PSNP 2023 Year End Awards

[Doodlebawp]

Piece of Cake - Unpacking. Those who have played this already know. This game is as simple as they come yet still manages to be an enjoyable experience.

 

Dark Souls Award - Afterimage. Not really the hardest game out there but it had its moments. Some bosses were a real pain in the ass to complete and map exploration was counterintuitive at times. A pretty big flaw for a metroidvania but it ultimately didn’t matter. I really enjoyed this title and hope it gets more positive attention from the community. It deserves it.

 

Bad-Ass Award - FF16.  Quite possibly the most epic boss fights I’ve ever experienced in a video game.  It’s too bad the overall combat was average at best.

 

Grind of the Year - Rogue Legacy 2. My second favorite game of 2023 but boy was it a grind. Like most roguelikes it requires multiple playthroughs to unlock all characters, bosses and upgrades. This game was an absolute blast to play and I was one of the first people to obtain the plat on this website. 

 

Finally Done - Hogwarts Legacy. Holy hell were these trophies annoying to obtain. I paused my final collection grind once it became clear that a lot of the trophies were glitched.  After reading that most issues were patched I came back later to finally clean everything up. Luckily for me nothing glitched and I got my plat.

 

King of Internet - Meet Your Maker - Any Home Alone fans out there? I had a blast building bases from scratch and loading them full of murderous traps. On top of that you get to watch other player’s attempt to make it past your traps and clear your homemade level. Such a unique experience that I’m glad was given to PS Plus subscribers day one.

 

Worst Online Experience - Remnant II. Glitchy trophies. Glitchy trophies mainly stemming from playing online with other players. Boring gameplay. I know I’m in the minority but I couldn’t enjoy this game no matter how badly I wanted to.

 

Best Music - Genshin Impact. Every few months the devs will release a brand new region to explore. This year’s newest region has some of the best music I’ve heard in a video game. They also somehow figured out how to make large underwater gameplay enjoyable. Chef’s kiss.

 

Sleeper Hit - Bomb Rush Cyberfunk. - A game that properly pays homage to Jet Set Radio. Amazing music, characters and levels to skate around and explore. My favorite game of 2023.

 

Biggest Bomb - The Artful Escape. It only took three hours for me to beat but this was by far the worst game I’ve played in recent memory. I’d rather eat glass. I’d rather step on a LEGO every day for the rest of my life. I’d rather play the Gollum game than play this again.

 

Best Trophy Image - River City Girls. The entire game oozes character and the artwork is central to that.

 

Worst Trophy Image - Spider-Man 2. Booooooooooooooring. Much like every Miles Morales side quest (please don’t hurt me).

 

Female Character - Kafka from Honkai Star Rail. She carries a sword and an Uzi. Enough said.

 

Male Character - The King of all Cosmos from Katamari. Where would the cosmos be without his guidance?
 

Best plat - Death Stranding.  Connecting every outpost on the map was SO SATISFYING.  I loved every hour I put into this game which is why I’ve beaten it twice. One of my favorite games of all time.

 

Worst plat - Salt and Sacrifice. Janky fighting mechanics with even jankier bosses. I think the foundation and formula are there for an amazing souls-like metroidvania, but this game fell short.

 

Most Anticipated - Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. The world needs more horde shooters.

[Beyondthegrave07]

5 minutes ago, Doodlebawp said:

Biggest Bomb - The Artful Escape. It only took three hours for me to beat but this was by far the worst game I’ve played in recent memory. I’d rather eat glass. I’d rather step on a LEGO every day for the rest of my life. I’d rather play the Gollum game than play this again.

What did you dislike about it specifically? Genuinely curious. I thought it was a pretty goofy, enjoyable distraction for 3 hours... maybe because the writing is kind of cringy?

 

Though, highly recommend people to name your stage name as, "Your Mom." The ending will be a 10/10, I promise. 

