Top 10 Game Completions of 2023

I've completed 50 games through 2023. I decided to continue studying at college, and this year I have tried to balance my hobbies with my studies and my family in terms of time.

As I usually do, I have urged myself to try new games and sagas following my heart, or complete old games that I left unfinished to heal old wounds. This has been an incredible year, with numerous good experiences, and I wanted to share it with all of you.

With this said, these have been my 10 best playthroughs this year; those games that have touched my heart the most and that will remain in my memory:

---------------------------------------- MY TOP 10 GAMES OF 2023 ----------------------------------------

10) Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective [Nintendo Switch]
9) Hi-Fi Rush [PC]
8) 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors [Nintendo DS]
7) Pizza Tower [PC]
6) Super Mario Bros. Wonder [Nintendo Switch]
5) The Witness [PC]
4) The Messenger [PC]
3) The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD [Wii U]
2) Kingdom Hearts Final Mix [PC]

AND MY WINNER(S)...
---> The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild [Wii U] / Tears of the Kingdom [Nintendo Switch] <---

· Special mentions for: A Space For The Unbound, Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon, Bomb Rush Cyberfunk, Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection, Go Vacation, Killer Frequency, New Super Mario Bros. U, Ratchet & Clank, Sonic Superstars, Super Mario 3D World, Super Mario Maker 2, Super Mario Odyssey, VVVVVV.

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Feel free to post your own lists below or ask me about my choices if you're interested!

I'll list random ones by vaguely looking at my completions list in a random order:

10. Freedom Fighters
9. Trepang2
8. Dead Space(2023)
7. Resident Evil 4(2023)
6. Metroid Prime Remastered
5. Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze
4. Driver San Franciso
3. Spark the Electric Jester 2
2. Signalis
1. Evil West

Honorable mentions since I think these games are worth mentioning:

Warhammer 40K: Shootas, Blood and Teef, 3rd Birthday(game was decent for a PSP shooter, story was awful), Legend of Tianding, Just Cause 4, Saints Row(2022), Spongebob Cosmic Shake, BloodRayne, Plague Tale Requiem, Fear Effect, Guns, Gore and Cannoli 1 and 2, Freedom Planet, Ghost Recon Future Soldier, Tinykin, Killzone Liberation, Starhawk, the Bouncer(so bad, it's funny), Kena Bridge of Spirits, Bayonetta Origins, Warhammer Boltgun, Serial Cleaners, Twisted Metal(2012), Koa and the 5 Pirates of Mara, Quake 2, Ape Escape on the Loose, Socom 3, Pursuit Force Extreme Justice, Spider-Man 2, Carrion, Immortals of Aveum, RE4 Separate Ways(2023), Serious Sam Siberian Mayhem.

I listed a lot of stuff but I play a lot of games every year, this might as well the, "games I still remember when the name is directly mentioned list".

In no particular order, these are ten games I particularly enjoyed this year

Ghost Trick Remaster (played original before)
King's Quest VI
Sam & Max Hit the Road
Dordogne
Trails in the Sky 3rd (replay)
Trails to Zero (replay)
Paper Mario 64 (replay)
LoZ: The Minish Cap
King's Quest V
A Highland Song - just finished one run today and can't wait to do more!

10. Conarium (so far the best walking sim with a Lovecraftian setting)
9. Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (insanely good presentation and simple yet snappy combat)
8. Fran Bow (a really creative 2D adventure with some fucked up themes)
7. Burnhouse Lane (the latest Harvester production also deserves a spot, a well put together narrative)
6. Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus (a serious case of gameplay-over-story, the gunplay is chef's kiss-good in this entry)
5. Metro: Last Light Redux (to my suprise even better than 2033, the campaign brings a lot of variety and has just the right length)
4. Returnal (one of the reasons I wanted to grab a PS5 and I'm glad I waited long enough for a PC port, this rogue-lite sports some ridiculous eye candy material and has extremely responsive controls)
3. Edna & Harvey: The Breakout (a point & click so charming I absolutely had to place it in the top 3, I found it really hard to put down)
2. Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (best Assassin's Creed to this day, just for sea shanties alone)
1. Elden Ring (I believe this one needs no introduction nor explanation, I've completely forgotten about time whenever I played this and losing yourself in a digital world has never felt this awesome, awesome enough to ignore some of the copy-pasting and Malenia's existence)

