Andrew Otton's Best Games of 2023

Other than some of the most high-profile games of the year, I spent a lot of time playing some games from the last few years playing catch up. I know, that is pretty crazy to do with the absolutely insane output that was 2023. With that said, I still sunk my teeth into not only some of the best games of this year, arguably some of the best games of all time.

Baldur's Gate III

Just about everything there is to say about Baldur’s Gate III has been said, so I just want to laud Larian Studios for the incredible effort and attention to detail in the game. 

A problem with so many big games lately has been overstuffing, a padding of content that really isn’t all that enjoyable but certainly ups the time to beat the game.

Nothing in Baldur’s Gate III felt like fluff, and every corner, decision, rabbit hole, and distraction was full of delight and intention. The constant surprise that “they actually thought of this?” was almost always paired with some incredible writing or design to push so many particular moments to awesome heights.

Baldur’s Gate III is modern RPG design perfected, and I can’t wait to see what is next.

Cocoon

Cocoon makes you feel like a genius. The slow ramp up of more complicated mechanics as you figure out the puzzle in front of you is so meticulous and well thought out that your brain is quickly immersed in the logic of the game’s world.

Particularly towards the end of the game, the puzzles can be very complex and would take a while to just simply explain what needs to be done to someone with no knowledge of the game. However, because the game primes you so well, you won’t ever see yourself stuck at some big roadblock for long.

Cocoon generates so much satisfaction in seeing its many moving parts seamlessly work together, all directly by your hand.  As we know, gamers only want a great sense of pride and accomplishment, which Cocoon delivers in spades.

Play this game in one or two sittings max. Don’t let much time pass between the sessions either or the temporary genius may wear off.

Final Fantasy XVI

I have never loved and hated a game more than Final Fantasy XVI. There is so much I don’t like about the game, like the awful MMO-like quest design, boring semi-open world, and the fan-fiction tier Game of Thrones plot abandoned partway through the game.

And yet, you get to fight gods and city-destroying giants throughout the game, which may just have the most epic set pieces ever to grace a game. They were so great, containing arguably some of gaming's best moments in 2023, that I was happy to shovel down the gruel that was a lot of the rest of the game to gobble down some gaming nirvana.

Some of 2023’s highest highs are in Final Fantasy XVI, no question. Years from now I’ll (hopefully) just remember those parts, and that’s OK with me.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

2023 was really a two-horse race between Tears of the Kingdom and Baldur’s Gate III for Game of the Year. I go into it more in our Game of the Year discussion, but Tears of the Kingdom was easily the most surprisingly innovative and mechanically interesting game in a long time.

There’s so much creativity on display with extremely simple to understand and explain mechanics. You can modify or create a new weapon by adding any item to the game to it and it just makes sense—and works.

One of the most enduring memories I’ll have is of the many different developers exclaiming on social media that they didn’t understand how Nintendo got the game to do what it was doing. While we all marveled at the incredible design, the people that know how the sausage is made were blown away by what Nintendo accomplished technically too.

The endlessly fun physics, freedom to build the simple to the absolute whacky machines, and the sheer amount of interesting things to trip over make Tears of the Kingdom one of the best games of all time.

Tears of the Kingdom was the only game to receive a 10 from us this year, too.

Here's all the games we've ever given a 10.

Sea of Stars

If we had a Comfort Food Game of the Year award, I would have argued heavily for Sea of Stars. Inspired by classic turn-based RPGs from the ‘90s and early ‘00s, it’s just a good time.

Sea of Stars has some of the most beautiful pixel art and animations in gaming, which perfectly modernizes the classic pixel art most of those great RPGs featured. It just feels right.

Where turn-based RPGs can have some, by today’s standards surely, boring combat, Sea of Stars does a great job by making it more interactive, too.

Every attack and ability has some kind of input to empower it, and you’re rewarded for correctly timing against an enemy attack as well. It kept me constantly engaged and added another fun layer on top of all the different status effects, attack types, and more you’d expect in a game like this.

You’ll have a good, wholesome time in a classic RPG that has a lot of smart modern design. Play Sea of Stars.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

If we’re honest with ourselves, we’re lucky to get something at least moderately better than mediocre if it comes from the Star Wars universe. And that’s a shame with just how much rich potential it has. Thankfully, the Star Wars Jedi series exists.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is easily the best Star Wars media to come out in a long time, maybe even since the original trilogy. 

Survivor continues to dive into some cool lore for Star Wars and has fleshed out the universe in interesting ways, all the while keeping its own story. It's great at walking the line between the familiar and feeling fresh.

Moreover, the character work is some of the best in Star Wars, with Cal’s journey being constantly interesting and a joy to watch him grow. The whole plot is driven by character desire, and the twists and turns along the way are not because of some Star Wars macguffin but because one character or another deeply cares about something.

It doesn’t rely on cheap nostalgia moments, though there’s definitely some elements forced in to make us all Leo point at the screen. Thankfully, those moments are usually pretty fleeting, and when the game does indulge, they're cool as hell.

As all Star Wars stories must be trilogies, I cannot wait to see where this one ends. Respawn has nailed it so far.