Wow, 2023 has been an incredible year for gaming, one of the very best! And here we are at the end of the year, so let’s look back at some games, shall we? You guys probably know that I’m a big Nintendo guy. In fact, I don’t even have the other consoles (mostly because I don’t have time to play them all). This was a great year for Nintendo, we got so many fantastic games on the Switch. This year I beat a total of 26 games! (I was hoping to beat 30, but you know how it goes)
I went through the game releases of 2023 on wiki and came up with a list of games I'm interested in for Switch (as if I could get to them all this month . . not). I looked for games exclusive to Switch, but some of these are also on PS4, PC or mobile. As long as they were not on Xbox or something I feel goes with Playstation like GrimGrimoire Once More (and I was strongly interested in playing them) I put them on the list. So here goes in reverse chronological order (the order I'm playing them in):
It’s the end of the year so you know what that means? It’s time for my “Best Video Games of 2023 Awards Show!” Keep in mind that this is my list only and no other outside opinions contributed. And if a game isn’t on this list, it either just didn’t appeal to me as much or I haven’t had a chance to play it yet. Ok with that out of the way, let’s begin!
With Super Mario Bros. Wonder being recently released, everyone is talking about the new power-up that turns Mario into an elephant! I didn’t realize Mario was such a University of Alabama fan! He DOES wear red all the time, though! Roll Tide, Mario, Roll Tide! Anyway, Elephant Mario isn’t the ONLY elephant in video games, so I thought I’d talk about my other top video game elephants. So let’s stomp our feet and trumpet our nose! These aren’t in any particular order or anything, though.
Pokemon finally got topped in sales by Grand Theft Auto this year with Vice City #1 and GTA III #3 in the U.S. . Critical acclaim went to GameCube's Metroid Prime and Zelda: Wind Waker. The Sims topped all-time PC sales beating out Myst this year. Microsoft bought Rare and Gametrailers began online. Remember Gametrailers? I used to check out that site all the time. Now for games I wouldn't mind playing again or for the first time.
GameCube, GBA and Xbox were all released. Pokemon games won all sales awards across the board, again. Amongst the highest critically were: Halo, GTA III, Grand Turismo 3 and Final Fantasy X. Dreamcast was discontinued this year, which was probably when I got one on the cheap as GameStop started shipping them all back to their warehouses. I probably got a Xbox on the strength of Halo, Gamecube for the Rogue Squadron sequel, and a PS2 for the Red Faction port. Here's a bunch of games I played around that time, then alter, and then ones I'd like to play now.
Interesting year dominated by Street Fighter II and TMNT in the arcades. Bungie and ID companies were founded and GameInformer began this year. I made a list of stuff I wish to revisit or try for the first time. Thought I'd share it.
Lots of stuff of interest to me this year. Mostly in retrospec because all I had that year was arcades and a Mac Plus computer.
Around this time of year, I like to make a list of my best games SO FAR, because usually the AAA titles are released later in the year during the holiday season, and the titles that came out earlier tend to be forgotten. So here’s when those games get their due. Keep in mind that this is my list only and no other outside opinions contributed. And if a game isn’t on this list, it either just didn’t appeal to me as much or I haven’t had a chance to play it yet. Ok with that out of the way, let’s begin!
I’ve got a new batch of sweet and sour reviews I’ve recently cooked up over at GamerDad.com! Please click on the links and read as many as you can, and maybe even post a ‘like’ or comment or two. I’d appreciate it. Ok grab those chopsticks and let’s dig in!
Welcome back to Nerds Without Pants! This week, we shout out some of our favorite women in games, be they characters, developers, content creators, and more. Then we talk about a couple bad games and a couple better games before pitting Zelda against Dragon Quest in a cage match.
Welcome to a decidedly NOT special episode of Nerds Without Pants, despite what the episode number may tell you. We’ve got some fun headlines and some deep discussion about a couple of games, so we hope you enjoy!
Welcome to a special Nerds Without Pants! Eric Peacock from the Soundtracker Podcast joins us for the first time to talk about pretty video game music, his video game origin story, and much, much more!
Happy New Year! Around this time of year, I like to make a list of games that are releasing in the coming year that I’m looking forward to. Of course, this isn’t a full complete list, as there will assuredly be titles announced throughout the year that I may get as well. Heck, last year we didn’t know about Pac-Man World: Re-Pac until late summer, and that ended up being my Game of the Year in 2022! But anyway, here’s what I know now, for the most part, so let’s take a look at what games I’m looking forward to in 2023!
Willow is a 1988 dark fantasy movie I never watched as a child. Yet the name still rings a nostalgic bell in my brain. Strangely, I didn’t consciously pay it much attention until I stumbled across the NES game sometime in the mid-2000s. But seeing the name and characters on the cover felt deeply familiar in a way I still grapple to understand. Maybe I saw the movie poster and heard its name in passing as a kid but didn’t think much of it until discovering the video game later in life. Initially released by Capcom in 1989, Willow was a calculated attempt to create a game with broader appeal since it was based on a property with characters familiar to its audience. Fortunately for Capcom, those calculations were entirely correct.
My gaming dance card is filled up at least until next summer, when Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom launches.
I kind of stopped writing pretty much everywhere and not just electronically for a while. I'm going to blame it on stress and anxiety. Anyway, I'm back, and hopefully for more than just this one blog entry.
