I've always assumed I was unusual in playing only one new game a year, while playing quite a few older games. But my 2023 Steam review shows I am perfectly ordinary (except that I play many more games than the average Steam user). But 7% of my playtime this year was on games released in 2023 (Apparently this is The Murder of Sonic The Hedgehog? I find it hard to believe there wasn't a second game as well). This compares to the average player who played 9% of their time on games released this year. The next breakdown is any game one to seven years old. That's a bit too wide of a range to be useful, but I spent 76% of my time on games in this range, while the average player was 52%. The final category is any game eight years or older. I only played 17% of my time with these, while the average Steam user was at 38%. People are playing much older games than I expected. I also suspect that these older games are ones that multiplayer games, like Dota 2, that people continue playing.
Games That Lost My Attention:
Awkward Mixture now has ten Unfinished Game articles. With four games per article that's forty games that I gave a shot, but couldn't focus on long enough to finish. These eight are the new inductees.
In Unfinished Games of 2023: Part I, I briefly considered the remake ToeJam and Earl: Back in the Groove, Whodunit murder mystery (from the perspective of the murderer) Overboard!, Warner Bros' Super Smash Bros attempt, MultiVerse, and chess gimmick 5D Chess with Multiverse and Time Travel.
For Unfinished Games of 2023: Part II I took an alternative approach. I spent between one to three dozen hours playing Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga, Old World, Rimworld, and Omega Strikers. I obviously found something worth playing, even if I couldn't bring myself to finish these games.
I'd Rather Write A Book Length Article About Any Of These Games Then Play Them Again:
Despite my desire to abandon these games, I beat each of them. Fortunately their short length helped in each case.
I love board games. I enjoy historical miniature games like Napoleon's Battles. So I tried the generically named Civil War: Gettysburg. Unfortunately the graphics are poor, the objectives tiresome, and the computer commander so incompetent it appears to be led by John Bell Hood. There are no factors worth rallying around. Civil War: Gettysburg is Most Like Playing A Board Game Against An Incompetent Opponent.
I also like Sonic. My parents bought a Sega Genesis for my first console. I played plenty of Sonic games. I reveled in the joy of Sonic Mania. But I won't shill for The Murder of Sonic The Hedgehog. It's a generic story with no reason the characters could be replaced with Luke and Leia, Mario and Bowser, or Gandalf and Frodo. The gameplay is a shadow of Sonic mechanics. It's the Easiest To Replace With Any Brand And Have The Same Game.
Years ago I watched a video on Twenty Sided of a person playing Death Road To Canada, while two friends commented and joked. What I've learned since is that all games are more fun when played with friends, even single player games. That's especially true of this game which is simple drudgery solo. It fails because it's The Least Dangerous Zombie Game.
Have you ever met a person who believes they are the cleverest, despite clear contradictory evidence? Have you ever been that person? I'm not as clever as I think I am, but I didn't design The Hex. This odd adventure follows a collection of knock-off, washed up video characters bent on revenge. But it's mostly a chance for the writer to express themselves with outdated references. The Hex is The Game Most Willing to Sacrifice Gameplay for Allusions and Metacommentary.
Games I Didn't Appreciate, But See How Someone Could:
We all have preferred genres. Sometimes we take a step outside to experience something new. Then we jump back to our comfort zone. Just because I didn't like these games, doesn't mean you won't either. But you are warned.
Over the past seven years I've played three FPS action roleplaying games. I never appreciated the combination. Dishonored, Fallout 4, and Prey felt blah, like a vaguely unpleasant taste on your tongue. The combat never feels quite right. But I am continually urged to pick up a well regarded variation every so often. The Outer Worlds, by Obsidian Entertainment, is another failed launch. It ticked every box those other games did, perhaps a little worse in some spots, and a bit better in others. But it felt like it didn't contribute any new features. Every beat about its main theme, while aiming for zany, felt obvious. So I'm calling it The Most Predictable Criticism Of Economic Inequality.
I've also tried a few free-to-play collectible card games. Unlike Hearthstone, Marvel Snap, generously rewards the player with free cards. At my time of play, money acquired cosmetics, not an in game advantage. Snap is simple to click, but deep enough to require some skill. I just wasn't interested in a collectible card game. But it is The Most Generous Free To Play Collectible Card Game.
I originally played Overcooked in 2020 with my kids. They loved it, so we picked up the sequel; a disappointingly under-cooked entree. Overcooked 2 felt entirely like someone served with original dinner for breakfast, with no new features or ideas. Still, we beat it. Then we downloaded the Halloween DLC and had a blast. Each DLC explores a different theme with innovative mechanics and new ideas. That's why Overcooked 2 +DLC is The Most Boring Sequel With The Best DLC.
During the worst of the pandemic I watched YouTuber Disguised Toast play Among Us, before I convinced my friends to play it with me. After the pandemic I stopped watching, but I did catch one video of him playing Fall Guys. The crowded colorful competition convinced me to jump in. A year or so later I am thoroughly done with this game, but my six year old loves to watch me play. He asks daily for me to compete and I oblige occasionally. But if he stopped asking, I would uninstall it. Fall Guys is The Game I Most Want to Uninstall, But My Son Loves To Watch Me Play.
