games. Not unimpressive by any means, but a bit far from last years 230! I feel like there was a bit more consistency, many good games, not as many bad games... probably because I played most of the GBA games I purchased last year, and boy, has that console aged poorly. I'm really surprised that I didn't award a single game with a 10, however, I did give a game a 0.5, which made it into many of the Worst sections of this list!
But alas, onwards with the tally!
Tally:
==== Gamecube ====
Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg 7.5
Star Fox Adventures 7.0
Super Monkey Ball 8.0
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker 6.5
==== Wii ====
Captain America: Super Soldier 7.0
Thor: God of Thunder 4.0
Goldeneye 007 7.5
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz 8.0
M&M's Adventure 1.5
Red Steel 3.5
Trauma Center: Second Opinion 8.0
Mario Strikers: Charged 7.5
Cursed Mountain 4.0
==== Switch ====
Pokemonn Shining Pearl 6.5
Marsupilami Hoobadventure 7.0
Ultra Age 7.5
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 5.0
Castlevania Anniversary Collection 8.0
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot 8.0
Samurai Jack: Battle through Time 7.5
Metroid Dread 9.0
Balan Wonderworld 3.0
Flynn: Son of Crimson 8.0
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax 7.0
Megaman X Legacy Collection 1+2 7.0
Eastward 8.0
Burnout Paradise Remastered 9.0
Disaster Report 4: Summer Memories 5.0
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore 6.5
Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth 7.5
Disco Elysium: The Final Cut 9.0
#Drive 5.5
Ganryu 2 - Hakuma Kyojiro 5.5
Touken Ranbu Warriors 6.0
SNK 40th Anniversary Collection 4.0
Hotshot Racing 8.0
Dodgeball Academia 9.0
Layton's Mystery Journey - Katrielle and the Millionaires' Conspiracy Deluxe Edition 5.0
Chocobo GP 7.0
Capcom Fighting Collection 8.5
Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze 8.5
Star Wars: Republic Commando 7.0
Koumajou Remilia: Scarlet Symphony 4.5
Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 3.5
Bayonetta 2 9.5
Trüberbrook 4.0
Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu 5.5
Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise 6.5
Zombie Ate My Neighbors and Ghoul Patrol 7.0
Dusk 9.0
Lego Harry Potter Collection 6.0
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure - All-Star Battle R 9.0
Gunvolt Chronicles Luminous Avenger iX 2 7.0
Little Nightmares Complete Edition 6.5
Snipperclips Plus - Cut it out, together! 7.5
The Touryst 6.0
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 9.0
Bayonetta 3 8.5
ExZeus: The Complete Collection 6.0
Dawn of the Monsters 7.0
Unpacking 8.0
Dusk Diver 2 6.5
Valis: The Fantasm Soldier Collection 7.0
A Short Hike 8.5
==== Nintendo DS ====
One Piece: Gigant Battle 2 Shinsekai 8.0
Eragon 5.0
==== Nintendo 3DS ====
Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy 6.0
Thor: God of Thunder 4.5
Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters 2.5
Ever Oasis 6.0
Crash City Mayhem 6.0
The Amazing Spider-man(3DS) 2.5
Ultimate NES Remix 4.0
==== Playstation ====
Wreckin Crew 5.0
40 Winks 8.0
M&M's ShellShocked 0.5
Johnny Bazookatone 1.0
==== Playstation 2 ====
James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire 7.5
X-Squad 3.0
Auto Modellista 5.5
Pirates: The Legend of Black Kat 8.0
Gauntlet: Seven Sorrows 6.5
SoulCalibur III 6.0
Ratchet & Clank 9.0
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus 8.5
Jak and Daxter The Precursor Legacy 8.0
SSX 6.0
Inuyasha: Feudal Combat 5.5
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers 8.5
Project Snowblind 8.0
SSX Tricky 7.5
YuYu Hakusho - Dark Tournament 2.0
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 9.0
