It’s been another tumultuous year — is there really any other kind? Although 2023 has been a landmark year for incredible video game releases across all platforms, the state of the gaming industry itself — with post-pandemic layoff announcements from big companies coming on a seemingly daily basis recently — is sobering. Looking outside the realm of interactive entertainment, much of the global news isn’t any better; in fact, it’s often far worse.
With all the economic and humanitarian crises around the globe, we try our best here at Nintendo Life to inject a little positivity into your feed. The daily doom scroll might suggest that there’s not much beauty in the world right now, but we’re certain that’s not the case, and the realms of media — interactive or otherwise — have been filled with wonders to help process the realities of a world that, at times, feels impossibly fractured.
Obviously, we’re all living the Nintendo Life around these parts but, on occasion, we sample other things. So, if you’ll permit the indulgence over the festive break, we thought it would be nice to share some of the non-Nintendo media we’ve enjoyed in 2023. Movies, books, music, podcasts, art of any kind — below you’ll find just a handful of tonics that made us smile (and occasionally cry) throughout 2023.
Jazz Emu, Star Trek, Perfect Consoles (Gavin Lane, Editor)
The final season of Star Trek: Picard delivered a potent nostalgia punch, but also weaved new cast members and themes throughout in a way that felt less contrived than previous seasons. In classic Trek mode, it needed a couple of rounds to find its feet — and apparently to bring its star around to the idea of reuniting the entire TNG family. It was a triumph, and tears were shed when the doors to hanger bay 12 opened.
This year I also stumbled upon the infectious oeuvre of one Jazz Emu after hearing Archie Henderson on RHLSTP. A musical comedy act that explores situations somehow both universal but also hyper-specific (especially to socially anxious Brits), the songs are lyrically hilarious but it’s the awesomeness of the tunes that keep me coming back. Multiple times throughout the year, I’ve thrown on Still Waiting (above) and my mood will instantly improve. Other excellent tracks include: an unreasonably catchy number about a robot who travels through spacetime to fix the world’s ills using its greatest tool: funk; a scam email odyssey; a track charting the awkwardness of finding your train seat occupied; the invention of fingerful gloves; and a takedown of the English language’s insane pronunciation. I could link a dozen more. I ended up buying several albums.
Elsewhere, I also enjoyed The Offer (a ten-part miniseries with Miles Teller and Juno Temple charting the making of The Godfather), I found Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny surprisingly affecting, and the best film I saw was A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night… from 2014. Finally, Simon Parkin and his My Perfect Console podcast have been exceptional company in the car.
The Boy and the Heron, Reservation Dogs, Gabrielle Zevin (Alana Hagues, Deputy Editor)
My biggest love after video games is movies, and while I still have lots to see before I settle on my 2023 favourite, I have to sing the praises of Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron. This might be my new favourite Studio Ghibli film. It’s an incredible blend of surrealism, magical realism, and the reflections of a creative looking back on his career and the future. That’s all I’ll say about it. It’s beautiful. Ignoring 2023 releases, the best film I saw in 2023 is without a doubt Aftersun, which is now firmly in my top-5 movies of all time. Just beautifully tender and devastating.
2023 is also the year I moved in with my partner — which means we’ve been watching a lot of TV. I need to finish Succession (I know, I know), but I did finally watch The Bear, which — oh my goodness — blew me away. I’ve never cried at a Taylor Swift song until this show. If you know, you know. But a lesser-known show also completely stole my heart: Reservation Dogs. What starts as an off-beat comedy blossoms into a beautiful show about community and family. It’s unmissable and just keeps getting better.
I’ve read a fair few books this year, too — I’m a better reader in the summer, though, because there’s something about reading outside that I love. But, on the topic of video games, Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is my favourite of 2023’s pile. It uses game development as a way to frame empathy, humanity, and relationships. Can you tell I like media that makes me cry?
The real highlight of 2023 for me, though? Moving in with my partner. He is the absolute best human.
Video Palace, Flanagan, Blink-182 (Ollie Reynolds, Staff Writer)
It should come as no surprise that my year has been mostly filled with horror. I take my dog out for walks twice a day, so I often listen to music and podcasts. One such podcast that tickled my fancy was a fictional series from Shudder called Video Palace (2018). Split into ten parts (with a few bonus episodes thrown in for good measure), it tells the tale of a man called Mark Cambria who stumbles across a white video tape which, upon viewing, causes him start uttering weird chants in his sleep. The series charts his investigation and its subsequent impact on Mark and his loved ones. It’s creepy stuff, I highly recommend it.
