Hello, this is Evil Uno.
What city am I in again? Who knows? I’m writing this from an airport lounge. This is appropriate because this is where I’ve done most of my gaming in 2023, not specifically this airport lounge, but you get it. Shout out to you, portable gaming devices! You’re the real heroes.
This was an exceptional year for video games. I feel like I’ve done an abnormally large amount of gaming this year, yet I still didn’t have enough time for some of the larger titles I know would have ultimately made this list. Such is life. I play by my own rules, so you can expect my list will follow in the same vein. Before I get started on my top 10 of the year, here are a few honorable mentions that I don’t care to elaborate on: Case of The Golden Idle DLC, Slay the Princess, Humanity, Dredge, and Master Detective Archives: RAIN CODE.
10. AEW Fight Forever
I like this game. I played a ton of this (obviously due to work) and really enjoyed playing it side-by-side with my fellow wrestlers who were also raised on this style of engine. I don’t want to seem disingenuous, so I’ll end it with this: Where is Evil Uno?
9. Fortnite
I’m ashamed by how much Fortnite I have played this year. I’d be even more ashamed if I told you how much money I’ve spent on it in 2023. I once considered Fortnite a “children’s game” that didn’t interest me, but at some point this year, it clicked. You never have a problem finding a game. You get a constant flow of rewards (if you have Fortnite Crew). It’s mostly free. The basic loop is very fun. Occasionally, you’ll feel like the best gamer to ever live. And yeah, you can be Michael Myers and make him do the worm. It rules.
8. Risk Of Rain Returns
I got really addicted to Risk of Rain 2, but even more so its soundtrack. Returns is a more polished and updated version of the original Risk of Rain featuring a bunch of new music. Same gameplay loop as always, but a new coat of paint. It’s the game I am slowly chipping away at on my flights and I’m sure I’ll still be playing it well into 2024.
7. Chants of Sennaar
I love deductive games and my favorite one this year was Chants of Sennaar. It’s a quick 5 to 6-hour experience where you have to decipher languages to solve puzzles. Example: an NPC screams weird symbols at you that you can’t decipher. A few minutes later, you recognize one of the symbols on a potion shop sign. Maybe the NPC is talking about potions? It sounds simple enough, but it was pretty challenging in the second half of the game when they started implementing a multitude of different languages. A really refreshing game in a sea of 30+ hour games.
6. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
I thought this was going to be my game of the year. Hell, while I was playing it, I boldly claimed it was the best game ever. I don’t know if that’s really the case, but I think the game really made the best out of the first iteration’s map, essentially tripling it in size and filling it up with wild new puzzles and new mechanics. Much like the first one, I loved exploring the lands, discovering new locations and characters. The one thing I really wanted to love was the building mechanic, but I just sucked at it so much. It didn’t stop me from enjoying the couple months watching crazy mech suits, spaceships, wild vehicles, and fire-shooting penises (can I say penises? Dongs?) that flooded social media. Also, this game really made me feel some genuine emotions. The Master Sword thing? Damn.
5. Resident Evil 4
I’m pretty sure I’ve admitted to this in a previous Giant Bomb list, but I was a scaredy cat when much younger and didn’t play a ton of Resident Evil. I’m loving Capcom’s approach to remaking all of their classics so that newer players can enjoy them without having to go through the janky controls or finding a disk that isn’t heavily scratched. I played a good portion of RE4 previously, it was one of the few Resident Evil games I had played up until my newfound love of the series when Resident Evil 7 was released. I got to the Regenerators, never understood how to best them and walked away. Well, I figured it out and beat those jerks in 2023! This is another incredibly clean remake from Capcom and I hope they give all their classics this treatment. Dino Crisis, please?
4. Cocoon
The audio design in this game is something else. I guess I had the right kind of headphones while playing it because it really resonated with me. Everything in this game is alien in nature: the creatures, the ambient noises, and the very core puzzle mechanic that the game is based on. All of it can be played with nothing but a joystick and a single button. This was another 5 to 6-hour game that left me wanting more.
3. Pikmin 4
This is Uno’s very first Pikmin. Are they all this good? I don’t know what it is exactly that I loved about this, maybe I just enjoy collecting things? I found the game to be very laid-back and relaxing. It’s one of the only games on this list that I truly completed in its entirety.
2. Super Mario Bros. Wonder
I was a bit leery how this game would turn out, to be honest with you Giant Bomb readers. I thought I’d had my fill of 2D Mario games, but this one really hit the spot. New mechanics are constantly thrown at you from one level to the next, including mid-level transformations that dramatically change the type of platforming you do. There’s an insane amount of variety and none of it overstays its welcome. The sheer amount of customization that you can do with the badges is pretty remarkable; if you have an issue with a specific level, there’s likely a badge that can help you get through it and keep the game moving forward. I haven’t even finished the game yet because I’ve convinced myself I need to perfect each level before the conclusion. I’m slowly taking it one plane ride at a time because I don’t want it to end.
1. Alan Wake II
This is my game of the year. Remedy does it again. I want to gush for multiple paragraphs, but I just don’t think my writing can do it justice. This game is overflowing with passion. You can tell the team had a singular vision and they never strayed from it. Which, I think, is what makes this game so special.
The game is filled with multimedia content, be it in the form of radio broadcasts, in-game commercials, written manuscript pages, or incredible music, all of it written with the same passion, and all of it supporting this wild narrative that they’ve weaved. The story is a battle between what is fiction and what is real, and it attacks these themes with every single piece of content it throws at you. Here’s an example: Alex Casey is an FBI agent who is a real person that Alan Wake used to model into “Alex Casey” the fictional detective character in his books. On the other hand, Alex Casey is also obviously a play on Max Payne, a character from previous Remedy games. Things get even more complicated when you realize that the actor playing Casey is the one Max Payne is based on. Oh, and he is also Sam Lake, the real-life writer and director of the game itself.
We won’t even discuss the very impressive feat of connecting a multitude of games within the Remedy universe. It’s a game that isn’t afraid to get weird, be self-indulgent, but it doesn’t hold you by the hand either. The game also utilizes full motion video in ways I’ve never seen before; there’s a level midway through that is predominantly FMV and I am never EVER going to forget it. It would stick out like a sore thumb in any other game, but Alan Wake, it’s just another part of the overall fever dream you are partaking in. This game may go down as my favorite survival horror game of all time. It’s stunning, it’s hilarious, it’s horrifying, it’s challenging, it’s confusing, it’s genius, it’s my game of the year. Oh, and the soundtrack absolutely rips. Show me the champion of light, I’ll show you the herald of darkneeeeesssss!
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