Anyone who played the original Final Fantasy 7 must check out this game. Likewise, anyone who enjoyed Remake back in 2020 should continue that story here. Rebirth serves many roles very well. It excels as a JRPG, a sequel, and a modern-generation video game. We may still be early in the year, but this is an instant Game of the Year contender.
“Be Greater, Together” perfectly captures what this game is about. Miles is instrumental in Peter’s arc with the suit, and Peter guides Miles’ development as Spider-Man. Spider-Man 2 shows how it needs both characters to succeed where it wants to. Venom ranks high in Spider-Man’s villain gallery, but there’s no Venom without the Black Suit story. Insomniac delivers on that story with great gameplay to match. Even though there are some issues with narrative and open-world execution, anyone who enjoyed Insomniac’s other Spider-Man games will feel right at home. Above all else, Spider-Man 2’s technical advancement warrants its Game of the Year consideration. Sony moved on from the PS4 and now fully harnesses the PS5’s power.
Jusant shows its best when it shows the past. As you climb through a ghost civilization, you see and hear what was left behind and why. Don’t Nod’s biggest accomplishment revolves around water, or lack thereof. They show that water is life’s most important resource. When the water disappears, or when a jusant comes, life leaves too. It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s still a pleasant, cozy, afternoon experience.
Phantom Liberty delivers a top-ten experience for 2023. You can pick many facets from a stacked cast to incredible writing to break-neck fast combat upgrades to much more. Dogtown hides many nooks, crannies, and stories once you get past its security checkpoint. CD Projekt Red delivered an excellent experience that all players, regardless of their stacked gaming schedules, must check out.
Link’s latest adventure hasn’t even been out for a month, yet I’m well over 100 hours in (75 in the first ten days). I kept playing because the game earned and invested in my attention. When I wanted to freely explore Hyrule, I got handsomely rewarded. Shrines and Temples challenged my brain in new and unusual ways. Zonai Devices let me build what I wanted for whatever I needed. Say what you want about the framerate slowdowns, but they are far from ruining the game. I’ve never wanted to recommend a game as much as Tears of the Kingdom because this has redefined what I previously thought the limits of a video game were.
Respawn Entertainment took most of the right lessons from Fallen Order’s reception for this release. It delivered another excellent story, expanded upon an already great combat system, and made necessary improvements to world exploration. As an open world game, the game also entices the player to explore with engaging tactics, side quests, and side characters. Technical issues do dampen the total experience a lot. While EA and Respawn have been patching the game, waiting for more patches is understandable. However, once those patches are in, every Star Wars fan must play this game because it succinctly shows the path to the Dark Side.
Horizon routinely plays like a great open-world game, and Burning Shores fits that mold. A short but sweet narrative sets up a stunning finale. After that, there’s not as much to do in Los Angeles. Horizon fans should definitely check this DLC out, and expect to put in at least ten to fifteen hours. With all of that said, however, it feels whelming at best.
Horizon: Forbidden West is a great PlayStation title. The gameplay and world grab your attention because the PS5 makes it gorgeous. Aloy’s journey shows her the power of people. Yet notable flaws keep this from reaching Horizon’s true ceiling. Forbidden West’s endgame hampers an otherwise good story. Melee combat improved, but not enough. Most importantly, these loadout possibilities are bland.
Where last year’s MLB The Show felt too copy-and-pasted, MLB The Show 23 feels legitimately improved. New modes featuring historical and recent stars give a breath of fresh air to this series. Expanding practice types for RTTS players also helps players get meaningful practice to get better at the game. What’s not updated is a tale of two stories. From a core mechanics standpoint, you don’t need to upgrade what already works. Playing baseball in The Show has been just as fun since 2021 as it is now. The things that do need updates need them badly, however. Sciambi and Singleton need something new to say so the game loses what repetitiveness it still has. Finally, some bugs are game-breaking or crashing.