The startmenu Awards 2023 | Winter Spectacular 2023

2023 is finally over, and startmenu is hurtling towards its fifth year in operation. A lot has changed in that time, both in the video game industry and the wider world, and while I’d love to say things are getting better, I really can’t bring myself to do that.

Having edited about 30 guest pieces for the site this winter, posting every one of Alex Green’s monthly Update Patches, and generally just being terminally online, the mood at the end of this year feels dower in a way that’s hard to understate. While 2022 also was a bit shit if we’re honest, I wrote an intro for last year's awards with genuine hope in my heart and a heady excitement for the year to come.

That hope isn’t there this year.

The industry is in a bad place, and what’s worse, it feels like we haven’t even fallen off the cliff yet. If Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 can sell like hotcakes, release to critical acclaim, and help boost the PS5 to 50 million units sold, and there are still rumours of layoff at Insomniac come New Year’s, then something is fundamentally broken.

It’s hard to celebrate anything when it feels like you’re listening to the string quartet on the Titanic, but here we are, doing our best to still have some fun. So yeah, enjoy our silly awards, celebrate the great moments in games this year, the amazing characters, the hot messes that were at least entertaining, and everything else. But come 2024, remember that this only gets better if we make it better. Get fucking angry. Remember how thousands of people have been treated this year and how much of it was avoidable, hold companies to a higher standard than the bare minimum, and hold C-suite executives' feet to the fire when they fuck up and fire the people that actually make the games instead of taking a pay cut. 

I don’t think things will get better in 2024. I’m sorry. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth fighting for.

Lex Luddy
EiC of startmenu

Best Needle Drop/Musical Moment (Awarded By Lex Luddy)

Nominees: Titan Fight - Final Fantasy 16, We Sing - Alan Wake II, Invaders Must Die - Hi-Fi Rush, Whirring - Hi-Fi Rush, Basketball Scene - Spider-Man 2,  Piranha Plants on Parade - Super Mario Bros. Wonder, A Night at Boo's Opera - Super Mario Bros. Wonder, “I don’t miss”- Armored Core VI, Break Shit - El Paso, Elsewhere, The Catch - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom, Entering Comabt - Octopath Traveler 2

Runners-up: Whirring - Hi-Fi Rush and Break Shit - El Paso, Elsewhere

Winner: We Sing - Alan Wake II

There’s been some fantastic music and fantastic moments in games this year. However, the thing all three of these games’ needle drops have in common is how they merge gameplay, narrative, and music. 

The sequence leading up to Hi-Fi Rush’s final fight, as each of your lovable loser friends helps you get closer and closer to Vandelay’s office, is an incredible lesson in build-up. The Joy Formidable’s Whirring is already a seven-minute long marathon of song, but using the way it builds and builds at a constant pace, and continuously layers instruments while Korsica, Peppermint, 808, Macaron and CNMN aid you with their unique skills, really drives home the game's messages of found family and teamwork. It’s all very earnest, but never saccharine, and what’s more, the song fucking rocks.

El Paso, Elsewhere is a deeply affecting game about a broken man coming to terms with his impending death and the abusive relationship he was trapped in, but before all that comes to light, it is a campy send-up of Max Payne for the first few missions. All that changes when the rap/rock/dubstep number Break Shit by Lake Savage (Xalavier Nelson Jr., RJ Lake, and Rachel Lake) kicks in a chaotic and overwhelming set piece. Vampires and monsters will jump at you from nowhere as the song rattles around your ears, and it's the first moment you realise just fucked James Savage truly is. He might get through this encounter but the damage was already done.

It’s hard to say anything new about We Sing. The whole of this chapter in Alan Wake II feels like a culmination of not just Remedy’s greatest moments, but also their missteps. The perfect balance and melding of live-action footage, layered with in-world bands, levels of meta-narrative, and a great dance routine serves as a recap of the first game and foreshadows what’s to come. It does all of these while constantly making you grin ear-to-ear. Remedy has always loved mashing together art forms, but the wonder of We Sing is the sequence only feels this cohesive because it is a playable game.

HUNK of the year (Awarded by Angus Law)

Nominees: Final Fantasy XVI -Clive, Cid, and Gav, Star Wars: Jedi - Survivor - Cal Kestus, Bode Akune, Baldur’s Gate 3 -Laezeal, Halsin, Wyll, Karlach, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom - Prince Sidon and Gannondorf, Pikmin 4 -The Yellow Pikmin, Street Fighter 6 - Deadbeat Ken, Manon, Marisa, Luis, Like A Dragon Ishin! - Ryōma, Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name - Joryu, Armored Core 6 -V.IV Rusty, Overwatch Mauga, Resident Evil 4 - Agent HUNK, Alan Wake II - Video Game Sam Lake, Real Life Sam Lake, Mortal Kombat 1 - Goro, Kenshi, Lui Kang

Runners up: Ganon - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom and Mauga - Overwatch 2

Winner: Halsin - Baldur’s Gate 3

Before I say anything I’m going to be totally honest just so we’re all on the same page - the opinions you are about to read are from someone who isn’t attracted to men. And, to keep the honestly rolling, I myself, am more of a Link than a Totk Ganon. I am probably one of the least qualified people to write about hunks in any capacity, so chances are you are probably correct to disagree with me, if you do. All this to say, this is games journalism baby! Of course someone who is not at all representative of the topic on hand will give you unwanted thoughts about it. Happy holidays!!

