It is my third time doing a write-up of my gaming year. The third time’s the charm, right? Before I get into the games I played, I want to reflect on the year and mention and comment on a few subjects that happened throughout it.

First of all, 2023 has been an unbelievable year when looked at just in terms of high-profile releases. There have been so many great titles I cannot possibly remember them all, and as you will see later, I barely even played any of them. Despite that exciting time for game consumers, countless layoffs have shaken the gaming industry. So many people lost their livelihoods because of what often was mismanagement or just greed. This Polygon article summarizes the situation. It is an excellent and somber read.

Another sad topic, although irrelevant compared to layoffs, is the quality of PC ports. Cynical voices may call it business as usual and not any different from other years. Even if that were correct, it does not make it acceptable. This year’s worst offender is most likely Star Wars Jedi Survivor, a highly praised game overall. Although benchmarking generally shows high framerates, the moment-to-moment experience is probably not always flawless. Please note that I cannot speak from experience. I have avoided this title because of its technical issues. From what I have gathered so far, the 30fps mode on consoles might be the most consistent and fluid experience of them all. Sounds wrong now, does it? Just before I published this blog post, Digital Foundry posted their worst PC ports 2023 video summarizing what started as a bad release and was fixed and games that are still bad.

(Guess which game is still in the latter category.)

Adding to the 2023 pile of sad topics, there is no way to get around the current GPU market, and the subpar price-to-performance ratio NVIDIA and AMD have graced us with. NVIDIA is greedy, and AMD does not know how to or does not want to take advantage of the situation. Looked at in isolation, the performance of available GPUs is good to crazy fast. But products do not exist in isolation, and last year’s models in the mid-range are barely slower. Vendors have plenty of stock now, but shopping for graphics cards is still not fun. New system builders are probably better off than upgraders – depending on the hardware age, of course.

Lastly, I need help understanding the buzz around Call of Duty. How can it be that this franchise is a top seller every year? It is a short, bombastic, and action-oriented campaign of less than 10 hours, so people must be interested in the multiplayer component. But how does that warrant 60 to 70 bucks purchases every year when offshoots like CoD Warzone exist that are ongoing service games? In any case, I hope that Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard King positively affects the company’s work culture.

Let the Games Begin

The first four items on the list are titles I began in 2022 and finished in 2023. In total, I played 25 games, just as the year before. 2023 started with a focus on the Xbox and shifted toward PC and PlayStation 5 throughout the year. Both share an almost even split of titles. The Xbox eventually became obsolete and found a new home by way of eBay.

I think I aborted fewer games because the gameplay did not resonate with me – namely Hi-Fi Rush and Demon’s Souls Remake. A Plague Tale Requiem is an outlier. It just happened at an unfortunate time. More on that later. I am not listing the games I have started in 2023 and will finish in 2024.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider (Xbox Series X)

I finally did it. I completed the Tomb Raider trilogy on the Xbox, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider was the last one standing. I already said my piece last year, so I will keep it short. It is a fun game, but I ultimately preferred the scope of the first entry of the rebooted trilogy. Rise of the Tomb Raider was on the edge of becoming bloated, and unfortunately, SotTR took that additional step. What still holds up very well are the cutscenes. They are of exceptionally high quality, and the voice acting is superb. Shadow has some very emotional moments, notably when Lara finds Jonah amid the flood in Mexico, the first catastrophe that hits.

Although I initially planned to take my time and explore more than on my first playthrough, I focused purely on the story Uncharted-style.

A Plague Tale Requiem (PC)

Asobo’s second Plague Tale would have deserved a proper review compared to just a few lines I present here. Circumstances would have it that I could not stick with the game regularly enough to enjoy and finish it. At some point, I just watched it on YouTube.

The visuals and art style were outstanding and a surprise to everybody. Even at medium settings and DLSS Balanced, it looked impressive. The gameplay was more refined and went more in the direction of Uncharted by almost always having a companion other than Hugo at Amicia’s side. As a result, there was a lot more conversation and witty commentary than in the predecessor. This made for comic relief in an otherwise dark, gritty world and story.

Diablo 2 Resurrected (Xbox Series X)

Blizzard’s franchise played a massive role in my younger years, and since there weren’t many exciting coop games available 2023, we figured we’d go back in time and pick up a remastered classic in the meantime.

