Kenny Omega is one of the co-founders of All Elite Wrestling and has held more championships than you can count. He's @KennyOmegaManX on Twitter.
Austin Creed is a member of the 12-time Tag Team Championship-winning crew known as The New Day. He is also the host of the gaming YouTube channel UpUpDownDown. He's @austincreedwins on Twitter.
In a dimly lit bedroom, on top of a Temperpedic™ California King-sized bed, a comforter rises and falls with the even breathing of an exhausted man. In this perfect setting for sleep, the room is still and serene. Suddenly the peaceful scene is filled with chaos as three children approach the bed from the air with the velocity that seems as if they could have only jumped from the rafters. Upon landing on the bed, with elbows and knees aimed for vital areas, they scream out in laughter as the man screams out in pain.
Kids: "WAKE UP DADDY!"
Feeling as if he was just hit by a train headed to Busan, the man is immediately ripped out of his dreams and is ready to fight. He begins to throw the children from the bed and screams...
"YOU WILL NEVER DEFEAT THE KING OF THE MOUNTAIN!"
Austin Creed was now awake.
———
Within the soft glow of a distant barrel fire, we see an obscured figure - part spilled bowl of ramen, part sinewy Christmas tree. Our initial reaction is to call the authorities, but we decide to investigate. As we draw closer we now hear the sound of... loud clicks. Morse Code? Negative, these follow no structured pattern. We're now close enough to identify that this is indeed no crime scene - the sinew tree from before was simply the astounding back development from someone really good at building muscle but also everything else. The loud clicks? Complex button combinations that only a master at Street Fighter 6 could understand. And the ramen... a mane of curly blonde hair with such luscious length it'd have Rapunzel herself rolling in her grave. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this is who we've been waiting to see - the true hero of the story, Kenny Omega!
Creed: ...You Done?
Kenny: W-Whaddaya lookin at me for?! I'm just reading what they sent me.
Creed: Who's "they"?
Kenny: The narrator! Err, the company? It doesn't even matter! And for the record, I thought I... I thought THEY did a much better job for that intro than you.
Creed: Give me that! [Swipes book back]
————
After defeating the gremlins that attacked his peace, Austin Creed wipes the sleep from his eyes and heads downstairs to make them breakfast. The smell of bacon, eggs, cheese grits, and biscuits fills the house. Everyone eats and the kids get sent off to school. Finally, the house is quiet again. Creed heads back upstairs to take a shower, and as the water hits his face he remembers…
Creed: OH CRAP! IT'S TODAY!
He quickly washes off his sweaty bits and jumps out of the shower to get dressed. After throwing on clothes he makes his way down to his basement door. Upon opening it he can see the pulsing blue light coming from below. Walking down the stairs he can feel a slight breeze flowing past him. Once at the bottom of the stairs the breeze moves a bit faster and the blue light shines much brighter. It opens only once a year and today was the day of the year where he could finally enter it. He thought back to the first year they realized its existence…
Creed: Let’s see what you’ve got this year…
Creed takes three steps forward and passes into the Portal of Years End.
—————
Omega wipes off a Vietnamese coffee moustache and steps through the portal.
————-
Both men exit their portals at the same time. They stand facing each other about six feet apart. This all began in 2016. Life had changed quite a bit for each man in that time. Both becoming more mature and experienced in wrestling and more importantly in life. They stared at each other for a moment. The forever rivals staring at each other, seeing how the past year has treated the other. Looking for new scars, bruises……. weak points.
With their guard up, their eyes narrow to slits and they exchange a slow, purposeful nod as a form of greeting. Creed is the first to break the silence.
Creed: “We all know you're on the shelf, but could you at least have changed outta the hospital gown?”
Kenny: “It's only you and I Creed, I ain't trying to impress anyone”
Creed: “Well clearly not, you're wearing the gown backwards"
Kenny: "Me?! Wearing the?! Oh no no no. Real funny, Creed! If I were actually wearing this robe backwards how would I even tie it up, huh? Nice try, you jakaninni”
Creed: “What?!? Kenny, never mind ... Wish I'd gotten you a car freshener for Christmas. You know, like one of those trees you hang in the mirror?"
