Video Games I Played in 2023

01 Jan, 2024

I like learning about video games, playing them, and talking about them. So I will now talk about every game I played this year for a significant amount of time. I’m also only including the games that were new to me—I played through Persona 4 Golden again this year and played a healthy amount of Gran Turismo 7, but I’m not going to talk about those. The list is ordered by when I first started playing each game, as best as I can remember, from earliest to latest.

Metroid Prime Remastered

I love Metroid Prime. A Switch release has been rumored for so many years that you had to wonder if it was just wishful thinking. But suddenly, Nintendo released it! Seriously, not kidding about the “suddenly,” seeing as they announced it and made it available to download the same day.

Metroid Prime is one of the best-looking games of its generation, but this remaster gives it a surprisingly thorough new coat of paint that makes it one of the best-looking games on Switch. Areas such as Phendrana Drifts look absolutely stunning.

And then there are the controls. The original aiming system was totally reliant on the lock-on feature. But now you get dual-stick aiming like you’d expect from a modern first-person game.

Can’t ask for more out of a remaster. And Metroid Prime is just a great game.

Resident Evil 4 (2023)

Resident Evil 2 (2019), a remake of the 1998 game, is fantastic. Resident Evil 4 (2005) is too. When Capcom went ahead and announced a remake of 4, all its fans said, “Do we really need this?” But you see, it turns out we do, because Capcom made a really fun game based off another really fun game. The difference is that this new one is super pretty, lets you move and shoot at the same time, and has parrying. Also, I actually enjoy Ashley’s presence in this one, which I would never say about the original game.

I just love the way movement feels in this game. It’s weighty, but perfectly responsive. I started up the game more recently to play the new Separate Ways DLC and I was like, “Ahhh, I’m back.”

I’ve done multiple playthroughs of the game—it’s fun every time. If you’re motivated by all the bonus rewards, you’ll want to play multiple times too and try to get better times. I have not managed a single S-rank playthrough yet, personally, so… hopefully someday.

Resident Evil 4 is also just gorgeous. It’s incredible what Capcom has been able to do with their RE Engine, pushing it even further on the latest console gen. Dragon’s Dogma 2 is coming out in a few months and it seems like another looker.

Honkai: Star Rail

Honkai: Star Rail is a free-to-play RPG where you’re in space and you can do gacha pulls for characters and stuff.

Honestly I usually don’t bother with free-to-play games. But I tried this game out several times and… it still didn’t hook me!

Don’t get me wrong though, I like the game. I think it’s quality. But a game being quality doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll hook me.

If you’re wanting to play this on your phone, the turn-based combat is definitely a great fit for that—and that aside, it’s pretty fun.

I think the March 7 character is pretty cute. Otherwise… I dunno, I can’t say I like the character designs that much overall.

I feel bad because I kinda want to give this game more time. But there’s just too much other stuff out there. In the meantime, it sits installed on my PS5. And my PC. And my phone. Just sitting there.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

I wrote a whole long post about Zelda that I never finished. Hm.

Well, this game is amazing. It’s so cool that it exists. It’s like they directly addressed my complaints about Breath of the Wild: the story is more interesting, side activities are more fulfilling, and the dungeons and bosses are more varied.

Which, for a minute, had me thinking there was no need to ever go back to Breath of the Wild. However, when all is said and done, Breath of the Wild has its own special magic you can’t replicate. The loneliness of that world, the feeling of slowly making your way through it for the first time…. Tears of the Kingdom has its own thing going on despite re-using the world of Breath of the Wild.

The two most magical experiences in Tears of the Kingdom to me are probably: one, diving into the depths for the first time. And two: lifting off on an airplane I made.

But it is a game overflowing with magical moments and surprises.

The shrines are especially mind-blowing. Puzzle solving has never felt so open-ended. Sometimes that leads to “cheap” solutions that make it seem like the developers forgot about something, but that’s ok. If you want to do it the “right” way, then do that. You control the buttons you press. Anyway, this approach to puzzles has made me feel like a genius in a way no other game has. And believe me. I’m no genius.

Tears of the Kingdom is definitely one of my favorite games ever. I just wish the dungeons could be less predictable than “reach these five points.”

Final Fantasy XVI

The combat in Final Fantasy XVI is fun. Major boss fights are some of the most hype moments I’ve ever experienced in a video game.

On the other hand, I find the story incredibly dull. Which is probably bad news for a Final Fantasy game.

It’s crazy, because the beginning of the story seems so good. I bought the game after playing the demo. But most of these characters are just so devoid of personality—outside of being very serious and driven by a goal—that I just find it hard to care about them. Plus, all the lore in the game just feels unnecessary. The game wants to be a serious epic fantasy story so badly that it spends numerous cutscenes explaining conflicts between nations while showing you a map—yet these political conflicts are unimportant when all you really need to know is that you’re trying to destroy the crystals. It’s a goofy story (not a bad thing) that pretends to be a very serious, dramatic, gritty story. I don’t like it.