[Doodlebawp]

1 minute ago, Beyondthegrave07 said:

What did you dislike about it specifically? Genuinely curious. I thought it was a pretty goofy, enjoyable distraction for 3 hours... maybe because the writing is kind of cringy?

 

Though, highly recommend people to name your stage name as, "Your Mom." The ending will be a 10/10, I promise. 

 

I think the main issue was the gameplay getting stale for me 30 minutes in. I can deal with a horrible story if I'm having fun playing the game, but every minute was torture for me. And yeah, the story itself just didn't click with me. It was certainly unique which I give the devs props for, but it failed to keep my interest.

 

I see this game get praised a lot which is great. I'm glad that others really enjoy it. It's just not for me personally.

[ParkestNight]

Piece of Cake - Unpacking

 

A very chill and relaxing game on PS+! There's not a lot to unpack here, but I'd recommend this game if you're looking for a shorter experience.

 

It’s Like Dark Souls - Melty Blood: Type Lumina

 

The vast majority of the trophy requirements are pretty easy, but completing survival mode and some of the more advanced tutorial missions are extremely annoying (or maybe I just sucked), but the ability to slow gameplay speed was a godsend to give me more time to input the correct buttons.

 

Badass Award - The Witcher III - Game of the Year Edition

  

I already earned the Platinum for this in 2018, but I had to revisit it for the PS5 version. There were some bugs introduced in this version that wasn't on the PS4 (or at least I hadn't encountered), like game options resetting when having over 8 or so save files and having a weird black box obscuring Geralt's head in the inventory menu; however, that didn't detract from my enjoyment of playing as the White Wolf once more.

 

Grind of the Year - Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth

 

I loved DS:SS, and it scratched my monster taming itch. I didn't mind the grind when it had to do with the story, side quests, or even seeing new Digivolutions of Digimon I had yet to encounter, but the RNG / gacha machine collection grind really did me in. I was going to play the sequel right on its heels, but I just couldn't do it - maybe next year.

 

Finally Done - Fallout: New Vegas

 

Fallout: New Vegas wasn't actually the longest completion on my list (at least in terms of hours), but there's about 9.5 years between the first and last trophy earned in the game, so I'd say it qualifies. The only one happier than me to be done with this game is my PS3; the trooper held on for dear life each time I loaded into a new area.

 

King of the Internet - Saints Row

 

Between this game and Mirror's Edge Catalyst, Saints Row cinches this for the mere fact the servers are still up.

 

Worst Online Experience - Mirror's Edge Catalyst

 

I only dabbled in the online enough to earn the related trophies, but it's not bad at all - unless you count the fact that the servers for this game were recently shut down, making the Platinum unobtainable unless one already has the online trophies.

 

Best Music - The Artful Escape

 

The Artful Escape had some repetitive music, but also featured it as a thematic concept, using it to touch on authenticity and identity.

 

Sleeper Hit - Röki

 

I was looking for a shorter experience, but I enjoyed this game quite a bit more than I had initially expected. The characters and story had a certain charm to it.

 

Biggest Bomb of the Year - Gris

 

The art of the game is beautiful, but that's all Gris has going for it. The gameplay is terribly boring and the story felt more pretentious than emotional. Given its accolades, I frankly expected more.

 

Best Trophy Image - "The First Avenger" from Captain America: Super Soldiere

 

The game itself is aggressively mediocre, but I just love the trophy image.

 

Worst Trophy Image - "Personal Growth" from Gris

 

The art is the best aspect of Gris and this is the trophy image for the Platinum - really?

 

Best Female Character - Edith from What Remains of Edith Finch

 

 

The player plays as Edith for the majority of the game, but during the game's story it becomes increasingly apparently that Edith has clearly overcome some hardships, both personal and within her family. Emily and the Finch family's intertwined fates makes her story all the more tragic.

 

Best Male Character - Kazuma Kiryu from Yakuza 6: The Song of Life

 

The events of Yakuza 6 marks the beginning of the end of Kiryu's story, and it is cool to see some truly emotional moments from Kiryu's arc as well as his unwavering determination in the face of endless and insurmountable odds.

