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[Draugoth]

The 10 Best Video Games of 2023

From notable remakes like 'Dead Space' to long-awaited follow-ups like 'Alan Wake II'

time.com

1. Alan Wake II​

Some believed it would never happen. But after 13 years, the cult game Alan Wake finally has a proper follow-up—and it’s a doozy. More than just another video game, Alan Wake II is a celebration of art infused with meta-narratives, musical numbers, connections to Remedy’s games, Control, and Quantum Break, and a frightening and elegant examination of writing and what it means to put your words out in the world. And if all of that wasn’t enough, it’s also one of the most terrifying survival horror games of the last decade, and practically begs you to keep the lights on. The game is divided between two protagonists and their journeys. The first is FBI Agent Saga Anderson, who is drawn to the small town of Bright Falls, Wash., to investigate a mysterious cult with ties to Wake’s novels. The second is Alan Wake as he tries to free himself from the seemingly endless loop of the Dark Place that he’s been trapped in for those 13 years. Eventually, their two narratives converge and their seemingly separate journeys are revealed to be more enmeshed than either of them thought.

Both protagonists are forced to question their reality: For Anderson, it’s through her detective skills and case files, the evidence of which is collected throughout the game by exploring and interacting with the various residents of Bright Falls. And for Wake, it’s through his ability to change the reality of the Dark Place and the world outside of it through his writing. While both characters carry with more than just a handgun and a flashlight this time around, the player is never made to feel comfortable or well-equipped. Alan Wake II is a complex yet rewarding narrative, as is customary for the game’s director and lead writer, Sam Lake. And it’s a game worth revisiting to discover additional clues and connections. Just remember to stay in the light.

 

[Kagoshima_Luke]

Time’s GotY. I’ve been waiting all year for this.

 

[Faust]

It is a legit amazing time! I have stopped playing it until I can try it out on my new LG C3 OLED. Excited to jump back into Bright Falls.

 

[R3TRODYCE]

I should finish this one day.

 

[semiconscious]

I should finish this one day.

nah,...

 

[mrcroket]

What bout starfield?

 

[64bitmodels]

What bout starfield?

ain't no way

 

[OmegaSupreme]

Fantastic game

 

[Fortuneelsewhere]

Masterpiece

 

[gow3isben]

Time is actually the ultimate authority and has my full trust in all things gaming

 

[lh032]

can anyone let me know the latest PS5 version runs well?
heard the PS5 version is not as polished as the Xbox one

 

[graywolf323]

the full list

1. Alan Wake II
2. Baldur’s Gate 3
3. Spider-Man 2
4. Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
5. Resident Evil 4 Remake
6. Dead Space Remake
7. Super Mario Wonder
8. Star Wars Jedi Survivor
9. Diablo IV
10. Dredge

 

[Gaiff]

Lol at Spider-Man 2 over Zelda. Mediocre-as-fuck game that takes Batman Arkham's blueprint but somehow manages to do nothing better aside from traversal. Paint-by-the-numbers boring Ubisoft-fare but it avoids the criticism. TOTK for all the flack it gets for being a DLC at least tries to do some cool shit with all the building and pushes the physics engine even further like almost no other game, let alone open-world ones. Spider-Man 2 is every bit as middling as the first game. It's a DLC too except it does nothing new.

Can't agree with Baldur's Gate III below Alan Wake II either.

 

[marjo]

Well deserved. Fantastic game.

 

[Majima Everywhere System]

I haven’t played it or BG3, but I played the rest.

I’ll say this, BG3 takes it by a mile.

 

[thatJohann]

I don’t get it with this game

 

[Tarnished]

I'm still having the issue with the Nvidia drivers where performance starts to tank after around 30 minutes, they said they fixed it with the latest driver, but they didn't.

 

[Robb]

Not my cup of tea but good on Remedy! Looking forward to seeing what they come up with for Control 2.

