Hits and misses
2023 was a tremendous one in the gaming industry, with it’s up and down as well as the never ending Microsoft Blizzard-Activision acquisition. It definitely made it for one that will leave it’s mark in history. Here is my year in review.
Games
Baldur’s Gate III
That was the winner over all, for an independent studio producing a AAA level game is amazing, but when you look at what they had done in the past, it is no surprise. Wizards of the Coast took a gamble with them and it really paid off.
Sea of Stars
Is another example of an independent studio producing a great game without the same resources as a AAA studio. The same can be said about Dave the Diver, so do keep an eye out for those little gems.
Zelda Tears of the Kingdom
Nintendo did not want to be on the sidelines this past year, this game was without a doubt the most shred game content on the web. With all the contraptions it was possible to built and the ingenuity of gamers, it generated a lot of sharing.
Hogwart’s Legacy
Since the game was released early in the year, by then end, with everything that was available this game went on the wayside. It is a good game, but as it is often the case, when the awards are issued, if you are part of the early release you get forgotten.
Gollum
Now it is time for the misses of last year, and if there is one that need to be mentioned, Gollum is one of them. It is also the proof that regardless if you come from a known franchise or not, it has no baring on the quality of the game.
Starfield
The spacefaring game was along time in development and was release too early. Yes, the shareholders want money, but when you own the studio producing the game and the console it will run on, you should validate that it will run smoothly. That is basic quality assurance, and after the fiasco of Redfall, I would be even more wary of what come out of Bethesda.
CoD Modern Warfare III
It is a known fact that Activision with put out a new Call of Duty every year. This year happened to be of of the worst one for CoD gamers. The campaign for the new installment is only 4 hours long. All the rest is PVP, which you can take part for free in Warzone. So why charge for a whole game?
The Day Before
This will go down in history as one of the game with the shortest lifespan, the early access review were so bad that Steam removed it only 4 days after it’s release on December 7th. The servers hosting the game will shutdown in January 2024. Fntastic the studio behind the game closed on December 22nd.
Hardware
ROG Ally
Is Asus response to portable gaming, Before the Ally, your choice was the Nintendo Switch or the Steam Deck, both had a limited amount of games available. Since the ally runs Windows 11 on it most PC will work. If you don’t like the fact that it is white, you can always get the Lenovo Legion GO, they have almost the same specs, and the Legion has removable controllers like the Nintendo Switch.
PS Portal
Playing your PS5 games on a remote device, yes and no. The PS Portal is a remote access to your PS5, therefore it requires that your PS5 is up and running. It is also recommended that you turn off automatic downloads while playing on the portal as it can make games unplayable.
PS5 Access controller
This controller was over due, with the Xbox Adaptive controller released in 2018. Having a customizable controller to allow more players to enjoy the PS5 games was a must. With the lifespan of todays consoles, the addition of adaptable controller is a must.
Cover image: Daedelic – Gollum