 

Best Platinum of the Year - Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

 

It is truly wonderful to play a new Ratchet & Clank game (especially so relatively soon after release thanks to PS+). It looks beautiful, runs as smooth as butter, and is incredibly fun to boot. Just the sheer number of weapons and gadgets make this game a pure joy to play. I wish there were more than cosmetic differences between Ratchet and Rivet, but I'm just nitpicking at that point.

 

Wurst Platinum ov the Yeer - Gris

 

Excruciatingly boring with little in the way of substance. Looks nice, though.

 

Most Anticipated Platinum of 2024 Award - Gothic: Remake

 

I honestly don't too many games coming out next year in which I have an interest (and this game doesn't even have a definitive release date window), but I do have my eye on Gothic: Remake since I've never played the first one.

[FreshFromThaDeli]

Piece of Cake Award

 

So easy that it became my fastest Platinum in 1 hour and 53 minutes. 

 

It's Like Dark Souls Plat Award 

 

 

The worst part of this experience was playing Morbid mode against hordes of bullet sponge zombies.

 

Badass Award

 

&

 

 

I love playing fighting games online. Between MK1 and SF6 I was in gaming bliss this year. Some of the fights I have done in Online Ranked were a joy to take part in.

 

Mortal Kombat 1

Here's when I made someone ragequit after styling on him with combo's. He didn't even last to round 2 🤣

 

 

Street Fighter 6

Here's a funny way I learned to K.O someone at low health in SF6. Never undedestimate the power of the taunt!

 

 

Grind of the Year Award

Two reasons:

 

I am Bad Company!

(Online) Achieve all the Awards

 

&

 

Beans Bullets Bandages

(Online) Get 10002 Kills

 

Finally Done Award

Platinum in 13 years & 5 months.

 

No surprise I didn't get get this Platinum until the year it gets announced for server shutdown. Otherwise I would have perpetually procrastinated over it.

 

King of the Internet Award

 

 

I could have just as easily put MK1 here because the gameplay is just as good but SF6 wins because it has a smoother online experience with better netcode and overall more feature rich. (No cross play yet in MK1, no lobbies etc.)

 

Worst Online Experience Award

No customer servers. Friendly fire always on. Broken party system that needs NAT Type 1 to be invited for a trophy. No vote to kick option. Awful online experience.

 

Yet, I still rather play this than most modern Battlefield games because it has better ganeplay. 

 

Best Music Award

 

So memorable for me. The loud bombastic boss fight themes to the catchy Notorious Mark themes to name a few will always be remembered by me. 

 

Sleeper Hit of the Year

 

I was one day browsing the PSN store during a sale and came across this game. I saw the hack and slash gameplay after viewing the trailer and was immediately interested. The very definition of an impulse buy. I loved every minute of this game.

 

Biggest Bomb of the Year Award

 

What a big letdown this game was for me. I enjoyed all of Mousemarque's games I have played up until now and I heard so many positive things about this game. Then I played it and it was an average top down twin stick zombie shooting game. 

 

It didn't have the same magic as Super Stardust or Resogun. 

 

Best Trophy Image Award

 

Mortal Kombat 1

It Has Begun!!!

Komplete Kage Masion Tutorial

 

Johnny Cage is a walking meme. This image is his intro where he fixes his shades and I love it 🤣

 

Also, a shout out has to go to...

 

Onechambara Z2 Chaos

 

https://psnprofiles.com/trophy/3822-onechanbara-z2-chaos/31-judgment-spinout

 

This whole games trophy list is a photo of every girl you get to play as. I have seen people make the image out of multiple trophies in their trophy cabinet 😅

 

Worst Trophy Image Award

 

UTTER LAZINESS. This is the Platinum image for Dead Nation. The same image as the Bronze, Silver & Gold trophies but just in a different colour. Even Dead Space Remake went and made a unique image that they copied throughout the trophy list.