But on the bright side, the visuals are amazing. The environments are just gorgeous. The cutscenes actually look fantastic, too. And the music? Man, it is epic in every sense of the word.

But uh I haven’t finished this game yet. I was worried about the game’s story before release, but then the demo convinced me it would be good. But I think my early fears were actually right.

The combat is still fun though.

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

I loved Lego Star Wars as a kid. I don’t know why, but the very idea of being able to just play through the movies as Lego characters sounded super fun—and it was. I got the original game on GameCube as a surprise Christmas present in 2005, and then the sequel came out the next year, and then a year later there was the Wii version which had both games together. I had a lot of fun with those games.

Do they hold up? Eh. It’s nice to relive memories, but they’re quite simple games.

But this isn’t the classic Lego Star Wars games. This is a shiny new thing. Now, if I were a kid today, I would probably think this Skywalker Saga game was a lot of fun. But as an adult, I think it’s just fine. Even though there’s supposed to be more depth to the combat compared to the old ones, it still doesn’t require much thought.

To be fair though, I haven’t played that much of this game. I’ve gotten through two of the original movies so far. I felt like I couldn’t really leave this game out though, because it’s one I played this year!

I like the imitation Han Solo voice. That guy’s pretty good.

Alan Wake

I don’t remember what convinced me to buy Alan Wake on Steam years ago, but I don’t think I ever installed it. And I got Alan Wake Remastered on PS Plus, but I never installed that either (which is the case with most PS Plus games I get). But with a sequel on the way I was hearing good things about, I figured it was finally time to give it a try.

And I gotta say: I love this game!

Ok, the dodging really ticked me off. There were so many times I got swarmed by enemies and died because I couldn’t quite grasp the feel of that dodge.

But other than that, man, the atmosphere of this game is unforgettable. I didn’t know it was going to creep me out so much. The world looks beautiful—I mean it’s a 2010 game but I just like the way the mountains look.

The episodic approach to storytelling they took is really compelling.

And the in-game TV episodes are awesome.

It’s a unique game. I get why people would be dismissive of it today but it’s not that long of a game, and I really enjoyed it.

Have not played Alan Wake 2 yet.

Control

I’ve had Control: Ultimate Edition on PS Plus for much longer than I had Alan Wake Remastered. After playing Alan Wake, I knew I had to go through this one too. If you don’t know, they’re both made by Remedy Entertainment, the studio that made Max Payne.

This game is really cool. You ever seen those SCP Foundation things online? Like weird, unexplainable, paranormal stuff, under the watch of a government agency? This game takes inspiration from that.

It’s a third-person shooter, but you can move things with your mind (you get some other powers, too). Combat-wise, this is definitely more fun than Alan Wake. I mean you can zoom around, make a shield out of debris, and even fly. I also found it quite challenging.

Control has open-world structure, and I think the best way to play it is by spending a fair bit of time exploring the world. However, I was not doing that too much, because I was trying to race through it. This made certain parts of the game very difficult until I went back and realized, oh, there’s a whole other power over here that I really kind of need.

Alan Wake is the only other Remedy game I’ve played, and the two games have a lot in common. The atmosphere is striking and unforgettable, and reading notes and watching TV programs is a lot of fun. Plus, Poets of the Fall. I will say no more. Just play the games.

Actually, I will say, the ending of this game? A bit underwhelming.

Starfield

I wasn’t expecting all that much from Starfield. Not really sure why. Well, I guess partially it’s because, as an Xbox exclusive, I didn’t expect I’d play it. No Xbox, and my PC was getting old. But then I suddenly felt like building a new PC and figured I might as well get a code for Starfield through the AMD promotion. So I did that.

I had a lot of fun with Starfield for a couple weeks. To me, anything to do with space and imagining what kind of civilizations humans might build out there in the future is inherently cool. Starfield taps into my imagination in that way a little bit.

But I also think this game lacks fun, in many ways.

Enemy behavior in battles (on foot anyway) feels so primitive. If the act of virtually shooting a gun wasn’t fun in and of itself, I would hate combat in this game.

Space traversal consists of clicking through multiple menus to select where you want to go.

Planet exploration consists of landing near a point of interest, then walking over there to find the point of interest. Except it’s not unique because you’re on a procedurally generated planet and the same stuff keeps getting generated over and over.

Ok, I’m pointing out things that thousands of other people have already said, I know. But that’s what Starfield is.

I truly was enjoying the quests, though. It’s just, with all the other games out there, I didn’t feel strongly compelled to come back to this one.

