The Game Awards released the list of nominees for the “Game of the Year.” Alan Wake 2, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Baldur’s Gate 3, and Resident Evil 4 are competing for the title of the best game this year. Similarly, Nintendo Switch exclusives Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom also found a spot in this GOTY race.
The Game of the Year, commonly known as GOTY, is the most prestigious title a game can receive. The action RPG Elden Ring is the current holder of this Game Awards title, but soon, the new winner will be announced from the six nominated games mentioned above. However, this list will go through some worthy games that failed to get nominated for the GOTY race.
5. Lies of P
Lies of P is the answer to anyone wondering what if Pinnochio existed in the Dark Souls world. Likewise, the developers at NeoWiz answered that question perfectly as they came up with this 2023 action role-playing game. This game takes inspiration from the 1883 classic Italian novel The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi.
The players take on the role of a robotic boy puppet named Pinnochio. Unlike most puppets, he is unable to tell lies. The game then begins with him waking up in an abandoned train station before making his way through the abandoned city of Krat. Pinnochio then sets on a journey to save his friends, during which, he faces terrifying monsters and also finds out if he indeed is human like his father claims.
Lies of P received a lot of love from the fans, as many of them complimented it for its likeness to Dark Souls and Bloodborne. Aside from Pinnochio’s massive arsenal of weapons and smooth combat system, the “Lying System” had the fans hooked to the game. Using this unique game system, players are able to make choices that ultimately lead to one of the game’s three endings.
4. Hogwarts Legacy
Every Potterhead once dreamed of being a student of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and exploring the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. In early 2023, this dream came true with Portkey releasing the action RPG Hogwarts Legacy, a game based on J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter novels.
Hogwarts Legacy might be based on Rowling’s renowned work, but isn’t a direct adaptation of the books or novels. It instead has an original story that is set in the Wizarding World. This game is set a century before the events in the books and revolves around a fifth-year Hogwarts Student armed with mysterious magic that helps in the fight against the rising evil.
This game stays true to the RPG genre, letting players customize their characters and explore the world to unravel various mysteries. As the player progress, they unlock various spells, potions, and other skills to fight enemies in a free-flowing combat system. The fans couldn’t help but praise the game for its plot, visuals, and gameplay.
3. Starfield
Starfield was one of the most anticipated video game releases in 2023. It is a space-themed action RPG by Bethesda Studios. The game received a lot of attention for being the first IP Bethesda released after 25 years. Moreover, the studio’s acquisition by Microsoft also hyped the game even more.
Starfield is set in 2330 when humanity has spread across various Solar Systems. The player takes on the role of a space explorer, diplomat, space pirate, or something else. After choosing the faction, they travel across the solar systems, visiting the plethora of plants to discover multiple artifacts and meet unique NPCs.
The gaming community showered this game with praise. They liked the visuals and smooth gameplay system that featured in Starfield. But the key attraction of this game was the thousands of planets available for the players to explore. However, the critics had different opinions about the game’s plot and certain mechanics.
2. Dead Space
Aside from many new releases, some excellent remakes hit the shelves in 2023, like Resident Evil 4 and Dead Space. The latter is the remake of the 2008 survival horror masterpiece by Electronic Arts. This 2023 title was a great example of what one should expect in a remake.
Like the original, Dead Space follows engineer Isaac Clarke, who explores the massive mining spaceship USG Ishimura, where he and his crew encounter the horrors of mutated undead Necromorphs. Now, Clarke must survive the horrors on this ship while searching for his partner Nicole, who has gone missing.
The developers remade the entire game from scratch and introduced many new features. Moreover, Issac Clarke was no longer a silent hero and had a voice along with many new dialogues. The game was a visual treat with smooth gameplay and spooky sequences to have players on the edge. Hence, quite naturally, the game received a lot of positive reviews from fans.
1. Final Fantasy XVI
2023 was also the year when Square Enix released the 16th main installment of their renowned Final Fantasy series. It is the first title in the series to be exclusively released for PlayStation 5 with a Microsoft Windows edition under development. Meanthile, there are still no reports about an edition for Xbox.
This installment of the game follows Clive Rosfield, the bodyguard of his younger brother Joshua. After witnessing the drought of ether called Blight, leading to conflicts among the nations, Clive must look for a solution to resolve this conflict while also discovering more about the transformation that resulted in his brother’s death.
The game was a major hit like in past Final Fantasy installments. It received praise for the plot, graphics, and gameplay mechanics. However, there were some criticisms for the lack of RPG elements. But despite all these, it is among the top-tier games released in 2023 for gamers to enjoy.
These are the five games released in 2023 that deserved to be in the GOTY race. Yet, maybe these titles didn’t have what the six nominated titles do. Nonetheless, one must play these five games at least once, despite them not being nominated for the GOTY title.
