The Top 5 Games Of 2023

We’ve made it to December fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

We’ve gone through quite the year, haven’t we? From remnants of COVID still lurking around, to strikes in the automotive & film industries, and what’s still going on in Gaza, 2023 has been rather eventful. I’m still here, and I still have my little corner of the internet to pursue this near decade-old hobby of mine. And now that it’s the final month of the year, it means that my top 5 lists have arrived! I’m starting things off with the top 5 games this year, and outside of an exception here and there, 2023 was dominated by the FPS genre for me. Make no mistake: there were plenty of titles in other genres that kicked all kinds of but, but I gravitated mostly towards shooters this year, with only 2019 & 2021 coming even remotely close. So with that out of the way, here are my top 5 games of 2023. Enjoy!

5) Rise Of The Triad: Ludicrous Edition (Trailer) & Quake 2: Remaster (Trailer)

Talk about a nostalgia blast!

For nearly 30 years, one of the most iconic FPS titles of the 1990s has managed to charm both old-school gamers & new gamers alike with it’s quirky yet well-developed gameplay, not to mention it’s weird personality. As per their reputation, famed re-master studio Nightdive Studios got a hold of the game, and coupled with help from Apogee & New Blood Interactive, re-released Rise Of The Triad for a newer generation. In addition to the original game, it also came with the shareware episode, Extreme Rise Of The Triad, and a all new episode created by various developers from other studios, and even the Return Of The Triad mod for Doom. Not only that, but there’s also restored content, updated graphics, interface & gameplay tweaks, and even included the original & 2013 soundtracks. For gamers from way back who need a nostalgic pick-me-up, or for newer gamers who’ve never played titles like this before, then Rise Of The Triad: Ludicrous Edition is for you!

Speaking of Old-School titles, Quake 2 came back this year! Back in 2021, I had the remaster for the first Quake on the main list. I loved the familiar gameplay, the reworked graphics, and the extra little bits added on just made for a great experience. The remaster for Q2? More or less the same, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing in this case! It’s got improved graphics and little extra bits added on (Including a twist or two I didn’t see coming), but the core run & gun gameplay has stayed the same. I do find that the new episode’s structure is a little too similar to that of Dimension Of The Machine (Known as Call Of The Machine in this) from the Q1 remake, but the overall quality of it & everything else offsets this somewhat. If you’ve played Quake 2 back in the day, then this will be a huge nostalgia blast. For those who’ve never touched it, you will experience what the FPS genre was like in it’s prime. It’s a free release (On PC) that I welcome very much, and I hope that any of you that come across it enjoy as much as I did!

4) HROT (Trailer)

The spirits of Quake & Chasm: The Rift are alive & well here in 2023!

Developed over the course of years since all the way back in 2017 by just one guy, this little treat of an FPS title brings back the spirit of those two previously mentioned games, but with a more modern coat of paint thanks to the custom made engine that none-the-less conjures up the visuals of shooter games from decades past. With many of the levels being modeled after very real places in the developer’s homeland of Czechoslovakia, there is an air of believability & authenticity to the locales you go to. On top of all of the visuals & gameplay, HROT also happens to be a commentary on the Soviet era of Czech history & love letter to Czech culture. It may be subtle at times, but it is definitely there if you know what to look for. So, if you’re in the mood for some old-school throwback goodness with a dose of political satire in it’s veins, then HROT will be something to look for!

3) Warhammer 40K: Boltgun (Trailer) & Slayers X: Terminal Aftermath: Vengeance of the Slayer (Trailer) ***

Purge the Heretics!

The FPS revival has been nothing shot of amazing! Old titles brought back from the dead thanks to remasters, and new releases that channel the spirits of games from the bygone age of the genre. Boltgun is an example of a release that’s it’s own thing, but pays homage & respect to those that came before it. It’s got the run & gun attitude of classics like Doom and Duke Nukem 3d, but it also accurately represents the grimdark nature of the 41st millennium. As an Ultramarine, you’re a behemoth that mows down everything in front of them, and carries enough conviction to even slay some of the nastiest beings to come out of the Warp. There are times where the difficulty does skew a little bit in the enemies’s favor (Especially on higher difficulties), but there’s always something that’ll give you the edge in any big fight. If you’re a fan of Warhammer 40K you will absolutely love Boltgun, and even if you’re just a casual fan of the franchise like myself, there is still plenty to enjoy. FOR THE EMPEROR!

