2023 was an excellent year for video games but more so for the video games of all. This year saw many excellent remakes of old games as well as big game sequels from some old franchises and also from games that needed a good sequels. With many great titles that earned their high marks within fans and critics alike this year only the best ten will take the best games of 2023 lists.
10: Armored Core VI Fires of Rubican
Developer: From Software
A long time ago before From Software was known for the souls/borne games series and getting us familiar with seeing that one single quote “You Died!” From Software had a bunch of different game franchises and one of those was Armored Core which had giant customized mechs called Armored Cores. Finally after hiatus the company's mech based shooter franchise resurfaced and it was a glorious return. Armored Core VI Fires of Rubican much like the other Armored Core games focused on improving your mech with different parts that you can customize which give your mech different weapons from machine guns, rockets and missiles as well as other abilities to overcome the different challenges. There is even multiplayer which allows players to compete against their mechs as well. Best of all Armored Core VI removes the debt system from earlier games and instead allows players to retry missions without losing any currency, something you wouldn't expect of a From Software game.
9: Resident Evil 4 Remake
Developer: Capcom
Okay so I was very skeptical about Capcom with the way they were going to handle the Resident Evil 4 Remake which was a remake that didn't really need to happen. After later previews and the chainsaw demo it seemed that Capcom played their cards right this time and created an outstanding remake that does things better than the original game. Resident Evil 4 Remake enhanced a lot of the mechanics in many ways such as being able to move and shoot no longer making you a sitting duck, a parrying mechanic where you can parry attacks including a chainsaw which doing so causes damage to Leon's knife. Upgrading and buying new weapons felt better than ever because you have some new and existing weapons to use against certain types of enemies, especially for doing side quests. Ashley is a lot better as a character in this remake having a much better personality and a deeper interaction with Leon while still keeping her alive and you don't need to waste healing items on her, thank God. Mercenaries made a spectacular return and is addictive as ever and months later we eventually got the Separate Ways campaign following Ada Wong through DLC. While it may not have been the remake, we all asked for it, but Capcom remade various aspects of the original Resident Evil 4 for the better, which proves that someday soon we'll see a remake of Resident Evil Code Veronica.
8: Hi-Fi Rush
Developer: Tango Gameworks
An interesting and fantastic rhythm action game to come from the developers at Tango Gameworks the makers of The Evil Within games. As Chai who is a man with a disabled right arm who wishes to become a Rockstar and accidentally has a Music Player embedded into his chest. Yep, the storyline is strange but it is an incredibly good story thanks to good writing and enjoyable characters. The rhythm combat was excellent and you don't always have to follow the game's soundtracks in time with their beats. The presentation was fantastic and it used music from The Black Keys and Nine Inch Nails. Combine all that with the amazing art style direction then you got yourself a rocking action game that you must check out.
7: Super Mario RPG
Developer: ArtePiazza/Nintendo
Back in the Super Nintendo era Japanese and American gamers had a healthy amount of excellent Role Playing Games but hardly few came to Europe and Super Mario RPG was one of the games that gamers like myself living the European countries sadly missed out on. That then changed with this outstanding remake on the Nintendo Switch. Super Mario RPG on the Nintendo Switch remains every bit as faithful as it can be even the graphics do a fantastic job of maintaining the look and feel like the original just done with a 3D model look. Super Mario RPG had an excellent battle system where pressing a button at the right time will deal extra damage to enemies and reduce the damage your party takes making battles very involving compared to many other RPGs released especially ones on the Super Nintendo. It included some new enhancements to the combat and also you can challenge all of the bosses again for a harder fight. For anyone who has not experienced Mario's first foray into the RPG especially for the people in the UK, they can finally get this chance with this impressive remake.
6: Sea of Stars
Developer: Sabotage Studio
Sabotage Studio, the team behind The Messenger, which was one of the top games of 2018, went on to create a Turn Based Role-Playing Game with heavy influence from RPG masterpiece Chrono Trigger as well as Paper Mario and Golden Sun. It had an excellent combat system where characters take up battle positions after touching enemies on the screen without going to a separate battle screen, it has a timing mechanic with you having timing to an attack to deal additional attacks as well as lock types that you can break to stop enemy moves and spells and thankfully the combat has been streamlined to make it feel modern. It also had brilliantly designed puzzles that were enjoyable and were rewarding from exploration. It had engaged characters and a very emotional storyline that gets dark. Sea of Stars is a perfect homage to classic Turn Based Role-Playing Games of old and manages to implement the gameplay mechanics in a modern way and everyone who likes RPGs should check this game out.
