Brando’s Game(s) of the Year 2023
This year in gaming, has been full of incredible games. Seemed like around every corner of every month, sometimes every week, talented…
This year in gaming, has been full of incredible games. Seemed like around every corner of every month, sometimes every week, talented developers would release their magnum opus, and treat us with an experience to explode our socks off.
Last year was the first year I participated in Backloggd.com’s GOTY (Game of the Year) event, and to make it more interesting I enacted a self-imposed restriction to limit my picks in the event to only games I had played that year. I’m continuing that restriction for my picks this year, and in the following article, I’ll give you some micro-reviews of my top picks. I’ve played a ton of 2023 games, so fasten your seatbelt, this is going to be a long article, but a good one!
My Eligible Nominees
The Best of 2023
So there it is, all laid out for you to see (but please, keep reading hah). I had a decent selection pool this year, with a total of 15 eligible games, so about a third of everything I have played (that was released in 2023) has an award. Let’s dig into it a bit deeper though, starting in reverse with…
Best Multiplayer — Destiny 2: Lightfall
So 5 games from my list were eligible for this award because they all have multiplayer components.
Risk of Rain Returns
Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
Remnant 2
Battle Bit Remastered
Destiny 2: Lightfall
But truthfully, I’ve only played two games from these five with people. And one of them I only played over one session that lasted a couple of hours. So ultimately, I played Destiny 2 the most with friends. I had some great experiences too. But for better or for worse, I just don’t have a group of friends that play other games on the regular anymore.
Contrary to what the average Destiny 2 player might say about this year, it has been one of the best years in the history of the game. The seasonal model might run thin at its core, but the dungeons, the seasonal activities, the lore, the new narrative, and everything that has happened over the year have been successful in being fun, while I play the game with friends. And thus, it has earned this award from me.
Best Soundtrack — Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
This was a tough one to pick. Phantom Liberty’s soundtrack was in my Spotify Wrapped this year (no surprises there, the Cyberpunk 2077 soundtrack has been in my last 3 years of Spotify wraps). Then we have the excellent Tears of the Kingdom soundtrack which elegantly lines the tapestry of your adventure through Hyrule. I was also highly impressed with Bungie’s Sound Team, with the likes of the prominent (and unceremoniously recently let go) Michael Salvatori and the team's work on the soundtrack for Destiny 2’s Lightfall expansion.
Ultimately the other games I thought were deserving of other awards. And I’m trying to keep this thing down to one award per game. So in a sense, Armored Core won by default. But I stand by it! And here is why:
The soundtrack is a masterpiece. FromSoft is great at making masterpiece OSTs, and Armored Core’s is no exception. It perfectly accents your journey across the planet Rubicon in all the best ways. It increases in intensity as boss health pools get lower. It knows when it needs to be softer to let you soak it all in. It has a distinct and recognizable tone as well. This didn’t occur to me until the other day when I was listening to some randomly generated Spotify radio with a bunch of game soundtracks. One came on and I was like, “Huh… sounds like Armored Core.” Sure enough, it was some fan cover of one of the tracks from it. It’s impactful and masterfully done, and I’m glad that it graced my ears as I played AC: VI this year. The album is linked below via Spotify for your convenience, but of course, it sounds best in the context of the game while you’re playing:
If you haven’t played Armored Core VI, and need some convincing, my review here:
Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon Review
As someone unfamiliar with the franchise, its spectacle left me in awe. I recommend it with some conditions, which I’ll…medium.com
Best Art Direction — Hogwarts Legacy
It's kind of an interesting award to give. I had a few in mind for sure. Bleak Sword DX, a game whose style is practically the sole reason I bought the game, is a contender. Dredge is an excellent debut indie, with great artwork and design all around, absolutely a contender. I was considering Risk of Rain Returns for its stunningly gorgeous pixel art portraits and revamped graphics. But there is a clear winner, and it’s Hogwarts Legacy.
Here’s the video I couldn’t get out of my head that more or less informed this decision months and months ago when I viewed it.
It’s 10 minutes long, so it’s a bit of a watch, especially if you’re just trying to speed read this article, so I’ll give you my favorite point that 2kliksphilip makes: Some sections of Hogwarts have been crafted directly from the books, sentence for sentence. Stuff that was never shown in the films. Meticulously researched and then modeled to perfection. Sure, the books just acted as a design document, but their execution across the board with the art and architecture across the entirety of the world you traverse in Hogwarts Legacy is a stunningly beautiful display of love and respect for this massively enjoyed series. As a long-time casual fan, I was beyond enamored. As a fellow Utah native, I couldn’t be happier for Warner Bros. Avalanche to knock it out of the park. Well deserved for sure.
If you need some convincing to play Hogwarts Legacy, my review below:
Review — Hogwarts Legacy
Ultimately, this is an incredible game that I had way more fun with than I thought I would. I believe it’s because of…medium.com
Best Narrative — Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Phantom Liberty is an expansion for a game that was released several years ago, so I’m hard-pressed to even consider it at all for an award. But I couldn’t put it down, and I hardly interacted with the base game’s story while playing. Phantom Liberty’s narrative is so well done, every decision feels impactful to the narrative, and it never seems like there’s a clear path to take, one way, or the other. The finales for all four endings are perfect. Phantom Liberty is some of the best story content to ever come out of CD Projekt Red (and the greater gaming medium for that matter) and I’ll stand by that. Ultimately, there wasn’t another narrative I played this year that captivated me as much as this one. Again, this is just from what I have played, which released in 2023.
