In 2023, I played over 120 different games on PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch — according to my 2023 Gaming Wrap-Ups. Of those games I only rolled credits on about sixteen, so for 2023 (as with many years prior) my game completion percentage was quite low.
There were many repeated gaming trends from 2022 to 2023 in the types of games I completed.
Let’s go over the different categories of Games Beat in 2023:
GIRLFRIEND GAMES
Just as in 2022, the top category of games beat consisted of many couch co-op games. Mainly those games I beat alongside my girlfriend. Almost half of the games beaten on this list fall under this category.
Key We
River City Girls 2
Ship of Fools
Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons
Super Mario Bros U
Moving Out
Super Mario Bros 3D World
Back in 2020, when I first started playing games with my girlfriend it all began with easily accessible games. We started off with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. I introduced her to the Overcooked series (and she’s still asking for a Part III). We moved onto Splatoon 2, and now Splatoon 3. Once we played It Takes Two, I knew I could start introducing even more types of games.
Looking back on this list, I’m proud that it includes a healthy mix of gameplay genres across the couch co-op spectrum. We beat a couple of beat ‘em ups (River City Girls 2 and Double Dragon Gaiden: Rise of the Dragons), two very different Mario games (Super Mario Bros U and Super Mario Bros 3D World), a roguelite (Ship of Fools), and two team-building, puzzle-solving games (Key We and Moving Out).
My recent weekly gaming schedule has become playing solo games on weeknights and some early weekday mornings, while saving our co-op adventures for weekends — when we don’t have any plans. A few of these games were beaten over the course of one or two weekends.
There’s one online couch co-op game that we will never beat, but will always remain in our gameplay rotation, Rocket League. We recently got back into playing 2v2 matches online — now in Competitive mode. If we continue with this trend, Rocket League may show up on my Gaming Wrap-Up at the end of 2024.
ROLLOVER GAMES
This next short list consists of three games that I started playing in previous years, but didn’t quite reach the end until 2023.
Agent Intercept
God of War: Ragnarok
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
I had beaten all but one mission in Agent Intercept before 2023. So, I basically had to beat that one final mission to add it to this list. It did take a few tries (and almost an hour of playtime).
God of War: Ragnarok was the first game I played in 2023. I had started it towards the end of 2022, but I had a little less than half of the story to finish in 2023. I do plan to get back into this game in 2024, with the new FREE DLC Epilogue: God of War: Ragnarok: Valhalla.
The third game on this list, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is an odd entry. I first started this game when it was released, so many years ago — with the Nintendo Switch console. Each year, I would chip away at the game, even taking full years off. It wasn’t until the midnight release of the long-awaited sequel, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, where I finally defeated Ganondorf.
I also plan to take a couple of years with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, unless the Nintendo Switch successor is not backwards compatible. In that case, I would need to finish the game before the release of the next Nintendo console — whenever that may be.
NEW SOLO QUESTS
There were two brand new solo quests that I played through in 2023. One was one of my most anticipated sequels, and the other was something completely new to me.
Tchia
Star Wars: Jedi Survivor
I was interested in Tchia ever since I first saw the reveal during a PlayStation State of Play for a couple of reasons. First, the simple art style. The game looked like a less serious version of the recent Zelda games. Second, I was fascinated to learn about New Caledonian culture. I loved the idea that a group of developers from this small community of islands created this game based on their home.
The second game was a totally different game, yet I played it in the same manner. In both Tchia and Star Wars: Jedi Survivor, I played as a curious explorer. I searched far and wide for secrets, lore, quests, and whatever I could find.
A YEAR OF REPLAYS
2023 was also a year of replays for me. In most cases as a quick refresher for an upcoming sequel.
Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order
The Messenger
Marvel’s Spider-Man
Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
I didn’t plan on replaying Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order before Star Wars: Jedi Survivor, but after reading the companion novel Star Wars: Jedi Battle Scars by Sam Maggs I had to refresh myself on the story of Cal Kestis and the Mantis flight crew.
I replayed The Messenger for two reasons. First, I wasn’t sure if I had ever reached the end. I think I had only reached the big twist, but not the actual end of the game during my first playthrough. Second, even though Sea of Stars is not a direct sequel to The Messenger, it is a spiritual successor by the same studio. Both games even take place in the same universe.
In the past few years, any time a new movie sequel comes out I like to go back and re-watch whatever came before — whether it’s twenty-something Marvel movies or just a single film. I’ve started doing this with game sequels as well, when I have the time. With the two precious Marvel’s Spider-Man games by Insomniac I only planned on playing a bit of each to feel the difference in the mechanics and swinging. I ended up playing through the entire main story of both games before picking up Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 — which I finally achieved a platinum trophy in just last week.
In 2024, I’ve already started with my rollover games from the previous year. There are many upcoming releases I am waiting on, but I also hope to get through some of the games on my backlog in 2024.
What were some of your favorite games you beat in 2023? How many games did you beat? List them below in the comments…
VIDEO GAME BOOK CLUB 