2022 was a little bit of an odd 12 months for video games. I’ve seen lots of of us, together with some superb individuals right here at Kotaku, counsel 2022 was fairly unhealthy on that entrance. I’ve noticed the alternative take, too! Personally, I’m squarely within the “2022 was an amazing 12 months for video games” camp. I imply, once I first began making an attempt to resolve on my 10 favorites I spent about an hour going by means of every little thing I performed and whittled it right down to…15! Then I spent one other 20 minutes reducing it right down to dimension. So yeah, 2022 was 12 months for video games, should you ask me, even when the world round us continued to spiral right into a hellscape of illnesses, conspiracy nuts, dying, and capitalism (sorry, I’m repeating myself.) However no less than we had some top-notch interactive video video games to take pleasure in by means of all of it…
Anyway, let’s get on with this factor. Listed below are my high 10 video games of 2022 in addition to some honorable mentions. As common, this checklist is in no explicit order till the very finish, the place I’ll drop my private favourite sport of the 12 months!
TMNT Shredder’s Revenge
I’m not an enormous Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan. I don’t actually have a lot love for outdated arcade beat ‘em ups, both. And but, I nonetheless had a blast with Shredder’s Revenge, a sport that’s a lot enjoyable I ended up enjoying by means of it 4 occasions with totally different individuals. And all of them had a blast too, mashing buttons and kicking ninja ass on this improbable retro-inspired throwback. It’s an amazing sport, and in addition among the finest co-op video games on Recreation Cross proper now, too!
Neon White
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Like Shredder’s Revenge, I wasn’t so certain about Neon White. It appeared very anime-ish, and as somebody who by no means actually acquired into that stuff, I had misgivings. However I gave it a shot and, effectively…yeah, it’s some anime bullshit. However it additionally has a number of the tightest and most satisfying first-person platforming and fight I’ve skilled in years. Mix that with fantastic music, a slick look, an enticing storyline, and a leaderboard that exhibits your mates’ finest occasions and also you’ve acquired one among 2022’s finest video games.
Vampire Survivors
I held off on enjoying this for a really very long time. I want I might clarify why, however I truthfully do not know. I used to be simply an fool. After I acquired a Steam Deck earlier this 12 months I lastly loaded it up, because it got here extremely really helpful for transportable play. And yeah, you had been all so proper: Vampire Survivors fucking rips. What a tremendous time. For a sport that has so few interactive components—you simply transfer round and the sport auto-fires at enemies—it’s onerous to cease enjoying it. The ability-ups! The sounds! The fun of watching an enormous crowd of skeletons get melted in seconds! So good. So rattling good.
Diablo Immortal
Uh oh! I’m actually kicking the hornet’s nest by together with Diablo Immortal on right here, huh? However once I cease and take into consideration video games that got here out in 2022 that I performed a ton of, Diablo Immortal is close to the highest of that checklist. Sure, I’ve heard that it’s a big money-sucking vampire that isn’t truthful or no matter. But, months and months have passed by and I’m nonetheless having a good time killing demons and discovering loot. I may not have the perfect gems or no matter, however I additionally don’t care. Immortal has turn out to be my go-to sport once I need to chill on the sofa and zone out after working all day.
Two Level Campus
A couple of months in the past I acquired very, very sick and through that point I spent far, far too many hours enjoying Two Level Campus, the subsequent sport from the individuals behind Two Level Hospital. Like that prior sport, Campus has you constructing foolish amenities (for coaching Knights, or robots) which are additionally crammed with stuff like reasonable bogs and trash cans. However this time you’re creating large faculties. And like in Hospital, you’ll have to steadiness all of the wacky hijinks with extra mundane issues like ensure you have sufficient locations for college students to sleep or eat. I particularly love the in-game radio, which options DJs and the proper tunes for spending hours establishing the proper dorms and lecture rooms to your numerous college students.
Marvel Snap
One other cell sport on my high 10? Am I making an attempt to make individuals hate me? Possibly! However actually, once I cease and give it some thought, Marvel Snap simply makes the minimize. It’s simply so rattling enjoyable. The combo of quick matches, small decks, and random places makes it really feel in contrast to some other card sport on the market. Plus it has cross-progression throughout my telephone, pill, and PC. Mainly, I can by no means escape this free-to-play card battler starring superheroes and villains, and I’m superb with that.