 

Come to think of it I think it might be lazier to remake a game and use the same unoriginal images that were already copy and pasted across the trophy list back during the original list. 

 

Best Female Character Award

 

Chun-Li - Street Fighter 6

 

Yay! I managed to get a trophy image of Chun-Li. She is my main in SF6 so that's why I picked her. I'm still hoping that one day my 'main' main Rose returns to SF6 one day but until then I'm happy with how technical and fun they made Chun in her SF6 incarnation.

 

I love a good ragequit so here's one I got playing as Chun online.

 

 

Best Male Character Award

 

I mean come on. Who else could it be? I have Leon in my avatar for crying out loud! One word: Badass!

 

Best Plat of the Year Award

 

I had so much fun replaying this game for the Plat. I don't usually stack games unless it's from a series I really love. I played it first time on the PS5 then I booted up the PS4 version and started over again with no cross save available from PS5 to PS4 but I didn't care I made the Plat longer this way. I will gladly replay this game any day without any Plat.

 

Worst Plat of the Year Award

 

Despite only really having 2 trophies left in 2023 to get the Plat this easily makes the list due to the literally insane requirements to get all the Awards and boosting my life away for months on end to get every Award and the 10k kills

 

Most Anticipated Plat of 2024 Award

Call of Duty Black Ops III

 

I have every Black Ops  (even Black Ops Declassified on Vita). All except Black Ops III. This Platinum has eluded me for years. Truth be told, Black Ops 4 is a harder and grindier Plat so I can't even say the Campagin being a Grind is the biggest turnoff as I have done much bigger grinds in this very same series already.

 

I completed all the Zombies trophies couple years ago now so it's about time I complete these series of games for good. 

Edited December 30, 2023 by FreshFromThaDeli

[Yuber6969]

Thanks for doing this again @DoctorDrPepper!

 

PIECE OF CAKE AWARD:

The Language of Love

 

 

This is a pure VN that is usually used as trophy delivery software. You can get the plat in minutes by fast-forwarding through everything. I actually read everything (no voice acting) and it took me about 3 hours IIRC. I thought the story would be good. It wasn't.

 

IT'S LIKE DARK SOULS:

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

 

 

I found most of the game tough, but there were two moments in particular that had me raging.

 

Beating Monsoon on the hardest difficulty without getting hit was really hard. VR Mission 18 was even harder. Both of these were hard mainly because of the game's shitty camera.

 

The DLC (which I did not and will not complete) is even harder.

 

BAD ASS AWARD:

Guilty Gear: Strive - Beating the superboss with my own method.

 

 

The known strategies/cheese methods at the time weren't working for me, so I made my own.

 

GRIND OF THE YEAR:

Guilty Gear Xrd -SIGN-

 

 

MOM Mode took forever. I must have had hundreds of fights.

 

FINALLY DONE:

Street Fighter X Tekken

11+ years

 

 

My earliest timestamped trophy from this game (I have missing ones) was from over 11 years ago. This was one of the first PS3 games I played.

 

KING OF THE INTERNET:

Scourge: Outbreak

 

 

I played the whole game in co-op with both old friends and new ones, and it was a good time.

 

WORST ONLINE EXPERIENCE:

Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's Decade Duels Plus

 

 

 

My boosting partners were great, but the servers made this hell. You can get wins by having the losing player not make a move for 30 seconds IIRC. The servers were so shitty that we could rarely stay connected long enough for that to happen.

 

BEST MUSIC:

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

 

 

I liked every single track from this OST and still listen to a lot of the songs. The Only Thing I Know for Real is the best boss theme I've ever heard, hands down.

 

Guilty Gear: Strive and Persona 3: Portable are honourable mentions.

 

SLEEPER HIT OF THE YEAR:

Bakumatsu Rock: Ultra Soul

 

 

@AihaLoveleaf told me about this game and I bought it because I will play literally any rhythm game. I didn't understand the story because it was in Japanese, but the music and the mechanics were solid.

