All the Games I Beat in 2023: Break Year Edition
Listed in order of completion
I never officially announced I was taking a year off from Game Loot. I certainly considered it, but eventually decided it wasn’t necessary. After all, this was a fun side project so I could write about games. The last two years were exactly that. I had a lot of fun! But not everything was perfect. I think Medium (this platform, this gross clickbait-laden platform) is not a good fit for what I’m trying to do.
I got a little burnt out and so I made that simple decision. I would take the year off. No Platinum trophy goal. I would still work on my Backlog (that particular goal makes me feel like an adult and is super fun) but I didn’t want to feel bad about dumping a bunch of hours into comfort games. Goals like the Platinum goal can do strange things to the side of the brain that cares about fun; I’ve seen it in my fiction writing and reading goals as well.
This year off also allowed me to figure out the transition. The road forward. The loot inside the chest that is Game Loot. At some point in the future (maybe later in 2024) I want to find a new home for my game writing.
Before the list begins, let’s go over the goals that I kept on:
1. I’ll work through 12% of my Gaming Backlog
In 2022, I had a piece detailing how my Backlog list was defined. Surprise! I’ve changed it! I used to only take half of the list and walk through it, with a goal of 20% completion. This year it’s every game that I own that deserves to be on the Backlog program. It’s 129 games. Hence the 12% goal. On top of the new stuff in 2023, I will beat 16 Backlog titles.
2. Get a Bit Handheld
With the 3DS Eshop leaving this year, I combed through the console’s back titles and picked up some games that I don’t want to live without. Additionally, I snagged a Steam Deck. I want to play a lot of handheld titles (PC games are now handheld I guess) this year; I hope this lets me kill some backlog, experience some nostalgic fun, and have some great experiences.
3. Get Back Into Destiny 2
I generally like to have one game that I play off and on again all year long. After the release of Witch Queen, I took the rest of the year off of Bungie’s massive shooter. I won’t lie; I kind of missed this world of Space Wizards and Cosmic Monsters. With Lightfall coming out in February, I made it my goal to get caught back up.
Here are all the games I beat in 2023…
1. God of War Ragnarök
I can’t think of a better way to start the New Year. This will go down as one of this gaming generation’s greatest titles. It’s an action game with all of the heart, spectacle, and brutal combat that you could ever want. Just like God of War 2018, Ragnarök mostly concerns the relationship between father and son. But it doesn’t stop there. This is about all of the realms and the people within them. Relationships, mistakes, and the terrifying suspense of the future.
The side missions are unusually fantastic; this is the first title that gives The Witcher 3 a run for it’s money. I do believe this game does side quests better in a lot of ways (the variety, the heft). They are endlessly fun and go a long way to strengthening so many of this game’s best features. This is a high point right off the bat.
2. Super Mario World
I played Super Mario World on my 3DS. I’d actually been feeling a Mario game for quite some time and I realized that I had this on the 3DS. For the most part, I enjoyed my experience here. Mario is a blast to control (like always) and these secret-filled levels make for some surprises.
I still prefer 3D Mario games; while this is a product of its time, it’s held up incredibly well.
3. Cyberpunk 2077
It’s rare that I find myself split on my opinion of something. I’m very used to either liking something and finding out that media just isn’t for me. Every once in awhile, something comes along that shakes me up. It happened last with Pokemon Violet in late 2022. A game that I had a great time with, but couldn’t stand the compromised nature of it in the modern world of gaming.
Cyberpunk 2077 is one of those games. On release, I encountered a game so broken I returned it with absolute disgust. Picking it up again in 2022 was a relief; the game worked! The combat combated! I could explore the city without the frame rate bottoming out. So I dove in. I completed all of the side character questlines. I focused on a specific build (Mantis Blades!) and bought a new apartment. I did all the major stuff before the finale and was met with… an okay RPG? An RPG that (for all of it’s rain-soaked dystopian beauty) just felt empty. It didn’t help that the loot system is ill-defined. The music is grating, the UI is an eyesore, and the moment-to-moment gameplay is still buggy.
