Games I played in 2023 worth mentioning

This year, I've reflected a lot on the time I spend playing games, and while I've definitely devoted a lot of what would be game time to reading novels, I played a much larger variety of games than I normally do. Emulation in particular has re-entered my life in a big way, my steam deck opening up tons of new opportunities for revisiting classics from my childhood as well as catching up on important games I've missed. The list below isn't ranked, it's simply games I played this year that I felt I had things to say about. Enjoy. :3

Yeah, I'm getting this one out of the way immediately. I have far too much to say about this, but I'll keep it short. Baldur's Gate 3 is the game I've been craving since I finished Dragon Age: Origins back when I was 16. It's everything teenage me wanted from an RPG, and everything I want now from one. It's got deep companions, wonderful character building and deep, strategic combat that lets you flex your creativity. I've rarely played games that leave the impression this one did, it's a no-brainer, you should play it if you're even remotely interested in D&D, tactics or good character writing.

Once, long ago, I visited my friend for the weekend to play some 360 and watch some horror movies. After a long night of hardcore gaming and snacking, I woke up early, as I always did, and raided his game shelf. I immediately gravitated towards a cover featuring two mecha fighting over a body of water. It didn't take long for me to be fumbling through the menus, barely grasping what anything in the garage meant as I beat mission after mission. Going back to that game, and almost every other game in the series, has been surreal because ultimately, the games have barely changed from the first entry. Even the faster paced combat of generation 4 can't mask the foundations that the series is built upon: masc barbies. Something about spending hours and hours building and painting my little dolls to run them through missions I know like the back of my hand is deeply, deeply appealing to me and my penchant for reaching my skill limit in every game I enjoy. If you like robots, you should play armored core, simple as.

It's hard to explain my feelings on this game. It's a game made by people who both worked on Eureka Seven, as well as people who enjoyed Eureka Seven and were enamored with its themes and characters. Eureka Seven obsession aside, this RPG features absolutely beautiful character art, a story that goes in directions you may not expect, and a plot steeped in geopolitical and religious tension. If you're an Eureka Seven fan, you'll immediately notice that the character designer from that show is on the team, and if you're an RPG fan, you'll immediately notice the difficulty and requirements for strategic thought.I legitimately consider it a part of extended E7 media, and I'll always be grateful to my friend moxxy for showing it to me.

.hack has been on my mind ever since I saw Sign as a kid. The setting of the World and the World R2 are fascinating to me aesthetically and mechanically, and the plot is full of goofy anime bullshit, mixed with genuinely thought provoking musings on the nature of friendship, companionship, lonliness and human nature. While GU isn't as gay as Sign, it's still a beautiful game with a combat system that can keep you interested, even in the longer dungeons.

What a surprise this game was. While I ike vampire survivors, I couldn't really lose myself in it and play run after run. Halls of Torment comes busting through the wall to show me why the bullet heaven genre is so awesome. The gear system, the classes, the skills, the visuals, the sound design... Everything tickles my brain in just the right way. Don't sleep on this one.

Lunacid

In a world of soulslike oversauration, it's so pleasant to see a game ape king's field instead. This game is beautiful, confusing, fun, and captures a mood and vibe that goes beyond its inspirartions. Collecting all the spells and weapons is addictive and searching for secrets never gets tedious. The whole game is an adventure and while it does get a bit too easy when you reach the end, that's not exactly a unique issue with RPGs.

As someone basically obsessed with the dark souls series, it's always been a sore point for me that I didn't have a way to play demon's souls. Well now I've played the remake on PS5, and I've emulated the PS3 version with online features active. Demon's Souls is kind of amazing, it's like mega man meets king's field, it's difficult in a very specific way, where you can consistently make it easier by using the right tool for the job. The remake is basically pointless, it does nothing but add some endgame secrets, but at least it makes the game more accessible. I love Demon's Souls just as much as I love Dark Souls. <3

While I didn't finish this game, I did enjoy it deeply. Riding through the sands, climbing towers, solving puzzles, catching bettles. All of these things are fun to do, it never really gets old, and the writing is cute. I'll revisit it one day, because I'm not sure I'll ever stop thinking about that sandy, windswept world.

This demo was so good it reignited a 20 years dormant love for survival horror in me. It brought back memories of nervously playing ps1 horror games in a small room, on a small CRT. This game got me to play Signalis, which I won't talk about here, since I've barey touched the game. You should play this demo right now, it's free after all.

I got to run around a city and slice people to chunks in stopped time. Cyberpunk is one of the best single player FPS I've played in many years, it's safe to say that CD Projekt has fixed the game, and while I think the story is hit or miss (and the acting as well) I was thoroughly impressed by the feeling of the combat and the overhauled skill systems. I've yet to play the DLC but I'm confident I'll enjoy it. Also Keanu Reeves is hot as fuck.

This game slipped right into my radar at the end of the year and surprised me with one of the most enjoyable melee combat systems I've ever experienced in first person. The game lured me in with its incredible and unique visuals, only to surprise me with hit cancels, dashes, parries, charge attacks, combos and tons of weapon skills that set this thing apart from any other roguelite I've played before. All I want to see after Mortal Sin is a king's field-like with its combat, I can't get enough of it.

If you've read this far, thanks for taking any stock in my ramblings, and have a happy new year. Things are rough out there, stay safe, and don't you dare go hollow.