As we head into one of the last hol?iday weekends of the year, we're wrapping up GOTY-related announcements with more nominees. Thi??s time, it's for Destructoid's best PC game of 2023, and I reckon you already know it's a competitive bunch.

We've already hit the PlayStation and Xbox consoles, along with more specific categories like best indie and ongoing game. Looking b?ack, I realize 2023 is one of the toughest years for GOTY choices I've had in ages, and I'm thankful this was a staff-wide endeavor; otherwise, this list would've taken until next year to shape up.

As always, our platform categories don't mean the game only released on that platform. Plenty of the nominees here launched on both console and PC, but our formula still keeps gam??es limited to one nomination in any given category. In the spirit of PC gaming, we approached this with more of a "Is?? this the preferred way to play?" �same with consoles. Anyway, here's some really good games.

Starfield

Look, as far as I'm concerned, until we get mod support on Xbox then Starfield is a PC-only release. I'm joking (kind of), but Bethesda's modding community is too damn good to ignore. But on that note, perhaps put the open-world RPG on your wishlist any w??ay you can, as our swiss-army knife of a staff writer Steven Mills gave it the rare 10/10, making it one of Destructoid's "essentials."

In his review, Steven concluded:

"I wasn’t sure if it could be done, but Bethesda has managed to raise the bar for sandbox games even higher. In the end, Starfield is an epic sa??ndbox open-world RPG with a beautifully immersive universe, a captivating story, and fun and compelling gameplay the whole w?ay."

Cocoon

Cocoon is among the year's major visual delights. Even as someone who long grew tired of more puzzle-focused titles, Geometric Interactive demands attention with Cocoon's bright pops of color and bizarre b?iomes. It's got this smooth balance in its gradual incline to the more difficult mysteries, and even for those of us who don't immediately rise to the challenge, it's satisfying to poke around and fail.

Perhaps it's no surprise, but the puzzler comes from the lead gameplay designer on Limbo and Inside Jeppe Car??lsen. It's not nearly as grim as the two of those, but?? there's still a lot to the alien world that's hauntingly mysterious and loaded with "aha!" moments of brilliance.

Slay the Princess

What a damn good year for indies, doubly so if you're into cosmic horror and visual novels. Slay the Princess delivers on all fronts, with a premise and art style just as striking as its name. In hindsight, my ima??ge choice makes this look like a very nice, to-the-point, Princess Peach rescue-style situation. It's not.

Usually, senior editor Eric Van Allen's tastes line up well with my own, so his word was enough for the sale. In Eric's review of Slay the Princess, he's got plenty ??of praise to offer, and sums it up with:

"It’s about the interpersonal relationships that can wound us, ma??ke us versions of ourselves we never imagined, yet teach us. It is a damn good story, and one worth experiencing."

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty

I'll say it right off the bat: I'm not in the camp of belief that you can't count Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty as its own thing or even as something that was ongoing. Expansions, add-ons, DLC �whatever, there's a whole valid debate there for next year on where we need to see new categories, but the RPG delivered on PC with more cleanup and intrigue in a "fitting swan song for Cyberpunk 2077."

Our senior editor's description fits, as CDPR's RPG, for real this time, just launched its last big update on December 5 with the Ultimate Edition. Whatever becomes of the series' future, Phantom Liberty was a good place ??to bookend our adventures in? 2077's Night City.

BattleBit Remastered

It's always nice to find another gem playable on my ancient relic of a laptop. BattleBit Remastered low-poly massive FPS battleground is easy to pick up and put down for some satisfying chaos with friends or just 200-something strangers. It's a nice change from some of its massively online genre cousins, and even in the chaos of having way too many people around you in a firefight, BattleBit plays keeps up just fine.

This was one of those games that hit big in the year and somehow missed until the very end, but the arsenal of vehicles, combat role focus, and destructible arena scratch an itch I'm not getting from the more mainstream. Bonus points here for keeping anti-cheat woes top of min?d; when I get a new Steam Deck, it'll (hopefully) join my very short list of multiplayer games where EAC didn't rain on the portable experience.

