General Gaming The "Best Games of 2023" Lists Are Spawning

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

Here we go again! 

 

With the end of the year comes the perfunctory "Best Games" lists from the various media outlets, so let's kick things off shall we?

 

Polygon - The 50 Best Video Games of 2023 (Top 10 Posted)

10. Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
09. Jusant
08. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
07. Street Fighter 6
06. Cocoon
05. Pikmin 4
04. Super Mario Bros. Wonder
03. Alan Wake II
02. Baldur’s Gate III

Spoiler

01. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

 

 

Paste Magazine - The Best Games of 2023 (Top 10 Posted)

10. Saltsea Chronicles
09. Resident Evil 4 Remake
08. The Banished Vault
07. Cocoon
06. Venba
05. Street Fighter 6
04. Thirsty Suitors
03. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
02. El Paso, Elsewhere

Spoiler

01. Alan Wake II

 

 

Time Magazine - The 10 Best Video Games of 2023

10. Dredge

09. Diablo IV

08. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

07. Super Mario Bros. Wonder

06. Dead Space Remake

05. Resident Evil 4 Remake

04. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

03. Marvel's Spider-Man 2

02. Baldur’s Gate III

Spoiler

01. Alan Wake II

 

 

Gamespot - 10 Best Games Of 2023

• Alan Wake II
• Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
• Hi-Fi Rush
• Hitman Freelancer
• The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom
• Octopath Traveler II
• Resident Evil 4 Remake
• Street Fighter 6
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder
• Game of the Year:
  Spoiler

  Baldur's Gate III

 

 

Slant Magazine - The 25 Best Video Games of 2023 (Top 10 Posted)

10. Hi-Fi Rush

09. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

08. Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon

07. A Space for the Unbound

06. Humanity

05. Cocoon

04. Super Mario Bros. Wonder

03. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

02. Baldur’s Gate III

Spoiler

01. Alan Wake II

 

 

Dextero - Best Games of 2023

10. Street Fighter 6

09. Assassin's Creed Mirage

08. Super Mario Bros. Wonder

07. Diablo IV

06. Resident Evil 4 Remake

05. Octopath Traveler II

04. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

03. Alan Wake II

02. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Spoiler

01. Baldur's Gate III

 

 

Vulture - The Very Best Video Games of 2023

10. Marvel's Spider-Man 2

09. Lies of P

08. Resident Evil 4 Remake

07. Pikmin 4

06. Pizza Tower

05. System Shock Remake

04. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

03. Alan Wake II

02. Street Fighter 6

Spoiler

01. Baldur's Gate III

 

 

Den of Geek - Best Games of 2023 (Top 10 Posted)

10. Dead Space Remake

09. Dave the Diver

08. Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon

07. Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty

06. Super Mario Bros. Wonder

05. Resident Evil 4 Remake

04. Marvel's Spider-Man 2

03. Alan Wake II

02. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Spoiler

01. Baldur's Gate III

 

 

NME - The 20 Best Games of 2023 (Top 10 Posted)

10. Cocoon

09. Street Fighter 6

08. Dead Space Remake

07. Hi-Fi Rush

06. Resident Evil 4 Remake

05. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

04. Marvel's Spider-Man 2

03. The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom

02. Baldur's Gate III

Spoiler

01. Alan Wake II

 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

The running tally of GOTY awards as compiled over at ResetERA:

• Baldur's Gate III - 18 (14 media outlets + 4 readers' choice)
• Alan Wake II - 8 (7 media outlets + 1 readers' choice)
• The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom - 7 (7 media outlets + 0 readers' choice)

[Spawn_of_Apathy]

I don’t know why but I take more umbrage with DLC making a “top game of the year” list than I do a full remake of a game. 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

Top 10 Lists from the editors/writers of The Gamer.

 

Stacey Henley, Editor-in-Chief

Game Of The Year Editor’s Pick, 2023 - Stacey Henley

WWW.THEGAMER.COM

---

The first Game of the Year list from TheGamer just so happens to have all the best games and none of the bad ones.