The esteemed Mike Flanagan also returned this year with his final Netflix project, The Fall of the House of Usher. Based loosely on tales from Edgar Allan Poe, it charts the downfall of the Usher family as they deal with bizarre deaths, the ever-watchful eye of a mysterious woman called Verna, and the persistent U.S Attorney Auguste Dupin. The series doesn’t quite reach the same heights as Midnight Mass (which I deem to be one of the finest TV shows ever created), but it’s a step above both The Midnight Club and The Haunting of Bly Manor.
Finally, 2023 has marked the triumphant comeback of Blink-182 with their new album, One More Time… As soon as I heard the lead single, I knew we were in for something truly special, but the album itself ranks as one of my personal favourites from the band’s back catalogue. It’s stuffed with absolute bangers, and I frankly never thought this day would come after Delonge buggered off for the second time.
Doctor Who, Spider-Verse, Dune (Jim Norman, Staff Writer)
I would be betraying my very soul if I didn’t start off by singing the praises of Doctor Who. I have never missed an episode. Ever. And while I have always tried to see the positives and actually enjoyed a lot of what Flux threw our way, nothing has made me happier this year than the three 60th anniversary specials (and I assume the Christmas special too, though that hasn’t aired at the time of writing). Tennant and Tate were fantastic. Davies was fantastic. Gatwa was fantastic. We are SO back!
I’ll fly past a few other films and TV shows that stole my heart this year with a brief thought so this doesn’t last forever. Across the Spider-Verse: yes, yes, YES. The Creator: spaaaace. Loki S2: maybe the best MCU project, ever? Theatre Camp: my heart is full. Rye Lane: my heart is fuller. The Last of Us: I have never been in so much emotional pain.
Over to something a little more papery, I finally got around to reading Madeline Miller’s Circe which was wonderful, and Brit Bennett’s The Vanishing Half was all kinds of great. I also went on holiday and read Dune, so you can expect me to be insufferable come 15th March. Oh, and amongst waves of comics, I managed to grab a copy of Miller and Mazzucchelli’s Daredevil: Born Again which has been on my list for ages and it did not disappoint.
We’re sure you’ve been enjoying some non-Nintendo, non-interactive delights this year, too, so feel free to share them in the comments.
And if you caught up with something this year that’s actually from previous years, no sweat. As you see, our personal backlogs extend well beyond all the Switch games we’ve got piled up! There’s no such thing as late to the party.
It’s been another tumultuous year — is there really any other kind? Although 2023 has been a landmark year for incredible video game releases across all platforms, the state of the gaming industry itself — with post-pandemic layoff announcements from big companies coming on a seemingly daily basis recently — is sobering. Looking outside the realm of interactive entertainment, much of the global news isn’t any better; in fact, it’s often far worse.
With all the economic and humanitarian crises around the globe, we try our best here at Nintendo Life to inject a little positivity into your feed. The daily doom scroll might suggest that there’s not much beauty in the world right now, but we’re certain that’s not the case, and the realms of media — interactive or otherwise — have been filled with wonders to help process the realities of a world that, at times, feels impossibly fractured.
Obviously, we’re all living the Nintendo Life around these parts but, on occasion, we sample other things. So, if you’ll permit the indulgence over the festive break, we thought it would be nice to share some of the non-Nintendo media we’ve enjoyed in 2023. Movies, books, music, podcasts, art of any kind — below you’ll find just a handful of tonics that made us smile (and occasionally cry) throughout 2023.
Jazz Emu, Star Trek, Perfect Consoles (Gavin Lane, Editor)
The final season of Star Trek: Picard delivered a potent nostalgia punch, but also weaved new cast members and themes throughout in a way that felt less contrived than previous seasons. In classic Trek mode, it needed a couple of rounds to find its feet — and apparently to bring its star around to the idea of reuniting the entire TNG family. It was a triumph, and tears were shed when the doors to hanger bay 12 opened.
This year I also stumbled upon the infectious oeuvre of one Jazz Emu after hearing Archie Henderson on RHLSTP. A musical comedy act that explores situations somehow both universal but also hyper-specific (especially to socially anxious Brits), the songs are lyrically hilarious but it’s the awesomeness of the tunes that keep me coming back. Multiple times throughout the year, I’ve thrown on Still Waiting (above) and my mood will instantly improve. Other excellent tracks include: an unreasonably catchy number about a robot who travels through spacetime to fix the world’s ills using its greatest tool: funk; a scam email odyssey; a track charting the awkwardness of finding your train seat occupied; the invention of fingerful gloves; and a takedown of the English language’s insane pronunciation. I could link a dozen more. I ended up buying several albums.
