Our individual Game of the Year articles allow our lovely team of writers to share their own personal PS5 and PS4 picks for 2023. Today, it's the turn of contributor Henry Stockdale.
5. Dredge
Dredge resonated in a way I didn't expect. Lovecraftian-esque horror has never been my bag and my adventures in video game fishing mainly occur through RPG mini-games but I didn't stop Dredge until I'd finished. There’s a palpable sense of dread that keeps exploration exciting while balancing risk vs reward, and a mysterious narrative weaves this together well. It's the most unique fishing game I've ever played, Black Salt Games nailed it.
4. Trails into Reverie
What, you thought Robert's list would be the only place you'd see Trails? Think again. As someone who's thoroughly invested in Trails, I loved Trails into Reverie. Closing the series' first half after ten games isn't easy, yet Falcom's latest RPG delivers a fine epilogue for both the Crossbell and Cold Steel arcs. The world-building remains exceptional, the stakes are high and that's lifted by strong character writing. I'm ready to continue in Trails through Daybreak.
3. Final Fantasy XVI
I'd say there aren't many games that can convince me to sink 70 hours into them these days, but my list quickly disproves that. Almost immediately, Final Fantasy 16 grabbed my attention through its political intrigue, then held onto it through an excellent combat system and a strong presentation. Arguably, it didn't need to lay on the side quests quite so thick, though they often deliver some great world-building. I won't forget my journey through Valisthea anytime soon.
2. Horizon Call of the Mountain
As someone who loves VR gaming, February's PSVR 2 launch was exciting and I'd consider Horizon Call of the Mountain a strong start for the new generation. With production values comparable to Half-Life: Alyx, Horizon is a stunning visual showcase with great interactivity and enjoyable exploration. It's a compelling journey that feels essential for PSVR 2 owners and the best we've seen on Sony's latest headset yet.
1. Baldur's Gate 3
Baldur's Gate 3 is everything I wanted from a Dungeons & Dragons RPG and more. For a tabletop game often reliant on the "theatre of the mind," Larian delivered a thrilling campaign with an astonishing level of freedom. All while managing the tricky task of translating D&D's 5th Edition in a way that fits a video game. It's an incredible world filled with incredible characters, setting a high standard for RPGs that I doubt will be surpassed for a long time.
What do you think of Henry's personal Game of the Year picks? Feel free to agree wholeheartedly, or berate relentlessly in the comments section below.
Comments 17
Horizon Call of the Mountain was great, but there’s been numerous PSVR2 games released this year that are better. The likes of Resi4 obviously (game of the year for me) but also Red Matter 2 was a highlight for me.
Henry my friend you get a gold star for including Dredge! About time it got a bit of recognition, I absolutely loved it and was disappointed to not see it on the list of Indies for the year here at PS.
I haven't started Horizon Call of the Mountain yet, only got my VR for Xmas but what a piece of kit and I can't wait to work through this years titles. I do hope we get Half Life Alyx one day though!
Dredge. Well done.
Dredge is one of those ‘don’t sleep on it’ indie titles that I will definitely add to my backlog during a sale and then… sleep on. It’s been highly recommended.
Baldur's gate 3 for the win.baldurs gate 3 is my number one game also.both divinity original sin games are 2 of the best games ever made.and Baldur's gate 3 is one of the best games ever made.word up son
You are someone after my own heart, @playstation1995! Until the arrival of BG3, DoS2 was my all time favourite game (closely followed by DoS). However, BG3 is leaps and bounds ahead of DoS2. A true masterpiece that will be remembered and loved for years to come...
Putting call of the mountain and half life alyx in the same sentence should be a capital offence. Especially since theres games like RE4
I’m really going to have to jump back in to Baldur’s Gate 3. I put in about 100 hours and just got to Act 3 before I stopped playing. I personally thought some of the narrative threads got sloppy and somewhat fell apart, but I suppose I didn’t see it all the way through to give it a fair assessment. I was and still do absolutely love the game — it’s easily one of the best RPGs I’ve ever played, so that alone is a testament to the games brilliance despite my initial shortcomings.
Really nice list there
@Fiendish-Beaver. I agree.i enjoy divinity original sin enhanced edition.and im actually playing divinity original sin 2 definitive edition.2 of the best games ever made.and Baldur's gate 3 is a masterpiece.one of the best games ever made.word up son
@species I know everyone has different taste but man is so weird having Call of the mountain which at the end is a tech demo over RE4 that is a full experience. Also I agree that Alyx is in it's own class when it comes to VR, only the 3 Resident Evil VR games come close.
Dredge is brilliant, glad to see it getting some love.
Dredge keeps popping up. Might have to try it at some point.
As I’ve said on other stories and as others have said here, Horizon is far from the top PSVR game. It’s main selling point is sadly that it’s 1, exclusive, and 2, original in that it’s not a tacked on VR mode for a game we already finished in 2D within the last year or two.
Keeping this as objective and factual as possible, the appalling completion rate as demonstrated by how many got the trophy, says it all.
If this game is “essential”, that’s the nail in the coffin for PSVR2, because clearly those who have the game mostly didn’t think it was even worth a few hours of their time.
Nice list very good taste 👌
@thefourfoldroot1 I'm not a Resi fan tbh, hence it's exclusion here, and I played Red Matter 2 last year on Quest so it wasn't on my mind here. What a great adventure though
@Terra
I’m no Resi fan either, but this is more a shooter than a traditional Resi, and this VR mode is incredible, you really should give it a try, just forget it’s a Resi.
And yes, Red Matter 2 is a great adventure. I understand you didn’t play this year though, so that’s why it wasn’t on your mind, even though it released this year (as the best version) on PSVR2
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