Game of the Year 2023

Game of the Year 2023

Feature

The Hooked Gamers team reveal their favourite titles from 2023

The year in review


With 2023 nearing completion, it has given the team at Hooked Gamers a chance to review all the games that have occupied our time during the year. There have been some massive titles released this year, with grand open-world adventures such as Baldur's Gate III and Starfield requiring countless hours to complete. There were the usual spate of remakes and sequels that resulted in a tinge of nostalgia such as Dead Space, Resident Evil and Jagged Alliance 3.

The year also produced numerous indie titles that caught our eye such as the mysteries Dredge, the FMV dating sim Ten Dates, and the co-op friendly KarmaZoo. Whether you’re a fan of RPGs, first-person shooters, sports games, strategy titles or hack and slash platformers, 2023 had you covered.

As the Editor-in-Chief here at Hooked Gamers, it is a difficult task to put together a Game of the Year special. Each of the writers on the team have their favourites and trying to get everyone to agree on one title is a lesson in futility. So, in the end, it was just easier to let each member of the team have their own say. So, without further ado, here are our favourite games of 2023…

Assassins Creed Mirage (William)


Game of the Year 2023


This was a tough decision for me, as 2023 didn't seem to have too many standouts. Due to time constraints, I specifically let Baldur's Gate III slip me by or that likely would have been right up there on my list of nominees. In the end, it was Assassin's Creed Mirage that came out on top.

Assassin's Creed Mirage returns players to the mechanics that made the original titles in the series so popular. The game centres around using parkour and stealth skills to move through 9th-century Baghdad and its surrounds as the main character Basim. Although the game follows Basim and his rise through the group known as the Hidden Ones, it is the city of Baghdad that shines. The city and its surrounds bustle with citizens going about their daily life, and it is a joy to simply sit atop a building and watch as they interact with one another. And watching the sun slowly set in the evening sky is a delight.

Although players are free to play whatever style they choose, the game does lead players down a stealthier approach. This is primarily my reason for selecting this game as my favourite of the year, as I do prefer the planning process that Assassin's Creed Mirage requires when completing mission goals. The stealth and parkour mechanics work remarkably well and combined with Basim’s skills and the tools at his disposal (which players can gain and upgrade during the course of the game) makes for an enjoyable experience. And although I spent more time in 2023 travelling across the galaxy in Starfield, I enjoyed my time in Middle Ages Baghdad a tad more, making Assassin's Creed Mirage my favourite of the year.


Alan Wake 2 (Quinn)


Game of the Year 2023


Alan Wake 2 was a gamble in many ways for developer Remedy Entertainment, but it is one that has massively paid off. Despite the game's well-received predecessor delivering an ending open for follow-up, it's taken a long 13 years for Alan Wake 2 to finally return to the story of the titular writer, who's been stuck in The Dark Place for just as long. However, Alan Wake 2 isn't exceptional simply because of the time it has taken to come out. Instead, the game is remarkable for just how much it pushes past its predecessor and perfectly unites the gameplay and narrative tools Remedy has been perfecting for decades.

Whereas Alan Wake keeps the horror relatively light and often plays more like a dark but traditional third-person shooter, Alan Wake delves fully into survival horror. Moreover, the result of another bold development risk sees the game split its scares between the titular author, who's trying to navigate The Dark Place and understand the true extent of his reality-warping abilities, and newcomer Saga Anderson, a young but promising FBI agent visiting Bright Falls to follow up on horrifying cult-related murders.

As Alan Wake 2 tells its split story, players are treated to exceptional world-building, an engaging cast of characters, and a narrative with twists and turns they absolutely won't see coming. The game's use of live-action clips integrates beautifully with the game world (itself stunningly rendered), and combat with the Taken is incredibly anxiety-inducing in the best way possible. Even the game's UI is wonderful, utilizing the physical representation of memory techniques to easily track characters, evidence, storylines, missions, and more.

All in all, it's hard to believe that not only is Alan Wake 2 out after all this time, but it somehow manages to surpass expectations built up over 13 years of waiting.


Football Manager 2024 (Howie)


Game of the Year 2023

My personal favourite game of the year is Football Manager 2024. FM24 is the latest in a long line of football sports manager games. As the manager, you won't be in control of the on-field talent yourself; you are the guy in the office that is responsible for putting the athletes on the field. Players will implement in-depth scouting strategies along with studying a slew of statistical data associated with the player. Being intimately involved with the players career will bring you closer to them as a person and when they decide to leave the team you will feel a sense of loss. It's that good.

There's a lot to this game and it will be sure to please the sports management enthusiast or the newbie that wants to learn how to manage a sports team. This game can be that addictive for those of us that like managing things and that like to learn as we go along. Football Manager is suited for all ages, but you must enjoy sorting through various statistical data tables and charts.

Generally, annually released sports games tend to come with the reputation of not offering much in the way of improvements over previous seasons editions. However, the developers of FM always seem to find ways to polish the game AI and to make additions to an already solid game engine. I believe that SEGA has succeeded once again with this new 2024 edition of Football Manager. Even though there is reportedly a brand new game engine in the works for 2025, this 24 edition is hands down worth the price of admission because it opens up features not seen in previous years efforts!


Baldur's Gate III (Camrin)


Game of the Year 2023

Looking back at this year, this reviewer's choice for Game of the Year was an obvious one with Larian Studio's Baldur's Gate III. It's tricky to go into why, but that's mostly because of the sheer length of time that we'd be discussing it. Instead, I'll just go over the main highlights, and for a full review of my thoughts on BG3 you can look here.