 

BIGGEST BOMB OF THE YEAR

Persona 5 Tactica

 

 

It breaks my heart to shit on a Persona game, but I have to be honest with myself. The gameplay was so bad IMO. The game had no free-roam, unmemorable music (a big sin for a Persona game), and excessively long battles. The story was good at least.

 

BEST TROPHY IMAGE:

Blade Arcus Rebellion from Shining

 

 

She hot.

 

WORST TROPHY IMAGE:

Silent Hill 3 HD

 

 

I actually liked Heather, but she looks awful here.

 

BEST FEMALE CHARACTER:

Vert - Hyperdimension Neptunia Re;Birth 2

 

 

I pick my team in JRPGs based on battle performance rather than who I actually like. She's hot, is a gamer, and thankfully is good in combat. Sadly you get her late in the game.

 

BEST MALE CHARACTER:

Sol Badguy - Guilty Gear series

 

 

I usually play as shoto characters, and that was also the case in GG. I liked him as a character too. Sol is my second favourite video game character (after Goro Majima).

 

BEST PLAT OF THE YEAR:

Bakumatsu Rock: Ultra Soul

 

 

Rhythm is my favourite genre, and the only one I'd say that I'm good at.

 

IMO, this game's trophy list is what a rhythm game should have. A story (which unfortunately, I could not follow), a decent level of challenge, and having to play all songs. Most importantly, no distractions from the actual rhythm gameplay like the Diva Room in some of the Miku games.

 

WORST PLAT OF THE YEAR:

3D Dot Game Heroes

 

 

I have nothing objectively bad to say about this game other than the fact that it crashes from time to time, but the gameplay was not my cup of tea.

 

However, the platinum was awful. 3 playthroughs are needed, there is a very grindy trophy, and the most difficult trophy by far is tied to a minigame.

 

MOST ANTICIPATED PLATINUM OF 2024:

Persona 3 Reload

 

 

(I couldn't find a P3R image that would successfully imbed)

 

Diehard Persona fan. Not much else to say.

 

[MarcusPunisher]

Piece of Cake Award

Ikai

This was one of the first platinum I unlocked in 2023. I remember being interested in the trailer and its focus on Japanese folklore. There were a few things that could block you from getting certain trophies, but I did not find them difficult at all, and getting the platinum was pretty easy. The story was interesting before the end section, and the puzzles were interesting enough to keep me engaged, minus one very flawed one containing a spider that just required random luck. I saw this as a small indie game, and that is what I got. It was not as memorable as I hoped, but it had a quick platinum. This should be a piece of cake as long as you have a guide and you do not have that awful English dub.

Honorable Mentions: What Remains of Edith Finch, The House of Dead Remake

 

It's Like Dark Souls

Kingdom Hearts I

My last platinum of 2023 and pretty fitting for the category. The proud mode is no joke. You can get by with a few exploits or get over-leveled, but later game parts will require some serious skill and patience. Maleficent and that last enemy corridor were just the worst to deal with. Surprisingly, Ansem Riku and the final Ansem were not as difficult as some claim to be. Once you get a specific pattern going, you are all right. I enjoyed getting to know the core mechanics of this game and how to improve my gameplay style. I just wish that some of the tedium of getting resources to the Ultima weapon was not as frustrating. Still, I am glad I went through this and found a new appreciation for this game. It will just take a while before I tackle KH II.

