Cary’s Fav Games of 2013-2023

When tasked with the simple action of choosing my favorite games of 2013-2023, things proved not so simple. That’s mainly because the first list I came up with not only long but also, as I was working just from memory, contained a number of games that came out just before 2013. Eliminating those games helped a little, but I was still left with a massive list. Each game I had on it was burned into my brain for one reason or another, from great characters to amazing stories to excellent mechanics. Gaming has been on an upward trajectory for a couple console generations, and with that has come a veritable onslaught of amazing games to play. My short list of five here represents the games from the decade to which I bonded more strongly than any others. These are the games I’ve played and replayed; the games that sit closest to my heart and fill my memories. They may or may not be considered THE “best” games, but they are my best games.

Dragon Age: Inquisition

Though DAI and I didn’t get along that well at first, we have more than made up over time. Yes, it’s open world is as drab as the next once you draw back its curtains a little, but its story and characters remain top-of-the-class. For those characteristics, it’s immensely re-playable (there are still storylines in it I’ve yet to see!). The camaraderie the game instills between the inquisitor and their companions is unmatched. The designs, the voice acting, the environments all draw players in and don’t let go until the credits roll.

Grand Theft Auto V

My GTA experience began with GTA IV; playing it was nothing short of revelatory. I will always credit it (along with Fable and Mass Effect) as a game that changed my expectations of games. GTAV represented the culmination of those expectations. GTAV was, and still is, a multi-faceted game that leaned so heavily into its sarcastic, psychotic world that it’s hard to imagine anything within the same brand topping it. (Yes, I’m lookin’ at you, GTA VI, onboard the hype train though I am.) The game is fun, fast-paced, weird, open, and has some of the best written and acted characters that you’ll find anywhere.

Fallout 4

Just like with DAI, Fallout 4 and I didn’t initially see eye-to-eye. But, I had to include it on my list not only because I changed my tune about the game after playing its DLC but because had I not tried and failed at it initially, I might never have ventured out to play other (better) Fallout games and become the fan that I am today. Having now replayed the games a couple times, I can honestly say that there’s not much wrong with the games except for it’s glaringly-bad main story. That alone could easily be enough to keep the game of any “best” list, but I’ve come to appreciate that sometime gaming is not about going from beginning to credits; it’s about everything that you do in between. Fallout 4 has some of the best in-between moments in any game I’ve ever played, so, it makes the list.

What Remains of Edith Finch

The bones of games like What Remains of Edith Finch have stood strong since the creation of games. We see them in the likes of text-based adventure games dating back to Zork and Adventure (aka Colossal Cave Adventure). The only thing these games, and now games like What Remains of Edith Finch ask of players is to participate. Participating in the story told What Remains of Edith Finch was utterly brilliant and unexpectedly emotional. “Playing” the game feels almost natural and instinctive. And the thoughtful, meaningful story doesn’t let up until the moment it does, at which point I was simply left in tears and speechless. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Street Fighter 6

I like fighting games, but I love Street Fighter 6. I struggled just a little with including it here, mainly because I could argue (with myself) that I haven’t technically played it as a “traditional fighting game” in focusing almost solely on its RPGish World Tour, but really, I’m just splitting hairs. Everything about Street Fighter 6 is categorically awesome, from its World Tour to its accessibility to its overall style. My Street Fighter fandom has waxed and waned over the years, and after the rather unpleasant Street Fighter V, I wasn’t sure that Capcom could rebound from the fiasco. But rebound they did with flying colors in Street Fighter 6. Hands down, it’s one the best entries in the series, ever.

Just for fun, here are a few, well…honorable mentions, if you will, in random categories of my own making. Personally, I am so glad that I’m not and never had been responsible for giving out awards to games, because I’d be terrible at it. Play on!

Best kitty-with-a-backpack game: Stray
Best reboot-with-flaming-chains-of-awesomeness game: God of War
Best more-robot-dinos-please! game: Horizon Zero Dawn
Best stop-making-me-cry! platformer: Ori and the Blind Forest
Best bounty-hunter-returns game: Metroid Dread
Best I-love-my-character’s-voice game: Cyberpunk 2077
Best never-have-I-felt-this-tense-walking game: Firewatch
Best wish-I-had-started-this-sooner game: Final Fantasy XIV 2.0 (A Realm Reborn)
Best wish-I-had-played-this-the-“right”-way game: Persona 5 Royal
Best laugh-out-loud game: South Park: The Stick of Truth
Best I’m-laughing-on-the-inside-because-Geralt game: The Witcher 3