My full thoughts on Phantom Liberty in my review, linked below similar to those above:
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty Review
Phantom Liberty. Let me start by being brief: If you own Cyberpunk 2077, you owe it to yourself to experience this…medium.com
Best Gameplay — Remnant 2
I was hesitant to pick up Remnant 2, as I think many are. After all, I’m not the biggest fan of the whole “souls” formula. But I liked what I saw in the trailers, and enjoyed what I heard in the reviews. Plus, I (thought I) had a friend to play through some of it with, so it all lined up, and I pulled the trigger on the purchase.
I was blown away. The gunplay feels amazing. The tactical shooting, dodge rolling, and ability use make for such a compelling gameplay loop that I simply could not put it down. I never did end up playing with that friend of mine, which I thought would be detrimental to my experience because many publications remarked that enemy density and such were built around co-op. I was surprised to find I was having so much fun that the difficulty curve didn’t phase me one bit. I trudged on, beat the game, rolled through the zones several times over, increased the difficulty, and hunted for secrets galore. And good heavens there are so many cool and interesting secrets, all of which have just the most incredible loot, I mean, have you SEEN the madness some of these secrets include? Glorious stuff. It made for an unforgettable gaming experience and is one of my favorite and most personally influential games of all time. I am quite sad that I will most likely not get to experience the co-op (a man can dream of cross-console play though), but all said, I will not forget my time with Remnant 2, and boy I can’t tell you how excited I am to jump into the DLC, that’ll be a great time.
If it wasn’t for a certain other game, this would have been my 2023 GOTY by a landslide. Total no-brainer for me. But there is very much a certain other game that takes the cake…
More thoughts on Remnant 2 in my review linked below:
Remnant II Review
Remnant 2 has easily become one of my favorite games of all time. Here’s some reasons as to why…medium.com
2023 Game of the Year — The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
What more can I say about the masterpiece that usurped its masterpiece predecessor? After my feverish 130+ hours, I wrote a written review that’ll take you 11 minutes to read, and published a 3-hour-long podcast discussion… So I’m not sure!
It’s one of the best gaming experiences I have ever had. Every minute of every play session was just packed with fun experiences. It’s the best game on Nintendo Switch, also meaning I consider this to be the best Nintendo-published game over the last decade, pretty much.
It’s not perfect, and of course, it’s not for everyone, but dog-gone it this is through and through a masterpiece of a game (with very few issues), and is one that I am so unreasonably happy to have been able to play and experience. It trumps any other 2023 release that I’ve played this year for sure, not to mention other games in other years. It is very deserving of my 2023 Game of the Year award. My review and podcast below for more of my thoughts:
Review — The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
The short version? This is the best game on Nintendo Switch. It’s an incredible behemoth and a must-play. More in my…medium.com
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Nintendo Switch's Absolute Best Game by VOID ARCADE
It's that time again. Join Brando, Zach, and Jackson as they discuss what will probably be 2023's game of the year--The…podcasters.spotify.com
Honorable Mention & Other Articles
VR Game of the Year — Light Brigade
While I wasn’t on top of playing new VR releases this year, I did play Light Brigade and it’s SO GOOD. I’m quite disappointed that it didn’t cut some game of the year lists because it was practically the only reason I wore my Quest 2 at all this year.
The blend of genres makes for an interestingly tactical game with a unique and persistently challenging game loop. Other VR shooters I’ve played you can kind of get away with running and gunning, but not here. It pays to plan your engagements with groups of enemies. Having muscle memory for your selected weapons is extraordinarily helpful and using every part of your character's kit is critical to your success in boss fights, especially the final one at the end of each run.
The lore is great, and the “roguelite” upgrade mechanics make you consistently feel stronger with each play session, this combined with the rest helps you continue to grow as a member of the Light Brigade. Super well done, my hat goes off to that team. I hope they get the recognition they deserve. At the very least, I’m rooting for them right here in my article!
Other Articles to My Reviews for the Other Games
I’d love to gush in this article about all the other games I played… and in a sense I have! But this article HAS to end eventually, so you can always add these to your reading lists if you’re interested in checking them out!
Metroid Prime Remastered || Review || Just as Great as You Remember
Metroid Prime is back with a fresh coat of paint, making it the perfect opportunity to dive headfirst into one of…medium.com
Dredge Review
Dredge is wonderful. The exceptionally satisfying fishing mini-games paired with its lovely little sinister narrative…medium.com
Oh dang. Just two so far. Huh. I’ll have to get on top of that and update this… later on. Anyway!
Final Remarks
Thanks for reading this gargantuan article! It’s not my longest, but I put my heart and soul into it, as it certainly to some degree is a reflection of the entire year… Well. Maybe 25% of it. Whole different story there.
So what was your game of the year and did you participate in the Backloggd GOTY event? Send your username in the responses, I want to see it! Kind of related but also post your SteamReplay2023’s there too! I love stats paha.
Have a great Winter break everyone!