2023 has been an absolute hunk-fest, both Mortal Kombat 1 and Street Fighter 6 are full of fighters across the gender spectrum bursting from their shirts thanks to their muscular, masculine physique. Whittling down the hunk competition to a winner and just a few runners up was a challenge akin to Michaelangelo carving David… from both the number of specimens, and their calibre. And yet whittle I did, and in that whittling I viewed, reviewed, and ultimately discarded the entire cast of Mortal Kombat 1, Street Fighter 6, FFXVI, and Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. A herculean task I’m sure you’ll agree. Please don’t murder me Marisa…

In something resembling a very close second and third place are Tears of the Kingdom's Ganondorf, and Overwatch 2’s Mauga. With Ganon inching (dare I say, edging) slightly ahead purely due to his unexpected hunk growth from Calamity Ganon. Both of these guys are serious about hunking – for me, an essential part of hunkiness is that I can easily imagine said hunk oiled up. Ganon and Mauga require little to no effort for my mind to conjure an oil spill of gargantuan proportions. However, they lack something that my number one spot has in spades.

The winner of startmenu’s 2023 Hunk of the Year award is Halsin from Baldur’s Gate 3. A hunk so popular in BG3’s early access that his part in the full release was expanded. A literal bear of a man with a godlike physique only made more impressive considering Halsin’s elfin background- something you can question him on in-game. This could have gone to Halsin, or BG3’s other hunk, Karlach, and while I adore her kindhearted nature, what pushes Halsin ahead of the competition is that he has the heart of a hunk. Halsin is an eco-lover, he is kind, and he fights for good without a second thought. Halsin is a hunk that could, and more importantly would, fight to defend you. Halsin is, without a doubt, hunk of the year.

Please don’t hurt me Karlach…

Best Styyyyyyyyle [Game] (Awarded by Cee)

Nominees: Cocoon, Hi-Fi Rush, Thirsty Suitors, Persona 5 Tactica, Hellboy: Web of Wyrd, Sea of Stars, Pizza Tower, Bombrush Cyberfunk, American Arcadia, Lone Ruin, Octopath Traveller 2, Tchia, Thirsty Suitors, Alan Wake II, Cocoon, A Highland Song

Runners-up: Hellboy: Web of Wyrd and American Arcadia

Winner- Hi-Fi Rush

As a person drawn to the most unique looking indie gems, I have to admit that this was a really difficult choice. How can one decide between the extremely cool cel shaded style of Hellboy, and Persona 5 bringing its award winning UI design over to a chibi tactical RPG version? Or from the gorgeous pixel art environments of Sea of Stars and Octopath Traveller II to the spiritual successor of Jet Set Radio that is Bomb Rush Cyberfunk. An honorable mention certainly goes to American Arcadia for taking Limbo's formula and giving it a hellish-capitalist-americana spin with its 80s inspired aesthetic and the clever plot twists that further enhance the game's whole vibe. But my pick for Best Style has got to go to Hi-Fi Rush.

Congrats on the award, Chai.

I mean it when I say that Hi-Fi Rush is to video games, what Into the Spider-verse is to animated movies. The cutscenes animated on 24 fps especially bring that point across spectacularly, with a beautiful blend of 2D and 3D and incredibly clean transitions between these cutscenes and the gameplay, which itself is presented in a beautiful style that looks like it's bringing a comic book to life where everything you see moves in time with the music. It's so hard not to bob your head along on rhythm when the music itself will make you feel like you're living the protagonist's dream of being a rockstar, whether you're just exploring the brightly coloured levels, or fighting a variety of enemies that range from different kinds of robots to some of the coolest boss designs you'll have seen this year. I think it's safe to say that, while its release on Game Pass definitely helped it gain more recognition, Hi-Fi Rush wouldn't have had its well deserved success without its incredible style.

Best Style [Character’s Fashion] (Awarded by Lex Luddy)

Nominees: Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name - Shishido, Yuki Tsuruno, and Akame, Resident Evil 4 - Ada Wong, and Luis, Street Fighter 6 - Manon, Zangief, JP, and Chun Li, Alan Wake II - Alan Wake, and Alex Casey, Hif-Fi Rush - Chai, and Koriska, Baldur’s Gate 3 - Astarion and Shadowheart, Mortal Kombat 1- Kenshi, Mileena, Lies of P - P

Runners-up: Resident Evil 4 - Ada Wong and Street Fighter 6 - Manon

Winner: Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name - Shishido

There was some incredible fashion in video games this year. Alex Casey/Sam Lake were the best place duo that is also the same person in Bright Falls/The Dark Place, while Astarion did an excellent job of looking slutty in literally every piece of clothing in Baldur’s Gate 3. But for runners-up, I had to give credit to my unrealistic transition goals, Manon, and maybe the greatest character redesign of all time in Ada Wong.