And then, there’s this quirky little shooter. A spinoff of the internet simulator game Hypnospace Outlaw (Something that I’ll have to try out after this), Slayers X sees one of the titular characters from the previously mentioned title (Zane) resurrect an old game that he was working on with a friend, and actually releases it. This is an FPS title that has 2 personalities to it: one of the personalities is the edgy side of Zane. All of the visuals, gameplay elements, characters, and even lines that the various characters say make it feel like something that a edgy mid-teen from the 90s would make. Yet, it’s the other personality that gives Slayers X a surprising amount of life & personality. Whether intentionally or not, the second personality also acts as a portal into Zane’s mind, and it’s surprisingly melancholic. Most of the levels in one way or another are places from his childhood, and to a certain extent from ours as well. Places that are long gone, yet in some way still linger in his mind & our minds. Zane is a guy that’s simultaneously grown up, yet is still stuck in the past somehow. It really tugs at the heartstring oddly enough, and without spoiling anything else, there’s one secret towards the end you find that illuminates the whole situation the game came from. Even a few of the bonus levels you unlock after you beat the main game have this illuminating quality to it as well, and while you won’t cry.....it’ll make your eyes moist. If you’re looking for a First Person Shooter with a surprising amount of insight & introspective into the mind of a fictional character (And maybe even a lot of us to be honest), then Slayers X: Terminal Aftermath: Vengeance of the Slayer is that game.

2) Resident Evil 4 (Trailer)

I am genuinely shocked that this didn’t get the no. 1 spot this year. In 2017 & 2019, Resident Evil 7 & the Resident Evil 2 remake made it to number 1 in those years respectfully, and by an inch or two this remake didn’t make the cut this time. Let’s get this out of the way: Resident Evil 4 is absolutely incredible! Like the RE2 remake from a few years ago, it simultaneously adds new things (and changes some stuff), yet still pays homage & respect to the classic formula from nearly 20 years ago. If anything, the remake actually manages to make certain aspects in this scarier than they were in the original, and even some of the characters have received enhancements to their personalities that are a great improvement over what they used to be. The only reason that this isn’t no. 1 is for whatever reasons I don’t find myself going back to it as often as I did with RE7 & RE2r, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad by any means!

Before we get to my no. 1, I wanna cover the usual honorable mentions. I have some.....interesting picks for 2023's honorable mentions this year. One is a return to Magic The Gathering, the others are pleasant pieces of DLC, and finally a gorgeous demo. All 3 absolutely wonderful in their own right, but the quirks they have stopped them from getting onto the main list. With that out of the way, here are my gaming honorable mentions for 2023!

HM1) Lord Of The Rings: Tales Of Middle Earth (Trailer/Game Knights/Gallery)

Let’s get this out of the way.....making Aragorn a black man was a dumb move. Making Theodin a black man.....was a dumb move. Making Eowyn a black woman.....was a dumb move!

As I’ve said numerous times over the years, I want proper & real racial representation in media (I once again need to state this, but I’m liberal as shit!), but not something that’s was simply done to score brownie points! The stink that was called up by this fiasco was stupid, and the same people who championed this are probably the very same individuals who have a brain aneurysm whenever a person of color is changed to white in film (*Cough* 1st Doctor Strange movie *Cough*). That being said.....I loved this set! The vibe & atmosphere of Tolken’s legendary writings come in perfectly on each and every single card, and the flavor is incredible. Even the design of the cards was great, as the set as a whole came across like Battle For Balder’s Gate with faaaaar more effort put behind it. Yeah, the racial swap politics was completely dumb, but if you can put that aside (I definitely did) you’ll have access to one of the most fun MTG releases of 2023!

HM2) Amid Evil: The Black Labyrinth (Trailer) & Ion Fury: Aftershock (Trailer)

Funny story: I actually had this tied with my no. 5 spot for a little bit. Since around 2020, I was excited to see Amid Evil come back, and I kept that excitement until late August of this year when it finally released. Looking back, I’m somewhat surprised by how underwhelming it was. Make no mistake: The Black Labyrinth was wonderfully crafted! The level design was tight yet pleasantly weird, graphics were beautiful, the music was as good as you could find in the main game, and the new enemies you faced are as challenging as anything in Amid Evil. They problem is the fact that there’s not much added. You only have 2 new weapons, the enemy variety doesn’t change much over the course of the game, and there are only 9 levels in total, but that is offset somewhat by how big they are. The only thing that does change is that once you beat the DLC you have the option to have the 2 new weapons come into the main game, and that oddly changes things ever so slightly. Even with all of that said, I still found The Black Labyrinth to be a fun time. If you were a fan of the original game, then it’s definitely worth a purchase.

And then we have the long awaited expansion pack to one of the best retro FPS games of 2019. I spoke highly of Ion Fury in my top 5 games list of that year (Read here), and Aftershock doesn’t disappoint! While it could have been maybe a little longer, the gameplay has remained pleasantly unchained from the base release for the most part. A few new alternate ammo types, one new weapon, some new inventory items, alternate base enemies, new enemies, and even a vehicle in some places are nice addons that switch things up. The levels are filled with nice arenas to blast through, with a few places providing a surprising challenge, and without revealing too much, let’s just say that the final zone is a little.....hot. In any case, if you loved Ion Fury, then it’s aftershocks will be pleasant to feel.

HM3) The Age Of Hell: Demo (Trailer)

It’s always nice to see GZDoom games come out on their own!