5: Street Fighter 6
Developer: Capcom
Capcom lost some of the great fighting game groove after the controversies with Street Fighter V and downgraded gameplay of Marvel VS Capcom Infinite. Eventually, years later, Capcom returned to fighting on the streets with Street Fighter 6, and it was a return to form regaining their fighting game champion belt. The battle system was amplified relaying on the Drive Gauge allowing for different techniques that players can prioritize. On top of that players can utilize perfect parries to counter attack and get the upper-hand alongside Focus Attacks, EX moves and Super Combo Moves. The competitive online play was brilliant supporting cross-play and rollback netcode and the competitive scene is remarkable with many players using the new fighting mechanics in many different ways. Five newcomer characters like Kimberly and Jamie were incredibly fun to play as the new real-time commentary system where commentators watch the action unfold and comment on what is happening given it a tournament like feel. By far the best new thing to come to Street Fighter 6 was the new single player World Tour Mode which is where you get to create your very own Street Fighter avatar, explore around the world interacting with characters, improving stats and getting into fights which makes you feel like you are a part of the Street Fighter world. With over 3 million copies sold and Capcom adding new characters through DLC Street Fighter 6 is no shortage of amazing and it shows that the franchise has more fight left in it.
4: Metroid Prime Remastered
Developer: Retro Studios/Nintendo
On top of great remakes this year we got an excellent remaster of one of the best rated Nintendo Gamecube titles ever and that is Metroid Prime which has gotten the Remastered treatment on the Nintendo Switch. Tallon IV never looked so much better with High-Definition visuals, the environments and the enemy designs look so beautiful and it feels satisfying to explore it for all the secrets to get the power ups and upgrades. The game's combat is vastly improved, giving the player multiple control options including one where you can now play the game with Dual Analog Sticks, which is what many fans wanted and it is great that the Dual Analog Sticks option is there. Thanks to the new control setup, the combat is better, especially with the lock on system that makes targeting and keeping track of the enemies easier and also uses different visors to see enemy weaknesses so you can beat them. One of the best games on the Nintendo Gamecube got the correct remastered treatment and we can hope the treatment can be given to Metroid Prime 2 & 3 as well...while we still wait a few more years for Nintendo to give us more news on Metroid Prime 4.
3: Dead Space Remake
Developer: Motive Studio
The true definition of bringing back a classic game and modernizing it while keeping it faithful and Dead Space Remake has done that proud and what's better that this a game published by EA that doesn't break down or run awfully at launch which is great. The storyline is enhanced with Isaac actually speaking which allows him to interact with the other characters, the gameplay is streamlined and it features more gore than the original allowing you to dismember necromorphs in many graphical ways plus weapons are given to you through the course of the game instead of being purchased through suit kiosks using blueprints. The zero-gravity mechanic was also improved from the original allowing Isaac to freely move around to designated areas of the Ishimura. It was rebuilt from the ground up well with the Frostbite Engine which allowed for improved volumetric and dynamic lightning effects. This game proved that you can make games work on the Frostbite engine if you actually take the time to make it play and run well as well as proving that you don't need to rely on microtransactions or other terrible business practices to sell your game. Truly one of the best remakes to come out this year and anyone who loved the original Dead Space game will want to check out this fantastic remake.
2: The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom
Developer: Nintendo EPD
After how outstanding Breath of the Wild was everyone was ready for the follow up to it and The Legends of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom immediately lived up to everyone's expectations in every way. While some will say that this game is similar to Breath of the Wild while others say that it is better. Tears of the Kingdom retains the open-world aspect of Breath of the Wild but also added new stuff that were very welcome to the experience. These include new powers that replace runes from it's predecessor, sky islands and depths add more to the exploration thanks to clever puzzles and bosses that will put all of the new abilities to use. The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom not only refined what made Breath of the Wild so enjoyable but it also increased the scale, powers, areas and the story which all made for a brilliant entry.
Honourable Mentions
Neptunia Sisters VS Sisters – Idea Factory
Honkai Star Rail - miHoYo
Lies of P – Neowiz Games
Hogwarts Legacy – Avalanche Studios
Super Mario Bros Wonder – Nintendo EPD
Alan Wake II – Remedy Entertainment
Marvel's Spider Man II – Insomniac Games
1: Baldur's Gate III
Developer: Larian Studios
Developer Larian Studios gave players not just any kind of sequel that had to live up to its predecessors, they didn't just create a big game that gave you tons of stuff that is available to the player to do. It created something that was everything, it decided to base itself on the Dungeons & Dragons tabletop role playing system and it offered up every possible amount of customizable option to the player and there were multiple storyline branches that the player could take which changes up how they play the game either alone or in online coop with other players. The combat is turn based much similar to Larian Studios own Divinity Original Sin games and it fantastic and really fun and has a ton of depth to get into. The game's production quality is fantastic with top notch voice acting performances with each of the excellent characters players will interact with, amazing narration and the presentation is outstanding with superb quality on the environments and the character models. Every moment of Baldur's Gate III is impressive from the gameplay and the storyline that are so good that you want to invest further and further into both the lore and also want to do the next side quest with your friends. Baldur's Gate III was not only one of the most engaging online fantasy role playing games in recent memory but it is also my pick for the best games of 2023.
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