Here you will find the Racing Year 2023
Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty
Release: March / Platform: Multiformat
There are surprisingly few games that explore the rich and vastly vast Chinese mythology, but in the upcoming Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, we get to do just that. The game is being developed by Team Ninja’s Nioh gang, giving an indication of the kind of action RPG we can expect. Among other things, we are promised good opportunities to create our own protagonist who can be designed in the way that best suits our own play style. As if to make everything better, there is also support for co-op so you can explore the seemingly mighty game world together, and it’s also included with Game Pass right from the launch day.
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Octopath Traveler II
Release: February / Platform: Multiformat
Octopath Traveler dropped like a minor bomb in 2018. For anyone who thinks Square Enix has gone too far with their graphics-heavy role-playing games that today are mostly action titles, it felt liberating to see that they still have the magic left when they want. And instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, they return next month with a sequel of a more classic cut, that is, an adventure that follows in the footsteps of its predecessor and offers more of what was already good, complete with a fair amount of news.
Final Fantasy XVI
Release: June / Platform: Playstation 5
If you follow my blog, of course you know that I wasn’t looking forward to Final Fantasy XVI very much at all, so why is it on here? Well, because after all, I love the Final Fantasy series and have played basically everything it has to offer. Of course, I will also play Final Fantasy XVI, which hopefully can surprise me positively and offer an epic adventure, despite seemingly outdated graphics and a gray presentation.
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Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes
Release: 2023 / Platform: Multiformat
People begged and pleaded for years for Konami to make another Suikoden. However, Konami refused (they refused to make any games at all, basically). After seeing how well Castlevania legend Koji Igarashi did with his spiritual Castlevania: Symphony of the Night sequel Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night on Kickstarter, Suikoden heights decided to do the same. And it was apparently a stroke of genius, because Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes pulled in crazy amounts of money and from what we’ve seen from the adventure, it looks like it’s going to be downright criminally good. If you’ve been missing epic adventures and the opportunity to create your own gang based on a huge ensemble, this is probably what you should invest in.
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
Release: 2023 / Platform: Multiformat
It really didn’t go well for CD Projekt Red with Cyberpunk 2077, the only game I know of that went gold and then was still delayed and released in a horrible state. The studio had to run street races and try to fix the adventure, something that took almost two years. Today, Cyberpunk 2077 is really entertaining and around the corner awaits the expansion Phantom Liberty, which the developers say is the biggest DLC they have ever made – which in turn means more extensive than The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt expansions. In short, bigger than most modern games, and with all the feedback CD Projekt Red has received and the desire for revenge, we can reasonably expect something really damn spectacular.
Baldur’s Gate III
Release: August / Platform: PC
It feels like the hype for Baldur’s Gate III has died down somewhat as a direct result of it actually being available via Early Access since 2020, but it’s hard to ignore the mighty and half-real fact that the 23-year-old Baldur’s Gate II (one of the best RPG of all time!) is getting a sequel this year. In August, it’s premiere day and once again it’s time to explore the fantasy world, now with a battle system based on D&D 5th Edition. The Early Access version has been improving little by little thanks to player feedback and everything indicates that developer Larian Studios has a real hit in the works.
Lies of P
Release: 2023 / Platform: Multi
There has been an awful lot of Pinocchio at the end, mainly in a movie context, and this year the trend continues with Lies of P. A game that was hugely hyped after its first trailer in 2021 and offers a much darker version of the classic tale than we are used to . Here, Pinocchio has to look for the missing Geppetto in the town of Krant, and is also forced to lie, which has further consequences for the story – which you can largely influence yourself. Lies of P offers plenty of exploration, seemingly fine action and hopefully a brilliant story to match. An incredibly promising adventure that is also included from day one with Game Pass.
Diablo IV
Release: June / Platform: Multiformat
My first introduction to Diable was walking into middle school classrooms during computer literacy in high school. It was completely silent, and the only thing that could be heard was the sound of a great dance of maracas. Something that, upon closer inspection, turned out to be a whole computer class playing Diablo and clicking mouse buttons, so it looked great. And since then, the love has endured. Diablo is something as strange as zen, action and loot combined in a wonderful gameplay loop and top-notch design that never gets boring. Starting a new adventure in Diablo IV in June will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of the year.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Release: Winter / Platform: Playstation 5
I’ll be honest and say that I actually don’t think this will be released this year. Officially, though, it’s coming this winter, which could be late 2023 or early 2024. I’m hoping for the former, even though I wasn’t really sold on the action setup in Final Fantasy VII: Remake (no, I don’t think the strategy mode was well done) and what they done with the narrative, but it kind of doesn’t matter. Final Fantasy VII is one of the best gaming experiences of my life and the mere thought of hanging out with Cloud and the other heroes once again is actually enough for a place here.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Release: May / Platform: Switch
Of course we could have a discussion about whether or not Zelda is an RPG, but the answer would probably have to be that some parts are – others are not. Among the role-playing games we find Zelda II: The Adventure of Link and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, as well as of course the upcoming The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. And considering how awfully good the predecessor was, if this is even half as good, it’s actually enough to make it into this article. But… my expectations are much higher than that, and I think this adventure will be at least as good as its predecessor and a clear candidate for game of the year and one of Link’s most powerful adventures to date.
Starfield
Release: Summer / Platform: PC & Xbox
It’s a bit surreal that Bethesda’s first new game series in over 25 years is almost here, which also happens to be their biggest title to date by far. It’s been described as a Han Solo simulator, Skyrim in space and NASA punk, all of which of course sounds almost too good to be true. We are promised tons of planets (both inhabited and completely deserted), opportunities to create your own life among the stars, space action, huge amounts of side missions, incredible customization options and, moreover, all this seems to be packaged in really delicious graphics. Since Bethesda now sleeps with Microsoft’s wallet under the pillow, they also do not need to stress out the adventure, which thus received the necessary development time, and most things suggest that we can look forward to something completely extra when it now premieres. It’s also included with Game Pass from day one, as if to make everything even better.
