Is The Third Year The Charm?
Many have been eager to proclaim 2023 as the best year in gaming history for months now. While that’s the sort of thing that becomes more clear as we have time to look back and consider the year in gaming, we can already say with confidence that 2023 has been a fantastic year for video game releases. With that being the case, it’s more important than ever to separate the very best games from the rest of what’s out there. Whether you’re looking for a gift for someone on your list or something for yourself, we have you covered. Between November 14th and November 22nd we’ll be bringing you daily guides designed to find the games players want in their favorite genres and on their favorite systems. Whether you’re ready to spend or you’re a true poor player, we have options for you.
I’m not sure what to make of the PS5’s 2023. Sony released some fantastic games this year, which are absolute must-plays if you have the system. Yet three years into the system’s life, Sony continues to release only a few major titles each year, and they have almost no major announced titles coming soon. Most of the games we recommend PS5 owners check out this year are available elsewhere or come with caveats, yet there are still fantastic games to check out as well. We’ll see if a direction solidifies for the system in 2024.
Assassin’s Creed Mirage
Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC
In recent years, the Assassin’s Creed franchise has worked to get away from its roots and offer a deeper experience. After several years of that though, we now have players tiring of the franchise rework designed to help people getting tired of the original formula. Assassin’s Creed Mirage is for players who now miss the series’ original formula. Its story, starring a popular character from Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, may not be Ubisoft’s most ambitious, but from start to finish, Mirage is a worthy successor to the series’ original design.
Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless
Platforms: PS5, PS4, Switch, PC
Speaking of long-running series, Disgaea is now seven entries in, and many players came away from the sixth feeling that perhaps it was reaching a logical endpoint. Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless however proves that perhaps there’s still life in Disgaea. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it does a fantastic job of figuring out what went wrong last time around. Rather than throw away all of the series’ recent changes, Disgaea 7 refines them, finding ways to make certain aspects that didn’t work there into better versions of themselves. Some of the series’ lost complexity is back with a ton more classes to allow players to customize to their heart’s content. If you need a strategy RPG you can pour a lot of hours into, you’ve found it.
Horizon Forbidden West: Burning Shores
Platforms: PS5
We get it if you got enough Horizon Forbidden West in 2022. It was already an absolutely massive game with a ton to do. If you still have the appetite for more, though, the Burning Shores expansion released earlier this year is perhaps the best content in the entire game. Taking you to an entirely new area of the game, this DLC takes place entirely after the conclusion of the main story. New enemies are thrilling to fight, new characters are wonderfully integrated; this is a wonderful set of new content held back only by being relatively short and by the fact that it doesn’t do much to reintroduce players. That means it’s perhaps best played shortly after completing the main story.
Humanity
Platforms: PS5, PS4, PC
We expect a lot when a new Tetsuya Mizuguchi game releases. He’s just hit so many times in so many different ways. Humanity is different from anything he’s made before, but this puzzle game that has you controlling an ethereal Shiba Inu as you help souls find their way through various levels is immediately enthralling. While it can be frustrating at times, no game in 2023 made me feel smarter when I finally figured out the solution.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Platforms: PS5
This is the third time we’ve visited this well in the last five years, and yet the formula Insomniac created for their Spider-Man games still hasn’t gotten old. Thanks to a wonderful interpretation of the life and world of Peter Parker, Miles Morales, and the rest of their friends, as well as some of the best core gameplay the web-head has ever had in a video game, just moving through the streets of New York is something I could do for hours. Now, we can move through the streets of Brooklyn and Queens as well! While the story may go a bit off the rails at times, there are other moments which are incredibly satisfying and will stick with me. I wouldn’t mind seeing Insomniac push Spider-Man further in their next installment, but I also won’t complain if we get more of the same when the same is this much fun.
