As 2023 winds down, it’s time to take a look back at the year and revisit all of the great video games that have released so far. It’s been a pretty solid year for Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch fans, as all three consoles got some strong exclusive games, but it’s time to determine who the winner is. Here are the best console exclusive titles of 2023.
2nd Runner-Up: Starfield
Writer Stephanie Watel: This year, Bethesda took us to the stars in more ways than one with Starfield, their biggest and most technologically ambitious IP so far that put them back on the map of groundbreaking RPGs for the first time in nearly a decade.
Despite the flurry of comparisons to a handful other sci-fi titles by some critics, Starfield has launched millions of players onto the most magnificent space adventure ever seen in modern gaming, and ultimately made a name for itself. Countless screenshots of cosmically stunning views from the galaxy’s hundreds of explorable planets permeated social media, along with many of the hilarious bugs and glitches that Bethesda is known for and that fans have wholeheartedly embraced.
Not only that, they’ve shown off the nearly limitless creativity of the game’s incredibly detailed ship builder, with just about every concept imaginable being constructed from the impressive to the downright hilarious. Space has no limits, and within that are the impossibly beautiful mysteries and unfathomable dangers of the unknown, and Bethesda has done its part to bring fans as close to that new type of experience as possible.
Despite being an exclusive title, Starfield’s name has reverberated throughout the industry, and will continue to immerse and fascinate players for light years to come.
Runner-Up: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Reviews Editor Zhiqing Wan: To describe it in the most reductive way possible, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is basically The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but better. Truly, it was hard to imagine back in 2017 how Nintendo would ever top Breath of the Wild, but they’ve done just that with this incredible sequel.
Granted, we’re retreading a lot of old ground here, as the surface map of Hyrule remains largely the same, with some key changes scattered throughout. But you’ll notice that I said surface map, and that’s because there’s a whole underground area beneath Hyrule to explore as well. The Depths are some of the most terrifying areas you’ll explore in this game, but they add a layer of tension and overall atmospheric creepiness that help make the game feel richer overall.
A lot of things have been streamlined in Tears of the Kingdom as well, with Ultrahand replacing Breath of the Wild’s Magnesis, which lets you interact with objects in the open-world much more freely. Tears of the Kingdom gives you so much more creative freedom in terms of how you approach combat, how you traverse the world, and more importantly, how you interact with the game’s smorgasbord of puzzles.
Hyrule continues to be both a surprise and a delight to explore, and this has officially become the definitive Zelda experience on Switch.
Winner: Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Writer Kristina Ebanez: I’ve been a die-hard Spidey fan for as long as I can remember, so you could say that Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was one of my most sought-after games of the year. Thankfully, the sequel proved to be just what the doctor ordered (or should I say Doc Ock?), and I wound up, once again, getting lost in its marvelous world.
Everything from the first game got taken up a notch in Spider-Man 2, enhancing classic mechanics in a much more accessible way and providing all-new tools for battle. Fights, in general, are one of the reasons why I believe Insomniac Games knows how to party, as they make each showdown feel like a non-stop thrill ride. Sometimes, battles can be tedious over time, but I almost always beelined to those enemy spawns in order to test out a new finisher or team combo. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is also one of the only games where I rarely use fast travel. I mean, who doesn’t want to swing around New York City as an elite hero?
Of course, we can’t forget about the game’s immersive story, showcasing a brand-new original concept separate from the comics, movies, and TV shows. It’s refreshing to see Peter Parker and Miles Morales through this unique perspective, and it somehow furthered my love for them even more. To top it off, the side quests and characters feel as important as the main narrative, and I wouldn’t be surprised if you shed a tear or two with all of its heartfelt moments.
Congratulations to Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 for winning Twinfinite’s Best Console Exclusive award! We’ll have plenty of other GOTY posts going up this week, so make sure to keep it locked to Twinfinite to see if the rest of your favorite games made the cut.
