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Over the next eight days, Hardcore Gamer will be revealing its Best of 2023 Awards leading up to our Game of the Year. Today we present you with the Best New IP, Sequel, Remaster, Surprise and VR Game.
Hi-Fi Rush
There are many ways one can determine how good a new gaming IP is, but a lot of it comes down to the world, writing, uniqueness and presentation. It should be something that not only invites us in and gives us something we haven’t seen before, but leaves us wanting to remain in that world and keep adventuring long after the game ends. And who wouldn’t want to spend as much time as possible in a world where you’re able to bash a cafeteria full of robots to the tune of “Invaders Must Die” by The Prodigy where your adorable robot cat keeps the beat, all before you engage in a boss battle with giant werewolf who run the evil company’s finance team? That is but a sliver of the colorful and insane world that Hi-Fi Rush delivers with its Vandelay Campus, a world where where corporate life and battle with giant robots collide with rhythmic action, courtesy of our hero. With one of the year’s best casts, worlds, moments and a ton great gameplay, Hi-Fi Rush easily stand out as one of the year’s best debuts.
Runner-Ups
Dave the Diver
Pizza Tower
Sea of Stars
Baldur’s Gate 3
Baldur’s Gate and Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn were both developed by BioWare and released over two decades ago. They are also both some of the highest-rated games of their time and are still discussed when the topic of best RPGs of all time comes up. Having a new developer tackle a sequel so many years after the fact is likely to raise concern among fans who may be suspicious of it being nothing more than a cash grab banking on nostalgia alone. These concerns are not without merit, but after spending several hours with Baldur’s Gate 3, it becomes apparent they are completely unfounded in this case. Baldur’s Gate 3 is a contemporary take on what made the original Baldur’s Gate games so beloved. It caters to modern gaming sensibilities while maintaining the adventurous spirit of its predecessors. Bringing in new blood to handle making a sequel for such an iconic series can be a huge risk, but Larian Studios did a phenomenal job with Baldur’s Gate 3. Fans of the original games could not have hoped for a better sequel.
Armored Core VI
Alan Wake 2
Final Fantasy XVI
Remnant II
Metroid Prime Remastered
Think up a hypothetical remaster/re-release to one of the most beloved video games of all time and you’d be forgiven for thinking any such outing would settle on widescreen support, bumping up the resolution and leaving it pretty much at that. A full-blown make-over to the visuals, graphics, lighting and other such in-game assets would likely never pass a fans’ mind when it comes to how you go about making a game like Metroid Prime “better.” But lo and behold, Retro Studios and company not only found a way, they achieved the impossible in elevating a classic to even loftier heights. That Metroid Prime Remastered was able to look as impressive as it did on Switch was a phenomenal achievement on its own. Even after twenty years, Samus Aran’s venture through Tallon IV is still as groundbreaking and replayable a release as it was first-time round on Gamecube. Yet for a game that even now continues to age remarkably well on its own, Metroid Prime Remastered found just the right balance of alterations, improvements and fine tweaks to further solidify the series’ debut into 3D as one of the all-time greats.
GrimGrimoire OnceMore
Risk of Rain Returns
The Making of Karateka
Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core
It almost seemed like Hi-Fi Rush was destined to win this award from the day it arrived. After all, in a world where the typical “shadow drop” release is something like a small indie game, some DLC, a remaster of decades-old game or something else in a similar area, nobody expected an entirely brand-new third-person action game from a major developer and publisher. But Bethesda and Tango Gameworks kicked off the year by doing just that, dropping an entire game with a substantial length of ten hours or more into our laps during an Xbox showcase. That alone arguably could have gotten Hi-Fi Rush this award, but what sealed the deal was just how surprisingly good it is, being a superbly-stylish action game with unique splashes of rhythm game elements and a well-written story with a terrific cast, all culminating in a satisfying and meaty jam that already made it a GOTY frontrunner in the eyes of many, even with eleven months left in the year. Hi-Fi Rush came out of nowhere and blew us all away like a classic ’80s cassette tape ad, and so it rightfully gets this year’s award for Biggest Surprise.
Void Stranger
Resident Evil Village
Resident Evil Village is impressive in general, but much like Resident Evil 7, many figured out that it was built for virtual reality. The VR DLC was a free update to the game, but honestly was a system seller for the VR itself. Using 3D audio and all of the tech that the PlayStation VR2 offered with haptic feedback and 4K HDR visuals opened the door wide open for immersion. The many different areas in this game helped open things up more than Resident Evil 7 VR did due to the varying types of locations. Some locations are well lit and others are completely dark, but the castle stands out the best and is amazing to take in as players will truly lose themselves. Not to mention the actual scale of Lady D is much bigger than originally thought. The visuals, audio experience and the aiming mechanics for shooting and inventory management almost make Resident Evil Village VR a completely different game.
Gran Turismo 7
Killer Frequency
I Expect You to Die 3
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