The initial impression was mixed as the game defaulted to the “performance mode” (aka. old-school visuals). I expected the game to show off its upgraded visuals instead. Curiously, the remastered graphics only run at 30 fps. It works well enough in this game and style, but come on, Blizzard. The visual fidelity on display does not explain at all why it is not running at 60 fps. Many other more beautiful games on consoles manage to hit a 60 fps target.

What is worse, though, is the latency. The game does not stutter or hiccup, yet playing feels terrible because the hit feedback is slightly delayed. Your character moves instantly, but hits on enemies are not instant. One might think it utilizes game streaming instead of local execution. On top of that, in the week around Christmas, when everybody and their pet are on vacation and have time to play, Blizzard opted to perform server maintenance at around 8 PM every evening throughout the week. Seriously? They never fixed the latency issue, so I wonder what they were doing on the servers.

Because of that, Diablo 2 Resurrected is a mixed bag. I looked past these downsides during the first few sessions and had a good time. It felt like in the good old days. However, the longer we played, the more annoyed I got, making it harder to continue. We beat it eventually, and I hate to say it, but at least I was glad it was over.

Horizon Forbidden West (PS5)

Just before 2022 ended, I got my hands on a PlayStation 5. The first title I enjoyed was, of course, Horizon Forbidden West, my GotY 2022. The graphics are so incredible, and it runs so well. I mostly played in Performance Mode, but I also gave the Resolution Mode a shot on several occasions. The differences between the two modes are subtle and obvious at the same time. The further you sit away from your TV or Monitor, the less noticeable they become, especially the resolution. At 60 fps, the image looks a bit over-sharpened and over-processed, and the ambient occlusion is slightly weaker, making the Resolution Mode a tad more pleasing to look at. Whatever mode you choose, you can’t go wrong.

Read my review of the PS4 Pro version if you enjoy saving the world.

God of War (PS5)

I started God of War 2018 on the PS4 Pro, but it never really captivated me. After finishing Shadow of the Tomb Raider, I gave it another shot and had a good time. It felt better and more engaging, and the only thing I could attribute it to is the additional 30 fps you get on the PlayStation 5. Everything else is essentially the same.

However, since switching to the PlayStation 5, it still took me until mid-August 2023 to finish God of War. If I had to guess, it probably took over a year in total to beat it. As a result, I never connected with the combat and never mastered the controls and skills of Kratos. Irrespective of that, the battles did not feel that fun to play to boot. Kratos is a walking tank, and the controls felt similarly heavy (I do not mean unresponsive). I also did not enjoy the puzzles and actively hated the map.

God of War is a great and polished game that isn’t really for me. I can see why people adore it so much. I focused only on the story, and that was enough for me. It was definitely the highlight, and I hope God of War Ragnarök delivers the same experience and WOW moments.

I initially planned on writing a review, but I cannot offer a coherent opinion as it took me ages to get through the game.

Pentiment (PC & Xbox Series X)

After Tomb Raider, Pentiment is the second game I finished in 2023. It was reasonable in length, and solving a murder mystery enthralled me enough to finish it in just a few days. Not everything is sunshine and rainbows, unfortunately. Pentiment has a very long and tedious third act before it thrusts its conclusion onto you.

Read my review if you feel like Columbo.

Hi Fi Rush (Xbox Series X)

Hi Fi Rush was a surprise announcement from Microsoft’s first Developer Direct show at the end of January. Its art style, gameplay, and focus on Rock music looked extremely interesting and fun. All these elements are enveloped in a story with several characters and animated cartoon vibes. It looked fantastic, so I jumped in just a few days later. After two chapters – around two hours – I dropped it because I was bored and slightly annoyed.

The first chapter is an introduction to the game’s mechanics, and for a title that focuses on music and rhythm, it interrupted the flow of the game an awful lot. Even in the second or third stage (I only started), I never got into the flow and felt the beat. The music never caught on and mostly sounded repetitive. It is totally possible it was because of me missing the beat all the time, but how can you continue pushing buttons on the beat when the game design requires you to take some time to look around? Combat encounters are only a fraction of the total experience, and even then, the music never got pumping like in Metal Hellsinger.