While I love those two characters (and may or may not have a crush on at least one of them) only one man’s swag was too different. Only his bitch is too bad. That’s right… They’ll kill you, Kosei Shishido.

One of the most gnarled Yakuza characters in memory, Shishido is a bastard, a real sonovabitch, just a fucking nasty guy. But also… Have you seen his fucking puffer jacket? Have checked out his damn fine-ass shirt? The man makes Majima look underdressed, and for that, we have to award him.

News Story Of The Year (Awarded by Amy Eastland)

Nominees: Activision Blizzard, Jim Ryan, Mass Layoffs, People continue to interrupt livestreams/awards/community, Bungie Layoffs (including Michael Salvatori), Stadia Finally Died For Real John Riccitiello And Unity, Bobby Kotick Leaves Activision, The Game Awards 2023 Hubbub, The Embracer Group’s Slow Death, GTA 6 Trailer Leak, Insomniac Hack

Runners-up: Bobby Kotick Finally Leaves Activision and GTA 6’s Trailer Leaks A Day Early

Winner: Industry Wide Mass Lay-offs

For the runners-up, we have Bobby Kotick leaving Activision. It is something that everyone has wanted for a while (almost three decades, to be exact), but it has finally happened! Hopefully, we’ll see Activision on the up and up.

The other runner-up has to be the GTA 6 trailer leak. Leaks are a serious problem in the gaming industry, and they affect the success of a game and the work of the developers within the company. Hopefully, in 2024, we’ll see fewer leaks, so games get the hype they well and truly deserve. 

2023 has not been a good year for those in the game industry, with mass layoffs hitting every sector within the wider industry. From those who work in QA to developers to game journalists, the industry has been hit with a wave of destruction to people’s livelihoods. While it remains one of the biggest news stories within the industry, it is happening far too frequently, and it doesn’t get any less harrowing to read daily. 

While gaming is more popular than ever, the industry is suffering and has seen corporate greed take front and centre, as well as incredibly talented people losing their jobs. For that reason, the news stories of mass layoffs of 2023 will always be my biggest news story, and it needs to be heard across the globe. 

Too many people are losing out, especially with there being layoffs five days before Christmas. No one is safe, and I was one who was personally affected by layoffs multiple times this year. You can feel the sense of dread and know that it’s coming, but it doesn’t get any easier to deal with. 

Those who have been laid off this year, I’m with you; I support you, and I hope that 2024 brings you a world of success.

Best Tears of The Kingdom Contraption (Awarded by Jon/Jenna Simpson)

Nominees: Hoverbike, a rocket strapped to a plank of wood, burning dick wicker man, Korok death traps, Attaching A Rocket To Anything, Attaching A Rocket To A Korok, Homemade Hot Air Balloon, My Very Sea Boat, A Car Built Out of Amiibo Treasure Chests And Four Wheels

Runners-up: Korok Torture Devices and The “Flaming Weiner Wicker Man”

Winner - Air Bike

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom presents players with a seemingly-limitless sandbox, with wild amounts of freedom to build what they want using the in-game tools like Ultrahand. Players got creative very quickly after launch, and soon my Twitter timeline was flooded with clips of people building elaborate torture machines designed specifically for Koroks, and, of course, phallic monuments, including but not limited to what Nextlander’s Brad Shoemaker referred to as the “flaming weiner wicker man.” shown here (not safe for work, obviously). Ultimately though, only one device was ubiquitous enough to get its own statue: the air bike. The air bike is the perfect device. It is cheap to build, easy to assemble, and endlessly useful when it comes to exploring and puzzle solving. Fly high, air bike. o7

Weird Lil Guy Of The Year (Awarded by Jenna Simpson)

Nominees: Torgal, Turgle (THEY ARE DIFFERENT GUYS), 808, All the Pikmin, the Cocoon thing, Piranha Plants, Mike Minotti Mike Mike Minotti, Maw Maws, Mallow, Scott McCrae, Peppino Spaghetti, Pepperman, The Noise, Pom-Pom

Runners-up: Pepino Spaghetti and Pom-Pom

Winner: Turgle

Turgle is pretty Mike Minotti-coded to be fair.

Turgle. Turgle turgle. Turgle. I haven’t even played Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, but I know about Turgle. He’s a weird little guy that Cal Kestis meets, and that’s all I know about him other than that his name is Turgle. I don’t need to know any more about him though. I know enough to confidently declare him this year’s Best Weird Lil Guy. Look at him. He’s perfect. Perfect in every way. Also, special shout-outs to Peppino Spaghetti, the anxiety-ridden protagonist of Pizza Tower, and Pom-Pom, the mysterious conductor of Honkai Star Rail’s Astral Express. You are pretty good weird lil guys (gender-neutral, in Pom-Pom’s case) too. But you’re not Turgle, unfortunately. None of us are.

The Unfortunately Underwhelming (Awarded by Tal Barrable) 

Nominees: Payday 3, Starfield, Mortal Kombat 1, Diablo 4, Redfall, Meet Your Maker, Crime Boss: Rockay City, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III, Destiny 2: Lightfall, Lord Of The Rings: Gollum

Runners-up: Starfield and Lord of The Rings: Gollum

Winner: Payday 3

As a Brit, complaining and being underwhelmed is part of my blood. So I am honoured to award the category for the many underwhelming games that were released this year.

