Scott’s Personal Favorite Games from 2023

Another year is officially in the books. I had my best year in terms of writing reviews for The Gaming Outsider. Twenty-five reviews may seem like a great milestone until you hear that Alyssa, my co-host, surpassed that number herself. Still, I’m pretty proud of myself. Then it came to narrowing down my top ten personal favorites of 2023, which proved to be a lot harder than I anticipated. Not because I didn’t have enough games to choose from, but because I didn’t finish a lot of games that show up on other people’s lists. There are quite a few AAA titles that I enjoyed, but never got around to finishing. So I definitely have the weirdest collection of games since I started making top ten lists. This is especially true, since 2023 was such a banger of a year in terms of quality releases.

Honorable Mentions

As mentioned above, I didn’t complete a lot of popular titles this year. For the most part, this is a requirement for a game to appear on my list. Sure, there’s one that graced my top ten that I didn’t complete, but it’s there for obvious reasons. But every other one I rolled credits. Here’s a list of some of the more popular games from 2023 that didn’t make my cut, but mostly because I wasn’t able to see them through to the end. What can I say? It was a very busy year.

• Assassin’s Creed: Mirage
• Baldur’s Gate 3
• Diablo IV
• Hogwarts Legacy
• Resident Evil 4
• Sea of Stars
• Spider-Man 2

I also didn’t get a chance to play Dredge, but I feel confident that would have made the cut if I had. Guess I’ll have to add that one to my back log for 2024. Anyway, without further ado, here is my official list of personal favorites from this past year.

#10 – Curse of the Sea Rats

If nothing else, 2024 will probably be marked as the year that Zack convinced me to call Metroidvanias by a different moniker. “Gear gated” doesn’t roll off the tongue quite as well, and many people who don’t listen to our podcast regularly have no idea what I’m talking about. But it’s starting to grow on me. My first game on the list is Curse of the Sea Rats from Petoons Studio. This was a pleasant surprise and scratched the itch much better than I expected from a game about rats. This is one that could have easily fallen under the radar for fans of the genre this year, and I think it’s definitely worth a look. The characters are charming, the world is a blast to explore, and the boss fights are never too difficult to overcome. Plus, the progression moves at a great clip, making for an overall great gear-gated experience.

#9 – Metroid Prime Remastered & Super Mario RPG

Yes, I’m cheating. It’s my dang podcast and web site, so deal with it. In my mind, it doesn’t seem fair to include remasters of games on a “best of” list for a year in which the original game did not release. But both Metroid Prime Remastered and Super Mario RPG were simply too good to not mention them. Sure, there’s not much new brought to the table for each, but it was so much fun revisiting both. Even thought they’re more or less a graphical update and modern control schemes, I was more than happy to add them to my collection. Whether its your first time playing either, or you’re a seasoned veteran, both are two of the easiest recommendations from 2023.

#8 – The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

This is the one game from my list that I’ll admit I didn’t finish. But as one of the biggest Legend of Zelda fans on our team, it was hard for me to not include Tears of the Kingdom. Nintendo’s latest masterpiece capitalized on Breath of the Wild in all the best ways possible. The exploration is incredibly satisfying, the shrine puzzles are insanely clever, and it’s nothing short of impressive just how much content is packed into one tiny cartridge. More than likely you’re already well aware of the latest Zelda game, so I’m probably not telling you anything you don’t already know. This is an absolutely awesome adventure that would have been higher on my list if I had been able to take out Ganon. I’m embarrassed to say I haven’t, but it was still good enough to make the cut.

#7 – Alan Wake 2

I have a very controversial thing to say about Alan Wake 2. I didn’t enjoy playing most of it. Saga’s storyline was great, but sections featuring the title character were very mediocre for me. With that said, this had some of the best storytelling I’ve experienced in a game in years. Plus, it contains not one, but two of my favorite moments in games for the entire year. The team enjoyed it so much, we even recorded a spoilercast about the story from the game. It’s definitely a game unlike any other you’ve played and was well worth the thirteen year wait. If it had been a little more fun to play, I might have moved it up a few places. It’s certainly a must-play title from 2023. Remedy knows how to tell a story as well as put a smile on my face.