God of Warfare Ragnarök
I anticipated massive motion within the newest entry within the long-running God of Warfare franchise. I additionally knew there could be large boss fights. Likewise, I wasn’t shocked by the wonderful visuals or the epic music and setpieces. What did shock me (in a great way) was how Ragnarök takes time all through its fundamental marketing campaign to let issues get quiet, to permit its characters time to simply exist and chill collectively. A few of the finest moments within the sport occur not when individuals are screaming or punching, however when they’re simply sitting round a desk coping with their feelings and fascinated by what to do subsequent. In such an enormous, loud sport, these moments stood out and had been a lot appreciated.
Midnight Suns
I didn’t understand I wished a turn-based superhero pinball simulator with social components till I performed Firaxis’ latest sport, Marvel’s Midnight Suns. Okay, it’s not really a pinball sport, however an enormous a part of the fight in Midnight Suns revolves round flinging heroes and unhealthy guys across the numerous maps, typically bashing them into one another, partitions, or off ledges. And while you aren’t smashing Iron Man into Physician Unusual, you’ll be able to learn their tweets, hang around and play video games with them, or simply chill by the pool. I imply, Midnight Suns is a sport that allows you to turn out to be finest pals with Blade and do yoga with him after drop-kicking a nasty man into Wolverine. What else do you want? Oh, you need the power to take photos of Ghostrider’s butt, body them, and dangle the pictures round your room? Guess what? You are able to do that too, you weirdo!
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope
The newest Mario and Rabbids tactical crossover is splendid, and a lot enjoyable that I used to be capable of ignore the unimaginable efficiency points it has because of the getting old Change I used to be pressured to play it on. However even with these technical hiccups, I nonetheless really loved Sparks of Hope, which expands on the gameplay discovered within the Battle Kingdom, including extra characters, extra talents, and bigger worlds to discover. Additionally they gave Bowser a rocket launcher. ‘Nuff mentioned.
And now, my favourite sport of 2022?
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
It’s wild that it took this lengthy to lastly get an enormous open-world Star Wars sport that options practically each fundamental planet and metropolis from the 9 fundamental movies. And it’s even weirder that it occurred in a Lego sport first, however no matter. I don’t care. I’m simply so pleased it exists.
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga isn’t only a cute, pleasing family-friendly motion sport crammed with Star Wars characters and music. It’s additionally an extremely dense sport in which you’ll simply lose 100 hours if you wish to unlock every little thing and remedy all its puzzles. And also you may find yourself doing that, as a result of it performs so effectively because of modifications produced from earlier Lego video games. That is now a third-person motion sport, full with trendy FPS-like controls and combo-based melee fight. Oh, and don’t overlook: It additionally has tons of satisfying house fight and highly effective floor automobiles.
And someway this sport nonetheless runs like a deal with on trendy consoles. Whereas the various Star Wars memes and jokes typically made me genuinely cackle, you don’t must be a Star Wars fan to take pleasure in Skywalker Saga. (However if you’re, you actually, actually ought to play this sport.) And fortunate you, it’s now on Recreation Cross. Go play it and revel in my favourite sport of 2022.
So there we go! If you wish to learn my 2021 picks, 2020 faves, or 2019 notables, simply click on these hyperlinks and revel in. Or get offended about my selections! No matter makes you are feeling higher, I assume. You may also see practically each sport I performed this 12 months over right here should you care about that stuff.
Earlier than this will get too lengthy, listed here are some honorable mentions. I actually loved my time with co-op loot shooter Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands, however the crossplay points and bugs at launch soured my emotions about it. Future 2 and Fortnite remained a few of my favourite issues to play, however they didn’t come out this 12 months so that they don’t make my checklist. (I’ve guidelines, individuals!) Nightmare Reaper and Lil Gator Recreation are very totally different, however equally fantastic video games that just about ended up on my checklist. And whereas it by no means actually had an opportunity of constructing my high 10, I nonetheless liked Evil West.