Friday Night Gamecast: Will's Top 5 Games of 2023
Nick and Will are co-hosts of a variety video game podcast focused on providing their audiences with game reviews, impressions, industry news coverage and the occasional hot take. Between the latest AAA titles, indies and even cozy games or dating sims, Nick and Will cover it all and seek to provide you with meaningful and thoughtful discourse on all things Video Game!
5. Diablo IV
Diablo IV is a blast of a game when deep in the thick of its action. Juggling the different moves each of your classes may have and teetering on that knifed edge of life and death with a well timed ultimate really never gets old. It also scratches the loot grabbing itch that my lizard brain occasionally screeches out for.
While the story is not the strongest point of the game it does give some great callbacks to characters and situations from previous Diablo games that would make a true enthusiast excited. The voice acting is solid across the board with both Inarius giving a monologue and demons screeching in pain given a significant amount of care. I really enjoyed the art change as well from Diablo III which has gone to a more real dark feeling world than the Wow-eque cartoons that III had.
But of course, the true draw here is gaining levels to get more loot to gain more levels to get more loot. It’s a very fun treadmill but once you recognize that you a running nowhere fast it may be time to put up the riding saddle and step away from Sanctuary. Well, at least until the next timed event!
4. Resident Evil 4 Remake
This is a game that needs no introduction. Standing on the shoulders of a beloved title like Resident Evil 4 is a tall order but if Capcom didn’t prove with Resident Evil 2 Remake that they were ready to meet thay challenge, then Resident Evil 4 Remake silenced all doubters.
The combat fluidity, great mix of serious and comedy, plus an overall gorgeous presentation come together to make an easy game of the year contender. Remake complaints need not apply here, there is plenty of improvements and differences to make even the most seasoned RE4 fan excited.
The addition of Mercenaries Mode where Leon or others can fight their way through a horde of enemies and the fantastic Separate Ways which shows what Ada Wong was up to while Leon was completing the main story, makes Resident Evil 4 Remake a ridiculous package for worthy for the pesetas you may need to pay for it.
3. Hi-Fi Rush
More games need shadow drops!! This is probably still the biggest surprise of the year: A fantastic AA rhythm beat em up from the company that brought you The Evil Within and Tokyo: Ghostwire. The quality oozes from every pore of this title. The art and graphics pop with incredible style and the music keeps you bobbing your head long after putting down Chai’s trash picker guitar.
Even though this game proved that I am horrendous at rhythm games. It wasn’t a chore getting to the end since the main cast is a masterclass in building a strong ensemble around a fun, goofy main character. If you’re looking for an action packed brawler with enough heart pumping music to keep you rocking all night long, look no further.
2. Marvel's Spider-Man 2
I start this by saying Spider-Man (2018) is my favorite Spider-Man game of all time. Before the Spiderverse films it was probably my favorite Spider-Man anything of all time. I put HOURS into that game and had a blast the entire time so Spider-Man 2 (2023) had some big web shooters to fill. While I loved my time with Spider-Man 2 and think there are plenty of improvements over the original. There are enough issues holding it back from being as Amazing to me as the original.
Playing as both Pete and Miles as the duo Spider-Men was a Spectacular choice by Insomniac and switching to them on the fly never fails to put a smile on my face. The usual combat flow is there: punches, dodges, and gadgets get you through most encounters. The expansion of both Spidey powers and the addition of a slightly finicky parry make fighting in the sequel just different enough to not feel like a complete retread but the real draw here is still the traversal. Swinging through a larger New York is just as Spectacular as ever with each trick, dive, and slingshot making you wonder why they even bothered putting a fast travel option in the game.
Ultimately, while it’s a game I still love, it doesn’t stand head and shoulders above its predecessor. A slight disappointment, for sure, but don’t take this as a bad game by any means! The story might not hit as hard but the villains sure do along with the cast of Spider-pals. It’s an easy game to put in my top five this year even if I don’t consider it the Superior Spider-Man.
1. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
This is an easy pick for most people for 2023 GOTY but for someone who doesn’t technically own a Switch it wasn’t really on my radar. Luckily Nick let me borrow his for another Nintendo great, Mario Odyssey, and after he beat Tears he “gave me an offer I couldn’t refuse.” What a great offer it was because by the time I rolled credits on this game it was clear the love and detail that it took to make it deserves a high place in this year of fantastic game experiences.
I’ve likened this game to going to the gym or doing Spring Cleaning around your home: Something that you may not necessarily want to start or you might even dread it, but after those first few shaky hours it can turn into something that really draws you in and makes you feel so glad that you made that first leap off the Great Sky Island to Hyrule below. Once I got past some of the cumbersome controls and limiting weapon inventory Tears opened up into a beautiful world that matched whatever time you could afford to sink into it. A 10 minute cave dive ending in a Talos mini-boss fight felt just as rewarding as helping a traveling musical troupe find a lost drummer so exploration never felt unsatisfying.
I am not ashamed to say I was ready to walk away from Tears and tell people it was overrated, overhyped, and unnecessary. Luckily, I am able to walk away saying that it is my favorite video game of 2023.