Personally for me :
Xbox: Hi-Fi Rush , I love rhythm games and hack and slashes and this was the perfect combo. A lot of heart was poured into this game with the devs and I wish it had a bit more recognition .
PS5: GoW Ragnarok, great follow up to my favorite game last generation with a very satisfying conclusion. Was a close one between this and Spiderman 2 where both games were more of a refinement of the original but this had way more content.
PC: Spec Ops: The Line - Great story, decent mechanics for a fairly old game and the performance was wonderful playing on max settings at 144 fps on my handheld.
Well the best overall for me has to be Disco Elysium. Game is just astounding. Tears at my heart. Pentiment is a close second. But my god was that one a bit more miserable. Recommend for anyone that enjoys a good story.
From purely a fun standpoint, Rollerdrome and Hi-Fi Rush were absolutely killer. Incredibly tight gameplay. Super satisfying to "get good" at. Rollerdrome was the first game I was motivated enough to 100%, it was that fun.
It's kind of crazy looking back at how many games I got through in a year. Could've sworn I had played these years ago. What is time, even? 🫠
Star Wars: Racer
It was a return to nostalgia for me. My wife bought this for me for Christmas. I was worried that I would lug into a very dated game, however:
The gameplay is so exquisite and the track design so carefully thought out that it’s really an exhilarating game. The tracks never get boring because they sprinkle in just enough variation and style to keep them engaging. The tricks you can pull in a podracer do not break suspension of disbelief the way normal car games do when pulling amazing stunts. The flow is smooth and fluid even now.
Between the minimap, rearview, braking, air breaking to sustain airtime and cushion landings, self-determined boosting (rather than relying on external powerups or boost zones), and repair management you’re never not adjusting to something. The game keeps you busy while you’re flying along the track.
To boot, the obstacles and shortcuts are carefully distributed and used, playing into the themes of the tracks. Most are small influences, but useful or interesting. One track will force you to reconsider your playstyle for it, however. Despite that it’s not so jarring that you want to stop playing.
You also get a bevy of racers to choose from and the ability to buy and juggle upgrades and pit droids keeps your gameplay evolving. You can even be rewarded for being a skilled player by adjusting the finish placement payouts.
Unfortunately due to careful planning and purchasing, as well as a better sense of how to play as an adult, the game has some shortcomings. Instead of being neck and neck, I was regularly 7-12 seconds ahead of the second place racer, regularly unable to see them in my rearview. A complete lack of a story mode and a low difficulty bar meant I was done in three days even with limited play time and inconsistent access. While this could have been saved with an Online mode added, I still had fun completing Tournament mode and would gladly give this to anyone who wants high-velocity adrenaline with more complex mechanics than your average racing game.
Tunic, such a great combination of classic Zelda with puzzles and mechanics that keep evolving in crazy ways, felt similar to FEZ by the end for the true ending. The manual mechanic is one of my favorite ones in a long time.
Super Mario Wonder is the best 2D Mario since Super Mario World. There is so much attention to detail and the polish on every aspect from the gameplay to the way enemies act and react.
Super Mario RPG is the ultimate remake. It kept absolutely everything about the original while adding a few minor gameplay enhancements. Best of all, the graphics look like the original CG readers from the 90s but with perfect modern sharpness.
Deathbulge Battle of the Bands was an unexpected favourite. It's a light-hearted turned based RPG with Earthbound and Undertale vibes, an amazing soundtrack and interesting and humorous characters.
Going to go with highly modded Fallout 4. I’ve got bunch of immersive mods like darker nights, better flashlights, and minimal HUD. Mods that make the game world scarier like radiative storms, working gasmasks, more ghouls, and more enemies in general. Rebalanced damage, added a lot of weapons, quests, and expanded existing locations. Settlements feel much more important as places of security, and are ringed in concrete walls and patrolled by uniformed Minutemen.
Going out into the world actually feels scary and harrowing. The settlements feel like actual breathers from a truly strange and dangerous world.
While I have a lot to say about the faults of Fallout 4, no other game provides such an amazing foundation for an open world experience, and the modding community is top notch.