Baldur's Gate 3

If there were a "game with most characters Andrea would like to kiss" award, it'd go to Baldur's Gate 3. And while I really don't want to put words in their mouth, I think the sentiment rings true for all two of us named Andrea at Destructoid. Contributor of excessively good takes, Andrea Gonzalez, wrote about how BG3 is a delightful dating sim. Andrea Shearon approves.

Okay, okay �outside of all the love-dovey stuff, BG3 is the incredible culmination of a CRPG that spent years in early access, with developer Larian Studios tweaking the formula with fan feedback along the way and delivering this mas?sive, choice-driven adventure. I??t's also one I refuse to play on a console, so here we are.

Dave the Diver

I've always heard it's pretty d??amn hard to find success as a restaurateur, and Dave's expe??rience here says as much. Developer Mintorocket's adventure RPG drops the pro Scuba diver into a cheeky journey with his friends opening a sushi business. At night, you'll deal with the restaurant. In the day, you'll fight underwater creatures like a half-crab, half-tractor (?) abomination.

It's all to keep the business going. The juggle between grinding for fish and managing the sushi spot was one Destructoid contributor Christine Choi adored. In her review, Christine mentions how she "can't put it down" as Dave the Diver aces the balance between?? gameplay styles and delivers so?mething lighthearted, engaging, and easy to take at your own pace.

What’s next on Destructoid’s GOTY schedule

We're reaching the halfway p?oint as Destructoid's nominee announ??cements draw to a close. Next week, on December 18, check in again as we reveal this year's winners.

Destructoid’s Best PC Games of 2023:

• Starfield
• Cocoon
• Slay the Princess
• Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty
• BattleBit Remastered
• Baldur's Gate 3
• Dave the Diver

The post Nominees for Destructoid’s Best PC game of 2023 appeared first on Destructoid.

Get ready, BattleBit Remastered players, the game got a spicy injection of fresh content just over the weekend. Update 2.1.4 for BattleBit Remastered brings a new map, more weapons, global leaderboards, an??d a host of fixes.

BattleBit Remastered 2.1.4 update includes a coastal map so you can gun in the sun

BattleBit Remastered update 2.1.4 introduces you to its latest map, Zalfi Bay, bringing the total map count to 20. The map features a Main City "surrounded by desert hills and canyons." Its windy streets are lined with palm trees offering only a little shade to alleviate the heat of battle. The city limits stretch to the bay's beach, which encircles a body of water dotted with several large islands. You can use naval vehicles to get around. The map also? includes what appears to be several points of interest, such as a lighthouse and a shipping yard.

The map is available for these modes:

• Conquest
• INF Conquest
• Frontline
• Domination
• CTF

Lock and load with new weapons

I am excited to announce that the BattleBit Remastered update includes one of my favorite gaming weapons. The F2000 assault rifle has held a special place in my heart ever since Battlefield 3, and now it joins the game that a lot of former Battlefield players enjoy. It's paired with a new designated marksman rifle (DMR), the G3. Will they eventually join the ranks of the best BattleBit Remastered guns? Onl?y time will tell. Other than the guns, players will now have access to a "dark flashbang" which make?s enemy screens go black as opposed to blinding white.

The update also adds global leaderboards. If you ever wanted to know how you stacked up against other BattleBit players from all over the wo?rld, now's your cha??nce.

Finally, to round things up the patch includes some fixes for the game. The Littlebird helicopter's minigun has been nerfed. Damage falloff for the weapon will now begin at 75 meters (instead of 200), and it'll end at 200 meters (instead of 500). Luckily, the update doesn't only bring nerfs to the table. The HK419 fire rate is going up from 640 to 825, and its magazin??e has been gifted two additional bullets.

BattleBit Remastered?? update 2.1.4 brings more fixes and information on the new weapons and map, so be sure to head on over to the Steam Community page to learn about the changes.

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Maintaining a just war

BattleBit Remastered is the latest hit indie title that has been making waves in the gaming scene. With its low? poly graphics, it may not look like much at first sight, but it provides endless addictive within a destructible world.