To be called “underwhelming” is probably the nicest way of saying you hyped us up and failed to deliver. And there were stinkers plenty in the last 365 days. So, without further ado, let’s talk about the one that bummed me out the most.

It hurts me to write this, equally as much as it hurt me when I wrote my review on launch, but Payday 3 just isn’t the grandiose heisting sequel we were expecting – especially after the years of support and new content and care given to Payday 2. Graphical bugs, server issues, aspects like the friends list just not even showing your friends (that’s if it actually loads), I wouldn’t go as far as to say this game was DOA (Starbreeze and Overkill will certainly update it for years to come), but I would go as far as to say that the developers now basically have to try to perform open heart surgery with a failing life support machine plugged in. 

To the teams’ credit, server issues seem to be a thing of the past, barre the occasional blip here and there, and the game saw its first content release recently, with… two heists from the last game added… Really, guys?

Well, I suppose any content is better than no content. Hopefully, we’ll be seeing Payday 3 in a more charming suit and mask for the “biggest comeback” award next year.

Speaking of…

Biggest Comeback Story (Awarded by Tal Barrable)

Nominees: Halo Infinite, Cyberpunk 2077, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege, Overwatch 2, Blizzard as a whole, Darktide, Street Fighter 6, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide,

Runners-up: Cyberpunk 2077 and Overwatch 2

Winner: Halo Infinite

Like the audience popping at the 2023 Survivor Series when “Cult of Personality” hit, and our Chicago legend CM Punk walked out to a packed Allstate Arena, we love our comebacks. And it goes without saying that if a developer can take a dying game and turn it around into the biggest success story of the year, the team deserve to be praised. And that’s what this category is for – those comeback stories we never thought would happen. 

It’s hard to say that any game has a return to glory more similar to CM Punk than Halo: Infinite. 

Who else was going to get this? From a troubled launch, broken promises, layoffs, leadership changes, and the departure of Joseph Staten (again), 343 defied all odds and brought that special spark back to Halo. Now one of the most popular games on Xbox Gamepass, and with a pretty consistent player count on Steam, Halo Infinite has finally had the success it deserves. A stellar multiplayer experience that everyone needs to have in their library. (Plus, the PVP is free, so you have no excuse)

The Academy Award For ‘Wait, This Launched This Year?’ (Awarded by Tal Barrable)

Nominees: Sonic Superstars, Fire Emblem Engage, Wo Long Fallen Dynasty, Atomic Heart, Octopath Traveler 2, Minecraft Legends, Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon, One Piece Odyssey, Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe, My Hero Academia: Ultra Rumble, Forspoken, Dead Island 2, AEW Fight Forever, Dead Space Remake, Star Wars: Jedi - Survivor, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, Fire Emblem: Engage, Atomic Heart, Wild Hearts, Ultimate Sackboy,

Runners-up: Bayonetta Origin: Cereza And The Lost Demon and Star Wars: Jedi - Survivor

Winner: Forspoken 

One can obviously make a case for every one of the nominees here, but the clear winner in my eyes is Forspoken. This game had to have a ridiculous marketing budget behind it as it seemed like Sony and Square Enix wanted it to succeed more than a parent who is an innocent bystander to one of their struggling children at a piano recital. It was shown off several times leading up to release and multiple delays made the runway to its release feel even longer. There was a palpable feeling of desperation pre-release from Sony and Square as they tried to position it as an important PS5 exclusive, however, it released in January to middling reviews and there was little to no conversation from players or critics. It also didn’t help that Hi-Fi Rush, a much more interesting third-person action game with a similar (if less grating) sense of humor, was released the following day in a surprising shadow drop. 2023 was a year that was full of games that felt important and what got lost in the shuffle was a game that should have been called ‘Forgotten’.

Funniest Game Of The Year [Complimentary] (Awarded by Scott McCrae)

Nominees: Resident Evil 4, Street Fighter 6, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Pikmin 4, Baldur’s Gate III, Like A Dragon Gaiden, Lies of P, Super Mario RPG, Pizza tower, Alan Wake II, Super Mario RPG, Wanted: Dead

Runners-up: Pikmin 4 and Street Fighter 6

Winner: Pizza Tower

Pizza Tower is a magical game in many ways, I can go on about the tight gameplay, amazing level design, and it having the best soundtrack of 2023 all day – and I will in Scott McCrae’s Top 10 Games of 2023 (Coming soon to startmenu.co.uk) – but Pizza Tower is also funny in so many ways. For a game with no dialogue barring the screams of an aging pizza chef whose last name is Spaghetti, you wouldn’t expect it. 

However, the physical comedy and stellar art direction (From the way the enemies move to the brilliant level card screens) do more than enough to put it right here as the funniest game of the year. 

