2023 might have been a good year for gaming, but it just cannot compete with years 0 - 2022. This is a (loose) ranking of games I played from those years.
As always, excluding FTL, Abe's Oddysee, and Geometry Wars 2 because they're my gaming constants and in my heart, they're all number 1. For now and always.
I somehow played through the original Alan Wake 3 times this year. Twice around the middle of the year and then once again the day before Alan Wake 2 came out. The anticipation for the continuation for the story was real. The game has it's flaws for sure, but the story, the twin peaks-ness and the episodic nature just resonates with me so much. Also the soundtrack is so good that I've been listening to it continuously in my head for 14 years.
Last year I discovered an Abe's Oddysee modding scene that reinvigorated my love for that game. This year I started dabbling with mods for Exoddus and it's even more impressive. The hard mode mod I'm currently playing through basically fixes the major sleights I have against the base game and honestly the only reason this isn't number 1 is because I just haven't spent as much time with this as I would have liked.
Adding this game feels a little unfair because it's just such a phenomenal game but I did play about 70ish hours of it. This year I upgraded from a switch lite to a proper switch that connects to a TV and it's changed the entire feel of this game for the better. It's like a whole a new game again.
On my 2020 old game list I put this below games like Bloodborne, Diablo 3 and God of War (2018) but in hindsight, playing this game on a bigger screen with more comfortable controls... It might have been number 1. Well, maybe still below Bloodborne.
Between Alan Wake, Control, Max Payne 3 and Alan Wake 2 there was a lot of James McCaffrey goodness in my year before his tragic passing which just made the news that much more upsetting. The man had such an iconic voice and he will be severely missed.
Just a fantastic game through and through. On par with the Witcher 3 in terms of creating a world with a vibe. A vibe that resonated with me on such a level that it made me want to literally walk everywhere. I even tried to commit to playing in the Kurosawa mode.... until about 20 hours in when I discovered that the game has some of the most beautiful use of colour in a video game. I mean, the style of game makes sense to have a black and white mode but also the game has such a gorgeous colour palette that why would you want to.
Any game that has "never gonna give you up" in it is alright in my books. Gameplay wise it's pretty 'meh', but the story and characters are superb.
Those Nintendo folk, they sure know how to make a video game. Filled with such creative worlds and smile inducing set pieces. I'm sure there's more goodness to be found in the post-game and I look forward to finding more of it.
Who knew this would be a fantastic Steam Deck game. I would play 20 or so minutes while laying in bed before going to sleep and I basically got to the end... before becoming so irradiated in the glow that I died whenever I tried to fast travel away.... with no backup saves available ;-;
Any game that has "Don't Fear the Reaper" in it is alright in my books. The world of Returnal is as intriguing as it is punishingly hard. It's a shooter on par with Remedy's best and while the story left a bit to be desired, it's still a fantastic Rouge-lite.
I love Control. It's super stylish and is just so much fun... That being said, I wasn't quite as into it on this replay. The remedy quirkiness is still great, but the game has such a terrible ending. And even the parts leading up to it are more style than substance. I can't wait for the next game, but really this whole game feels like chapter 1 in a larger story.
Steredenn is a game I've been trying to beat for nearly a decade and finally, thanks to the Steam Deck, I was able to devote enough time to it to get it done. Thank you Steam Deck.
Debated putting this on my 2023 list... but nah. Discovering Quake 1 and Quake 2 was a revelatory experience for me this year, even more so experiencing the insanely fast multiplayer (though finding games wasn't an easy task). Overall I think I prefer Quake 2, it's campaign still holds up though they're both still great. I finally 'get' Quake. It's basically 90s Call of Duty.
Hell yeah more Rogue Legacy. This was literally days removed from being considered for my 2022 list. Better than the first game, though it is basically the same loop. Looking forward to the 3rd game, especially if the things they tease as the end of this one come to fruition.
Also it's just a perfect Steam Deck game. Pick up, play a life, Put the Deck in sleep mode, rinse and repeat.
How the fuck was this game in the 1990s. A story that deals with some Kojima-esque philosophies of good and evil and gameplay puzzles that seem way ahead of their time. There's a lot of stuff Kojima would repeat in MGS1, but this still surprised the hell out of me with how much Kojima-quirkiness is in this game.
A gorgeous game and a stark reminder of just how far these games have come. Now get to remaking Bloodborne asap
Still the best Diablo game. The hill I will die on is that these games got worse when they became more reliant on skills trees and build optimization.
Just some good meat and potatoes video gaming. It's gorgeous, simple and just a good time.
I've had a rhythm game shaped hole in my heart for so long, and finally through the power of Steam Deck emulation, I have something to fill that hole.
