What's your most anticipated game of 2023? | Team Talk

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A new year is upon us, and after a festive break we are back brimming with enthusiasm for the exciting games lineup due this year. Thanks to a slew of COVID-related delays, there are an awful lot of titles coming out in 2023.

From new entries in established titles like Zelda, Like a Dragon: Inshin and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, remakes like Dead Space and Resident Evil 4, and new IPs like Atomic Heart, the definitely controversial Hogwarts Legacy and the potentially exciting Forspoken.

What’s your pick? Let us know in the comments or on our Discord.

by Team PTC

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@james_parry

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Legend of Zelda: ​Tears of the Kingdom | Liam Andrews

As much as I enjoyed Breath of the Wild, the absence of traditional dungeons spoiled the experience somewhat. I reckon I would have completed the game sooner had there been a more significant sense of progress.
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The shrines were ok, some were even great, but the whole experience felt a bit fractured. Just as you got to grips with some of the trickier ones and things started to feel like Zelda games of old, the whole thing comes to an abrupt end, with little to show for your work other than an upgrade token which you didn’t even get to use immediately.

So, it’s not that I’m excitedly anticipating the arrival of Tears of the Kingdom, I’m more curious to see in which direction the game will go. Will Nintendo continue to lean into shrines, disposable weaponry, and smaller collectables, or will we see a return of meaningful, unique equipment and elemental-themed dungeons and bosses?

I really hope it’s the latter. Like I said, I did enjoy BOTW, I even got an official guide and completed 90% of the shrines just to make sure I eked out all the Zelda goodness I could. I’m fine with old franchises trying to innovate, but not at the complete expense of what made them so much fun in the first place.​

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor | Chris Brand

After weighing up my top five options (Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Hogwarts Legacy, The Wolf Among Us 2, a rather ambitious Fable 4, and finally Crisco Simulator: Cake for Breakfast, because there was really only a top three), I had to give Star Wars Jedi the top spot, though it was very close...
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I'm not into the Harry Potter franchise, it just isn't for me, so Hogwarts Legacy was already on the back foot and needed to leave a real impression on me to be in with a shout. But it did. Its biggest weakness became a strength. Everything in this universe is new to me and that's a unique kind of excitement. I can discover everything for the first time, maybe even gaining a deeper appreciation for Harry Potter.

Ultimately, my time with the, genuinely excellent, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order tipped the scales. I know that everyone involved in the development of Hog Leg (please, can we call it that?) will be absolutely devastated by my decision and I hope they can recover from this crushing blow.

Many Star Wars titles have the demanding task of making you feel like a powerful Jedi whilst still providing a significant combat challenge, and Fallen Order got closer to that goal than most. I did find there were a couple of difficulty spikes, but nothing that couldn't be overcome with a little bit of patience. Do or do not, there is no try.

The only complaint I could throw at Fallen Order is the length of the story. I wasn't ready for this tale to end, I sensed more worlds to explore and more secrets to uncover. In retrospect, I'm glad it left me wanting more and kept me primed for the sequel.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 | James Parry

Approaching making my final pick I encountered a problem. A few games I found myself interested in last year have since given us glimpses which were disappointing, particularly Forspoken and Skull and Bones, and so I don’t want to touch any other games with some sort of curse.

However, tradition demands I must name names, so here goes…

At first I thought of going for the Dead Space remake, as I’m excited to finally dive into that series, but I feel like something which pulls us forward to something new is more worthy of excitement and anticipation.

And so I settled on Spider-Man 2. Firstly, I love Spider-Man as a character, always have, and there’s something very relatable about him as a hero – really any iteration, particularly given how many different ones there are, plus you can expect there’ll be at least some Across The SpiderVerse tie-in, as there was between the first game and film.

Secondly, Insomniac Games consistently bring out games I’m excited to play, from the likes of Sunset Overdrive when the Xbox One debuted, even as far back as trying out the very underrated Resistance series back in the mid 2000s. More recently, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, was my game of the year in 2021, so the teams are on a hot streak as far as I’m concerned.

However it turns out, I think we’re in for a really good year in gaming.

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