Funniest Game Of The Year [Derogatory] (Awarded by Scott McCrae)

Nominees: LOTR: Gollum, Crime Boss: Rockay City, Skull Island: Rise of Kong, COD: MW III, Starfield, Redfall, Overwatch/Diablo 4 combo pack, Lies of P, Wanted: Dead

Runners-up: Crime Boss: Rockay City and Starfield 

Winner: Lord of The Rings: Gollum

This was a tough one to pick. While games like Redfall, Diablo, and Starfield (ESPECIALLY Starfield) are hilarious in their own rights, they were pretty depressing for those who were genuinely excited to play those games – especially in Redfall's case because y’know, Arkane. 

But Gollum is another beast. I don’t think anyone was anticipating this game no matter how much they loved Tolkien’s work, and I don’t think we could have predicted just how much of a mess it ended up being. As someone who only really watched the films this year, I’m even more confused why Gollum was chosen to lead a game – not to mention the first big single-player LoTR game since Shadow of War. I feel like you only really need to look at the image of Gollum's weird face with the ‘Beg’ prompt next to it to give it the win.

But what really pushed it over the edge (and beat out Crime Boss’ use of washed-up celebrities, and Michael Rooker) was the fact the apology that Daedlic released (and misspelt the name of the game in) was written using ChatGPT. After everything that happened with Gollum this year, that was the cherry on top. 

Gays Stay Winning Aaward (Awarded by Aimee Hart)

Nominees: Armored Core 6 improving trans moral, Baldur's Gate 3, Daisy in Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Korsica and Peppermint shippers, Like a Dragon series continues to exist, Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol 1, character redesigns in Resident Evil 4, Twink Link, New Overwatch 2 hero: Venture, Monster Trench Love Amnesia: The Bunker, Street Fighter 6’s Manon Trans Colour Scheme, Peppino from Pizza Tower and Anton from Antonblast shippers

Runner-up: The Return of Bi4Bi Couple Leon and Ada in Resident Evil 4

Capcom are so real for this.

I’ll be honest with you: I don’t give a rat’s ass about Resident Evil outside of hot people looking good while scary things chase them. Why do you think I play Dead by Daylight? Because it’s fun? Hahahahahahahaha. 

Leon Kennedy, the guy in horror games with (probably) the most nude mods in history, returned in Capcom’s Resident Evil 4 Remake. Months later, he was joined by his beautiful husband and kickass partner-in-red-dress-and-heels, Ada Wong. 

The two’s relationship has been a focal point for so long now, and sure they are a beautiful couple. But this ain’t about them. This is about them both being a feast for every queer person’s eyes in stunning HD. Them being in a game together, looking as good as they did? Gays, we remain WINNING. 

Runner-up: Dragon Age 4 Existing And Being Real

Fun Fact: I have been using this image for Dragon Age 4 in at least one of our GOTY piece each year since… SINCE 2019!

“Dragon Age 4 got like a 49-second teaser, Aimee this isn’t really deserving of a Gays Stay Winning–” Shut up, I’m gay, and I do what I want. This is my award, and I’m allowed to go mad with power if I want to.

Anyway. Dragon Age 4 got a 49-second teaser trailer for Dragon Age Day this year. It revealed as much as every other Dragon Age teaser: there will be enemies, cinematics, gameplay and, let me just check my notes now… Locations! One of them is Rivain, and as an Isabela romancer, I am salivating at the thought of seeing anyone from Dragon Age 2, but especially the Queen of the Eastern Seas. 

Real talk now. I’m just glad Dragon Age 4 actually exists and wasn’t a figment of my imagination. I’m certainly not the only one who clung to it during their closeted teenage years, and for it to be making a return sometime in the future? It brings a tear to the eye.

Winner - My Awful, Sexy Companions In Baldur’s Gate 3

Have you ever been introduced to a group of individuals and thought they were the most attractive, compelling people you’ve ever met, only to quickly realize that if you spent more than 10 minutes in their vicinity, you’d also absolutely murder them? 

That’s how I feel about the companions of Baldur’s Gate 3. Shadowheart and Lae’zel are two seconds from either kissing or killing one another, Gale won’t stop talking about his goddess girlfriend, Astarion keeps biting people, Karlach’s set several things on fire in the space of five seconds, and Wyll’s got almost as many daddy issues as I do. They are all so much. 

And yet? I want to be the meat in the middle of that particularly carbohydrate-loaded sandwich.

You see, no matter what sort of gay you are, you’ve got a Baldur’s Gate 3 companion that you’ll enjoy. Me, I’m a firm believer in listening to any woman with an authoritative enough voice, religious trauma and a generous helping of mental illness – all things that tick my mental gay tickboxes. So, I thoroughly enjoyed my time hanging out with my girls Lae’zel, Shadowheart, Karlach, and Minthara. 

With such variety to choose from, it was obvious that much like every other award they’ve been nominated for so far, Baldur’s Gate 3 would snatch up ‘Gays Stay Winning’ too.

