Ben Starr is an actor that you most likely know from playing Clive Rosfield in Final Fantasy XVI. But, did you know he also appears in Quantum Break and Company of Heroes 2? And, yes, Final Fantasy VIII is his favorite Final Fantasy. Yes, 8. If you've got a problem with that, you better Shuffle or Boogie.
Cocoon
A puzzle game with outstanding soundtrack and clean intuitive gameplay. Best in class game design and art direction. It’s charm can’t be explained. It has to be experienced. Cocoon made me fall in love with games again.
Resident Evil 4
One of the best remakes of one of the most important video games of all time. Capcom continues its trend of bringing its iconic back catalogue kicking and screaming into the modern era. Terrifying and camp in equal measure RE4 is also the gold standard in curated replayability for single player action games.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
More Spider-Man. Insomniac were never going to made a bad version of this iteration. But what surprised me was how much better this one ended up being over its predecessor. A great example of how well placed gameplay evolutions can a elevate familiar experience further than expected. Also Yuri Lowenthal is astonishingly good.
Alan Wake II
The most Remedy game to ever Remedy. A game that almost defies objective analysis. A cohesive vision unapologetically pursued. Weird, funny, terrifying and never dull, AW2 is an essential addition to the expanding Remedy-verse. And a fitting swan song to the incomparable talent that is James McCaffrey.
Octopath Traveler II
In a year of great RPGs, this one still manages to stand out. Emerging head and shoulders above the first game, Octopath II, is whimsical wonder. Other than the dynamic soundtrack that changes from day to night, and the gorgeous HD-2D art design that keeps every environment looking otherworldly, it’s the turn based combat that absolutely sings the loudest.
Dredge
‘One more run simulator 2023’. Addictive and fun. The more you play the better it gets. The fact that this game is still getting hyped up in a year like 2023 is testament enough to the level of its quality. Play this game.
Sea of Stars
The perfect companion to Octopath Traveler II. Sea of Stars feels like a a love letter to the games that so clearly inspired it. It is just dripping in nostalgia. From humble beginnings, the story also develops into something surprisingly emotional. It’s also on both Game Pass and PlayStation Plus so there’s no excuse.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
It’s that good. An almost impossible game. It shouldn’t exist and yet somehow does. It’s a technical powerhouse with Elden Ring like moments of “oh there’s more!?!” Ultra Hand makes it feel like a bigger Breath of the Wild with the cheat codes on.
Viewfinder
An incredibly cool idea executed with playful sophistication.
Take photos and use them to alter the environment. Not as bombastic as other games in this list, Viewfinder still somehow managed to capture my heart for the relatively short time that I played it. It doesn’t outstay it’s welcome but the puzzles do become satisfyingly complex towards it’s latter part. It also hides some neat easter eggs of the people willing to plumb it’s compact levels. For fans of Superliminal, Maquette, and Manifold Garden, there is a lot to like here.
Metroid Prime: Remastered
I’ve not played the original, but the best thing I can say is that this version of Metroid Prime made it seem like this was a game completely designed in 2023. I lost hours to its meticulously interwoven world without realising it. I didn’t even mind all of the scanning. Scanning is cool, people! A hard recommend for anyone yet to experience it.