Elsewhere, I also enjoyed The Offer (a ten-part miniseries with Miles Teller and Juno Temple charting the making of The Godfather), I found Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny surprisingly affecting, and the best film I saw was A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night… from 2014. Finally, Simon Parkin and his My Perfect Console podcast have been exceptional company in the car.
The Boy and the Heron, Reservation Dogs, Gabrielle Zevin (Alana Hagues, Deputy Editor)
My biggest love after video games is movies, and while I still have lots to see before I settle on my 2023 favourite, I have to sing the praises of Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron. This might be my new favourite Studio Ghibli film. It’s an incredible blend of surrealism, magical realism, and the reflections of a creative looking back on his career and the future. That’s all I’ll say about it. It’s beautiful. Ignoring 2023 releases, the best film I saw in 2023 is without a doubt Aftersun, which is now firmly in my top-5 movies of all time. Just beautifully tender and devastating.
2023 is also the year I moved in with my partner — which means we’ve been watching a lot of TV. I need to finish Succession (I know, I know), but I did finally watch The Bear, which — oh my goodness — blew me away. I’ve never cried at a Taylor Swift song until this show. If you know, you know. But a lesser-known show also completely stole my heart: Reservation Dogs. What starts as an off-beat comedy blossoms into a beautiful show about community and family. It’s unmissable and just keeps getting better.
I’ve read a fair few books this year, too — I’m a better reader in the summer, though, because there’s something about reading outside that I love. But, on the topic of video games, Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is my favourite of 2023’s pile. It uses game development as a way to frame empathy, humanity, and relationships. Can you tell I like media that makes me cry?
The real highlight of 2023 for me, though? Moving in with my partner. He is the absolute best human.
Video Palace, Flanagan, Blink-182 (Ollie Reynolds, Staff Writer)
It should come as no surprise that my year has been mostly filled with horror. I take my dog out for walks twice a day, so I often listen to music and podcasts. One such podcast that tickled my fancy was a fictional series from Shudder called Video Palace (2018). Split into ten parts (with a few bonus episodes thrown in for good measure), it tells the tale of a man called Mark Cambria who stumbles across a white video tape which, upon viewing, causes him start uttering weird chants in his sleep. The series charts his investigation and its subsequent impact on Mark and his loved ones. It’s creepy stuff, I highly recommend it.
The esteemed Mike Flanagan also returned this year with his final Netflix project, The Fall of the House of Usher. Based loosely on tales from Edgar Allan Poe, it charts the downfall of the Usher family as they deal with bizarre deaths, the ever-watchful eye of a mysterious woman called Verna, and the persistent U.S Attorney Auguste Dupin. The series doesn’t quite reach the same heights as Midnight Mass (which I deem to be one of the finest TV shows ever created), but it’s a step above both The Midnight Club and The Haunting of Bly Manor.
Finally, 2023 has marked the triumphant comeback of Blink-182 with their new album, One More Time… As soon as I heard the lead single, I knew we were in for something truly special, but the album itself ranks as one of my personal favourites from the band’s back catalogue. It’s stuffed with absolute bangers, and I frankly never thought this day would come after Delonge buggered off for the second time.
Doctor Who, Spider-Verse, Dune (Jim Norman, Staff Writer)
I would be betraying my very soul if I didn’t start off by singing the praises of Doctor Who. I have never missed an episode. Ever. And while I have always tried to see the positives and actually enjoyed a lot of what Flux threw our way, nothing has made me happier this year than the three 60th anniversary specials (and I assume the Christmas special too, though that hasn’t aired at the time of writing). Tennant and Tate were fantastic. Davies was fantastic. Gatwa was fantastic. We are SO back!
I’ll fly past a few other films and TV shows that stole my heart this year with a brief thought so this doesn’t last forever. Across the Spider-Verse: yes, yes, YES. The Creator: spaaaace. Loki S2: maybe the best MCU project, ever? Theatre Camp: my heart is full. Rye Lane: my heart is fuller. The Last of Us: I have never been in so much emotional pain.
Over to something a little more papery, I finally got around to reading Madeline Miller’s Circe which was wonderful, and Brit Bennett’s The Vanishing Half was all kinds of great. I also went on holiday and read Dune, so you can expect me to be insufferable come 15th March. Oh, and amongst waves of comics, I managed to grab a copy of Miller and Mazzucchelli’s Daredevil: Born Again which has been on my list for ages and it did not disappoint.
We’re sure you’ve been enjoying some non-Nintendo, non-interactive delights this year, too, so feel free to share them in the comments.
And if you caught up with something this year that’s actually from previous years, no sweat. As you see, our personal backlogs extend well beyond all the Switch games we’ve got piled up! There’s no such thing as late to the party.
