With 2024 on the horizon, it’s time for me to start sharing my “favorite of 2023” lists! First up: video games. I didn’t play as many new games as I have in previous years, partially because I’ve become a little more selective on what games I buy and partially because I’ve been replaying some older favorites. However, there were still a few gems released in the past twelve months that I think deserve a shoutout. So, here they are: my favorite video games of 2023!
Honorable Mention: Destiny 2: Lightfall
Destiny 2: Lightfall didn’t match the quality of the wondrous Witch Queen expansion, but I still found myself playing it (and having a ton of fun doing so) all year long. The drip-feeding of necessary exposition was far from solid storytelling, sure, but my enthusiasm for the new map of Neomuna, fun weapons, Strand powers, and Legendary campaign missions still kept this fan fairly pleased overall. Lightfall is an expansion that took time to really grow on me, but as usual for Destiny add-ons, it kept me coming back over and over to power up or grind for a shiny new gun or pair of boots.
You can read my full review of Destiny 2: Lightfall here.
Number 5: Diablo IV
Diablo IV isn’t as much a reinvention of the dungeon crawler as it is a refinement. That’s not much of a problem though, as the landmark series’ latest entry is a damn good one. It’s a hellishly addictive experience, and one that’s even better if you have friends tagging along. The campaign is an exciting adventure that doesn’t break the mold, but gives Diablo fans more of what they love. And after finishing the story, the endgame was engrossing to the point that it managed to pull me away from Destiny for a few weeks. Diablo IV also brings live-service elements to the franchise, such as public events and world bosses that require multiple players to band together in order to claim victory (unless you have an insane character build). It’s a great game that would’ve placed a little bit higher on this list and one I’d still be playing if it didn’t force players to start a new character each time they want to access new story content, or if its microtransactions weren’t so shamelessly greedy.
Number 4: Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man 2 continues Insomniac’s take on Peter Parker, Miles Morales, and lets you play as both of the wall-crawlers in one title. It’s a mostly mild evolution of the previous games, but some changes end up dramatically affecting the feel of exploring and fighting to save a stunning recreation of New York. The most prominent is the new spider-wingsuits; they compliment web-swinging in a way I can’t quite articulate, but work so well that the movement in Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is the first to feel fresh and inventive since… well, the web-swinging in the last game also called “Spider-Man 2.” The combat gets some upgrades too, ensuring that while Miles and Peter are both agile, fast, and reflexive fighters, their personalities and styles are reflected in each encounter. And speaking of style, there’s plenty of new costumes to unlock, along with Peter’s iconic black suit which plays a huge part in the story along with Kraven the Hunter, a supervillain who begins hunting the superpowered heroes and villains of NYC. But man, those Mary Jane missions – although somewhat better and less frequent – still grind the pace to a halt.
Number 3: Dead Island 2
Was Dead Island 2 worth the nine-plus years and four different developers it took for the game to finally shamble its way into players’ hands? Of course not, but the long overdue sequel is still an extremely fun, surprisingly layered and gloriously gruesome game that I had a total blast with from start to finish. The amount of detail that goes into how you can rip, slice, and smash zombies to pieces is genuinely impressive, and the ridiculous B-movie tone from the first Dead Island is often doubled down on in the second. All of that would probably warrant it a spot here, and then there’s the co-op. The fun and chaos are amplified greatly if you have a full crew of powered up badasses tearing through the legions of the undead. Few gaming experiences this year were as insane of fun as watching a friend rush in from out of nowhere to drop kick a flaming zombie into a horde of its fellow flesh-eaters and a poorly/perfectly parked fuel truck. Dead Island 2 is a playground of gleeful carnage, cooperative chaos, and that’s all it needs to be.
Number 2: Final Fantasy XVI
Final Fantasy XVI is a bold new step for Square Enix’s flagship series, stepping even further away from its JRPG roots and into more action-focused, bloodier territory. If you watched Game of Thrones, its influence on FFXVI is apparent instantly. There’s medieval political intrigue, lovable, honorable heroes, vile villains, brutal deaths, and more in the FF /GoT venn diagram. Another similarity FFXVI shares with a popular franchise is the mind-melting spectacle the original God of War games; anytime there’s a battle between Eikons (gargantuan beings that embody powers like fire, ice, light, etc) FFXVI is about as epic as a video game can get. You feel the strength and scope of these behemoths as the world shakes beneath them (often literally) especially when the score picks up. The combat outside of the boss encounters is typically great too, and the game also deserves a shout-out for its accessibility options. For example, there’s a ring that makes it clearer when to dodge incoming attacks, and I found it to be a godsend considering how much is often on-screen during fights. It isn’t dethroning FFVII as the series best, but FFXVI certainly lives up to the pedigree of Square Enix’s golden goose.
Number 1: Dead Space (2023)
The Dead Space franchise is one of my all-time favorites. Its mix of body horror, psychological terror and incredible world-building give it an atmosphere akin to other sci-fi horror icons like Alien and The Thing, but it’s a blend of that can match its inspirations. Hell, it even surpasses them at times! With that in mind, let me say this as clearly as possible: the Dead Space remake is the pinnacle of the series so far. Motive Studio managed to surprise and terrify me, a day one Dead Space fan, with a shinier, bloodier version of the beloved survival horror landmark, and improved upon the original while retaining pretty much everything I loved about it. The new AI director that can change when and where enemy encounters or jump-scares take place makes each subsequent playthrough feel different. Updated dismemberment mechanics make utilizing your scarce ammo easier. Polished visuals give the defunct spacecraft you’re stranded on – and the grotesque monsters that dwell within it – an even more unsettling appearance. From top to bottom, this is a phenomenal remake of a game that was already borderline perfect. There are few pieces of horror media from any medium that can match this unrelenting, sublimely scary masterpiece.
And those were my favorite video games of 2023! If you liked what and read and want to see what I post next, you can follow me on Twitter or Letterboxd and bookmark my author page. Until next time, remember: the best seats are in the Middle of the Row!
Middle of the Row 