henke on 19/12/2023 at 18:44
2023 was a pretty dang great year for games. I played lots of good ones, and I didn't even get to some of the real big hitters. Still wanna play Chants of Sennaar and Spider Man 2 and Robocop and El Paso Elsewhere and AND AND... ok. Lemme take a moment to give big ups to the games I
did play.
Henke's Top 1010. “MyHouse.wad” for DOOM 2 (this ain't even the only fan made creation in this list, buckle up)
Such an unexpected and terrifying creation. Never seen anything like it for DOOM, nor did I think I’d be properly scared by that game again.
9. JusantThere were a lot of great climbing games this year, and while Jusant's climbing mechanics aren't as advanced as those in New Heights or Peaks of Yore, it was the best
game out of the 3. A wonderful journey.
8. System Shock RemasterA beautiful merger of old school design and modern graphics and user experience.
7. Before The Green MoonI’ve never played Animal Crossing or Stardew Valley, but after playing Before The Green Moon I think I get the big whoop about these farming/life sim games. It does a great job at immersing you in its world. The farming is satisfying in a grindy way, and also it somehow enhances the other parts of the game by making you appreciate your “time off” more. Great character writing as usual from the dev behind Little Party and Wide Ocean Big Jacket.
6. PseudoregaliaOld school metroidvania design and
incredible-feeling character movement made this an engrossing and delightful hardcore gaming experience.
5. DredgeOne of those games that’s hard to put down. As a dev I was inspired by how much it does with very little.
4. Mars First Logistics (Early Access)You know I love trucking sims, well this one puts a new spin on the genre by making you build custom transport vehicles for each delivery. Very enjoyable. Looks great too. Looking forward to the full release.
3. Alan Wake 2Wonderful characters and engaging writing. Some real twists and turns. The best musical sequence since Super Mario Odyssey. A great, innovative, trippy ride that made my chest swell with patriotic pride at how damn Finnish it is.
2.”The Black Parade” for Thief GoldGreat storytelling, fantastic level design, and top notch production values. So many surprising and delightful little touches along the way. It really feels like a lost Thief game.
1. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the KingdomA huge, soaring adventure packed with fresh ideas and mechanics that are so wild they’re borderline game-breaking. Minigames so good they could be games in their own right. A triple-A production with the experimental spirit of an indie game.
Honorable mentions:Kona 2: Brume
Tchia
Amnesia: The Bunker
Trine 5
Metroid Prime Remastered
Lunark
Resident Evil 4 Remake
Starfield
Cannibal Abduction
That Which Gave Chase
Ok now let's hear the chorus of praise for Baldurs Gate 3.
Our previous Best Games Of The Year lists(
https://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=152011) 2022 | (
https://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=151583) 2021 | (
https://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=150997) 2020 | (
https://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=150275) 2019 | (
https://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=149432) 2018 | (
https://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=148501) 2017 | (
http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=147367) 2016 | (
http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146083) 2015 | (
http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=144820) 2014 | (
http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=142865) 2013 | (
http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=140656) 2012 | (
http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=137856) 2011 | (
http://www.ttlg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=134184) 2010
heywood on 19/12/2023 at 20:02
Quote Posted by henke
10. “MyHouse.wad” for DOOM 2 (this ain't even the only fan made creation in this list, buckle up)
Such an unexpected and terrifying creation. Never seen anything like it for DOOM, nor did I think I'd be properly scared by that game again.
Cleverest thing I've seen in years. It would have been even better if I hadn't watched the YouTube video first.
Malf on 19/12/2023 at 20:06
In no particular order (although we all know BG3 is numero uno):
Baldur's Gate 3
What can be said that hasn't already?
Oh yeah, this'll do it: BEST IMM SIM OF THE LAST 3 YEARS
Cyberpunk 2077 2.0 & Phantom Liberty
Unlike most, I actually really liked the base game on release and had relatively few problems with it. But the 2.0 patch and the simultaneous release of Phantom Liberty makes this a stone-cold, all-time classic. As it stands now, I think it may even beat Witcher 3 for my favourite CDPR game, although let's see how that opinion bears out over the next few years.
