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Wow, 2023 has been an incredible year for gaming, one of the very best! And here we are at the end of the year, so let’s look back at some games, shall we? You guys probably know that I’m a big Nintendo guy. In fact, I don’t even have the other consoles (mostly because I don’t have time to play them all). This was a great year for Nintendo, we got so many fantastic games on the Switch. This year I beat a total of 26 games! (I was hoping to beat 30, but you know how it goes)

I’m gonna do it a little differently this year. First I’m going to give you my top 10 games that I beat this year that did NOT release this year. I play a lot of old games, so first I’ll talk about those. Then I will give you my personal top 10 games of 2023 releases. My number 1 game will be my Game of the Year. You probably can guess what that is. Anyways, let’s get started! 

Top 10 Non-2023 Games 

10. Kirby Tilt n’ Tumble (GBC—NSO)

I think we might’ve had this game growing up, but anyways, I jumped at the chance to play it once it released. The original game had you tilting your Game Boy to have Kirby move around, and it worked just like this with my Switch Lite (props to Nintendo)! I enjoyed the game, but some moments were very frustrating, and other moments were tense. I especially didn’t like the parts where you had to push down a certain amount of buttons in quick succession. The music also wasn’t that memorable, which is surprising for a Kirby game.

9. Tatsunoko vs. Capcom (Wii)

This game is pure adrenaline! Tag-team fighting games are a lot of fun, and this is no exception. Shortly before playing this game I discovered that Yoshitaka Amano was responsible for creating the character designs of the Tatsunoko characters! Amano is one of my favorite VG artists (he did the Final Fantasy series for a while, and still does the title art). While I’m not familiar with these characters, their designs are very cool and interesting. Anyways, the game is a ton of fun, and I was very happy to see Viewtiful Joe, one of my favorite characters in all of gaming. 

8. Pilotwings Resort (3DS)

I have played the original Pilotwings on SNES many times, but it’s a really hard game! I could never quite wrap my mind around the N64 game either. However, this one clicked with me. I think it’s safe to say that this is the best in the series. First of all, the game looks very clean, and flying around feels good. The controls are excellent. While some of the missions can be challenging, they never felt too difficult (unlike the SNES game). It can also be relaxing to just fly around the island for fun. Also, when I beat a tough mission that I had been struggling with, it was very satisfying. Good game! 

7. Crusader of Centy (Gen—NSO)

This is probably the best Zelda clone on the Genesis, although it does several things to set itself apart from Zelda. There is a friend system, in which certain animal companions will give you certain abilities when you have then “equipped.” The game is also more level-based and you move from point to point on a world map (what a rip-off of SMB3! JK). The game was actually longer than I expected, and a few times you have to return to old areas to do something unique or to acquire something. Unfortunately, the game can be a little obtuse at times, so I had to look up a walkthrough, but overall it was good. The music was also pretty good. 

6. Terranigma (SNES)

I was so excited to be able to get a cart of this game (a repo cart, but it’s not a big deal). This game is often lauded as a masterpiece. Well, I wouldn’t go that far, but it is a very good game. The story is excellent, with all kinds of twists and turns, leading to a very awesome ending. The game has plenty of memorable characters and memorable moments. One of my favorite parts was when you visit a desert town. While you’re there, everything suddenly changes and all the inhabitants turn into zombies. It was all a mirage! And it was creepy! Gameplay is similar to top-down Zelda games. It’s very good. However, I had to look up walkthroughs on occasion, and the bosses usually took way too many hits to defeat. There was one boss in particular that frustrated me a lot. The music is a real standout—fantastic OST with lots of memorable songs. Really, this is a great game, and I wish Square Enix would rerelease or remake it. 

5. Final Fantasy II (SNES)

I’ve played this game many times, but I’ve never beaten it, so I wanted to rectify that this year. I was able to beat the game via the original SNES cartridge, which is great! This is a classic! Really enjoyed the gameplay, characters, and story (even though it’s hokey at times). Music is so good! The game gets very difficult at the end (every encounter is a boss, accompanied by boss music), but I powered through and wrecked Zeromus! While I don’t have strong feelings for this game like I do for FF3 (6), I still enjoyed it, and finally beating it felt like a real accomplishment. 

4. Sushi Striker (3DS)

This is a very fun action puzzle game. The game is available on the Switch too, but I would recommend the 3DS version more because you can use the touch screen, which is far superior to the button controls. Basically, the gameplay has you matching colored plates of sushi, stacking them up, and then throwing them at your opponent to drain their HP. Things move FAST, and with all kinds of abilities via Sushi Sprites, the game never feels repetitive. The story is ridiculous, and yet it’s so earnest. The characters are excellent, and often hilarious. While I enjoyed the story mode, it was certainly too long. Sadly, I don’t think we will ever see another game in this series because it sold quite poorly. 