 

Quote

Cocoon

The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood

Slay the Princess

Fire Emblem Engage

A Space for the Unbound

Goodbye Volcano High

Resident Evil 4 Remake

Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo

Marvel's Spider-Man 2

GOTY Editor's Pick: Baldur's Gate III

 

 

Meg Pelliccio, Lead Guides Writer

Game Of The Year Editor’s Pick, 2023 - Meg Pelliccio

WWW.THEGAMER.COM

---

TheGamer's second GOTY list for 2023 is here. How many of these games did you play this year?

 

Quote

My Time At Sandrock
Dave the Diver
Pharaoh: A New Era
Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life
Videoverse
Like A Dragon: Ishin!
Baldur’s Gate III
Final Fantasy XVI
Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name
GOTY Editor's Pick: Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo

 

 

Harry Alston, Senior Specialist Writer

Game Of The Year Editor’s Pick, 2023 - Harry Alston

WWW.THEGAMER.COM

---

What a year.

 

Quote

Cities Skylines 2
Stranded: Alien Dawn
Diablo IV
Baldur’s Gate III
Halls Of Torment
Lethal Company
Dredge
Dave the Diver
Bramble: The Mountain King
GOTY Editor's Pick: BattleBit: Remastered

 

 

Matt Arnold, Specialist Writer

Game Of The Year Editor’s Pick, 2023 - Matt Arnold

WWW.THEGAMER.COM

---

2023 was an amazing year for strategy and storytelling.

 

Quote

Total War: Pharaoh
Age of Wonders IV

World of Horror
Alan Wake II
Darkest Dungeon II
Dune: Spice Wars

Shadows Of Forbidden Gods
Resident Evil 4 Remake
Terra Nil
GOTY Editor's Pick: SpellForce: Conquest Of Eo

 

 

David Duffy, Database Editor

Game of the Year Editor's Pick, 2023 - David W. Duffy

WWW.THEGAMER.COM

---

An exceptional year for impactful stories.

 

Quote

Diablo IV
Theatrhythm Final Bar Line
Chants of Sennaar
A Space for the Unbound
Final Fantasy XVI

Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly
Mr. Saitou
Videoverse
Baldur's Gate III
GOTY Editor's Pick: Star Ocean: The Second Story R

 

 

Vaspaan Dastoor, Features Editor

Game Of The Year Editor’s Pick, 2023 - Vaspaan Dastoor

WWW.THEGAMER.COM

---

2023 was packed with so many great games that nobody could finish them all. But here are the best of the ones I played.

 

Quote

Diablo IV
Like A Dragon: Ishin!
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Dave The Diver
Dead Island 2
Dead Space Remake
Resident Evil 4 Remake
Marvel's Spider-Man 2
The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom
GOTY Editor's Pick: Baldur's Gate III

 

[stepee]

Goooo Alan Wake 2! It’s getting more than I thought!

[Keyser_Soze]

Lies of P getting the shaft on a lot of these lists.

[gamer.tv]

Really, this just sums up my game purchase for Q1 2024

[TheLeon]

I like seeing Cocoon getting some mentions on these lists. That is a fantastic little game that came out of nowhere. 
 

I need to get my PC fixed so I can really dive into BG3. 

[AbsolutSurgen]

Reminds me that one of my January traditions used to be listening to the OG Giant Bomb crew doing their GotY podcasts -- sad that those guys aren't doing that anymore.

[Keyser_Soze]

29 minutes ago, AbsolutSurgen said:

Reminds me that one of my January traditions used to be listening to the OG Giant Bomb crew doing their GotY podcasts -- sad that those guys aren't doing that anymore.

 

Do you mean specifically the OG crew aren't doing the GOTY podcasts? Because Giant Bomb still does game of the year podcasts, they even did a live show in LA as part of the GOTY podcasts this year.

 

And if you want to hear Gerstmann and the other folks at Nextlander do it, you can listen to their specific podcasts to hear their GOTY stuff.