RE4 Remake
It's RE4, but even better. Better graphics, better balance, better controls, better Ashleigh. And unlike the knuckle-dragging, anime-loving, woman-hating fan-base, I think this version's Ada Wong is better too.
Dead Space Remake
They gave Isaac a voice, and he rocks. Constantly on the verge of losing his shit, his panicked, fearful, angry repeated outbursts as he curbstomps another necromorph are a joy to witness. And the anti-grav sections are MUCH improved. Not quite on the same level as Prey's, but pretty damn close.
WH40K Rogue Trader
I'm still working my way through this one at the moment, but it's an Owlcat game... FOR THE EMPEROR.
I'm finding myself loving playing with a fresh new RPG system, compared to the glut of D&D derived systems I've been playing with over the past few years. And the 40K universe is gloriously silly in its adherence to its premise.
Unlike BG3 and other RPGs where losing a team member during a fight can feel massively limiting and like a guaranteed loss, I've pulled back from losing all team members except the last couple to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat enough times to make me fall in love with the system.
Jagged Alliance 3
It's flawed, but great. It's too long for its own good, and there are triggered events that end up feeling really unfair. But the characters are endearing, and the mix of RPG and turn-based tactics makes for a heady cocktail.
Returnal
Whenever I get frustrated and just need to shoot some aliens, Returnal will always be there.
Robocop: Rogue City
Not perfect, but the best Robocop film we've had since the first. Very close to being a Starbreeze style game, with that flow of downtime between action-packed missions.
The city streets sections are a little too underpopulated, and the game's probably too long. But Peter Weller does a cracking job, and the Auto-9 fucking ROCKS.
Hi-Fi RUSH
I keep meaning to go back to this and complete it to give it the love it deserves, because it's flawlessly delivered and brimming with fun.
Shadows of Doubt
Yes, technically Early Access. But this is something special, and is basically Spector's ideal city block writ large.
Honorable Mentions:
Blood West came out the same week as Rogue Trader, so was unfortunately destined to be put on the back-burner. Great stuff, with our boy Stephen Russell in the lead role. But definitely not an Imm Sim.
Streets of Rogue, because even 4 years after release, I still play it almost every day, and it's the reason BG3 isn't the best Imm Sim of the past 4 years.
En Garde, whose demo I loved, but I haven't gotten around to playing the full game yet, despite it being sat there in my list of installed shame.
WH40K Boltgun is the other great 40K game from this year, but loses out on the top ten by being just a tad too repetetive.
Elden Ring was going to go in the top ten as I only really played it this year. But yeah, it didn't come out this year.
Stranded: Alien Dawn. Only here because it's the best Dwarf Fortress style game i played this year that wasn't Dwarf Fortress and I put Dwarf Fortress on my list last year.
The "You're having a GIRAFFE!" award for stumbling, falling, and still not being able to elicit a laugh:
Starfield.
The other "-arfield" games are better.
I think that releasing after BG3 and Phantom Liberty really made people realise that the old man behind the curtain had finally gone senile, and in all honesty, probably had been that way for a while now.
EDIT: Gods dammit, it wasn't until I re-read henke's post that I remembered Robocop. DUR.
Aja on 19/12/2023 at 20:42
I went a little hard on the gaming this year compared to the last few although it's mainly because I got into VR, so sorry for listing a bunch of VR games you don't care about.
10. Metroid Prime Remastered
Surprised this is on Henke's list. I liked it but, like him, got a little tired of the backtracking near the end. It looks and plays great, though, so hopefully this is the bones of a brand new entry in the series.
9. Crossfire: Sierra Squad
Arcadey VR shooter with enemies that stagger and splatter like they're in an '80s action movie, with 5 million different guns, a dumb story, and awesome electric guitar when the battles heat up. It's goofy but feels really good to play, and there are more missions than I'll probably ever get through.
8. Horizon: Call of the Mountain
A bit of a gimmicky VR game, but absolutely gorgeous, with fun climbing and bow shooting that feels pretty Horizony even with limited movement. Once I got over the idea that it's not a full-fledged Horizon game, I ended up replaying it with adjusted expectations, hunting for treasure and exploring alternate paths. It's just vista after vista after vista, and it always feels good to traverse. Hopefully they'll make another with a bit more freedom of exploration.
