Another tumultuous year has passed — is there really any other kind? While 2023 was a watershed year for incredible video game releases across all platforms, the state of the gaming industry itself—with post-pandemic layoff announcements from major companies coming seemingly daily lately—is sobering. Looking outside the realm of interactive entertainment, much of the global news is no better; in fact, it is often far worse.
With all the economic and humanitarian crises around the world, we at Nintendo Life are doing our best to inject some positivity into your feed. A daily doom scroll might suggest that there isn’t much beauty in the world right now, but we’re sure that’s not the case, and the realms of media — interactive or otherwise — are filled with wonders that help process the reality of a world that sometimes feels incredibly broken.
Obviously, we all live the Nintendo life around here, but we give it a shot every now and then else things. So if you allow yourself to indulge over the holiday break, we thought it would be nice to share some of the non-Nintendo media we’ve been enjoying in 2023. Movies, books, music, podcasts, art of any kind — you’ll find just a tonic handful below which tempted us (and occasionally made us cry) during the year 2023.
Jazz Emu, Star Trek, Perfect Consoles (Gavin Lane, Editor)
The last season Star Trek: Picard it delivered a powerful punch of nostalgia, but also wove in new cast members and themes in a way that felt less contrived than previous seasons. In classic Trek fashion, it took him a few rounds to get back on his feet — and apparently to get his star on the idea of reuniting the entire TNG family. It was a triumph, and tears were shed when the door to the 12th hanger area opened.
This year I also ran into a contagious one opus from one Jazz Emu after the hearing Archie Henderson on RHLSTP. A musical comedy that explores situations that are somehow universal but also hyper-specific (especially for socially anxious Brits), the songs are hilarious, but the amazing melody is what keeps me coming back. Several times during the year, I threw up I am still waiting (above) and my mood will instantly improve. Other great songs include: an unreasonably attractive number about a robot who travels through space-time to solve the world’s ills using his greatest tool: funk; an email scam odyssey; a track charting the awkwardness of finding your seat on the train taken; invention of fingerfull gloves; and removing the crazy pronunciation of the English language. I could link a dozen more. I ended up buying a few albums.
Elsewhere I also enjoyed it Offer (a ten-part mini-series with Miles Teller and Juno Temple showing filming Godfather), I found Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny surprisingly moving, and the best movie I’ve seen was A girl walks home alone at night… from 2014. Finally, Simon Parkin and his I perfect console podcast were great company in the car.
Boy and Heron, Reserve Dogs, Gabrielle Zevin (Alana Hagues, Deputy Editor)
I biggest love after video games is movies, and while I still have a lot to see before I decide on my favorite for 2023, I have to sing the praises of Hayao Miyazaki The boy and the heron. This might be my new favorite Studio Ghibli film. It is an incredible combination of surrealism, magical realism and the reflection of a creative person looking back on his career and future. That’s all I’ll say about it. It is beautiful. Ignoring the 2023 releases, the best movie I saw in 2023 is without a doubt After the sun, which is now firmly in my top 5 movies of all time. Just beautifully tender and devastating.
2023 is also the year I moved in with my partner — which means we watched a lot of TV. I have to finish Succession (I know, I know), but I did finally watch Bear, which — oh my God — blew me away. I had never cried to a Taylor Swift song until this show. If you know, you know. But one lesser-known show also completely captured my heart: Dogs for reservations. What begins as an offbeat comedy blossoms into a wonderful series about community and family. It is unmissable and keeps getting better.
I’ve read quite a few books this year too — I’m a better reader in the summer, though, because there’s something I love about reading outside. But, on the subject of video games, Gabrielle Zevin Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow my favorite of the bunch is 2023. It uses game development as a way to shape empathy, humanity, and relationships. Can you tell I love media that makes me cry?
The real highlight of 2023 for me though? I’m moving with my partner. He is absolutely the best man.
Video Palace, Flanagan, Blink-182 (Ollie Reynolds, screenwriter)
It should come as no surprise that my year was mostly filled with horror. I walk the dog twice a day, so I often listen to music and podcasts. One such podcast that tickled my fancy was a fictional series from Creeps called Video Palace (2018). Split into ten parts (with a few extra episodes thrown in for good measure), it tells the story of a man named Mark Cambria who accidentally stumbles upon a white video tape that, upon viewing, causes him to start chanting strange songs in his sleep. The series depicts his investigation and its subsequent impact on Mark and his loved ones. It’s creepy stuff, I highly recommend it.
The esteemed Mike Flanagan is also back this year with his latest Netflix project, The Fall of the House of Usher. Based on the stories by Edgar Allan Poe, it charts the decline of the Usher family as they face bizarre deaths, the ever-watchful eye of a mysterious woman named Verna, and the tenacious US Attorney Auguste Dupin. The series doesn’t quite reach the same heights as Midnight (which I consider to be one of the best TV shows ever created) but is a step above both Midnight club and Haunted Bly Castle.
Finally, 2023 marked a triumphant return Blink-182 with his new album, Once more… As soon as I heard the lead single, I knew we were in for something truly special, but the album itself is one of my personal favorites from the band’s back catalog. It’s full of absolute bangers, and I honestly never thought this day would come after Delonge got it wrong for the second time.
Doctor Who, Spider-Verse, Dune (Jim Norman, screenwriter)
I would give my very soul if I didn’t start by singing a hymn A doctor who is. I never missed an episode. Ever. And while I always tried to see the positives and actually enjoyed a lot of it Flux thrown our way, nothing this year has made me happier than the three 60th anniversary specials (and I assume the Christmas special too, although that hasn’t aired at the time of writing). Tennant and Tate were fantastic. Davies was fantastic. Gatwa was fantastic. We are SO back!
I’ll fly past a few other movies and TV shows that stole my heart this year with a quick thought to keep this from going on forever. Via Spider-Verse: Yes Yes Yes. The creator: they will sleep. Loki S2: maybe the best MCU project ever? Theater camp: my heart is full. Rye Lane: my heart is fuller. The last of us: I have never been in so much emotional pain.
Moving on to something a little more paper-based, I finally got around to reading Madeline Miller Kirk which was wonderful, and Brit Bennett The Vanishing Half everything was great. I also went on vacation and read Duneso you can expect me to be intolerable come March 15th. Oh, among the waves of comics, I managed to grab a copy of Miller and Mazzucchella Daredevil: Reborn which has been on my list for years and did not disappoint.
We’re sure you’ve enjoyed some non-Nintendo non-interactive delights this year too, so feel free to share them in the comments.
And if you caught something this year that was actually from previous years, no problem. As you can see, our personal backlog far exceeds all the Switch games we’ve accumulated! There is no such thing as being late to the party.
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