Honorable Mention: Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

 

Bad ass Award

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard - Ethan Never Dies

I have been eyeing for a 100% completion of Resident Evil 7, specifically towards this trophy. What is interesting is that each run makes you learn about certain obstacles. They can sometimes be complete bs, but once you learn how they work, it becomes easier. The final boss is something that you have to pray nothing goes wrong. It is more straightforward than it looks. It just requires a ton of patience and some luck. Earning the trophy after my 6th attempt made me feel like a badass. 😎

 

Grind of the Year

Mortal Kombat 1

A game I did not expect to play this year but ended up getting the platinum regardless. I do not regret playing the game. I actually liked some of the aspects of the story this time, and the gameplay was fun. I regret going through another tedious grind. I will give them this they at least tried to make it somewhat interesting with the invasion angle, but it ended up being worse than Mortal Kombat 11. If NRS could make gaining xp either faster or more varied, the progression would be much more enjoyable. The customization and skin options are lacking or are far worse than in the previous game. The funniest thing was that some combos or fatality inputs were straight-up wrong or did not work even after a month of its release. I feel a lot of features are missing in this game, which would support the theory that this game was rushed out prematurely. Hopefully, they can fix some of those issues in the feature to make it more fun. Also, Megan Fox can now proudly reclaim the title of being the worst voice actress in modern MK games after Ronda Rousey. 

Honorable Mentions: Mafia II Definitive Edition, Hogwarts Legacy

 

Finally Done Award

Assassins Creed Syndicate

Another Year, another backlog of Assassins Creed games finished. I enjoyed going back to the previous AC games, like Black Flag and Unity. Not so much with this one. This was the safest and most white-bread AC game I have played. I normally think that most AC games have something going, but not this one. The story was bland, the characters were partially acceptable, and the combat devolved from that of Unity. The only interesting thing was the grappling hook and building up your gang, which is not as realized as it should be. Surprisingly, the DLC was more interesting than the main plot of the game. It is short but decent. No wonder they had to take a break from the AC after this. It also kinda confirms that making AC in a World War setting would not work as well as people think. I am glad that I am finally done with this, and I never have to come back to this.

Honorable Mention: Soul Calibur VI, Kingdom Hearts 1, Far Cry 5

 

King of the Internet

Rise of the Tomb Raider

I had a few good sessions to get the co-op trophies. This one is still in progress as we have not managed to get all of them, and some need to be completed with specific requirements. The co-op is enjoyable enough, and the gameplay of Rise complements that mode pretty well. If only they could have the option to play as different characters or have sins not tacked to skill cards. I hope to come back to this very soon.

 

Worst Online Experience

The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan

Trying to coordinate exactly what each character has to do was a nightmare to meet the specific requirements. Not to mention, some collectibles straight up do not register and thus force you to start over in this unskippable cutscene game. Thankfully, I managed to fulfill the requirements by playing on my second console. The time spent with this game was still a chore. The story is boring, the characters are annoying, and the final ending where everyone gets locked up is my preferred ending. I tried this series, but the follow-up titles do not get any better, I do not agree with what some people say. The one objective improvement to future games was not having any online required trophies, and that is always a positive. 

 

Best Music

Soul Calibur VI

Once again, I can put so many other games in this category, and I will mention some in the honorable mentions. I do not think that this was as strong of a year for me as last year, but it was still pretty good. I have to go with my gut on this. The series has always provided some memorable music, and this one is no different. From the menu to a character selection, I can put this in the background or listen to it when I am in the mood. You also put one of the best combat music from The Witcher 3, and you have yourself an easy winner for this category.

Honorable Mentions: The Forgotten City, Mafia II Definitive Edition, Kingdom Hearts 1

 

Sleeper Hit of the Year

Killer Frequency

Here is a big surprise of 2023 for me. I searched for this game randomly on PS Store, and its premise intrigued me. You play as a radio host in an 80s small-town city. A killer will eventually get on the loose, and you have to provide a 911 service for the foreseeable time before the police arrive. You can have characters live or die based on dialogue choices, which determines the ending. It is a silly premise, and the game knows that by not taking itself too seriously. It pays homage to many 80s-style slashers, and it is more comedic than anything. You only control the radio booth and occasionally do some easy puzzles. The game could have gone downhill because of its cast, but I can say that from characters to voice acting, this is top-notch. The voice of the main character, Forrest Nash is especially great and carries some of the more comedic situations that would have otherwise come off silly. The art style shading also gives the game a nostalgic atmosphere to the setting. This was so good that I played the game twice to earn both platinums on PS4 and PS5. Easy stand out of 2023 that goes unrecognizable. 