Talos Principle 1 + Gehenna (Had it for years in my library collecting dust), finished it to 100% and am currently playing Talos Principle 2. These games are absolute gems and not even expensive for what you get, too. The people at Croteam are genuine masters of their craft.
I'm surprised I don't see Alan Wake 2 as its own entry in the list so far.
I don't like horror games, and I didn't care that much for the first game, or even necessarily Control, but Alan Wake 2 was really impressive. Showcased the power of the format of video games for cinematic narrative in a way that raised the bar even higher than it'd been before, similar to how BG3 and TotK raised the bar in player choice and open ended game design.
And just such a visually striking game too.
Dead space. The remake was just as good as the original but with updated graphics and mechanics.
Talos principle 2
Age of Empires IV. It's an RTS, so you need to multitask. I find it more difficult to play than souls-likes or other timing games, but I enjoy the struggle. I've only played 3 out of 16 factions available but I'm hyped that there's probably more content to come. Especially since their newly released expansion was said to be the bestselling expansion for all their AOE games.
Dyson Sphere Program Cities Skylines 2
Both because I like systems and I like to build.
Days Gone, since it just released on gog and I wanted to give a triple a title another shot. It turned out to be pretty good, fun driving and gameplay, and the hordes were terrifying.
Also I was amazed how well this game was running, 4k 144hz butter smooth on a 4070. Kudos to the developers!
BG3 was for me (in 2023). I did 3 full runs. There's never been a game where I completed it and immediately started another campaign. There's been games I've considered it and pondered it but never did it.
Finally beat BOTW, so I'll say that
How is noone screaming about Lethal Company? I have never had more fun that playing that game last few weeks. True its "short" even with mods but sooo worth it.
Quake I, now remastered. I reinstall it frequently and it was one of the first games I tried on Linux, and it works flawlessly even though it came from a Microsoft-owned Bethesda-published Id. There's something hypnotyzing in how responsive it feels so I don't get bored nor with originar, nor with pretty new levels. Even boomer shooters don't scratch it just like this game does.
Sekiro. It ruined other souls like for me. Even DS. Combat felt like dancing, QoL are very good, even better than Lies of P that people kept praising about QoL.
Final Fantasy 5 and 6 are fantastic 16 bit JRPGs.
FF6 (Final Fantasy 3 in the US) gets a ton of acclaim, but I highly recommend finding a translated ROM of FF5.
I usually get bored when RPGs require too much level grinding, but they are paced nicely.
Phoenix Wright.
I recently bought a ds lite in a second hand store and found that game to be one of the most fun ones. Scribblenauts is also quite fun.
Dwarf fortress with DFhack. Now with graphics!
Absolutely Hi-Fi Rush. I loved many games this year, but Hi-Fi Rush was so fun, so wholesome, so loveable that the music it used carried me through some insanely hard times. It is very obviously a passion project made by incredible creators, and I legitimately cannot find a single issue with it (which I can't say of any other game this year).
I still feel swells of emotion listening to the music from that game. Absolutely incredible.
I put about 300 hours into No Man's Sky this year.
Gartic phone has been the most consistently entertaining game i played this year, but that is probably because i only ever played it 3 times(3 gamemodes) yesterday.
I also played Celeste this year, which was really fun
V rising
Throughout the year I played:
-Secret of Mana (haven't played in 15 years or so. Game still holds up)
-Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (and the Torna DLC). The main story is fantastic. A bit quantity of quality with all the Blades.
-The Legend of Zelda: TOTK. This game is great. Ultra hand blows this game wide open
-Xenoblade Chronicles 3. Finish this one up now and about to start the DLC. Story IMO is the poorest of the 3 games. But they took the best of the first two game's battle mechanics and improved that system.
Probably XC2. It was a lot of fun.
Hard to pick. I would say my favorite new game is Slay the Princess. My favorite game I've returned to, and I returned to a lot this year, is Deep Rock Galactic. Rock and stone, brother.
Vampire Survivors completely drew me in this year.
A couple of years ago, I was having dreams of designing train lines in Cities Skylines. A couple of days ago I was having a dream of weapon combos in Vampire Survivors. That's how you spot a good and influential game.
