Dylan's Top 10 Games of 2023
2023 was a weird gaming year for me (I feel like I’ve been saying that every year.) With free time being the most limited I’ve ever had it be between work and school, I found myself enjoying the shorter, tighter games more than I did most of the large open-ended games that I normally would enjoy. Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name being a shorter Like a Dragon game compared to the mainline series? Perfect. Meanwhile, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom ended up falling off my list because of how much time I was unable to commit to it while in past years it would’ve easily been my game of the year.
Enough of that, though. Let’s get into the games!
Honorable Mentions
Like a Dragon: Ishin!
Getting the opportunity to play a previously Japan-only release was exciting! Seeing all of my favorite characters from the Yakuza series in a completely different time period and different (but still fitting) characters was fun, but it felt more like playing through a well-written fanfic than it did a mainline entry to the series. Either way, I’m here for whatever RGG puts out at this point.
Pikmin 4
After Pikmin 3 took a bit of a departure from 1 and 2, it was fun to get back to more of the “roots” of Pikmin! My main gripe with the game is that it starts to get more annoying than difficult as you get later and later into it, but I still think there’s a good amount of fun to be had with the latest installment of Pikmin (and hopefully this leads to a fifth one!)
Top 10 Games of 2022
10. Viewfinder
I already knew what the gimmick and concept of Viewfinder was before going into it. I’ve seen the trailers, gameplay clips, and so on. And yet I still found myself completely impressed with the tech once I started playing. Being able to take pictures of almost anything in the environment and place them almost anywhere, completely changing layouts of levels to solve puzzles, was fascinating to me. Combine that with Portal-esque mind bending puzzles and you have one of my favorites in the genre.
9. The Wreck
I came to this one later in the year thanks to Lile. While I have enjoyed visual novels in the past, I typically need them to have a little more. However, the presentation of the game made it feel much more interactive (such as choosing specific words on screen to unlock different dialogue options) that it barely even felt like “just a visual novel.” As with any visual novel, the game is carried by the narrative. It’s so full of different themes, many of which I feel can’t even be mentioned to avoid spoilers, that I feel almost anyone who plays this will have something they strongly relate to. And to balance that, it never felt like the game was forcing any of those themes just for the sake of getting them in there.
8. Lies of P
Every year I have a game that probably would’ve been higher had I finished it. This year it was Lies of P. As From Software keeps putting out successful banger after banger, it’s no surprise that the soulslike genre is just growing with more developers working within the genre. Lies of P is not shy about where their inspiration came from. I fully believe if someone played this with no knowledge of it and was told it was made by From Software, they wouldn’t doubt it for a second. Yes, it plays that good, and takes that much from the style of Soulsborne, and that’s all without mentioning the unique setting and retelling of the story of Pinnochio in a dark, twisted world that’s fitting for the genre.
7. Cocoon
Dave had been pushing me to play Cocoon for months, regularly mentioning it and texting me to get on it. I’m glad I did before our game of the year came up. The world within a world within a world… within a world is crazy impressive from a design standpoint. I can’t imagine being able to come up with such complicated, in-depth puzzles while at the same time not making them too difficult that the player gets frustrated. It was the perfect length and to top it off was so smooth to play.
6. Thirsty Suitors
When Thirsty Suitors was announced, all I knew about it is that it had an awesome art style and looked wacky and crazy in a way that I love. I knew nothing else about it and was so pleasantly surprised when I got my hands on it. While I admittedly think the turn-based combat is overall basic and repetitive, it’s carried by unique dialogue throughout the fights between Jala and her opponents. Every type of taunt and after each turn, you’re usually met with some sort of dialogue that expands on Jala’s relationships and past while she tries to move forward with everyone and fix her mistakes. While the skateboarding never exactly made much sense to me in how the combos work and could feel janky, I think it truly shines in the skateboarding challenges that focus on tough platforming as opposed to pulling off tricks and combos. All of this craziness is grounded by very well-written characters that feel real and do a great job of portraying issues that many in the queer community have faced while featuring South Asian culture in a medium that would only benefit from more diversity.
5. Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Admittedly, I’ve always been much more of a fan of 3D Mario games compared to the 2D ones. With that said, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a strong entry in the Mario franchise, if not playing it a little too safe. While the Wonder Flowers are a fun gimmick that lead to some laugh-out-loud moments in the middle of the levels, it still feels like all too familiar territory. Which isn’t always a bad thing! These games are celebrated and beloved for a reason, and this is a very high quality one, I just can’t help but “wonder” if this could’ve been even better with some more risks and innovation taken. As a side note, after playing through this game I have no doubt that Kevin Afghani will do a great job voicing Mario and following after Charles Martinet.
4. Resident Evil 4
I feel torn putting a remake of a game so high up on my list. On one hand, they did such a good job with bringing Resident Evil 4 to a modern audience. It looks great and plays great. On the other hand, they had what’s considered to be one of the best games ever made to lean on. Either way, the Resident Evil franchise has been killing it ever since Resident Evil 7 came out and this is no exception. The formula just works. One moment can be tense and challenging while the next will have you laughing because of how ridiculous and over the top it is. If you missed this classic when it first came out, this is the perfect chance to experience it.
3. Baldur's Gate 3
Baldur’s Gate 3 is an incredible game and that’s coming from someone who has barely scratched the surface. I’ve put so many hours into this game and have only been playing around in Act 1. Making new characters and roleplaying as them and making different decisions has been an absolute blast. And, now that the characters were fixed to be way less horny right out of the gate, the characters and writing are fantastic. Everything I choose to say or do feels like it has actual weight to it within the story and characters, more than just the stereotypical “Shadowheart will remember that” appearing in the corner. Some characters will grow to dislike your decisions so much that they’ll leave camp. Or maybe not even join at all! And then all of the different decisions and reactions and differences in story you get just in Act 1 alone, I’m so impressed. The only thing I wish I had was more time to experience the rest of the game before the year came to a close because I easily could’ve seen it being my number one. When all is said and done, I actually think this will replace Mass Effect 2 as my favorite RPG of all time.
2. Hi-Fi Rush
I’m not sure I’ve had as much pure fun and enjoyment with a game in years than I have had with Hi-Fi Rush. Everything about it oozes joy. From the flashy, bright art style to the awesome soundtrack and wholesome characters, this game hits in every way. It took one of my favorite genres in rhythm games and expanded on it in a way that I didn’t even know I wanted. Every level was unique and added something new to the arsenal that made it feel so good to play especially when you were right on beat with the songs and especially when going against the bosses. I wouldn’t change a single thing about Hi-Fi Rush. I cannot recommend it enough, even if you aren’t a fan of rhythm games as it’s so accessible for all to enjoy. Playing it brings me back to being a kid and discovering all new games for the first time again.
Game of the Year: Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name
I was not expecting this. I did not think one of the non-mainline Like a Dragon games would end up being one of my favorites in the whole franchise. It captures everything that made me fall in love with this series. It almost feels like a “greatest hits” version of Kiryu’s story throughout the games without feeling like it was just working with nostalgia. Instead, it felt like a celebration and culmination (even though it’s not the end with Kiryu just yet) of going through this journey with Kiryu throughout the years. And, of course without going into spoilers, I’m not sure a video game has ever made me cry as much as this one. By the end of the game, there were multiple waves of balling my eyes out. Full on ugly crying.
While a strong narrative and characters are not exactly surprising for these games, what really surprised me was just how much I enjoyed playing with the new Agent fighting style. Each game usually introduces some new fighting style or gimmick but none clicked with me as much as this one, especially once you upgrade all of the gadgets. Webbing and throwing up to five enemies at once with the Spider gadget, followed by boosting into and mowing through the crowd with the Serpent rocket boots, and finishing it off by throwing explosive cigarettes into the middle of the crowd never got old to me. It was to the point that I was only using the traditional Yakuza style against bosses and powerful enemies.
The only downside is that you won’t really appreciate Gaiden without having played through the series up to this point. It is perhaps the worst entry point into Like a Dragon. But for those who are already fans, it was an incredible game that was fitting for what is probably Kiryu’s last standalone game. Us RGG fans are simply spoiled.