2023's Most Anticipated Games - Jess's Picks
2023 is shaping up to be one of the biggest years in video games of all time. No matter whether you play on PC, PlayStation 4 or 5, Xbox One or Series X|S, or the Nintendo Switch, you’re going to have a lot to play in 2023. Given that, we couldn’t simply pool the team’s thoughts into one top 10 countdown of the most anticipated games, so we solicited 10 from each person to discuss. Today, hear what Jess has to say about her 10 most anticipated games of 2023.
10. Blanc
I love any kind of cooperative adventure, and Blanc looks like a particularly adorable one. The art style is so striking, and a story of two unlikely friends coming together to find their families is absolutely going to tug at my heartstrings, and probably make me cry. It’s exactly the story I would have gravitated to as a child, and I’m kinda hoping for a Fox and the Hound style situation but without any devastating and soul-crushing death.
9. Pikmin 4
I haven’t managed to finish any of the previous Pikmin games, not because I don’t enjoy them, but because they fill me with a deep dread and sadness at the thought of losing any of my cute little guys and I become paralysed by that thought. Also the series is inexplicably terrifying at times. So, yes, in theory, I am very excited to play the long awaited instalment in this series, because the gameplay is clever and I love puzzles. But if I’m being real with myself, I will probably never finish it, because the experience is somehow very traumatic for my brain.
8. Open Roads
It’s been a while since we heard anything about this Annapurna-published narrative adventure starring Kaitlyn Dever and Keri Russell, but I haven’t stopped thinking about it. Developer Fulbright is yet to disappoint me, always crafting stories that manage to hit close to home.
7. Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden
This one is new to the list, (only having been revealed at the Game Awards at the beginning of December) but I’m super intrigued. DONT NOD are also masters of storytelling, and I’m interested to see what they do with some combat mechanics thrown into the mix. It’s a story of lovers, ghosts, and fate – what’s not to love?
6. Star Wars: Jedi Survivor
Jedi: Fallen Order was a great game, and somehow managed to make me not hate the ‘die and lose progress’ mechanic that so often frustrates me. There’s just something inherently cool about being a Jedi, swinging that lightsaber, and hanging out with little droid friends, so there are a lot of things I’ll look past just to exist in the Star Wars world. The graphics upgrade on this one looks amazing, and fingers crossed there are fewer spiders in this sequel – I’m looking hard at you, Kashyyyk.
5. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
I’m a big DC fan, I love the Arkham games, and I am naturally going to be excited for anything involving superheroes (or in this case villains, which DC have a tendency to do a far better job of). I’m hoping this will be a cheesy kind of fun with some polished gameplay, and not a failed attempt at being too ‘edgy’. Please just be better than the film.
4. Forspoken
I’m so excited for Forspoken. I love Ella Balinska, I love the idea of her being the protagonist, and I also love magical realism and stories based on multiple worlds. I worry, after playing the demo, that the systems may be a little more complex than I want them to be, but I also feel ready to take them on. It looks like a beautiful game, with some neat touches (nail polish to change your stats? Yes please.) I’ve been excited for this for years, and I’m hoping it delivers.
3. The Wolf Among Us 2
Nothing is quite like The Wolf Among Us. There have been many attempts at ‘bad fairytale characters’, but none of them have quite nailed it the way this series does. After I played the first one shortly after its’ release, I got into the comics, and have been waiting for a sequel ever since. While a lot of games following this format have come out since, this one was pretty early in the trend, and I can vividly remember feeling like it was unlike anything I’d really played before. I’m not sure if the sequel will recapture those emotions, but at the very least I feel like it’s going to make me cry.
2. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Spider-man was easily one of the best games on the PS4, and in many ways Miles Morales was even better, so my hopes for the next Spiderman game are high. It was one of the first games in ages to compel me to 100% complete it, and despite a huge backlog, I often get the urge to go back and play it again. Spider-man is one of the most likeable superheroes (in any incarnation of him, really) and he has one of the best abilities to gamify. Swinging over the city is satisfying in a way nothing else is, and I can’t wait to do it again.
1. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
This is it. The big one. I’ve had a bit of a Zelda binge replaying old games in the lead-up to it, and I’m planning on doing a few more. I know Breath of the Wild was a controversial entry in the series, but there’s no denying it was an incredible game – even if it was a bit of a departure from the usual formula. In every way that counted, this game had the beating heart of a Zelda game – familiar characters, familiar themes, and a familiar feeling to it. Sure, I wish it had been a little more linear, because there’s something comforting about the linear storytelling of the series in general, but it was also exciting to see them trying something new. I have no doubt that this next game will ruffle some feathers whether it keeps going down the path of innovation or not, but I also have no doubt that I’m going to love it.
So that concludes Jess’ list of her most anticipated games of 2023. What are some of yours? Hit us up via social media to let us know what games you are keen on in 2023!
