I'm not one to make New Year's Resolutions because as with most proclamations, they fall by the wayside and aren't accomplished causing sadness. Diets, relationships, career goals...all things in the past I've tried to start at the ever elusive January 1st date and never completed. In 2023 I tried something different tied to something that actually brings some enjoyment (no, don't read this as my wife not being important lol). Outside of TV/Film/Food, videogames are a driving force in both my interests and passion. As someone who has dealt with depression most of my life (and only just recently in the last 4-5 years done something about it), I have a very strong opinion on doing things, within reason, that make you happy. Without happiness and joy we have nothing. This year I resolved to complete at least 12 single-player campaign games I've never played before the year was finished. Guess what? I found the time, even with the birth of my daughter in July and a 3 year old, to complete 22 of them and blow past my goal! This is something I'm stupidly proud of and took pride in throughout the year.
Unfortunately, there were some games along the way that mentally I could not get into and/or complete.
So pour some out for:
Enough of my rambling and onto ranking each and every game I played and completed:
22. Untitled Goose Game (2019)
This is a weird one to rank because it just felt like a glorified demo? It is plenty charming and cute. I mean, you control a goose who runs around a small village solving puzzles and annoying the townsfolk. It only took an hour to beat the main game, but I had no desire to go back and play the post-game challenges.
I could see my 22 year old self loving this game when it came out, but sadly (even remastered) the graphics and gameplay on this don't really hold up. I'm a giant Star Wars nerd, but I couldn't really get into this. Overall the story is fine, but navigating the terrible platforming and combat controls felt like a chore at times. Also, why was this era of gaming so into quick-time-events? Unless you are a point-and-click adventure game, QTE's take you so far out of the experience.
Bulletstorm is so aptly named because it is just a downright ridiculous game, but that is OKAY! The late 00's to early '10's were certainly a time and the Playstation 3's catalogue is just all over the place. In Bulletstorm you play as a Gears of War-reject-looking mercenary who crash lands on a planet full of crazies in which you must battle your way to escape. Sounds generic right? However, you are tasked (optionally) with performing very over-the-top enemy kills along the way to score points for weapon and character upgrades. It finds various ways to get creative with your kills as heavy metal plays in the background. That is really where the fun ends as the game's story and voice acting is painfully campy to the point where it holds it back a little bit from being something more than it could. I'm not sure how this game sold, but I'm genuinely surprised this never got a direct sequel.
You play as a shark out for revenge against a fisherman who killed your mom. Yes, you read that correctly. It doesn't take itself seriously and that is how it excels. You make your way through this fictional New Orleans-type world and kill...well everything. No fish, shark, seal, turtle, whale and person is safe from your... jaws. The upgrades are fun and there is a ton of funny easter eggs to unlock along the way. You can beat this in about 10 hours and that is fine. The gameplay isn't deep enough for it to be any longer than that before it starts getting a little repetitive.
Everything about this one is better than the original: graphics, controls, gameplay and story. You can see LucasArts learned a lot of lessons after the first and took it to heart. I really did feel like a rogue Jedi in this one with a more interesting story to tell. If there were some things to dislike, it would be the limited locales and characters. Not that I'm begging for fan service, but I just wish we saw some different worlds and battled a more diverse type of enemy. There are still QTE's which is also annoying. Maybe I'm just bitter because I chose the Dark Ending and that was clearly not the one to choose.
It really is mind-boggling I never tackled this game considering how much I loved Quantic Dream's other games Heavy Rain and Detroit: Become Human. If you aren't familiar, Quantic develops mainly adventure games in which, while you do control the character some, you do most of the heavy lifting in the game by choosing specific dialogue and actions throughout the game. Every choice you make usually has a specific consequence and will affect how the game will end. Beyond: Two Souls is the weakest of these three games as you control a pre-transition Elliott Page who has a connection with a soul that helps you solve puzzles (or can get you in trouble). This is a much more personal game than Heavy Rain and Detroit, but the choices in this game don't feel as impactful. With Detroit there were hundreds of branching storylines from your choices, but with Beyond not so much. The mo-cap and voice-acting from Elliott Page and Willem Dafoe do a lot of heavy lifting and carry the game. I also kinda predicted the "big twist" way too early, which goes into the storytelling critiques.
