Top 10 Games Played in 2023
Description
It always feels good to revisit your memories and discoveries at the end of any given year. Picking the 10 best games I got to play throughout one is never an easy task but it's the one that helps summarize all of my year-long experiences wonderfully!
I suppose it's safe to say that I ended up gaming just a bit more in 2023 than in some past years. Looking at my still extensive backlog, it doesn't feel even remotely enough though :D
I am somewhat happy about a couple of upgrades I have arranged for my PC in 2023. Considering this and the fact that the russo-Ukrainian war's pendulum is now seemingly on the good guys' side even more than before (i.e. I have even better chances of NOT getting hit by a missile or a drone this year), I have high hopes for 2024. I do still plan to track around 99% of my progress with any games on this site so, I guess, we will see about it in a year :)
No specific resolutions for now, but I certainly have a few games I would like to finish or try next year in mind! Let's just hope that my 2024's Top 10 isn't going to be packed with the same few games as the other ones :D
Without further ado, here is THE TEN:
Baldur's Gate III
This one was quite a pleasant surprise for sure! I mean, I've read the press and heard all the great things said about this game, yes, but experiencing it for myself was a different thing. Don't get me wrong, I do see a lot of flaws in Baldur's Gate III. I doubt I would be able to give a 10/10 or something but it was still the best game I've played this year.
Replayability, freedom of choice, attention to detail, great characters, fantastic drama, fascinating atmosphere, and a well-built tactical battle system - these are the things that always get me excited. This and the fact that I simply did not get a chance to play something more interesting this year have pretty much secured Baldur's Gate III's #1 spot on my list.
2
Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends Complete Edition
It's kind of weird, but I did not even get to play this game that much in 2023 :0
This decision was surely affected by my experience with Dynasty Warriors 7: XLDE this year, the game that took me more than 200 hours to beat, and the game that I consider far inferior to DW 8: XLCE. I've revisited this eighth iteration this past week and it felt great. Also, playing it in co-op with my girlfriend for a few hours was lots of fun too!
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Game of the Year Edition
Meh, I guess I am at that point in my relationship with my favorite game of all time when I barely know what to do with it. It's not like I don't enjoy it, not at all, I guess I am just a little less excited to play Oblivion these days. It seems like if there were better games on this list they would have pushed it down fairly easily which happens very rarely on these lists of mine.
Surely, I do know a couple of ways of revitalizing my relationship with Oblivion. I am not entirely sure if I want it or need it right now though...
4
The Elder Scrolls Online: Murkmire
Not much to say here really. I enjoyed playing TESO. I liked this DLC a bit more than the base game so far. I wish I had more time to play it I think... to discover more of its flaws :D
Dynasty Warriors 4
This situation is quite similar to the one I have with TES IV: Oblivion it seems. I would have usually put this one higher on this list but, despite playing it a decent amount this year, I do feel a bit less excited about playing Dynasty Warriors 4 now, just a little bit. Something tells me that when I am done with my 100% completion of DW4 (which I've been on for almost 5 years now :0 ), I might just not touch this game at all for 5 more years XD
Gloomhaven
I am not entirely confident about this decision, I gotta be honest. Some recent updates to this game have made it less comfortable to spend time in for sure. The fact that me and my gf only play the Guildmaster Mode of Gloomhaven and not anything else kinda leaves us with subpar narrative and repeatedly structured gameplay. It's still as enjoyable as it gets, we adore this game pretty well as much as we are crazy about the board game itself. I just think that this game had the potential to be in my Top 3 games but neither the developers nor me and my gf cared enough to help it get there.
The Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited
The fact that TESO is a couple of positions lower down this list than its DLC does not mean that much to me. Every game you see on this list is very close to most of the others in my eyes. Every pick was pretty hard to make. I do still like this MMORPG very much. 90 hours was not even remotely enough for me to get everything I wanted from The Elder Scrolls Online. With that said It did feel more and more overwhelming due to the game's sheer amount of content.
I do want to return to playing TESO one day, for sure. I just don't know when.
8
Musou Orochi Z
This one is quite a classic for me. I barely played it this year but I still consider it to be among my favorite ones :)
Samurai Warriors 2
Literally, the same situation here. I suppose I don't like this game as much as I do MOZ but it still brings me joy, for sure.
10
Mortal Kombat 1
This is the most expensive game I've ever bought :P Was it a bit of a disappointment then you might ask?
Meh, I am not really sure. I guess my gaming style is just not tailored for modern fighting games, not yet at least. I did enjoy the game's story campaign, kinda enjoyed Invasions but not that much. The customization, the visuals, the characters, the challenges, the additional content - it's all quite good but it's not entirely enough to keep intrigued or invested in a PC game for very long.
I don't play games competitively anymore so I guess it's not that surprising if I don't appreciate a modern fighting game for all it's worth.