[AbsolutSurgen]

4 minutes ago, Keyser_Soze said:

 

Do you mean specifically the OG crew aren't doing the GOTY podcasts? Because Giant Bomb still does game of the year podcasts, they even did a live show in LA as part of the GOTY podcasts this year.

 

And if you want to hear Gerstmann and the other folks at Nextlander do it, you can listen to their specific podcasts to hear their GOTY stuff.

I listened to GB because of the specific personalities -- Ryan, Jeff, Brad and Vinny.  While there were some other personalities that grabbed me over the years, they have mostly all left as well.

I may check out the Nextlander podcasts if they are doing a GB style GotY podcast.

[best3444]

Alan Wake 2!

[SaysWho?]

Don't sleep on Polygon's #31.  

[crispy4000]

I'm happy/surprised to see Pikmin 4 placing high up on some charts.  It's great in what I've played so far.  Definitely seemed like a game that would be lost in the shuffle, like Sparks of Hope last year.

[Biggie]

Imagine choosing a horror/survival game that is extremely niche and most gamers won’t even play as GotY. 
 

#fail

[stepee]

34 minutes ago, Biggie said:

Imagine choosing a horror/survival game that is extremely niche and most gamers won’t even play as GotY. 
 

#fail

 

It’s my pick and it’s still blowing my mind so many outlets are choosing it!

[Bacon]

13 hours ago, Keyser_Soze said:

Lies of P getting the shaft on a lot of these lists.

Yeah, like WTF.

Putting remakes over Lies of P is nonsense.

 

Any site/company picking Alan Wake II is pretentious and nonsense.

[stepee]

2 minutes ago, Bacon said:

Yeah, like WTF.

Putting remakes over Lies of P is nonsense.

 

Any site/company picking Alan Wake II is pretentious and nonsense.

 

To be fair, Alan Wake 2 IS the best game released this year, I’m just shocked to see it acknowledged, it seems like it would be so polarizing 

[Biggie]

8 minutes ago, stepee said:

 

It’s my pick and it’s still blowing my mind so many outlets are choosing it!

[Bacon]

Just now, stepee said:

 

To be fair, Alan Wake 2 IS the best game released this year, I’m just shocked to see it acknowledged, it seems like it would be so polarizing 

No, it's BG3 and it isn't even close. BG3 isn't even a personal 10, but it is massively successful outside of its usual sphere of influence. Alan Wake 2 is solely within its own bubble. BG3 makes far more sense as GOTY at a non-personal level. BG3 is the Taylor Swift of video games at the moment. Even if you don't like it, you've heard more than you want to about it. BG3 might bring changes to the gaming landscape much like Dark Souls did. Alan Wake 2 will not.

[stepee]

BG3 isn’t my kinda game tho so

[best3444]

Surprised Spider-Man 2 isn't nabbing anything. 

 

Alan Wake 2 is phenomenal so it deserves this. BG3 might be "revolutionary" for RPGS but I won't touch it because it's just not what I like in games. 

[GameDadGrant]

Surprised by all the Alan Wake II nods. 
 

I felt it was basically going to boil down to just Baulder’s Gate 3 or Tears of the Kingdom.

[Spawn_of_Apathy]

6 minutes ago, best3444 said:

Surprised Spider-Man 2 isn't nabbing anything. 

 

Alan Wake 2 is phenomenal so it deserves this. BG3 might be "revolutionary" for RPGS but I won't touch it because it's just not what I like in games. 

I think it speaks more to the level of competition this year in regards to quality titles releasing. I’m surprised Zelda isn’t picking up more. 
 

is the Alan Wake II gameplay and story that good? I mean I’ve not heard it was bad, but not industry leading in any way. The visuals on the other hand … wow. 

[Bacon]

Just now, stepee said:

BG3 isn’t my kinda game tho so

Which is why I qualified my original point to sites and companies. While I liked BG3 and I will claim it as my GOTY because I find it to be very impressive, I did enjoy Lies of P more.

