A few weeks ago, I dreamt I was playing Starfield, the first-person role-playing game that came out last year. I had completed a quest chain of good/helpful deeds, and I stood on a raised circular platform in the middle of a busy, colorful city. I looked toward the sky, where an enormous silver hand, floating in space, curled into a thumbs up. For me!
At the top of the screen, the game showed four icons. Three were darkened. Then, the one with a thumbs-up symbol lit up. “WIN THE FAVOR OF THE GODS 2/4” I ran off to find the next quest chain of good deeds so I could stand in another spot and get a third god’s approval. “Wow,” I thought, as I moved through the city, “this game is actually pretty good!”
I woke up soon after, slightly disappointed that Starfield wasn’t really the game of my dreams.
OKAY SO LET’S GET INTO THE REST OF 2023’S GAMES!
Since 2019 I’ve been keeping track of every game I’ve completed throughout the year, AND I’ve started doing annual roundups — 2021, 2022. Some of the games I mention will have links to my tumblr capsule reviews. You do know I have a tumblr, right?
THE COMPLETE LIST OF COMPLETED GAMES
- Horizon: Zero Dawn* (PC)
- TMNT IV: Turtles In Time (SNES)
- Final Fantasy VI (SNES)
- Forza Horizon 5 (XSX)
- Stray (PC)
- Unravel (XSX)
- Manifold Garden (PC)
- Unravel 2 (XSX)
- The Division (PC)
- Kirby’s Dream Land (GB)
- Uncharted 4 (PC)
- Super Metroid (SNES)
- Mega Man (XSX)
- Quake II Remastered (PC)
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (NSW)
- Pikuniku (XSX)
- SIGNALIS (PC)
- Cocoon (XSX)
- 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim (NSW)
- Hot Wheels Unleashed (XSX)
- Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime (PC)
- Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (PC)
- Uncharted: The Lost Legacy (PC)
- Wolfenstein (PC)
- Donkey Kong Country 2 (SNES)
- Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery (XSX)
- Maptroid: Worlds (PC)
*the caveat here is that I stopped Horizon about two hours before the end of the game, and watched the ending on YouTube lol. I figured it was close enough and it’s my list, so
MY TOP FIVE OF 2023
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Final Fantasy VI
- Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
- Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery
- Manifold Garden
MY TOP FOUR GAMES THAT ACTUALLY CAME OUT IN 2023
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery
- Cocoon
- Quake II Enhanced
HONORABLE MENTIONS
I’m still playing Forza Horizon 5 with my boy, and recently bought the DLC on a good sale. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim was good but just not quite good enough to make the toplist. I once again spent a surprising amount of time with Vampire Survivors. Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a lot of fun, but I’m not quite done yet.
DISHONORABLE MENTIONS
The main one I can think of is Call of Duty: World at War, a “gritty and chaotic” WWII shooter that was a little too gritty and chaotic for me. Also, annoying. My daughter and I played a fair amount of a game called Spirit of the North but I think she might have lost interest. I definitely have, because the game is tedious and dull. Starfield happened!! And I played a few hours and said, “eh, I’ll get back to it sometime”.
WHAT AM I LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2024?
Let me just copy-paste part of last year’s: “this might actually be the year that Metroid fans hear something about Prime 4 lol. I’m stoked for Silent Hill: Townfall, because I’ve really enjoyed the developer’s previous games, but there’s no date on that one so we’ll see.”
Other than that, I’m not sure there’s a lot on my radar! But I’m sure I’ll find more things to play 🙂