Hey it’s Trey Johnson from NintenDomain and boy has 2023 been a crazy year packed with thousands upon thousands of great games and according to my Switch Stats, I played 117 of them. Ranking that many would be a chore for me and you, the reader. So this year I’m going to only rank the games that I saw credits on because those are the ones that truly matter!
Bonus: Best DLC That I Beat: Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed
Is there anything that Monolith Soft can’t do? They have been releasing banger after banger every year and this year isn’t any different. Just when you think that things can’t get any better after finishing Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (quite possibly the best modern RPG of all time), they knock another one out of the park with Future Redeemed. This one brings parts of all of the previous Xeno games and DLC into one incredible 20 hour package. When you think the battle system can’t get any better they add new status effect combos making the battles even more fun. This one ends with enough references to XenoGears, XenoSaga, and even Xenoblade Chronicles X that will leave you making theory videos about the meaning of it until the end of time. Best DLC of 2023!!
5. WarioWare Move IT!
WarioWare Smooth Moves was my favorite Wario Ware game and arguably one of the best Wii games too. Smooth Moves finally got a real sequel on Switch and its WarioWare Move It! Remember the first days of motion control when you were impressed by the precision and your head was filled with ideas on what the future could hold for you? This game gives you that feeling again. In a world that has pretty much abandoned full on motion control, WarioWare Move It! really feels like a breath of fresh air even if it has the stench of garlic. I found myself laughing out loud at the ridiculous games on here and at the same time admiring their brilliance. Grab your Joycons, find those wrist straps (you really need them), get on your motorcycle, and ride down to your local totally not scary game shop to buy Wario Ware Move It so you can experience all of the crazy microgames on Caresaway Island with all the of the fun Wario Characters!
4. Sonic Superstars:
Sonic is on a roll! Last year with Sonic Frontiers and this year with Sonic Superstars! Sonic Superstars brings back that classic Sonic feeling that you remember now complete with fully polygonal graphics and 60 fps! This game reminds me a lot of how well Donkey Kong Country Returns made the transition from 2D to 3D but still 2D. There is a lot of action going on and you can move in and out of the background in some levels. You get to visit brand new areas with Sonic and his Friends. Each one of them has their own unique ability. Tails can hover up, Amy has a double jump, Knuckles can float and climb walls, etc. One of the coolest things as well is the new bonus levels where you can unlock new abilities or medals to trick out your online personas. I really enjoyed how they took those annoying bonus levels from the original Sonic game where the world rotates and you don’t have great control and turned it into a puzzle box of sorts where the point is to get deeper into the background to find the bonus medals. This is the kind of game that will make you proud to be a Sonic fan so speed over to your local store or digital game store and buy this masterpiece!
3. AEW Fight Forever:
Wrestling is cool again! Back in 2019 a little wrestling federation called All Elite Wrestling decided to step in the ring against the monopoly known as the WWE. Many Pay Per Views and wrestler acquirements later, they have their first game. AEW Fight Forever aims to pay tribute to the greatest wrestling games of all time ie WCW/NWO Revenge, Wrestlemania 2000, No Mercy, etc. They even got the original director, Hideyuki Iwashita, on to helm this game with Yukes entertainment. There is a large collection of current wrestlers represented well in this game with their personalities and signature moves. They really do a great job of capturing it all and making you feel like you have the power of Chris Jericho, Sting, or even Adam Cole Bay Bay. There is a basic create a wrestler mode and a career mode that lets you be part of the beginning of AEW and allows you to choose your weekly activities in between weekly roadshows and ppvs. You can go to local restaurants, workout, go sightseeing, or hold a fan event. There are plenty of cool activities aside from the weekly routine that will make you truly feel the life of a wrestler. If you have any interest in Professional Wrestling, listen to your trainer and elbow drop on down to your local game shop and get this into your hands ASAP!
2. Dredge:
Fishing can be frustrating, especially when you spend multiple hours without catching a thing. Well what if you also had to think about evil spirits attacking you when the sun goes down. That’s what Dredge is. You start out driving your boat around and playing a fun little mini game to catch fish in the day time. When the sun sets the game becomes more of a lovecraftian horror where sea terrors appear all around to get you. You must find a safe place to sleep to save your sanity. It’s on the border between cozy and downright frightening! I found myself glued to this game as I collected all of the rare fish and really enjoyed the game loop of selling different types of fish in order to deck out my boat. You acquire a good amount of magic power ups to do things like: make the boat go faster, teleport from one area to another, even use your magic to kill all of the fish around you in one hit! If you love fishing and psychological horror, take the bait and hook this unique game!
1. Metroid Prime Remastered:
Metroid Prime lives! There have been rumors of a remastered trilogy coming to Switch ever since the thing launched. I was overjoyed to see that finally the original game has shown its beautiful remastered dome. This remaster is so good that you could even call it a remake. They redesigned all of the graphics and controls from the ground up to make this first person adventure stand tall with all of the other excellent releases this year. Metroid Prime is one of the best video games of all time and if for some reason to missed it you are in for a treat. You will get to explore the galaxy, hunt down creatures, fight incredible bosses, and get power ups on the go. You are letting the galaxy down if you don’t pick up your arm cannon now and roll out to bust space pirate skulls!
If you want to hear more about these and the rest of the games on my list or the games on the lists of the other hosts on our show tune in to Nintendomain Podcast!
superggradio.wordpress.com 