It seems 2023 turned out to be the year we all thought 2022 would be. But a whole bunch of delays ensured that 2023 became stacked with incredible new games. But strangely? 2023 also turned out to be one of the greatest years we’ve seen for returning old games as well.
Debate raged all year as to whether Remasters and Remakes should count towards Game of the Year Awards due to them technically not being “new”. But the fact that it was even a discussion simply showed how good quality Remasters and Remakes can be.
Honourable Mentions
- Star Wars: Jedi Survivor
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Kirby’s Return to Dreamland Deluxe
Now without further ado, here’s what made my Top 10 for 2023…
#10. Thunder Ray
It’s no secret that Punch Out! is one of my favourite Nintendo franchises. Timeless gameplay in a simple puzzle game disguised as an arcade boxer. But Nintendo hasn’t touched the franchise since the Wii and I’ve been needing a fix.
In steps Thunder Ray from Purple Tree Studios. As close to a modern take on Super Punch Out as we’ll get in 2023 with incredible hand drawn visuals and gameplay that doesn’t stray from the formula that made the franchise that inspired it such a classic.
#9. Goldeneye 007
Will Jesse count this towards the vote? Probably not. I don’t care. I’ve craved the return of Goldeneye 007 for such a long time that nothing was going to stop me putting this in my Top 10.
Is it the lost 360 XBLA port we were all hoping for? Unfortunately not. But is it the definitive way to play the original Nintendo 64 classic? Very much yes!
#8. Sifu
I’m aware this isn’t a 2023 game. But it is a 2023 game for Xbox and it’s simply incredible. This is everything you’d want from a full 3D take on the classic 2D side-scrolling beat ’em up formula.
Sifu has a chic sense of style and serious depth to the combat that allows the player the freedom to think on their feet, shift on the fly and take out groups of enemies all while looking like a seasoned martial artist while doing so.
#7. Hi-Fi RUSH
The shadow drop that took the gaming world by storm. Hi-Fi Rush came out of nowhere and didn’t give anyone an opportunity not to love it.
While I will always credit Jesse with setting the tone on Hi-Fi Rush’s public reception, I doubt any gamer worth their salt could resist this game’s rhythm based charms, gorgeous animated visuals and intentionally cheesy humour.
#6. Resident Evil 4 (2023)
Much like Resident Evil 2 in 2019, 2023’s version of Resident Evil 4 is for all intents and purposes a new game. But let’s just call it a reimagining of the 2005 GameCube classic.
Gone are the tank controls and other cumbersome inventory management issues. Resident Evil 4 is everything you’d want in a modern take on the classic 3rd person, fixed camera survival horror franchise.
#5. Dead Space (2023)
This is borderline. Dead Space 2023 really straddles that line between being a straight up high end Remaster or “Definitive Edition” of a game and being a Remake. I honestly lean towards the former. But it does contain some new content and the original is such a fantastic survival horror game and the effort put into this version makes it by far the best way to play what I have always called…the best Resident Evil game ever made.
#4. Metroid Prime Remastered
Much like Dead Space – and as the name indicates, Metroid Prime Remastered is really just a super high quality Remaster.
But again, you’re talking about a high end Remaster of one of the greatest video games of all time. The visual leap here (at 60 no less) is beyond what most would think the Switch hardware is even capable of. Which is really a testament to the talent at Retro Studios.
This really is the only way you should play this incredible game.
#3. Street Fighter 6
After what many thought was a lacklustre entry in the storied fighting game franchise in Street Fighter V (I will say I absolutely loved it), Street Fighter 6 brought the series roaring back to life.
Capcom ditched Unreal Engine for their own RE Engine, which has demonstrated it’s staggering flexibility by working near flawlessly for a fighting game and they very directly addressed the lack of content issues with V by making 6 the most feature packed Street Fighter game ever.
All this while maintaining the same tried and true mechanics that made the Street Fighter series the king of the genre.
#2. Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Wonder is a perfect example of giving a new developer the freedom to take what was becoming a somewhat tired formula and allowing them to breathe new life into it without straying from the core foundation of what makes a series great.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder changes just enough of the 2D Mario blueprint laid out with the Deluxe games that it truly earned the right to drop the “New” moniker attached to the Wii/WiiU and DS games and fall in line with the original NES series of games.
The two biggest changes coming in the form of ridiculously beautiful visuals and animation as well as far tighter gameplay which eschews the “ice skating” gameplay the series was known for. Wonder has comfortably taken the mantle of my favourite 2D Mario game of all time.
#1. Alan Wake II
While many may be surprised not to see a Nintendo game as my number 1 this year, I’m not. Alan Wake on Xbox 360 was my Game of the Year for 2010 and one of my favourite games of all time. I yearned for a sequel for so long and when Alan Wake Remastered was announced back in 2021, many hoped it would be a “testing of the waters” to see whether a sequel should go ahead.
Thankfully, Epic Games gave us what Microsoft didn’t and helped Remedy Games being Alan Wake back. Alan Wake II is all I had hoped it would be. It took what made the original so beloved, but modernised it in all the right ways and wasn’t shy to borrow some elements from fellow survival horror games to improve it’s own standing.
As Jesse mentions in his review, it feels like the culmination of all of Remedy’s learning over the course of their many classic third person action games.
