Best of January 2023

There's no denying that January 2023 has been a pretty steady month for entertainment, but that hasn't changed the fact that we've had quite a few exciting games, movies, TV series, and new pieces of hardware. To this end, we've picked out a list of our favourites from the past month, so you can be sure to stay up to date with all of the most recent products and content.

Bank of Dave

We're kicking things off with a movie that took Netflix by storm. Bank of Dave is a heartwarming family comedy that tells the real story of a man from Burnley who took on the UK's financial system in the hopes of starting up his own community bank. With Rory Kinnear starring as the titular Dave, this film was a charming biographical flick that is perfect for a lazy Sunday.

SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake

We probably wouldn't have expected to see SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake on our "Best of" list at the start of the month, but Purple Lamp proved us all wrong, as this daft and fun platformer ended up being the perfect experience for fans of the yellow sponge. Featuring all manner of nostalgic hits and entertaining gameplay elements, this game ended up being a truly fun title for all ages.

HBO's The Last of Us

Naughty Dog's game is excellent. We knew that this meant that the HBO series had a huge task of living up to the video game, but it managed to do so - or at least it has so far. The live-action retelling starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as the duo of Joel and Ellie, gave us an authentic representation of the world Naughty Dog created and then built on it with thrilling and emotional performances from the cast. We can't wait to see how February's episodes continue the story.

Fire Emblem Engage

Whether or not you were a fan of the Fire Emblem universe, Engage ended up being the perfect place to hop onto this iconic JRPG bandwagon. Boasting a story told over a millenia and featuring a collection of beloved and recognisable characters, this game looked to elevate the series' tactical battles, all while providing a thrilling new story all set on the mystical continent of Eylos.

Gigabyte RTX 4070 Ti Gaming OC 12G

Generally speaking, January isn't the most thrilling of months for new technology to debut, but that didn't change Gigabyte's plan at all. At the start of the year, the GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Gaming OC 12G debuted, and as we said in our review, made for a piece of hardware that gives great performance even on the most demanding of titles, all while featuring some of the best cooling systems we've ever seen. It may be pricey, very pricey at that, but it's a very capable graphics card.

M3GAN

If The Last of Us was the talk of the town in the TV space, M3GAN was the movie industry's hottest topic. This horror film introduced the world to the titular robotic doll, who soon became a terror on the town she inhabited, all in an effort of protecting the young girl she was built to be best friends with. Not only was M3GAN one of the month's biggest box office hits, but the terrifying doll became a social media sensation, which was enough to greenlight a sequel only after a few days in theatres.

Dead Space Remake

It says a lot about a month when the best game was a remake of a title that is only 15 years old. EA Motive did wonders with the Dead Space Remake, prioritising beneficial improvements and additions that elevated the immersion and made the already unsettling game even more freaky. It proved to the world that remakes need to be more than HD upgrades in this modern day of gaming, all while once again putting the Dead Space series back on top of the survival horror genre.

Shrinking

In his long and illustrious film career, Harrison Ford has never really been known for his TV comedic talents. Until now. Because the Apple TV+ series, Shrinking, proved that Ford can be hilarious in the right TV environments, even if the general plot of this show sees Jason Segel's lead character grappling with all manner of emotions following the ultimately death of his wife. Hopefully, the rest of the season can continue to deliver over the next few weeks.

There have been plenty of interesting shows, movies, games, and pieces of tech that debuted over the month, and these are just some of the best in our opinion. If we've missed any that you think should make the cut, be sure to let us know in the comments below.