Rogue Ops 6.0
Rumble Roses 7.5
Test Drive Unlimited 8.5
Ephemeral Fantasia 2.0
WWE Smackdown! Here Comes The Pain 8.5
Fullmetal Alchemist and the Broken Angel 6.0
Fullmetal Alchemist: Curse of the Crimson Elixir 6.0
AirBlade 5.0
GoDan: Elemental Force 3.0
Taito Legends 7.0
Ape Escape 3 8.5
The Thing 6.0
==== Playstation 3====
Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z 2.5
Mindjack 4.0
Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters 5.0
Viking: Battle for Asgard 6.0
Captain America - Super Soldier 7.0
Alpha Protocol 7.0
Thor: God of Thunder 3.0
X-men: Destiny 4.5
X-men Origins: Wolverine 8.0
Wet 9.0
NeverDead 6.5
Dark Sector 6.0
Fuse 7.0
Marvel Super Hero Squad - The Infinity Gauntlet 2.0
Wanted: Weapons of Fate 6.5
Strider(2014) 6.5
Conan 6.5
==== Playstation 4====
Granblue Fantasy Versus 7.0
Granblue Fantasy Versus: Legendary Edition 1.0
Kena: Bridge of Spirits 7.5
One Piece: Burning Blood 6.0
Xuan Yuan Sword 7 9.0
The King of Fighters XV 8.0
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands 8.5
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin 9.0
Code Vein 8.0
DNF Duel 7.0
Shadow Warrior 7.5
Senran Kagura Burst Re-Newal 2.5
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor Game of the Year Edition 9.0
Zero Escape: The Nonary Games 8.0
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy 8.5
Zero Time Dilemma 7.5
Castlevania Requiem 9.5
The Quarry 7.5
Tormented Souls 7.0
Resident Evil 7 BioHazard Gold Edition 9.0
Alan Wake Remastered 5.0
No More Heroes III 9.0
God of War 8.0
God of War Ragnarok 6.5
Berserk and the Band of the Hawk 7.0
Concrete Genie 7.0
Terminator Resistance 6.0
Marvel's Spider-man: Miles Morales 8.5
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure - All-Star Battle R 9.0
Valkyrie Elysium 5.5
A Plague Tale: Innocence 8.0
==== PSP ====
Sonic Rivals 2 5.0
300: March to Glory 5.0
Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood 2.5
==== Vita ====
Blazblue: ChronoPhantasma 7.0
Dead or Alive 5+ 8.5
Best and Worst Platforming Game of 2022:
I played plenty of platforming games this year. Most of them were pretty good, however, the platformers I played... were REALLY bad.
Worst) M&M's Shellshocked
How this game came to be, I've no idea, but it's a master class in how not to make a 3-D platforming. It tried to ape the best that PS1 had to offer, Crash Bandicoot, but it failed spectacularly. I'm pretty sure I like M&M's less now.
5) 40 Winks It's almost a tragedy that this game's N64 release was cancelled at the last minute, because 40 winks is the epitome of 90's platforming games, and it would've probably found much better success on that console. It's colorful, but it also has this horror-vibe to it that made it very charming, and while it wasn't very original, it was pretty dope.
4) Castlevania: Anniversary Collection
What's better than a Classicvania? A whole bunch of them. Anniversary Collection features most of the classic games in the series, all classics in their own right. CV III is still ahead of its time, and I finally gave CV II a chance.... a found out that it's actually a pretty decent game. Plus, there's no going wrong with CV IV. Overall, a ton of really good games in one tiny cart.
3) Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze
When a new Donkey Kong Country game releases it always means new monkeys, but in Tropical Freeze, they added on top of Donkey and Diddy, so you get Dixie, Cranky and Funky joining the fray. The original was praised for having a unique gimmick to each level, and this game managed to do it again, and this time it gets crazy, like jumping on top of giant fruit that is being shredded by giant machines. Anyone that likes 2-D platformers will find a lot to love in this one.
