Game Positive: Eric's Top 5 Games of 2023
1. World of Warcraft Classic: Season of Discovery
Long live the king. A long, long time ago, all the way back in 2004 I was forced to make a decision. Two subscriptions were in front of me and my parents were only willing to pay for one. On one hand I had Xbox live, where I could play Halo 2 with my buddys and maybe one day I too could have my own montage on this weird new website called “youtube”. On the other hand, was a subscription to an MMORPG called World of Warcraft, to which I could potentially become the fabled Night Elf Mohawk I saw on TV.
Well I chose Halo, and although I in no way regret that decision, I always wondered “what if?”. Those questions would be answered back in 2019 with the release of World of Warcraft: Classic, and it would go on to provide the best multiplayer experience I’ve had in the last decade, becoming my most played game since its launch. To me World of Warcraft: Classic simply fixes everything that is wrong with modern multiplayer games, especially modern MMO’s. I wont get into a big “back in my day” rant, but i’ll just simply say in the past social interaction, communication, community and group play took precedence over matchmaking, convenience, microtransactions and soloable content.
The one problem Classic WoW had though is that it is a “solved” game. Since it was released in 2004, everything has been seen and done before, so there were no surprises in the content. That all changed this year with the release of “Season of Discovery” or “Classic+”, which the community affectionately refers to it as. In Season of Discovery blizzard has added new quests, new NPCs, and new ways to play each class. Some of which are quite transformative, allowing classes to take on completely new identities, such as a Mage healer or a Warlock tank. On top of all of that they even added completely new endgame activities via a new Raid and new PvP zone. All of this has come while staying true to the classic WoW formula, and therefore has an absolutely booming community. The best part is that this is just the beginning, as its only phase one. The level cap is locked to 25 and there will be more to explore with future free updates.
Season of discovery has been the most fun I have had gaming this year by far. Whether it’s busting through the gates the second the servers went online with hundreds of other players all fighting over the same mobs, to walking halfway across the world with a team of 50 strangers to dispense some justice on the Alliance scum over on their home turf. It’s the only real MMO left, and ill be spending hundreds of hours here for the foreseeable future. FOR THE HORDE!
2. Marvel's Spider-Man 2
What can I say, insomniac games are once again cementing itself in the pantheon of the all time greatest game developers. The only thing that matches their technical prowess, is their mastery over Spiderman as a character. The first game was one of my favorites the year it came out, and I was also a massive fan of its spin off Miles Morales. Coming into this one it was revealed that it would feature both characters as dual protagonists. I had some concerns going in as that kind of narrative structure, in video games, is hard to pull off. Even when it’s done right, ala The Last of Us Part 2, it still can be quite controversial.
However Insomniac unsurprisingly nailed it here, giving us just enough of both characters to satiate our hunger for each, while giving each one their own unique and emotional journey through the games’ near 20 hour adventure. They were even able to improve on some of the first games’ few shortcomings with more variety in their puzzles, as well as strong narrative payoffs to all of the side content, making the journey to the platinum trophy one of the most enjoyable in recent memory. The mad lads even managed to make the Mary Jane missions fun, with one of them in particular being one of the best moments in the entire game. This is truly one of the best Spiderman experiences you can have across all mediums, bravo.
For more of my thoughts on Spiderman 2 checkout my full review over on SeasonedGaming.com: https://seasonedgaming.com/2023/11/21/review-marvels-spider-man-2-be-greater-er/
3. Sea of Stars
When it comes to JRPGs, I’m a filthy casual. If you asked me what the best JRPG of all time is, I would tell you Yakuza: Like a Dragon, which I’m sure would lead to some weird looks my way. I just could never get into turn based games as a kid, and so I stayed away from that genre. I was even an SNES kid, the home of JRPGs in the 90s and even still I would way rather play Link to the past vs Final Fantasy or Fire Emblem. During that entire decade there was only one JRPG I had ever completed… Super Mario RPG.
Well I’m older now, more cultured having since completed the best JRPG of all time (Yakuza Like a Dragon) and now my palette is a bit more comprehensive. So when I heard that the creators of The Messenger were making a Super Mario RPG inspired JRPG creation of their own, with some of the best pixel art I’ve ever seen. I was all in.
On top of the wonderful artwork, you have a fantastic score by the original Chrono Trigger composer, an interesting story with some fantastic characters. Shout out to Garl for best sidekick of 2023. The engaging, mini-game based, combat systems found in the likes of Mario RPG or Paper Mario are here in full force. Giving Sea of Stars perhaps the best implementations of a JRPG turn-based combat system that I have ever played.
For more of my thoughts on Sea of Stars checkout my full review over at SeasonedGaming.com https://seasonedgaming.com/2023/08/28/review-sea-of-stars-more-than-a-tribute/
4. Dredge
It’s hard to believe there was a time, long ago, where everyone ate chocolate and peanut butter separately. But it’s true. No one knew what they were missing until someone put them together and the world was forever changed. Cliff Blezinski famously said the same thing about assault rifles and chainsaws when he was originally developing Gears of War and now the team at Black Salt Games can say the same with their new combination.
A Cozy Fishing Experience combined with an Eldritch Horror Panic Management Simulator.
Two things I would have never thought to combine, but which go together so perfectly in Dredge. For the first outing of such a small team, it was a pleasant surprise to sit down with this one and see just how perfectly the game’s elements blend together. As well as how polished the whole package is. It’s a captivating experience that I think everyone should try, and hopefully gets a lot of exposure with its well deserved best indie game nomination at the game awards.
For more of my thoughts on Dredge checkout my full review over at SeasonedGaming.com
https://seasonedgaming.com/2023/04/04/review-dredge-cosmic-catch-of-the-day/
5. BattleBit Remastered
Being somewhat involved in covering video games as a hobby, it’s rare that games legitimately sneak up on me, but there was less than 2 minutes between the time I was made aware of Battlebit Remasered’s existence and when I clicked the buy button on Steam.
While it may look like a Roblox mod (It originally was), once you get boots on the ground in one of the game’s many maps you will quickly realize this game has some serious depth. The realism and immersion is found in the gameplay, from pulling out magazines to check how much ammo is left, to dragging a downed teammate to cover to initiate a revive. All of this transpires in some of the most chaotic and exciting battles in gaming, with up to 256 players waging war against each other in a fully destructible warzone. To top it off the gunplay and bullet physics are very good, and it has more content and career progression during its early access phase than most “AAA” shooters do at launch. Pretty embarrassing when you factor in that this game is made by two people. If you are a fan of what Battlefield used to be, check out Battlebit Remastered.
Man, I’ve still gotta play Dredge 😑