 

[Flabagast]

Amazing game (even with serious flaws)

I am ok with it or BG3 winning Goty

 

[Gameplay Gods Bless]

The 10 Best Video Games of 2023

From notable remakes like 'Dead Space' to long-awaited follow-ups like 'Alan Wake II'

time.com

Good this game is goated. I bet there will be a PS6 version that looks as good as the game looks on PC today.

 

[DaGwaphics]

Congratz to them, the screenshots look impressive.

 

[manfestival]

Shoulda been Starfield

 

[adamsapple]

Oh damn, is Aw2 gonna be the dark horse that wins the most awards over either ToTK or BG3 ?

 

[FinalBossWithTheMostPower]

Have I not gotten to the parts where Alan Wake 2 becomes contender for GOTY?

 

[RickSanchez]

In a year as packed as 2023, i would not have expected Alan Wake 2 to be Baldur's Gate 3's main competition for all the GotY awards. But here we are.

I have personally played and enjoyed it, and while it is not my personal GotY (that would be between BG3 and CP 2077 2.0), i can see why so many people love Alan Wake 2.

 

[sertopico]

Good game with lots of flaws like any other Remedy game? Yes.

GOTY? No way.

 

[DenchDeckard]

Go Time! I'm impressed!

 

[rofif]

I liked it at first but hated it by the end. Barely any game in this game. And it’s woke city. And ending sucks

 

[VanCityGamer]

I liked it at first but hated it by the end. Barely any game in this game. And it’s woke city. And ending sucks

Please explain.

 

[balls of snow]

Well done.
Remedy on fire. Bring on that new game+.

 

[Terenty]

It's barely a game, so journos voting for it makes total sense

 

[balls of snow]

Oh damn, is Aw2 gonna be the dark horse that wins the most awards over either ToTK or BG3 ?

No chance. But we can dream.

 

[Zathalus]

Please explain.

A single line in a game. That is actually justified by what was done to the character saying the line and how her mind was being influenced.

That's about it, blown way out of context.

 

[rofif]

Please explain.

What needs explaining ? Saga has powers, she is a special girls, Alan wake suddenly serves part in her story and you play mostly as her. And she internally hates white people.

But that’s only one part of a game. The problem is bad gameplay, no survival and no horror, jump scares and bad ending.

Edit: it’s a bad game. Maybe a good experience but bad game

 

[phaedrus]

"TIME"

 

[tylrdiablos]

I beat AW2 last week and enjoyed it. It wasn't a 10/10 game for me, (probably an 8) but it does make me very keen to see what Remedy do with Alan Wake and the Control universe.
I hope they continue to tweak and optimise the engine used in AW2 (Northlight?) because those visuals were amazing.

Congrats to the dev team.

 

[FunkMiller]

Nope.

Absolutely great game, but it isn’t GOTY. Too much jank, poor combat, and the story sometimes disappears up its own arse a bit too much, and delivers a pretty unsatisfactory conclusion.

This will be the edgy pick for GOTY by people who don’t want to give it to ToTK, because it’s twee Nintendo.

 

[tommib]

What needs explaining ? Saga has powers, she is a special girls, Alan wake suddenly serves part in her story and you play mostly as her. And she internally hates white people.

But that’s only one part of a game. The problem is bad gameplay, no survival and no horror, jump scares and bad ending.

Edit: it’s a bad game. Maybe a good experience but bad game

I know you’re a good person, rofif. Don’t get sucked into the anti-woke mob cult that sees everything as the agenda.

Stay strong, man.

 

[FunkMiller]

What needs explaining ? Saga has powers, she is a special girls, Alan wake suddenly serves part in her story and you play mostly as her. And she internally hates white people.

No she doesn’t. Actually go play the game instead of just listening to clickbait ragers on YouTube. There’s one line, that’s not actually delivered by her, but by her irrational, negative, ’wrong’ self, in the confines of her mind place.

 

[rofif]

I know you’re a good person, rofif. Don’t get sucked in into the anti-woke mob cult that sees everything as the agenda.

Stay strong, man.

Well you are probably right.