Hi Fi Rush contains a lot of attention to detail, making the world lively and moving to the beat and attacking enemies or smashing boxes with your guitar results in guitar sounds. And it’s not always the same sound while performing a combo. It has different chords, which is fantastic. But it never really developed into anything, and during the second stage, the sound became increasingly irritating. I really wanted to like this game. It looked so much fun. It did not click with me, unfortunately.

Deliver Us the Moon (PS5)

During a sick week, I had a lot of time to play and actually ran out of games. I subscribed to Sony’s middle tier of PlayStation Plus for a month and checked out a few titles. Some I only tested for eventually buying them, and a couple I played to the end. Deliver Us the Moon is one of the two I finished on PlayStation Plus. I am considering getting the sequel Deliver Us Mars. It was that good.

Deliver Us the Moon is a narrative adventure/puzzle game. Humankind has polluted and destroyed Earth to the point where generating enough energy on Earth is impossible. The solution to this problem is a power plant on the moon that transfers the generated energy back to Earth. However, an incident has occurred, and the energy flow has stopped. It is up to you to find the reason and restore the flow.

During your time on the moon, you uncover why the complete station was abandoned and also repair the power generator to restore the energy transmission to the blue planet. The game conveys the story through written messages, audio logs, and recorded holograms. If I recall correctly, you can only miss the notes if you do not thoroughly explore. The audio recordings and holograms are harder to overlook since most are on your path. Even if you only focus on getting from start to finish, you will discover what happened.

Unlike other games, Deliver Us the Moon does not take you by the hand. It expects some brainpower from you to connect the dots. Do not worry that it is an overly complex game. Although some puzzles can contain several steps to complete, once you find the starting point, the rest basically solves itself. You do not get any waypoints that tell you exactly where to find the next piece of the puzzle. Apart from a single gameplay element, namely loose electric wiring, I had a lot of fun. It is an atmospheric and exciting adventure with an intriguing premise. You have to be okay with floating around in space, aka. imprecise controls due to the lack of gravity in many areas.

Detroit Become Human (PS5 + PC)

The second PlayStation Plus title I finished. I liked it so much that I also bought it on Steam (when it coincidentally was on sale 😅). Detroit Become Human apparently contains over 99 different endings, and I wanted at least one different perspective in some of the defining parts of the game. I (privately) streamed the second playthrough on PC for my sister to watch while we discussed the events on Skype.

I do not have many reference points for games like this. Therefore, I would compare it to something like Life is Strange while taking two steps further. The game is about exploration, narrative, decision-making, and quick time events during action sequences. The camera work is very cinematic and reminiscent of movies and TV shows. Detroit Become Human feels like an interactive TV show that pulls you into a futuristic socio-political scenario.

Read my review if you are tolerant and peaceful.

Demon’s Souls (PS5)

I briefly tested the PS5 Demon’s Souls remake out of curiosity because it was part of PlayStation Plus. The game did not capture me in a way that made me fully understand the buzz around From Software games. It is good I skipped on Elden Ring for now, not just because of horrible console or PC performance. I’m not saying Demon’s Souls is a lousy game. The things it does are well executed. For some reason, I like watching Souls Games on YouTube. My first attempt at one did not last long, though. Maybe I’ll try again sometime later or pick up another one to give the genre another shot. I kinda want to, but I also dread that it will be a waste of money.

Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart (PS5)

Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart caught my eye when Sony announced the PS5. I have never played any Ratchet & Clank game before, but it looked entertaining. Of course, I also devoured all of the Digital Foundry coverage on the game’s technology and walked away impressed.

I was surprised by how story-focused the game is. Ratchet & Clank is not just a fun and chaotic 3^rd person shooter. It could very well be a Disney animated movie. But not only that, the gameplay is very diverse, too. Sure, you get to shoot a lot, but there are different ways of traversal, jump and run sections, and other forms of mixing up the gameplay loop. The game never gets boring while staying true to what it is.

Read my review if you accidentally walked through a rift into another dimension.

Mafia Definitive Edition (PC)

Mafia was a huge hit back in the day, and the Definitive Edition took it to another level. I played this one to start fixing some gaps in my sister’s gaming knowledge. The game still looks very good, and the cutscenes and voice acting are superb and very immersive. The Definitive Edition was a lot of fun, and we devoured it in just a few sessions.

