Hello wonderful Giant Bomb family! Alex Boniello here, excited to be back for another Game of the Year list. As always, endless shout outs to the crew who are not only hard workers, but are just great people. Congrats to you all on another fun year filled with change, transitions, and laughs.
Like most of you reading this, I’ve played a lot of amazing games this year, and I had a tougher time than usual narrowing this list down. I only wish I had more time to cross a few more of the ones I missed off my list.
I like to get a little funky with these lists, because games are just one of the art forms that help me get through the year, and it is always fun to share! So before we get to the games, here are some Not Video Game things that I loved this year.
TV of the Year: Survivor, Season 44
I should probably be punished for this because I am literally an actor, and some of the best TV of all time is being made right now and I should probably be picking a scripted series but… my god, I love “Survivor” so much, and season 44 was a real winner of a season. If you haven’t watched in a long time, this is a good one to jump back in with. The cast in particular is great, and a good cast of players basically makes the entire show work.
Album of the Year: boygenius, The Record
boygenius is my favorite “super group” in recent memory. “Not Strong Enough” is the track that jumped out most to me at first, and continues to be amazing with each subsequent listen. The three of them blend so well together and make each other better, and it’s just such a total knockout of an album beginning to end.
Theater of the Year: The Doctor
It’s not running in New York anymore, but The Doctor had me by the throat. It is a play that investigates identity (in all forms) as well as medical ethics, cancel culture, and the right to die. Heavy stuff, I know, but it completely blew me away. If you have a chance to buy a copy of the play published and read it, do so. It really was great.
Random Thing of the Year: Pokémon 151 Set
I bought my first pack of Pokémon cards this year since I was a kid. The 151 set was obviously aimed directly at people my age, in an attempt to hit us right in the nostalgia but… it worked! The set is rad, with some totally gorgeous art. I was able to get most of the set without spending too much, thankfully, barring some of the more difficult to get cards, and it was a total joy. Now if only it didn’t cost one zillion dollars to get things graded…
Games That Would Probably Be On This List if I had Finished Them
Alan Wake II
As I write this, I’m out of the country for work, and I had no great way to transport the game with me, so I couldn’t get it finished before my list was due. I had just gotten to the first Alan section, so I’m not too far in, but I can tell that I’m probably gonna dig what’s coming and the ride I’m being taken on. Just so long as the ride doesn’t get repetitive. :) I’ve had trouble finishing Remedy games in the past, and I hope this one is different. Even still, I really respect the swings being taken and am excited for more.
Sea of Stars
Unlike Alan Wake 2, I DO have a great way to play this one while out of the country! And it… rocks. I’m totally charmed, and am finding the combat system to be just fancy enough for me to want to keep engaging with it. I’m looking forward to seeing how much deeper it gets. I assume it does! I also have no idea how long this thing is, so it’s possible I start to lose steam. Also, it has gotten a few actual belly laughs out of me. I love that pirate guy who can make himself weirdly muscular outta nowhere. He rules.
Okay Time For Games
10. Final Fantasy XVI
You made the list, but you’re on real thin ice, FF16. I’ll start first with the annoyances. I think there is a truly SPECTACULAR 20 hour game here. The second half of this game started to make me actively pissed because of the overwhelming amount of bloat and totally needless side content. I know I could have skipped a lot of it, but that doesn’t feel like it’s in the spirit of a Final Fantasy game, and I DID want to see what stories the devs were going to tell. But it really, REALLY bummed me out near the end. All of that said, I found the combat to be fun, found the overall story to be interesting and mostly exciting, thought it looked killer, and absolutely loved pressing L3 and R3 to accept the truth. I laughed like a hyena. (But also justice for Donald Duck.)
9. Hi-Fi Rush
So I’m one of those weirdos who always has a beat playing in his head. Like all the time. Maybe it’s because I’m a musician, or maybe it’s because of my silly little anxiety filled brain, but I do. This made playing Hi-Fi Rush a total dream to me. I felt like I was being rewarded for playing a video game how I normally would have anyway! These sort of character action games always see me mashing along to the rhythm of the music anyway, and I had a great time beginning to end with it. Also? What a great art style! Good job team!
8. Dredge
I can’t believe I have two boat games on my list. Big boat guy over here, apparently. I am a sucker for cosmic horror stuff, as well as a really tight and repeatable gameplay loop, so this had my name all over it. A lonely, strange, and ultimately great experience that is absolutely dripping in vibes. Looking forward to checking out the Dredge/Dave the Diver DLC stuff.
7. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
God does it feel good to swing around. Just such good swinging. But also! Some of the most compelling Spider-Man storytelling is taking place in this franchise now, and I’m thrilled about it. The game definitely suffers a little bit from being “more of the same,” but when the first game was so good, I was thrilled to just get more of it. Special shout out again to the amazing use of ASL throughout. I said this with the Miles Morales campaign from the first game, but I have a lot of friends who are deaf, and seeing this representation done with such accuracy and care is deeply exciting to me. I applaud Insomniac for continuing to crush it with this. Also? Thanks for being an easy Platinum Trophy once again!
6. Dave the Diver
More boats. Love boats. Gotta have my boats. Nah, “Dave the Diver” rocks. It’s overwhelmingly charming, frequently funny, occasionally creepy, and most importantly, tons of fun! I love Dave, I love his friends, I love the sushi shop, I love all of it! The older I get, the more I appreciate media that makes me smile without fail, and Dave succeeded in that. Love you, Mr. TheDiver.
5. Resident Evil 4 Remake
Yeah I mean… if you take one of the best games ever made and make it better… it’s gonna be good. I really do love this era of Capcom. They seem to totally understand what they’re doing in terms of modernizing, but not bastardizing, their work. I’m such a huge fan, and I look forward to whatever they do next. I mean… maybe make a good NEW Resident Evil? Please? Maybe?
4. Super Mario Bros. Wonder
LET’S GET WEEEEEIRD MARIO. I don’t really know what I’m gonna say about this game that other people haven’t already said, but I really applaud Nintendo for this one. It’s important work, truly. Mario matters to games, and he needs to be able to evolve with it. The game is a perfect example of letting people who are good at what they do, DO WHAT THEY DO! We are, frankly, lucky that Mario hasn’t gone the way of Sonic (sorry Sonic). He is protected in the right ways, allowed to evolve, and allowed to be what he should be – fun!
Also, don’t do drugs, kids. Don’t follow Mario’s example.
3. The Analogue Pocket
Okay. Not a game, I know. And also didn’t come out this year. But the Analogue Pocket changed my life this year. Seriously. The Analogue Pocket is without a doubt my favorite way to play games now. The ability to revisit my favorite old handheld games with such overwhelming fidelity and build quality has meant a ton to me. Not only that, but I spent a huge amount of the year playing so many legendary games that I never got a chance to when I was younger. If you can get your hands on one, do it. It’s totally worth it. Also, if you have any Game Boy or Game Boy Color carts you don’t want, please let me know. I’m going broke hunting down some of these old cartridges, and jokes aside… this is one of my favorite parts! Actively searching local shops for original carts has been a joy for me this year. I love this thing so much!
2. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
It’s the best Zelda ever made, right? And Breath of the Wild is my favorite game ever made. So why isn’t it number one? I bet a lot of you had the same experience as me. I can objectively see that it is an improvement in basically all ways over BOTW… but that initial “wow” factor isn’t present. Even with all the exceptional and mind bending improvements made to the first game, I will still never be able to recapture the feeling of seeing a TRULY open Hyrule for the first time.
It’s weird, to know that something is “better” than something else, but still not be able to judge it higher. I’m rambling. I’m not making much sense. This game is completely spectacular in every single way, and should go down as one of the best ever made. But it didn’t clinch my top spot due to my (possibly unfair) emotional comparisons to the game that came before it.
But also whatever who cares, it’s like… a perfect game.
1. Baldur’s Gate 3
I will be thinking about the overwhelming achievement that is Baldur’s Gate 3 for a long time. It is a deeply rewarding and truly fulfilling experience from beginning to end. I may have spent more time talking to my friends about their playthroughs than I did playing the game myself, and I’ve got like 120 hours logged into this sucker. If there was more, I’d have played it. In fact, even writing this is making me want to start up my third playthrough.
Few games have encouraged me, said yes, and allowed me to truly mess around quite like BG3. All within a well known rule set and system that begs to be broken!
Also, as someone who makes their living in the arts, AI and its practical uses in games and other creative mediums have been on my mind a lot lately. I’d just like to say that BG3 stands as one of the best examples of how having real, living and breathing human beings performing these roles in games improves an experience. These characters truly come to life, and feel like your friends. This simply would not be possible without the contributions of all the performers, the writers, and the spectacular performance directors.
Okay! That’s all! That’s my list! Thanks again for another great year everyone, and I look forward to seeing you all again in 2024.