10. Call of Duty Black Ops II
9. Duke Nukem 3D
8. Return to Castle Wolfenstein
7. Metal Wolf Chaos XD
6. Neon White
5. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
4. ULTRAKILL
3. Metal Gear Solid HD Collection
2. Pikmin 4
1. Terraria

I love rankings/stats like this, can't believe I didn't think of this. Here's my top 10:

10: The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante - (8/10) - Choose your own adventure game with a lot of different unique endings. (My brother is still annoyed that I didn't do more of them lmao.)
9: Metroid Dread - (8/10) - Great and fun to use abilities and very well designed as I didn't get lost that much even though it was my first Metroid game.
8: Pikmin 3 Deluxe - (8/10) - Fun strategy game even for a first-time Pikmin player. However, the game's highlight has to be Bingo Battle, an absolutely amazing multiplayer mode that does not get the attention it deserves.
7: Shadows of Doubt - (8/10) - Very innovative procedurally generated detective game that's still in early access. I'll make another review once all the content has been released.
6: Super Mario 3D All-Stars - (8/10) - The games are great (especially Galaxy) but the abysmal pricing model for the collection brings it down a bit.
5: OneShot - (9/10) - A very emotional adventure game whose short length kept me from getting fully invested in the story.
4: Golden Idol Mysteries: The Spider of Lanka - (9/10) - A great DLC that expands on the game's lore and recontextualizes it.
3: Your Turn to Die -Death Game By Majority- - (10/10) - Danganronpa-esque VN but your choices have consequences and it makes the story so much better.
2: Deltarune - (10/10) - Better than Undertale in almost every way and that game was already my 3rd favourite game of all time.
1: Persona 5 Royal - (10/10) - My new favourite game of all time, I loved every second of it, go play it!

aah its too complex for my brain to list order. i can only tell that fav is talos principle 2 and second fav is cocoon.

10.Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2
9.Half-Life
8. Halo: Combat Evolved
7. Need For Speed: Most Wanted
6.Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories
5.Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
4.God Of War: Chains Of Olympus
3.Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
2.Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
1.Half Life 2

1) Hades - Not much to say about this one. General consensus is that it's amazing, and I'll happily agree
2) TLOZ: Tears of the Kingdom - Same as above even though it's an entirely different type of game
3) Judgment - The private eye / attorney spin on the Yakuza formula is an excellent addition to what has become one of my favorite gaming franchises
4) Octopath Traveler - Think people who like this kind of game will already be familiar with it, so nothing more to add
5) Yakuza 4 - This was a heavily Yakuza'd year for me, and this one was the best of the mainline I played on 2023
6) A Castle Full of Cats - Find the hidden cats game. This game is astoundingly amazing for this genre, and great in general. I'll die on this hill
7) Doom Eternal - I'm not an FPS guy really, but is this game good or what? Love the speed and impact of the new Doom games a lot
8) Soma Union - Sequel to Soma Spirits (Not well-known RPGMaker game series). The only Mother-inspired series that has been able to really hold my attention. Very charming
9) Cinderella Phenomenon - Fairy-tale inspired VN. The underlying concept is very interesting, and the story is well executed in general
10) Spiritfarer - Very wholesome game. Was surprised by how there was always something to actively do from the start all the way to the very end

Special mentions: Cult of the Lamb, Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance HD, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge, Ys IX: Monstrum Nox, Yakuza Kiwami 2

Special mentions for games I thought I was going to hate and retire almost immediately but ended up having a surprisingly good time: Hand of Fate, Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy

This year was goooood for me in gaming. 110 completions in total counting some replays, and quite a nice variety of genres and themes.

It's no easy task to pick the best 10, as I played plenty of great games this year, each with its strengths and weaknesses.
So, I'll approach this a tad differently - Here are some of the most memorable completions or games where I simply had the most fun, though I wouldn't necessarily call it a definite TOP 10 list.