What is especially impressive is the support for switching between mouse+keyboard and gamepad on the fly. You can even start the game without a controller and choose to connect one afterward.

Mafia 2 Definitive Edition (PC)

The Mafia saga continues. I’ve played Mafia 2 several times, but never the Definitive Edition. Just like its predecessor, Mafia 2 is a story-focused 3^rd person shooter, and it is just as fun. At its core, the gameplay is exactly the same as the Mafia 1 Remake, which is a leap above the original Mafia from 2002. Compared to modern titles, some aspects feel a bit clunky, though. There is a lot of standing around and waiting, glued to the floor, while an NPC explains the next steps. The most obnoxious and immersion-breaking thing is the constant fade to black that separates the cutscenes from the gameplay. Mafia 2 from 2010 cannot compete with contemporary games, like God of War from 2018, where you won’t find that.

I can also say that the controller support is just as good. You can connect a gamepad whenever you want and switch between input methods at your leisure.

Far Cry New Dawn (PC)

I had started Far Cry New Dawn with my sister in coop, but we stopped out of boredom and annoyance. Far Cry can be over the top with its characters, and while some find that charmingly hilarious, I find it annoying. Nevertheless, after about two years, I decided to finish it. After all, I wanted to know how the story of Joseph Seed was concluded. Many characters were still as crazy as expected and borderline bearable. However, the production and storytelling continued to be as high quality as the past few Far Cry games.

Ultimately, I was glad I gave it another shot and beat it. The game felt good in the beginning and repetitive further down the line. But again, one cannot accuse Ubisoft of dropping the ball on storytelling in the Far Cry series.

Horizon Forbidden West Burning Shores DLC (PS5)

I rarely say that I am a fan of something, but I think it is safe to say that I am a fan of the Horizon franchise. It should come as no surprise that I devoured the Burning Shores DLC when it came out, and I absolutely enjoyed it.

Read my review if you are not afraid of a Horus.

Marvel’s Midnight Suns (PS5 + PC)

This is a very unexpected game for me, and I am happy that I convinced myself to stop watching somebody else play and do it myself. Midnight Suns was my surprise in 2023, and I enjoyed almost everything. Some of the writing was questionable, and some of the drama was unnecessary. I still liked it a lot as a complete package.

Read my review if you value friendships.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (PC)

When Star Wars Jedi: Survivor launched, I was pondering the idea of continuing the adventures of Kal Cestis. Initial reviews complained about unstable performance or even a horrible state of affairs on PC and several other bugs, so I held back and pivoted to Marvel Midnight Suns instead. Since I still plan to play Survivor, I figured it would be good to go back to Fallen Order and play that with my sister. I am surprised how bad this title still occasionally runs on newer hardware. With that experience, I am glad I have not purchased Jedi Survivor yet. I am also reminded that the game contains some elements that caused me frustration.

Read my older review if the force is with you.

Final Fantasy XVI (PS5)

The latest entry in the Final Fantasy series was hotly awaited among the enormous amount of exceptional games in 2023. It was released in a time window where I had not started any other single-player game, and since I was interested, I picked it up.

The game focused on telling a compelling story about comradery and fighting for justice and freedom. In doing so, it was light on complex gameplay mechanics that would just get in the way of quickly moving from plot point to plot point, be it main story or side content.

FF16 had a few flaws when displaying optional mission cutscenes, but it absolutely shined in its writing. Unlike other games released this year, it was an otherwise highly polished title with no bugs. One patch (during my playtime) added an option to control motion blur and disable the auto-centering of the camera on the player. Thank you!

Read my review if you oppose discrimination.

Spirit of the North (PC)

I have played as a cat before in Stray, so why not play as fox in a stunning Iceland-inspired landscape? Other than Stray, Spirit of the North does not contain any combat and only relies on amazing vistas and simple puzzle solving. It is an immensely relaxing adventure game accompanied by joyful and thoughtful music that is as beautiful as the landscapes.

If it hadn’t been for the Epic Games Store giving it away in the past, I would have never experienced this beautiful game.

The Order 1886 (PS5)

The Order 1886 is a dark and gritty third-person shooter in an alternative timeline in London of 1886. Technology has advanced further than has happened in the real world, but it is not so wild to break the immersion. The Order fights against half-breeds, a life form that looks human but can transform into werewolves. However, there is more to the story than werewolves, and encounters with these dangerous creatures are rarely employed creating a more tense atmosphere in the darker environments.

