MERCH!
Giant Bomb - a website about video games and the people that make them

List of Shame 2023: Twenty-Woe-Is-Me

by mento

Now that I've finally put Elden Ring and 2022 alike to rest, it's time to look forward to another year of gaming. Going to be a slow start to this list since I'm still taking advantage of some free Game Pass for another couple months, but then I'm going to be right back into the highlights of the past few years as I struggle to fit in everything I've been meaning to play. 2023's shaping up to be a stronger year for releases than most—certainly more than the rest of this decade, which began by being hamstrung by Covid-related delays—so here's hoping I'll be filling subsequent Lists of Shame with some 2023 nonpareils in due time. For now, though, I'm optimistic that I'm going to have zero issue finding something to play for the foreseeable future if perhaps less optimistic about, well, everything else going on.

I've yet to find anything better than the B-W-C system, so here it is again:

  • [B]acklog games are those I've bought, either before the year began or some time during same, that I fully intend to start playing before the year is through. Best-laid plans of mice and men being such as they are, however...
  • [W]ishlist games are those from the previous year(s) that I've yet to buy. Should I find them at a reasonable price during the year, there's a good chance they'll be "promoted" to the [B] group. I've once again separated them into games released the prior year (in this case 2022) and those from earlier still, fifteen each.
  • [C]ompleted games are those I finally beat in 2023. Not much more to add; I've yet to make one of these lists where everything ended up a [C]. Going to make a bold prediction and say it won't happen this year either.

Here is last year's List of Shame. Knocked out a third of what was on there, looks like, so that'll be the high score to beat this year.

Showing 1-10 of 50 items

The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero

1. The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero

[B] Priority Alpha. I've been waiting for this localization for a great while now and though I couldn't squeeze it in last year it's my number one purchase priority for this one, ideally before the March release of its follow-up Trails to Azure. I wouldn't be against the idea of buying both in some kind of convenient bundle though.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3

2. Xenoblade Chronicles 3

[B] Priority Alpha. I've yet to miss a Xenoblade, as it's Nintendo's premier RPG franchise (now that Paper Mario barely counts). Not sure when my batteries will be sufficiently charged from 2022's Elden Ring to take on another game with a predicted run-time well into the triple-digits, but I imagine it'll be sooner rather than later.

God of War Ragnarök

3. God of War Ragnarök

[B] Priority Alpha. I had a great time with Angry Dad Simulator 2018 Edition and I'd like to see what happens to the rest of the Norse pantheon (I'm only guessing Kratos kills most of them) with this follow-up adventure. The exploration and combat in the last one was top-notch, so if this is just more of that I'm set. Maybe fewer valkyries this time, please.

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin

4. Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin

[B] Priority Alpha. Apparently this game is pretty good? Who knew. Combining the Job system with a Soulsborne sounds like the best idea since combining the Job system with a strategy RPG, and I'm sure the goofy edgelord antics of you and your bros will only serve to enhance the game further.

Pathfinder: Kingmaker

5. Pathfinder: Kingmaker

[B] Priority Beta. Zero issues running this now, and I've been eager to check out its semi-sequel Wrath of the Righteous for long enough too (it's further down the list). Just finding the time for these massive timesink RPGs is the struggle currently.

Sakura Wars

6. Sakura Wars

[B] Priority Beta. An impulse purchase last year, Sakura Wars is one of those franchises that has been perma-locked behind a language barrier due its uncommon setting of a 1930s Paris. Since it finally saw a localization I've been eager to see what it's like, but I've got plenty of RPGs to be getting on with already.

Code Vein

7. Code Vein

[B] Priority Beta. An anime Soulslike I still haven't busted out of its wrapping. Elden Ring has killed any interest in this particular sub-genre for a while, so if I do get around to this or anything of its ilk it'll probably be well into the summer of 2023.

Salt and Sacrifice

8. Salt and Sacrifice

[B] Priority Beta. I have the F.I.S.T. slot prepared for the explormers I own, so this is for all the many I don't. Instead of removing this should I ever get my hands on the Salt and Sanctuary sequel, I'll keep a running list of the explormers I've picked up. The F.I.S.T. entry will include all the explormers I actually beat. Probably wouldn't hurt to be face-to-face with this little addiction problem of mine.

Dragon Quest Heroes II

9. Dragon Quest Heroes II

[B] Priority Beta. Generally don't care for musous, but the DQ one was appealing enough due to its RPG hooks and many cameos. I also owe it to a little project from two years ago called Dredge of Seventeen to see out the last, big 2017 games I wanted to rank for that ridiculous Top 100.

Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising

10. Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising

[B] Priority Beta. The full sequel to this little prologue aperitif is due out sometime next year, and as a lapsed Suikoden fan ready to start recruiting dudes and building armies I've been meaning to get out ahead of its launch by playing this first. If I can fit it into this GOTY thing for January, I'm going to try to do so.

of 5
Back to lists