Top 5 Most-Anticipated Games of 2023

Here we are in 2023 already. It’s hard to believe.

Yesterday I went over my favorite games I played last year, and now I’m ready to look ahead to 2023’s upcoming new releases. As usual, only games announced for 2023 qualify for this list… which means I’ll be excluding Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth due to the unclear “winter” timeframe (as it could mean early 2024) and Hades II because it’s just the Early Access release so far, and I can’t put Ace Attorney on the list no matter how much I want it to be true.

So as of now, here are my top 5 most-anticipated games of 2023!

5. Alan Wake II

Not only are we actually getting a proper Alan Wake sequel, but it’s reportedly going to be a survival horror game instead of the action/thriller approach of the first game. We’ve seen so little from Alan Wake II that I don’t quite know what to expect, but I loved Alan Wake and hope this sequel will live up to it. In the meantime, I should probably get around to restarting my Control playthrough so I can finally finish that…

4. Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes

When I backed Eiyuden Chronicle back in 2020, its projected 2023 release window felt so, so far away. Now it’s upon us, and this Suikoden-inspired turn-based RPG is set to come out this year.

Everything shown from it looks beautiful, and I can’t wait to play it for myself. I haven’t played the action RPG prequel, Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising, but maybe I’ll check that out eventually as well.

3. Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse

What a day it was when I woke up to the rumor of a Fatal Frame IV remaster and localization, which was then officially confirmed in the Nintendo Direct.

The fourth Fatal Frame game has never been officially translated before (despite a European release being planned), but March 9 will see a multiplatform remaster released worldwide. Although I’ve only played a couple games in the Fatal Frame series, I’ve enjoyed them enough to be excited for what this previously-missed entry is like.

2. Final Fantasy XVI

I’ve talked about Final Fantasy XVI enough that you probably know I’m pretty excited for it. I’d still like to see a look at exploration and other non-combat gameplay, but the story and the past works of the people making it are enough to make this one of the games I’m looking forward to the most. Sure, I’d love to see the return of turn-based combat to the main series someday, but I like action RPGs too and Final Fantasy XVI looks like it has a lot of great elements. Will it live up to the hype? We’ll certainly find out when it launches on June 22.

But as excited as I am for Final Fantasy XVI and the other games I’ve mentioned here, there’s one game I’m looking forward to more than any other, due out in less than two months…

1. Like a Dragon: Ishin

Do you know what we were doing a year ago? We were clinging to any shred of hope that Yakuza Ishin would get a localization. One year later, we need not cling to faint hopes any longer – Ishin is getting a remake and a localization, and Like a Dragon: Ishin is due out on February 21!

That moment when I saw it in the State of Play was probably my favorite video game announcement of 2022. I still can’t believe it. We’re getting Ishin, we’re actually getting Ishin!

It looks so much fun! It’s all the glory of Yakuza, but set in the samurai era. Sure, some fans aren’t crazy about certain changes being made, like the addition of equippable powers for combat, but I’d pay a small price like that for a game like this any day.

Ishin is by far the game I’m most excited for next year, and I can’t wait until I can play it!

Conclusion

Look at that, I had the sense to leave any Trails games off the list because we all know I won’t be caught up in time. Similarly, I probably won’t be caught up on mainline Yakuza in time for Like a Dragon Gaiden, although that’s another exciting one set for this year.

Now here’s hoping we get some Ace Attorney news to knock everything else off the list.

What 2023 games are you most looking forward to?