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majormitch

Playing FF7 Rebirth is giving me the Bad Thought of replaying other FF games.

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GOTY 2023

2023 was the first year in a long time where I struggled to keep up with all the new releases I wanted to play, and ultimately didn’t get to everything by the end of the year. Some of that was personal circumstance, but most of it was because, well, a whole lot of very good video games came out this year. Too many, perhaps! On top of that, many of them were very long; we’ve seen the average length of games slowly but surely increase over the past decade (particularly at the AAA level), and we may have reached a point where they are too long for my tastes. All of that said, even if I won’t play some of 2023’s finest until 2024 (or later), I still managed to play a lot of excellent games this year. Certainly more than the 10 on this list, but narrowing it down to these favorites was a cathartic exercise I continue to enjoy doing each year. It was a strong, competitive year for video game releases by any measure, which feels nice to say after a couple of slower years. Turns out video games are still good!

With that, here are my top 10 video games of 2023. Here’s hoping for more great games in 2024, and more importantly, for improved working conditions and less layoffs for the people who make them. Thank you for reading, and I hope you have a splendid day.

List items

  • Well, well, well. If you had told me at the start of the year that a 100+ hour epic was going to sit at the top of this list, I might have believed you; but I never would have never guessed it to be Baldur’s Gate 3. It’s a sprawling journey that, at times, threatens to crumble under its own weight, and is so dense that it’s hard to succinctly describe what makes it so special. But I’ll try anyway. First, while a video game may never be quite as flexible as pen-and-paper RPGs, Baldur’s Gate 3 is by far the biggest and best step in that direction among any I’ve played. It serves as an effective and reactive DM, dutifully keeping track of every little decision and action that players make, while providing the systems and tools to encourage creative play. It rarely says “no” to any idea you may have, both in and out of combat, making it perhaps the truest “role-playing” video game I’ve experienced. Such freedom means that no two playthroughs will be the same, and like the best D&D campaigns, it grants the feeling that anything could happen at any time. It’s kind of magical.

    Second, the narrative trappings of Baldur’s Gate 3 hit me in a way I could have never anticipated, and I still reflect on my journey months later. It’s full of memorable moments that can twist and turn in all sorts of directions, yet somehow maintain a clear thematic consistency; it’s a powerfully real tale about surviving in a harsh world that fails to see the basic humanity of its citizens. What’s more, it’s brought to life through poignant writing, tremendous voice performances, and an all-time cast of dynamic characters that rivals any game's I’ve played. Baldur’s Gate 3 had me cheering one moment, in tears the next, and then laughing at the audacity of it all. And it’s all the more impactful because of the role I got to play in it. The original promise of pen-and-paper RPGs was to provide a canvas for us to play within fantastical and compelling worlds, and participate in our own player-driven stories. With Baldur’s Gate 3, that promise has been realized in video game form to a degree I once thought impossible. It’s a brave, beautiful game, and easily my favorite of the year.

  • Pikmin 4 can feel like a “best of” amalgamation of the series. Like Pikmin 3, it’s streamlined to perfection, creating a satisfying loop that always had me eager to play one more day. Like Pikmin 2, it eschews a day limit in favor of massive underground caves full of tricky puzzles and devious enemies. And in perhaps my favorite surprise, it includes a bonus challenge that is basically the original Pikmin crammed inside of Pikmin 4. It also sports every color of Pikmin that’s previously existed, which combine with the new types in exciting ways to open up all sorts of possibilities. To top it all off, Pikmin 4 then adds some worthwhile new tricks of its own: it looks better than ever, it’s fun to unlock persistent upgrades, the dandori challenges push the mechanics to their limits, and Oatchi is simply a delight. Pikmin 4 is the most Pikmin game to date, and as a fan of the series since the start, I couldn't be happier with it.

  • The more I reflect on Chants of Sennaar, the more taken I am by it. Deciphering its multiple languages is a real joy; not only is it fun to think about how different languages are constructed, but the slick UI makes piecing things together buttery smooth. That core mechanic by itself is a highly novel and rewarding game idea, yet the way it’s supported by everything else only elevates it. This is a game about communication in all aspects of its design, from puzzling together what words mean, to the beautiful art and visual touches that convey just as much as words, to a story about different peoples trying to reconnect with one another. Chants of Sennaar is such an elegant mix of mechanical and narrative ambitions, and stands as one of the most uniquely cohesive gaming experiences I’ve had in a while.