Pretty easily Hunt Showdown with honorable mention to Remnant II, Northgard, and Age of Wonders 4
I finally picked up Exanima after years of being put off by the early access, but damn what a unique and engaging experience. Reminds me of the first time I played Oblivion or Demon's/Dark Souls.
It's a game where your own experience as a player is your greatest asset. I highly recommend it for anyone into slow dungeon crawling and looking for a challenge unlike anything else.
The Forest and Sons of the forest. Haven't been happier playing this - unique as hell and gave me similar vibes as Subnautica. :)
Chants of Sennaar. Thought it would fun, turned out to be probably my favourite thing I played this year.
BG3, TOTK, and Vampire Survivors are all very up there as well. Really great year for games.
Really enjoyed valheim. Not sure it was my fave but really enjoyable. A game I can just keep going back to.
Spider-Man: Miles Morales got its Steam release in November of last year, but I didn’t get to it until after New Years. The Steam Deck handled it really well, which just makes me pissed that Insomniac signed a PlayStation exclusivity agreement for Spider-Man 2.
Baulders gate 3 for sure. I mean in a few months it's already more than half the hours of my most played game. I love the characters and the way I can effect the outcome of different events, and I love exploring it all again with different character combos.
Lingo. It tickles my brain in wonderful ways. I'm currently working through the custom level Liduongo, sequel to an earlier map named Duolingo, and I continue to be surprised, delighted, and utterly perplexed.
It's a rules-based puzzler that doesn't tell you the rules buried in a confusing labyrinth. The only downside is that it requires a strong grasp of English, limiting its audience.
Kerbal Space Program! Sunk 20 hours into that one over the last two days alone!
Perfect Tides.
There's been a lot of great games this year, but BG3 just barely beats the competition for me. Alan Wake 2, TOTK, Hi-fi Rush, and Lethal Company have all been great experiences as well though.
Well Tears of the Kingdom ate up about 4 months of the year for me. Bomb Rush Cyberfunk was a game I had been waiting 20 years to play. So that was really nice. I just wish there was more of it to be honest haha.
Resident evil 4 remake and Bloodborne were my next favorites.
Probably a toss up between Hi-Fi Rush, Doom Eternal, and Guilty Gear Strive. I suck at fighting games, but I love learning all the unique mechanics of the characters.
From this year: BG3
From before this year: Dwarf Fortress
Resident Evil 4 Remake
For the indie horror genre: Your Spider
Guild Wars 2
It's close between Baldurs Gate 3 and Nioh 2.
BG3 is just that good, but Nioh 2 is one of my all time favorites, and I finally cleared everything in the game, early 2023.
Crusader Kings III. I‘m scared to turn it on by now cause it always makes days disappear for me.
SANABI
Probably Remnant 2 although Hi-Fi Rush is close behind.
I really liked Kingdom Two Crowns even though it was a bit short for a base builder.
BLACKTAIL
It really sucked me in their world
Just started this one but Afterimage is becoming a big favorite of mine. A really great Metroidvania game.
Older, but also played Frostpunk. It's a really great twist on a city building game. Highly recommended.
One odd ball I'll throw out is Last Case of Benedict Fox. It's a complete mess of a game, but the exploration and puzzles are a lot of fun. I never realized how much I want a metroidvania where you go around just solving puzzles. If LCBF just dropped all combat and focused on puzzle-solving it would have been a lot better.
Guild wars 2. I’ve loved the new expansion though it is short.
Generation zero
Death Stranding. Art and masterpiece imo
Sludge Life. Was such a fun little world with a killer art style. Has some really funny moments in it. I saw there were achievements for different endings so I may go back to it at some point to and try for those. Oh and a cool OST to go along with it
Mechabellum
Vampire Survivors and its horde of clones
The one I've sunk the most hours in gotta be Overwatch. The one that sucked me in the quickest is Valheim
For me it still has to be grim dawn. I play so many games and I get bored with all of them but grim Dawn has been very consistent. And the idea of a DLC coming out is phenomenal. The latest update also added a shit ton of quality of life changes that just make it even more fun to play.
Stacklands.
Demon Souls. Gadamn it's good...
City Skylines 2
