What are the worst and best games of 2023, according to critics? See the ranking

What to talk about 2023? For many, this was one of the best years for the video game world in a long time. Every month there was at least one big title and some surprises that hit people’s wallets. It was such a special year that we decided to make an episode of this special for him. This is the Worst to the Best of 2023. Here are our criteria, pay close attention:

• The grades presented are based on the Metacritic rating aggregator. If the title was released for more than one platform, we will take the scores from each version and make an arithmetic average.
• We separated the 5 best and 5 worst games, and it is worth mentioning that there were draws.

Let’s go to the list!

The worst of the year 2023

4) Amount of Error – 41

And we start the list with a draw. Amount of Error is a horror game that takes its genre too seriously. The title is a futuristic FPS in which the player takes on the role of Captain Jacob Thomas to contain an emergency at the Monad Quantum research center, placing him in the middle of flames and monsters. What could have been an interesting title, was massacred by analysts due to its narrative, slow pace, generic enemies, terrible acting and poor level design. All of this earned him a 41 grade.

4) Testament: The Order of High-Human – 41

Also fourth, we have Testament: The Order of High-Human. This medieval fantasy game is an attempt to replicate the success of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, mixing RPG and metroidvania that puts the player in the role of the leader of supreme humans, Aran, protecting his kingdom from various threats. Turns out he got all the bad parts of Skyrim and focused on that. The game is frustrating, buggy and weak, it takes too long and isn’t fun. Your score is 41.

3) The Lord of the Rings – Gollum – 38,3

Thirdly, we have this bomb that has been warning for some time that it was going to explode. The Lord of the Rings – Gollum takes place between the events of The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring, with the player controlling Gollum, who is seeking Bilbo Baggins to recover the One Ring. The game is of the point-and-click genre and suffered many problems during its development. Its performance was so poor that the developer, Daedalic Entertainment, canceled its plans for other games in the franchise, carried out mass layoffs and changed its focus to publishing games. The criticisms were the camera movements, the various bugs, the terrible mission design, the number of fatal crashes, the downgrade in the protagonist’s modeling and the bad user interface. Your grade is 38.3.

2) Flashback 2 – 33

Secondly, a new game in a classic franchise, which didn’t work out at all. Flashback 2 is a cinematic platformer that puts the player in the role of Conrad B. Hart, a young special agent who must confront the Morphs and put an end to their plans to enslave the entire Solar System. Designer Paul Cuisset’s past successes were not repeated here and the game is a disaster. Instability in performance, terrible aiming system, bad sound mixing for voices, poorly done animations and lots of bugs. The game got a rating of 33.

1) Greyhill Incident – 32

And in first place on the list of the worst games of 2023, this aberration that is difficult to even call a game. Greyhill Incident is a survival horror that takes place during the gray alien invasion of the fictional Greyhill. Players must be stealthy to help other inhabitants of the place. Well, you can imagine that he’s nothing more than a freak. Analysts harshly criticized its plot, gameplay, acting and dialogue, in other words, very little. He got a score of 32.

The best games of 2023

4) Resident Evil 4 – 91,6

We start the list of the best with the remake of a beloved and acclaimed horror game. Resident Evil 4 follows the same line of reimagining that Capcom has been doing in recent years. The story remains the same as the original, with special agent Leon Kennedy tasked with rescuing Ashley Graham, the daughter of the President of the United States. This mission will bring you face-to-face with a bizarre cult and a bunch of people infected with a dangerous parasite called Las Plagas. Some of the new features and differences in this version are an above-the-shoulder camera closer to the character, an item creation system, the ability to walk and use the weapon, a new parry mechanic and Leon’s weapon now has a durability meter. . As expected, the game was a complete success. It was praised for its new areas, for Ashley is no longer an insufferable character, the story has more context and connects better with Resident Evil 2 and finally, the combat is extremely satisfying. Your grade is

3) Super Mario Bros. Wonder – 92

In third place we have a game featuring the most beloved mustachioed plumber in gaming. Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the character’s first 2D game since New Super Mario Bros. U, do WiiU. Among the new features that the game brought, we have the power that transforms the character into an elephant, another that gives the player a drill hat, crazy changes in the level thanks to the collectible Wonder Seeds. It supports up to 4 people per local and multiplayer phase and 8 available characters. And for us Brazilians, it still has a big difference, which is that it is completely localized for our language, with some characters being dubbed. The game was extremely praised by the specialized media, saying that it is elegant, sharp and intelligent, with many classifying it as the best 2D Mario since Super Mario World, released in 1990. Its rating is 92.

2) Metroid Prime Remastered – 94

Secondly, a title that was somewhat forgotten at the barbecue. Launched at the beginning of the year, Metroid Prime Remastered is a high-resolution version of the classic GameCube game. The remaster made by Retro Studios brought new visuals, an updated control scheme and new unlockables, maintaining all the essence and story of the original title. It was highly praised, with analysts saying it was a perfect example of how to honor an acclaimed classic and bring it to a new generation. However, it is worth mentioning that he received criticism for not crediting the developers responsible for the original version or the Wii. Anyway, he received a score of 94.

1) The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – 96

And we have a tie for first place. We start with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. The game is a continuation of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and accompanies Link in his task of saving Princess Zelda and preventing the world from being destroyed by the Demon King. Although it maintains part of the previous game map, it presents a new area in the sky and one below, making the adventure and exploration more vertical. One of the new features here are the Zonai devices, which the player can use for combat, propulsion, exploration and other things. These abilities replace runes of Breath of the Wild and bring a new range of possibilities for players. Maintaining the vibe of its predecessor while presenting good news was a great move by Nintendo, causing the game to be acclaimed by the public and media. Among the praise received, we have the wonderful open world, the new creation tools, the exciting and engaging story and several audacious moments for the franchise. Your score is 96.

1) Baldur’s Gate 3 – 96

And to close the video, also firstly we have Baldur’s Gate 3. The game is based on the tabletop RPG system Dungeons & Dragons and was available through early access in 2020, but only received its third part this year, thus completing its development.

It can be played solo or multiplayer, with players choosing one of 12 classes, 48 ​​subclasses and 11 races. Not only that, but the character customization part is quite extensive. Combat is in turns, with each member of the group and opponents individually carrying out their actions.

Finally, the story is full of content, with a huge amount of missions to be carried out and with a plot that adapts according to the players’ choices. The title was absolutely and completely acclaimed by everyone. Praise ranges from the great cast of characters to the incredible combat, the freedom it presents and the incredible cooperative mode. Your score is 96.

And for you: what was the best game of 2023? Comment on Voxel’s social networks!