3 Up, 3 Down – October 2023
All the massive releases in October 2023 delivered as expected. Assassin’s Creed was its usual 80/100. Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty was incredible, but had tons of technical issues. And the three Good games in The Three Best (and Worst) Video Games from October 2023 needed to be incredible to meet expectations. Luckily they were. Several games that scored 90/100 won’t make The Good section this month. Our Bad section is all fun surprises, and nothing major was unexpectedly awful. The Three Best (and Worst) Video Games from October 2023 are:
The Good
Alan Wake 2
***click here for our review***
Remedy has been killing it, and Alan Wake 2 packed a major punch. There were lots of typical post-Resident Evil 4 survival horror trappings. But FMV sections, musical numbers, and fourth wall breaking are just a small example of the creativity packed into this bizarre narrative. Our reviewer concluded “Alan Wake 2 rewards fans of the first game for their patience, and invites new players along for a wild, sometimes terrifying and mind-bending ride”. Alan Wake 2 is probably the game in The Three Best (and Worst) Video Games from October 2023 that exceeded expectations the most.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
***click here for our review***
But the highest scoring game in The Three Best (and Worst) Video Games from October 2023 is Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. It nearly perfected every aspect of the past two games in the series. And it’s a much larger game. The narrative is incredible. There’s almost no load times. Our reviewer concluded “Spider-Man 2 is the greatest superhero game ever made. Period.” And gave a rare perfect 100/100. But, to be honest, some of us already felt that way about Spider-Man 1.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
***click here for our review***
Super Mario Bros. Wonder feels like the true sequel to Super Mario World for the Super Nintendo. The New Super Mario Bros. games were good 2D Mario games, but they felt a little phoned in, compared to the event releases of past 2D Mario games. Super Mario Bros. Wonder is packed with care and surprises. It’s a phenomenal evolution of Super Mario Bros.’ perfect gameplay. Our reviewer found that “the new mechanics blow the formula wide open”. This isn’t another Super Mario game playing it safe. All the risks paid off and easily earned Super Mario Bros. Wonder a spot in the Good section of The Three Best (and Worst) Video Games from October 2023.