The game's popularity has also attracted cheaters and hackers looking to spoil the fun. Their days may be over, as BattleBit Remastered is strengthening its grip on the ban hammer.

BattleBit Remastered and cheaters

Cheaters and hackers have been a recurring problem within BattleBit Remastered. ?For a while, developers have been wrestling with DDOS attacks. Some of them are days long and?? cause servers to malfunction.

/??/twitter.com/battlebitgame/status?/1519782358660100096?lang=ca

??Prior updates to the game have a??cknowledged the DDOS attacks, and developers pledged to "recruit a team that specializes in detecting cheats and weeding out possible cheaters". Despite the pledge, bad-faith players can still wreak havoc in? the game.

BattleBit Remastered tightens up security

To combat cheating, suspicious accounts have been getting banned en masse in July. Earlier this month, a ban wave resulted in hundreds of accounts be?ing purged, sometimes mid-match. Though this has helped to clean up the game, a few innocent players have been caught in the net, including Twitch streamer @SureFour.

//twitter.com/Surefour/status/1680440502846406658

In addition to the ban wave, developers will be changing the anti-software the game uses. BattleBit Remastered has been using Easy Anti-Cheat, though it will be switching to FaceIt, which is an anti-cheat software also used in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

The announcement initially caused an uproar, as FaceIt is not Linux-compatible. However, developers have confirmed that the game will be using a more casual version of FaceIt that is compatible with Linux, squashing fears that Steam Deck u??????????????????????????sers may be left out in the cold. This, together with the bans, should considerably tighten up security.

Although the DDOS attacks have been harmful, they haven't stopped the FPS from being incredibly successful. With the low price of $14.99 on Steam, the title has managed to sell nearly 2 million copies. Much of that success can be attributed to word-of-mouth, and popular streamers introducing the game to their massive audiences. During a time when massive triple-A games seem to hog the limelight, BattleBit Remastered proves that simple good ideas can still thrive.

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Steam Deck players can rejoice

BattleBit Remastered is one of the latest indie hits to catch the ??attention of the gaming world. The online multiplayer FPS game is set in environments that are nearly fully destructible, adding to the chaos and fun.

Recently, the developers announced that new anti-cheat software woul?d be patched into the game. This caused some concern regarding the Steam Deck, though it appears the worries were unjustified.

[caption id="attachment_389574" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via SgtOkiDoki[/caption]

BattleBit Remastered adds anti-cheat software

The FPS indie game has been using Easy Anti-Cheat, which is convenient because it is compatible with Proton, which is what Valve uses to run Windows apps on the Linux-based OS. This setup has been shaken by the announcement that BattleBit Remastered will be using FaceIT instead.

The worries stem from the fact that FaceIT isn't typically compatible with Linux. However, developers have confirmed that a new version of FaceIT is on the way, and it will support t??he Steam Deck. The game will be the first to use the latest version of FaceIT, which should be excellent news for fans playing on the handheld.

Anti-cheat software has its benefits, as it helps to ensure players can compete in a fair environment free of hackers. This is something desperately needed, as BattleBit Remastered has been subject to DDOS attacks in the past. Nevertheless, anti-cheat software does come w??ith its downsides, often in the form of compatibility issues and high CPU usa?ge.

BattleBit Remastered has found incredible success, selling almost two mil??lion copies in just two weeks. Continued compatibility with the Deck will help the game retain the great momentu?m it has built up.

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Back to basics

BattleBit Remastered is not something I would've normally leapt into, at first blush. The low-poly, almost Roblox-like character models made me think that its sudden popularity on the Steam charts might be a flash in the pan. But overlooking BattleBit on aesthetics alone would've meant missin??g out on redisc?overing a piece of the FPS landscape I'd thought lost.

