Top 5 Anticipated Video Games of 2023

5. Hogwarts Legacy

I’m interested in this one, though my interesting in Harry Potter stuff is fading some, hence why it’s #5. But it’s an action role playing game, that sounds un to me. I’m hoping that it’s a good combination of some stuff we know, or at least familiar places, and then a lot of new stuff. I dislike it when a game just retreads what we’ve already know. If it’s a new story in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, I’m much more interested in that.

4. Starfield

When it’s described as being like “Skyrim in space” I’m interested in it. Though, that’s another game that I need to play more of, Skyrim. But Starfield definitely sounds interesting for that reason. An expansive game where you can explore, so side quests and still have a main mission to do is what I like. Hopefully they give you enough push to keep going on the main quest so that I don’t forget it.

3. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

It’s a Star Wars game, and I do want to play a Star Wars game. But because it is Star Wars, I also want it to be a really strong and interesting game. I don’t want the IP just slapped on something okay. So the last one I heard solid things about but I didn’t jump into that one, yet. I might at some point in time. But if Survivor gets really good reviews, it might be my first Star Wars game beyond Lego Star Wars.

2. OXENFREE II: Lost Signals

Oxenfree is a small indie game where you can compare what you did versus what other people did. It’s not that complex in what it does, but the story it gave was a ton of fun. It reminded me of Stranger Things, Life is Strange, and Locke & Key all rolled into one. So more in that world, I’m definitely interested in what it might be doing.

1. Diablo IV

I’ve had a lot of fun with Diablo III. The initial release was rough for that one as they tried to balance everything. But when I came back to it recently I had a lot of fun with it. It’s one that I should play more of. And more Diablo, a new story and a new game, that sounds like it should be fun again. I like the look grinding that you do and generally just the simple game play, but engaging game play that it offers. It’s like a fantasy Borderlands for me, a lot of fun, and one that’s easy to pick-up or put down when I need to.

Honorable Mention

Honestly, not too many honorable mentions. My interest is limited. If another Power Star Golf game came out I’d be all over that. Or a new Need for Speed, I’ll keep an eye out for something like that.

Street Fighter 6 is up there because I like that type of game. It’s good for sitting down with friends. I haven’t played any of the Legend of Zelda stuff, but I’m sure my wife will be interested in that. Though, she like me often has trouble finding time to play games. So she still needs to do more Breath of the Wild.

Redfall is probably worth an honorable mention for me as well. Protecting a small town or saving a small town from vampires, I’m definitely interested in something like that. Or maybe Baldur’s Gate III just to finally play a Baldur’s Gate game which do look like a lot of fun.

What are you looking forward to playing in 2023?

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Locke & Key follows a family who is moving back into the families home after tragedy has struck them. Rendell, their father, has passed away so Nina picks up and takes the kids from Seattle to Mattheson, Massachusetts. None of the kids, except the youngest, Bode, are excited to be there. But when Bode hears a voice in the well house talking back to him when he makes his voice echo, it’s clear that this isn’t a normal house. Soon Tyler and Kinsey are drawn into the crazy world that the house holds with many magical keys and Echo, the voice from the well who has gotten out. What does Echo want and why can’t their mother, Nina, remember anything about the keys?

Let me quickly give my thoughts on the show and then I’ll go into more depth. There might be some spoilers later on, but I’m going to try and keep them to a minimum. I really liked this show, even though it isn’t as dark and horrific as the first trade paperback, there’s definitely a very interesting and creepy story behind it. And that was enough for me, plus Joe Hill did the work on it to keep it in the spirit of the books, but not have to go fully dark. However, because of that it has much more of a YA feel to it, so if you’re a huge fan of the comics, know that before you jump in. There are a few things that stand out to me for the show.

The first thing is the acting. Most of the time, you have a cast that is mainly teen age (though teen in acting can be early 20’s) or kid actors, the acting will end up being suspect. However, in Locke & Key they do an amazing job. The actor who plays Bode, Jackson Robert Scott, does a great job. Bode is supposed to be a wide eyed 8-10 year old in the show, and you can really see that in the acting. He does a very good job of portraying an innocence and sincerity to his acting. And I won’t go into it a ton with the other actors, but the actors portraying Kinsey and Tyler, Emilia Jones and Connor Jessup respectively, do really good work as well. There are shifts in their acting as you get to see more of their character and as their characters change that are really well done. Even the adult acting is well done and it doesn’t just feel like so many YA stories where there’s a group of teens and no adults believe them and then the adults are wrong.