 

Overall I found BG3 to be too long, I have problems with its quest structure, the villains of the game are not worthy foes that are satisfying to beat and never gave me pause in my ability to beat them from an RP perspective (the game did not do a good job at making your enemies feel insurmountable). I have also never played a game as buggy as BG3. When I think about what BioWare ended up doing with remembering all these little choices and paths and pretty much never messing up but a single time, it is truly amazing and Larian fails to be the BioWare I long for. I also take issue with Larian's stance on not solidly making the PC the main character. When the narrator is saying "You do this, you think that," and it is not my character on the screen, well I take issue with that. My character and I are the main characters. Everyone else is secondary and lesser. Larian does not agree with me currently and until they do no game of theirs will ever be a 10/10 in my book.

 

Despite that, I'll still say BG3 is GOTY without a doubt. It is a very impressive title and the patches only make it more impressive.

[best3444]

1 minute ago, Spawn_of_Apathy said:

I think it speaks more to the level of competition this year in regards to quality titles releasing. I’m surprised Zelda isn’t picking up more. 
 

is the Alan Wake II gameplay and story that good? I mean I’ve not heard it was bad, but not industry leading in any way. The visuals on the other hand … wow. 

 

It's the story that is getting Alan Wake 2 GOTY awards. The gameplay is nothing amazing and very basic. 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

 

The Best Video Games of 2023

WWW.THERINGER.COM

---

The video game industry has experienced some turmoil, but the games have never been better

 

10. Diablo IV

09. Hi-Fi Rush

08. Final Fantasy XVI

07. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

06. Dave the Diver

05. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

04. Super Mario Bros. Wonder

03. Alan Wake II

02. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Spoiler

01. Baldur's Gate III

 

[Firewithin]

17 minutes ago, stepee said:

BG3 isn’t my kinda game tho so

[best3444]

Just now, Commissar SFLUFAN said:

The Ringer - The Best Video Games of 2023

10. Diablo IV

09. Hi-Fi Rush

08. Final Fantasy XVI

07. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

06. Dave the Diver

05. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2

04. Super Mario Bros. Wonder

03. Alan Wake II

02. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

  Hide contents

01. Baldur's Gate III

 

 

Best list so far minus fuckin FF16. 

[Brick]

14 hours ago, Spawn_of_Apathy said:

I don’t know why but I take more umbrage with DLC making a “top game of the year” list than I do a full remake of a game. 

 

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty? 

[Spawn_of_Apathy]

3 minutes ago, best3444 said:

 

It's the story that is getting Alan Wake 2 GOTY awards. The gameplay is nothing amazing and very basic. 

I figured it had to be one of those. Unless the visuals have significant gameplay implications it’s pretty rare for a game to win GOTY on visuals alone. 
 

2 minutes ago, Brick said:

 

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty? 

yeah. 
 

though it does make me think there needs to be a game awards category for “best game update of the year.” So you can spotlight good expansions or transformative game updates worthy of reviving a game. 

[Bacon]

20 minutes ago, best3444 said:

It's the story that is getting Alan Wake 2 GOTY awards

It's that's really the main reason then that is sad.

I love a good story. But the game part needs to be good too. I really enjoyed the gameplay of BG3. It felt very rewarding to perform well.

 

I think DOOM eternal has a dogshit ass story, but that game is still a 10/10 because the gameplay is THAT good. No story is THAT good that I'd give a game a 10/10/goty just because of the plot.

[Brian]

Alan Wake 2 - The GOTY no one played. Feels like the media is pushing this game hard to get more sales for Remedy at this point. This game came and went like a wet fart. 

[stepee]

Tbf what combat gameplay there is in AW2 is very good and feels great to play. It’s just there isn’t a lot of combat.

[stepee]

3 minutes ago, Brian said:

Alan Wake 2 - The GOTY no one played. Feels like media is pushing this game hard to get more sales for Remedy at this point. This game came and went like a wet fart. 

 

Pushing more sales for Remedy is exactly why I’m happy to see this - it doesn’t really have any worth what wins or doesn’t - but if it helps out one of my favorite developers and favorite franchises then that is actually doing something worthwhile! BG3 doesn’t need help selling.