The Biggest Games of 2023 – Part Six
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Developer: Insomniac Games
Platforms: PS5
Release Date: Q4 2023
In true Marvel fashion, the end of Insomniac’s 2018 Spider-Man teased an epic sequel, with two different Spider-Men working together to protect New York from the alien symbiote Venom. Though 2020’s Miles Morales spin-off satisfied our need for more web-slinging adventures, we won’t get to experience the true next chapter in the series until the end of this year. While we’ll finally see Peter Parker and Miles teaming up across an entire game, this is still an entirely single-player affair, and we can’t wait to see how Insomniac juggles its two heroes while also tackling one of the most iconic villains in the Spider-Man canon.
Crash Team Rumble
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Toys for Bob
Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Xbox One, PS4
Release Date: TBD 2023
Crash Bandicoot is having a renaissance of late, thanks to a couple of excellent remasters and the brand-new Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time. Now, the orange marsupial is looking to continue his successful run with Crash Team Rumble. This 4v4 competitive game sees heroes and villains clashing in a battle to claim the most Wumpa fruit. While it appears to have some MOBA-like qualities, especially in how each character has unique special abilities that can turn the tide of a match, Rumble doesn’t lose sight of the fact that it’s a Crash game with some platforming elements mixed in.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
Publisher: Warner Bros. Games
Developer: Rocksteady Studios
Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC
Release Date: 05.26.2023
The long-awaited next game in Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham universe will finally arrive in 2023. But rather than putting players back in the cowl, the focus is on the motley crew of villains known as the Suicide Squad: Harley Quinn, Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, and King Shark. Playable in co-op with up to four players or solo with the ability to swap between characters, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League sees the team forced to battle DC’s biggest heroes—turned evil by the alien Brainiac—across an open-world Metropolis. Fitting for Rocksteady, that includes a corrupted Batman, with the late Kevin Conroy lending his iconic voice one final time.
Minecraft Legends
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Developer: Mojang
Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, PS4, PC
Release Date: 04.18.2023
Since becoming a worldwide phenomenon, Minecraft has spawned a number of spin-offs that have taken its core concepts in daring new directions. The latest such project is Minecraft Legends, a new action strategy game which puts you in the blocky boots of a hero who must save the Overworld from hordes of piglin invaders. While gathering resources and building structures will still be part of the adventure, victory will also require you to gather together armies of ally mobs to command in real-time strategic battles. Thankfully, you won’t have to face the piglins alone, as Minecraft Legends features 4-player co-op.
Remnant II
Publisher: Gearbox Publishing
Developer: Gunfire Games
Platforms: Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC
Release Date: TBD 2023
Even if you have never heard of Gunfire Games’ excellent 2019 RPG shooter Remnant: From the Ashes, you should pay attention to its incoming sequel. Remnant II looks to take the intense combat and satisfying progression from the first game and turn the heat all the way up. The levels look bigger and more expansive, the bosses look meaner and deadlier, and the kinds of character builds you can make seem to be unending. Listen, we all make mistakes like not playing the first Remnant. Just don’t make the same mistake twice by letting Remnant II fly under your radar.
Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: PlatinumGames
Platforms: Switch
Release Date: 03.17.2023
Developer PlatinumGames has long loved to hide Easter eggs or special cameos in its games, but that trend has now hit a whole new level in Bayonetta 3—literally. What originally seemed like a strange hidden chapter in the game turned out to be a playable teaser for Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon. In this unique new prequel, the young would-be witch and her possessed stuffed toy Cheshire are on the search for the power to save Cereza’s mother. As the pair explore Avalon Forest, the world around them unfolds like the pages of a storybook, where fantastical battles mix with rich storytelling.