I think The Order 1886 is a good game that would have deserved more recognition.

Read my review if you enjoy a vampire and werewolf conspiracy.

Titanfall 2 (PC)

Like the Firefly TV show, Titanfall 2 is everybody’s darling despite its commercial failure. I had already beaten this game on the Xbox Series S in 2021 and enjoyed it incredibly back then. In fact, it was one of the first titles I had played on that console and also the first shooter on a console. Despite that, it felt great with a controller, even more so with a keyboard and a mouse on a monitor with over 120 fps. And since Titanfall 2 is now seven years old, basically every modern computer, even mid-range to lower-end ones, can run it without a hitch. My Core i5 12400F + RTX 3060 combo had no issues at 1440p.

And it still looks good, too. Sure, texture quality is not the highest anymore, and polygon counts cannot compete with modern titles. However, the art design and quality lighting still produce a pleasant, atmospheric visual presentation and immersive gameplay. It does not matter if you run around flora, fauna, spaceships, or enormous underground factories. Titanfall can be beautifully colorful or dark and gloomy industrial. And the best thing about that? No traversal or shader compilation stutters. Only high frame rates.

The story setup is reminiscent of the Rebels against the Imperium saga in Star Wars. Darth Vader built a Death Star to destroy planets, and the IMC in Titanfall attempts to do something similar. You unravel this mystery during the campaign and try to foil this plan. The further you progress in the story, the stronger your bond with the Titan BT will grow. It’s a human-giant-combat-robot bromance worth experiencing. There is some delightful humor and character development to be enjoyed. The only downside is the short playtime. I beat the game in less than six hours – but remember that I already knew the narrative and levels. I did not spend much time looking around and exploring the areas for collectibles.

Titanfall 2 was a lot of fun on the Xbox and even more fun on a PC. The more precise controls and higher framerate made the high-speed and acrobatic gunplay feel a lot more impactful.

Read my review from 2021 if you enjoy a thumbs up.

Uncharted Legacy of Thieves Edition (PS5)

After finishing the Nathan Drake Collection on the PS4, I planned to pick up the Legacy of Thieves Collection and continue the Story of Nathan Drake in Uncharted 4. Naughty Dog improved every gameplay aspect of the first three entries in this series. Climbing is more accurate, and combat is also more precise. It is even augmented by subtle Dual Sense controller effects.

Despite the technical advancements and PlayStation 5 enhancements, only some things were better than in the previous games. Storytelling was clearly drawn out several times. It resulted in prolonged climbing sequences that added almost nothing to the overall experience. It left a sour aftertaste in my mouth. I generally like the game, the story it tells, and the character development. Here, Naughty Dog took the next step, and this is what I enjoy about Naughty Dog games. The focus is on the story and characters, no matter how lighthearted or grim. It’s just that it needed to be faster at times.

I am still adventuring through the Lost Legacy spinoff, and I think its pacing is much better. It does use a different approach to gameplay, though, employing more of a semi-open map to explore instead of linear levels. Despite that, it “wastes” less time with prolonged climbing content utilized for character moments.

Starfield (PC)

Starfield is an unfortunately controversial title. It was supposed to be a big hit for Xbox and initially looked like it would deliver. However, as more and more players got their hands on it, the tides turned. I am unsure what everybody wished, but my expectations have been met and even exceeded. Starfield is not without its flaws, of course, but it is by no means a bad game. Bethesda still knows a thing or two about storytelling, and they even added more compelling companions and character development. The core gameplay loop is not the most modern anymore, but it was still pretty addicting for me. One of the most significant points of contention was the technical aspect of this game. The performance is hit-and-miss and very hardware-dependent. On the other hand, the art style is outstanding and more than makes up for the outdated rendering technology. On top of that, I think the shooting is the best it has ever been in a Bethesda game. It feels great with a controller and also a keyboard and mouse.

Read my review if the blackness of space intrigues rather than scares you.