For a 2023 game, you expect it to feel more impressive. Instead it’s like… not much has changed since Skyrim.

I think the funnest—and also funniest—gameplay moment I had was in this quest where you’re supposed to obtain this item from inside this big ship. In Starfield I used the Persuade options as much as possible—and I do like that they made persuasion kind of a minigame, by the way. But anyway, when I get to the room where the item is, I don’t really see a way to get it except for just grabbing it. So I grab it, and then I just sprint back the way I came, trying to dodge all the gunfire. And you know what? I made it.

By the way. The soundtrack of this game is good.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land

Honestly I’ve been wanting to pick this one up for a while. It’s just, Nintendo games don’t really get cheap, so it rarely feels like there’s a good time if you’re not willing to pay full price. I did get a decent deal on the game though.

Kirby is a series I do not have much experience with. I tried playing Kirby’s Epic Yarn back on the Wii and after a few minutes I was like “This is boring” and quit. As for Kirby and the Forgotten Land, though: I do not think this game is boring.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land is actually the first Kirby game in the 3D platformer genre, which is a big reason I wanted to play it. I just prefer 3D games usually. In the game, you get to go through fun levels that are linear but have plenty of secrets tucked away for you to find. As Kirby, of course you inhale stuff to obtain powers. And you can even transform into really big stuff like a car or a… staircase.

Visually, it’s quite beautiful, another reminder that with the right art direction, a game even on Nintendo Switch can impress. The music is pleasant. Of course I’ve been playing in handheld mode with the volume not that high so I couldn’t actually tell you much about the music. But I like what I hear.

So yeah anyway, it’s definitely worth checking out this one if you want some simple, colorful, lighthearted 3D action-adventure fun.

Octopath Traveller II

I’m not that far in this one. First of all, the music? Gorgeous. The visuals? Beautiful.

People said this game was a lot better than the first Octopath Traveller. I didn’t really play the first one, except for the demo... which didn’t really impress me. But based on the enthusiasm some people had for this one, I picked it up when I saw it available for just thirty bucks.

I like what I’m seeing of the story so far. When you meet a new character, you can play their first chapter. I’ve been going around finding new characters and seeing their beginnings. I haven’t gotten far enough to see their second chapters just yet. I need to get back to this game.

The turn-based combat system is pretty fun. You can build up a meter that lets you unleash like four attacks at once.

Octopath Traveller II: definitely gonna play more of it.

Super Mario Wonder

I have never been as enthusiastic about 2D Mario as I am for 3D Mario. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I used to play the original Super Mario Bros. plenty as a kid. And Super Mario Bros. 3? I can always go back to that. But with 3D Mario, I just get more absorbed in it.

It’d be cool if I could tell you Super Mario Wonder is the first 2D Mario to get me obsessed with it like a 3D Mario. But the reality is more in line with what I expected. I think it’s a delightful game, though!

I just love finding the Wonder seeds. You never know what it’s going to cause to happen in the level. In a typical game, I might expect like five different effects that are reused a bunch of times. But in Mario, it seems like it’s a unique effect literally every time.

The game feels good to play and I like that there’s no time limit.

The online multiplayer system might be one of my favorite Nintendo has done. You don’t even have to think about it; people are just nearby to help you or be helped. It’s like you’re only semi linked together, though. You can still complete the level at your own pace.

I didn’t love the traditional local multiplayer. The game doesn’t feel like it was especially designed for that.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

I made a post about Spider-Man 2 so just read that. The important thing is, I liked the game a lot. I think I was hoping for a bigger gameplay leap, but even so, the gameplay remains fun.

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name

Spoilers for Yakuza 6 and 7.

At the end of Yakuza 6, Kazuma Kiryu, the man who’s been trying to secure safety for his family—both his yakuza ties and the orphans he watches over—for so long, has a way to fake his death and hopefully prevent them from getting dragged into more trouble.

But, if you played the seventh one. You know that Kiryu comes back to punch a few people.

So now we get this side story to bridge the two games together a bit.

And I mean, the story is ok. Kiryu’s working for the Daidoji. But then he has to go against them! But then he has to fight the Watase guys! You know I’m losing track of his end goal here.

BUT WAIT. The final chapter. Ho. Ly. Crap. That is one of the best things ever. I shed tears at that ending. Not many games can make me do that, but Yakuza is one of them. It was the ultimate payoff for playing through the whole series, especially games three through six. But I’m sure you’ll enjoy it if you’re new to the series, too.

On a different note. I’ve played most of the Yakuza games and I’ve got to say, some elements are getting overused, aren’t they? A secret zone for debauchery is hardly a new experience for Kiryu, is it? Even if it’s on a ship this time. And it’s a castle. I mean that is pretty cool but still. Also, don’t a lot of these games have the plot point where a character is not actually Japanese?

