The year 2023 was particularly productive for video games, Switch, Playstation, Xbox, PC, everyone was treated to some great new products. Here you will find a presentation of all the winners of the prestigious GOTY (Game Of The Year), the award for the best video game of the year, which will be presented on December 7th in Los Angeles. As a bonus there is the essential “Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora”.
If Playstation hit hard with Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, what can we say about the Switch and the long-awaited return of The Legend of Zelda with Tears of the Kingdom? Alan Wake II caused a surprise by joining the elite with its particularly dark horror game and will try to outshine the remake of Resident Evil 4. Super Mario Bros. Wonder proves that you can be over 40 years old and still appeal to a wide audience, after all, the massive Baldur’s Gate III is on its way to uniting everyone on both PC and consoles. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora isn’t part of the selection, but perhaps that’s simply because it’s releasing on the day of the Game Awards 2023 ceremony.
“Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora”: Eywa’s path
Set out to explore the untold natural riches of Pandora, the planet where James Cameron’s film Avatar is set. As the greatest success in the history of cinema, the film impressed above all with its harmonious macrocosm of wild beauty, in which nature is stronger than technology. You play a young Na’vi, the planet’s endemic race, kidnapped by evil men who came to plunder its resources. Trained by humans in combat and the use of firearms to become the scourge of your own people, you are ultimately liberated and must relearn how to live with your own people.
The lush planet from the film is present in the game and that’s a good thing because you’ll have to spend many hours exploring it. The bond you will form with the local fauna will allow you to fly over magnificent landscapes on the wings of an Ikran. For even more immersion, the game is also available in first person perspective. Crafting, exploration, experience, we find all the ingredients that we can expect in this type of adventure, with weapons of course. Whether it’s Na’vi bows or human bows, you’ll have an arsenal at your disposal to drive the mining company’s mercenaries from your beloved planet.
“Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora” / Ubisoft / Releases December 7th on PS5, Xbox Series and PC
“Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader”: capitalist revolution
What if 2023 was the year of the CRPG? After the colossal success of Baldur’s Gate III, here comes a tough little thumb. Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader uses the same recipe in a different universe. The studio Owlcat Games is a regular in this genre and its Pathfinder games have already won over many players who are fans of turn-based tactical combat. As a “free trader” you must build an empire in the unforgiving universe of Warhammer 40,000, which shamelessly mixes medieval magic and science fiction weaponry. Aside from your basic business considerations, you will undoubtedly have to make difficult decisions because chaos is never far away in Warhammer.
“Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader” / Owlcat Games / Releases December 7th on PS5, Xbox Series and PC
At the Game Awards in Los Angeles, six titles compete for the title of best games of the year. If you want to take part in the voting, you can vote for your favorite game on the organization’s website until December 6th. Here are the nominees for 2023:
“Alan Wake II”: the big thrill
This is undoubtedly the biggest surprise of these nominations: the horror game from the Finnish studio Remedy was absolutely not expected at this level, but its many qualities convinced players and led it to the prestigious selection. The studio offers a distinct, entertaining experience by exploiting the codes of video games and cinema in a particularly spooky atmosphere. Between exploration, investigation and combat, the title leads you into a vicious spiral from which you will not emerge unscathed.
A direct sequel to 2016’s first Alan Wake, the game begins with you playing as an FBI agent investigating a series of particularly gruesome murders. You must follow in the footsteps of the cursed writer Alan Wake, who has been missing for thirteen years and who seems to speak to you from another world. The developers have taken the ingredients that made the first work so successful and used much better technology. Alan Wake II is visually magnificent and takes full advantage of the capabilities of the latest generation consoles. Some bugs are still visible and certain game mechanics like Agent Saga’s “Mental Lair” can quickly become boring, but the story is gripping and horror fans should find the great thrill they are looking for in this genre.
“Alan Wake II” / Remedy / On PS5, Xbox Series and PC
Baldur’s Gate III: the ultimate role-playing game
Baldur’s Gate III won Game of the Year at England’s Golden Joystick Awards back in November and is a serious underdog. This role-playing game from the Dungeons and Dragons universe continues to surprise players with the depth of its story and the freedom it gives them.
A century has passed since Baldur’s Gate II. You are still in the Forgotten Realms, but your avatar has created a mind flayer parasite. Will you fight this parasite or, on the contrary, will you use this evil power to counter your enemies? In this new work the emphasis is on freedom and you can become a legendary hero or the worst villain from the city’s underworld.
Big news for Larian Studios: In this episode there is no isometric view, but 3D with the ability to change the camera angle. For purists, the rules are taken from D&D version 5 and you can therefore choose from most of the available races and archetypes. For those who are not fans of paper role-playing games, Baldur’s Gate III can present an additional difficulty as the combat rules are complex and varied and the environment is of crucial strategic importance.