The “This Is Getting Out Of Hand. Now, There Are Two Of Them!” (Awarded by Edward Lee)

Nominees: Alan Wake II, Spider-Man 2, Overwatch 2, Dead Island 2, Everybody 1-2 Switch, Remnant 2, Blasphemous 2, Ghostrunner 2, The Talos Principle 2, Nickelodeon All Star Brawl 2, Lords of the Fallen

The video game sequel is a tricky beast.  It is usually built from the bones of its predecessor and, as a result, looks, plays, and feels pretty similar.  Many games suffer from the “just more of the same” problem, even when more of the same is generally a good thing.  Every so often, though, a sequel boldly goes beyond what has come before, evolving a series and making headlines doing so. 

Sequels also carry expectations.  Fans theorise until hopes become assumptions, while haters look for blood—any reused asset or animation results in a tiring amount of online discourse.  The anticipation for a sequel can feel exhausting, particularly when it’s a game with bumps in the road during creation or an unusually long development period.

Sometimes, though, against all the challenges of game development, miracles happen.  Several nominees have delivered incredible experiences this year, while others have played it safer to various degrees of success.  There’s one game in particular, however, that stands out more than the rest.

The winner of this award is the quintessential sequel.  It defies expectations and pushes the medium of video games to a new frontier.  One where art intersects with technology to create an experience that can only be delivered in video game form.  That — at times — is so absurd you question what is happening.  What reality are you in?

It deftly handles nostalgia, letting players swim in the familiar while unleashing tidal waves of new ideas.  It grows beyond the developers' original vision, making its first entry look more like a proof-of-concept than anything else.

Hrrrrrrmmmm, I wonder what game could be the winner here…? Why didn’t they mention it at the top…?

It introduces a brand new, fan-favourite character who was unexpected but won fans over quickly with their intelligence, quick wit, and passion for their job.  

Like other sequels with grand ambitions, many mysteries surrounding this game linger.  The biggest question of all — which is one I constantly asked myself with wonder while playing — is how on earth something like this gets given the green light?! 

It’s an honour and a privilege to announce that the 2023 Startmenu “This is getting out of hand.  Now, there are two of them!” award goes to…

WINNER: Everybody 1-2 Switch

Runners-up: Alan Wake II, I guess, and also Spider-Man 2

It’s not a GOAT; it’s a horse.

Why Did I Play So Much Of This This Year?( Awarded by Branford Hubbard)

Nominees: Magic the Gathering: Arena, Honkai Star Rail, FF: Evercrisis, Street Fighter 6, Warhammer 40k: Warpforge, Fortnite, Monster Hunter Now, Marvel Snap, Postal 4, Crime Boss Rockay City, Dave The Diver, Hall of Torment, Destiny 2, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Diablo 4, Dave The Diver

Runners-up: Postal 4 and Skull Island: Rise of Kong

Winner: Crime Boss: Rockay City

Editor’s note: As someone who played this game. As someone that reviewed this game. As someone that pulled an all-nighter to finish this game. Crime Boss is a bad video game.

This year, we’ve played many games. But looking back on 2023, did you end up thinking about one of the games you did spend time with and say, “Wow. I can’t believe I spent SO much time on THAT game!?” That’s what this award is about.

The nominees run this gamut of being actual good triple-A and liveservice games we couldn’t put down, licensed games that stink to high heaven(are we going back in time?), and an original IP where the developers apparently spent all its money on putting celebs in it. At least none of them had NFTs(I hope).

Our first runner-up is Postal 4. Postal 4 is about a decade late and 40 dollars short, making edge lord jokes the internet as a whole moved on from ages ago. It’s like if instead of Steve Rogers being stuck in the ice and defrosted to become Captain America, we put a teenage clone of Gex that only watches South Park in his place. While Postal 4 was disappointing, it didn’t exactly shake the industry or leave any mark of note. 

Our next runner-up is Skull Island: Rise of Kong. Putting all jokes aside, Rise of Kong is apparently the result of the publisher, GameMill, not giving the developers any of the time or resources they needed, and it shows! JPGs instead of cutscenes, storytelling that could challenge Sonic games, and a game that looks unfinished in nearly every aspect. You do get to briefly play as a female Kong, so that’s….one positive (maybe) in a sea of many, many, more negatives. Though there are no oversized apes, you’re better off picking up a game like Gigabash, or even going back to Peter Jackson’s King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie. If we’re going to bring back licensed games, it can’t be like this!

And finally, our “Winner”: Crime Boss Rockay City. If you haven’t followed the release of this game and you like watching train wrecks, you’re in luck! Most of us were introduced to this game with a baffling…Michal Madsen's stage appearance at The Game Awards that included two hired thugs. and by “hired thugs”, I mean “Craig and Dan from accounting in ill-fitting suits and sunglasses”. I know people say they’re ‘tired of Marvel’, but I don’t think this is going to move the needle in the favour of original IP. While part of me is glad Chuck Norris didn’t get to be in an actual good game, Rockay City could’ve been an interesting game that filled a void while Rockstar is gearing up for GTA 6 and since Payday 3’s launch wasn’t so hot. However, all terrible acting, and weird glitches aside, the final nail in the coffin was that the game wasn’t good. 505 Games asked if you wanted to be King of Rockay City? I don’t think anyone even wants to visit anymore…

Best Game For Photography (Awarded by Alex Green):

Nominees: Jusant, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Planet of Lana, Like A Dragon Ishin!, Star Wars: Jedi - Survivor, Tchia, Final Fantasy 16, Season: A Letter to The Future, Forza Motorsport, Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name

Runners-up: Planet of Lana and Starfield

Winner: Hi-Fi Rush

When it comes to modern innovations, I for one love the opportunity for virtual photography in games. Am I good at photography? Absolutely not. But it's one of a few recent hobbies I’ve been picking up. Of course, every console has basic tools for photography nowadays and any game can be a source of great photos. That’s even for those without photo modes. 

