The Best PlayStation Game of 2023 Goes To... | Beyond 828
Dec 13, 2023
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Tons of incredible games on PlayStation in 2023, including Resident Evil 4 Remake, Star Wars Jedi Survivor, Street Fighter 6, Final Fantasy XVI, Baldur’s Gate 3, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and Alan Wake 2. Also, the official cancellation of E3 and the rise of online presentations. The significance of audio and storytelling in podcasts and the importance of merchandise sales with Shopify. Discussion on the Remedyverse, Baldur's Gate 3 as a winner, PlayStation Game of the Year, and the God of War Valhalla update. Analysis of the Playstation accessibility controller and discussions on SEO, social media, and favorite games.
The PlayStation Access Controller offers impressive customization options but needs more universal solutions to address a wider range of disabilities.
The Xbox controller and PlayStation Access Controller serve different purposes, with the former providing full customization and compatibility with external switches, while the latter falls short in terms of functionality.
Finding a balance between customization and universal functionality is crucial to enhance accessibility in gaming.
Deep dives
PlayStation Access Controller: An Impressive Piece of Hardware
The PlayStation Access Controller is the first accessible piece of hardware from PlayStation and offers impressive customizability. It allows users to alter any of the nine buttons and even offers unique features like permanent button holds and combining multiple buttons into one. The software for customization is considered one of the best in the gaming industry. However, some design flaws are hindering its accessibility. The circular shape makes it difficult for users with limited reach or dexterity, and the buttons are challenging to press, posing challenges for players with limited strength. While the customization options are excellent, more universal solutions are needed to address a wider range of disabilities.
Comparing PlayStation's Accessibility Controller to Microsoft's
The PlayStation Access Controller and Microsoft's Accessibility Controller serve different purposes. The Xbox controller is like a hub that allows for full customization and is compatible with a range of external switches and buttons. On the other hand, the PlayStation Access Controller is a standalone controller with limited functionality, featuring only nine buttons. While PlayStation's offering provides excellent software customization, it falls short in terms of a full-fledged controller experience. Players will need additional controllers or continuous button reconfiguration to fully enjoy games.
Room for Improvement in Accessibility Controllers
One area for improvement in accessibility controllers is ensuring compatibility with a wide range of games. While the PlayStation Access Controller offers impressive customization, there are still limitations in terms of button layouts and compatibility with certain games. Finding a balance between customization and universal functionality is crucial to further enhance accessibility in gaming.
Baldur's Gate 3: A Transformative Experience in Gaming
Baldur's Gate 3 has taken the gaming industry by storm, offering a transformative experience for players. The game seamlessly integrates tabletop elements of Dungeons & Dragons into a digital format, allowing players to engage in in-depth storytelling and immersive gameplay. With its attention to detail, from rolling dice to making choices that impact the gameplay, Baldur's Gate 3 has captivated players and received critical acclaim. The game's success also highlights the increasing mainstream acceptance of D&D and showcases the importance of highlighting the fun and unique experiences that come from playing games like Baldur's Gate 3.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2: Familiar Yet Safe
Marvel's Spider-Man 2, while an enjoyable game, feels like a safe sequel. While it introduces new features and continues the strong storytelling between Miles and Peter, it fails to bring enough innovation and freshness to the gameplay and overall experience. The game's familiarity, having already explored the city in previous games, dampens the excitement for players. The high expectations set by the original game and its predecessor, Marvel's Spider-Man, may have contributed to the lukewarm reception of this sequel. Despite its shortcomings, the game still offers solid gameplay and engaging narrative, making it a worthwhile experience for fans of the series.
There were a ton of incredible games to play on PlayStation in 2023, so join us as we highlight a few of our favorites from this massive year. In March, Resident Evil 4 Remake was one of the first games of the year we really got excited about, and it’s only gotten more updates since launch. Star Wars Jedi Survivor continued Cal Kestis’ journey and harkened back to some classics Lucasarts adventures while also forging its own path - and unfortunately, battling some rough technical issues at launch. Street Fighter 6 proved that Capcom still knew how to let players have a great time, and Final Fantasy XVI showed that the team behind FF14 could jam just as much epic fantasy into a single player experience. Baldur’s Gate 3 captured the fun of an analog pen-and-paper game of Dungeons & Dragons, and the hearts of both die-hard RPG nerds and first-time adventurers alike. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 was yet another astounding technical feat from the team at Insomniac and Alan Wake 2 is just a flat out amazing example of games as a narrative and artistic medium, while also being fun and scary as hell. Really, this year had so many great games, what was your favorite?
Also! Hot on the heels of last week’s GTA 6 trailer leak and subsequent reveal, this week we’ve got some more substantial news to talk about - though it’s not exactly fun. For starters, the ESA has officially pulled the plug on E3, which has been on varying degrees of life support for a while now. It’s not a huge surprise but it’s still a major loss for the games industry. Meanwhile, hackers breached Insomniac Games and allegedly stole a bunch of data, including info on the upcoming Wolverine PS5 game, as well as a bunch of developers’ personal information, which isn’t a very nice thing to do.