Wolfenstein The Old Blood & The New Order (PC)

The Wolfenstein Games, starting with The Old Blood and New Order, are an outstanding reboot of the Wolfenstein franchise. Machine Games created an engaging story based on an alternative history where Nazis won the war and now rule the world. The gunplay is tight and highly visceral, but the games are not just about shooting virtual Nazis. These titles focus strongly on character development, and BJ is more than just the killing machine known as Terror-Billy. Machine Games gave their hero a personality, making him a brooding soldier with a troubled childhood.

The new Wolfenstein games amalgamate a great-feeling, fast-paced shooter and story-rich plots. One slight downside of the visceral depiction of gunplay is a lot of screen shake and muzzle flashes covering the view. I would like to turn that down for a better view during combat. Aiming is sometimes tricky because of it. The graphics are very dark and gray, and enemy soldiers are dressed in black, making them hard to spot at times.

However, these dark visuals add to the gnarly and dreadful atmosphere of the world. There cannot be anything colorful and joyous in a world where Nazis dominate, and Machine Games hit the nail on the head.

In terms of order, start with The Old Blood, as it is a prequel to the first full game in the rebooted series, The New Order. You will also notice a change in storytelling quality coming from The Old Blood, which is somewhat curious because it was released after The New Order.

I did not take many screenshots, as the depiction of Swastikas is a complicated subject in Germany and the Wolfenstein games are full of them. Therefore, you have to make do with this Aryan bastard.

Who’s the King?

Before I reveal my favorite, let me quickly state that my pick is based on the games I played in 2023, not the ones released this year. My game list is all over the place, and selecting the top title based on its release in 2023 wouldn’t be much of a competition.

Just like last year, the choice is between three games. I am not considering Horizon’s Burning Shores DLC for this discussion. It is not a complete game.

Coming in third place is Detroit Become Human. My first experience with this game was very jaw-dropping. You have so many options to tackle conversations and steer them in different directions, altering the endings. I played this game early in the year, so I almost forgot about it and its quality. I finished it twice, once on the PS5 and a second time on a PC.

Although I gave it a higher thumbs-up rating than the second place, Final Fantasy XVI was a more enjoyable game overall. The reason is the action-oriented and more direct gameplay. You have more control over what happens on screen as it does not entirely rely on quick-time events. Both titles are very strong contenders when looking only at the story and the characters.

This year’s winner is a game I would have never expected. I am primarily an action game player. However, I was so enthralled by the gameplay loop of Marvel’s Midnight Suns that it became an evening ritual to build friendships, craft upgrades, and solve strategy combat puzzles. Of all the games that made it to the podium, Midnight Suns is the one for which I really want a successor sooner rather than later. Midnight Suns ticked all my boxes of character-driven gameplay, good storytelling, and calm exploration and discovery. And it added to that an addicting strategic battle mode that is the actual core mechanic. I was so intrigued that I picked up another strategy-focused game for 2024, The Lamplighter’s League.

Famous Last Words

If you can spare an hour of your time, then go and watch SkillUp’s excellent summary of 2023. He revisits the complete year month by month, discussing the highs and the lows and combining them with his own commentary and weird humor. It is an excellent channel to watch for weekly gaming updates and high-quality game reviews.

As to what is next in my pile of shame for 2024: I am currently vanquishing all virtual Nazis in Wolfenstein II The New Colossus to finish the trilogy. Then there’s Spider-Man Remastered and, ideally, also Miles Morales. I still have to get through God of War Ragnarök, which is probably the biggest hurdle. But I do want to experience the story myself instead of watching it on YouTube.

Others I am yet to start include The Lamplighter’s League, the Alan Wake games, my first horror games, and Baldur’s Gate 3 in Coop once Ragnarök has been averted. I am also very excited for Immortals of Aveum, my first Unreal 5 title. Playing the prologue and tutorial was already very fun.

On the hardware side, I wonder if NVIDIA’s Super refresh moves the cost-per-frame needle in a more positive direction. AMD’s Zen 5 CPUs should launch sometime in the first half of 2024, and new GPUs could be unveiled at the end of the year. We’ll see if any of these launches will be exciting or not.

I am also trying to figure out how to continue on the game review front. The blog is called The Codeslinger, and although it is about me and my interests, including video games, coding needs to get more attention. Game reviews require a considerable time investment for a tiny reward.

I think I’ll leave it at that. Maybe I’ve given you some gaming ideas?

Thank you for reading and indulging my musings once more.