Yeah well anyway, fun game. The combat is pretty enjoyable though I think I might still prefer Lost Judgment in that area. The substories aren’t the best. Akame is a funny woman. The part where Kiryu spends a lot of money is funny.

I’m just really looking forward to Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, though. The demo for that game included with this game was a highlight of my experience.

Persona 5 Tactica

I wrote a post about this one too. I love this game.

Yohane the Parhelion: Blaze in the Deep Blue

THEY MADE A LOVE LIVE SUNSHINE YOHANE 2D ACTION GAME

I adore this game. It’s not the deepest Metroidvania. But I also don’t really play many Metroidvanias. I mean I’ve played Super Metroid. Never got that far in it though! So this is perfect for me.

The art is lovely. The music is gorgeous. The writing is funny. The voice acting is—well, it’s Aqours, so obviously I love the voice acting. There’s even a new song!

A lot of the bosses would have destroyed me if the game didn’t let you stock up on potions to compensate. I think a no-potions run would be a genuine challenge.

The enemy design is really fun. And often fish-themed.

I gotta say, the people behind this game are definitely fans of the source material. There are so many funny references to the Sunshine anime, like Hanamaru’s difficulty with laptops—she makes it explode just by touching it in this game. One of the voice lines when you summon Riko is “Riko beeeam!” You can even buy Mari’s shiny stew (which was called stewshine in the anime’s English translation but here is called shinestew). Of course there are references to non-anime material too. Ruby has a cotton candy attack, for instance. But the real surprising one to me is the final boss. That can’t be a coincidence, right? Remember the April Fools’ Day puppet show thing?

Anyway, I swear I’ll be replaying this soon.

Metal Gear Solid

Yeah that’s right, I’m finally playing this PlayStation game. And I’m actually super impressed. I never know exactly what to expect when I boot up a classic game I’ve never played before, but I try to meet the game where it’s at and understand what it’s going for. Despite the top-down view, though, I don’t think this game is as dated as I expected it to be.

Most importantly, though, some of the characters are utterly hilarious.

There’s some really subversive elements to it, too. We expect game characters to tell us which buttons to press. That’s normal. But if a character is subtly suggesting to look at the CD case? I’m like, what? CD case? Was that an item in the game?

You can look at the back of the PS5 box, by the way. It’s there.

Haven’t finished it yet but it doesn’t seem to be too long, so I plan on doing so.

Baldur’s Gate 3

Although Baldur’s Gate 3 was massively praised upon its release, I didn’t jump in until recently. Why’d I wait? Various little reasons, I guess. One of them being that I was… scared of a new RPG taking over my life? And well, whenever I do sit down to play this game, it almost always eats up hours of my day incredibly easily. I’ll decide to go somewhere, and then I’ll get involved in a battle, only it’s rather difficult and I’m barely keeping my party alive…. Hours, gone.

It’s a really good game. And I’m still only in act one.

It’s a game where somehow it feels like there are endless possibilities. Depending on what you say, how you choose to solve a problem, or the result of a skill check, your story could turn out totally differently than someone else’s.

Now I always like talking to NPCs in games, but rarely is it as fulfilling to talk to people as it is in this game. And what’s crazy is, basically the whole thing is mocapped, so every conversation is super engaging.

Good graphics, good writing, good acting, and the combat is fun too. For someone like me who knows neither CRPGs or DND, it’s been quite a challenge playing on normal difficulty. But it’s satisfying all the same.

Bonus: Games I Played Briefly on Game Pass/PS Plus Extra and Want to Get Back To

Remember Hi-Fi Rush? That game is cool. I need to actually play that game more than the little that I did. I remember beating the first boss at least.

I know Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is a cool game and I played a couple hours of it. Do I need to actually buy the game to convince myself to play through the whole thing?

I played a tiny amount of Nier Replicant. The music sure is good. When I am gonna make time for that one?

2023 sure was a jam-packed year for new releases, but you know, you really don’t need to play games right when they come out. They aren’t going anywhere. Well, probably. If you are inclined to play some brand new games though, 2024 may or may not remain busy for you. Persona 3 Reload, Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth are all coming out really soon. I feel a little bad for Persona, but Like a Dragon is priority number one for me. People who don’t like RPGs won’t be too busy, I guess, except I know Tekken 8 is also coming out really soon, so that’s something. Ah, yes, and the next Yohane the Parhelion game is coming out next year! This time it’s a Slay the Spire type game? Oh boy! Well, aside from that and Like a Dragon, I’m mostly gonna keep bouncing around from game to game until one really sinks its claws into me and I become obsessed with it! Happy new year!