- Baldur's Gate 3
- Resident Evil 2
- Psychonauts 2
- Jedi: Survivor
- The Wolf Among Us
- Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection
- Resident Evil 7
- Inscryption
- Dishonored 2
- Crash Bandicoot 4

No particular order and not including replays

Metal Gear Solid 3 (PS2)
Metroid Prime (GC)
Parasite Eve (PSX)
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (GC)
Ico (PS2)
Sly 2: Band of Thieves (PS2)
Final Fantasy X (PS2)
Fatal Frame (PS2)
Persona 3 FES (PS2)
Chibi-Robo (GC)

Honorable Mentions: Bully and Aconcagua

1. Mizubaku Daibouken
2. Puyo Puyo Sun
3. Magical Taruruto
4. Mystaria: The Realms of Lore
5. Bazaru De Gozaru No Game De Gozaru
6. Guardian War
7. Space Hulk: Vengeance of the Blood Angels
8. Lucienne's Quest
9. Hihou Densetsu Chris no Bouken
10. Out of This World

43 completed
https://howlongtobeat.com/user/stealthrush/stats

10. Call of Duty Black Ops II
9. Duke Nukem 3D
8. Return to Castle Wolfenstein
7. Metal Wolf Chaos XD
6. Neon White
5. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
4. ULTRAKILL
3. Metal Gear Solid HD Collection
2. Pikmin 4
1. Terraria

Nice set of completions you have there. From call of duty to metal gear!

I've realized I'm not going to finish any more games in 2023, so end of the year stats it is. In 2023 I've beaten only 5 games. But I've been reading a lot more books than I used to so that's were my leisure time went. And anyway, I don't want to complain. The games I've beaten and the games I'm still playing are great.

I've beaten in:

March
Elden Ring (122h)
Higurashi - When They Cry: Chapter 8 - Matsuribayashi (25h)

September
Vampire Survivors (kind of) (21h)

October
Murder by Numbers (29h)

November
Hades (replay) (39h)

My ranking:

5. Murder By Numbers
4. Vampire Survivors
3. Hades (but only because it's a replay, otherwise would be second place)
2. Higurashi - When They Cry: Chapter 8 - Matsuribayashi
1. Elden Ring

The times are round up/down to hours. So I played these 5 titles for 236h and I played several more games but either retired those, put them back into backlog, or am still playing them but won't finish in 2023.

The best game was - hands down - Elden Ring. I'm very happy I gave it a second shot and actually beat it (even though only by using glitch-exploits to level up). My first Souls-Like. I'm also glad I finshed Higurashi. While it's a good visual novel and a read of epic proportions, it also felt like a marathon. Hades was a replay. The game is fantastic and even a second playthrough is a lot of fun. Vampire Survivor: not really my type of game and yet I still put 21h into it because it's fun. Murder By Numbers was an EGS freebie and a HLTB Game of the Month and I enjoyed this type of puzzle, first picross game for me. Though I got bored of the story after a while.

Happy gaming in 2024, everone!

No particular order, but the top 10 best games this year. Except my "best game of the year" with a special #1 spot.

Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered [PS5]
Dishonored 2 [PC]
Dishonored: Death of the Outsider [PC]
Amnesia: The Bunker [PC]
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus [PC]
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy [PS4]
Elden Ring [PC]
The Quarry [PC]
Syberia: The World Before [PC]

Spot #1 for this year goes to: Dave The Diver [PC]

10. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
9. AM2R: Return of Samus
8. Guacamelee
7. Rayman Legends
6. Super Mario World
5. Metroid Prime (will probably swap with TotK whenever I replay it)
4. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
3. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
2. Super Mario Bros. Wonder
1. Super Metroid
I finally beat so many Metroid games I always meant to beat, and realized it’s my favourite video game series. Great year for games! Hoping 2024 is just as good, if not better

10. Dark Souls III
9. Afterdream
8. Hogwarts Legacy
7. Diablo IV
6. Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart
5. Forza Horizon 5 Hot Wheels
4. Gran Turismo 7
3. GoW Ragnarök Valhalla
2. Phantom Liberty
1. Cyberpunk 2077 (for the 3rd time - I have completed it on PC, PS4 and this year PS5)

A really good year.

10. Fate/stay night: Visual Novel with fairly high highs and very low lows, still I was fairly engaged with the story throughout the game.