Honorable Mentions: Signalis, The Forgotten City

 

Biggest Bomb of the Year

Marvel's Spider-Man 2

2018 Marvel's Spider-Man was my favorite game of that year, so my expectations for the sequel were high. I even liked the Miles Morales spin-off enough to wait for the sequel. I do not think that I have been this disappointed in a game since the Resident Evil 3 remake. My thoughts on this game have worsened since I beat it and got the platinum. I think the biggest improvement is the graphics and seamless transition. Everything else was either a step back or plain terrible in other instances, mainly the writing and the characters. They simplified the gadgets in a way where you cannot use many varieties of combos. Now it relies on power moves and that is not as complex as the previous games. The suits are no longer tied with specific power-ups, so collecting them was not as satisfying. But nothing was worse than the story. I feel like the writers tried to cram so much into one game that it became a complete mess. I noticed that this time, they tried to put way too many walking sections and put dialogue that does not sound natural and instead comes off pretentious. The game tries to be serious and forceful in certain sections, yet has Yuri deliver an over-the-top voice when he has the suit on that sounds so comical. The characters make many questionable choices, and the plot becomes filled with holes larger than Mary Jane's jawline. The storyline was frustrating to go through, the pacing was annoying in some sections, mainly the MJ's forced missions again, and the finale left me dissatisfied and questioning the motive behind it. It is not even close to the emotional reaction I had towards the end of the first game. It's not as bad as The Last of Us Part 2, but there are moments it comes close. I would say that I hope they can improve on this aspect, but based on the sales, it may as well be wishful thinking. I still had fun with the gameplay, and the platinum was enjoyable, but I don't ever feel like coming back to this, because it is just not as fun. This alone made 2023 very disappointing.

 Dishonorable Mentions: Little Hope, AEW: Fight Forever

 

Best Trophy Image

Mortal Kombat 1 - It Has Begun!!!

It is Johnny Cage giving the middle finger while adjusting his glasses. Enough said about that. It is somewhat of a redemption from last year's worse image in Mortal Kombat 11. I could have put something artistic, but I just had to go with this. 😂

 

Worst Trophy Image

Robocop: Rogue City - There Can Only Be One

Easy. There has not been any trophy image associated with this trophy, and it has not been patched since the game came out. For that, it is an easy pick.

 

Best Female Character

Sindel - Mortal Kombat 1

Unlike the previous year, where I struggled to put a character because there have been so many good ones, this time, I struggled for a reason where I could barely think of any. I do not know what that says about current female characters in gaming, or maybe I just did not play enough games for one to make a big impression on me to write about them. I have to pick, it would be Sindel from the current Mortal Kombat game. Simply because she is one of my favorite characters in MK, and after they completely butchered her character in MK 11, I am glad that they rectified that with this new installment. She is exactly as she is supposed to be portrayed and is made even better as the new queen of Outworld. Instead of being a female Shao Khan, she is a loving mother who cares about her people and is willing to sacrifice herself for her daughters. It was somewhat refreshing to see this version after what they have done, and it is what filled me with joy watching her character, among many others in the MK 1 story. I hope that NRS will keep improving upon this like they did with the current Sindel.

Honorable Mention: Equitia - The Forgotten City

 

Best Male Character

Sebastian Sallow - Hogwarts Legacy

This category on the other hand was as tough as the last year. I was so close to putting Luis from the recent RE 4. As much as I want to include him, I have to put Sebastian instead for being the sole reason that holds Hogwarts Legacy's narrative together. He is the heart and soul of that game, as his questline is far more interesting and compelling than the main game. He brings up some moral questions that are hovering in the grey area. There is enough complexity in him that is hard to pinpoint. He is loyal, but his methods are questionable. It sparked some great debates on the Internet about his story, which makes him an interesting character. As for me, I was rooting for him, even when his methods were questionable at best. Plus, he is the only one who can teach you the Avada Kedavra spell, which can make almost any battle laughably easy and is the most fun spell in the game for obvious reasons. For that, this is an easy choice.

