The Best Games of 2023: Part Two

#47: Good luck with that Game of the Year award

January 13, 2023

Most of us know how unpredictable the video game industry can be, but with a bit of luck the release dates for the games mentioned in last week’s Games of 2023: Part One are pretty much locked in now. Trying to predict releases 6-12 months in advance, however, well that can prove much trickier.

On one hand, it’s exciting! We don’t know much about them yet and there will be a host of games released during the second half of the year that we don’t even know exist yet. On the other hand, games that far away are often delayed, and it’s more than likely a few upcoming 2023 games will end up 2024 games.

Still, that doesn’t mean we can’t be excited about them, right? So here’s a selection of some rather excellent-looking games we’ll all hopefully be enjoying before the year is out.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2

PlayStation 5 - Late 2023

Was 2018’s Spider-Man the greatest superhero game of all time? A lot of people certainly think so. And with good reason too. Insomniac’s web-slinging opus was everything a superhero game should be; big, exciting, action-packed, and perhaps most importantly of all, respectful of its source material. It was a game that clearly understood everything that made its star character appealing and then offered players the chance to be him.

Follow-up Miles Morales may have been smaller, but it was no less impressive. Indeed, the trimming of some of Spider-Man’s fat made for a leaner and better-paced sequel that was at least as good as the first game. As it stands not a lot is known about Spider-Man 2, but with Insomniac using everything it’s learned from the previous titles (and with the tantalising prospect of next-gen exclusivity to play with this time) it’s difficult to see this being anything other than one of 2023’s biggest hits.

Hollow Knight: Silksong

PlayStation, Switch, Xbox, PC - 2023

Will 2023 be the year we finally get our hands on this long-awaited follow-up to Hollow Knight? Well it’s currently scheduled for this year, so fingers crossed the agonising wait since its announcement way back in February 2019 will be over soon.

There may be no shortage of quality Metroidvanias out there, but Hollow Knight was a bit different - a bit of a mini-masterpiece - and there’s little reason to suspect its sequel won’t follow suit. Silksong may not be the biggest game to release this year, but there’s a good chance it’ll be one of the best.

Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon

PlayStation, Xbox, PC - Late 2023

Since the last Armored Core game nearly a decade ago FromSoftware have released Dark Souls II, Bloodborne, Dark Souls III, Sekiro, 2022-game-of-the-year Elden Ring, and a host of expansions in between - becoming arguably the most prolific and consistently brilliant developer on the planet in the process.

It’ll be fascinating to see what From can do when they return to this more niche series with a bigger budget and the confidence a handful of consecutive masterpieces brings. They'll also no doubt be a team keen to prove they can carry their quality stamp across to a game that doesn't rely on their tried-and-tested SoulsBorne formula.

REPLACED

Xbox, PC - 2023

This (deep breath) “2.5D sci-fi retro-futuristic action platformer set in an alternate 1980’s America” from Belarusian developer Sad Cat Studios may have slipped under your radar up until now, but it’s a game that certainly deserves your attention.

With wonderful cinematic flair and some downright remarkable pixel art, REPLACED is possibly the most stylish and atmospheric indie scheduled for a year with no shortage of stylish and atmospheric indies. If you’ve yet to see this one in motion, do yourself a favour and check out the trailer above. This one looks like the real deal.

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Other notable releases due later this year include Assassin's Creed Mirage (which Ubisoft says will return to the series' more stealthy roots), flashlight-em-up Alan Wake 2, the second part of Square's Final Fantasy VII Remake (probably the one most likely to see a delay) and Arkane Studios’ open world Xbox shooter Redfall. The next Forza Motorsport should make a big appearance after giving Forza Horizon centre stage for the past six years, the best-looking Soulsborne-alike Lies of P is worth keeping an eye on, and sequels to fan-favourites Octopath Traveller, Oxenfree and Pikmin are also imminent. We should also expect a host of announcements from Sony’s internal studios soon, who have been unusually quiet of late.

So there's an awful lot on the way, and the games featured here and in last week’s issue only scratch the surface. With the widespread delays and development woes of the pandemic years seemingly behind us, 2023 looks set to be one of the most exciting years for games we've had in a long time.

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I hope you enjoy the rest of the newsletter and have a great weekend.

Thanks for reading,

Jeff

THE WEEK IN GAMES

The best news, deals and gaming content of the week!

NEWS

DEALS

  • PlayStation's January Sale has entered its final week, so if you fancy saving up to 75% off a load of games make sure you have a look before Jan 18.

  • Over on Xbox the Last Chance Sale rolls on, offering up to 80% off a decent amount of new and old games. There's also a Countdown Add-On Sale, with up to 50% off DLC, and the ID@Xbox RPG Sale, with up to 70% off indie RPGs.

  • There's no themed sale over on Nintendo's eShop, but there is a general sale currently running, with a large number of games on offer.

  • On the Epic Games Store Divine Knockout, First Class Trouble and Gamedec - Definitive Edition are free to download.

  • The festive sales on Steam may be over, but as always there are still plenty of games on special offer, including Sackboy: A Big Adventure, Borderlands 3, Marvel's Midnight Suns and more.

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…and that’s it for this week!

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Thanks again, and see you next week!

Jeff