Game of the Year 2023

Few things in life are as subjective as trying to say something is the best. There are some objective things you can use as data points, such as graphical prowess, quality music and voice acting, responsive controls and more. Like our readers, the members of this team have different preferences and that fascinating variety of opinions and experiences means different things to each of us. Now that the year has ended, we want to share with everyone else what game meant the most to us overall and became our Game of the Year

NICK

Baldur’s Gate 3

I’ve been a tremendous fan of these Dungeons & Dragons games for a very long time now, having played the original Baldur’s Gate and its various ‘sibling titles’ many years ago. To say I was excited for Baldur’s Gate 3 would be an understatement – and somehow it still managed to exceed my already high expectations. Add to it that my youngest kid and several of her friends are hooked on it now as well, it is a title that is spanning generations and in our case, bringing family just a bit closer together. It’s hands-down my Game of the Year for 2023.

SUSAN N.

Talos Principle 2

Before I get hate mail for denying Baldur’s Gate 3 the top slot, let me just say that I debated for WEEKS on which game was going to make my game of the year. Is it the graphics? Replayability? Voice Acting? Dialogue? What makes a game of the year what it is? I debated the same concept last year with God of War versus Elden Ring. IMO, God of War should have won. They took EVERY OTHER CATEGORY but somehow Elden Ring took it? A debate for another time… Anyways, what makes a game of the year for me is not just the things I listed above, and it’s not an incorporeal concept like ‘it’s just fun’ (which is subjective and not helpful in rating a game), it is in fact the overall message or story. The Talos Principle isn’t just a puzzle game that you solve until there is no more. It’s a philosophical game. It asks questions that you may not be able to answer. The game makes you think about what makes us human, especially as you are playing a robot that exemplifies many of the same thoughts and fears as we do. It’s wild. It’s captivating. It’s BEAUTIFUL. And it made me cry and laugh and scratch my head at so many points. ‘Fun’ is not even on the radar for rating the game. The Talos Principle 2 scratches an itch that not many games seem to. And I wish I could do this explanation justice as I can barely get into words how and why it takes GOTY 2023. It’s almost unfair that I had to pick between The Talos Principle 2 and Baldur’s Gate 3, because if it wasn’t for Talos, the amazing Baldur’s Gate 3 would take it all. What is 2023, even? Seriously.

RICHARD

Legend of Nayuta

Here we are, the title I'd proclaim as my Game of the Year. Before you go saying anything, I'd like to point out that all the items in my lists are all titles I've reviewed. Even so, Legend of Nayuta still makes an extrememly good showing. I absolutely loved playing through Nayuta, from the gameplay, the characters, the boss fights, the music, I loved everything. A great action-adventure title from the great people at Falcom, Legend of Nayuta should be of instant interest if you like any sort of action-adventure type titles. If the game makes me want to beat it on the hardest difficulty not just for completion sake, but for the enjoyment as well as the bonus content from new game plus? Yes please, I'm all over that.

PIERRE-YVES

Sea of Stars

With all the AAA titles that I've played this year, new and backlog alike, there's an indie that stood among the rest and I've quiet literally only recently sat down to it. Ten minutes in I knew, this was what I've been looking for to wear this year's crown.

Sea of Stars is something that once I saw the original trailer years back I knew, this would be amazing, and it is. Great dialog, smooth exploration gameplay, awesome combat and loads of accessibility options for players of any skill to enjoy. It has it all on top of a great soundtrack to make an incredible experience.

While nodding to the greats like Chrono Trigger and Super Mario RPG where the influences are clear to see yet made their own, Sea of Stars easily stands alongside the last few years worth of greats such as Chained Echoes and Rise of the Third Power.