Welcome back, gaming fans! I’m showing you my favorite video games of 2022. It’s one of my favorite posts each year. The release schedule for 2022 was unusual, but I found many enjoyable games. Keep in mind, this post is strictly covering my personal favorites. I’m not judging games by popularity, sales, awards, or anything else. They range from absolutely incredible to flawed, but still entertaining. It’s a long list, so buckle up!
Bayonetta 3 It took a while for this game to earn my appreciation, but Bayonetta 3 has very unique gameplay with a combination of melee combat, shooting, demon companions, platforming, puzzles, and various mini games. It has an interesting cast of characters who display plenty of wit, charm, and style. Like many exclusive titles on the Nintendo Switch, Bayonetta 3 doesn’t have the best animation. However, it’s a highly ambitious project that succeeds in every way that matters. Capcom Fighting Collection This collection of fighting games will probably be a nostalgic experience for people like me who grew up playing the Darkstalkers titles and similar releases. It’s easy to forget how many franchises and individual hits were published by Capcom until you see this collection. Each game holds up really well in the modern era with smooth combat and a plethora of unique characters. The Capcom Fighting Collection also has more options, including several difficulty settings, control alterations, faster and slower movement, or variable numbers of rounds. Catlateral Damage Remeowstered Yes, that’s the real title. I’m pretty sure this game was released digitally a couple years ago, but Limited Run Games distributed a physical version in 2022. It’s a nice item for collectors. Basically, you’re a really naughty cat who wants to knock everything on the floor. That’s all! Catlateral Damage has simple game mechanics that are a bit on the floaty side, but they still work well enough. The skill tree is actually decent with opportunities for increased speed, energy, jumping height, strength, and more. The Dark Pictures Anthology: The Devil in Me Despite receiving negative reviews from many critics, I found the latest entry in The Dark Pictures Anthology interesting, tense, and enjoyable. This graphic adventure could use more scares, but it has elaborate death traps, a sadistic killer, and decent replay value. Your choices have major consequences, so choose wisely. The characters seem irritating at first, but the journey reveals their true colors for better or worst. Good luck surviving! Evil West This linear, third person action game probably feels dated to many players. Evil West is a simple action title without extra padding. The gameplay is visceral and intense with tons of hideous enemies, a variety of weapons, multiple locations, practical upgrades, and memorable boss fights. Few things are more satisfying than being a gunslinger who kills monsters in a dystopian version of the Wild West. Final Vendetta Old fashioned brawlers aren’t common in the modern era, but Final Vendetta is a rare exception. It’s brutal and challenging with fast combat, smooth controls, and goofy camp. The runtime is only an hour, which might feel short for some gamers. However, Final Vendetta has very few continues and it might take several attempts to reach the end. I’m not sure how long the nostalgia train will last for brawlers, but the results are pretty good, so far. God of War: Ragnarok Here’s the true game of the year, in my opinion. The new God of War is a masterpiece in gameplay and storytelling with beautiful environments, amazing combat, well crafted characters, and stunning animation. Everything in this game is epic, ranging from a unique spin on Norse mythology to complex boss fights. It’s the perfect way to the end God of War’s Norse saga and I hope every gamer will have the experience. Horizon Forbidden West This open world adventure game is a worthy successor to Horizon Zero Dawn. It has a compelling cast of characters, excellent gameplay, intriguing missions, and many opportunities for exploration. Forbidden West brings new ideas and mechanics to the open world formula and it sets up the premise for a third game in the series. It also has fantastic animation with one of the most gorgeous post-apocalyptic environments. The House of the Dead Remake I will gladly label this clunky remake a guilty pleasure. Calling this game unpolished is an understatement because the shooting mechanics are very imprecise, but I had fun anyway. The House of the Dead Remake is an entertaining throwback to arcade shooters, including hoards of enemies, gryroscope style aiming, simplistic level design, and limited continues. It’s short, sweet, and dumb in all the right ways with surprisingly good replay value. Kirby and the Forgotten Land Our favorite star warrior finally had a complete third-person adventure and the results were remarkable. This game retains