Honorable Mentions: Luis - Resident Evil 4, Vito Scaletta - Mafia II, Cal Kestis - Jedi Survivor, Forest Nash - Killer Frequency

 

Best Platinum of the Year

Resident Evil 4 Remake

No surprise here. The game that I put the most hours into and what was my most anticipated platinum is the Resident Evil 4 remake. I was skeptical until the day I got to play, as Resident Evil 4 is one of my favorite games, and to remake it is to recreate greatness. While I think the OG is still better, this comes close, and they did a great job of preserving the original design and creating something new. One such instance is to change the Krauser fight from QTE to a straight up boss fight. I can tell that the team working on it was respectful of the original and they made sure to make changes without alienating fans. Many changes were made for sure like having a darker and more serious tone or taking out certain areas from the OG, but the gameplay loop and mechanics are what was preserved. It is made somewhat difficult this time, but that also comes with learning the game. It is very satisfying to figure out certain strategies and use them to improve. The replay has so much value going on. I played through the game so many times, and I was able to discover many different strategies to progress. Getting the S+ rank was probably the most satisfying gaming experience of 2023. I also like some of the improvements on the side characters, mainly Luis and Ashley. They were fleshed out more this time and were given more things to do that made their characters better. I cannot say the same about the villains. Salazar and Saddler were given a downgrade, where one does not share the fun banter with Leon anymore, and the other is barely in the game. I also wish that some iconic areas were presented in the game or that they added more customs without paying for them. Thankfully, the DLC adds more of that and made it better than the former, except for Ada's voice actress sleepwalking through most of her scenes. I am glad and almost surprised that this came out so well that I was able to have a great experience that was worth paying for. This is the opposite of Marvel's Spider-Man 2. I do not know what Capcom has in store, but if it is another remake, I hope it is close to as good as this one. No matter what, I always like to platinum a good Resident Evil game.

Honorable Mentions: Killer Frequency, Signalis, Hogwarts Legacy, Soul Calibur VI

 

Worst Platinum of the Year

The Callisto Protocol

I platinumed the game sometime in February of 2023 and said that: "This might be one of the most frustrating experiences in a so-called "survivor" horror game, which I refuse to call it as it is more of an action game." I think I said my peace with this game when I made a lengthy post about it and my endless complaints about patches that had no cutscene skip. My opinion has not changed, except from what I heard about the very last DLC that came with this game, which makes it even more infuriating. I wanted to love this game, and there were signs of good things in it, but the combat, story, and "survivor horror" aspect made it impossible to even like. I wish I did not have this platinum on my list, and with how many goddamn DLC's packs are there, I doubt I will ever be able to finish it. Never say never, of course. I 100% games that I thought were impossible complete, but I seriously have no desire to do so. I am not angry; I am just extremely disappointed.  With half of the staff being fired and Glen Schofield being gone, I do not know if there is any further in this. It is probably good that this is one-and-done. The sooner this is forgotten, the better. 

Dishonorable Mentions: Man of Medan, Assassin's Creed Syndicate, 

 

Most Anticipated Platinum of 2023

Persona 3 Reloaded

Persona 3 is my favorite Persona game. I think it holds up well, even with some of the more frustrating gameplay mechanics. That said, I am not oblivious to the fact to acknowledge that a remake would be more welcome because of those flaws. There are tons of ways to improve on the gameplay aspect of Persona 3. NOT THE STORY! The story should be kept exactly as it is, as that is the aspect of what makes it so good. If it plays similarly to the Persona 5 Royal and they could add some sections to the dungeon sections, I think this could work. I do wish that the original cast could reprise their roles, as their voices are synonymous with the characters, but I will wait and judge that when the game comes out. I like what I have seen from the marketing, so I hope that it is good and that the platinum for it will be enjoyable.