GGRecon's Alternative Game of the Year Awards 2023
You won't find these categories at The Game Awards, and that's likely for good reason. Here are our alternative Game of the Year awards 2023.
Lloyd Coombes
20th Dec 2023 17:25
Remedy | Warner Bros | Larian
2023 has been and gone, and it was certainly a mixed one for the games industry as it counted the human cost of layoffs across studios big and small.
The juxtaposition of the industry's fragile state with arguably the best year for new releases in history makes it tough to celebrate gaming without the required caveats, and that should be the case - we should never forget the hours, weeks, months, and years of lives poured into the games we play, the games we don't, and the games that never see the light of day.
in an attempt to bring some levity to this sad but necessary period of reflection, here's a look at some of the awards you won't see at The Game Awards anytime soon (and no, Geoff, we will not 'wrap it up').
The "I don't believe that came out this year" award
Winner: Forspoken
This one was a tough choice between multiple titles, but we've gone for Forspoken. Square Enix's open-world action RPG looked amazing but was disappointingly empty.
Still, on the plus side, it's available pretty cheap these days if you're curious about exploring its world.
The "Most Confusing Early Access" award
Winner: Multiversus
Oh boy, this was a tough one, with so many weird pre-order early access windows over the last 12 months.
In the end, though, we've given it to Multiversus - a game that launched in beta last year (with microtransactions) and then dropped out of existence in June of this year only to be slated for a full release in 2024.
The "No really, it's good" award for most improved game, presented by No Man's Sky
Winner: Cyberpunk 2077
Halo Infinite has had a hell of a year, but it launched in a much better state than our winner, Cyberpunk 2077.
Not only is Cyberpunk 2077 now a better game than it's ever been, but even since last week a new update has continued to bolt more onto the absolute mess it was (at least on console) at launch.
We're not including the excellent Phantom Liberty as part of this because it was paid DLC, but in terms of free updates, Night City has become weirdly welcoming.
The "EA game that needed a better release date" award, in memory of Titanfall 2
Winner: Immortals of Aveum
What could've been, eh? Had Immortals of Aveum launched in its slated July 2023 window, it would've been competing against the likes of Remnant 2 and Oxenfree 2, but may have had a fighting chance.
As it is, it launched in August flanked by Armored Core 6, Baldur's Gate, and not far ahead of Starfield. The shame of it is that, like many of EA's non-franchise titles, we enjoyed it.
The "This Game Deserved Better" Award
Winner: Wild Hearts
We expected a Monster Hunter clone with Wild Hearts, and while that's pretty much on the money, we were surprised by just how technically proficient and satisfying it was to play. Also, you can build comically large traps.
The Hideo Kojima award for most auteur placements in-game
Winner: Alan Wake 2
Alan Wake 2 is a bit of a tricky game to describe. It's Twin Peaks-flavoured survival horror with a meta twist, and it's bloody brilliant.
It's also very fun to see Sam Lake, the game's Creative Director and lead writer having so much fun as Detective Alex Casey. Is there a cooler man in video games?
The "Best Surprise Musical Number" award
Winner: Alan Wake 2
The Game Awards may have spoiled the surprise if you weren't expecting it, but the musical scene that sees Alan take to the stage is a truly special moment in a game full of mind-bending scenes.
The "Most Loading Screens" award
Winner: Starfield
Starfield is a game of incredible scope and potential, but much of it feels consigned to menus buffeted by loading screens that make exploration feel a little cumbersome at best.
Still, at least the Series X can power through them pretty quickly.
The "Hairiest Love Interest" award
You know what bit we mean - giving a new meaning (and spelling) to the term 'bareback'.
About The Author
Lloyd Coombes
Lloyd is GGRecon's Editor-in-Chief, having previously worked at Dexerto and Gfinity, and occasionally appears in The Daily Star newspaper. A big fan of loot-based games including Destiny 2 and Diablo 4, when he's not working you'll find him at the gym or trying to play Magic The Gathering.