Plenty of games this year had the visual fidelity and tools to produce a wonderful photo album. Every Sony first-party entry, including Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, is packed with expansive photo modes and they were once again a hit. Starfield was flawed in a number of ways but had beautiful skyboxes and its varied environments and embrace of colour gave the fairly rudimentary photo mode plenty of scope. Helps that those photos could then be incorporated into loading screens. Jusant lacked a photo mode but its excellent lighting and emphasise on wide frames in cutscenes made for beautiful images with tremendous contrast. Would mention chiaroscuro but it isn’t that sharp. 

My two favourites for this award though come from two very different games. Firstly, the underlooked Planet of Lana. One of the year’s excellent side-scrollers, the hand-painted environments and use of light combined for a glory that looked beautiful in motion and in still frames. The moments the camera pulls back to show a puzzle or a landscape at scale gave tremendous photo opportunities. 

However, when it comes to the best, few were matched by Microsoft’s best first-party game of 2023, Hi-Fi Rush. The Tango GameWorks rhythm action game was fabulous with a photo mode full of options, the art style adding great angular lines to a tremendous colour palette and plenty of hilarious cutscene moments and awesome still frames in boss fights.

Best Nostalgia Bait Of The Year (Awarded by Christian Moe)

Nominees: Sea of Stars, Quake 2 Remaster, RE4 Remake, Metroid Prime Remaster, Goldeneye 007, System Shock, 30xx, Flashback 2, The Atari 2600 +, Making of Karateka, Kirby’s Return to Dreamland, System Shock, Advanced Wars 1+2 Reboot Camp, Risk of Rain Returns, Analogue Pocket rainbow colours

Runners-up: 30XX and System Shock

The last few years have been an absolutely devastating shitshow for most of the world. It has left me longing for a time in my past when things were simpler. I dove into emulation, built custom PCs and bought handheld hardware for the task. It didn’t fill the void the way I wanted, so I broke out my old original hardware, and then started shopping for CRTs. In short, I am the exact sort of sucker who will be lured in by the promise of a game that will rekindle my old memories.  I will take the bait. Every time.

In a year full of incredible games, 2023 was also packed with an inordinate number of quality remakes, long-awaited sequels and the ever-lauded “spiritual successors: The Quake 2 Remaster, Risk of Rain Returns, and 30XX all feel like they are much better than they deserve to be. Resident Evil 4 Remake is sweeping through the awards season alongside brand new IPs. 

On the other side of that coin, some of these games failed so spectacularly it beggars belief. Flashback 2 is a sequel so bad that it makes me think less of the original game from three decades ago.

There is a worse sin than being bad, and that is being unforgettable or uninspired. Advance Wars 1+2 Reboot Camp barely wears a new coat of visual paint, and while the mechanics hold up it does little to bring in new players or revitalize old fans. The same goes for Metroid Prime and Goldeneye 007 on the Xbox and Switch Online. 

Winner: Sea of Stars

What helps Sea of Stars stand out from the crowd is the smart melding of retro style with modern sensibilities. The game is built in the image of the legendary Chrono Trigger, but tweaked and enhanced thanks to new rendering technologies. At first glance, it looks the way you remember the best 16 and 32-bit RPGs looked, but the devil is the details. Whereas Advance Wars slaps a thin veneer of paint over an old game, Sea of Stars emulates a classic look without being beholden to it. 

Every character is more detailed, all the animation sprites are more fluid, and the parallaxed backgrounds are more dynamic and visually compelling. 

The plot, writing, and characters all follow the same recipe. Your main magical protagonists must defeat an ancient evil and stop the destruction of the world. It’s the same trope you’ve waded through a thousand times, but thanks to a few twists, some truly wonderful side characters, and healthy doses of both humor and gravitas when required, it manages to stand on its own as something unique, interesting, and ultimately enjoyable. All the party members you acquire are interesting and fully realized with their own motivations and goals. 

The combat is simple to understand, but some clever additional mechanics like a boost and break system add challenge and strategy. 

Each dungeon is packed with puzzles that force you to think about the skills and abilities you’ve acquired, building on top of each other like an evermore elaborate tapestry. On their own, each of these strengths would be enough to carry a lesser game, but in this combination, you are presented with a package that feels concise and purposeful. It makes Sea of Stars one of the best games I have played in several years. 

Sea of Stars perfectly slots into the part of my brain that is craving the past. It looks, feels, and sounds like I remember the games of my childhood did, but importantly, it improves on them enough to satisfy the person I am today. It doesn’t use the veneer of nostalgia to draw me into a mediocre experience, or hand me the same meal I’ve had countless times before on a nicer platter. It provides a wonderful experience that tickles the wistfulness I have for past games without feeling like it’s trying to pander to my emotions.