3. Kid Icarus: Uprising (3DS)

This game is a masterpiece held back by the controls. It’s a shame! The controls work fine, but they are difficult and will quickly make your hands hurt. You have to tilt the 3DS AND use the stylus to fire AND use the circle pad to move Pit. It’s just too much at once. But let me praise this game: this is probably the best-looking game I’ve seen on 3DS. Environments look incredible. It’s also the best voice acting I’ve ever heard in a game. The characters are so full of personality, and they are SO funny! The length of the game is perfect. The music is also incredible, done by several legendary game composers. Please, Sakurai, PLEASE, make a new Kid Icarus game! 

2. Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door (GCN)

I played this way back in 2004 when it first came out, but I never beat it. Honestly, this game gets hard at the end! Anyways, this is THE best Mario RPG ever made. Everything is perfect: the characters are memorable, the story is really cool, the battle system is refined and fun, the different locations are unique and interesting, the music is excellent. I could go on and on! Of course, the writing is superb and often hilarious. The X-nauts are so funny! I really love what they did with Peach in this game, and how TEC learns to have some humanity from her. The game also gets pretty dark at times, which is awesome for a Mario game! The final boss is cool! But I won’t say any more because the game is being remade for Switch next year, and if you haven’t played it (or beaten it), you have to get it! You won’t regret it, trust me. 

1. Mother 3 (GBA)

I have been wanting to play this game forever, and when I saw that I could buy the fan translation on a GBA cart, I immediately jumped at it. Then I had to buy a DS so I could play it, but WOW, it was worth it! This isn’t just a game, it’s an experience. It will rip your heart out. You will laugh, you will cry, and when the game is over, you will be thinking about it for a long time. While it’s different from Earthbound in many ways, Mother 3 has the same ambition and heart as its predecessor. The game actually pays homage to Earthbound in very clever ways, but in the end, it stands on its own two feet. After playing it, I’m convinced that Nintendo will never release it outside of Japan. There are some questionable things in the game, and I don’t think Nintendo can completely remove those things or even change them without changing the game or story. It’s a true masterpiece in every way. If you loved Earthbound, then you MUST play this game. 

Top 10 2023 Games (these are all Switch games)

10. Air Twister 

This odd on-rails shooter actually came out last year for Apple Arcade, but it came to consoles this year. Made by Yu Suzuki, this game is a spiritual successor to his arcade classic Space Harrier. Just like in that game, you control a person (this time a princess) who flies around for no reason and shoots some kind of gun. This game is wild! The levels are super weird, the bosses are often bizarre, and the music is done by a rock opera group. But I loved it anyway! The game has a huge skill tree that will have you unlocking things, such as more HP as well as new outfits and hairstyles for the princess. The game seems to be an homage to the Sega Saturn as the last level is called “Polygon” and looks like it would be right at home on the Saturn. 

9. Sonic Superstars

When it comes to Sonic games, I enjoy the 2D games much more than the 3D ones. So I definitely wanted to try Sonic Superstars. Well, it’s a decent game. Some of the levels were awesome (I especially loved Capital Gold Zone), but some of the bosses were terrible, making you wait long periods of time or just being frustrating to beat. If that weren’t bad enough, the loading screen had major lag, and the game even crashed on me once! But still, I enjoyed playing through the game and seeing all the characters. It’s a good-looking game too. 

8. Super Mario RPG

This year saw a lot of remakes, and one of the best ones was Super Mario RPG. I remember watching my oldest brother play this on SNES way back in the ‘90s. I was able to beat the game many years ago, but I was more than happy to play through it again. This is a very faithful remake. The look, feel, and mechanics of the original game are all here. They did add some things to the battle system (triple moves and splash damage), and I think they’re good additions. It’s so great to see Mallow and Geno again, and the updated OST is truly masterful! 

7. The Making of Karateka 

This game is quite unique. It’s actually a new genre: interactive documentary. As you go through the story of how this classic game came to be, you can play certain versions of the game, or even play other little games that never got officially published. You can also watch videos in which game creators talk about how Karateka influenced them, or watch as Jordan Mechner’s dad recounts how he did the music. Honestly, I loved it! (it helped that I knew next to nothing about this game) I was also able to play and beat the remastered version of Karateka (which Digital Eclipse created), and it was really good. If you enjoy gaming history, you have to check out this “game.” 