Runner-up) Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus
When I was a wee lad, Sly Cooper was my favorite among the PS2's trilogy of platformers. Playing the game again, I was so happy to discover that it has aged so well. It has a very distinctive world and art-style that makes it feel like a cartoon, and the game is a smart mix of stealth and platforming. It's a fantastic time
Winner) Ratchet & Clank Can't say I even much cared about Ratchet & Clank, but boy, oh, boy did I miss out. It does everything a 3-D platforming game should do right and then some, there's a lot of different planets to explore and guns to play around with, and while I can't say I much care about humor in videogames, the plot wasn't half bad. After you get the long and high jump, suddenly moving around becomes much more satisfying, which is key in games like this one. A true PS2 classic.
Best and Worst Adventure Game of 2022:
A lot of Adventure games this year, most of them really friggin' good and varied, from traditional point-and-click games, Metroidvanias or 3-D exploration-based games to more text-based adventures... There was a lot of them.
Worst) Green Lantern: Rise of the Manhunters(3DS)
To this day I will defend Ryan Reynold's Green Lantern movie, which I haven't seen again, but still. And the PS3 game was surprisingly decent. But Rise of the Manhunters was a terrible, terrible take on the Metroidvania formula. Despite encouraging exploration you can't backtrack until the game decides you can, it's littered with Loading screens, despite it running on a cartridge, and why the hell, in a game with two screens, is the map superimposed on the main screen? It makes no sense. It's terrible.
5) Metroid Dread I think people are wrong when they say that Metroid Dread 'finally' released, as this game can't possibly be what the original Metroid Dread meant to be. Not that it matters considering how great the end result was. Metroid Samus Returns was probably the best game on the system, and Mercury Steam took everything they learned when making that game to make Dread even better. I particularly enjoyed how midway through the game makes you feel weak again, despite how many tools you have at your disposal, and yet, how you can eventually overpower the new threat.
4) Resident Evil VII: BioHazard Gold Edition
Probably the Resident Evil game I cared the least about, it wound up being fantastic, I'd say even better than VIII. The Baker's House is a fantastic place to explore, in a scary way I mean, and I loved how distinct each family member was, making for very memorable, separate sections of the game that come together to make an incredible whole. The DLC additions that Gold Edition comes with are alright at best, but who cares when the base game is so good?
3) Xuan Yuan Sword 7
Gameplay-wise it's not the most original game ever, but I was completely enamored by the story and world of Xuan Yuan Sword 7. It's a Chinese game that feels very Chinese, and to compliment its plot it had very solid gameplay that carried it through. And I think that's what I liked the most, how different it felt despite how it basically followed the Souls-inspired R1-R2 modern combat mechanics, and I think it has to do with it being made by a Chinese team. I found this game so enthralling that I'm actively looking out for more Chinese releases, it's the reason I bought Dusk Diver 2 even though I didn't intend to since Dusk Diver was so mediocre.
Runner-up) Disco Elysium: The Final Cut
After the first playthrough I had already decided that the game was amazing, however, my girlfriend forced me to play it again because she wanted to do the stuff we missed. Can't say I was overly enthusiastic about it, but we went with another build, and not only did we do the stuff we missed, we also did the quests we had done before in very different ways... and that made me appreciate just how brilliant this game is. It's a game made up of reading, a lot of reading, and every choice is a roll of the die, influenced by your stats and a few other variables, such as things you possess, did or said. And there's so many fun stuff to do, so much many emotional moments and such a memorable cast of bastards, I mean, characters. It's a top-notch game.
Winner) Castlevania Requiem I've covered Symphony of the Night like three times already, and I'm not getting tired anytime soon. While Metroidvanias are a dime a dozen these days, Symphony of the Night is STILL one of the best. There's a ton to discover, from equipment to small interactive scenes that only amount to easter eggs, SOTN is a hell of a game. And that's fantastic, but with this release you also get Rondo of Blood, what is probably the finest Classicvania out there. Two of the best games ever made packed together, it doesn't get any better than this.
Best and Worst Other Game of 2022:
Other, the all-encompassing genre label in which I put every game that is hard to define or didn't get enough games to warrant their own award. I think I've had more entries here in previous years, but still, I doubt this award slot is going away any time soon.
