Definitely one of my favorite city builders of all time, Sim City 3000 expanded up Sim City 2000 in all the right ways. The graphics were better, different levels of detail based on your zoom, a livelier world and expanded gameplay. To top it off the top tier soundtrack is still one I find myself listening to from time to time.
2023 was perhaps one of the best years in a long time with both major and minor releases dotting the calendar. From quality remakes to sequels to existing franchises the results of post pandemic expanded development finally show through. There were so many quality games released this year that it was impossible to make time to play them all. Baldur's Gate 3, Spider Man 2, Jedi Survivor, Street Fighter 6, Hi-Fi Rush and so many more released this year that I didn't get a chance to touch. All good games in their own right highlighting the results of the developer's efforts.
Speaking of development results, Microsoft and Activision would finally merge this year hopefully stabilizing Microsoft's development and release calendar for their games division. Microsoft's own releases continue to have issues with Redfall failing to revive Microsoft's fortunes. Game Pass continues to be the bright spot in their strategy between Bethesda, Activision and Microsoft Game Studios hopefully they can get their development on track to provide some consistent hits. PlayStation delivered some big sequels like Spider Man 2 and a varied slate of exclusives (even if some just temporary). Sony's own strategy also hit a few snags as the live service push has caused issues but their anchor strategy of developing large single player games can also backfire spectacularly. Nintendo perhaps fired on all cylinders to top off the Switch's incredible lineup with Tears of the Kingdom. Time will tell if the Switch successor finally appears in 2024.
Perhaps the biggest damper to the year was the worsening layoff situation at developers across the industry. Embracer's strategy finally imploded causing a ripple effect that will be seen for years to come with game cancellations, multiple layoffs and studio closures. But across the industry both big and small developers were hit with the worst being some studios closing forever. We can only hope that new studios rise up to help fill the void instead of losing the talent forever.
As what happened during the last major industry contraction we'll see how this affects game releases 2-3 years from now. Still 2023 was a great year for video game releases and should be recognized as such.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Tears of the Kingdom does everything a sequel should do and then amps it up even more. While Nintendo spent a lot of time showing the sky areas, it hid the existence of a whole underworld section on top of the existing (but revised) map of Breath of the Wild. While I'm not the best at being creative with the new building tools, seeing the physics interact and the inventive solutions to the various game scenarios is a great reward. Topping off an expanded story sequence merging the mysteries of the past and present which culminates in a much more rewarding ending that its predecessor this game instantly shot to the top of my favorite games of the year list and nothing else this year came close.
Resident Evil 4 (remake)
If it was any other company making a remake Resident Evil 4 may have been lower on the list but Capcom has perfected the handling of their Resident Evil remakes by updating existing sequences or changing things just enough for fans of the original. Everything is mostly intact and even the later sequences nicely refreshed. My only disappointment was the removal of several sequences (laser hallway) that were all added back in the Separate Ways dlc. Capcom had a difficult task remaking one of the greatest Resident Evil games in its original form but they managed to nail it.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Mario Wonder sets out to return a sense of amazement to the 2D Super Mario Bros. series. When obtaining the titular wonder flowers the stages change entirely in unexpected ways. After the New Super Mario Bros series wore out it's welcome I'm glad Nintendo found a way to mix up the series once more.
Starfield
Starfield is a strange one. I definitely enjoyed it more than Fallout 4 yet at the same time there were things holding back the game from being higher on the list. Some bizarre decisions regarding navigation between planets and a story that ultimately contradicts some of the game's core systems. A good attempt at something different for Bethesda hopefully the future updates can help Starfield realize its full potential.
Diablo IV
The core loop of Diablo IV is still the same as ever but still satisfying when you click and the monsters die dropping nice loot for your characters.