Sea of Stars is respectful of the past it builds upon, and so I took the bait. Hook, line, and sinker.

Best Trailer Of The Year (Awarded by Eoghan Watters)

Nominees: Super Mario Bros Wonder (June Direct), Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Summer Game Fest), Final Fantasy VII Rebirth - Release Date Trailer (State of Play), Final Fantasy VII Rebirth - Theme Song Trailer, South of Midnight (Xbox Summer Showcase), Metaphor Re Fantazio (Xbox Showcase), Pikmin 4 (Feb Direct), The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Name Announcement (Feb Direct), The Legend of Zelda: Tears of The Kingdom - Offical Trailer 3, Detective Pikachu Returns (June Direct), Hi-Fi Rush (Xbox February Showcase), SEGA Next Generation (The Game Awards), Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Announcement Trailer (Xbox Summer Showcase), Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth (RGG Showcase 2023)

Runners-up: The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Official Trailer #3 and Final FantasyVII Rebirth – Theme Song Trailer

Winner: Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth | Extended Story Trailer

The best trailers achieve two core goals, illicit an emotional reaction out of you as a piece of art itself and convince you to consume the content it’s showcasing. While a game like Tears of the Kingdom requires a trailer that plays on the score and reveals the scale of the adventure, Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth’s Extended Story trailer tells a full story in a 10-minute-long trailer that showcases the absurdity of the ‘Like A Dragon’ series while delivering a narrative that is emotionally satisfying on its own merits. The Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth Extended Story Trailer not only sells me on that game, but on the idea of playing the rest of the long-running series.

The Accursed: Most Anticipated Game Of 2024 (Awarded by Alex Green): 

Nominees: Star Wars Outlaws, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Princess Peach: Showtime!, Avowed, Hotel Barcelona, Little Nightmares 3, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, STALKER 2, Tekken 8, Dragon’s Dogma 2, Princess Peach: Showtime, Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2

Runners-up: Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II and Little Nightmares III

Winner: Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

Given 2023 still saw a slew of games releasing after pandemic-related delays, 2024 is likely to be much less busy but will still have plenty on offer. Many with numbers at the end, such as the third entry in the Little Nightmares series, the second Hellblade game and the eighth Tekken, where Heihachi and co. still haven’t sorted their differences. 

However, this award is slightly different as when we did this same award last year, we all got it wrong. When I say “we”, I mean that I had the opportunity to decide the award from the many excellent announced titles due to come out and ended up choosing Redfall. Yep, the game that saw Phil Spencer apologising for its initial poor release. Clearly, I have great eye for quality.

With that said, the winner of this nomination may end up being a wretched, accursed thing doomed to an eternity of despair. Luckily, a perfect game exists for this as if it isn’t good, the award has a clear trend and if it is good, the award is back on track and a classic series returns to form. As a fan of side-scrolling platformers and metroidvanias, my excitement is palpable for Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. The franchise is returning to the metroidvanias genre with what promises to be fluid combat and several tools to ease the common frustrations of the genre with markers and memory patterns for players to remember locations. Hopefully, it can all be pulled together but given it has won this award, it may well not.

Best New Character (Awarded by Lex Luddy)

Nominees: Alan Wake II - Saga Anderson, Alex Casey, The Koskela Brothers, Baldur’s Gate 3 - Astarion, Shadowheart, Karlach, Star Wars: Jedi - Survivor - Bode Akune, El Paso, Elsewhere - James Savage, Draculae, Hi-Fi Rush - Chai, 808, Peppermint, Korisca, Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name - Shishido, Akame, Joryu, A Space For The Unbound - Atma, Raya, Armored Core VI - V.IV Rusty, Pizza Tower - Peppino Spaghetti

Runners-up: Alan Wake II - Saga Anderson and El Paso Elsewhere - Draculae

Winner: A Space For The Unbound - Raya

2023 was one of the best years for new video game characters for a long time, the entire cast of both Hi-Fi Rush and Baldur’s Gate 3 endeared themselves to thousands, but our runner-ups have to be two very contrasting leading ladies. In a game full of colourful, enigmatic and straight-up weird characters, somehow, the straight-man of it all, Saga Anderson, rises above the rest. She’s capable, smart, hard-working, loving, and just cool as hell. Draculae, the polar opposite, is on here for how layered and flawed and cruel and sad she is. Both a victim and an abuser, you don’t go into El Paso, Elsewhere expecting the complex and messy relationship between Draculae the she-vampire and James Savage to punch you in the gut so hard. But it does. She’s not a good person, but then again, not many of us are.

Raya is this year’s best new character for entirely selfish reasons.

[Spoilers of the end of A Space For The Unbound]

The whole game takes place within her head as she battles to regain consciousness after an implied failed suicide attempt, contemplating her survivor's guilt, and drowning in her hatred for those that have wronged her.

The whole game is a beautiful representation of moving on, of living with the scars we bare, forgiving those around us, and maybe, just maybe, ourselves too. It’s hard to overstate how much identified with Raya, but it’s safe to say her journey and her life hold a deep meaning for me.