Worst) Dragon Ball Z - Battle of Z
This one is personal. One of my favorite DBZ games, and one of my most nostalgic games on the PS1, was Dragon Ball Z Densestsu, and this game looked like a 3-D take on that one. The good news is that this one ain't as terrible as Ultimate Tenkaichi, the bad news is everything else. Battle of Z is a poorly balanced grindfest that is no fun in single player, thanks to idiotic AI on your side and overpowered enemies on their side. And when the only thing you can offer in Single Player is a botched storymode, then no matter how fun the game could be, it just can't be.
5) Unpacking Unpacking is one of those games that comes out of nowhere with a brilliant idea and executes it to perfection. It tells a story in a way that could only be told with a videogame, which makes it something that is both truly special and unique. That alone is reason enough to play it, even if it doesn't seem that something you'd enjoy.
4) Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz
Either Monkey Ball game could've been here, but I went with Banana Blitz. In the end, while the original had better mini-games, I found the addition of the ability to jump to add more dimensions to the game. Regardless, I get it, I understand why people love Monkey Ball, it's a super silly, super simple premise that Sega gets a lot out of. It can also get devilishly hard once you get far enough
3) Trauma Center: Second Opinion
It's hard to be as cheesy as Trauma Center, but man, is it awesome. I absolutely loved the dumb story that gets treated so seriously, but to add to all the melodrama, you get gameplay that is perfectly suited for the Wii and the DS. Performing surgery is turned into this Arcade battle against time, and viruses that feels so satisfying to finish. I'm going to be actively searching for the rest of the series, as this is something I want more of.
Runner-up) A Plague Tale: Innocence
God of War: Sister Edition. Generally, I absolutely despise stealth games, since they are slow paced, and you have to wait and be patient and I'm really not good at that. Then you have brilliant games like Dishonored that gives you the means to fight back... but penalizes you for taking the actiony, fun route. A Plague Tale: Innocence gives you all sorts of fun tools and mechanics to dispose of the opposition, without penalizing you. Add to this a genuinely touching story and you get great game.
Winner) WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain Here Comes the Pain is a very nostalgic game for me, and I was able to relieve the very same nostalgia since I managed to craft a similar, but still very different storyline when I went through the phenomenal Story Mode. Besides the glorious Story Mode, the game is very simple, but very engaging, and I know I haven't played many Wrestling Games, but to this day, this one is my favorite.
Best and Worst Licensed Game of 2022:
It wasn't on purpose, but this year I played a lot of licensed games again, although not on the Gameboy Advance, since I did away with those last year. As per usual, just because a game scored high doesn't mean that it was necessarily a good use of the license.
Worst) M&M's Shellshocked
Shellshocked is a special kind of bad, a game so terrible it actually sours you towards the license, which makes it the worst licensed game I played this year.
5) One Piece: Burning Blood Much like Gigant Battle was J!US but fun, Burning Blood is J-Stars Victory but polished. The mercy invincibility isn't as egregious, the graphics are much better and it's pretty much a love letter to One Piece, heck, I'd say it plays too much into the lore, which is cute at times, like Akainu pretty much wrecking Ace and Sabo.... but it also means that Sanji becomes useless against women, which is accurate to the show, but is a bit of a kick in the pants if you want to play as Sanji and just have fun.
4) YuYu Hakusho: Dark Tournament
This game is absolute trash, it's one of the worst fighting games I have ever played, however, it's presentation is such a love letter to the Dark Tournament Saga. There's a ton of anime footage in-between fights, the character roster is pretty comprehensive, and each chapter in the Story Mode tries to ape what happened in the actual show. It's a shame the game has controls that make no sense and the story mode difficulty can be downright ridiculous.
3) Berserk and the Band of the Hawk
This one does what YuYu Hakusho Dark Tournament tried doing but better. This is Warriors game, which fits the license really well, but even better, it uses a TON of footage from the movies in-between stages, which adds a ton of authenticity to the game. And once it runs out of footage, it starts using the in-game models, which end up looking better than the anime scenes that used CG! And what's even better, it covers a whole chunk of the manga, which is fantastic.
Runner-up) JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: All-Star Battle R
The game is filled to the brim with references to the show, just as it used to back when it first released, but now it received tweaks to the gameplay that makes it even more fun to play, and, AND, it even has more characters. If you like JoJo this is the game to get.