Final Fantasy XVI
Final Fantasy XVI is a big departure from the existing mainline Final Fantasy series. Ramping up action at the expense of the party and a story that contains a great plot thread involving political scheming between various family members but at the same time can't help but include the usual save the world plot that takes over the second half of the game. The first half to three quarters of the game is excellent but once some major events start concluding various storylines the game loses a lot of steam.
Dead Space (remake)
EA Motive had a difficult task ahead in remaking Dead Space but when compared to the Callisto Protocol (which I played around the same time) it really helped show that EA Motive had a better understanding on why Dead Space was so well regarded. The upgrades to lighting really amped up the creepy atmosphere while updates to the dismemberment system helped to keep the game challenging. I can only hope EA greenlit a Dead Space 2 remake to help continue what EA Motive started with this one.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023)
Modern Warfare 3 probably wouldn't have made the list if it wasn't for the inclusion of all the original Modern Warfare 2 maps from the 2009 release. There's some great fun in running around the original maps where some of the original strategies still work. Alas, the rushed nature of the game's development really hurt the campaign. While it really acts more of a continuation to the first game's story none of the moments really land and can even be confusing for people not following the ongoing live story.
Cities Skylines 2
Cities Skylines 2 is a strange one. Obviously the previous game with the dlcs is greater than the initial package of Cities Skylines 2 but the improvements made to the core systems definitely make it a superior launch package. It's biggest problem area right now are some of the system interactions are still glitchy and optimization as the city grows. Updates to the game systems also expansion in different areas allowing for some creative building with multiple smaller cities instead of the one growing mega city.
Super Mario RPG (remake)
The remake of Super Mario RPG plays it safe but looks and plays great. The addition of both remixed and original tracks is also a nice bonus.
2022 was a weird year for gaming. It started very slow but with a few very big releases like Elden Ring but then was relatively calm until late in the year for the holiday season. Also development during the pandemic continued to be a problem as a lot of developers have delayed games into early 2023. The new consoles continued to have somewhat slower sales due to shipping and supply issues, although that appears to have been sorted by the holiday season. The biggest news of the year is the proposed merger of Activision and Microsoft. Time will tell if it's completed by mid-2023 as forecast.
As the bigger studios struggled this year with their releases independent developers helped to fill the void with their own varied releases. Also, a few games worked around this be producing additional DLC packages forgoing new entries. This probably allowed for one of the most varied years in game genres and releases in a while.
A thorough look at the creation of Super Mario Kart. Love all the background info.
Happy 30th North American release anniversary to one of the best Zelda games and best SNES games!
Lego games have definitely come a long way.
2021 was a strange year. The first part of the year shows most of the big budget games that had mostly finished development during the pandemic and released in a good fashion. The second part of the year had multiple releases that showed big budget games developed during the pandemic but needed more development time. While the bigger developers had issues, this gave a lot more room for the indie developers to shine.
Things tried to get back to a form of normal this year, from having a digital only E3 to major releases for all the big franchises (although some worked better than others). But, there were also some things that were not normal like the reminder of the abuse scandals at several major developers to ongoing supply shortages for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles.
It also goes without saying that it was a major year for GiantBomb as well with the departure of 3 of the main staffers. Thanks for all the fun and memories Vinny, Alex and Brad!