everything that makes Kirby endearing and it adds new elements, such as the mouthful mode. Kirby and the Forgotten Land is simple enough for kids while having strong entertainment value for adults. It’s charming, humorous, and well designed. The Last of Us Part I The gaming community is calling this game a cash grab and that’s probably true. Regardless, The Last of Us Part I is a worthy remake with much better visual effects and gameplay than the original release. Combat and movement is a definitely smoother in this version and it stays completely faithful to the story. Sure, the developer could have made bigger changes, but why take away any elements that were so great? Pokémon Legends: Arceus This game was the first Pokémon title that experimented with open world elements and the results were very positive. Arceus includes exploration, a crafting system, side missions, and impressive combat. It still has a multitude of pokémon, including challenging boss fights. The visual effects and gameplay are a little rough, but the overall experience is super fun. It’s also the first Pokémon title that tosses the protagonist in the middle of the action. You can sneak up on pokémon, dodge away from attacks, and throw items at boss enemies. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Nintendo released two Pokémon games in 2022 for better or worse. Personally, I think both games needed more time in development, but they turned out pretty good in most ways. Scarlet and Violet has a true open world environment that’s ripe for exploration. It’s loaded with pokémon, multiple story arches, and the new terra raid battles. It’s seriously addictive. I believe the hardcore Pokémon fanbase is being unfair with this mainline release, but we’re all entitled to our opinions. The Quarry Supermassive Games released two graphic adventures with a horror theme last year. Again, I think both games needed more work, but here we are. The Quarry is a nice throwback to 80s horror with gruesome death scenes, nifty creature effects, and bumbling protagonists. It has a decent blend of humor, scares, and entertainment value. Like any good graphic adventure, your choices have dire consequences. The characters will live or die, based on your decisions and time quick time events. No pressure! Stray You can never have too many cats in video games. This post-apocalyptic game features an orange tabby cat who gets lost in an underground city that’s occupied by robots. Stray has an emphasis on traversal, survival, and storytelling. It’s a downer in some ways, but the story also has many heartfelt moments. I had a blast maneuvering through the dystopian environment as an agile cat, although combat is a bit clunky. It’s one of the best games for cat people. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection It seems like the nostalgia bandwagon is focusing on my generation. The Cowabunga Collection includes several of the original TMNT brawlers and fighting games. All of them hold up phenomenally well and modern gamers can add a variety of features to change the experience. The entire collection runs smoothly and maintains the original difficulty. It’s the four turtles, their allies, and a classic cast of villains. You can’t get any better. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge The Ninja Turtles were on a role in 2022. Their new brawler is a great homage to the original animated series and video games with frantic gameplay, memorable enemies, new moves, and a modern save system. You don’t have to worry about running out of continues. The gameplay and boss fights are incredibly challenging yet satisfying. I thought it deserved more recognition at the Game Awards. Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands I don’t usually have the best luck with Borderlands, but Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands was a pleasant surprise. It’s an entertaining looter shooter that’s stuffed with comedy, fun locations, goofy characters, and a great character creation system. This game has plenty of options regarding weapons, RPG elements, and mission variety. Wonderlands has a simple design and that’s a good thing. Plus, Tiny Tina is an awesome narrator and dungeon master. Congratulations! You read my entire list of favorite video games in 2022. I had eighteen entries, which is much larger than most years for me. Was 2022 a strong year for video games? I found many excellent titles, but 2022 also included numerous stinkers. You’ll have a a chance to read my most disappointing video games of 2022 next week. I would say 2022 was a strong year for creature features. My post includes monsters, Ninja Turtles, cats, pokémon, etc. Tell me about your favorite games of 2022 in the comment section. Thanks for visiting my blog and have a good week!
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May 2019
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