I'm sorry but there have been too many video games in 2023, and I think maybe we should chill out and wait till next year to release a few more.
This year so far we've had: The Legend Of Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom, Sea Of Stars, Baldur's Gate 3, Resident Evil 4, Street Fighter 6, and Diablo IV - and we haven't even gotten to Starfield, Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, or Marvel's Spider-Man 2.
2023 GOTY is anybody's to take right now, but one game that absolutely shouldn't fly under your radar is Ghostrunner 2.
If you've played the original Ghostrunner you'll be familiar with the setup. It's basically a Cyberpunk Mirror's Edge in which you sprint, leap, and wallrun through a series of levels with nothing but a katana and your wits.
One hit or wrong move can kill you instantly, so it's all about trial and error, learning how best to chain certain obstacles and enemies before you find yourself gliding through levels with all the deadly grace of a trained killer. It slaps. And I'm delighted to report the sequel slaps even more.
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At Gamescom this year I sat down Ghostrunner 2 studio One More Level to play through a pair of levels from the upcoming action game. This is a sequel that's leaner, meaner, smarter, and deadlier than the original. It's also very possibly my favourite game of the show, or at the very least the one I was most desperate to go back in and play after my demo finished.
The first level was a reintroduction of the standard Ghostrunner experience, albeit with some new elements thrown into the mix. There's a much greater emphasis on accessibility for example, with new combat skills (or twists on previous skills) that make challenges a little more approachable. You can, for example, nail enemies with a shuriken if you're nervous about getting up-close and personal. You can also send enemies flying with a gust of wind, or simply get stuck right in with your sword and get bloody.
That moment-to-moment gameplay is as good as it's ever been in Ghostrunner 2. Leaping across buildings and pinging through the air of the gorgeous, neon-drenched city is a sight to behold, and the whole things runs slicker than a greased-up moose on rollerblades.
You will still die - a lot - but generously placed checkpoints paired with the ever-present knowledge that as soon as you work out the correct path through a group of enemies you'll feel like an actual god is incentive enough to keep playing. I died well over 80 times in my demo (insert games journalist joke here), and I still couldn't get enough.
Combining dodges, parries, and well-timed sword slashes while jumping through surprisingly open arenas and picking off enemies is thrilling, thrilling stuff. In ever sense, Ghostrunner 2 is shaping up to be a perfect sequel. But if a refinement of the slick platforming action that defined the first game isn't enough for you, One More Level have only gone and added a bunch of motorcycle levels.
I can't stress how sick the first motorcycle level I played was. It left me breathless. Giddy. Hungry for more. You cut through a series of cyberpunk tunnels at impossible speeds, riding along walls and using your sword to slice through obstacles. There's a dash button you can use to speed up over ramps and soar through the air, and a series of heart-stoppingly narrow tunnels that demand the very best reflexes.
Again, checkpoints here are well-placed so you never have to worry about killing the flow of the game by going over the same bits of track again and again. It remains to be seen how well One More Level will strike the balance between motorbike and on-foot levels, but both represent their own challenges, perks, and forms of adventure.
Ghostrunner 2 drops 26 October, and I fear the GOTY conversation is only going to get more complicated.
Topics: Cyberpunk 2077, Assassins Creed