My Favorite Games: 2022

 Another year, another list. When we reached the tail-end I was weirdly starting to feel as if this year was a little top heavy. As I made my final push I came to realize I was wrong. Turns out there was a ton of good games and I had incredible difficulty deciding this top ten. This year had everything, from triple-A games that absolutely exceeded expectations to indie darlings that came out of nowhere. Here's my top 10 favorite games of 2022.

Pokemon S/V

"She was busy with work.
Hardly ever came home."

This game is so damn close to being so much higher on my list. I absolutely love what they've done narratively here. It's not like it's some kind of mind-blowing feat of literature but there's an emotional depth there while still reminding me that this is for kids. It's definitely the type of story that if I did play it as a kid I would remember it into adulthood and refer to it fondly as it would have contained some of the more emotionally engaging moments of media in my youth a la Lion King or Prince of Egypt. It's absolutely unforgivable that a triple-A game like this released in the state that it was in, but dammit the stuff they did narratively and the concepts they had gameplay-wise I was so into. I don't think I've completed a Pokémon game or Pokédex faster. Hopefully this is a stepping stone to more quality stories as well as improvements in optimization.

Metal: Hellsinger

Rock On

It's the way that I started listening to The Agonist after this game. I don't listen to the genre of metal so much anymore these days, but occasionally I do get into the mood. This game immediately slung me into it. I know I'm a rogue-like whore, but BPM just didn't do it for me. Metal: Hellsinger actually works as a streamlined narrative as opposed the vagueness of a game in the rogue-like genre. Taking it's concept in a more rhythm game scoreboard direction allows for a cohesive narrative to be present. The gameplay feels very smooth and the songs rip. While the bosses all look the same, their gameplay mechanics do differ. Oh, and that final boss, what a fun time! The game is short and the ending implies there might not be more and I hope that's the case. I do so badly want more of the Hellsinger.

Grounded

"It's no Lemon Crime."

Honestly, wasn't quite sure what to expect from Grounded. I was like, ok, an excuse to be all small and build stuff, cool. This will scratch a new Raft/Minecraft type itch I have. What I didn't know was I was in for a neat narrative and a landmark-focused world a la Fallout. This makes sense, the Obsidian Fallout games were my personal favorites and it's neat to see the studio add this to their wheelhouse. Not only does the game have all the stuff to do in a building simulation game it has a fascinating B-movie story to boot with heart at the center of it's lore. The enemy variety is great and the creative approach to backyard biomes had me enjoying this so much more than I thought I would.

Neon White

I can't believe God Himself decided
to bless me with the thing I love most:
a completely clueless boy.

What a rad game and what a passionate community. This was one of my favorite games to stream because the community who's into it are very active. They didn't necessarily back seat game or anything like that, but rather they were very into viewing my journey. For those who don't know, Neon White is meant to be speed ran. There's so many ways to go about a level that can just cut your time progressively. The creativity in the movement of it all made it such a blast to embrace. The characters are very colorful and silly. They carry the story very hard along with that need to find the next speed running puzzle. In a weird way it's also a resource manager, with you managing the cards per stage. While I can't see myself becoming a true speedrunner of the game I will continue to appreciate it from afar.

Powerwash Simulator

*Powerwashing sounds*

I originally did not have Powerwash Simulator on my must play list. Honestly, I never know what to expect with any of the Simulator branded games. BBQ Simulator is straight unhinged, same with Goat Simulator. Firefighting Simulator is rip-roaring multiplayer fun. They all lean into the goofiness often is how I feel. I was pleasantly surprised to be pitched Powerwash Simulator which isn't nearly as absurd as the other Simulator games. By comparison it's actually pretty grounded. It was the perfect chill and vibe game. I was also told there is a story and as I played it I was delighted to see what kind of story that was. Even now, sometimes to wind down before bed I'll pop on Powerwash Simulator, and think to myself "What a lovely time."

Digimon Survive

"See you when I get back!"