Kenny: “Oh, you're a real hoot. Those are pheromones making you run wild, Creed, don't blame me for exuding manliness”
Creed: “I was wondering what that sewage smell was. You give a new meaning to "toxic masculinity"! Alright alright, I'm sorry, you were just on your death bed I should be more sensitive... How were umm... the accommodations? Have any roommates in the hospital...?'
Kenny: “Yeah 2. One, your wrestling career. Two, your gaming career. I'm getting a little pissed off here Creed can we start this list already?!”
Creed: “I mean, you shouldn’t skip foreplay, it’s pretty important but I guess we can just jump into it."
[A booming voice fills the air]
"Without further ado. Let us begin the top ten games from Kenny Omega and Austin Creed!"
"BEGIN!"
Austin Creed's #10 - Asgard's Wrath 2
The Meta Quest 3 dropped this year and I’ve been loving it. Asgard’s Wrath is a gorgeous action RPG that feels like I’m playing God of War in VR. You get to sword fight, level up, solve puzzles, and run dungeons. If it would have come out earlier than December then I would have had more time with it before writing this, and I imagine that it would have been much higher on my list. But for now this game comes in as my number 10.
Kenny Omega's #10 - Theatrhythm Final Bar Line
I love rhythm games, and I've loved Theatrhythm games since they first appeared on 3DS. It's been awhile since I've played and I wasn't sure if I'd appreciate this one as much as the others. Well, cutting to the chase, this became my preferred go to game before bed. Consuming some of the greatest video game music ever composed with cutesy battles (between a party you choose and enemies appropriate to the song selection) to timed button presses was fun, relaxing, and much like many entries in the FF series, never got old.
Kenny Omega's #9 - Super Mario RPG
Full disclosure, I've gotta be a bit more critical to remakes from here on. I love them, I'm glad we get them, but the '94 GOTY shouldn't be winning the 2023 GOTY. They had their chance.
Creed: You damn right.
Kenny: What?
Creed: You do realize that this time of the year is the only time where we can find things that we can agree on?
Kenny: Well that’s because you decide to agree with my correct opinion.
Creed: No, its cause you agree with mi…
Kenny: Anywho, I was a huge Super Mario RPG fan back in the day and to hear that this title was being brought back with some changes had me incredibly excited. Most of the original version remains in tact story-wise and the visuals aren't much different either which i appreciated. The QOL changes are all useful and even though I worried about the reworked soundtrack, they did a fantastic job and blew every track outta the water. Oh yeah, love the triple attacks too.
Austin Creed's #9 - Super Mario Bros. Wonder
I’ll be honest. My backlog is so big that this wasn’t even on my radar when it dropped. But I saw that it released and that it was 4 players which means I could play it with my kids. When I turned it on, it reminded me how much I really enjoy playing Mario games. The nostalgia was strong but all of the new additions make it even more satisfying to play. But the elephant power up is by far the best new part of the game. It’s a great addition to the franchise.
Austin Creed's #8 - Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
Here’s a game that I had been waiting on from the time that i heard it was coming out. I used to love playing Armored Core back in the day so to have this new version drop was awesome. The bosses ARE SO HARD. I saw people complaining about the tutorial boss and I'll be honest, it took me like four or five tries before I got him. But, once you get movement down, it becomes a totally different and way more enjoyable game. I do wish that the online had more to offer but the fact that we had the ability in 2023 to be playing a new Armored Core gave me enough happiness as is.
Kenny Omega's #8 - Resident Evil 4
You all saw the disclaimer... Yeah, I know this a perfect 10 game and its way high on my greatest of all time list too. But I'm being real critical because not much was different from the original and we have to give the new blood a shot. Amongst the new tweaks though, the parry mechanic made for some real fun fights especially the inevitable showdown with Krauser. Can't wait for the next RE title!