7. Super Mario Wonder
I think the press hyped this one up a bit too much, but it undoubtedly plays and looks better than any New Super Mario Bros. game ever has.
6. The Light Brigade
VR rogue-lite with a Soulsy aesthetic and what I assume are very realistic weapons (on their Discord a dev commented how he was studying some gun-nut YouTuber to get the shotgun behaviour exactly right). Weapon handling and reloading feel amazing, and while it was initially a little light on content, they dropped a big update with new levels and classes, and more is on the way. I've got about 20 hours in this, and I still go back regularly for a run or two.
5. Song in the Smoke Rekindled
Beautiful and atmospheric survival VR game, that, despite its simple art style, gave me very distinctive "alone-in-the-wilderness" vibes, huddling next to my campfire in a makeshift campsite cave. Its VR mechanics are almost flawless, and for being made by a small dev team it's well-paced and feels complete.
4. The Black Parade (Thief Gold mod)
Frankly incredible campaign that seems to have its own brilliant take on every level-design concept that made Thief Gold great. I've still got a few missions to go, but this is already a classic.
3. Resident Evil Village: VR mode
Easily the most terrifying, stressful, and thrilling game experience I've ever had. It's not on the top spot because I don't think it's quite as fun on replay, but that first time was unforgettable.
2. Resident Evil 4 Remake: VR mode
The VR mechanics are pared down compared to Village, but the gameplay is more interesting, and I think it'll be more replayable. I'm just happy to get full-length, high-budget games in VR. Oh, and the boat is so cool.
1. Tears of the Kingdom, baby!
It took a long time for me to get into this, like over a dozen hours, but once it got its hooks in it held my attention for another hundred. It fixed almost all of my issues and made good on most of the promises of Breath of the Wild, which was already amazing, and the Master Sword quest was one of the most moving and awe-inspiring gaming moments all year.
Honourable Mention
Synapse -- Some clever VR mechanics but overall too samey and light on content.
Mosa Lina -- Genius open-ended gameplay mechanics that allow for hilarious and delightful platforming solutions.
C-Smash VRS -- Space squash! With a great ambient techno soundtrack. But it too felt light on content and didn't hold my interest.
Still wanting to play
Vertigo 2
Dave the Diver
Dredge
System Shock
Blood West
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk
WingedKagouti on 19/12/2023 at 20:54
I think these are the only 2023 games I've actually played, 3 of them courtsey of Game Pass.
Against the Storm
Remnant 2 (the only game I bought of the 4)
Starfield
Like a Dragon Gaiden The Man Who Erased His Name
Starfield was a fun 100+ hours for the cost of being part of Game Pass, wouldn't have spent money on it. Like a Dragon was my first time with a Yakuza game, and the 4 or so hours I played it were okay I guess, I doubt I'll finish the game.
Remnant 2 was as good as expected and a solid recommendation if you liked the first.
Against the Storm was a surprise this year, it was released this December and I installed it on the back of a couple of recommendations. A roguelite city builder with a campaign based run style. The main point against it is the time it will take to unlock the upgrades. A point that could go either way is that it can be a time vampire. But it works as a city builder with time limits for each city you build as well as for how many cities you get to (try to) build per run. The different races you get as citizens impact what buildings you want and which tasks you want to do. But the conditions in each area also make you want to focus on specific things, so you're constantly trying to balance the needs of the various races, the tasks you've picked with the resources you have and can currently gather.
The 94+% score it has on Steam is well deserved and it's my top pick of 2023.
A honorable mention goes out to me trying Game Pass for the first time due to getting 3 months "free" with my ROG Ally. It has let me try out a lot of games I would never have picked up on a sale.
EvaUnit02 on 20/12/2023 at 01:33
Robocop: Rogue City. Better than probably 90% of the Western AAA garbage that has come out so far during this current entire console generation (2020+).