9. Liberation Maiden: Very impressive shooter, but it is too short and even then still fairly repetitive.

8. Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology: Kinda mixed on this JRPG, loved the combat in the beginning when was more about manipulating position of the enemies, but by the end was more about spamming strong spells, the story was fairly good, still I would like it much more if I liked the main cast more.

7. Inazuma Eleven 3: Team Ogre Attacks!: As its predecessors it's a very good football RPG game, the only thing that tarnishes it a little for me is the gacha-like recruitment system.

6. Elite Beat Agents: Very simple rhythm game, simple fun in its purest form, with the exception of the mission "A Christmas Gift", that mission hits really hard and is one of peak gaming moments for me.

5. Tokyo Xanadu eX+: Really good mix of social sim and dungeon crawler, dungeon, characters, story and world are nothing exceptional, but all aspects come together to make something greater than the sum of its parts.

4. Sakura Taisen 3: Pari wa Moeteiru ka: Not too much to say, as well as other Sakura Wars games is a good vibes dating sim/RPG, I really liked the main cast in this entry.

3. Fire Emblem: Awakening: Good gameplay, story and characters, but the amount of customization of the units makes this entry of fire emblem for me, some side missions are stupidly hard, but making broken child units is fun, so I guess it evens out in the end.

2. Kamifuda: This indie card game/Visual novel mix caught me off quite of guard, it's simple but it manages to be interesting and presents you with new strategies throughout the whole game. The story is just interesting enough to make you keep going, and the characters do a lot of the heavy lifting in this part; they are all quite interesting. Finally, the setting is the best part for me, especially because it manages to have a cool synergy with the card game itself.

1. 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors: Best Visual Novel that I ever played, the only negatives are that some puzzles aren't that interesting and I think the game holds too much of its punch to the true ending, aside from that everything is just excellent, characters, story, setting, etc. The ending is another peak gaming moment for me, specially because I played it on 3ds.

It was very hard to take into consideration which are my Top 10 Games this year considering the quality of the games I played was all over the place. But in general I hope this list will be good enough despite not having a lot of 9/10 or 10/10 games. Now, some of the games are lower rated despite high ratings initially because I also take into account hindsight. So please bare with me on this.

10. Cultic

An adventurous boomer shooter that does just enough right to make it a very satisfying experience. The fact that this costs so cheap and you get a fully fledged campaign that's not even the entire story yet is crazy. I love when FPS Games make you feel like you're on an adventure instead of just in arenas shooting baddies. This has such a great adventurous feel and the atmosphere is dripping in this game from what I remember as well. Better than most Boomer Shooter crap on the market right now so that's a plus. But the lasting impact isn't much. I'll have to replay it when Chapter Two comes out.

9. Slayers X: Terminal Aftermath - Vengeance of the Slayer

Another boomer shooter that's low on the list but at least unlike most Boomer Shooters this tries to have a pretty fun and oftentimes humorous story that also faithfully recreates a lost video game that was found and put onto Steam. The worldbuilding in this is surprisingly strong and the game has enough going for it to be enjoyable and a tad bit refreshing from the rest of the Boomer Shooters on the market right now. Zane is a fun protagonist and thankfully it doesn't go on for too long. Recommended if you get it on sale.

8. Macbat 64

The best of Siactro's 5 Games on Steam. It recreates the look of a N64 Rare Platformer while having a pinch of the length. This is also by far the most humorous game of the bunch they've done and ends up having their best mascot yet (Yes. Even better than Toree) who is so adorable I ended up getting a profile picture of him on this site. It doesn't have much gameplay wise, but what it does good it does great. If you like aesthetically retro games, you're gonna love this.

7. Kuru Kuru Kuruin

Despite never coming out in North America, I played this emulated as a kid and loved it. And since it was on the N64 Expansion Pack I had to play it again. This is a fun adventure game where you move a twirling line and try not to get hit by walls or obstacles. It's pretty fun and the idea is pretty unique. There's something so simple about this game that makes it a joy to play. Call it nostalgia if you will, but I had a great time returning to this game. It was short and nice and fun and it's easy to pick up and play and you can beat it in one sitting. So it's a must try on the Nintendo Online Expansion Pack for GBA.

