Weird! I'm writing into a CMS. I haven't done that in a while, and now that I'm doing it -- well, I probably won't have time to do it more often going forward. I do like it, though.
I played a lot of games in 2023. Like normal, I did a ton of dabbling. The thing with ADHD is that you're never doing the thing you're supposed to be doing. That causes me to frequently bounce off of games if I get to a point where I "get it." That's how I know 2023 was such a good year because I actually completed so many games. Not enough for Bailey to not make fun of me on the Bombcast, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
But for me, a year of gaming is not really about a list of games that I finished. That is nice, but I'm more interested in the moments and the stories I can take away from them. So with that in mind, let's talk about some of my highlights and lowlights before we get to my top 10.
The worst game I played in 2023
Looking back and realizing that -- over the last 12 months -- I beat Bubsy 3D and Batman: Dark Tomorrow for Blight Club is truly messing me up. I also played Skull Island: Rise of Kong and Red Dead Redemption II -- y'know, some real stinkers.
But while all of those games are a bad time, none of them can match the mind-numbing whiplash that Ride to Hell: Retribution provides. When you start playing Retribution, it feels like a miracle that it even works as well as it does -- which isn't very well at all. It is a game of the dead. The way it jumps from one scene to the next with no sense of presentation is like the exposed stitching on Frankenstein's monster. And yet, somehow, this walking corpse of a game shambles along well enough to gaslight the player into wondering if maybe they're missing something obvious.
Ride to Hell: Retribution isn't just bad -- it's wrong. I find it offensive. It hurts to play.
Although, you do have to hand it to the game for its portrayal of so many different characters who are women. Now, Jake (the rider to hell) does have fully clothed sex with nearly every single one of them, but ... OK, I'm being told you don't have to hand it to them.
Surprise last minute fave
I never really watched anyone play Suika Game before I tried it. The hype had reached me, but I'd barely qualify it as "hype." It felt like any other game recommendation. And maybe because I approached it with the idea that some people think it's neat, that helped it win me over.
Suika Game is simple. It's Threes with physics and fruit. But it gets the key elements right in its simplicity. The most important of those elements are the feel and the sense that you are always on the cusp of something bigger -- literally. God, if only every game understood how crucial feel and motivation are in games.
Now, I get that many of you might not be motivated by turning two persimmons into apples (hi, Mike), but the feel of the physics and the way the fruits slide against one another with just the right amount of friction is undeniable.
I also love a game I can hand to my kids without missing a beat. Suika Game's designers have peeled away all the cruft and left only what you need to have fun.
The most fucked up way I played games this year
Every day after I drop my kids off at school, I go for a hike. I have a well-maintained state park with a 2.5-mile trail that is really pleasant to walk through. And about three days a week, I end my night before showering and sleeping by lifting weights.
It will become obvious why I'm sharing all of that with you when I tell you about the most disgustingly lazy way I discovered to play games in 2023: laying flat on my back on a bean bag while wearing a VR headset.
The Meta Quest 3 has done a lot to rekindle my interest in VR. Sure, that includes some VR games, but mostly I'm using it as a next-gen display of sorts. The resolution is high enough that you can create a massive virtual screen that looks a lot like an HD TV. Valve's Steam Link app enables you to move that floating screen anywhere -- like, say, directly above you while you're supine on that aforementioned bean bag. Yes, this is sliving.
It really hits the spot to get in some Star Wars Jedi: Survivor while I'm also recovering from 120 kettle bell swings and Romanian deadlifts. And while it might seem like this would be aggravating for the eyes, I've never felt that with the Quest 3. In terms of optics, this is the most comfortable headset I've ever used. And I sleep great even if I was using the Quest 3 an hour before bed.
List of things I can't stop thinking about
These are just things I kept thinking about in 2023. I might update this after I publish:
- Pentiment
- Sony's total lack of interest in the PSVR 2
- Insomniac's Marvel's Spider-Man 2's $300+ million budget
- Hitman 3
- Steam Deck
- Just how bad Rebel Moon is -- what the hell
- The Michael Lewis books:
- Moneyball
- The Big Short
- Flashboys
Handheld gaming quick guide
- Best overall: Steam Deck OLED
- Most essential: Switch OLED
- Best under $100: Retroid Pocket 2S
- Best budget (but still great): Anbernic RG35XX Plus
- Coolest mini handheld: Miyoo Mini
- Coolest micro handheld: Funkey S
Jeff Grubb's top 10 games of 2023
OK. I'm actually writing this on December 26, and I want to get back to doing nothing. Let's get on with it.
10. F-Zero 99
The truth is that I've never loved F-Zero. I thought it was cool on the Super Nintendo, but that was mostly because I adored the look and the music. For F-Zero 99, the look and sound get paired with a bit of gameplay tuning and a fresh set of battle royale mechanics. That was apparently enough to make me fall in love.
Although, I still love the Captain Falcon rap more.