Larian Studios has just announced the title’s release on Xbox Series in December
“Baldur’s Gate III” / Larian Studios / Already on PS5 and PC, in December on Xbox Series
“The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom”: a wild second wind
Indispensable for Switch owners and a favorite for the title of best game just a few days after its release: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is driving up sales figures as well as critical ratings. Its fabulous open world and original gameplay with the ability to create objects from anything and nothing have already won over millions of players.
A direct sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, we find the same universe and certain characters a few years later. Even if the settings have changed everywhere, a déjà vu effect can occur. Regular visitors will even feel like they’re finding old slippers because the activities are so close. A journey through the world of Hyrule is always an opportunity to make thousands of discoveries along the way and inevitably distracts you from your original goal.
Technically, the gigantism of the open world and the possibilities offered by building all kinds of objects push the Switch to its limits and the title sometimes suffers graphically. But the magic remains and fans of Link, the main character of the saga, continue to tirelessly explore the areas of Hyrule to find the missing Princess Zelda.
“The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom” / Nintendo / Switch
“Marvel’s Spider-Man 2”: two for the price of one
Chases between the skyscrapers of New York, battles of the Titans, legendary villains – Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 brought out the full range of the perfect superhero and offered great spectacle in a cinematic format. The PS5 exclusive follows Marvel’s Spider-Man 1 and Miles Morales, two big hits for the Sony console. Faster combat, Hollywood scenes, a city twice the size of New York with Brooklyn and Queens – the Insomniac Games studio decided to achieve better results in all areas. Therefore, we find Peter Parker and Miles Morales at the peak of their superhero form, but at the bottom of the abyss when it comes to their personal lives. The game alternates between psychoanalysis sequences with friends and family and ultra-fast action scenes against hordes of “supervillains”.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is still open world and places an emphasis on exploration. The wingsuit can now be used in any way and makes traveling between the towers of Manhattan even more exciting. Alongside the main story, which pits you against hunters Kraven and Venom, there are side quests that are more scripted than in the past, and activities galore. In all cases, you control either Peter Parker or Miles Morales, or both alternately, depending on the missions you want to complete. Miles allows you to unleash the full power of his symbiote, while Peter prefers discretion.
“Marvel’s Spider-Man 2” / Sony Interactive Entertainment / Exclusive to PS5
“Super Mario Bros. “Wonder”: a magical journey into the kingdom of flowers
Purists have been waiting for a new 2D Mario for twelve years and have not been disappointed with the result proposed by Nintendo: Super Mario Bros. Wonder has thoroughly dusted off the genre while maintaining the vintage side that fans love so much. You enjoy the title like a surprise bag with “miracle blossoms” that change the environment, the rules of the current level and sometimes even Mario himself, transforming him or allowing him to travel to previously unknown dimensions. The developers have also spiced up their Mario sauce with a little RPG side. Powers, costumes, for example, your favorite hero can now transform into an elephant and start blowing up his trunk, spraying his opponents and even moving certain elements of the decoration.
In addition to the beauty of the graphics and levels, the title places a high priority on the multiplayer mode. Four characters can simultaneously progress through the different levels, designed to promote cooperation and renew the entertaining experience. For example, you can ride Yoshi while he is controlled by another player. That’s enough to keep Nintendo’s “plumber extraordinaire” busy for hours. After the box office success of “Super Mario Bros. The Movie” was released at the beginning of April, Super Mario Bros. Wonder wants to continue the success story. There, too, Mario has to face Bowser, his inevitable enemy, who is still just as evil and has unfortunately taken power over the castle of the Flower Kingdom.
“Super Mario Bros. Wonder” / Nintendo / Switch
“Resident Evil 4”: Makes Resident Evil great again
Resident Evil 4 is in the Game Awards selection and that’s rare for a remake, even if Capcom isn’t there on the first try. The Resident Evil series loves to resurrect its old works from the grave, but far from giving them the appearance of dusty zombies, it prefers to give them new clothes and let them shine in the light. After the first, the second and the third, it was Resident Evil 4 that received a complete overhaul. Released in 2005, this title is a precursor to games like Uncharted and remains a favorite among fans of the series, and its remake was soon imminent. But fans were not disappointed and this new version of the horror game seems to have lived up to all their expectations.
If you have forgotten the story, you have to go in search of the daughter of the President of the United States, who is suspected of being kidnapped by a gang of crazy people. On the other hand, if you remember the title perfectly, you should still be surprised that Capcom has brought a whole series of new features, both in terms of gameplay, characters and scenario. So we’re a long way from a simple cosmetic update that makes 4K panels shine.
“Resident Evil 4” / Capcom / On PS5, PS4, Xbox Series and PC