#6 – Final Fantasy XVI

Final Fantasy XV was my game of the year back in 2016. It took seven years to get the next installment in the series that didn’t have a seven in its title, but it was worth it. Final Fantasy XVI went back to its medieval roots with an incredible story and the best compilation of voice talent from the entire year. The combat does get repetitive very early on, and it’s much more of an action game than the traditional JRPG formula of most of the games in the series. But I didn’t care. I couldn’t wait to see what set pieces the game would throw at me as I pushed through, and the cutscenes are nothing short of magical. It also has one of the few endings in a Final Fantasy game that actually felt resolved and satisfying. This was an easy choice for me from an art and storytelling standpoint. If you haven’t experienced it, you definitely should.

#5 – Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Just when I thought Nintendo couldn’t come up with any new ideas for a 2D Mario game, they release Super Mario Bros. Wonder. If there was an award for a game that put the most smiles on my face, this would have been it. Every single level of this title was incredibly unique, making it an instant classic in the world of Nintendo.  Although I didn’t play any of the co-op with anyone, I could see this being a blast for families to experience together. The level of charm exhibited in this title is second-to-none from any other title from 2023. I may have had more favorite games this year, but this is one that everyone should grab. Believe the hype. It is that good.

#4 – Dead Space

OK, so I’ve got another remake in my top ten. But unlike the two remasters I mentioned above, Dead Space is so much more than the game from which it derived. The game was rebuilt from the ground up instead of just offering a fresh coat of paint. The entire Ishimura has a new layout, Isaac Clarke has a voice throughout, and there’s even zero gravity portions like in the sequel. Revisiting this game felt as close to the first time as we’ll ever get, and it’s a fantastic experience. You’d be hard-pressed to find another game from the year that oozes with this much atmosphere. Here’s to hoping that Motive is tasked with doing a similar remake of of the far superior sequel. A guy can dream, can’t he?

#3 – Dave the Diver

Dave the Diver was most definitely the biggest surprise of the year for me. If you had told me that a game based on a sport that I despise (fishing) would wind up as my third favorite game of the year, I would have laughed at you. But here we are. This clever title from Mintrocket Games is mostly a fishing roguelike with a restaurant management system built into it. But that’s not all. Pretty much every other genre of gaming is also represented, and it’s a joy to play. This is a game that could have been easily overlooked, since it came out amidst an overwhelming onslaught of high-quality games. But do yourself a favor and add this one to your list. I highly doubt you’ll regret it.

#2 – Ember Knights

Did you really think that I’d make a top ten this year without adding at least one dungeon-crawling roguelike? Ember Knights from Doom Turtle scratched that annual itch for me more than any other title this year. The gameplay is snappy, the upgrades are satisfying, and no run through the dungeon ever felt wasted. As I get older, I find myself requiring a good-pace progression, and this one delivered in spades. Couple that with fun boss fights and the ability to play with up to three other friends, and you’ve got a smaller title with so much content, making it more than worth it’s price. If you’re a fan of games like Rogue Legacy, Moonlighter, or Children of Morta, this is a game you should definitely not pass up.

#1 – Cookie Cutter

I went back and forth about whether or not to give Cookie Cutter from developer Subcult Joint the top spot. Part of me was worried about the game standing out so much to me because of recency bias. I literally finished it yesterday as of this writing, so it’s very much fresh in my mind. But the more I thought about it, the more I couldn’t put any other game above this one. It has some of the best animation I’ve seen in any gear-gated game, and it’s a near-perfect addition to the genre. On top of that, the tone and attitude are like no other game I’ve ever played. It’s punk rock in video game form, and I’m still thinking about it even after rolling credits. It’s so strange to me that I’ve barely heard anyone talking about this game. Don’t let this one get buried in the holidays. If you liked Super Metroid on the SNES or any classic Metroidvanias, you owe it to yourself to put this near the top of your backlog. It’s brutally violent, crass, and over the top in all the best ways. Please play it.

 

What a year. 2023 was an incredible year for games. I truly wish I had time to play everything that I wanted, but adulting is hard. On the bright side (depending on how you look at it), my backlog is growing by the day. I have so many games from this year to finish, so who knows? Maybe something would get added to this list halfway through 2024. Only time will tell.

So what do you think of my 2023 list? Any titles that you enjoyed as much as I did? Which of your favorites didn’t make my list? I hope you all have a fantastic New Year. Thanks so much for being an awesome community. I look forward to sharing gaming with you all in 2024.