Didn’t play a lot of 2022 releases since Elden Ring & Bayonetta 3 consumed my life last year plus I played/revisited a lot of older games but I had a ton of fun with all of them. Here is my list:
Elden Ring - Spent over 300hrs into this world and I am still tempted to start a new save file. Along with BotW Elden Ring is the best open world game that I have ever played mostly due to the unparalleled sense of discovery and exploration, of course the god-tier boss gauntlet and impeccable designed legacy dungeons were two more reasons to fall in love with this game. From proved for one more time that they are among the top studios of the industry.
Bayonetta 3 - Instead of releasing a Bayonetta 2.5 Platinum instead decided to bring something fresh to the series and the genre with Bayonetta 3, the inclusion of Demon Slaves is a game changer in so many ways. Amazing combat system, a batshit insane amount of content and an enjoyable story makes this easily one of the best games in the genre IMO.
Tinykin - This was the surprise of the year for me, Tinykin is such a fun and relaxing experience that was really refreshing to see. Collectathon platformers can still be relevant today and Tinykin is the proof. Can’t wait to see what this team does next!
Indeed. And keep playing! Because I noticed that @CallMeCraig’s list included both Monkey Island (a game I loved) and Norco (a game I was intrigued by, but hadn’t played,) I decided to give the latter a shot.
It’s now a couple of days later and while I haven’t completed Norco yet, I really, really like it. So much so that it’s shot up to #4 on my list, bumping A Plague Tale off it altogether.
edit: Credit for nudging me to give Norco a shot also goes to @jasheeldz, who wrote a compelling paragraph about the game.
Sonic Frontiers: Huge Sonic fan, so really glad this turned out well. Of course, it isn’t perfect. The game’s got some jank and it certainly felt like some aspects weren’t totally fleshed out towards the end of the game. But man, this game was a blast. Whether it be running around in the open world, fighting enemies, speedrunning cyberspace levels, or partaking in the game’s amazing boss fights, this game was just so hard to put down. Also, the music, oh man. You can definitely tell the team cares this time around, and I’m really excited to see what’s next.
Persona 5 Royal: I know it’s a port but I’m gonna include it anyway. It’s too good of a game not to do so. The turn-based gameplay felt quite fluid, and I loved going through the game’s many dungeons. The awesome presentation and music just elevated the experience even more. I honestly didn’t like the social aspects at first, but they grew on me as I went on. The story was great, but it was the Royal-exclusive third semester that really elevated it for me, that whole segment was definitely one of the best things in gaming I’ve experienced thus far.
AI: The Somnium Files - nirvanA Initiative: Fantastic follow-up to the original game. It’s got a really intriguing plot with some awesome twists and a great cast of characters. Definitely something you should experience if you’re into mystery stories or visual novels!
LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga: Probably one of the best LEGO games yet. It would’ve been nice if the levels were longer and had more depth to them, but there are a lot of them and they do a great job at representing all the different eras of Star Wars. The hub worlds are fantastic, though. It’s a lot of fun just going around, solving puzzles and collecting things. There’s a ton of content in the game, definitely worth it.
Soul Hackers 2: This is a pretty good JRPG fix. The gameplay’s pretty fun, in typical Atlus fashion, and I loved the process of collecting and fusing demons. Unfortunately, I did feel like the other aspects of the game were lackluster, such as the story, cast, and dungeon design. However, I had a fun time overall and I’m glad this game got me into Shin Megami Tensei. Hopefully the mainline games come over to Xbox one day!
PowerWash Simulator: I think this counts, right? I didn’t expect to enjoy this game as much as I did. It’s a great way to kill some time and relax.