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GAME OF THE YEAR And now, all that’s left is to find out what game this year I enjoyed more then Zelda. Thought about doing another fake-out joke entry this year, but I didn’t really play anything that bad, though there were plenty of stinkers to pick this year. Besides, I didn’t play Baldur’s Gate 3, so this isn’t the obvious pick. Best gear up 621, we’ve got a job to do. https://youtu.be/kKO1s-CUZvY?si=eE1_pbHa5Xn_BHvk Welcome back From Software, you really do seem to show up here a lot. This was a game I didn’t see much in the game of the year conversation, and I understand why. This was a packed year for game releases. This one is definitely hyper-specific to me, but hey, it’s my list and this game was my jam. As the mercenary codenamed “Raven”, the player sets out onto the flame-scorched ruins of the planet Rubicon in search of a mysterious but powerful substance called coral. Piloting their massive Armored Core mechs, Raven will have to battle for and against corporate and

NUMBER TWO Ummmm… surprise? https://youtu.be/fYZuiFDQwQw?si=PyYilXM2CZIqJc-d Ya know, it’s funny. I’ve seen a lot of people categorizing The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom in the same camp as Spider-man 2, a “safe sequel” (which admittedly is far from the worst hot take I’ve seen about this game, but we’ll stick with this one). Whenever I hear that, I feel like I must be missing something. What the heck do people even want if this is branded a “safe sequel”. Let me lay my cards on the table and state, in no uncertain terms, I think The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is an honest to goodness masterpiece. With Calamity Ganon vanquished, the kingdom of Hyrule has begun to rebuild, but peace is short lived. An ancient evil has reawakened, threatening to sweep Hyrule and it’s allies into oblivion. Once more, the ever courageous Link must take up his sword to oppose this new threat (and frankly, if you consider the threat’s identity to be a spoiler, you’re probably to new

NUMBER THREE Now for the big three, the pedestal winners, and wowwy zowwy, was the bronze winner this year a “Wonder”. https://youtu.be/XvQNlGKNC6o?si=sOv4bnce-9GtY0Rb Yeah, yeah, I know that joke is about as original as plain white rice at this point, but that doesn’t make it untrue. Super Mario Bros Wonder is a “wonder”ful game (yeah, I’m done now) Setting aside the titles “wonder”ous pun potential (okay, now I’m done), let’s talk game. Mario in 2D over recent years definitely sparks one of those interesting gamer conversations. One of those conversations where words like “lifeless” and phrases like “lacking innovation” get thrown around, and I’m hard pressed to disagree. Yes, my “don’t care about novelty” self has enjoyed the New Super Mario Bros series, but even I can admit that when your glorified level editor is the most interesting thing you’ve got going for ya, something’s gone awry. It’s only made worse by the fact that we’re talking about Mario, the face of gaming. Heck,

NUMBER FOUR Goodness the discourse around this one was interesting. Lots of points were made, some fair, others dumb, but in the end, I don’t really care about any kind of drama surrounding a game. I’m here to play, so I hope you don’t mind if my only mention of the drama is used to try to pad this opening monologue. https://youtu.be/nq1M_Wc4FIc?si=LumhhjVCg17jk2Hs I remember 2018 being one of those years with two games fighting it out as the two real GOTY contenders for the year. One was God of War, the other, Red Dead Redemption 2, both of which I had fairly mixed feelings on. The 2018 game that was the apple of my eye was Insomniac’s exceptional Spider-man. Fast forward to 2020, and while Spider-man Miles Morales wasn’t quite as electrifying as the first game, it was still a good enough time to make that year’s top ten. Honestly, my feelings on Spider-man 2 are very similar. The game caught a fair bit of flak this year for being a “safe sequel”, and it’s not an accusation I can

NUMBER FIVE Any year a Fire Emblem game releases, it’s a safe bet you’ll find it on my list. https://youtu.be/WhZU4annu00?si=Q60V21swlAqjW7EP The discussion surrounding Fire Emblen Engage was an interesting one to watch unfold. As the first console Fire Emblem since Radiant Dawn on the Wii, Fire Emblem: Three Houses felt, in a lot of ways, like the logical end point for the shift in series direction that Awakening started. This meant that the games social sim elements were pushed heavily to the forefront, almost deemphasizing the series trademark tactical combat in favor of building bonds and romancing your waifus. Even compared to Fates, the accusation that Fire Emblem had turned into “Waifu Wars” never felt more accurate to me (and against a game where Camilla is a thing, that’s not an unimpressive feat). It was also by far the most popular Fire Emblem has ever been. So understandably, it was more then a bit divisive when Engage deemphasized the social elements in favor of