6. AMID EVIL + The Black Labyrinth

One of the most refreshing Boomer Shooters out there that stands out amongst the crowd. New Blood continues to showcase that they're publishing some of the most forward thinking games in the First Person market. It's like Heretic but doesn't rip it off entirely with a bold new setting, interesting visuals, unique weapons and in general is a great challenge. The Expansion however is superior. It takes a typical expansion and turns it on it's head. It's a prequel and it's story IS the gameplay. It does almost everything better from the base game and is worth playing because of how much effort went into it. I love New Blood!

5. A Short Hike

The greatest expression of video games as an art form since Journey and ABZU. It's short, can be beaten in around an hour but is drooling with atmosphere while also having gorgeous music and a truly moving story that I found hugely relatable and touching. It's not as refined as some of it's contemporaries but give this game a shot if you need something short to play. Trust me, you won't regret it and it looks great, sounds great and in general is wonderful.

4. Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Nintendo does it again! They continue to prove time and time again that they are the kings of First Party Exclusives and this is without a doubt another reason why. I loved this game from beginning to end, whether it be the challenging level design, great controls, excellent music, absurdly colorful graphics, whatever the Wonder Flowers brought this time or it be the tons of surprises and memorable moments this game offered, it's one of Nintendo's best Mario games in years and a must play for any Switch owner. Don't miss out on it or else you'll regret not playing it sooner than later!

3. Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery

Specifically the Three Games in this trilogy together. It's one of the most interesting games I've played this year. They're short, story and character driven adventures with a huge dose of comedy that I love. The stories are engaging and the characters and interactions are fun and memorable. There's jokes in this series that get huge payoffs by the final game. The protagonist is endearing and I loved following this Frog's adventures as he solved mysteries all over the place. It ends on the perfect payoff. A must play if you like story and character in games but want something short.

2. Biomutant

Objectively, this is not all great considering a lot of the game is just looting items constantly and the character writing isn't that strong as well as being very redundant gameplay wise, but I loved the world and I had such a good time with the combat in this game. Gorgeous graphics and an immersive setting that's interesting. This is the first game where I used Photo Mode pretty much every time I was playing. It does great in the gameplay, graphics and music and I enjoyed it so much that I ended up getting the Platinum Trophy for it which is a rare thing I do when I play games. Not for those who have open world fatigue, but this is a game I truly enjoyed because it got me through the Winter Depression that hits every year.

1. Lil Gator Game

This has shot up into my all time favorite games ever. I think this will be hailed as a classic in years to come and for good reason. It's a loving homage to Zelda while also being extremely wholesome, having the best story I played all year and having characters that continue to stick out in my brain. The story is lovingly told and the characters are funny and brilliant. The small open world is masterfully crafted and there's just tons of moments that are great, whether it be an Ace Attorney parody or hanging out with a Rodent Vampire eating Raspberry Sorbet, everything in this game is perfect. I rarely have anything not bad to say about a game, but this game is a masterpiece and the best I played all year and will continue to be an important part of my Gaming DNA. I love Lil Gator, Jill, Avery, Martin, Big Sis and the rest of the silly cast. God bless!

These aren't the 10 games I've rated highest this year, but as I looked back over my list of 2023 completions at the end of the year, they are the most memorable (in no particular order):

Slay the Spire / Monster Train
I typically stay at a friend's house one or two nights per week after work to save time on my commute, and I usually have a laptop game that I'll play on those nights. Those are often really memorable games because I'm alone in a quiet, dark room, in a house that's not my own, decompressing in the middle of the work week. I played these two back-to-back. Phenomenal rogue-lite deck builders.

The Last of Us Remastered
I played this alongside watching the HBO show: game, episode, game, episode, game, episode...A great way to experience the story, the two mediums, and the similarities and differences between each! I'd like to do the same thing with The Last of Us (Season) 2.

Tunic
I remember this for being skeptical. It was getting great reviews, and I was hesitant to pick it up because it didn't really seem like my cup of tea with the Zelda comparisons. But it was on Game Pass this summer, and I am so glad it was. This was one of my favorite (and highest rated) of 2023.

