2023 has been one of the best years for games in a long time. So many great entries, lots of big titles and while a few of them flopped it’s still been absolutely fantastic. While I unfortunately cannot say that 2023 has been a great year for myself due to the loss of one of my cats earlier in the year I can still confidently say that gaming has done well this year, though maybe not in terms of people keeping their jobs…
We had many fantastic titles come out this year, from Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Diablo 4, Final Fantasy 16, Alan Wake 2 and so much more that high quality is certainly a focus this year. We even got loads of really great remasters and remakes such as the Resident Evil 4 Remake, The Metroid Prime Remaster and, a personal favourite of mine, the remaster of Lisa: The Painful. Gaming’s heritage is certainly being kept well and truly alive thanks to these classic titles.
We did have some painful releases however. Atomic Heart was a bit of a flop, Starfield didn’t catch the Bethesda magic we hoped and the less said about Redfall the better. We also saw a lot of turmoil in the gaming sector for those who actually work in it with lay-offs, studio shutdowns and meltdowns and just a lot of good and talented peope losing the ability to make the great games that they worked on. It’s a shame to see, and I hope things get better for them next year.
This was also the year that I finally got into FromSoft games and I must say, I am hooked. Now I can confidently say I have beaten the entirety of Dark Souls and Elden Ring and am making my way through their other titles too. Sekiro, you’re next! I also got to play a bunch of games that I personally was really excited for, from Octopath Traveller 2 being the beloved sequel to one of the biggest sleeper RPG hits to getting to re-experience the pain and joy of Lisa. I even got to experience the wild, virtual word of Hypnospace. A lot of new experiences this year, a lot of fantastic new ways to play games!
In terms of the game I say I enjoyed the most this year… well keeping aside my new love for Elden Ring as that doesn’t count for this year, I would say the game I enjoyed playing the most that came out this year was The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom as that proved to be one of my most favourite Zelda experiences and was an absolute blast to play and enjoy. No, I didn’t play Baldur’s Gate 3, and yes I plan to do so at some point. Maybe next year…
Otherwise, gaming has done good this year and I can’t wait to see what 2024 brings! What was your favourite game you played this year? Let’s discuss this in the comments! That’s all for now, and as always. It’s not just a game, It’s a Life.