With it coming to the end of one of the best gaming years in memory, we thought it would be a good idea to discuss and share with you, our readers, what some of FandomWire Gaming writers are most looking forward to, and what our individual most anticipated game is of 2023; what’s left of it anyway.
Luke Addison – Gaming Lead and Head Video Game Critic
If you’d have asked me this pre-Gamescom, this would be easy. It would have been Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and to be fair, it is a toss up. However, with what follows my entry, as well as the experience at Gamescom 2023, I have to go for Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden. Announced at The Game Awards in 2022, it immediately grabbed my attention, with the dichotomous relationship between the two game’s protagonists, both ghost hunters, except one is alive, and the other dead.
Focus Interactive are solidifying themselves as a publisher with a very unique and risk-taking library of games, and whilst this isn’t in any way, shape or form anything to do with or attempting to be A Plague Tale, it’s really not a stretch to expect Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden to have the chance to be every bit of revelatory and well received. With it being the same studio that bought you Vampyr and the Life is Strange franchise, you know that this has every opportunity to be both hard-hitting and humourous, as well as full of incredible, satisifying combat and a story to boot.
Related: Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden Preview: Two Hearts, One Purpose
Daniel Boyd – Gaming Lead and Head Video Game Critic
My hype for Mortal Kombat 1 is significant and I am so curious to see how Konami fare with the remaster of those iconic three Metal Gear Solid games. However, the 2023 title I am most excited for is Hellboy: Web of Wyrd. Bizarrely, we have never gotten a truly great Hellboy game, even though the IP seems ripe for an adaptation. Let’s hope that Upstream Arcade are able to remedy that.
Stylised in the iconic visual aesthetic of Mike Mignola, with the late, great Lance Reddick in the title role, this project has the potential to really be something special. From the minimal looks we have been given so far, the gameplay looks dynamic and the environmental design is incredibly faithful to the source material.
Massimo Castelli – Video Game Critic
My most anticipated game for the second half of 2023 has got to be Alan Wake 2. Now that may surprise some who know me as a die-hard Spider-Man fan, (I have a tattoo of the Insomniac version on my forearm!) but much to my delight I know exactly what I will be getting with Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Alan Wake 2 on the other hand has me intrigued as to what the team over at Remedy have been cooking up after the success of 2020’s award-winning Control.
From all the gameplay and trailer footage coming out of Gamescom, it’s safe to say that Alan Wake 2 is attempting to capture the mystery thriller spirit of the original game and turn it up to 11. I can’t wait to see what madness Sam Lake and the rest of the Remedy team have in store when taking us into spooky season on October 27th.
Related: Gamescom 2023: Alan Wake 2’s Behind-Closed-Doors Preview: One Hell of a Sequel
Ezekiel Hall – Gaming Editor and News Writer
Remedy Entertainment’s Alan Wake 2 is easily my most anticipated game of the year. Although Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is a close second, gamers haven’t had to wait quite as long to see the return of the famed web slinger. Alan Wake 2 will be entering the arena with fresh psychological horror elements and the addition of Saga Anderson, as a brand-new character.
When Remedy released Control, the studio exhibited the exciting level of gameplay it had to offer. As we return to the Dark Place and Bright Falls, I believe players will see some of this combat transfer to Alan Wake 2, even without the dynamic powers harnessed by Jesse Faden. It seems clear that Remedy developers love their titles, and they are masters of suspense. This game very much feels like it was worth the wait, and it may just change the horror genre forever.
Adil Farooq – News Writer
Sonic Superstars is looking like everything I could ask for in a new Sonic the Hedgehog game. For starters, the visuals are quite possibly some of the most gorgeous in the series, even knocking out games like Sonic Unleashed.
The game straight-up looks like an amazing combination of the old and the new. The levels look much more varied than something like Sonic Forces, and it seems like there will also be a bunch of cool new powerups. The multiplayer option is also really welcome. I, for one, cannot wait for Sonic Superstars. It is my most anticipated game of 2023.
