Unsurprisingly, Lego’s latest modular is the best set of 2023

In this job, you spend a lot of the time at the end of the year in a retrospective frame of mind, reconsidering everything that’s crossed your desk. What are the highlights, the lowlights, and the memorable moments? We’ve covered a lot of that in our Alternate Game Awards and in our more serious GOTY write-ups – but obviously, my life isn’t just video games.

Regular VG247 readers will know that I’m a big old Lego nerd, and I’ve treated the occasions when Lego has crossed over with video games with glee – it’s two of my loves colliding in ways that are often exciting, or just simply fun. This has been a good year for that, too, with Lego Sonic making a barnstorming debut, Mario sets continuing, and a glorious Pac-Man Arcade which I adore. There was also a great Lego video game in the form of Lego 2K Drive. So: all-in-all, a solid year.

It’s been a good year for Lego in general. I’ve enjoyed a great number of non-gaming sets this year – including a great Indiana Jones diorama, a wonderful space tribute from fan-designed range Lego Ideas, and the fabulous Viking Settlement that really scratched an itch of mine that was established through beloved castle and pirates sets in my childhood.