As 2023 winds down and 2024 looms on the horizon, it’s time to look back at the year that was in pop culture. We asked our staff to pick their favorite movies, music, television and games from the past year, and now we are sharing it with you.
MORE: Best Television of 2023: Why we loved these 21 shows from Lessons in Chemistry to Succession
The rules are pretty simple: it had to have released in the calendar year 2023. For television, just one episode had to air for the first time over the last year. To be clear, this list isn’t necessarily the best of the year, it’s our favorites.
There were a handful of top-notch video game releases in 2023, so let’s get to some of our favorites.
Nintendo’s sequel to Breath of the Wild was just one of many incredible games to come out this year. Tears of the Kingdom may have gone back to a familiar Hyrule, but Link’s new powers to move and paste objects together gave a whole new meaning to traversal and puzzle solving that likely won’t be topped anytime soon. Seriously, fans’ creativity in turning metal slabs into giant, working robots was absolutely unmatched this year and made the Tears of the Kingdom experience so damn fun. — Mary Clarke
The Pikmin franchise is weird by design. You are a humanoid-like astronaut who scavenges for resources to survive on a planet that sure seems like Earth. And you get these zany little creatures (the Pikmin) with special powers that you have to manage like a tiny army against the countless ladybugs, spiders, and worms who present danger. It’s not for those who enjoy things more … black and white, to be sure. I played the original of this series as a kid with a GameCube. When I returned with Pikmin 4, all those delightful synapses of nostalgia fired and I felt so fulfilled by Nintendo’s de facto representative in the Real Time Strategy genre. — Robert Zeglinski
Final Fantasy has never been this grand of a spectacle before. The action combat may not have been to everyone’s tastes compared to turn-based combat, but Final Fantasy XVI played into its strengths and then some with this new flavor. The bombastic Eikon battles remain the highlight of the game for me, as is the emotional performance of Ben Starr as protagonist Clive and Masayoshi Soken’s triumphant score. — Mary Clarke
If you play video games in any fashion, you simply cannot escape the specter of everyone’s favorite Italian-adjacent plumber with a red hat. Dread him. Run from him. Mario still arrives. For a franchise known for pushing the envelope, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the first completely new 2D entry to Nintendo’s flagship franchise in over 10 years. It does not disappoint. You still need incredible reflexes. You still gawk at incredibly colorful graphics. And with the “Wonder” element, levels are turned on their head in a way you never expect. I got every Wonder Seed and slowly cruised through this game at the expense of my poor thumbs. I expect to continue destroying my thumbs while replaying this masterpiece now and then for a long time. — Robert Zeglinski
No game consumed my life the way Baldur’s Gate 3 did this year. The sheer vastness of choice in this Dungeons & Dragons turn-based RPG may seem overwhelming, but once you finally beat the main boss that is character creation, you’re in for the ride of your life. Baldur’s Gate 3’s world is teaming with life and interactivity, with hidden secrets, awesome fights, and completely missable side quests abound across the map. Plus, the main cast that makes up the core of Baldur’s Gate 3 are all a joy to hang out with for the hundreds of hours you’ll put into the game. — Mary Clarke
OK, fine. I’m cheating by including a remake of a 15-year-old game. But can you blame me? Electronic Arts revived this horror classic with tech specs and graphics fit for 2023 while polishing the perfect over-the-shoulder combat mechanics that went on to define a genre. When I booted this game up and killed my first Necromorph (again), I couldn’t believe how good it still was. And I was quickly reminded of why Dead Space became one of the most influential games ever. — Robert Zeglinski