BG3 was for me (in 2023). I did 3 full runs. There’s never been a game where I completed it and immediately started another campaign. There’s been games I’ve considered it and pondered it but never did it.
Just started this one but Afterimage is becoming a big favorite of mine. A really great Metroidvania game.
Older, but also played Frostpunk. It’s a really great twist on a city building game. Highly recommended.
One odd ball I’ll throw out is Last Case of Benedict Fox. It’s a complete mess of a game, but the exploration and puzzles are a lot of fun. I never realized how much I want a metroidvania where you go around just solving puzzles. If LCBF just dropped all combat and focused on puzzle-solving it would have been a lot better.
How is noone screaming about Lethal Company? I have never had more fun that playing that game last few weeks. True its “short” even with mods but sooo worth it.
It really does have the strength to do that to so many people that play it. It’s stuck with me for years and not a week goes by that I don’t think about it.
Baulders gate 3 for sure. I mean in a few months it’s already more than half the hours of my most played game. I love the characters and the way I can effect the outcome of different events, and I love exploring it all again with different character combos.
Replying to agree with your position on GoT. Kept trying it after it first released but some other game would always come up and take over. While I loved tears of the kingdom, Spiderman 2, and a slew of other releases this year, GoT strands out for me. I’m terms of gameplay, story, and definitely visuals. While not perfect in everything, it was amazingly good in so many ways. Glad I finally got around to it. Now to keep hitting that back pile of unplayed gems.
Lingo. It tickles my brain in wonderful ways. I’m currently working through the custom level Liduongo, sequel to an earlier map named Duolingo, and I continue to be surprised, delighted, and utterly perplexed.
It’s a rules-based puzzler that doesn’t tell you the rules buried in a confusing labyrinth. The only downside is that it requires a strong grasp of English, limiting its audience.
Absolutely Hi-Fi Rush. I loved many games this year, but Hi-Fi Rush was so fun, so wholesome, so loveable that the music it used carried me through some insanely hard times. It is very obviously a passion project made by incredible creators, and I legitimately cannot find a single issue with it (which I can’t say of any other game this year).
I still feel swells of emotion listening to the music from that game. Absolutely incredible.
It was a return to nostalgia for me. My wife bought this for me for Christmas. I was worried that I would lug into a very dated game, however:
The gameplay is so exquisite and the track design so carefully thought out that it’s really an exhilarating game. The tracks never get boring because they sprinkle in just enough variation and style to keep them engaging. The tricks you can pull in a podracer do not break suspension of disbelief the way normal car games do when pulling amazing stunts. The flow is smooth and fluid even now.
Between the minimap, rearview, braking, air breaking to sustain airtime and cushion landings, self-determined boosting (rather than relying on external powerups or boost zones), and repair management you’re never not adjusting to something. The game keeps you busy while you’re flying along the track.
To boot, the obstacles and shortcuts are carefully distributed and used, playing into the themes of the tracks. Most are small influences, but useful or interesting. One track will force you to reconsider your playstyle for it, however. Despite that it’s not so jarring that you want to stop playing.
You also get a bevy of racers to choose from and the ability to buy and juggle upgrades and pit droids keeps your gameplay evolving. You can even be rewarded for being a skilled player by adjusting the finish placement payouts.
Unfortunately due to careful planning and purchasing, as well as a better sense of how to play as an adult, the game has some shortcomings. Instead of being neck and neck, I was regularly 7-12 seconds ahead of the second place racer, regularly unable to see them in my rearview. A complete lack of a story mode and a low difficulty bar meant I was done in three days even with limited play time and inconsistent access. While this could have been saved with an Online mode added, I still had fun completing Tournament mode and would gladly give this to anyone who wants high-velocity adrenaline with more complex mechanics than your average racing game.