The Video Games of 2023
December 12, 2023 - Games
This year, I'm trying a new visual format for my best-of lists, so I'm starting with the shortest one: games.
I played fewer games in 2023, partly due to other hobbies, and partly due to a very busy family life. The truth is, as I've gotten older, there's a higher bar games have to hit in order to be worth playing, and when I'm not as entertained as I like to be, I really just have no problem letting the game go, and quitting before I've completed it.
X-Com 2: War of the Chosen
I ended last year just starting X-Com 2, which remains one of the best games I've played in a very long time. It's a tactical squad-based game, remniscent of Fallout Tactics, which I loved so much back in the day.
I played through the base game twice before picking up the War of the Chosen expansion, and I think I played that twice as well. I finally stopped roughly halfway through a playthrough, but I know I'll go back to it at some point.
Wildermyth
The premise was interesting: A story-based RPG where you play through, and eventually retire a character. Your actions affect other things, blah blah blah it didn't hold my interest. Shrug.
Marvel's Midnight Suns
Again, the premise was really interesting. The Marvel characters you love, playing out a story, and ending up in tactical battles throughout. The game was even compared favorably to X-Com, which intrigued me. But in the end, the story wasn't gripping, and I ended up uninstalling just a few hours in.
Icewind Dale
Yes - I'm talking about the old Icewind Dale game from 23 years ago. I reinstalled it and started playing. But daamn, it's hard. After repeated TPKs that I couldn't avoid, I started playing something else. I still haven't uninstalled though.
Gloomhaven Digital
I love Gloomhaven. I've been playing a tabletop game of Gloomhaven with a rotating group of friends on and off for three or four years. We often skip three or four months between sessions, but we've got the same game going.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
This is the game that took up the bulk of my 2023. It was very similar to Breath of the Wild, with a bunch of extra features added on. Great game, all in all.
Hi Fi Rush
Hi Fi Rush is a game I'd been looking forward to, as it had been so highly spoken of online. When I got the game, I found it to be another run-around-and-beat-stuff-up game. The timing mechanic was novel, but the gameplay and story wasn't enough to hold my attention.
God of War
I had a lot of fun with the original PS2 games, God of War and God of War 2. I played those all the way through to the end, although one of them took me a couple years, with an extended break at one very difficult point. This remake had excellent graphics, but in the end, it didn't hold my interest.
I'm not really playing any game at the moment. I've got Alan Wake 2, but I can't fire the game up until I buy a new graphics card. I've got Resident Evil 7, but I'd rather play the Resident Evil 4 remake. But I'm having fun painting 3D printed things right now, so we'll see what's next.