The Dark Pictures: Little Hope
Played with above-mentioned friend. We like to play couch co-op games, or play single-player (narrative) games and trade the controller back and forth. This was great to play with him, lots of jump scares, gore, speculating on plot and how the character relationships work. Was also amusing to poke fun at. Would definitely play more Dark Pictures games.

Deathloop
I have never played anything else quite like Deathloop. Hugely original FPS with roguelike elements and oozing with style (if repetitive by the end). Definitely sticks with me!

Celeste
Thinking back on Celeste gives me a feeling that everything will be alright, that we can overcome all our challenges. This was one of those after work games in the quiet, dark room, and the context made me reflective.

Immortality
Another Game Pass gem, played while I was dog/cat/plant/house-sitting for my girlfriend's mom. I brought my big computer monitor, created a little gaming haven in the basement, and had three days of uninterrupted bliss with some outstanding games. Immortality had me mesmerized. I think it's artistic genius.

Fran Bow / Little Misfortune
Brought to my attention by a friend for their disturbing content (he is always thinking about how to use games in classrooms, and I am always suggesting why whatever he is proposing might not be a great idea), I really enjoyed these weird point-and-click adventures, especially Little Misfortune. Yikes forever!

The Beginner's Guide
Unique and contemplative experience, creative and compelling narrative. I would love to play again to think about it some more, and have been suggesting it to folks looking for something different. Don't look it up; you'll ruin it!

The Textorcist: The Story of Ray Bibbia
A random freebie on either Amazon or Epic, one that I never would have picked up otherwise. A silly story, and a typing game filled with (unintentional) typos. This was perhaps the most action-packed game I played all year. A white-knuckle experience. I don't think a game has ever made my hands cramp so much. I loved the gameplay of this typing/bullet hell mashup.

And for fun, the worst games of the year award is dishonorably shared by:
One Leaves and Amnesia: The Bunker

I have a full writeup of my thoughts on each of these games on my blog for anyone interested

10. Postal 2
9. Resident Evil 4
8. Killer7
7. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
6. Cyberpunk 2077
5. Pizza Tower
4. Final Fantasy XVI
3. Lies of P
2. Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
1. Monster Hunter World

No particular order, and not including replays

Vampire Survivors (My favorite of the Year I think)
Tekken 7
Hi-Fi Rush
Venba
The Haunted Island, a Frog Detective Game
Katana ZERO
Super Mario Odyssey
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes
Smart Moves

1) Hades - Not much to say about this one. General consensus is that it's amazing, and I'll happily agree
2) TLOZ: Tears of the Kingdom - Same as above even though it's an entirely different type of game
3) Judgment - The private eye / attorney spin on the Yakuza formula is an excellent addition to what has become one of my favorite gaming franchises
4) Octopath Traveler - Think people who like this kind of game will already be familiar with it, so nothing more to add
5) Yakuza 4 - This was a heavily Yakuza'd year for me, and this one was the best of the mainline I played on 2023
6) A Castle Full of Cats - Find the hidden cats game. This game is astoundingly amazing for this genre, and great in general. I'll die on this hill
7) Doom Eternal - I'm not an FPS guy really, but is this game good or what? Love the speed and impact of the new Doom games a lot
8) Soma Union - Sequel to Soma Spirits (Not well-known RPGMaker game series). The only Mother-inspired series that has been able to really hold my attention. Very charming
9) Cinderella Phenomenon - Fairy-tale inspired VN. The underlying concept is very interesting, and the story is well executed in general
10) Spiritfarer - Very wholesome game. Was surprised by how there was always something to actively do from the start all the way to the very end

Special mentions: Cult of the Lamb, Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance HD, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge, Ys IX: Monstrum Nox, Yakuza Kiwami 2

Special mentions for games I thought I was going to hate and retire almost immediately but ended up having a surprisingly good time: Hand of Fate, Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy

This year was goooood for me in gaming. 110 completions in total counting some replays, and quite a nice variety of genres and themes.

I beat Soma Spirits back in 2021 (and Brave Hero Yuusha EX by the same developer in 2020). I had no idea they made a sequel! Added it to my backlog. And I absolutely loved Hand of Fate 1 and 2. Hand of Fate 2 was my #2 game played in 2020. Interesting list!

