Go straight to the top list It has been a bit of a gaming year for all of us who are fond of computer games. The top games have been lined up, brimming with creative joy. In that sense, I think we are seeing the start of an incredibly exciting future for the games medium. Compared to the creativity and willingness to take risks in games like “Alan Wake II” and “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom”, “ordinary” big games like “Star Wars Jedi: Survivor” have to accept being put on the sidelines. It has become so expensive to make these huge games that many publishers are terrified to take chances. At the same time, that attitude has become a risk when you see games such as “Baldur’s Gate 3” charming players into their minds with 17,000 different conclusions to the story. We may have seen the start of a new golden age for the gaming medium. But the jubilation over a fantastic gaming year takes on an aftertaste when you see that the industry as a whole has had a difficult year. Many of the people who make the great games we enjoy have been fired this year. There have been big cuts almost everywhere. We are talking about an estimated seven thousand game developers. It has also been a fairly good year for Norwegian games. “Teslagrad 2” came closest to my list, it was an absolutely super gaming experience. Here are my ten favorite games from the past year: “Remnant II” Photo: Gunfire Games Developer: Gunfire Games Director: David Adams Publisher: Gearbox Publishing Platform: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S In “Remnant II” you are thrown into a mysterious, futuristic world populated by stylish boss battles, exciting puzzle solving, fantastic environments and captivating action experiences. The inspiration from a wide range of genres (“Dark Souls”, “Returnal”, “Destiny” and “Silent Hill”, to name a few) is delightfully refreshing, almost giving the impression that Gunfire Games has invented its very own genre here. That’s why it’s extra fun when you return to areas and discover they’ve changed completely. Brand new areas have been added, others have been removed. The consequence is that each playthrough is experienced as unique. “Marvel’s Spider-Man 2” Insomniac Games/Sony Interactive Developer: Insomniac Games Director: Bryan Intihar, Brian Horton and Ryan Smith Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment Platform: PS5 Marvel is struggling in cinemas and TV these days. But in the world of games, magic is alive and well. This is Insomniac’s third “Spider-Man” game, and they show no signs of slowing down their pace or enthusiasm. Here you control both Peter Parker and Miles Morales through a well-written and gripping story. Not least, this virtual version of New York City is absolutely fantastic, and controlling Spider-Man through these incredibly beautiful environments is both great fun and extremely rewarding in itself. Read the review of the game here. “Super Mario Bros. Wonder” Developer: Nintendo EPD Director: Shiro Mouri Publisher: Nintendo Platform: Switch It is now almost 40 years since Mario made his debut in the 2D game “Super Mario Bros.”. In that sense, “Super Mario Bros. Wonder” towards a miracle. Where many developers run out of ideas, enthusiasm, audience or all three things when making sequel after sequel, Mario remains unashamedly young, vital and popular. “Super Mario Bros Wonder” boasts wild creativity and creative joy. It’s fun in both completely new and deliciously familiar ways. And you can play together with three friends or family members. Read the review of the game here. “Planet of Lana” Developer: Wishfully Studios Director: Adam Stjarnljus and Klas Martin Eriksson Publisher: Thunderful Publishing Platform: PC, Playstation, Xbox, Switch In the beautiful, Swedish indie game “Planet of Lana”, deadly machines arrive from outer space and abduct everyone in the village of Lana. The contrast between the brutal machines and the beautiful planet this takes place on is harsh and painful. These are a peaceful, calm people who live in harmony with the lush nature. During the journey to Lana, a sci-fi mystery emerges that gives me goosebumps. “Planet of Lana” has more layers than it lets on, and the ending is rock solid. And this is undeniably one of the most beautiful games of the year with its hand-painted style and great music. “Lies of P” Photo: Neowiz Games/Round8 Studio Developer: Neowiz Games and Round8 Studio Director: Choi Ji-Won Publisher: Neowiz Games Platform: PC, Playstation, Xbox, Mac Here the classic fairytale character Pinocchio is resurrected as a very pretty anime- completely with particularly well-developed fighting skills. Tough fighting, great environments, very cool bosses and a good, moving story are on the program. We are in the genre called “Soulslike” here – games inspired by the bone-chilling games of From Software (“Dark Souls”, “Bloodborne”, “Elden Ring”). There have been many examples of developers who have emulated From Software over the years. But no one has come as close as “Lies of P”. It is certainly not without reason that it is referred to as “Pinocchio-Bloodborne” – there are so many similarities in the gaming experience between “Bloodborne” and “Lies of P” that the developers are balancing on the knife edge of plagiarism. Fortunately, they land on the right side of the line with the help of a stylish story, brilliant world-building and fantastic enemy and boss designs. “Cocoon” Photo: GEOMETRIC INTERACTIVE Developer: Geometric Interactive Director: Jeppe Carlsen Publisher: Annapurna Interactive Platform: PC, Playstation, Xbox, Switch Danish Jeppe Carlsen was chief designer on the indie gems “Limbo” and “Inside”. Now