Let's be real: There was no way that this year of gaming would ever be able to match 2022, which was probably the best single year for video games I've ever experienced. That said, there was still a lot to enjoy this year from all over the gaming spectrum! One thing I did for the first time last year was to pick a favorite "left-brained" game, and a favorite "right-brained" game, which I think worked out really well, and that I'll carry forward. Normally, I'd say I'm more of a left-brained person in general, but last year, the right-brained choice took top spot, as it does again this year, because how could I pick anything other than Baldur's Gate 3?
It's exceedingly rare for me to pick a AAA game as my favorite. I tend to like smaller, indie games. Also, I played this game in early access, and wasn't impressed. At the time, I thought that the exponentially-cheaper Solasta had a better user interface than this extremely-hyped, massive game, and I sensed disaster in the offing when this went live. Never have I been happier to be wrong. I don't believe I've ever played a game where there are so many different possible outcomes to your choices. Everyone else I talked to who played this (which was basically everyone who games) conducted themselves in slightly different ways, which led to totally different results. NPCs I became friends with were dead in their games, and vice versa. NPCs who treated my character like dirt were sweet as pie to theirs.
The attention to detail didn't stop there, as every single NPC (and there are hundreds of them) can be approached and talked to. Even if they don't have full conversation trees, they all have something different to say, making the world feel very lived-in. The graphics are top-notch, it's acted well, and it has an intuitive control system. If you can't play tabletop D&D, this is far and away the next best choice.
As to my favorite left-brained game of the year, it came to me by way of a friend who said "I looked into this game, and it seemed totally annoying to me. It's right up your alley." Boy, was he right. And on top of that, it's free! If logical analysis and late '90s internet research is your thing, be sure you try The Roottrees Are Dead.
It's the late '90s, and Carl Roottree, the billionaire candy company magnate, has just died in a plane crash, along with his wife and three daughters. The inheritance will be a knotty matter, and your mysterious benefactor has charged you with filling in the entire Roottree family tree, based on magazine articles, internet searches, and library books.
This game drew me in like a magnet. I literally put off social plans, because I was thisclose to cracking the information I needed to fill in a branch of this fictional genealogy chart. This is a real if-you-know-you-know type of game, but to the group of folks who are into this type of thing, this is an enthralling experience.
There were certainly other games that are worth your time that I discovered in 2023, from the musical mythological murder mystery Stray Gods, to censoring the news reports in Not For Broadcast, to the battles between rival steampunk carnival troupes in Circus Electrique. There were a lot of fun tabletop gaming experiences this year, too. Standouts include Descent: Legends of the Dark, Cthulhu: Death May Die, and the tabletop version of Fallout. But for the video games, let's get to the loosely-ranked list!
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