Here are my stats for the year:
Games
Played - 65
Finished - 12
Books finished
Physical - 2
Audio - 6
Watched - 7
Shows - 7
Movies - 5
Albums listened - 5
Without further adieu, my top ten games of 2022:
I could go into a breakdown ranking of each patch or rank the highlights like I did last year, but instead, I’ll just say this - Genshin Impact just keeps getting better (as of 2022, the current Hat Impact leaks are not singing to me). Sumeru, the new landmass, is huge and the tethers that help accelerate traversal make for fun fast movement. The length, measured (on occasion forced) pacing of all quests were a lesson learned from the successes of 2021. Writing continues to be top notch tugging on emotions and exploring complex characters from the first to the last Archon quests of the year to the optional world Aranara quest in Sumeru jungles. The events are also delightful, especially the cheeky (Pokémon inspired) Fungus Frenzy Event with the fourth wall aware Yae narrative. Yes, this game is my favorite as I continue to love and play it this year, but I do truly believe it has reached a state of unapproachable for new players, fortunately, that isn’t me.
9. Vampire Survivors Superficially simple with layers that unfold the more time you put in. It reminds me of the early iOS games like Jetpack Joyride or Ridiculous Fishing; easy to pick up and play for a short little burst but one great run later and suddenly an hour has passed. Ironically I don’t care to play on anything but a keyboard. |
6. Windjammers 2 Every year there is a competitive co-op game that really hits for me. This year is no exception. Windjammers 2 changes up the complexity of the tête-à-tête with a couple more basic moves. WIthout a doubt, it’s more of the same beloved Windjammers after 28 years with just enough added to freshen things up. |
3. God of War Ragnarök A technical masterpiece, elevating games through the use of cinematography techniques and nuanced performances by actors. Many short stories/messages given satisfying aphorisms. But overall missing a clear and unified conclusion. Maybe that was the point as gods as real actors with complex nuanced characters were successfully showcased. |
The inversion of my problem with Elden Ring, Forbidden West is big and obvious on story and characters almost to a point of overly simple. Characters are melodramatic with enjoyable, straightforward arcs. Locations/cultures have a clear genesis that aligns with their, sometimes superficially gamey, theme. The map is packed with quest icons that plagues modern open world games but in Forbidden West’s case they feel adequate for the size of the world they populate. I had to stop and recall some of the big moments as they did get a bit blurred amongst everything else this year but throughout the narrative espouses a delightful ‘fuck you’ to plutocrats which is commendable.
It is a sublime game honed to perfection through the work of seasoned developers refining what worked so well in the prior Souls game and their ilk. By incorporating an openworld structure, Elden Ring retires the “get good” mentality as forward progression is no longer limited to the one or two paths resulting in a harrowing boss battle. Instead, simply pick one of the other 359 degrees and ride off to explore what will also ultimately result in a boss fight. But this time, maybe the boss just clicks for you and you walk away with some in-game levels. Or maybe it is still a struggle but you, the player, get a better grasp on the dodge. Most importantly, you now have momentum. The wins start to stack up and upon returning to that first harrowing boss battle and ta-da you win and are back to making big progress. At the same time, it was the open world and momentum that was exhausting and on occasion oppressive to me. Being a stranger in a strange land was wearying when that strangeness never ceased. That being said, its a story that can only be experienced by playing it and, at the same time, was completely inscrutable and required obsessive investigation or external sources in the form of people who did that work and distilled it down to easier to understand levels. Elden Ring is a shining example of the refinement and polish a big budget and studio can produce. In my opinion it is a capstone to FromSoftware’s recent products and lands a spot amongst the broad ‘greatests of all time.’ I adored my time with the game coming out even as patches ebbed and flowed the difficulty and despite hitting a couple walls due to being underleveled, I still relished the victories even though they were often thanks to my mimic tear. But as they say, “All is fair in a Soulsborn.”