I see somebody beat me to the top 10 post this year! I only had 66 completions which is the lowest since I signed up for this website in 2019. Hopefully I can pick that back up next year. Before I post my top 10, I wanted to get my honorable mentions out of the way. THOR.N and The Corridor were two super short experimental indie games that I enjoyed quite a bit. The Corridor reminded me of The Stanley Parable. Both games were less than half an hour long so they didn't make my list because they felt more like demos. The other games I wanted to mention were the Broken Sword point and click adventure games. I played through all five of them this year. I think I can finally say that point and click games are not my cup of tea but I can still acknowledge that this is probably the best series I've played in the genre. With that out of the way, here's my top 10 list:

10. Blackguards - A 3D turn-based strategy RPG from Daedelic. It's a shame they announced they wouldn't develop any more games after Gollum.
9. Blackguards 2 - More of the same but half the length and better combat.
8. Avadon: The Black Fortress - Very old school style turn-based CRPG.
7. Avadon 3: The Warborn - Fairly satisfying conclusion to the trilogy.
6. Avadon 2: The Corruption - Added the tinkermage class which really helped open up the combat enough for me to enjoy the series.
5. Gears of War 4 - This only made my list because I played it through split-screen with a friend which is always fun. It was also the first game in the series I played on PC with mouse and keyboard instead of with a controller on the 360 which really helped.
4. The Last of Us: Part II - Just like #5, I played through this one with my brother which really helped. The gameplay and graphics were great, but I was not happy with the story.
3. Theia: The Crimson Eclipse - A completely free RPG Maker game and by far the best one I've played. No reason not to try this one if you like old school JRPGs.
2. Assassin's Creed Valhalla - I still absolutely love this series (I played Origins, Odyssey, and Valhalla back to back to back over the course of five months and still enjoy them). I felt that this one had the best combat in the series but was let down by a bland world and bad characters.
1. Assassin's Creed Odyssey - Combat was almost as good as Valhalla but the characters and world were far superior. I also love Greek mythology which definitely helps. It was also my longest completion yet at 162 hours.

My Top 10 games of 2023

1. Yakuza 7, Like a Dragon: I absolutely loved this game so much. I love JRPGs anyway. Wasn't sure what to play next and wanted something relaxing like the Atelier games, so I decided to...play this (???). I already loved the story in the first few chapters and thought it was a very serious game, until some pervert started dancing around in his underwear and started a fight and I was like what? So much humor. Great characters. Lots to explore. Also my favorite arena ever in any game. Original jobs (Night Queen is basically a dominatrix) and funny substories. Has some good mini games as well. Really enjoyed setting up a company with a chicken as your manager. Also liked that the playable characters were in their thirties, forties and fifties, unlike most JRPGs.

2. The Last of Us. I had never in my life played a shooting game, apart from some multiplayer Goldeneye. I sucked majorly in the beginning. Kept pushing through and now I'm kinda good at it. Did a lot for my gaming self confidence haha.

3. Persona 4. Great story. Great setting and characters. Loved the music.

4. Trails to Azure: I really like the way the team game together in this sequel to kick more ass. One of the casts in an rpg that most felt like they became a family. Usually I am more of a fan of the side characters, but Lloyd somehow became my favorite RPG protagonist.

5. Trails of Cold Steel 1. The first in the Trail series I played. I don't even know why I love it so much, but I did.

6. Octopath Traveller 2. Gorgeous settings. Loved the freedom. Temenos and Crick are awesome.

7. Yakuza 2 Kiwami. Never thought I would be playing Beat em Up games this year or ever really, but got into it because of my love for Yakuza 7. Enjoyed the fighting and the story. Kiryu is an amazing dude that I want to drink alcohol with.

8. Trails to Zero. See Azure. Great cast. The setting of Crossbell is awesome.

9. Trails of Cold Steel II: nice continuation of the first one. Like the variety (they're on the run instead of having a base where they return to). Like that they have different clothes now with more personality in those clothes.

10. What Remains of Edith Finch: an amazing experience. More a novel than a game. This is better than any movie I watched in 2023

Also, honorable mention for Yakuza Kiwami I, the first beat em up I ever completed. Just the "Kiryuuu-chan~~~ from you-know-who coming at you from the weirdest places is worth a mention. Anyone who played this game, knows what I'm talking about.