The Best RPG of 2023

ign.com:

One of gaming’s oldest genre’s had a remarkable 2023. It contained several long-awaited releases, a number of delightful surprises, and a stunning sequel that will be remembered as an all-time great. We knew it would be a good year for RPGs going in, but we didn’t know that it would be this good. Role-playing games of all different types were represented this year – turn-based and action, strategy and open-world, Japanese and European. It was a feast for fans of the genre, made all the more surprising that one of its anticipated releases spent less time in the limelight than many would have expected.

That game, of course, was Starfield – Bethesda’s long-awaited journey into space. It was a sprawling, messy, and at times confusing affair – we ultimately awarded it a 7 in our review – but there was no denying that it was a labor of love from director Todd Howard and company. An unabashed tribute to sci-fi film and literature, Starfield steadily develops in some striking ways, culminating in one of the most memorable reveals of 2023. One fan loved it so much that they beat its New Game Plus an incredible 33 times.

Since its release, Starfield has cultivated a community dedicated to building unique ships, creating elaborate outposts, and unlocking its various secrets. It is in so many ways the Star Trek RPG that we’ve always wanted but never really received, at least not in the triple-A space. It’s a journey of discovery through the universe that marks it as unique among its peers, filled with questions like, “What if clones of Genghis Khan, Franklin Roosevelt, and Amanirenas were put in charge of their own societies?” If you’re the type of person who stayed up watching reruns of Star Trek: The Next Generation in the 90s, then