So this year there were a lot more big hitters out for the new consoles, not all of them lived up to the hype, but there were some great indie games released this year. I do think 2022 was a solid year, I didn't get to complete a good chunk of major titles like Elden Ring or Horizon Forbidden West, so those and other will be absent as I only score what I complete, onwards!
Best DLC: The Outer Worlds: Murder on Eridanos
I loved Outer Worlds, I won my goty in 2019, so I had been saving this for a while as I knew it'd be some time for the sequel, but this was the year I finally decided to go for it. I tend to find that nine times out of ten I dislike DLC, but this was solid. Back to my old ship and all my crew mates, back to completing quests, and this time as a detective and not a captain.
A murder mystery at a fancy hotel on a new planet to explore, sounds perfect to me. Anyone who liked this game will like the DLC. It was full of twists and great new locations to explore.
Worst DLC: Shadow of the Tomb Raider: The Grand Caiman
Honestly, take your pick when it comes to the DLC of Shadow, they're all the same. They're not necessarily terrible, just meh. Basically, each DLC is a new Tomb full of puzzles. I did plenty throughout the main game, so being slapped with another seven or eight didn't seem like great DLC packs. I've simply chosen the one I had the worst time with. Just stick to the main game and you'll be fine with this one.
Best Co-op Game: Overcooked 2
Runners up: Escape Academy, A World of Keflings
Any one of these could've been the best, I really enjoyed all of them, but I've of course chosen the one that was stressful and felt like work. It also gave me the best feeling of when we actually managed to accomplish those precious three stars.
Overcooked is a brilliantly designed game, lots of different meals to cook and many alternative ways to cook. Being able to throw items to each other or straight into the cooking pot is a great way to keep your speed up. I'd often have to play in short bursts due to high stress levels, but it was a blast too. Having a more chefs in the kitchen made the experience much better.
Most Surprising Game: Raskulls
Runners up: Escape Academy, A World of Keflings
The same runners up as the co-op ones, but Raskulls just edges them too. I had this game for a number of years and just thought of it as a classic Xbox Arcade title, which it is, but it's also a really fun platformer. It has different modes throughout the story levels and you can replay levels to earn more stars and unlock more characters and levels.
There is a variety of weapons and abilities, plus Frenzy pick ups to help you run even faster. Break the Tetris like blocks can get addictive and wanting to play one more level each time. Also can be played online and race against friends. It's a shame there's not more games for Raskulls, but the one we got was fantastic.
Most Disappointing Game: Scorn
Runners up: Beyond Two Souls, The Division
I had my eyes on Scorn from the moment I first saw it, which was about five years ago. Waiting for a game for five years only ever allows the hype to build up. The atmosphere of Scorn was incredible, the amount of detail in the level design is up there with the best. It's aesthetically pleasing, the gun design and the way your character takes apart the weaponry to turn it into a separate gun in your arsenal is really good.
The problem with Scorn is everything else. I don't mind a story that isn't directly told to you, or a silent protagonist, but what the hell was I doing? And why? The puzzles were frustrating, some of them I genuinely had no idea what they wanted from me. The combat was slow and clunky, I wanted to avoid every single fight.
Then the game ended, I got to the end, completed the game and asked myself what happened. Maybe the story isn't complex, maybe someone followed it coherently and I'm an idiot, but even so I didn't care to even look up the plot.
Most Anticipated Game of 2023: Hogwarts Legacy
There are too many confirmed games for next year, we're still waiting officially on GTA VI and Elder Scrolls 6, but Hogwarts Legacy is certainly one of the best looking confirmed games so far.
I'm not a massive Harry Potter fan, but I do like it and there's a whole universe to explore. From the gameplay I've seen so far I'm very excited. I was a huge fan of the first two movie games when I played them on PS1, but it's about time we got a full Hogwarts to explore that didn't follow along with a movie.
The Resident Evil 4 Remake and Jedi Survivor are two other major games for 2023, but you always have to give that little more credit to a brand new game.
Worst Game: Telling Lies
Runners up: Ghostbusters Sanctum of Slime, My Name is Mayo 3
I'm not going to get into this one too much, I love the games Annapurna publish, but this one didn't take. Essentially a jumble up bunch of video clips you have to piece together and watch by typing in keywords.
There were some recognisable actors, but at times it was just cringy to watch. I really didn't care about the story, I was just speeding through to get the platinum trophy in the end.
By far the best part was playing Solitaire for fun, but that doesn't finish the game any quicker. Keep playing Annapurna Interactive published titles, but skip this one unless it's for easy achievements and trophies.
Game of the Year 2022: God of War Ragnarok
Runners up: Stray, Dark Souls
God of War Ragnarok was incredible, every cutscene I was hooked, every boss fight was immense, it was just as good as I expected.
Many characters returned and introduced a host of new characters, each performance was great to watch throughout. Ragnarok brought in new partnerships other than the traditional Kratos and Atreus, which really freshened it up.
New weapons are introduced, the combat was fun especially with the amount of different ways to fight. A great amount of side quests that were actually fun to play. There really isn't anything bad to say, the first game was fantastic and this is an improvement.
God of War had some good competition this year, but it does come out on top. I didn't manage to complete Elden Ring thus year, but I did finally get through Dark Souls for the first time. I could write a whole lot of that, but I won't, I did love it though, but here is a list of my top 10 games I did complete or play a good chunk of for 2022.
1. A Plague Tale Requeim
2. Elden Ring
3. Escape Academy
4. God of War Ragnarok
5. High On Life
6. Return to Monkey Island
7. Sifu
8. Stray
9 The Quarry
10. Vampire Survivors