At the end of the day, Cyberpunk 2077 is a fine game. It reminds me of a gonzo version of the Bethesda RPGs of my youth, just without the charm. I think about it a lot after beating it. I think the idea at 2077's core is so attractive to me, but much of its beauty and originality is lost in systems that I clashed with.
4. Destiny 2: Season of the Seraph
Destiny 2 is the greatest threat to the Backlog Challenge.
Couple of things on this. Number one: I don’t usually count Seasons of Destiny 2 as ‘Games’ for these posts, but I’ve decided to change that (see goal #3 above). Each season of Destiny amounts to a dozen plus hours of gameplay, a full storyline, and tons of miscellaneous time spent. So here we are!
Number two: Season of the Seraph is fun. The new exotics are pretty excellent to wield and the power grind is as stupid as ever. If the moment to moment gameplay wasn’t such a delight, I would hate this completely. The fact that I find the grind only somewhat terrible is a win. Lightfall is right around the corner, but I was able to hit the hard cap and complete the Seasonal content before the first of February.
5. Dawn of the Monsters
This game was a pleasant surprise. I thought this would be a silly Pacific Rim-style beat-em-up, which I had certainly made peace with. I love Pacific Rim! It’s one of my favorite films! But like that film, Dawn of the Monsters is so much more.
The plot is about what you would expect. Dawn of the Monsters introduces some excellent characters and then makes you really love them. Little chats between missions reveal their backgrounds and a Data Archive gives all the world-building you could possibly want. I started looking forward to these character bits as much as the actual monster combat. And the monster combat is really good! You have several fighters to choose from, who each feel extremely distinct. Power-up mods drop after mission completetions, which help to tailor builds. I recommend this game to anyone looking for something fun but affecting; Dawn of the Monsters (much like Pacific Rim) has both.
6. Fire Emblem Engage
Fire Emblem is one of my favorite franchises. They make for unforgettable tactical RPGS; stuffed to the brim with quirky characters and large-scale adventure. Fire Emblem Engage is the follow-up to Three Houses. It’s certainly not my favorite FE, but the reinvigorated focus on the actual combat was nice.
The characters here (including the titular Emblems) are the weakest in a long, long time. The social links are dull and barely worth the time to read through. While Three Houses went too far into that system, Engage went the opposite way. Turns out a bunch of anime tropes in a trench coat do not make for good characters. We need a Switch Fire Emblem where we meet in the middle.
7. Mighty Switch Force!
This was the first 3DS game I played after the close of the EShop. It’s pretty devastating, but Mighty Switch Force! does help my mood. This is a short puzzler doesn’t overstay it’s welcome. A final level difficulty spike did irritate a bit, but it’s still a joy.
8. WWE2K22
Chalk this completion up to nostalgia. I was never much into professional wrestling. I was a teenager during Dwayne Johnson’s rise to movie star status and that is the beginning and the end of my WWE knowledge. The only exception was the wrestling games. It was during those years that my brother and I salvaged an older title (no idea which one) from a Gamestop clearance and found a messy fighting game that kept us moderately entertained.
In the years following, memes and the world have given me knowledge of WWE that I didn’t have previously. I still find the sport (performance sport?) to be too artificial to enjoy. While I can see the appeal of giants crashing and punching each other, it’s never been for me. Playing through WWE2K22’s campaign and other modes has cemented that fact. This and other sports games are just not for me. I’m not sure they’ve ever have been for me.
Note: I rented this from the library. Libraries rock. You should support them.
9. Destiny 2: Lightfall/Season of Defiance
This was not my favorite expansion. Honestly? Lightfall was a major letdown. The lead-up to this release promised answers for this incredible saga. Instead we got a cutscene that we’d already seen and an extremely underwhelming new area. Season of Defiance and the now painfully familiar grind helped to underline that this is not what I wanted from Destiny 2. The lore here is nonexistent and the Lightfall grind is not worth it in the least.
Strand is fine (I think it’s handled better than I expected) even if it dominates Lightfall’s short campaign. I wrote this entry a few months after finishing it (I took a bit of a writing break) and that time away has made me certain; this wasn’t worth the hours.
