2022 was a bit of a mix bag of a year let’s be fair, as things moved forward just a little bit and then moved backwards twice as fast. one thing it did nail yet again was… gaming – which has once again grown from strength to strength this year. That’s not to say gaming didn’t see a few “major” bumps along the way once again, with more AAA titles being held back leaving it up to the indie world to step into the limelight. It was also a year that seen the return of gaming expos as we sort of know them and it looks like stock of the next-gen machines have finally started to flow freely. So picking my best games of 2022 was a lot harder than past year’s as the standard of games this year was outstanding across the board. That said, I have checked my list twice and come up with my top games of this year that I think you should make sure you play…
1. Road 96
Odds are your personal GotY will be my number two or three and I totally get that, because both are brilliant games in equal measures. When it came to looking over all the games I have reviewed this year, one stood out and really stayed with me. Road 96 – an indie title by French studio DigixArt – tells a coming of age tale through a number of different teens trying to make their way in a world that just doesn’t care. Now maybe if you look at it in certain ways, it could be a tale that mirrors current events and themes… and that’s why it struck such a chord with me. It’s fair to say this one stayed with me long after I completed its fairly short run time.
Road 96 is a truly interesting and gripping tale that as it unwinds, will have you questioning your own moral compass as to whether you’re really looking after yourself or the greater good. As well as throwing light on some truly heavy real world questions about politics, refugees and daring to help others… all of which make this a journey well worth taking.
2. God of War Ragnarök
No one out there just now does single player epic games like Sony. It’s painful to say in some ways, but it’s true and it’s a fact that has been hammered home ten fold with God of War Ragnarök. A true tour de force of what a single player game is all about, building on the foundations of the 2018 sort of soft re-boot… Ragnarök takes what it did so so well and turns it up to 11.
From combat, to storytelling and even the pacing of the action, this ups the bar on the past game in EVERY area. And when you’re dealing with a 5/5 game as the base level, you know this is going to be truly special. This isn’t just a must buy for fans; it’s a system seller as it’s maybe… just maybe… the finest game ever made.
3. Elden Ring
Elden Ring is what happens when you take one of the most loved, but also frustration inducing, gaming genres of the past decade and just tell the developers to go wild. FromSoftware have crafted an incredible world whilst making the best Soulslike game to date. It really does feel like the studio has put into action everything they have learned over the past decade.
Taking what fans love, but also adding new and smart elements to create an open world you really want to explore, and also uncover all its secrets. Though, as is the way with FromSoftware games, just be prepared to die… again and again and again.
4. Pokémon Legends: Arceus
This year will be looked back on as the year of two Pokémon games, though each sits on the other side of the spectrum. Pokémon Legends: Arceus was first out of the blocks in early January and was a brave move that the series needed. It really divided the fan base in equal measures at the time, as it gets a lot right while moving the series forward… something that hadn’t happened for years.
It did manage to miss a few key cornerstones of the series that fans would have expected, yet it was a real look at the future of Pokémon games. So much so just 8 months later we got Pokémon Scarlet and Violet and the less said about those the better.
5. Bayonetta 3
Nintendo have had a really strong year with a stream of big hitting first party titles throughout the year with many battling it out to make this list… sorry Kirby. One of the real surprises was when the publishing titan teamed up with legendary developers PlatinumGames for the third instalment in the Bayonetta series. It’s fair to say had a bit of a bumpy ride just before launch and it’s maybe the first game that pushes the Switch to its limits, as the aging hardware does struggle to keep up at times.
However, Bayonetta 3 is stylish, over the top and a tonne of fun and it’s a real treat for long-time fans of the series, but also an outstanding stepping on point for newcomers, as well ahead of next year’s prequel Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon.
What were your best games of 2022? Drop a comment below for the ones that really stood out this year.
Stuart Cullen
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[…] when things like “the best” are so subjective. Stuart’s already had a crack at his best games of 2022, and it’s a good list if you fancy a read, but I decided to take a slightly more scientific […]