Martin Forte – News Writer
For me, it has to be Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. The first one became one of my favorite games as I’m a superhero fan myself, and Insomniac captured the friendly neighborhood experience very well. Also, the story that came together so well and as such, is for me the best version of Spider-Man outside of comics, surpassing any movie for example.
I couldn’t be more excited to see what’s to come in the sequel that already promises Venom, Kraven, the Symbiote, the Spider duo and many more surprises they are probably keeping just like in the last one.
Related: Marvel’s Spider-Man 2: Everything You Should Know So Far from Release Date to Gameplay
Osama Farooq – News Writer
I properly got into gaming in 2011, as I randomly picked out a game called “Assassin’s Creed: Revelations” without knowing anything about the series. Fortunately, it was bundled with the first Assassin’s Creed game, and I was immediately hooked by the lore, gameplay, and plot twists.
I then played through the rest of the releases until I finished Assassin’s Creed Odyssey and absolutely loathed its open-world aspects. I missed the stealth, tailing, eavesdropping, and quiet assassinations. Since Assassin’s Creed Mirage claims to be taking it back to its roots, I can’t wait to experience the Assassin’s Creed I fell in love with more than a decade ago.
Tanner Linares – News Writer
My most anticipated game at the moment is Alan Wake 2. Remedy has long been one of my favorite AAA game developers, and all of their previous games have been all-time greats in my opinion. Largely due to its incredible story, Alan Wake is my favorite game of theirs, and I have been waiting over half my life to finally see the story continue.
With the sequel implementing gameplay that appears similar to the recent high-class Resident Evil remakes (one of my favorite gaming franchises) and a much darker tone than its predecessor, October 27th cannot come fast enough.
James Breen – News Writer
My most anticipated game has to be Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. The reasoning behind this is that I remember first seeing the first trailer for Spider-Man 1 on the PlayStation 4 and when the Marvel sign came up on the screen followed by Insomniac Games and I heard my favourite voice actor Yuri Lowenthal utter the words “knowing everything hinges on a guy from Queens” I was immediately locked in, and what a game that was delivered, 10/10 perfect for me across the board.
Roll on October for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, bigger, more to explore, more characters and villains and more story to soak up, all on a bigger console and so this is why it is my most anticipated title for 2023.
Lisa Kamlot – News Writer
Between all the big hitters this fall, there is one gorgeous-looking indie title that has piqued my interest: the action-puzzle climbing game Jusant by DON’T NOD. It sees you climb through various biomes as you solve puzzles to reach the top of a huge tower. You’re joined by a little blob of a creature who makes cute noises and brings the nature around you to life – count me in!
They just released a new trailer, and that meditative gameplay and atmospheric soundtrack promise a cozy experience in an enchanting world. It will launch on October 31st, and as the scaredy-cat I am, this is my perfect game for Halloween.
Related: Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden Preview: Two Hearts, One Purpose
Ayoub Hassan Adur – News Writer
2018’s Spider-Man and the 2020 spin-off, Miles Morales have both been fun to play, but that’s not entirely the reason behind the impatient wait for the sequel. When they showed the first glimpse at the upcoming sequel back in 2021 at the PlayStation Showcase, the first glimpse at Venom being introduced in the game is what hooked me to it.
Now that the game’s official trailer is out, with Peter Parker rocking the Venom suit, I can’t wait to get my hands on the game once it’s out, and kick some butt with the Venom suit upgrade! I’ve been a huge fan of Sam Raimi’s version of the Venom in Spider-Man 3 (2007), and I can’t wait to see the iteration being introduced here. So, that’s my pick for the remaining months, October 20 cannot get here any sooner, as Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is my most anticipated game.
Liam Magee – News Writer
Perhaps the game I’m most looking forward to getting to play over the next few months is Wizard With A Gun. It is releasing on October 17th on all platforms and can either be played solo or with a partner, and will pit you to work together to defeat enemies with the Bulletstorm type combat, whilst also having a base building aspect that helps players survive in the harsh arcane worlds that they will be tasked to explore.
Well there you have it! That is just some of our staff and their picks for their most anticipated game of the upcoming winter period. What about yourselves though? What is your most anticipated game? What are you most excited for? Let us know in the comments!
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