No she doesn’t. Actually go play the game instead of just listening to clickbait ragers on YouTube. There’s one line, that’s not actually delivered by her, but by her irrational, negative, ’wrong’ self, in the confines of her mind place.

I’ve finished the game. That line sticks out like a sore thumb

 

[Salmon Snake]

I would like to know the sales of AW2.
Control also got a whole lot of awards but it didn't sell much.

 

[FunkMiller]

I’ve finished the game. That line sticks out like a sore thumb

...and you clearly didn't understand what was going on, then. Every line that side of her speaks it meant to be regarded as wrong, bad and destructive.

You just make yourself sound stupid when you come out with stuff like this. Stop it, dude.

 

[kyussman]

Stunning and brave!

 

[Senua]

I'm only a few hours in but man it's absolutely brimming with atmosphere. Huge Twin Peaks influence very apparent and I love it, True Detective S1 too. I enjoy the slower pace compared to the repetitive gameplay of the first. Feels more impactful and tense when there is actual combat.

 

[rofif]

...and you clearly didn't understand what was going on, then. Every line that side of her speaks it meant to be regarded as wrong, bad and destructive.

You just make yourself sound stupid when you come out with stuff like this. Stop it, dude.

It’s her externalized fears. The ones we all have that you dont allow to take over.
It’s not rocket science. The game was very simple.
but your re very much focusing on this one single line. If this was the only problem nobody would care.

And one more thing - ps5 version sucked ass. Bad graphics and bad performance and bad weird controls right analog stick.

 

[tommib]

Well you are probably right.


I’ve finished the game. That line sticks out like a sore thumb

We should move on from sales talk really. This is an experimental game that got enough money to get made and it’s a critical darling. It should be enough for the fans to be happy about it.

Look at the misery of Hollywood with every weekend being a constant cascade of ticket office results. The entire discourse around movies these days is tied to revenue/profit and record breaking. It’s mind numbing. Let’s not turn our hobby into that. Specially when profit obsession in Hollywood has completely destroyed cinema with Marvel and disciples.

 

[Markio128]

I don’t think I’d have it in my top 10 tbh. It has some interesting elements within the game, but they rarely have any bearing on the gameplay, which is, dare I say it, a bit dull. I don’t recall having any genuine fun during my playtime, which can be okay, as long as the story is compelling (like Silent Hill 2 for example), however, AW2 story isn’t - it just didn’t resonate at all with me - and this is coming from a Twin Peaks fan.

Choosing AW2 as GOTY seems like a cry for attention, when you consider what has been released this year.

 

[FunkMiller]

It’s her externalized fears. The ones we all have that you dont allow to take over.
It’s not rocket science. The game was very simple.
but your re very much focusing on this one single line. If this was the only problem nobody would care.

You're the one who brough the line up, chief. What other problems like it does it have?

 

[rofif]

We should move on from sales talk really. This is an experimental game that got enough money to get made and it’s a critical darling. It should be enough for the fans to be happy about it.

Look at the misery of Hollywood with every weekend being a constant cascade of ticket office results. The entire discourse around movies these days is tied to revenue/profit and record breaking. It’s mind numbing. Let’s not turn our hobby into that. Specially when profit obsession in Hollywood has completely destroyed cinema with Marvel and disciples.

I appreciate that the game is original. I much prefer that even if flawed and bad game rather than anothe fifa and cod.
Much more so. In This regard it’s great

 

[rofif]

You're the one who brough the line up, chief. What other problems like it does it have?

I described it many times over. Here and in other threads.
Bad pacing and terrible repetitive puzzles
No srurvival, you have tons of supplies
No horror aside from lame jump scares
Bad ending with no resolution
You play much less as Alan in Alan wake game. He is no longer main character.
Poor shooting and almost none of it.
Terrible shimmering and overall bad graphics on ps5 compared to other ps5 games. I know it looks better on pc but I am judging what I’ve played.
Terrible performance on ps5 not even holding 30 in normal exploration.
Everyone is Finnish and everyone is Sam lake.
Saga is Mary sue. She overcomes her fears at the end in 5 minutes.
Very sluggish controls.