It's been a busy year for gaming, starting off with The Gardens Between & my catch up of the Yakuza games is completed with Song of Life. Then back to the open plains with Aloy before catching up with Kratos & Atreus. When I decide what to play after completing a game I like to mix genres and also play some shorter indie titles after completing a longer game. Thus next came Lego Builders Journey, Lost Words & Dodgeball Academia.

A return to form for the Final Fantasy series in 16 with some great Eikon battles & then an adventure in the potterverse with Hogwarts Legacy. Old Mans Journey & Dysmantle kept me busy during August before I picked up a XSX console and Gamepass & scrapped my own rule of one console per generation.

The PS5 then took a break whilst I went on a gamepass playing spree in Unpacking, A Short Hike, Quantum Break, Venba, Halo Guardians/Infinite, Vampire Survivors, Gears 4 & 5. Gamepass offers day one releases and not just on first party games but also selected third party & I got to enjoy Jusant & Like A Dragon Gaiden.Forager then kept me busy for a while before the storm that was brewing for December arrived & swept everything aside to announce the new Fortnite, a multiverse of games now included Rocket Racing, Festival & Lego Fortnite.

2023 GOTY - God of War Ragnarok, I love a game that has a great story & God of War Ragnarok does not disappoint. The Father/Son relationship is put to the test with the arrival of Odin. The gameplay carries over the previous game with some suttle changes but it is the story that kept me glued to the controller. God of War was released in 2018 & then 2022 for Ragnarok, hopefully we do not have to wait too long for the next game in the series.

Special mention also to Final Fantasy 16 which had some truly epic Eikon fight sequences and is easily a showcase for this genertation. I also throughly enjoyed Quantum Break which I only started due to a GamePass weekly challenge and then could not put down. Last but not least the Indie games with Venba, Jusant, A Short Hike & Lost Words being great gaming experiences.

The Gardens Between (PS5)
Yakuza 6 Song of Life (PS5)
Horizon Forbidden West (PS5)
God of War Ragnarok (PS5)
Lego Builders Journey (PS5)
Lost Words (PS5)
Dodgeball Academia (PS5)
Final Fantasy 16 (PS5)
Hogwarts Legacy (PS5)
Old Mans Journey (PS5)
Dysmantle (PS5)
Unpacking (XSX)
A Short Hike (XSX)
Quantum Break (XSX)
Venba (XSX)
Halo Guardians (XSX)
Halo Infinite (XSX)
Vampire Survivors (XSX)
Gears of War 4 (XSX)
Gears 5 (XSX)
Jusant (XSX)
Like A Dragon Gaiden - The Man Who Erased His Name (XSX)
Forager (XSX)
Lego Fortnite (PS5)