10. L.A. Noire
I decided to play L.A. Noire in 2023 for two reasons. Number one: Tim Rogers is set to cover it on his Action Button channel. Usually I play the games after I watch his videos, but this was the exception. Number two: I’ve always been curious! I remember when this game came out. I didn’t have the disposable gaming income that I have now when Noire released, but I do now. And this game was cheap enough that it felt almost irresponsible not to play it.
L.A. Noire is strange. It looks like an open world game of its time, but doesn’t play like one. The action is secondary. The highest possible detail is given to the crime scenes/interrogations. I think this over-sized focus stands out against the poorly paced over-arching story and vaguely interesting climax. L.A. Noire feels like an experiment. I can see Rockstar’s deep interests in a way I’m not sure we’d see again until Red Dead Redemption 2. For its commitment to the police procedural, I’ll give it some points. I just wish the game was fun to play.
11. Resident Evil 4 Remake
The Resident Evil 4 Remake is the best. Seriously. Rolling credits on Leon’s adventure is one of the best things I’ve done in 2023 so far. I knew how beloved RE4 was when I went in. Like so many other classics, I had never gotten around to playing it for a gamut of reasons. This remake afforded me the opportunity to fire some shots in this lovingly recreated action game.
And those shots; this combat is so good! The pulpy horror tale at its core makes Leon’s suplex finishers not feel out of place. So silly, so scary, so RE4. This is my GOTY contender and that will be a hard bar to clear for future games.
12. Ducktales Remastered
This is the first game I beat on my Steam Deck! It’s an absolutely incredible device. While I’m still messing around with the emulation capabilities, the unique titles in my Steam Library have kept me company.
Ducktales Remastered is a charming if not particularly interesting platformer. The gameified Ducktales theme is an absolute banger and gets you ready from the jump. The platforming is a little loose but the game looks great otherwise. I’d like to see a sequel to this on modern consoles. Let me hear that menu theme on my PS5.
13. If On A Winter’s Night Four Travelers
This is a brilliant little horror title. It’s about an hour long, but brings a train car’s full of style, imagination, and atmosphere. It felt like a Silent Hill game in parts, Hades in another (in terms of lore). Mythology, music, and reality transposed. If On a Winter’s Night Four Travelers is very underrated and worth checking out.
14. Aliens: Fireteam Elite
Back to PS5, back to the Backlog. Aliens: Fireteam Elite is a co-op shooter that feels like it’s a bit out of it’s time. It’s floaty arcade style combat ended up being a bit of a boon. It’s a pretty fun shooter that focuses more of the ground warfare than anything else. If you’ve ever wanted to play a game where you use a heavy machine gun on a hallway choked with scrambling Xenomorphs, you may have found your game.
The main campaign — with challenge cards and several levels of difficulty on the backend — is actually pretty short. It shows us some familiar Alien locales and then bows out before everything gets stale.
15. Destiny 2: Season of the Deep
D2's last season/expansion left me feeling cold. While Season of the Deep doesn’t fully ignite my fire, it work well as a step-up. I think that Deep Dives and Salvage were fun (until the end of the season when everyone just wanted to start the Exotic Quest) and I love the Seasonal Auto Rifle. This season felt like a return to basics a bit and a wind-up for Destiny’s eventual finale. I completed the Season Pass and some Grandmasters. I’m excited for next season and the return of the Halloween event. Which Game Loot readers know I love.
Note: Bungie and the community didn’t get along during this season. It started here and got worse as Bungie doubled down on their garbage behavior. Hard to love this game when people are getting laid off.
16. Dredge
If this year did not feature Resident Evil 4 Remake, Dredge would be a fast shoe-in for my GOTY. It’s the exact flavor of game that I enjoy: Lovecraftian horror with a strong art direction, resource management, and an addicting game loop.
Dredge is fascinating in its simplicity, but captivating in how it rolls itself out. The fishing mini-game changes itself up enough to remain fresh. Each of the islands is unique and provides new challenges. The music summons the chill-horror vibe so well. It’s an excellent indie and a must play game of 2023.