Another thing is that while this leans into horror tropes and supernatural elements that could seem cliche, it does a good job of keeping them different. When we were watching through it, it felt to Kristen and myself like several things we’ve seen or played before, Haven, Life is Strange, Oxenfree, and more, but it still felt unique. The element of the keys and how they work is really well done. And you can see where Joe Hill is borrowing form the work that his father has done before, but in a very respectful and well done way. I got numerous callbacks to IT in the show, and I appreciated that. It’s really that none of the tropes it used felt out of place or felt like they were forced in there because it’s horror or anything like that, it just flowed naturally.

Let’s talk a bit more about the story before I wrap up here. Like I said, the story is not going to be as heavily horror focused, which I’m fine with. While I love some good horror, there’s something whimsical about the keys that lends itself not just to horror but to this more fantastical element as well, and the show leans into that some more. As things unfold, there is definitely more horror and violence, but there’s also a sense of fantasy or magic to the story. Like I said previously as well, it doesn’t fall into the storytelling tropes of YA where the kids are smart and the adults are dumb and don’t believe the kids. It avoids some of that by a nifty plot device that they explain but also by just having the kids do their own thing. They use the grief of Rendell’s death and Nina’s reaction to it to drive some of why Kinsey and Tyler don’t bring as much to her as well, which I think is well done. And Bode is just too Bode to think about that.

So, I’ve said that I like the show, but would I recommend it to everyone? I’d lean towards no. It still has horror elements, so some people aren’t going to love that as much. Kristen actually stopped watching part ways through episode one because of some of the creepy stuff that was going on. But in the middle of the season, it hit more of that fantasy and whimsy, so I stopped and we rewatched it because I knew that she’d like it. So there’s definitely a piece where if people aren’t horror fans they’ll enjoy it as well, and like myself, Kristen and I are waiting for, hoping for, a second season to come out. Definitely an interesting show and if the trailer seems interesting, they do a good job and it’s worth checking out.

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1 Dragon Age
I’m assuming this was my previous #1, and I mean the first two, not Dragon Age Inquisition. The third one is just too open world and there’s something about the point of view that is slightly motion sickness inducing for myself. The first two are a lot of fun though, I like the character progression, I like the random conversations that happen, and I like how you can effect the story but the story is still tightly written and you don’t wander around with nothing to do.

2 Borderlands 1, 2, Pre-Sequel
I really considered this for #1 as well. I’m generally not a shoot-em-up fan but Borderlands does a good job of having a fun enough story and the art work in the game is just amazing. The game doesn’t take itself seriously, and the skill trees that you unlock make it feel like an RPG while having a more tightly directed story than most RPG’s do. Overall it’s just a lot of good and silly fun with a great smack talking robot.

3 Myst/Riven/Return to Zork/Labyrinth of Time
This was on last years list as well as a huge group. These classic games from the 90’s were all about solving absurd puzzles. Some of them have more story than others, but most of them had the basic premise. You are dropped into this crazy world and you have no idea what is going on or where you are, now figure out how to get out of there. I just like a game that really stretches your brain, and I might have to go back and play some of them as I do own a couple of them, Myst and Riven on Steam. Too many things to do, and too little time.

4 Tales from the Borderlands
I didn’t include this with Borderlands, because Tales from the Borderlands is a 100% different game. It’s basically a choice making game where you watch a story unfold and then as you hit certain points your story can branch out into other areas and go different ways. It has a mechanic that I really love that Oxenfree and Life is Strange does as well, where it shows you your choice versus the choices of other people, so you can see how you differ and can start to see how that shapes your game. And it keeps the humor of Borderlands and the story feels like Borderlands, you just aren’t shooting everything.

5 Heroes of Might and Magic
This is another game that I think I could just sit back down and play. There is something about turn based games that I really like, and while Alpha Centauri is off the list this year, Heroes of Might and Magic stays strong. The combination of troops you can have, and building up your forces and spreading out in what is basically an area control game is a lot of fun. It helps having memories of massive games of it in college with a couple of roommates.

Of course, there are going to be some honorable mentions as well. One that won’t make that list that I’ve already mentioned is Life is Strange. While Life is Strange is an amazingly well done game, it’s very tough to play through because of the heavy subject matter. There is depth in that game that makes is an addictive and tough experience to play, and while it was thought provoking

Honorable Mention:
Jazz Jackrabbit
Chip’s Adventure
Super Mario Bros
Alpha Centauri
1942

What are some of your favorite video games? Are there any that you think would match the type of games that I like?