In this one you play a third-person action adventure game where you, a vampire/monster hunter, take down those creatures in the 1800's American Frontier. The story and dialogue are so unbelievably corny...but somehow works for this genre. Campy-ness can work if it is done right. The gameplay is so much fun and what really elevates this higher than it should. The combat really draws inspiration from the new God of War games and can be challenging at times. So if you are into that, you will most definitely dig this game.
Listen, I LOVE the original games in this series (2033 and Last Light). This first-person shooter series takes place in a future in which the world has been completely obliterated by nuclear war. The first two games of the series has you playing as a young survivor named Artyom living in the Moscow metro train tunnels as you battle different warring factions and mutated monsters. However, in this game it switches to above the surface almost permanently as it introduces small open worlds to explore and is quite different from the claustrophobic and almost survival-horror-ish feel of the original games. So to me, this didn't quite feel like a Metro game outside a few sections of the game. The combat and controls also felt a little clunky, which is odd because the first two games were quite smooth in that regard.
This one might upset some people given its cult following. Admittedly, the setting and story are quite unique and original, which gives it a lot more staying power than it should. You play as the titular Alan Wake, a Stephen King-esque writer, as he tries to find his missing wife who was taken by a mysterious dark force. As you delve further into the game, some of the pieces start coming together, but at times I felt lost (especially towards the end). The combat is fun at first and gives some genuine scares, but after awhile gets a bit stale. I am very curious how Alan Wake 2 turned out since it was highly praised. Perhaps that one grips me a bit more.
Call me crazy, but I couldn't get into the original Dying Light. The trailers and gameplay made me intrigued about this one though and I'm glad I gave it a shot. The parkour and combat is just so damn fun and satisfying. The zombies in this feel like a threat at anytime and the special zombies are terrifying at night. The faux-Paris setting and story were just much more interesting to me this go-around, though it is far from Shakespeare. This game does have choices throughout the game in which if you side with a certain faction the gameplay can change. There is just something about running so effortless through buildings and rooftops that I almost wish we could get a first-person version of Assassin's Creed. I do believe this game is the best parkour game of all-time, outdoing Mirror's Edge.
For the life of me, I don't understand the hate this game has gotten since it came out. Is it a Dead Space rip-off? Kinda. What do you expect from the guy behind creating the Dead Space series? This is an extremely well-made survival-horror game that has its own interesting story and well-acted leads from Josh Duhamel and Karen Fukuhara (Kimiko from The Boys, fyi). The game is gorgeous and its graphics can rival most other games on the Playstation 5. I never felt like the gameplay got old and I loved the hybrid melee/long-range combat. It isn't Dead Space-level brilliant, but it isn't a bad game by any stretch.
Yet another reboot of the franchise, but I think they may have nailed it this time. Doom was a pioneer in the first-person shooter genre, but hadn't seem much success in sequels until decades later. This game goes balls to the wall with action, gore and music. The story is fairly decent, but most of all it felt great to step into the role of Doom Guy (yes, that is his name) to tear apart demonic creatures. The game doesn't overstay its welcome and the lore packed into this game was well thought-out. Did I mention the combat and music rules?
Weird that I never got to this at launch considering how much I loved its predecessors Infamous and Infamous 2. In these games (including this one), you play as a regular human dude who is suddenly gifted with super-powers. The original character, Cole McGrath, has special lightning powers, but in this one you are a new character named Delsin who has the Sylar-like abilities (hello, Heroes tv-series) of absorbing the super-powers of those you come in contact with. With that, this game feels like a whole new ballgame with varying combat that never gets old. The new powers are really awesome and the story overall is better than the original games IMO. Sadly, this franchise has been dormant ever since with Ghost of Tsushima series getting the front seat from developer Sucker Punch.
This is an indie game with the feel like a big AAA game. The graphics and art style are absolutely stunning. They really don't make 3-D action games like this anymore (except for Nintendo, really) and that is a shame because I'd play games like this all day. The story is deep and touching, though I was hoping for a bit more with the ending. The gameplay alone was enough for me begging for a sequel now.
Perhaps it isn't fair to rank a downloadable content (DLC) in this, but to be fair this particular DLC takes about 4-5 hours to complete (or at least it did for me). This game has you picking up following the events of the 10/10 game, God of War Ragnarok, and has you entering literal Valhalla (the Nordic heaven where warriors go to when they die on the battlefield). There you face many trials and delve into some of the events from both the original God of War games and this sequel series. I won't spoil much, but this felt like a great epilogue for this series as I'm sure it looks to move to a new setting. It felt really good to jump back in with Kratos and test my kills again in this rogue-like experience (even if though I don't really dig the whole rogue-like genre).