17. Pokémon Y
My slow replay of the Pokémon games is back on. It’s been a long time since I’ve played through X/Y but I’ve always remembered them as excellent games. The switch into 3D felt huge at the time and one thing has remained true: these are pretty good Pokemon games.
However, The Elite Four/Champion and Team Flare are pretty unmemorable. Most of the new Pokémon are unique and Mega Evolution is still the greatest gimmick Game Freak ever dreamed up. I honestly want Megas back.
For this playthrough, I did a Jurassic team. I’d seen this on some Reddit post years ago. Every Pokémon is some kind of dinosaur/kaiju, named after their monster namesakes. Aerodactyl ended up as my ace. I would like to do a more serious play through (with Pokédex completion) in the new future.
18. Marvel’s Midnight Suns
From the second that Midnight Suns was revealed, I was intrigued. As more and more details came through, my excitement level soared. A new game by the XCOM developers. Love it. A massive cast of Marvel characters, both hero and villain. Ready to dive in. A card-based tactics game!? Persona-like friendship system!?!?
So many of my favorite elements, all in one place. After 60 hours, reality has been saved. MS is an utter joy, filled with excellent writing and gameplay that clicked right into my brain. I didn’t expect to love these characters: but Firaxis delivered on their excellent premise.
19. Pikmin 1 Remastered
Pikmin! Remastered on Switch! I played this over the course of a weekend and loved every second spent in this lush little world. I spent a lot of time with this as a kid — my brother and I devoted hours to Olimar’s quest — so this kind of felt like coming home.
I feel like I preferred the Gamecube controller still. Also: it still breaks my heart to lose Pikmin. So brutal.
20. It Takes Two
Liz and I started this game up on a whim and ended up playing it basically every night until credits rolled. I understand the critical acclaim that it earned the year it came out; each new level switches up the gameplay in ways that never stopped being surprising. The actual story is sweet and takes the subject (an impending divorce) seriously. I would like to see a sequel to this at some point. A refinement of this game’s kitchen sink mechanics could make for an all-timer in the couch co-op genre.
21. Control: Ultimate Edition
A replay in the early days of October. I’ve had Control on the Backlog for awhile. I adored this game when it came out and it hasn’t ever really left my mind. With Alan Wake 2’s release very soon, I wanted to play through the game and it’s DLC as a refresher.
The feeling of Control’s combat is one of a kind. Levitation. Telepathically pulling a forklift and hurling it into the Hiss is a blast. One issue with Control: some of the combat encounters get annoying fast. A small thing, but a lot of the fights tip into feeling unfair.
The world that Remedy has supplied is still incredible. Can’t wait to return to it later in October.
22. Pokémon Violet: The Teal Mask
Another Pokémon DLC. I loved the set that came with Sword/Shield. But here’s the issue and the difference: Scarlet/Violet are bad games. Not only in performance, but in content. The story is boring and tedious. The towns continue to be nothing. The Teal Mask doesn’t fix the base game. It’s more of the same and that sameness is a repeated letdown.
The only reason I continue to play these titles is the quality of life improvements. I’m basically here for the easy Shiny hunting. That’s what I spent most of my time doing in The Teal Mask. I’m just preparing for whatever comes next. I’m preparing for Game Freak to figure out what quality Pokemon looks like.
23. Dead Space (2023)
The spooky days of October continue. Control first, now this game. I’m also playing Destiny 2's Festival of the Lost. Love October.
And yeah; I consider the original Dead Space to be an elemental piece of gaming history. It’s a violent stew of horror and sci-fi tropes, gory and heavy with the world that we find ourselves in.
Isaac has never been a better character than he is here. And Dead Space has never looked or played better than it does in this remake. Each weapon has been revamped with a new upgrade system. They’re also picked up throughout the story, which is an inspired improvement. Ammo management is a survival horror staple and Isaac’s tool belt of pain is unique.
Dead Space is a lot of game. My biggest gripe is that the game may be an hour or two longer than it needs to be. That’s a minor compliant. We are blessed to have RE4 and a Dead Space remake like this.