I have a fond place in my heart for Digimon, but within my circle of friends it didn't feel as prominent. I hadn't really consumed much content outside of it's third iteration and I never played any of the games really. My friends Zen and Soft&Wet PROMISED me that this one was special. Soft&Wet even went as far as to buy me a copy. I owed it to him to play this game. What I wasn't expecting was to be so shaken up. This isn't what I remember of Digimon. They took my own childhood perception of it and threw it at a concrete wall. What splattered is a genuine piece of art that explored the consequences of such creatures existing. It delves deep into childhood traumas and concepts that many children deal with. A fascinating look at growing up and faults in communication/understanding. I cannot recommend this game more to anyone who craves both nostalgia and something new. Hell, even anyone who is looking to have their childhood concepts challenged, this game deserves to be played.

AI: The Somnium Files - NirvanA Initiative

We live in a simulation.

The sequel to one of my favorite games to stream steps it up. It provided everything and then some from the original. It has dance numbers, ridiculous characters, and sci-fi noir vibes. For those who don't know, film noir is one of my absolute favorite genres and I studied quite a lot of it at university. Once again here we find ourselves with unreliable narrators, but it does so in quite a different way. The occurances of the crimes involved in this game happen 6 years apart and the lines in between are blurry. It all accumulates to possibly my favorite somnium of both games. Unlike the bombastic final somnium of it's predecessor we find ourselves in the midst of something truly intimate and tragic. I genuinely hope this series gets one more go. I'd like to stop by for one more dance party with these characters, if only to continue sharing this streaming experience with some of my favorite friends in Pxlhearts.

Signalis

Remember your promise

Haunting. Truly, truly haunting. Somehow, someway, this beautiful treasure of an indie game managed to capture the essence of classics such as Resident Evil and Silent Hill. Not only that, the actual mechanics of the gameplay have a hand at the game's themes and concepts. This is the kind of nostalgia I can stand by. Rather than just rehashing something we've seen before the game knows what makes those games great and revolutionizes them for the modern audience. The story continues to stick with me heading into the new year and I cannot wait to see what else this studio does. If anyone longs for the classic puzzle-solving horror survival of yore, look no further. You'll find something truly extraordinary.

Elden Ring

No maidens. Touch grass.

If a number of games are but a faint echo of Breath of the Wild then Elden Ring is what happens when you take that echo and push it through a megaphone. It is a natural evolution of the genre and in many ways surpasses it. There's a reason it's the most accessible of the souls games and why tons more people have played it. The game has managed to somehow be as easy or as difficult as you want it to be. It might take a little time in order to make the game as easy as you want it to, but all the tools are there. It is on the agency of the player to obtain it. This, along with my favorite game of the year, have managed to live up to the astronomical hype that has been placed before them. Too often we see the failures (ahem, cyberpunk) but we truly are blessed here, in the the year of our lordt 2022, to have both Elden Ring and this next game that have shattered all expectation.

God of War: Ragnarok

"For the sake of our children,
we must be better."

To choose between this game and Elden Ring seems truly unfair. Both games are so vastly different and have so much so lived up to the hype bestowed upon them. As a book end finale the story is truly complete and thrashed me with such emotional heft I could not help but really embrace the character Kratos has become after all these years. I was never the biggest God of War fan, but this revisit to the character and the way they've molded him into a father who is constantly learning... I'll be thinking about it for a long time. This is also another one of those cases where nostalgia has a faint hand, but what truly shines here is how much is learned and how much a character has grown. We've peeled back the layers on Kratos and what's left here is one of the most memorable gaming experiences of the past couple of years.

I'm glad I can compile this list. It was a busy year for me video game wise. Hopefully more on next year's list will be played on stream! I also have a couple of games I've yet to visit for this list that unfortunately had to be put on the backburner due to time. These include Horizon Forbidden West,  The Quarry, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Bayonetta 3, and Stray. Here's to another year of great games!