Jason Moyer on 20/12/2023 at 04:02
I have System Shock but haven't played it past Medical yet, I haven't picked up Rogue City yet but definitely will because the demo was *awesome*, Redfall was apparently a turd and while I have it I haven't played it either, and I'm at like 450 hours or something in Starfield. The last Kylotonn WRC game was bad and the first EA one looks arcadey as hell. I don't think anything else came out this year that I care about other than delayed releases (like Tony Hawk 1+2 Remastered or whatever). So congrats Starfield you win by default. Also I think it's easily the best game Bethsoft have ever made, but it probably wouldn't have won in a year with a proper Arkane or Obsidian game being released.
I think the best games I actually played this year were Richard Burns Rally and the best Wolfenstein game. I mean Youngblood of course, because I appreciate that it actually lets me run around in fun levels shooting Nazis instead of having a 4:1 exposition to gameplay ratio with half that gameplay being gimmicky bullshit. I also ploughed through Borderlands 3 and all of the DLC which was a pleasant surprise, and a definite high point for that series and genre in general.
Sulphur on 20/12/2023 at 05:10
I played just about fuckall from 2023 in 2023. A lot of that was Game Pass (thanks, Demo Pass), and I don't have too much to say about them. What I will say is:
1. Cocoon is stellar, brilliant, polished, an absolute delight, and a year highlight.
2. Hi-Fi Rush was great (and somewhat forgettable once it's done, like a dimly receding rear view mirror memory, but while you're in it, you're in it).
3. Chants of Sennaar is something I haven't finished yet, but it is so very, very good if you like puzzles about deciphering languages with a well-calibrated difficulty curve. It's got its issues that come later on, but it's always an intriguing and fun game.
Also, a shout-out to Frozenbyte: Trine 5 was, once again, one of the warmest co-op experiences I've had. A lot of that is down to the people you're playing with, of course (ta, henke, Jesh), but the game itself is a conduit for fun physics puzzling, at least a dozen ridiculous jury-rigged solutions we put together that the game wasn't planning on but (mostly) gracefully accepted, odd netcode snafus (henke from Trine 4 during an enemy encounter where things just disappeared for him: 'uh, am I hitting anything?'), and smart additions to the gameplay mechanics that stretched our brains a bit. Also, it is always bloody gorgeous to look at, and while the stories are light fantasy fluff, at this point where we're five games in, seeing Amadeus, Pontius, and Zoya together again feels like reuniting with old friends.
Sulphur on 20/12/2023 at 05:14
And why has no one played The Talos Principle 2 yet? I haven't because I'd rather wait for when I have a system that runs UE5 games to the level I want it to, but I've done the demo and think people here would like it. Apparently one of the best puzzle games in a while. Here are two pieces of, um, encouragement.
[video=youtube;GGiI_ybK8mY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGiI_ybK8mY[/video]
[video=youtube_share;MpVQF1EdeDw]https://youtu.be/MpVQF1EdeDw[/video]
qolelis on 21/12/2023 at 13:31
I played The Talos Principle 2 as soon as it came out. I didn't even wait for the first patch and didn't need to. No problems with the crashing and bugs that people on higher end GPUs seemed to suffer from. Best puzzle game of 2023.
Reliefs The Time of the Lemures: Best exploration/horse-riding/rope-swinging/puzzle game from a solo-dev.
Monolith: My favourite P&C adventure despite its disappointing ending. I liked the rest of the game because of the complex puzzles and the handdrawn-like art style. The twist ending felt entirely unnecessary and invalidated everything that had happened before (in a "it was all just a dream" kind of way).
Tunnet: Best niche game that I haven't finished yet. I constantly feel like restarting the game and do better this time. Maybe I'm not meant to be a "lonely underpaid network technician who works 24/7 in an underground facility"!?
American Arcadia: Best fun game.
Memory Traces (Egypt & Japan): Best (and only?) 3D jigsaw puzzle game. Nice when you've grown tired of the usual 2D jigsaws.
Firmament: Best game that needs to be mentioned, although flawed. I had a great time exploring and solving puzzles involving huge machinery. The writing felt uninspired and was apparently AI-assisted. Slightly disappointing from a kickstarter supporter point of view.
Still a lot of 2023 games I haven't played yet, but which might have ended up on this list if I had, like This Bed We Made, Jusant, Chants of Sennaar, Shadows of Doubt etc...