  • Tears of the Kingdom is a technical marvel. It expands the already gargantuan map from Breath of the Wild, layers on all sorts of complicated physics interactions, and somehow runs on the aging Switch with only minor performance issues or bugs. That might be the most impressive thing about this game, which has plenty of impressive aspects: Ultrahand produces a seemingly limitless sandbox for creating your own devices, the sheer number of diverse activities distributed throughout the world are enticing, and the art and music remain wonderful -- peaking in a few exceptionally choreographed cutscenes. I may be one of the seven people who doesn't like Tears of the Kingdom as much as its revolutionary predecessor, yet I still had a grand time revisiting this magical version of Hyrule.

  • The original Resident Evil 4 rests on a short list of games I could call my favorite of all time, and while the remake doesn’t reach those same heights for me, it’s still an excellent action game I had a blast playing. It maintains many of the original’s best qualities – the breakneck pacing, killer set pieces, diverse enemies and encounters, robust weapons, and meaningful upgrades – while also making enough of its own changes and additions to keep me, as someone who has played that game to death, on my toes. I really appreciate that Resident Evil 4 subverted my expectations to carve out its own identity, and it feels as much like a fresh, new game as it does a by-the-numbers remake. So even if it could never replace the original, it stands alongside it as another stellar version of a true classic.

  • Every single aspect of Cocoon feels intentional and polished. The absorbing art style and ominous sound design lend it a bold and effective atmosphere. The clean UI, simple control scheme, and crisp pacing make it a joy to play throughout. And the puzzles themselves are universally clever with surprisingly robust mechanics, able to escalate and permute in intuitive ways to produce meaningful depth without overcomplicating things. Like many of my favorite games, Cocoon does a lot with a little, and it also inspires the kind of mind-expanding eureka moments that the best puzzle games can. Cocoon is a tight adventure that accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do, and left me feeling like I had experienced a complete vision.

  • Pour one out for Mimimi, who’s closing up shop in the wake of Shadow Gambit’s release. But what a way to go out: they’ve clearly mastered their craft, and showcase all their domain expertise in this real-time tactics smorgasbord. Its more open-ended approach encourages the use of different crewmates regularly, which expertly promotes creative problem solving. It’s a delight to be in the thick of things, staring at a map and thinking about how to use a unique combination of wild abilities to find a way through. The result is a seemingly endless well of tactical stealth options, built on a strong foundation of core mechanics that remain as fun as ever, and UI that has been honed to perfection. Thanks for everything, Mimimi.

  • Did Dead Space need a remake? Probably not, but I'm still glad we got one. While the original was a technical showpiece in its day, this new version truly shines on modern hardware: the enhanced lighting and sound design elevate the atmosphere and tension in ways the Xbox 360 simply could not do. Combined with some welcome quality of life improvements and smart tweaks to a handful of set pieces, it’s a noticeable facelift for an all-time favorite. And of course, it still plays immaculately well, and remains one of the best action horror games I’ve played. It’s a great reminder of why Dead Space was so beloved in the first place, and in a year stacked with remakes, this one benefits more than most from 2023’s advancements.

  • We’ve seen a number of solid throwbacks to the glory days of 16-bit JRPGs lately, and Sea of Stars is a strong example of why that remains a worthwhile pursuit. It immediately stands out due to its bold presentation; the gorgeous artwork brings its colorful world to life, and the varied soundtrack is as catchy as it is moving. There’s some real substance to the combat too, particularly during its exciting boss battles, and the adventure is further filled out with diverse areas to explore, lots of secrets to find, and a story that manages to balance both silly and heartfelt moments with the same ease its ancestors once did. Sea of Stars could have felt derivative for the type of game it is, but it executes well enough to still work today.

  • The Talos Principle was a highly engaging mix of 3D spatial puzzles and light philosophical musings, and this ambitious sequel dramatically expands its scope in all directions. The puzzles remain absolutely top-notch, and I especially appreciate how each zone introduces and then fully explores its own new mechanic. This keeps the game fresh through its hefty runtime, and it’s further fleshed out with interesting lore and thoughtful questions as you converse with the game’s diverse cast of characters. They all have different hopes and fears about the future of civilization, and even if it can lay it on a bit thick at times, The Talos Principle 2 comes across as sincere in its concern for humanity.
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