10 Best Gaming Surprises Of 2023

2023 has been a low-key good year for Mario. Speaking just in terms of video games - for now - he's been doing quite decently in his regular spot as Nintendo's leading man.

In terms of new releases, Mario Wonder has proven to be the necessary refresh for the plumber's 2D adventures, adding in all kinds of charming lunacy and a much-needed change of visuals. Nintendo has continued to roll out the second-half of Mario Kart 8 DLC waves making it the most thorough karting experience. The franchise has also grown with new entries released or announced for side-characters like Wario and Peach.

But the best of the bunch was the one-two-punch from one Nintendo Direct to the next. The rumours of SNES classic Super Mario RPG getting a remake turned out to be true in the June live-stream. Then, following this in September, Nintendo revealed an enhanced port of the beloved Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door.

The Mario RPG formula has absolutely gotten stale in the last decade, becoming a watered-down version of its former self. So to see both the game that started it all and the title routinely called the Mushroom Kingdom hero's best RPG adventure return was extremely exciting. It just goes to show that Nintendo does still listen to its fans.