I loved old Battlefield. The World War II iterations were my first introduction, but there are few shooters I've put as much time into as my family did on Battelfield 2. It was the perfect mix of progression, variety, strategy, and shooting. I mention this to underscore the praise I'm giving BattleBit Remastered when I say it reminds me of Battlefield 2. It's a strong entry in the "shooter with a strategy meta-layer" catego??ry. After a litt??le under a week of playing it on and off, I can see why it's currently dominating Steam charts.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO8cokSpALA

Ready to roll out

Part of the beauty of BattleBit Remastered is in its relative simplicity. If you've played a Battlefield game, you'll feel right at home. You can queue up for one of the massive matches, ranging up to 127 v. 127 players, and immediately get into the action. ?Pick a class like Assault, Recon, Engineer, Medic, or Support, and hit the dirt. Take some control points. Deplete their tickets before yours are gone.

It's not just about familiarity, though. For one, the shooting feels very good. And it feels good at ranges, too. BattleBit Remastered encourages you to watch the ?horizon a bit, as shots can hit you from hundreds of meters off. Snipers will have to account for drop after a certain distance, but otherwise, you'll need to be smart. I quickly found the gun?s I liked, and set to work unlocking their various attachments.

Some aspects are a bit pared down, in interesting ways. You do have squads you can spawn in on, as well as rally points you can establish and points you capture on a map. Interestin??gly, it doesn't seem like there's a parachute in the game. Rather, infantry enter and exit helicopters safely through rappel ropes. This means a transport helicopter can't just do a sweep over a point and dump off a squad; that heli has to stall for a moment, adding a lot of tension to air attacks.

Breaking point

The biggest draw for BattleBit Remastered to me, though, was the destructible environments. Buildings and cover can be shred to bits by tank shells or RPGs. An easy way to take out an emplacement is to open it up. There was a second-story building where the enemy team had ho??led up and was picking off our advance, so I launched a rocket at the wall. Bam, no more cover.

Of course, that's a two-way street. Now, when we took the building, it had a giant hole in its defenses. Seeing the enemy better means they can see you better, too. There's a good push-and-pull to take and retaking points in BattleBit Remastered. That's not to say there a??ren't moments of two teams, lined up at an intersection, lobbing grenades and sporadic infantry charges back and forth until something breaks. It's a bit ingrained in the battle type, at this point.

I do think there's a lot of opportunity for coordination and strategy to?? win the day, though. I've been mostly lone wolfing, and it was noticeable when a coordinated squad rolled through an area. Developers SgtOkiDoki, Vilaskis, and TheLiquidHorse are pretty good about letting you stick with your squad through different maps, so it's easy to party up. And there's?? voice chat as well, both public and in squads. Speaking of, there are death-cam voices in this game, and they're always a delight.

Eyes on the prize

Befor??e, I ??said simplicity was a boon. And that applies to the gameplay; it does what it sets out to do, does it well, and all of it works in harmony. Sleek might be a better word for it. And that extends to the actual game itself, too.

There are "supporter packs" for cosmetics, but so far, no battle pass implementation yet. Pro?gression is made with individual weapons; shoot better with a gun, and you'll get better attachments. There's a prestige syste?m too, for those who like to chase the ranks.

It's funny that a game that doesn't have built-in engagement drivers is doing a better job at keeping me engaged than those that do, but it's true. When I boot up BattleBit Remastered, I'm not reminded of a content treadmill of dailies I need to complete. I won't be pushed to run through certain content, or play in roles I'm not really interested in, or reminded of the cool skins that are only in the shop for X more days. With BattleBit, I put down $15 and got a solid shooter with an absolu?tely massive player?? count. I hop in, play some games, and log off whenever I feel like it.

More than just being a better Battlefield option, BattleBit is a more relaxing multiplayer shooter than most of the others in my life. I can hop in, join a random squad, and revel in the sounds of overblown anime music booming through headsets. (In my experience, BattleBit Remastered is actually pretty well moderated; players will certainly ind??ulge in voice chat memeing, but I've personally seen both cheating and hate speech quickly squelched by the system.) It's the FPS I need right now. And from its position on the Steam charts,? I think that sentiment goes for a lot of other people, too.

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