Borislov Slavov's score brings the world of the Sword Coast to life, with haunting melodies like 'Old Time Battles', 'Down by the River', and one of my personal favourites 'The Weeping Dawn' are all memorable songs that are sure to add a lot to the breadth of the world. The performances for characters such as Jennifer English's portrayal of the secretive Cleric Shadowheart or Niel Newbon's flamboyant Rogue Astarion are such charming characters they may end up on some gamer's favourite characters of all time lists. Adam Smith, head writer for the game, paid much love to Bioware and their original team that created the Baldur's Gate series, which has some characters brought back for BG3 - so they worked hard to follow in the footsteps that came before.

Music, characters, and story - just one of these concepts is enough to make or break a game no matter how the gameplay functions, but with all of these as hardworking and amazing as they are, even if the strategy RPG genre isn't for you Baldur's Gate III is a game that will stand the test of time. A worthy contender for Game of the Year if this reviewer has ever seen one on nearly any metric one might look at - Accessibility, Music, Gameplay, Story, Characters, Replayability. From either a technical or a creative standpoint, this game provides an amazing and unforgettable experience.


Demonologist (Dan)


Game of the Year 2023

Developed by Clock Wizard Games, Demonologist overhauls the basic gameplay foundation popularized by Kenetic Games' Phasmophobia, while simultaneously adding its own unique twists.

In Demonologist, cooperative ghost hunting has never been so terrifying. With dozens of fully-animated map-specific jumpscares, an engaging multi-phase gameplay loop, tons of hidden secrets for the clever player to discover, and rich customization and progression systems that reward long-term play, Demonologist stands above and beyond as the most enjoyable in-game experience of 2023, if you're brave enough to try....


Doomblade (Samuel)


Game of the Year 2023


You are the last Gloomling, a tiny little creature alone in the world and facing up against a vast system of oppression and control created by the Dreadlords. Luckily for you, you have access to the titular Doomblade, a weapon that has the power to rip through dimensions but will help you rip through the Dreadlords.

This hack and slash platformer is played at a hectic pace as players move throughout the locations with the help of the Doomblade, targeting enemies in quick succession. Each combat builds on the last, becoming more dangerous and more deadly at a steady rate. At the same time, the game drip-feeds you upgrades and new abilities making your initial attack more effective while giving you a few fun new traversal methods as well. I found combat to be an ongoing joy, and as I played, I found myself gladly seeking out optional challenges and encounters, and although I would often die, the game left me wanting to try again and (often) again.


Remnant 2 (Jordan)


Game of the Year 2023


It is pleasantly obvious to me that 2023 will be remembered as one of those years with several games that, at the very least, have features or ideas which should be carried forward into the future. Whether it's the most faithful recreation of a tabletop RPG, an absolutely bonkers horror game featuring a coffee-themed amusement park, or a criminally underrated dino-shooter's story and progression ideas, plenty of video games carved out a niche while bringing creative ideas with them. One, though, stuck out to me, as it is the one I haven't been able to stop playing, thinking about, and considering in terms of the industry moving forward.

Remnant 2 has hooks as numerous and as large as Wolverine's claws, and they latched onto me almost immediately. I wish more developers had the self-reflective abilities to learn from their previous outings the way Gunfire Games did, but also wherewithal to implement intelligent changes. They turned a game so easily referred to as "Dark Souls with guns" at best into something so much more. In many ways it's the epitome of what a live-service game should feel like, the type that would please even capital-G Gamers, crammed into a more single-player (or co-op) package. The procedural generated aspects are impactful, its secrets are so numerous and varied that every one of them feels like a great reward, and its puzzles are often so clever that the "ah-ha" moment is pure joy. I found myself dumbfounded by so many small elements as I played through, even at the smallest details, and many times wondered "why hasn’t anyone done this before?"

The secrets of Remnant 2 are its strongest aspect. Finally, the promise of Destiny has been fulfilled. Every weapon, armour piece, and ring had a story, and it was often a damn good one. The meta stories carry weight, too. Conversations with friends about bosses they never even met, or decisions they didn't even have the chance to make, all add fuel to the fire that is the desire to constantly be playing Remnant 2. I could go on for days, but I'll summarize with this: this game is so much more than it appears. It's not really a loot shooter, nor does it have any cosmetic micro transactions. Rather, it's clearly a labour of love, from a studio that was about to mash so many disparate elements together to make a work of art. Plus, there's an entire world in here that exists as an homage to Bloodborne, in which their first DLC is also set. That alone speaks to me so loudly, but I think the rest of it will speak to a much larger audience that may have lost this one in the flood of games in 2023.


Innchanted (Isabella)


Game of the Year 2023

It took a long time to finally arrive (we played a demo at PAX AUS 2019), but it was worth the wait. I am a big fan of couch co-op games as I get to sit down with family or friends and work together to complete the goals. Innchanted is such a co-op game, with mechanics similar to that of Overcooked, with players taking on the role of fairy folk working in a magical tavern. The indie game developed in Melbourne has an indigenous Australian story, with all the characters being inspired by local fauna and colours.

Like Overcooked, the controls are simple, letting players of all ages to enjoy making potions and meals of different types and serving a range of customers. Play starts off quite basic but ramps up gradually as you learn new recipes. And if you don’t have a full complement of players on your couch, then a competent AI can take over and help.

Innchanted has a heap of replayability as players attempt to achieve the three-star rating for each level, and collecting all the different costumes will further have players trying to gain as many shells (the game’s currency) as possible to unlock them all. With bright visuals, well laid out levels and simple controls, Innchanted kept me coming back for seconds all year, and was my favourite game of 2023.


Do you agree with our selections? Follow us on Instagram and let us know what your favourite of 2023 has been. And as always, keep in touch for news updates, reviews, competitions and more.