What Year Is It?
Many have been eager to proclaim 2023 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.
We live in an unprecedented era of rereleases and remakes. 2023 was a banner year for these games, titles which are either reborn from classics or which repackaged them in fascinating ways. While there are plenty of other games which just make great games available to modern audiences, it was great to see so many games find ways to make these rereleases must own games in their own way.
Dead Space
Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC
When Dead Space first released back in 2008 it was a terrifying game filled with insane atmosphere. 15 years later it still plays well, but the original release’s atmosphere doesn’t quite hold up today in the same way. Thankfully, this remake is able to preserve everything we loved about the original while restoring that horrifying atmosphere which stands with any new horror game released in 2023. Whether you loved the original or never played it, its worth checking out this new version of Dead Space.
The Making of Karateka
Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Our Review https://www.heypoorplayer.com/2023/09/09/the-making-of-karateka-review-xbox-series-x/
The team at Digital Eclipse have been making excellent collections for years, but The Making of Karateka is the first in their Gold Master Series which are meant to fully explore a single classic game while putting them in context and helping explain why they mattered to a new generation. It’s like a Criterion Collection for games. I’d never played Karateka before checking out this version but I came away with a deep respect and even love for a forty year old game I’d never played before in a way which simply wouldn’t have happened if I’d just played the game itself. Digital Eclipse are supposed to be revealing the second game in the Gold Master Series soon and we can’t wait to see what comes next.
Quake II
Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Switch, PC
Our Review https://www.heypoorplayer.com/2023/08/14/quake-ii-review-xbox-series-x/
Simply making Quake II, one of the best shooters of the late 90s, available again with online multiplayer on modern platforms would have been enough to make us consider it for this list. The team at Nightdive Studios did a lot more than that though. They completely remastered the graphics to make it look fantastic today. They worked with the team at MachineGames to create an entirely new, and excellent, expansion to the game 25 years later. Who does that? That they then released the whole package for under ten dollars just makes it all the more incredible. Anyone interested in a fantastic shooter needs to play this release.
Resident Evil 4
Platforms: PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, PC
Our Review https://www.heypoorplayer.com/2023/03/30/resident-evil-4-review-ps5/
Remaking a game that’s widely considered one of the best ever made is never easy. Leave too much alone and people will question why it was necessary at all. Change too much and there’s a danger of messing up what was so great about the original. Capcom found a fantastic balance with Resident Evil 4. Fixing the few things that didn’t work in that game, primarily by making babysitting Ashley less of an issue, they’ve managed to create the definitive release of one of the best games ever made. I know that the next time I replay Resident Evil 4, it will be this version.
Star Ocean: The Second Story R
Platforms: PS5, PS4, Switch, PC
Our Review https://www.heypoorplayer.com/2023/11/01/star-ocean-the-second-story-r-review/
Graphics aren’t everything, especially when looking at classic games, but perhaps no game on this list transformed as much visually as Star Ocean: The Second Story R. Taking what is widely considered the best game in the Star Ocean series, this remake is faithful in a lot of ways gameplay wise, but it does bring a lot of modern quality of life improvements and even new combat systems which provide a bit of added complexity. What stands out most though is the fascinating visual style which combines 3D environments with 2D sprites in a way which is incredibly eye catching at a glance but also looks amazing even after hours. For any fan of RPGs this is an absolute must play.