24. Destiny 2: Season of the Witch
The quality of these Destiny seasons are defined by the activity. Unfortunately, the seasonal activity this time around is just kind of fine. The match-making made the Summonings take forever and the rewards were generally not worth it. I completed the Season Pass thanks to the reliable Festival of The Lost. Can’t go wrong with pumpkin-headed monsters.
25. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Platinum trophy earned!
Spider-Man 2 arrived and it met every expectation. As the first of these games built for Ps5 only, it’s a graphic and performance showcase from top to bottom. It real does everything well: it paid off threads from the previous two games. The quality of life improvements — the Wings, fleshed out combat, fixed side missions — prove that Insomniac is a game studio at the top of their craft.
The stories that this game tells are impressive and multi-layered. Everything here feels well-drawn and sleek.
I beat Spider-Man 2 early in November and my goal is to try to churn through some games. I’m lagging behind compared to my previous years in terms of games beaten, though my Backlog goals have already been met. I’d like to hit at least 30 games.
26. Fire Emblem (GBA)
Fire Emblem on the GBA is a formalutive game for me. Because I shared a game console and a TV with my brothers, a vast majority of my childhood gaming experiences were decidedly handheld. This is where I learned to love Pokémon. Final Fantasy games. Dragon Warrior Monsters. Then there was Fire Emblem.
Playing this game again in 2023 has further cemented how excellent this title really is. How a game of this size feels so much bigger than it actually is fascinates me. The combat is not always challenging, but it has a myriad of strategic choices in every chapter. The epic story centered around Lyn, Eliwood, and Hector is one of family, regret, and loyalty. I have so many favorite units here that I’ve never forgotten. Love this game. I love Fire Emblem as a franchise and I miss this art direction. The anime style is a step-down and a distraction. It took this play through to make me realize how much I dislike the visuals of our current titles. Engage looks fine graphically, but these simple GBA sprites have so much more character.
27. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
Every couple of years I get the urge to play a Call of Duty campaign. That year has come again! And Black Ops: Cold War is that campaign. It’s a perfect palate cleanser, especially coming off the clean swiftness of Spider-Man 2.
Desperate Measures and Break on Through were highlights (two missions in this couple hour long Campaign) because they broke that CoD mold. Not that the rest of the game is bad; just big action beats, military jargon, some record drops, and a cutscene Ronald Reagan. I played through both endings (one of them really went for it, props) and enjoyed fragging some bad guys.
28. Alan Wake II
A peek behind the curtain: whenever I beat a game, one of the first things I do is select a screenshot and come over here to jot down my thoughts. I like that clean first impression because it shows my feelings at that exact moment of the credits. It makes these articles interesting for me to read later because I can compare my impressions all that time later.
When it came time to write the entry for Alan Wake 2, I was blocked. I wasn’t ready to jot down my feelings, wasn’t ready to speak on the gem that is Remedy’s newest.
So here it is, weeks after: Alan Wake 2 is simply incredible. I have issues here and there — the combat is largely inconsequential and the environments are both slow and confusing to navigate — but how can these issues sink the feeling that I had playing the game? Awe and fear. I would laugh and I would often be entranced by the breadth of every design choice. The musical numbers. The visuals and the delicious uses of Saga/Alan’s mind spaces! Mysteries and atmosphere abound in a game that looks at artistic creation through a darker lens. I adored Alan Wake 2. I can’t wait for what Remedy does next.
29. Kirby’s Dream Land
Switch Virtual Console
Short and delightful. I saw some people on Twitter talking about this and I wanted to return as well. I have a soft spot for this game: it was probably one of the first video games I ever played. Kirby has always been a blast to control: that sharp sound of him inhaling little monsters never gets old.
30. Storyteller
I’ve been interested in playing Storyteller since I saw the initial trailer. While puzzle games are not my thing, one centered around the mechanics and tropes of stories was a hook that appealed to me.
So how does it play? Storyteller is a simple puzzler. The game’s only mechanic is built around arranging set characters and scenes into the story demanded by the stage. At the end of the day, it’s not that complicated and doesn’t have all that much new to offer? I started it (on Mobile) around the same time I started Alan Wake II. They made for an interesting pairing: puzzles built around stories and how they can change the world. Sorry Storyteller; Alan Wake does it better.
31. TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge
Another short game off the Backlog. I’m honestly not a huge fan of beat-em-ups or even the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. But the developer’s behind Shredder’s Revenge love these colorful turtle dudes. I can appreciate that even if the callbacks and easter eggs are 100% lost on me.
The actual gameplay was fine I guess? When I found that groove of dodging and stringing together a chain of combos against these whimsical ninjas, I enjoyed myself. The art and humor fit together perfectly. I can see why people love Shredder’s Revenge, though this will likely be the last TMNT game I mess around with.
32. Pokémon Violet: The Indigo Disk
Aside from an epilogue coming in the new year, this is essentially the end of Pokémon Scarlet/Violet. I’m sure we’ll get raids and other gifts, but The Indigo Disk marks the end of what is probably the worst Pokémon game (non-remake).
I do think Indigo Mask is an improvement. It really is. The only valuable thing that Scarlet/Violet bring to the franchise are the quality of life moments. Training, catching, shiny hunting, navigation. This DLC adds on to those positives. The setting (a smaller map with distinct and actually interesting biomes) rocks. The school actually feels intergrated into the game! Imagine that!
And with the Blueberry Academy, we get the only other good parts of the DLC: the Double Battles and the starter Pokémon. These battles are challenging and they are fun because they are challenging. It turns out taking the kid gloves off pays dividends. I had a blast building and training my teams for these challenges. Where was all of this in the base game? Gimmicks like the aforementioned starter Pokémon and the shiny-locked (for some/no reason at all) legendaries are here to suck us in.
I want to end my frustrations with Scarlet/Violet here: I love so many minuscule pieces of Game Freak’s latest. The moment to moment catching and movement are pretty excellent. I think getting to play as the Pokémon themselves in The Indigo Disk is cute and amusingly shallow. The Pokémon models are looking really good! But this game runs like garbage. The lack of voice acting or any story pay off in this DLC is shame worthy. Game Freak need to figure out what a Pokémon game is. It needs to find an art style to carry through (please go back to Sword/Shield’s design) going forward. I love Pokémon so much, but I want them to enter into this modern gaming age.
33. Super Mario Bros Wonder
Here around Christmas time is when all the podcasts and gaming websites comb through the games of 2023 to pick the best of the best. The conversation centered around games like Tears of the Kingdom (haven’t gotten around to it), Alan Wake 2 (I adored it), and Baldur’s Gate 3 (now officially on the Backlog). The other two AAA titles in that chatter were Super Mario Bros Wonder and Spider-Man 2.
These two games are linked in my head. They are both made by studios at the top of the world. They are fluid and beautiful, inventive and effecting. Wonder is the better designed and more interesting of the two, but that’s not the point: both of these games don’t feel ground-breaking. They feel like iterations on what has come before, which makes them not stand out as much in those aforementioned GOTY conversations. Mario Wonder delighted and surprised me. I think that’s enough to keep it at the top alongside the trailblazers.
34. What Remains of Edith Finch
Last game beaten for 2023!
What Remains of Edith Finch has been on my Backlog since the beginning. I’ve had it downloaded all this time, waiting for the mood to strike. It’s astounding how much imagination, clever design, and emotion are packed into a brief couple of hours. It’s no wonder this game is so beloved; there is a lot to unpack.
I’ve become enamored with storytelling as a device in fiction: it’s appeared again and again in my work and in the media I’ve played in 2023. What Remains of Edith Finch (with that beautiful music and style to boot) has let me finish 2023 strong.
What did I not finish?
Street Fighter 6, Amnesia Rebirth, Life is Strange, Olli Olli World.
These are all games I bounced off of for various reasons. I couldn’t really connect with Life is Strange and found the gameplay to be honestly pretty boring. Street Fighter 6 was fun, but I just wanted to try it out. Fighting games aren’t for me. Amnesia Rebirth was interesting, but I fall more on the gun heavy survival horror titles (which I played a lot this year). Olli Olli World was fun for an hour or two, but the twitch gameplay isn’t for me.
Thank you for joining me in another year of Game Loot. I’ll see you again in the New Year.