he has started his own studio and left the black and white misery of his old colleagues at the game company Playdead. “Cocoon” sparkles with color and playfulness. In tone and atmosphere, it is in many ways the exact opposite of “Limbo”. But we see where Carlsen is coming from. “Cocoon” is – just like Carlsen’s previous works – masterful game design. Everything you do is based on small and large hints you get in the environments. There are no icons pointing in the right direction, no explanation of who you are, what you are going to do or why you are going to do it. Smartest game of the year! “Baldur’s Gate 3” Photo: Larian Studios Developer: Larian Studios Director: Swen Vincke Publisher: Larian Studios Platform: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Mac The developers of “Baldur’s Gate 3” have suggested that the end game may have 17,000 variations, based on the choices the players have made throughout the three acts. It sounds like a completely nonsensical number, but only if you haven’t played the game yourself. Because here the choices are in an endless queue. This is how players shape their very own gaming experience. And when you enjoy a huge role-playing game that nevertheless always hangs in the balance, and that feels like your world, it says everything about how absurdly talented the developers at Larian have been. The role-playing game “Baldur’s Gate 3” was among the biggest talking points in the gaming year 2023. Of course, it also helps that this is a world that is packed with memorable characters, missions, places and experiences. It’s as if a huge “Dungeons & Dragons” campaign has come to life, with the world’s coolest dungeon master at the helm. “The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom” EPIC ADVENTURE: A long, long series of incredible experiences await you in “Tears of the Kingdom”. Nintendo Developer: Nintendo EPD Director: Hidemaro Fujibayashi Publisher: Nintendo Platform: Switch Da “Tears of the Kingdom” was launched in May, I was absolutely certain that it was going to be the best game of the year. By a good margin. Now it was narrowly overtaken by two games, but it is still an absolutely fantastic experience. Here, the players’ creativity and joy of creation are at the center – with the help of the new “fuse” function, you can create your own weapons, vehicles, constructions and much more and solve the game’s many challenges in your own way. Compared to its predecessor “Breath of the Wild”, it also tells a much stronger story. Both the way the villain Ganondorf appears and the poignant fate of Princess Zelda are big highlights for me. The game’s biggest and best experience for me, however, came in the exploration of the game’s (before release) secret underground. It was both intensely nerve-wracking, really challenging and extremely rewarding. “Cyberpunk 2077: The Phantom Liberty” Photo: CD PROJEKT RED Developer: CD Projekt RED Director: Gabriel Amantangelo Publisher: CD Projekt Platform: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S I was one of the lucky ones with the “correct” PC configuration when “Cyberpunk 2077” was launched with serious errors, and has therefore considered this to be one of the best games of all time for three years. I understand if someone thinks the developers don’t deserve a second chance after the fade in 2020. But then you’re missing out on an absolutely incredible gaming experience. In the expansion “Phantom Liberty” you get a completely new and insanely strong story that weaves into the ending of the rest of the game. There are events, characters, twists and action experiences here that are some of the best I’ve seen in any game, ever. And when the rest of the tweaks and improvements in the 2.0 update to the entirety of “Cyberpunk 2077” are added to all that’s new, we’re dangerously close to the top of my own personal list of the best games of all time. To be completely honest, this is my favorite game of the year. But I still think another and completely fresh game deserves the top spot. “Alan Wake II” Photo: Remedy Entertainment Developer: Remedy Entertainment Director: Sam Lake and Kyle Rowley Publisher: Epic Games Publishing Platform: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S “Alan Wake II” is Stephen King, “Twin Peaks”, first season of “True Detective” and Clarice Starling in black serial killer holes mixed with bone-chilling horror and cow-cow, Finnish humor. And if that description doesn’t get your heart pumping, I’m not sure we can be friends. You initially control FBI investigator Saga Anderson, who arrives in the town of Bright Falls to investigate a brutal murder. The legend of the writer Alan Wake, who disappeared 13 years ago, still characterizes the town. It quickly becomes clear that we are dealing with something supernatural. And then suddenly you are the main character in a terribly scary and bizarre horror experience. There are many similarities to horror games such as “Silent Hill” and “Resident Evil” here, but first and foremost this is an interactive horror-fest like no other. Remedy surprises time and time again with unexpected, wild ideas and lots of wonderful humour. The Finnish creators of “Control” and “Max Payne” have with this served the year’s most distinctive, twisted, intense and refreshing experience. I love, love, love it! PS: We also got several new versions of old game favorites this year, including “Resident Evil 4”, “Metroid Prime”, “Dead Space”, “System Shock” and “Super Mario RPG”. I choose to leave out so-called “remakes” from my list.
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Best Games of the Year List – Top Ten Games of 2023 – Reviews and Recommendations
