Best of 2023!
I will say, some of the rhetoric I hear right now is that "2023 might be one of the best years in gaming ever"... Im here to call bullshit.
I do believe over all -- this is the best time to be a gamer. 2023 is maybe the best year to be a gamer -- with all the VR and handhelds and new consoles. Back catalogs and options galore! Huzzah!
I mean for me personally - Not only do i have the games of 2023 to play, but I have this huge back catalog, I have my new ps5 and it runs great, just got my new Xbox for Gamepass, bought a Steam Deck, got the little Playdate I keep meaning to turn on (had it on pre-order for over a year and a half so I'm in no rush now I guess).
So overall, yeah Id rather be gaming in 2023 than any other year. And I'm sure 2024 will be better, and 2025 after that. Because there is just more, and newer.
I recently just completed the wonderful Atari 50 Collection - its basically an interactive documentary, wonderfully made. But it reminded me just how awful most retro games really are, modern games just are better. Half of those games in that collection I didn't even want to spend more than 60 seconds in.
So how do i call bullshit on this being a great year if I just said its the best year to be a gamer?
Well lack of excitement for one. Though its a wonderful time to be a gamer, perhaps the BEST time to be a gamer. This years software is weak! Good games sure, but uninspired, sequels, remakes, better mechanics, but not new ideas. I was much more excited about hardware this year than software.
Id rather give the game of the year award to my ps5 hardware, or the new xbox or the steam deck or the playdate. I was excited to buy those.
Diablo 4? Not so much.
In a year of 70 Billion dollar acquisitions going through, seeing the "big 3" having only 1 or 2 big releases each was super disappointing.
Sony has Spider-man and Balder's Gate 3 from 3rd party. Or maybe give Balder's Gate to PC. And its a huge game, dont get me wrong ,deserves game of the year. But is Spider-man 2 that big of a leap off of Mile Morales and the first game? Not really. Then Xbox fielded Starfield, a bought exclusive, and a game that pretty much fallen off any game of the year list. Nintendo comes in with 2 games with a ton of hype but that I find pretty lackluster - Breath of the Wild 2 honestly I hear nothing about beyond seeing people build things - is this Banjo Kazooie Nuts and Bolts? And Ill admit I haven't played it, but Super Mario Wonder made my list off of the hype, but I think it looks unfun and Im not a huge 2D Mario guy to begin with.
Other than that the list has some neat things on it, Octopath Traveler 2 looks like a great sequel, but isn't anything new. Dredge was a great smaller indie game. Harry Potter really only stands out because of the lack of anything else. HiFi Rush is a cool concept and looks neat but I dont know if id want more of it. Sea of Stars is a neat throwback. Metroid Prime was a neat remake, but its a remake. Games that didn't make my list are Resident Evil 4 remake, Im not a Resident Evil game fan (love to watch, love the lore, dont like to play).
A better Jedi game that came out completely buggy. But it was just kind of a better version of more of the same?
So its not a bad year. Its just a sequel and remake heavy. Good games, but maybe not great games. Uninspired? Yeah feels uninspired. It was much harder to make lists in other years, and they had way more games on the list. I felt like I was scrounging this year.
Oh and VR! PSVR2 and the Quest 3 - awesome VR gear - I want to buy them. But software is *crickets chirping* - zero killer apps for it. -- A great time to be a gamer and have these consoles and devices, but not a great year for software IMO.
I think the lack of any real "best games of all time" material, (besides maybe Balder's Gate 3?), is made up for with just how much is out there, I cant play it all! :)
If 15 years from now people look on to 2023's software line-up fondly, Ill be very confused.
