Yeah but that one game, you know, the really good one with the interesting mechanic? Man! That sucker is truly engaging!
I prefer JFSH: RotAG
I think Elden Ring is the only 2022 game I’ve played. As usual, still chipping away at my years’ long backlog.
Wait, does Shadowrun Trilogy on Xbox count? Just started playing the first game last week.
Awww, I didn’t mean to fit anyone with a cone of shame. :( I just like knowing what you guys are talking about!
For my penance, to elaborate a bit on what I told @lordkosc, I haven’t played a lot of videogames this year, and when I have, it’s been older familiar stuff, which is kind of different for me. Instead of trying to keep up with what’s new, I’ve been opting for the things I already know bring me joy: Old World, Zombie Army 4, Phoenix Point, some Pinball FX.
And among the new things I have tried, I bounced off many of them, but I suspect that’s more to do with my circumstances than the games themselves. I’ve tried and liked to varying degrees the new Chaos Gate Warhammer, Mech Armada, Dying Light 2, The Quarry, Card Shark, Sniper Elite 5, GTFO, Gran Turismo 7, Paladin’s Oath, GalCiv III, Redout 2, Popup Dungeon, Teardown, Strange Horticulture, the new Lego Star Wars, Ghostwire: Tokyo, Distant Worlds 2, and Lost Ark, and the one thing they all have in common is that I lost interest in each one, usually after an hour or so. But even the ones I played longer, I don’t feel like I saw them through. The list would be longer if I included things I didn’t like, such as Hardspace Shipbreaker, that Aircraft Carrier Survival game I played way too much, the new Kirby, Neon White, Citizen Sleeper, and so on.
So if I were to detail what new games I’ve played enough – and liked enough! – to include on a list, the list would include:
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Not For Broadcast is a brilliant bit of videogaming that highlights some very very clever British writers and actors telling a unique story about dystopia. There’s nothing else quite like it, which is a shame. But also a blessing, because this kind of game without very very clever writing and acting would be painfully bad.
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Red Tether is the follow-up to Hyperspace Dogfights, a smartly designed rogue-like-ish shump made by one dude. Red Tether is more like an action puzzler than a shmup, but you have to pretend the phrase “action puzzler” doesn’t make you think of godawful mobile games, because that’s NOT what Red Tether is. Simple graphics, simple mechanics, simple progression, clean, elegant, sharp, tidy. I really like this guy’s work, and although Red Tether isn’t as good as Hyperspace Dogfights, I’m delighted he’s trying new things instead of simply repeating himself. He’s the opposite of 10ton in that regard.
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And, of course, Elden Ring, which has been a weirdly private experience for me since I got frustrated trying to play it with friends. It kept breaking us up because of its structure, so I finally took it offline so I could enjoy widescreen, with the unexpected side benefit of removing all those junky glowing player messages. And since I’ve been avoiding spoilers, I haven’t participated in any of the online discussions or even read anything about Elden Ring. So to me it’s this vast hidden world that I’ve been experiencing in solitude, mostly unawares of what’s in here and happy to discover it at my own pace, even if it does mean accumulating a list of bosses I probably won’t ever beat (at least not before I go back online and get help). In a way, Elden Ring doesn’t even feel like a game; it feels like a patiently waiting pocket dimension that I haven’t set foot in for a few months. But I’m glad it’s there and I have every intention of going back…at some point.
And that’s all I’ve got. :( It’s been a very weird year!
-Tom
2022 games I have played:
- Elden Ring. I rarely buy games at full price, but I’m so glad I bought this one! Will never beat the game, but love it nonetheless.
And that’s it. However, I got Mario Strikers Battle League Football as a birthday present last week, so I guess that will be my number 2 soon!
I almost put this on my list, but haven’t played it this year so it didn’t count. It really is like nothing else, and it’s a truly ambitious idea; super impressive that the studio pulled it off.
- Final Fantasy Origin: Stranger of Paradise – I go back and forth on the order here. Elden Ring is a greater accomplishment on nearly every level (technical, artistic, worldbuilding, scope, design, etc.). But damn, the combat in FiNioh Fantasy just barely puts it over the top, with its endlessly satisfying rhythm of combos, soul shields, dodges, class changes, etc.
- Elden Ring – Just a stupendous accomplishment. I’m in awe that what seemed like the niche-iest of niche series targeted right at my weird tastes (I remember being fascinated by the the import review of Demon’s Souls and fishing King’s Field out of the bargain bin to get a taste because I doubted it would even make it to the US) has somehow wound up becoming a consensus GotY.
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A massive gulf. My top two are at around 200 hours between them, while every other 2022 release I’ve played is in the 1-3 hour “Really want to get back to that after I finish Elden Ring” zone. Accordingly, not going to bother ranking them, but here’s what I’ve enjoyed.
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- Gotta Protectors: Cart of Darkness
- Floppy Knights
- Citizen Sleeper
- Hardspace Shipbreaker
- Tunic
- Ninja Gaiden Master Collection
- TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge
- Gordian Quest
- Dorfromantik
- Symphony of War: The Nephilim Saga
- Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak
Hmm, let me see. Here’s everything I’ve played that’s from 2022:
- Kirby and the Forgotten Land - I played this at just the right time because it was such a welcome break from much harder and heavier games (a couple below, among others).
- The Looker - Short, smart and made me laugh out loud so it’s a winner.
- Old World (I’m allowed to put this, right?) - The tutorial took me some 14 hours to work through and I found it heavy going so needed a break. That said, it was promising and I hope to return to it soon to play (and be invested in) a proper campaign.
- Quest of Graal - I only dabbled with this multiplayer-platformer-racer but I really want to play it with friends in the future.
- Elden Ring - It was enjoyable for a while but it felt all too familiar to me and started to feel like work amid various frustrations I recall from Demon’s and Dark Souls.
- TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge - Great presentation but the whole thing felt pretty shallow and repetitive. And that was co-op.
- Dorfromantik - This just didn’t click with me like Islanders did unfortunately. Islanders was so good.