You’ve heard it time and time again – 2023 was a huge year for game releases, making the battle for Game of the Year (GOTY) fierce and difficult on websites and at awards shows around the world. Baldur’s Gate 3 Won at this year’s Game Awards, other publications also took the crown Tears of the KingdomAnd My cityThe site-wide list of can do something completely different. But what about our employees’ personal GOTY lists, the games that got us excited, which may not have all been brand new titles or big budget blockbusters, but also fun little mobile games or shooters that got a second life?
For me, 2023 was a year of realignment. Although I still put hundreds of hours into it Overwatch 2 Comp, I forced myself to try and get better at this The New York Times Connections Pun and challenged myself to try turn-based RPGs for the first time. I tried horror, humor, and learning some hubris. Some of these games are expected, some may be surprising, but they are all my top games of 2023 – in no particular order.
New York Times Connections
A few months ago the daily newspaper New York Times Connections The puzzle has had a lasting impact on my self-esteem. Back then, I constantly wasted my limited chances of sorting the sixteen words into four different categories based on their linguistic connections, and it annoyed me so much that I seriously questioned my own intelligence. Was I actually a fool? But after about a week of struggling, I started making important connections (eh? eh?) in my head, and the daily puzzle became a fun way for me to wake up my brain every morning. Now I look forward to texting my sister with beautifully arranged, colorful squares and noting how often we find the groups in the same order. It took some time, but I’m proud to say it’s me links now girly.
Overwatch 2
Despite everything I’ve been through as an open snake Overwatch 2 As a competitive player (who is also primarily a healer), I couldn’t give up on Blizzard’s hero shooter in 2023. Just call me Jack Twist. Blizzard gave us some pretty solid in-game events and collaborations this year, and the new heroes added more spice to the game, making it easier to come back to again and again. even if my rank never made sense. No matter how much I hate it Overwatch 2 and the people in charge at ActiBlizz, it’s still by far my most played game of the year
Alan Wake 2
Every now and then a game comes along that is so vibrant and so incredibly curated that you could fairly call its creator an “author.” Sam Lake, Alan Wake 2s writer and director, gave us a horror game steeped in the fears of a creative, dripping with the blood of occult rituals, and bathed in the eerie neon glow of an alternate reality Manhattan. From the opening sequence to the absolutely perfect ending and the musical surprise number in between, Alan Wake 2 is perfection. It’s a game that will be remembered for decades to come, a beacon of beauty in a sea of sameness that too often reigns. Or more simply, as the kids say, this game is fucking whip.
Halo Infinite
Halo Infinite had huge Spartan shoes to fill, and at launch it struggled to do so. But two years later, the FPS has earned its due, offering a full Forge builder, new maps and modes, and constant upgrades that keep it fresh. Halo Infinite is my favorite shooter, a frustration-free FPS that briefly makes me feel like I’m back in college. The silly physics, the absurd weapons, the over-the-top announcers – it all offers a low-stakes, high-fun experience, like snacking on a bag of Sour Patch Kinder (watermelon, of course). Kudos to 343 Industries for providing so much communication and support for a game we’ve all worked so hard on – now I just wish we got more campaign content…
Diablo IV
This year was a really big year for me when it came to stepping out of my genre comfort zone, and it started with Diablo IV. I’ve never really played top-down RPGs before, but when I saw the hellish, gloomy landscape of Blizzard’s latest game in the franchise, I was hooked. The hack-and-slash combat, the sexy devil lady, the endless search for better prey – it all triggered an itch I never really knew I had. Sure, I eventually stopped playing as other games came out and caught my attention, but the future promise of more content for an already great game means I’ll inevitably return to Sanctuary.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
NO, Spider Man 2 It never impressed me, but it kept me pleasantly and wonderfully entertained for a few dozen hours. Maybe it’s because I wanted to find everyone New York City landmark I stagger from Rockefeller Center to Madison Square Garden with ease so quickly that I almost become angry remembering how many times I was dragged through the city on foot. Perhaps it’s because Insomniac has perfected the look and feel of their Spider-Man world, making for a virtually unhindered gaming experience that tastes like a well-chilled shot of mezcal. Whatever the reason, whenever I needed a break from the ups and downs of first-person shooting, I turned to it Spider Man 2 for a palate cleanser.
Viewfinder
I tried it out first Viewfinder at this year’s Summer games festival, and I was blown away by the wonderful approach to puzzles. Being a very impatient person, I often avoid puzzle games because I can’t brute force my way through them, but rather because of the brilliant visual tricks Viewfinder
Starfield
Starfield is not the future of video games. It doesn’t reinvent the Bethesda wheel, nor does it offer something that feels so demonstrably new that it was worth all the incredible hype it got in the years leading up to its release. However, it’s a solid game that you can get lost in for hours, and for that I’m incredibly grateful. In a year in which I lost my grandfather and my dog, and in which the world felt crueler than usual, I find solace in mindlessly completing silly little side quests or trudging across distant, barren planets. Starfield allowed me to lose myself when I needed it most, to step away from the noise of social media or my own grief for a while so I could return to both half-refreshed and ready to tackle a new day. How Skyrimit will always be there when I’m looking for some free serotonin, and that’s worth a spot on this list.
Baldur’s Gate 3
It took me a few months to get around to it Baldur’s Gate 3 And that only happened because I was violently sidelined by a winter cold that was lashing my ass. But when I started Larian Studios’ award-winning RPG, I was immediately lost in it and spent 25 hours scouring Faerûn in just a few days. By now you’ve no doubt heard the reasons why BG3 is a once-in-a-decade game – it features a fantastic cast of characters that can hold their own Mass effectIt offers incredible immersion, making combat and traversal a delightful playground. The world wraps around you like a hand-woven tapestry drawn from the stone wall of a castle. It’s been years since I was last so fascinated by a game and its universe, but Baldur’s Gate 3 made it.
There you have it, my personal list of the best games of 2023. What do you think?
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