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It is interesting to examine the top rated games of 2023 so far and note how “stuck in the past” they are. On one hand, this is being touted in some celebratory manner, as if to signify to the world that we want old-fashioned video games. However, there is another potential read to this, and it is that games critics and press are, themselves, stuck in the past.

I don’t think this is wholly inaccurate, but it does open up the idea that pundits and amateurs such as myself are “out of touch”. After all, review scores are great, but it matters little if a review score fails to translate into sales. The manner in which we tally such data is also somewhat flawed, as we don’t know how often games are returned or traded in. How many copies of Elden Ring went incomplete and were swiftly sent back to the GameStop or Amazon from which they came?

Even so, I think it does games like Hi-Fi Rush a disservice to simply say they are reminiscent of the kinds of games emerging on the Dreamcast, or the sort of thing Capcom might have published from their short-lived Clover development team. To simply stick a number on Resident Evil 4 remake and refer to it in regards to its previous title is to ignore what adjustments will have been made to improve or freshen the game up. The same can be said for the Dead Space remake back in January. You then have titles such as Gal Guardians: Demon Purge that Joey and I have been playing, a game which fuses the Castlevania and Mega Man Zero franchises in a way that feels all too natural. Honestly, it feels just as enjoyable as Team Ladybug’s works Touhou Luna Nights and Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth.

Perhaps we’re just seeing an equilibrium establish.

Good news everyone! I’ve decided on my next video and am beginning the “pre-production” phase, which is primarily recording footage and scrawling out the first draft of the script in fits and starts. This is going to be a weird one, very unlike my others, but should be an enjoyable one to put together. I also already know what I want to do after that. With luck, I might be able to squeeze four videos out this year, but I’ll be happy with three if that’s all I can manage.

What have you been playing lately? Comment below or send us an e-mail and maybe we’ll read some of them on next year’s predictions show.

Opening theme music by Fallen Prophecy.