6. WarioWare: Move It!

My love for WarioWare goes all the way back to the Gamecube. What’s cool about this series is that each new game seems to do something different from the last. That’s true with Move It, which focuses on utilizing the JoyCon in creative ways. This means that Move It is a spiritual sequel to the Wii’s WarioWare: Smooth Moves. This game is a ton of fun! I enjoyed the story mode, which has cute cut scenes and fun themes. But of course, the multiplayer is where this game shines, and I had a blast playing this with my nieces and nephews. We laughed so hard at some of the micro games (for some reason there are several micro games that have to do with your butt). It was great to see a game using the JoyCon in creative ways after so many years. 

5. Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

I’m a HUGE fan of the Ace Attorney series, and for whatever reason, I missed out on this game back in the DS days. I always wanted to get it, but its price was very expensive. So I was thrilled that Capcom was porting it to the Switch. Written by Shu Takumi, Ghost Trick tells an amazing story full of charming characters, shocking twists, and an amazing ending that you won’t see coming. The puzzle mechanics are unique—I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like them in a game. I also really enjoyed the art style, which seemed to give the characters even more personality. I’m so glad more people got to experience this game. 

4. Metroid Prime Remastered

This was certainly a surprise this year (although we’ve been waiting for this game for a while now). The original Metroid Prime always looked great on GameCube, but Wow! this game looks amazing! The details are astounding. To make it even better, the game can now be played with dual stick controls. It felt great to roam around Talon IV, taking in all the sights, blasting aliens, and finding power-ups. My only complaint is that there is too much backtracking in this game, but besides that, the game holds up incredibly well, proving that Metroid Prime is one of the best games out there. 

3. F-Zero 99

Finally! I’ve been waiting for a new F-Zero game for decades, and we finally got one. This was a very good idea. While I have enjoyed the other 99 games, this one hooked me way more than those ever did. For one thing, the other games have you competing against other players, but you only see yourself on the screen playing. In contrast, F-Zero 99 has you literally bumping into other players as you all race together on the track. The game looks clean and feels good to play. They also added just the right amount of new mechanics: you can do a spin attack to defend against other players (or attack them), and the energy orbs can be used to jump onto the Sky Way and try to catch up a little. This game is so addicting! I’ve put a bunch of hours into it, and while I’ve never placed 1st (4th is the best I’ve gotten), I will keep playing it. Now, Nintendo, please give us a brand-new F-Zero game for the Switch 2! 

2. Super Mario Bros. Wonder

I’ve heard many people say that SMB Wonder is very good, but it still falls short of Mario 3 and Mario World. I disagree. I think this is the best 2D Mario ever made. What does Mario 3/World do that this one doesn’t? SMB Wonder has excellent levels, secrets to find (including a Special World), hidden levels, cool new power-ups, PLUS a unique online mode, fun multiplayer, an awesome art style, and badges to enhance replayability. Each world is distinct, and thankfully, they are far more interesting than the bland “desert world” or “snow world” of the NSMB games. While playing, I was often surprised at how many levels were tucked into each world. “Another level?” And there are more than just levels. I also enjoyed the short “break time” and “KO arena” levels. But of course, the game’s real standout are the Wonder Flowers, and every level has one. This was the right thing to do post-Mario Maker. It was always a joy to see what would happen when I got a Wonder Flower, and it usually put a big smile on my face. Also, the rhythm-based levels were a ton of fun. So yes, I think that SMB 3 and World have been de-throned. 

1. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom 

We’ve been waiting for so long for this game, and it didn’t disappoint. Nintendo somehow did the impossible: they made a sequel to BotW that actually surpasses it in every way. Sure, it’s the same overworld, but you also have the sky islands and the depths to explore. First of all, I loved the story, which was about time travel, and they finally brought back Ganondorf! What happens with Zelda is amazing, and the climax of the game is truly one of the best I’ve ever seen. The new four abilities are far more interesting (and fun) than BotW’s imo because they allow for so much creativity and open the game to so many possibilities. Using Ultrahand, you can make anything you want (if you have the right materials). The shrines are also more interesting with some truly mind-bending puzzles. But sometimes, you can just cheese through by using your abilities, and I love that the game allows that. The four temples are a little more traditional, and the bosses this time around are much better as they all feel more unique than just four “Ganon blights.” But my favorite part of the game is the depths, which was kept a secret until the game released. Exploring the depths and finding all the light roots is very rewarding. Some have complained that the overworld is the same, but this time, there are more NPCs to find as you explore, along with more side quests, plus there are far more caves this time around. There is simply so much to do and so many discoveries to make that I think I will be playing this game for a long time. Interestingly, Nintendo informed me that May was my heaviest-played month of the year, and it’s because I was playing this game so much! It is very deserving of all the praise it gets, and it is my Game of the Year!