For most gamers, 2023 has been a year of plenty. Nearly every major genre, and many sub-genres, have seen fantastic releases this year. Trying to decide the best in any category was a difficult decision, and there were even a few upsets and surprises at The Game Awards 2023. Even here at MMORPG.com, many of our year-end awards came down to last-minute votes. This is a fantastic situation for both players and the industry in general, and it’s been a long time since this many excellent games were released in a 12 month time period.
With that in mind, here are a few of my favorite games that came out in 2023. There may have been objectively ‘better’ titles in certain categories, but these were the ones that truly left a mark on my gaming experience.
Best MMORPG: Albion Online
In my opinion, Albion Online is still the best MMORPG to come out of the crowdfunding era. In a time when many MMORPGs can be played like single-player games where you occasional group with others, Albion Online stands out as one that is almost always better when playing with other people. Whether you’re grinding fame, delving into dungeons, defending your faction, or fighting other guilds, the experience of both small and large group content is often adrenaline pumping.
Despite the MMORPG being more than 6 years old at this point, there hasn’t been a shortage of new content. Not only did Albion Online release a brand new server in Asia this year, but it also had two major content drops (Knightfall and Wild Blood) that provided updates to The Mists, Brecilien, and created the shapeshifter weapon tree further adding to the plethora of ways to play.
Best RPG: Final Fantasy XVI
Final Fantasy XVI feels like one of the more divisive in the franchise. Most people I’ve discussed it with have either absolutely loved it or despised it. I’m obviously in the former group and consider the story and cast of characters to be some of the best written since Final Fantasy X. As someone who grew up with turn-based RPGs and the early Final Fantasy games, I don’t mind the transition to action combat. Sure, it might not be as strategic, but I wouldn’t say it’s any less difficult, especially since you can’t just grind to overcome difficult bosses.
The overall dark, adult theme of Final Fantasy XVI resonated with me in a way the series hasn’t since Final Fantasy Tactics. When other games in the series attempted to use adult language or gratuitous violence, it almost came off as comical, but both Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy XVI were able to maintain their serious tone and touch on complex themes.
Each character has their share of struggles with clear development paths, regardless of whether those lead to death or redemption, and the Eikon battles set a new precedence for over-the-top boss fights. After the weak selection of characters and muddled story of Final Fantasy XV, it’s nice to have a mainline game that gets it right.
Favorite Turn-based RPG: Rogue Trader
I won’t argue that Baldur’s Gate 3 isn’t the superior title from this genre released in 2023. The voice acting is better, the story more dynamic, and there are far more combat archetypes, but something about purging heretics and chaos mutants just feels better to me. Rogue Trader might not have all the bells and whistles of the aforementioned turn-based strategy game but I found it more cathartic.
I didn’t have to overturn every rock and tree stump paranoid I’d miss something of great importance, spend an hour talking to every tertiary NPC, or chew off my nails while wracking myself over a key upgrade path. Instead, I followed the mostly linear game paths, tried to solve thing civilly when possible, and when things went awry I incinerated everything in my way.
Rogue Trader isn’t a perfect game by any means, but it securely lands the Warhammer 40,000 aesthetic while having solid gameplay and deep mechanical systems. Considering most Warhammer 40,000 games have not been that great lately, Rogue Trader is a breath of fresh air.
Best Action Game: Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon
Contrary to my opinion of Rogue Trader, I don’t think there’s another action game that even came closed to Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon this year. Having played the Armored Core franchise since the original PlayStation, this rendition is truly the best and brightest. In terms of action combat, it’s one of the best mech shooters ever released with the limits of the AC focusing more on player skill than mechanical or hardware constraints.
Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon combines this intense action combat with a deep customization system and a solid story that promotes multiple playthroughs with in-game decisions that can affect the ending. As the loadouts and chassis options become more powerful as you progress, so do the spectacular boss battles. If you want non-stop action from start to finish, there’s no going wrong with Armored Core 6.
Best Platformer / Family Game: Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a game that put a smile on my face from start to finish. Not only is it a great platformer with unique biomes, abilities, and challenges throughout, but every step is crafted with fun in mind. It pushes the limits of what it means to be a Mario game and transforms it into what looks like a drug-induced euphoria. There are so many colors and things that shouldn’t be sentient come to life. There are hidden stages and Easter eggs throughout, and even though the main game is relatively easy, there were a handful of challenge levels that pushed both my skill and patience to the limit.
While I’ve enjoyed most Mario games over the years, especially Super Mario Odyssey, Super Mario Bros. Wonder took me back to a magical place from my childhood that I hadn’t felt since Super Mario World. Furthermore, it’s one of the most accessible entries in the series allow users a sort of ‘easy mode’ with Yoshi or Nabbit who don’t take damage from enemies. They also don’t get benefits from power-ups, but it’s a great way to introduce the younger generation to the series.
Biggest Disappointment: Diablo 4
Ugh...now we get to my biggest disappoint of 2023 and possibly of the last decade. I’ve been a huge fan of the Diablo franchise, ever since I got the Diablo II Battle Chest in the early 2000s. I sunk thousands of hours into Diablo II: Lord of Destruction and spent similar time with Diablo III despite it not being as well received as its predecessor.
When Diablo IV was announced to go back to its darker roots, I was ecstatic. However, what was delivered was not at all what I was expecting. Despite that, I gave it a try and found it sorely lacking. The always-online, multiplayer overworld just gave off a completely different feel. It’s hard to convey a dark and desperate field when some random player with a mildly inappropriate name comes roaming by slaughtering everything in sight.
The supporting cast of NPCs was alright, but not nearly as memorable as Deckard Cain or Tyrael (I assume Ralph Ineson put most of his energy into Final Fantasy XVI). The selection of antagonists was much weaker, consisting of very forgettable enemies and re-used assets from previous games (Lesser Evils just popping out of nowhere). One of the few things I enjoyed about the game was the skill and Paragon system, but Blizzard made the leveling speed such a slog that I definitely didn’t want to do it again for each of the relatively short seasons.
Since playing through the story, doing some post-game content, and attempting to start over in the first season, I haven’t touched Diablo IV in months and go through extended periods where I forget it exists. Considering Diablo II and Diablo III were my go-to games for years after release, there’s no bigger disappointment here.
