2023 has been a great year for gamers with so many options available.
So many hits have come out over the last year that it would have been a challenge to finish even half of them, let alone all.
It was not necessarily a prosperous year for the entire sector: there were thousands of employees working for hundreds of firms who lost their positions, and we also observed the long-lasting termination of E3, the grand expo which once was the most important function on the video game diary.
It can be easy to forget with all the major happenings in 2023, so here are a number of the most noteworthy games of the year.
The depth of this role-playing game left players and critics in awe - with some players recording over 100 hours of time spent in the Dungeons & Dragons-based Forgotten Realms setting.
Critics were most impressed by the high level of detail, extensive customisation options, and adaptable narrative experienced in Belgian developer Larian's work; their players can have completely unique characters and decisions every time they play.
It came as no shock when the December awards ceremony of the gaming world's premier event presented it with Game of the Year. It was an unexpected result when the year started, yet a welcome one.
Gaming journalist Helen Ashcroft noted that Baldur's Gate 3 was an unexpected success that shook the world.
A compelling story, decisions that have significance, a gorgeous open-world, an awe-inspiring musical score and vocal performances, fascinating and varied missions, and numerous ways to play and plot lines to investigate.
When the world thought Nintendo's handheld console, the Switch, was too outdated to be impressive, the Japanese company promised: "You just wait and see."
The directly-related sequel to Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, has taken the original's expansive open world further, introducing the power of ultrahand - enabling players to build tools by fusing anything they can find. Widely regarded as one of the greatest games of all time, its addition of this new feature has set the bar even higher.
Developers often feel apprehensive about such freedom, given the large potential for errors. Unexpectedly, it was successful, notwithstanding the elderly Switch hardware.
Argick, a Scottish Twitch streamer, praises Ultrahand as being one of the greatest additions to the series, and remarks that the creations that can be made with it are both hilarious and practical.
The game has a multitude of activities that can be completed in virtually any sequence; I haven't yet uncovered all of its hidden wonders.
When it seemed like triple-A titles had grown too safe and dull, Alan Wake 2 burst onto the scene.
It is akin to what Remedy, a Finnish studio, has produced before, though with an extra level of eccentricity.
The fantastic supernatural horror story, shown from the perspectives of two major protagonists, left a long-term consequence. The decorative appearance, combination of game play and live action, and broader topics caused it to be felt as a unique experience.
Old Gods of Asgard's musical sequence made a huge splash this past year, garnering it as one of the most-discussed gaming experiences. It's exciting!"
Argick commented that the set piece of 2023 he had seen was one of the best he had witnessed, expressing that the song and how it meshed with the game world was thrilling.
It just renders the whole occasion remarkable.
Spider-Man 2 was laden with a heavy burden.
Sony, the maker of the PlayStation 5 console, needed a victory from Spider-Man 2--a game created by Insomniac, a PlayStation studio--due to their present lack of releases.
With great success, this carefully constructed journey released only on the PlayStation 5 and was met with rave reviews. The title has become the most successful PlayStation Studios game to date.
The visuals and technical aspects of the game made it stand out, and players appreciated the wide variety of characters and emotive story, although the gameplay was not hugely different from previous Spider-Man titles.
Many players complained about the brief duration of the game, but the developers maintained that its cost made it worth it.
Despite suffering a massive ransomware attack at the end of the year, Insomniac had enjoyed considerable acclaim for their latest release prior to the incident.
Fortnite, the battle royale shooter where the last participant standing is victorious, has acquired over 400 million players registered; its developers are understandably not bashful in their ambition for even more.
It is likely even truer in light of Epic Games' decision to let go of 800 employees earlier this year.
To bring in more players, a well-publicized partnership with Lego was set up for a new game style titled Lego Fortnite. Twitch streamer Dando noted the mode - which trades out Fortnite's typical crafting supplies for Lego's iconic bricks - was "awesome".
It introduces the idea of creation, construction and collecting items - it's one of those games you can start, end, and be absorbed in an alternate universe.
Coinciding with the launch of Lego Fortnite were Rocket Racing and Fortnite Festival, two other modes created to draw in more players.
Dando declared that when playing Fortnite you will eventually be able to stay in the game and still access other genres without having to switch.
Players were delighted by the addition of a redemption arc in this extension to Cyberpunk 2077.
CD Projekt Red, a Polish studio, has been striving to restore their standing following the ill-fated launch of the base game in 2020.
Expansion Phantom Liberty and its 2.0 update, which completely overhauled the game, were seen as delivering the version of the game fans should have gotten originally.
The presence of Idris Elba in the lead part, as well as a plot numerous gamers described as truly affecting, surely was beneficial.
Despite the success of its main game (which sold more than 20 million copies), it was a joyous conclusion to a troubled narrative.
"I am thrilled with the result," Dando commented. "It's like they have been reborn."
The 2023 game was one of the most contentious, with some media sources declining to review it due to JK Rowling's controversial remarks on transgender individuals.
The author was kept distant from this project, but there were still strong demands to boycott it at launch.
Some pundits have delivered negative reviews of it, claiming it is not feasible to draw a distinction between art and the creator, and a few gamers chose not to engage with it despite the remarkable viewership it had earned. Ten months after its launch, emotions remain powerful.
When it came to evaluating the game, detractors noted its repetition of combat and missions - but fans would say it was captivating to wander through replicated versions of their favourite areas from the stories.
Despite the protests, GamesIndustry.biz's analysis indicates that in terms of physical copies, it was the top-selling game in 2023 in the UK and US.
The build-up to Starfield's release suggested that gamers would be able to traverse the universe, however upon playing the game, the ability to explore galaxies was not as hoped for.
They had an abundance of vacant planets, yet travelling between them was usually done through automated navigation systems, with little manual input.
Dando commented that although it was an enjoyable experience to move around, certain mechanics felt awkward.
A number of devotees were disappointed that Starfield failed to match the caliber of Bethesda's earlier works, particularly the well-liked Fallout and Elder Scrolls franchises.
The developer and its publisher Microsoft certainly broke records, which is probably due to the Game Pass service that provides a Netflix-like experience.
Starfield has been receiving unfavorable ratings on Steam, the digital store, following the game's first launch.
Bethesda has pledged to deliver regular updates and fresh content in 2024, indicating that the excitement of this journey may still continue.
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Observe: What have we gained insight on from the GTA VI trailer?
The year 2020 was marked by one of the most renowned gaming accounts, which pertained to Grand Theft Auto VI, a title not coming out until 2025.
A 90-second trailer released in early December achieved 90.4 million views within a period of 24 hours.
This solidified the information that had previously been released through leaks, which revealed the debut of a female character with a voiced dialogue.
On finally being able to witness the Rockstar-sanctioned version of its volatile and dissolute virtual Miami after almost 10 years of anticipation, fans went wild.
Argick commented that the Grand Theft Auto VI installment, which appears to be set in Vice City and potentially bear a Bonnie and Clyde theme, has gotten him interested in obtaining it, noting that it is likely to be one of the year's biggest releases upon launch.
The trailer is causing a stir among the gaming community.
When the game is officially launched, its impact is anticipated to be huge.
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