 | 1. Age of Empires IV I'm so happy Age of Empires IV shows that real time strategy games can exist in the modern gaming era. The amount of work that went into the campaign made me particularly happy. History channel style full motion video cinematics between missions that both setup the missions and provide brief teaching moments for their related civilizations. Each campaign also emphasizes and encourages the user to play in different ways. From raiding and pillaging as the Mongols, building up the palisades of the kremlin in Moscow to fighting multiple civil wars as the English the campaigns are great at teaching different game strategies but learning history as well. |
 | 2. Resident Evil Village Resident Evil Village is a different beast. Village ramps up the action with a little less focus on the creeping horror (outside of a marionette sequence). The game moves quickly between different types of horror and scenarios with none of them overstaying their welcome. Well polished and executed, Resident Evil Village definitely perfects the new first person Resident Evil style. |
 | 3. Hitman 3 Hitman 3 finishes the trilogy started with the Hitman reboot in 2016. The most polished of the Hitman games, Hitman 3 also mixes up the formula by playing with how stages are done. From a murder mystery to opening a stage with no objectives and slowly revealing them as the story progresses, Hitman 3 isn't afraid to mix up the formula established in the previous 2 games. The only thing preventing the game from ranking higher is the final stage puts story first but is too linear for a series that usually emphasizes relatively open and imaginative gameplay. |
 | 4. Unpacking For as stressful and crazy 2021 was, Unpacking was a breath of fresh air for the usual action games that generally populate the last quarter of game releases. The thing that make unpacking work is the behind the scenes story as the years change. From seeing which items make it to the next sequence and those left behind, there's something fun about discovering what has changed and what hasn't as time passes. The puzzle of placing every item in its place is equally satisfying especially in the later chapters as the story comes together. |
 | 5. Halo Infinite While releasing a year later than planned Halo Infinite proves the old addage, "A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad." The game the Halo formula and manages to mostly successfully reboot the Halo sequels after the ending of the first major arc in Halo 3. Jettisoning the bloated story of the sequels for a more focused plotline helped narrow the focus of the overly convoluted story arc. Adding a medium sized open world segment and a grapple hook help shake up the formula but best of all, it still plays and feels like traditional Halo despite the additions. |
 | 6. Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Guardians of the Galaxy came out of a middling E3 presentation to pleasantly surprise me with a solid game. The story is probably the strongest point giving some characters like Drax a very complex arc when compared to the movies. The game also looks great with the team as Eidos Montreal really playing up the alien-ness and presenting colorful and unique worlds. |
 | 7. The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles I didn't realize how much I missed Ace Attorney until I started playing The Great Ace Attorney. Ditching the modern day for a steampunk aesthetic, the change in era helps Great Ace Attorney stand out from the older games. Not as flashy as some of the other games on the list, Great Ace Attorney shows that solving a good mystery is always fun. |
 | 8. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart Rift Apart is a solid addition to the Ratchet and Clank series. Looks great and plays well, Rift Apart is a great showcase for what the PlayStation 5 is capable of. |
 | 9. Dorfromantik Dorfromantik is a chill tile based city/countryside builder. Matching edges to expand cities, forests and farms the game is simple to understand but difficult to master. A great game to unwind the day with. |
 | 10. Metroid Dread 2D Metroid is back and a fun adventure. Metroid Dread doesn't really do anything super new outside of some chase/stealth segments with E.M.M.I robots (that kind of got annoying by the end) but the core of exploring and unlocking new upgrades remains as compelling and fun as ever. |
 | 11. Super Mario 3D World The 2021 re-release of Super Mario 3D World included a mini campaign called Bowser's Fury. Bowser's Fury gives a sneak peak as to how an open-ish world 3D Mario game would work. If the bonus mode had been a little longer Bowser's Fury could have been easily made the top ten. |
 | 12. ActRaiser Renaissance If someone told me that an updated or remake of Actraiser (an almost 30 year old game) would be released in 2021 I would have never believed it. While not every change worked Renaissance does attempt to update the game by adding more action sequences and a new world. Getting Yuzo Koshiro to do both a Super Famicom and orchestral soundtrack is the best bonus. |
Everything you ever wanted to know about how a game of the year list is constructed. Should be making my own list soon.
I remember reading about Grand Theft Auto 3 in Electronic Gaming Monthly and renting it when it released for the PlayStation 2. It seemingly came out of nowhere (in the same year as the release of Metal Gear Solid 2 no less) and absolutely blew me away. It changed the perception of what an open world game was and what you could do in it. While the series has been stuck with GTA V seemingly forever, I sure hope the next one lives up to my expectation.
A series that truly stood the test of time.
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