But I'd like to shout out a few games that I'm quite liking and feel I'd like to talk about on this channel at a later date