We all made it! 2022 is finally behind us, and 2023 is happily stretching into the beyond. This is going to be a year full of promise, a year of hope, a year of enough Nintendo releases (with any luck) to squeeze an almost literal cry out of our bank accounts.
But right now we are not thinking about the future, we are looking at the past. Ah, the good old days. The old days. Back in the day when life was easy and games were easier (because we were better at them, not because they were actually easier, you understand). At the time we first played the test titles that will serve for each of our comparisons today.
Of course, we still return to those games (some more often than others) with the opening stages now forever etched in our minds. There is a strange sense of comfort. We know that game development has moved on and that our backlog is getting bigger by the day, but we return to our old favorites like they’re a pair of comfy slippers. We’re relieved because as much as we love discovering new treasures, there’s something comforting about knowing where you are.
For this writer (hi!) it was always Ocarina of time. Year after year, the first three dungeons are played at least once just to see if the game still lives up to memory (lives), despite the fact that it now takes very little thought to get into it. Inside the Great Deku Tree? I’ll do it in my sleep, mate.
In fact, it’s this absence of thought that makes this even better. Most of us will already be playing An older ring this year, or Xenoblade Chronicles 3, or any other big game that makes big demands on our big brains. Working something out, memorizing attack patterns, or finding a new location in these titles can feel utterly euphoric, it’s true, but the work required to get there on a regular basis can be exhausting if you’re not in the right frame of mind.
It cannot be said that such casting can be said for the games that we have come to know as our own pocket. Yes, the challenge may have worn off as we got older and more attuned to the rhythms of classic video games (wait, you think I need to jump on the boss’s head three times?! Who knew?!), but that doesn’t diminish the sense of joy that riding across Hyrule, entering Gruntilda’s lair, or picking a starter for the 300th time can still produce.
And we’re not just talking about nostalgic classics here. There are plenty of games you may have played for the first time this year, safe in the knowledge that you’ll be coming back to them every year from now on, content with the thought of starting over. Whether it’s discovering the deepest secrets in Tunic for the first time, taking a completely different approach to Triangle Strategy, or perhaps running into Kirby and the Forgotten L and again without Enough
We’d bet no one made it through the Elden Ring without at some point thinking, “it’s official, I’m bad at video games,” but does that feel like that when you restart Super Mario Galaxy? hell no! Bring your deep-rooted endgame moves to early level design and feel like the king of the hill. Yes, you may have failed over 100 times in a modern “new level”, but can anyone really throw Pikmin or fire an Arm Cannon like your can in the beloved classic?
Our point is this: gaming can be a stressful thing, and that makes the pleasure of dating even better. Has he lost all challenge? Who cares? You can feel like a pro every time. Not playing as well as you remember? Welcome to the world of nostalgia! The backlog is already too much without replaying the same game? Join the club! Playing the title for the Nth time is a joy in itself and we can’t wait to return to them again this year.
So what are the games you play again and again every year? Are the notes of the ocarina etched into your brain? Are your fingers tingling with anticipation for Star Fox? Can you clear the world 1-1 in your sleep?
Take the following poll with your most played games, then head to the comments to tell us what it is about them that keeps you coming back year after year!