Kenny Omega's #7 - Like a Dragon: Ishin! / Like a Dragon Gaiden
So yes, Ishin fits into the remake category, but I didn't play the original. Being a Japanese title, I doubt too many of you played it either. There's also the most important thing that makes this one better than the first, and do you know what that is???.....*clears throat*
Creed: Okay, I'll bite. What's that, Kenny?
Kenny: It's me, you idiot. I'm in the game! Yup, super OP trooper card! Play the game and you'll know. Anyways, aside from the obvious, what i loved about Ishin were the parallels to actual Japanese history and how well it works within the RGG universe and its characters. It was the most fun edutainment I could have ever asked for.
As for Gaiden, I'll be honest and say that I think Ishin nailed the story much better. Gaiden won me over with Joryu's world, mini-games, and Castle locale. Both have incredible strengths in different areas and thus I'm just gonna call it a tie and be done with it.
Austin Creed's #7 - Diablo IV
As fun as this game is, the best part about it for me was getting back to regular game nights with some of my friends. This was one that we all wanted to play so it was easy to party up and spend hours playing and catching up. Running around as a party of barbarians was some of the most fun that I’ve had playing a Diablo game ever.
Austin Creed's #6 - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
I tried to show one of my friends my favorite Leatherface kill from this game and they looked at me like I was insane. “You’re chasing people down and cutting them open with a chainsaw as Leatherface?” YOU DAMN RIGHT I AM. It’s horror, it’s tons of gore, and it’s working together as a team to win the game. All of these elements are things that I love. Having a team of three hunt down a team of four at first threw me off. But, once you get into the game and realize all of the perks that the different characters can have, then it begins to make sense why it’s like this. One of the big things that drew me to this game was, and yeah I know I’ll get judged for this, the cinematic kills. It at times reminded me of one of my favorite games… Manhunt. Some say it’s disgusting, I say it’s art. Also, my Leatherface will obliterate you.
Kenny Omega's #6 - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Before playing Theatrhythm, this was my nightly unwind game. Traveling the lush and gorgeous world was never tiresome and there was never any shortage of quests regardless of where I ended up. The combat was tight and weapon breaks just allowed me to try new combinations more often. Gotta mention the physics system... the ability to make whatever you want, power it, and have it react appropriately within your world was an incredible accomplishment. A fun one at that, too. This allowed for a flexibility never seen before in puzzle solving aside from maybe The Incredible Machine (does that game still exist???).
Creed: YOU LIKE THE INCREDIBLE MACHINE?!?!?! I FREAKING LOVE THAT GAME. I didn't think that an uncultured swine such as yourself would enjoy thinking while playing a video game.
Kenny: Come on now, you're talking to the guy who keeps working with my competition whilst avoiding breach of contract so don't question my problem solving abilities, Creed.
Anyway, upon clearing a temple or helping a NPC in need, the game made me really feel like I'd found *my* answer to that specific problem. Fantastic experience and if I'd wanted to accomplish everything, I'd probably still be chipping away at TOTK to this day.
Kenny Omega's #5 - Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Nintendo is the king of first party titles, so SMBW was bound to be at least great. Upon viewing the original trailers, the new wonder gimmick had me chin scratching and eager to play, though at the end of the day I figured this would be more like the previous 2D entries (Wii, DS, 3DS, etc.) I will say after playing, that this is probably the best modern take on the classic 2D Mario style. The level design offers a ton of fun over all tracks/worlds and though some levels may be similar, each have their own unique personality. The badge system is also a fantastic way to add even more variety. With the abilities they provide, a badge can help to fine tune difficulty or completely alter the way a course is run.
Creed: Be cool if we had badges in real life, huh?
Kenny: Come again?
Creed: You know, so you can run faster or jump higher or whatever!
Kenny: I can already do all that.
Creed: Yeah but you could like… do it more.
Kenny: I'm faster than you and jump higher than you. What more do I need? Okay, what badge would you want, Creed? Lemme guess, one that makes you less of a stupid idiot? No no, better yet! One that helps get you back on the top seller merch list? lmaooooo GOT EM!
