The most anticipated video games of 2023
The year promises new releases in adventure, science fiction, fantasy and magic
After a great 2022, this new year could mark a new era in video games. There are many more releases that deserve special attention – the remake of Dead Space, Forspoken, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Diablo IV, but for this reviewer, the following games are the year’s most significant. If they turn out as good as they seem, 2023 will be one of the best years in the medium’s history.
Resident Evil IV Remake (PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows).
This is the remake of one of the best installments of one of the most iconic sagas in video games. Many may back away from the term “remake,” but one small detail makes all the difference: the remake of Resident Evil II was one of the best games of the last generation of consoles – and maybe ever. That’s why the new version of the 2005 game that revolutionized the action and terror genres is so promising. A few years ago, we could play the original in Virtual Reality, with the graphic quality of VR. It was one of the best experiences of 2021. If the visuals and mechanics are polished, this game could become a hit.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Nintendo Switch)
Seven years after Breath of the Wild, Nintendo will finally release its sequel, one of the most anticipated games in history. Seven years are hardly justifiable for a sequel that uses the same console, the same animations and mechanics, and a good part of the same map. But the opus is a solid contender for the best game ever, with millions of fans around the world: it sold almost 30 million units. And this new installment promises to expand the physical and narrative frontiers of the previous one.
Final Fantasy XVI (PlayStation 5)
The key to Final Fantasy XVI is found in installment XVI. After years of languid wear and tear, the saga opted for designer Naoki Yoshida, who revived its most ambitious multiplayer installment, released in 2010. His talent, sense of history and respect for the player allowed the director to dethrone WOW as the most popular online role-playing game. Now, at the reins of one of the canonical installments of the saga, he promises to deliver a story with medieval tints, revenge, an elaborate story and a new feature: battles with giant creatures, in the purest kaiju style.
Harry Potter Legacy (PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and Series S, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows)
Despite boycott attempts due to J.K. Rowling’s anti-transgender position, this game is generating the most anticipation looking ahead to 2023. Let’s be honest, the Harry Potter saga has never had a video game that lives up to the possibilities that its world offers. Hogwarts Legacy seems to come to correct that mistake: set at the end of the 19th century, the game will allow us, from within the skin of a student at the magic school, to discover an entire world full of challenges, with the unmistakable touch of the saga.
Starfield (Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows)
Starfield is a new franchise and the first new universe Bethesda (Fallout, Elder Scrolls) has created in a quarter of a century. The space RPG will give us almost total freedom to explore the many worlds within a galaxy. Set in the year 2330, it promises to give us a story, set against a colonial war between large companies, to match the exploration and action.
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