NUMBER SIX Nine of my ten games this year actually released in 2023, a fact that definitely speaks to the years overall quality, but 2022 had some hits as well, one of which happens to be this lists one non-2023 release. https://youtu.be/fDD17TfIn7Y?si=bhCRr5ZBx2LhaHYX Now personally, I’m not much of a speed-runner. I don’t set out with the intention of beating a game in the fastest possible time. That doesn’t mean, however, that I can’t appreciate the thrill of beating a level as fast as possible, and that’s a thrill Neon White is uniquely qualified to give. The setup is that heaven is beset by a siege of demons and summons dangerous assassins and criminals from hell to combat the threat. The assassin who slays the most demons gets to remain in heaven and partake in its luxuries (though given the obnoxious pricks that inhabit this game’s “heaven”, Hell might be preferable). This song and dance plays out once every year, but this year has a complication. This year, for the first

NUMBER SEVEN These days, it’s rare that something genuinely surprises me when it comes to gaming. Occasionally, a game’s come along I enjoy a great deal more then I thought I would, such as with Iron Lung and En Garde this year, but it’s rare a game comes out of no where and just says “yeah, I know you’d never heard of me, but now I’m here, you’re going to play me, and you’re going to love me from beginning to end.” Funny what happens when you shadow drop a genuine banger. https://youtu.be/pgd4aU56Kig?si=lnKzDOrbH2PtNX3F This was one of those games that just blindsided everyone. Shadow released in January, few could have been blamed for initially for dismissing this cartoony action platform game. I feel sorry for whoever did dismiss it, though, because they missed a genuine gem. Hi-Fi Rush isn’t just some action-platformer with a cartoony art style. Hi-Fi Rush is a charming as hell, cartoony rhythm action-platformer with a likable cast of heroes, fun villains, a beautiful

NUMBER EIGHT So what one ups an excellent remake of one of my all time favorite games? Well, how about an incredible remake of a legendary title from my favorite genre that’s original game I never played. https://youtu.be/6umlOfTip4k?si=bbULP_tvWW9DG-1I I’d heard of this SNES JRPG classic before, but like many of the SNES classics, I’d never played it, downside of not actually developing my fondness for JRPGs until The Legend of Dragoon and Final Fantasy VII on PS1. I’d heard about how Square and Nintendo’s first collaboration was a unique, incredible JRPG experience, and inspired series like Paper Mario and Mario and Luigi, and I’d hoped someday to finally be able to remove it from my pile of shame. I wasn’t expecting to do so like this, however. This year, Super Mario RPG became yet another excellent remake during a year where excellent remakes were numerous, and it was another one of the remakes I actually got to this year. Initially, the game starts like you might expect for a

NUMBER NINE I don’t much care for horror games. I just don’t find being scared funI don’t much care for horror games. I just don’t find being scared fun. In fact, a nasty jump scare was a big contributing factor to my dropping this year of Chernobylite. Only three franchises, Resident Evil, FEAR, and Dead Space, have ever really overcome this distaste, and this year saw two of my favorite games from their respective franchises got excellent remakes this year. While I failed to get to the Resident Evil 4 remake this year, I did make my long awaited return to the USG Ishimura. https://youtu.be/C1yiuM7blIw?si=hZD3V0EF0HlQyQog Dead Space and Dead Space 2 are games that have stuck with me since the very first time I played them. I have fond memories of that first horrifying encounter with the Necromorphs, battling the horrifying bosses, slicing off Necromorph limbs, breaking the game with the Ripper, realizing the games big twist was cleverly spoiled by the chapter titles, killing the

NUMBER TEN I am actually a bit of a fan of fighting games, at least on a casual level. I’m by no means competitive, but I enjoy playing story and arcade mode. As such you can probably guess that I didn’t have the highest opinion of Street Fighter 5. That makes this a bit of a surprise. https://youtu.be/rN_PBAK5YyM?si=LmHttk_xvHC95YrL As stated in my opening ramblings, I like fighting games, but they don’t really like me. By that, I mean that that I’m really bad at them. I’m awestruck whenever I see high level fighting gameplay, because frankly, AI on anything beyond medium difficulty is probably wiping the floor with me. Still, contrary to popular belief, it is possible to enjoy something without being very good at it, and that describes my relationship with fighting games. My favorites are Soul Calibur and Dead or Alive, but I’ve had a fondness for Street Fighter games in the past. I like to play through the story modes and often times, my favorite games will become one of my