Creed: [under his breath] I mean I'd take that top merch seller badge… WOW! And I see you’ve already been wearing the badge that starts backstage fights for no reason.
Kenny: I didn’t start any damn fight, but I’m about to finish one if you don’t watch your mouth, if you catch my drift, Creed!
Creed: Calm down man! All that stress isn’t good for your body. Wouldn’t wanna be back in the ER cause of your little tummy ache.
Kenny: It’s not a tummy ache!
Austin Creed's #5 - Disney Speedstorm
Here’s one that caught me off guard. Disney Speedstorm is a Disney kart racer that, at first glance, I just thought that it was a Disney Mario Kart clone. But, after a few races I realized that it wasn’t even close to that. The weapon system, boost activation, character classes, and character customization all set this apart from that. With characters from Aladdin, Toy Story, Mulan, Monsters Inc (shout out to Mike Wazowski), and a bunch of other titles, its cool to see how the different abilities all interact through the course of a race. And the music is unreal. It’s a ton of EDM remixes to Disney tracks. The "I'll Make a Man Out of You" remix made its way on to my workout playlist cause it hits that hard. Also, to me, the racing aspect feels more akin to Burnout Paradise for some reason. Anyway. I dumped a ton of hours into this one. I just wish there was more to do when you were playing offline.
Austin Creed's #4 - Mortal Kombat 1
First off, I would pay good money to just watch all of these cutscenes in a movie theater. The story is that good. This restarting of the universe shows us that destiny will always find you no matter how hard to you try to fight it. I got the chance to play in a MK1 tournament in Australia earlier this year. I went 2-2 with Sindel, shoutout scream queen, and the community there was amazing. Overall a great Mortal Kombat game that you can tell they put a ton of love into.
Kenny Omega's #4 - Final Fantasy XVI
Upon playing the demo of the game, I'd thought to myself, "these guys clearly love Game of Thrones". The tone, the look, the feel, the characters. It seemed obvious. Whether it's true or not, I dunno, but for me it's a great way to describe the game to a FF fan who wonders what to expect from 16. Everything here is top notch and if we had separate categories for awards, FF16 would flat out win some and be a top contender for most. Eikon battles are insane, voice acting among the best one could ask for, bumpin' soundtrack from Soken (whose battle themes in particular here are all God Tier), and a great final boss. Oh, also a great DLC boss fight too. Of course, I had a few qualms - padding, pacing, fetch quests are maybe too abundant, easy fights... All that being said, I still platinum'd the game and enjoyed doing it.
Kenny Omega's #3 - Street Fighter 6
Now we're talking. A return to form from Capcom as of late and the Street Fighter series received some of that 2023 love. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed SFV and wont speak ill of it. I have a lot of great memories, and even some with you too, Creed!
Creed: Okay, here we go.
Kenny: For example, CEO in Orlando when I beat you. E3 2018, fresh off of becoming IWGP champ, getting the chance to beat both you AND your friends.. You should have seen the look on their faces, they were so disappointed in you! Then.....Then...!!!”
Creed: Those are all the memories? You beating me? That's it?
Kenny: I mean, traveling the world for SFV commentary, grinding and growing until finally beating some of the world's best players... All that stuff was good, but seeing the look on your face after your failed everyone. lol. Brings a tear to my eye.
Creed: One month, Kenny.
Kenny: One month and then what? You beg for me to teach you my secrets? Pfft. I wouldn't even teach you how to Dougie, boner brain.
Creed: First of all, I guarantee you can't Dougie. And, secondly, you’re real mature. How about bring that energy over when Tekken 8 drops? We'll see who's laughing then.
Kenny: Oh you just drew a big TARGET on your chest, Creed. At least if wrestling doesn't work out, I know of a place you can apply!
Creed: Target? Real funny. PLUS, it really ain't so bad. Especially since I know there's no way you'd ever be my manager there!
Kenny: Son of a......