In Jr. High I was in the chess club. I loved chess puzzles. And during the worst of the pandemic I downloaded the Chess.com app and played multiple games daily, while watching YouTuber GothamChess. I've moved on, but I did look for chess variants to try. One would think a game called Pawnbarian, named for the pawn piece, and the fact that it is on a board with squares like chess (admittedly less squares than a real chess board) would relate to chess. It does, but barely. And that contributed to why I didn't enjoy it. It's The Chess Game Least Like A Chess Game.
I've said many times, and will continue to say; I avoid Early Access games. They are difficult to judge, because you are judging an incomplete project. I broke my pledge to play The Political Process. While it is a reasonable simulation of USA politics, and a demonstrative lesson in why Congress doesn't function, I found it too rigid. It lacked enjoyable actions for the player. Also, while I don't know about the developer's political inclination, it is The Most Republican Favored USA Political Simulation.
Honorable Mention:
Despite buying games every year, these games that I recommend without reservation were games I either had already played, or got for free.
I've owned Crusader Kings II for almost a decade. When I first purchased it, I played it a bit, before awarding it an unexplained thumbs down on Steam. Since then I've learned most games are more fun with others. That's especially true of Paradox Development's historical strategy series. Even better, I convinced friends of mine to play CKII and then, using a mod, transfer the result into Europa Universalis IV. Together, they combine for 900 years of historical gameplay, resulting in mind bending and ahistorical circumstances. I'll always remember CKII as The Best Game I Originally Disliked On Steam.
Steam hosts dozens if not hundreds of free games. Most of them are free to play multiplayer games where the developer makes money selling cosmetics. Doki Doki Literature Club! is one of the few free single player games. It is also commonly on lists of the best free games on Steam. So it makes me less guilty that I played it, instead of the dozens of games I've paid for that I have yet to play. If you're looking for an anime game as a high school boy joining a literature club with four girls, with a disturbing twist, Doki Doki is for you. And on Awkward Mixture it is The Best Free Anime Game.
Insurmountable
isn't free, but I acquired a free copy from the Epic Store during a
giveaway (currently it is $5 on both Steam and Epic). I'm not a
mountaineer, but I used to be an intrepid hiker. Despite looking
simple, and even unrealistic, what with a mountain composed of
hexagons, I found the game strangely appealing. Climbing mountains
in an abandoned wilderness was both thrilling, and a zen-like
experience, as the wind and snow whistled around me in the dark as I
entered the death zone. And because it came out of nowhere,
Insurmountable
is my Most
Unanticipated Honorable Mention.
I've always hoped my kids would love the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I grew up watching the original TV show, playing with action figures, and enjoying the original SNES and Genesis games. So when my son wanted to play Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge, how could I say no? Myself, my two sons, and my wife, beat the game on normal difficulty. Off and on we continue to work through Gnarly difficulty. It's a great memorial to the original games, with only minor flaws. To my nostalgia addled mind it has one particularly egregious error, which makes this The Best TMNT Game With The Worst Restyle Of The TMNT Theme Song.
Games I'm Still Playing (Reviewed in previous years):
This category returns again to mention a few popular repeats and a surprise. The results are almost exactly the same as last year.
Across the year I play one to seven games of Dota, sometimes solo, and sometimes with friends.
I play Europa Universalis IV every Tuesday with three friends.
My kids' interest in Shovel Knight Showdown is finally waning but they still ask for a match once a month.
Surprisingly, I am playing Imperator: Rome, a game I gave a thumbs down last year. A friend and I are planning to play all the Paradox Strategy games from Ancient Rome through World War II.
Awkward Mixture's 3rd Place Award:
By December I've normally figured out which games will be where on this list. But I always have a few games I play in late November or December that won't get reviewed, and therefore can't be on the list for that year. At the end of 2022 I had The Forgotten City as a solid 4th place. But I don't rate after the top 3, and I hadn't written an article, so I let it drift into 2023. Despite being the first video game reviewed in 2023 The Forgotten City has run the gauntlet, still claiming a top 3 spot. It impressed me with its setting, the mythology, and the solutions. The Forgotten City is The Best Mod Of A Game Turned Into An Actual Game
Awkward Mixture's 2nd Place Award:
Some video game reviewers still award points based on visuals, music, plot, mechanics, and more. In line with the current trend, I can only judge whether I enjoy playing a game. That's why Elden Ring falls short of the ultimate prize, ending with 2nd place. I'm a huge fan of Dark Souls and the developer FromSoftware, but while Elden Ring is a fantastic game, there were elements that bothered me. I'm not an open world person. I was disappointed in the multiplayer. It feels weird to apologize about giving a game 2nd place, but there it is. Elden Ring is My Least Favorite Game By FromSoftware.
Best Game of 2023/2021
So the rematch between FromSoftware, Mobius Digital, and Obsidian ends in a victory for Mobius and their expansion, Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye. While I was disappointed by the lack of ship based exploration, everything else was an out of this world addition. The singular, yet expansive, setting allowed for a more pointed adventure. The communication through visual holograms and slide reels without words was genius. And the mystery, along with the solutions, were beguiling. As a final point, it wraps up loose ends from the original, making it a near perfect game. For all these reasons I recommend you play The Outer Wilds (2nd place in 2022) and this expansion. Echoes of the Eye is The Best Game on Awkward Mixture of 2023.
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