Happy Holidays! Episode 4 of The Punished Podcast marks our final episode of the year, but fret not—we have an awesome show in store for you.
The Punished Podcast Episode 4
To close out the year, we brought five of our writers together to reflect on the good, the bad, and the ugly of 2023. Which games wowed us? Which games punked us? What are we excited to play in 2024? Listen along as we tell all.
For the latter portion of the podcast, our editorial team reconvened to tally up the final scores for our 2023 Fantasy Gaming league. Despite a competitive draft (and some smart waiver wire pick-ups), in the end, there could only be one victor. Get the full play-by-play in this month’s episode.
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Timestamps
- 0:00 – Intro
- 2:03 – Grading 2023
- 11:02 – This Year’s Hidden Gems
- 18:16 – The Biggest Disappointments
- 25:00 – 2023’s Most Notable Trends
- 36:32 – Our Most Anticipated Games of 2024
- 38:14 – Fantasy Gaming 2023: The Finale
- 55:22 – The Results!
- 1:08:38 – Outro: Holiday Backlog Plans
How Our Panelists Graded 2023
Allison — 4.5 out of 5
- Pros: Lots of bangers.
- Cons: Where’s Hollow Knight: Silksong? Metroid Prime 4?
David — 4 out of 5
- Pros: Baldur’s Gate 3 and Tears of the Kingdom.
- Cons: Got nothing on the goat, 2007.
Kei — 4.5 out of 5
- Pros: Huge variety of genres from a variety of developers. Global appeal.
- Cons: Lots of remakes. Didn’t have a marquee hardware launch like in 2017.
Jason — 4.5 out of 5
- Pros: Revitalization of the CRPG genre. 2D Mario games still rock.
- Cons: In a world where Breath of the Wild came before, will Tears of the Kingdom truly stand the test of time?
Sam — 4.5 out of 5
- Pros: Stellar new releases for beloved franchises: Zelda, Mario, Alan Wake, Street Fighter.
- Cons: Hard to top 1998, where Ocarina of Time, Half-Life, Metal Gear Solid, and Starcraft all pioneered their respective genres.
Fantasy Gaming 2023 — The Results!
Curious how this year’s Fantasy Gaming league panned out? Read up on the highlights below:
Act I – The Draft
December 2022
Our editorial team gathered to preview the upcoming year's gaming slate. We took turns, snake order, assembling a team of six gaming releases. The goal: End the year with the highest average Metacritic score.
Only the top four games from each team would count toward the average, meaning we could draft with our hearts and swing for the fences. So, we did. Check out the full 2023 Fantasy Gaming draft here.
By the end of the draft, we were left with three contenders:
Act II – The Grind
January 2023 to June 2023
For six months, our gladiators battled it out for goodness and glory. Each month brought new gaming releases—and with them, the promise of green Metacritic scores, universal acclaim, and more points for the Fantasy Gaming leaderboard.
We won't dig up the past, but if you want the full blow-by-blow, you don't need pay-per-view. Catch the full recap by reading each of our H1 2023 Fantasy Gaming updates:
- Fantasy Gaming Update: Jan 2023 – Fire Emblem and Dead Space Kick Off the Competition!
- Fantasy Gaming Update: March 2023 – Resident Evil 4 Retakes Its Crown
- Fantasy Gaming Update: April 2023 – Jedi: Survivor Soars, Redfall Stinks
- Fantasy Gaming Update: June 2023 – Zelda, Street Fighter, Final Fantasy, and More!
Act III – The Mid-Year Standings
June 2023
By the end of June, the Fantasy landscape was well-established. Team Amanda had seen a massive dub in May with the release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, but also a massive dud in Arkhane Studios' Redfall. Team Sam enjoyed two strong performances thanks to Resident Evil 4 (2023) and Street Fighter VI. And Team David, despite some decent releases, suffered two major game delays.
As the summer set in, the leading horses were creating some distance from the pack.
Act IV – The Waiver Wire Pick-Ups
July 2023
Then, we decided to shake things up. In July, we hosted a one-time Fantasy Gaming "waiver wires pick-up." The rules were simple: Each team could drop two games and replace them with another two. With Summer Games Fest at our backs, there was a gluttony of fresh releases ready to be added. Naturally, we took advantage. Check out our full 2023 waiver wire adventures here.
With our waiver wire completed, we entered the second half of 2023 with revamped teams—and renewed fires.
Act V – The Finale
December 2023
This was it. After months of releases, we reconvened for one last hurrah. If you haven't already listened, we highly recommend you scroll up to the top of this article and give our podcast a listen.
Still here? That's cool too. Here's the final leaderboard (and our newly crowned Fantasy Gaming winner):
In 3rd, with an average top four of 87.8 (and an overall average of 86.5)... Team David!
In 2nd, with an average top four of 91.3 (and an overall average of 73.5)... Team Amanda!
And in 1st, with an average top four of 91.3 (and, critically, an overall average of 88.7)... Team Sam!!!
That's right, folks! We had to go to a tie-breaker to decide the final winner.
Epilogue
Thanks so much for tuning into Fantasy Gaming these past 12 months. We've had a blast playing, and we hope to do it again soon!
Song Credits
- “Main Theme, Pt. 1” (Borislav Slavov) from Baldur’s Gate 3
- “Battle On!” (Eric W. Brown) from Sea of Stars
- “Our Terms” (Masayoshi Soken) from Final Fantasy XVI
A video game outlet that blends quality words with inclusive voices. For business inquiries and review requests, reach us at press [at] punishedbacklog [dot] com.
Huge video game, comic book, and anime fan. Spends way too much time watching things he doesn’t like. Hates Zack Snyder. Mains Falco.
Sam has been playing video games since his earliest years and has been writing about them since 2016. He’s a big fan of Nintendo games and complaining about The Last of Us Part II. You either agree wholeheartedly with his opinions or despise them. There is no in between. A lifelong New Yorker, Sam views gaming as far more than a silly little pastime, and hopes though critical analysis and in-depth reviews to better understand the medium's artistic merit. Twitter: @sam_martinelli.
Allison has been playing all sorts of games since the late ‘90s. She particularly enjoys life sims, casual games, tactical RPGs, and anything Mario. Her dream jobs are to be a Stardew Valley speed runner and a Mary Tyler Moore historian. As a recent MBA graduate, Allison hopes to use her extra time tackling her backlog and the never-ending list of 2023 releases.
David is the founder of The Punished Backlog. He has a problem finishing games he starts. Just beat: Nine Sols, UFO 50. Working on: Metaphor: ReFantazio. Can't wait for: Hollow Knight: Silksong. Follow David on Twitter at @David_Silbert to keep up to date with all things The Punished Backlog.
Jason graduated from Northeastern University with a degree in English and Game Design. For him, video games are not just an art form, but one of the greatest mediums to tell a story.
When not perpetuating the game journalist stereotype of being awful at a game and blaming the game for it, Jason likes writing short fiction novels that never get past chapter two, and playing Dungeons & Dragons.