Austin Creed's #3 - Hi-Fi Rush
I heard people talking about how fun this game was so i decided to get it so I would have something that I could burn through on my Steam Deck while I flew, which is a lot. I didn’t realize that I was going to enjoy this game so much. Games that don’t take themselves so seriously usually pull me in a bit more because I really enjoy bringing down that fourth wall. So, with that and the protagonist giving off pretty heavy Spider-Man humor vibes made for a really fun ride. The combat in the game is great, with the ability to unlock new combos that give your offense more and more variety to keep you wanting to play. The cutscenes give enough of a story to understand the relationships between the characters without having to pour it on with 15-minute cutscenes. Not that those are a bad thing, but sometimes it’s nice to have a change of pace where things are more focused on the action that you’re creating while playing. Overall it put a huge smile on my face and that’s the main reason I’m playing any of these games in the first place.
Austin Creed's #2 - Exoprimal
I heard Capcom had a game where you shoot dinosaurs and was immediately interested. I don’t know who asked for this or how this idea even came about but that was enough to get me to try it. And I’m beyond glad that I did. Lemme break this down. There are three classes: tanks, assaults, and supports. Each class has multiple mechs to pilot so that there’s something for every style of play. You’re on a team of five against another team of five and both teams must complete the same list of objectives. The team that wins that round gets a head start on the second round, which could be another round of tasks, a head to head battle, or a co-op mission (10 mechs together) with a big bad. Through all of this, your main objective is to shoot all the dinosaurs! Sometimes you get to turn into one and terrorize your opponents. The feeling you get seeing their mechs explode under the feet of your triceratops should be illegal. Plus, as you go through the game you unlock pieces of the story bit by bit. And the story they cooked up was pretty awesome. So, I highly recommend this game if you ever feel like zoning out and blowing up dinosaurs with some friends.
Kenny Omega's #2 - Marvel's Spider-Man 2
Much like the Arkham series, there's so much to love in these games. I've said it before and I'll say it again: This, along with Spectacular Spider-Man (watch this on Disney app if you haven't!) are the greatest re-tellings of Spider-Man to date. Combine that with the ability to feel like Spidey while web slinging or fighting never stops being fun. Yes, some of the crime within the city gets repetitive and you'll foil what seems to be the same plans from the same criminals over and over again, but the stories that deviate from the generic crime you encounter are all fun, rewarding, and sometimes very emotional. Pigeon man, I'm looking at you. Anyway, stellar game, comfortable platinum, and I can't wait for what's next! Oh, black suit Spidey is so fun to play as.
Kenny Omega's #1 - Sea of Stars
This may catch people off guard, but SOS is my GOTY. For those around my age and who grew up gaming on the SNES, it's no secret that the console was a RPG powerhouse. Some of the most timeless classics that I still play from time to time are all on the SNES and the strength of its RPG library is probably why I call it the greatest console of all time. SOS is a stew cooked to perfection featuring ingredients from a handful of those legendary titles. The most obvious, of course, are the similarities to Chrono Trigger, but (whether intentional or not) I also see the influences from games like FF6, Super Mario RPG, and even more obscure games like Terranigma (best non-US SNES game ever, free).
Taking all that into consideration, SOS never loses its own identity nor feels like a tribute act. Its sprite work is gorgeous, and much like The Messenger that came before it, the writing is extremely entertaining and never a drag to read. Also, the music. I praised Soken earlier for his work on FF16, but SOS has valid arguments as the stronger OST, quite possibly. The range shown from the title track, to "The Mole Mason's", to "Encounter Elite!", to "Hills of Determination", to "Duplicitous Wrath 1 & 2", and many more take the player on a journey and help to elevate every fight/scene the player encounters. Yes, this is absolutely the indie game of the year, but the fun of the story and streamlined battle system combined with the music, visuals, as well as the heart and passion that I felt while playing makes this my straight up GOTY.