A prequel to the amazing adventure game Life is Strange, but this time you control Chloe this go-around. Chloe is just an infinitely more interesting character than Max in the original game. This game finally lets you experience the backstory with Rachel Amber and re-live traumatic moments from the past. The soundtrack is absolutely killer and the story itself gives so much more meaning to the original game in that this is a "must play" to fully capture the full Life is Strange experience. The "talk back" feature of this game wasn't as cool as Max's time-manipulation if there is any complaint. The closing scenes of the third and final episode of the game will have you heartbroken.
Why didn't I play this tech demo when I got my PS5 all these years ago? Why did no one tell me how cute and charming this was? I LOVE 3-D platformers and this showcases all the tech power of the PS5, all the while honoring Playstation's history over the last 30 years. Astro is a delightful protagonist that I can't wait to play as again when I hit up Astro Bot this new year. It is rare that a game can keep me smiling during its entirety or have me wanting to 100% all the collectables, but this did it. Well done, Sony.
A sequel to the 2019 sleeper hit "A Plague's Tale: Innocence", Requiem really blows it out of the water with every turn. This action adventure series has you in control of (mostly) a young French girl Amicia during the Hundred Year's War in 1300's France. In this, an ancient evil has awoken in the form of hordes of rats which not only cause the plague, but could bring the downfall of humanity. It is up to you and your "special" brother Hugo to stop it and escape the terror. This game introduces better and varied combat and even cooler set-pieces. The game is gorgeous and the story really resonated with me. Not to give much away, but the end will have you BAWLINING your eyes out. I have never gotten tired of either of these games.
I must have started and stopped this game at least three times before finally beating it this year. It takes a bit to get going, but Obsidian really nailed their space opera satire role-playing game. Obsidian (the developer) really does know how to out-do Bethesda (a similar developer) with RPGs. I haven't played Starfield (Bethesda), but seeing the backlash/gameplay you can see just how much better Outer Worlds turned out. This plays like a Fallout game in space (if that makes sense), but with a scathing portrayal of capitalism which given the current climate is a big ol' chef kiss from me. The combat is fun and the choices you make in the game actually have consequences and an affect on the world around you. I wish the main story was longer, but side quests should have you all tied up for many hours. I can't wait for the upcoming sequel.
It doesn't matter that it is a remake of an already 10/10 game, it deserves to be on this list. This may be the greatest survival-game of all-time if it wasn't for another game (see: below). This makes all the graphical enhancements to the 2008 game, plus fix things like the zero-G controls. Dead Space quite literally is a perfect game and already knowing the story didn't affect how I experienced this game at all. Plasma-cutting some necromorphs in the bowels of a space-station or freighter will NEVER get old.
Yes, THIS is the greatest survival-horror game of all-time and it isn't debatable. The Resident Evil franchise re-defined the genre and peaked with Resident Evil 4 in 2005. This remake wasn't necessary, but I much appreciated attempt at beefing up the graphics, gameplay, and controls. The game remains scary in a way that I think few Resident Evils can do anymore (outside the terrifying Resident Evil 7). Leon S. Kennedy is a GOATED protagonist in gaming and this was his Al Pacino in The Godfather performance. Yes, Resident Evil can be very cheesy, but it works. This remake already feels like a game that I'll be re-visiting yearly.
Never in a million years would I imagine a rhythm-based action game would make my "best game I played and perhaps in my All-Time Top 25", but here we are. From its opening intro-song of "Lonely Boy" by The Black Keys to "Whirring" by The Joy Formidable in the closing battle this game just had me hooked. This has all the charm of a AAA title, but the creativity of a small indie studio. The combat is so much fun as you battle robots using the rhythmic beats to sync up to the music to get higher damage. It just felt like a breath of fresh air for gaming. The characters are a blast and the story was cute without being too much. What Microsoft did was a TRAVESTY in shutting down its studio, but thank god Krafton saved them. Hopefully this means that another sequel or new IP will come out of it. If I have a recommendation to any videogame lover reading this article, please play this one.