My 2023 GOTOYs

This year I have, intentionally or not, come upon a theme of exploring major releases in my favorite genres that just passed me by in my late-teen/early-college years when I may not have had the funds to explore them.

Walkabout is perhaps the perfect VR game. A perfectly executed incredibly simple premise. Everything feels right, the art ranges from simple and pretty to stunning and impressive from course to course, wonderful music, great bonuses like finding lost golf balls, or the more advanced searches for new clubs, hundreds of excellently designed holes of mini-golf which are regularly joined by new courses at a reasonable price.

Easily the new default for introducing someone to room-scale virtual reality.
It is worth noting that I am a massive Boneworla fiend and also entirely fine with this games very open-ended premise. Your mileage may greatly vary dependant on your opinions of those two things.
Regardless, I adore this game. It's essentially just a more concise Boneworla that's much more compatible with drop-in short play sessions and I appreciate that.

That's not to mention the really interesting stuff in the actual narrative of the game. It's fascinating seeing a sequel that is functionally about the development of the first game and not just thematically, but also getting into the actual technological development of it which is especially interesting for such a revolutionary game as Boneworks.

3

Prey is one of the best immersive sims ever made and I'm very glad I finally got around to it. I'm extra glad I got around to it right before System Shock released so I could appreciate just how much inspiration it took.
An intense immersive sim that manages to move beyond physical form. Ctrl Alt Ego takes a second to grasp, but once you do it is a genius experience.
Deep Rock Galactic is on the short-list for best co-op shooters I've ever played and is simultaneously the top contender for the friendliest community and economy I have ever seen in one of them.
This hyper-friendly style of game development is not especially common, to begin with, but is unheard of in what would otherwise be considered a live-service game.
I don't necessarily think Across The Obelisk is all that special of a roguelite deck builder. I honestly don't know if it's in my top five, but I have to respect the swings it takes: The intentional overdesign of systems, the absurd run length, the decision to include a fully formed campaign as the primary mode of the game, it just takes so many interesting and generally well-enough executed swings that It works and I end up having to respect the gumption it took to make them.
A fantastic combo of Factorio and tower defense that feels designed to suck as much time from you as mechanically possible
Essentially an alternate universe Half-Life: Alyx. Takes a lot of inspiration from Budget Cuts which is a very solid source of inspiration and manages to create a very solid Half-Life-esque experience in a lighter tone world with satisfying mechanics.
Lemme tell ya, these stealthy New Zealand flightless birds made some banging Flash games
I did not expect it to be as involved and fun as it is. Good Job, Nintendo.
The gameplay is fantastic, but dear god do those dialogue bits grate on me even with the fast forward option.
A fantastic 2000 Quake 3 based shooter that pays deep cut homage to Star Trek lore. Holds up very well.
Nothing too crazy, but a fun little time for the $1.79 I paid
It's real goofy, fam.

15

I can see why Raft did so well, but I can also see its limitations much clearer than I would like. It feels like the most 7/10 experience I've ever played which is meant as a pseudo-compliment in a genre that has a whole lot of 4/10s. It got in relatively early, did a good enough job with a unique concept, and planted its flag. I commend them for it and I'm glad I finally played it even if I don't think it's really anything special by current standards.
It's not bad at all, i just played it single player which is not advisable
As someone with Native American heritage, it is my duty to interact with all five pieces of media that have my kin.

This game certainly isn't bad, but it's definitely very confusing. Very directly MMO inspired with a marketplace and chat and events... but entirely single-player. It's not bad, I'm glad I played it, but it's very strange.

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