Austin Creed's #1 - Marvel's Spider-Man 2
Obviously. It’s not really fair. I’d imagine this game would at least be in most peoples top 3 of this year and maybe of all time. Loved the first one. Loved Miles, but it was so short! And this one, it just felt like it wasn’t going to end, in a good way. There’s just something about web slinging through the city that will always feel good to me. Story wise it was incredible, getting to rock the Venom suit was incredible, switching from Miles to Peter whenever I wanted was incredible, and the fact that we got to see so much of Kraven was incredible. One of my favorite things about the game was having the shared and individual skill trees. Rather than just switching how Spider-Man looks, we really got the chance to explore both styles of Spider-Men. Also, getting the chance to run up on fools with Mary Jane was pretty fun. This was definitely a game that I was unable to put down once I started playing it and that can sometimes be difficult for me with so many games constantly dropping. I waited until I had the time to devote to it and once I did then this game became my life. Honestly, with how good this one was I am so curious what they are going to do to top themselves with the next one.
Kenny: So there it is, that's our top 10 this year, huh? All done? Done like dinner?
Creed: Yup, all done! I gotta hand it to you. You were surprisingly well, er, more behaved this year, Kenneth. Is this an older/wiser, let bygones be bygones type of thing?
Kenny: Nah, just making sure there isn't anything extra or umm, any kinda stuff in closing or whatever...
Creed: Hmm... Nope! All done!
Kenny: R...really? I mean, um, good! I'm GLAD it's done! Like, what a relief! Phew! Guess I'll just umm, go back home then... [begins to reluctantly walk away]
Creed: Whoa, Wait a minute... You're not... I can't believe this. [chuckles] Is the 'great' Kenneth Jerome Omega lonely?
Kenny: Me? Lonely?! Pfft! Get real, Creed. I can't wait to get outta here! I got like, a whole lotta people waiting on me back home and a TMNT arcade cab calling my name!
Creed: ...there’s no one waiting on you at home is there?
Kenny: I got people! Lots of 'em! Well, I got my cat, anyway... My other friends are just super busy!
Creed: I can't believe I'm about to say this... How about, I...
Kenny: How about you what?! Rub salt in the wound? Kick a dog while he's down?! How typical... I know we're mortal enemies, but I never thought you could be so insensitive!
Creed: But, I was gonna... You know what, Kenneth?! Enjoy your New Year's Day alone with your cat who probably doesn't even enjoy your company anyway! See you next year or not. I don't care either way!!!
Kenny: Okay...
Creed: Okay, what? Let's hear the snarky comeback! Lay it on me.
Kenny: I got nothin', man. You win. You're right. See you next year. Or...Or not.
And with that, Omega, a deflated shell of his former self advances towards the portal unknown as to whether we'll hear from him again, until...
Creed: Kenny. Wait up...
Kenny: Want one more laugh at my expense before I go...?
Creed: You said you had a TMNT cab...? I'm not due back until dinner and I umm... I could uhh come over for a bit?
Kenny: You wanna come over?! I mean... of COURSE you wanna come over! But, I haven't cleaned or anything! And I uhh need snacks! And ummm. Wow, this is all so sudden!
Creed: I call Donnie!
Kenny: No way you call Donnie! I'm Donnie!
Creed: Tell ya what... you can have Donnie as long as you change outta that freakin gown!
Kenny: DEAL! It was getting cold out here anyway.
Creed: Yeah. I could tell.
Kenny: You know something, Creed. For someone that's my sworn enemy - for someone who I'm supposed to hate because of where he works.... You ain't that bad. I mean, you're bad - terrible even - but... you're alright.
Creed: You may not be the nicest. And you clearly lack a sense of fashion and decency, but even with all that you're still my friend. I could never hate you because of where you work! Imagine disliking someone because they’re able to financially secure a better future for themselves and their families.
Kenny: Yeah that would be crazy…
Creed: Hey, after we beat this game, you wanna come over for dinner?
Kenny: Sure thing man.
Omega wipes a single tear from his eye with his hospital gown before he tosses it over his shoulder. Surely, in his mind, he pictured a cinematic explosion, but there was no such silliness on this day. Afterall, he's trying to make this scene emotional.
Camera fades as a clothed Austin Creed accompanies a buck nekkid Kenny back through the portal. Still sworn enemies, yet united as friends through the magical power of video games.