Despite being a demo, The Age Of Hell is nothing short of breathtaking. The levels are massive & given so much detail, the music goes between gentle-ish metal guitar & full-blown Heavy Metal, the enemies come in hordes, the weapons look & sound incredibly meaty (With maybe the exception of the pistol), and the simplistic yet varied upgrades for your weapons expand combat in a variety of ways. At the moment, my only complaints are that the hordes sometimes are a bit too big once in a while, and things stutter slightly if there’s too many enemies on screen, but if those are my only issues at this moment in time, then The Age Of Hell is doing something right!

1) Gloomwood: Early Access (Trailer) & Universes Beyond: Doctor Who (Trailer/Game Knights/Gallery) & The Lost Caverns Of Ixalan (Trailer/Game Knights/Gallery) 

Last year, I spoke about this early access release very highly in my honorable mentions section. It was being developed by a highly trusted studio in the 3rd-party scene, has great atmosphere, personality, and gameplay that’s simple yet detailed at the same time. I had released last year’s list on the 1st of December, somewhat knowing that an absolutely phenomenal update was coming just 20 days later. Little did I and so many Gloomwood fans know.....that it was just the start of some incredible updates.

For starters, there was The Tavern right at the end of 2022 that I just previously mentioned. Normally filled with drink & merriment, it has instead become a tomb for the Huntsman that were slain thanks to a beast they decided to bring in. You got no choice but to go inside, grab a shotgun, and slay the creature to steal a key on it’s back to go back outside (Or do you?). Then there was Fire At The Gates back in May of this year, and that was a big one. Not only did it alter & add spots in earlier areas, but it enhanced the gates to the city of Gloomwood to give it some more depth. After that was the Market District in July, and that was a gamechanger. Things definitely picked up in terms of level depth, there were multiple ways to explore the market, you found out that there were more groups & creatures within the city, and the amount of things to discover definitely increased. Finally, there was the All Hallows Eve mini-event towards the end of October, and while it didn’t do anything massive, it did enhance previously added content from the Market District to an incredible degree, added some other little bits here & there, and I thought it was funny to throw carved turnips at enemies. Some of which lit them on fire!

All of these updates have done nothing but enhance an already incredible base game. The level of detail is phenomenal, the gameplay is wonderful, and the transparency & communication from the developers is massively appreciated. It’s nice to see that a 3rd-party developer put in so much effort & talk to the fans, when most Triple A studios don’t do enough of a good job with their product or bitch about other titles being far better than what they made. Given that there are still things to add to complete the game, I’ll definitely have a few more opportunities to talk about it next year, and maybe even in 2025 when I think the game will finally be done. Despite that, Gloomwood continues to be an exquisitely well-made title that satisfies me every time I play it. If you haven’t tried it out, then I highly suggest you do so. You will not be disappointed!

And then there was MTG’s journey into the world of Doctor Who. I spoke about WotC’s first big release in the Universes Beyond series last year in the form of the Warhammer 40k decks. They were a hit, and plenty of fans were interested in what else was coming. From the grimdark future of the 41st millennium, we traveled to Middle Earth (which I talked about above), and then there’s the tales of a Doctor in a little blue police box & the adventures he (And she in 13th’s case) had. If anything, Doctor Who is the outside franchise that had made the most sense to bring into MTG so far: even if Universes Beyond isn’t brought into the cosmology of Magic The Gathering, just the idea of The Doctor wandering planes like Kaladesh or Kamigawa makes me smile. Despite that not happening, the way they translated so much of Doctor Who into these 4 decks is nothing short of incredible! 60 years of classic science fiction is seen & felt in every single card, and many of the new mechanics are fun & quirky. Plus, this marks the second time in 2023 that we have new Planechase cards, and they’re great also! If there was one entry into the Universes Beyond series that is essential to have, make it Doctor Who!

Finally, we have The Lost Caverns Of Ixalan. Though only a few weeks old by the time this is published, it was an incredibly refreshing release when compared to the more serious nature of the storyline that MTG was pushing for a giant majority of 2023. Take the base formula of the original Ixalan (Aztec Empire with dinosaurs, Pirates, Merfolk, and the vampiric Spanish Conquistadors), and throw it all into a Journey To The Center Of The Earth type of scenario. Not only that, but it was interesting to see how the plane had healed a year after a multiverse-wide apocalyptic event. TLCOI is tons of fun to not only play with, but to simply look at & appreciate the visuals that the set has to offer. The original Ixalan simply played with the Mesoamerican themes, but Lost Caverns amps up those themes past 10, and adds it’s own little quirks to the mix as well. Time will tell when it comes to player’s perceptions of the set, but for me it ranks as some of the best that Magic The Gathering offered in 2023.

So those were my top 5 games of 2023. FPS heavy to be sure, but at the same time First Person Shooters are my comfort zone. So see you all in a few days, when I talk about my favorite albums of the year. Until then, take care!



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If you’d like to see what I thought of last year’s games, then click on the link below:

The Top 5 Games Of 2022

Also, if you’d like to see where I got some of my opinions from on Slayers X, check out the link below:

SLAYERS X - Nitro Rad

Also Also, I thought that the Underport update for Gloomwood was going to come out sometime towards the end of last month, but that was sadly not the case.