#Nominees for Destructoid’s Greatest PS4/ PS5 sport of 2023
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Nominees for Destructoid’s Greatest PS4/ PS5 sport of 2023
Destructoid’s course of is fairly easy, our very personal Eric Van Allen explains as a lot in his Indie Nominees rundown. Video games can solely be nominated in a single class, and our ‘yr’ begins in December 2022 — December 2023 video games don’t make the reduce.
Anyway, within the spirit of kicking one other vacation hornet’s nest, right here’s our nominees for greatest PS4 / PS5 sport of the yr.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Insomniac’s final Spider-Man sport launched in 2018, thus kicking off this class’s theme of “What yr is it once more?” — I needed to double-check that after suggesting we simply obtained one in all these throughout the final couple of years.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is the quintessential Sony suggestion for folk trying to purchase the current-gen PlayStation. It’s polished to a level that is still past spectacular and charming, even to these not into the entire superhero scene. Miles Morales steals the present as a sequence favourite, and all the regular staples like webslinging, New York neighborhoods, and, in fact, Venom, return in a present of Spider-Man’s greatest. It’s one that actually bought me on Spidey’s course going ahead, and I definitely wasn’t the one one.
Closing Fantasy XVI
Although it simply launched in June this yr, Closing Fantasy XVI was a kind of video games I used to be sure got here out final yr, however no, I’m simply turning into mud. The hazy time-lapse is equal components owed to the build-up and fanfare round one other entry to the Closing Fantasy sequence and the way a lot of the yr RPG lovers spent sequestered off with a display screen.
In our evaluate, Eric confirmed one in all my largest suspicions: Closing Fantasy XVI is a Closing Fantasy sport. Maybe it’s not my favourite, however that’s not a lot of a critique in a sequence filled with titans that established and impressed builders for many years. Clive’s journey is a flashy, Satan Could Cry-inspired journey fusing a few of the greatest inspirations from the sights and sounds of FFXIV: Heavensward right into a prolonged, single-player RPG.
Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon
As a mech girly, I’m at all times rooting for any sport with gargantuan robots and metal-on-metal glowing firefights. Fortunately, this yr didn’t go away me wanting as Armored Core 6 debuted to important reward, and that features our personal evaluate the place Destructoid’s head honcho Chris Carter reassured longtime followers that “the spark of the sequence continues to be very a lot alive” in Fires of Rubicon.
After such a prolonged stint between sequence releases, Armored Core’s 2023 resurrection was definitely among the many yr’s larger surprises, however FromSoft greater than delivered but once more. I’ve in all probability hit a fail state in Armored Core VI extra instances than all the different video games on this checklist mixed, however I maintain going again to it for extra. That’s extra spectacular when you think about there’s a rhythm sport under.
Road Fighter 6
There’s a motive speak of a Capcom “Golden Age” retains occurring, and Road Fighter VI feels a bit symbolic of that. The traditional fighter noticed loads of reward and held its personal in a yr filled with different Capcom darlings like Resident Evil 4 and Monster Hunter.
As a button-masher, it’s one of many few preventing video games I’m keen to revisit when the shine of “new launch” wears off and my buddies have moved on. Its sprawling roster, upcoming collaborations, and assist from Capcom flip Road Fighter VI into a relentless spectacle that’s simply as a lot enjoyable to bumble your means by way of as it’s to look at on the massive screens of EVO.
Theathrythm Closing Bar Line
Ah, the bane of my existence, Theathrythm. I say that in probably the most loving means doable, as my infinite Theathrythm replays on 3DS destroyed my handheld’s buttons, and I determine the identical is quickly true for my PlayStation controllers.
That’s a really roundabout means of claiming Closing Bar Line completely guidelines. Whereas the bar (ha, bar, get it?) for spin-offs isn’t very excessive, there’s nothing about this newest entry that looks like an affordable afterthought. It’s simply as a lot correct rhythm sport as it’s impassioned love letter to Closing Fantasy. All yr lengthy, I’ve misplaced nights to replaying a handful of tracks, desperately honing my expertise to crank the problem up just a bit extra. And even when that’s not your cup of tea, its guided tributes to the previous are nonetheless definitely worth the time.
Alan Wake 2
As an editor, I’m clearly a fan of the work my group does, but when we had a class for ‘evaluate of the yr,’ I’d throw Smangaliso Simelane’s piece on Alan Wake 2 into the ring for the title with out a second thought. Within the 9/10 evaluate, Smangaliso concluded:
“I can say that it’s one in all my favourite titles in a particularly aggressive yr. Not solely has it redefined what I consider online game narratives are able to, however it additionally left me invigorated to see how Treatment will innovate as soon as once more.”
Bought — anyway, with how everybody talks about Alan Wake, I deeply remorse not diving into the primary one. Treatment’s gorgeously dismal setting requires me in lots of the similar methods Management initially did, utilizing daring, hanging pops of sunshine and shade for the preliminary hook. Then, it’s abruptly 3 a.m. on a Monday, however I swear I solely meant to play an hour or two.
Octopath Traveler 2
It’s 2023, however this seems like what I imagined video games would as a little bit factor within the late ’90s and early ’00s. Octopath Traveler 2 squared up in a yr filled with different attractive pixel artwork video games like Sea of Stars, however held its personal as an RPG powered by trade veterans.
Whilst somebody only a few hours in with an end-of-the-year cram session, the second sport appears to repair a few of my ache factors from the unique Octopath Traveler, all whereas sustaining the artwork course and music I adored. After all, as soon as once more, my RPG-enthused coworker Eric Van Allen reviewed the traditional throwback, noting: “It in some way has all the things I’d need out of an RPG impressed by the outdated days, however shifting ahead into new ones too. “
What’s subsequent for Destructoid’s GOTY?
For these of you curious as to the place we’ll land, verify again on December 18 for our greatest of PlayStation winner. And with all of that mentioned, right here’s our fast, bulleted nominees checklist to refresh you for discussions:
Destructoid’s Greatest PS4/PS5 Video games of 2023:
- Spider-Man 2
- Closing Fantasy XVI
- Armored Core 6
- Road Fighter 6
- Theathrythm Closing Bar Line
- Alan Wake 2
- Octopath Traveler 2
Extra Tales by Andrea Shearon