Winner) The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Just like the best licensed games in this list, The Return of the King gets to use a ton of footage from the source material, and the way it transitions said footage into in-game graphics doesn't cease to amaze me to this day. Every stage is based on some part of the movie, and the gameplay did a fantastic job at capturing the feeling of Peter Jackson's vision, which makes it one of the best licensed games of all time.
Best and Worst Action(Beat'em up) Game of 2022:
Year after year, this category is one that I'm liking more and more. As my love for fighting games diminishes, I'm starting to love more and more the hack-and-slash/beat'em up genre.
Worst) Marvel Super Hero Squad: The Infinity Gauntlet
On the bright side, I got this game as a freebie. On the other side... I actually played it. The game feels very janky, the plot is dull and it has features, side as alternate costumes, relegated to the stupid mini-games. It's a terrible use of the license, and one of the dullest beat'em ups I've ever played.
5) Bayonetta 3 It seems Bayonetta has finally outgrown the Switch, Platinum Games went to bat with this third game, and they went all out and fell short off the mark in a few ways, in no small part due to technical hiccups. But minor shortcomings aside, Bayonetta 3 is still a bonafide action game, there's a ton of crazy combos to pull off, and the spectacle can sometimes get crazy. It's a blast to play, and I loved the new playable character Viola, who joins the fray with her own mechanics!
4) Wet
A forgotten gem if I've ever seen one, Wet was a fun take on the genre. Rubi is a total badass who gets to make short work of her enemies through her Katana and gun. It's a bit simpler than other games in the genre, but it has loads of style to make up for that. I mean, when was the last time you got to slide down ladders while shooting down below? Exactly.
3) No More Heroes III(Playstation 4)
No More Heroes III was fantastic the first time I played it, but this new PS4 port makes it even better. It runs better in almost every way, which made me more invested in the side content and I even discovered sidequests I missed last year! It's really good, the combat is very satisfying, the story is insane, and most definitely not for everyone, and Robin Atkin Downes proves why he is one of the best in the business once again.
Runner-up) The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
It's been a long few years since I last went through EA's Lord of the Rings games, but man, they've aged like fine wine. Return of the King does a good job at condensing the movie into videogame, the combat feels gritty and crunchy, with a very satisfying execution move. But it's the expert use of the movie's footage, as long with the transition to 3D that still amazes to this day, that puts it a step above other similar games.
Winner) Bayonetta 2 All things considered, Bayonetta 3 was pretty good, it was! But Bayonetta 2, that's where it's at. It refined everything that it did better than Devil May Cry, including my favorite bit about equipping different weapons on both feet and hands for different weapon set ups, thanks to a ton of new, fun weapons to use. It also turned the spectacle to 11, and, just for funsies, it has a mini-challenge mode in which you get to play as other characters. Bayonetta 2 is the Devil May Cry 3 of the Bayonetta series.
Best and Worst Action(Shooter) Game of 2022:
I don't much care about guns in my videogames, but it seems like every year I play more and more of these, justifying me dividing the Action category into two!
Worst) X-Squad
X-Squad was not an absolute trainwreck, but boy, it hasn't aged well. It's a squad-based third-person shooter with a Team-mate AI that leaves a lot to be desired, and it shows that it was an early PS2 game, as the shooting mechanics can sometimes be a bit... spotty. As forgettable as its name.
5) James Bond 007: Agent Under Fire Apparently, this game was victim to a somewhat lukewarm reception, but what can I say, I enjoyed the bite-sized stages and the shooting felt very tight considering it's a FPS on the PS2. The story, and the lack of a proper ending, where its low points, but when the core gameplay was this solid, who cares?
4) Shadow Warrior
Even though I used to hate first-person shooters like Doom and Duke Nukem, for whatever reason, probably the Ninja aesthetics, I had a soft spot for Shadow Warrior. This remake is pretty much Shadow Warrior in name-only, but man, it was fantastic. The guns felt powerful, but even better, being able to mix Katana slices in between felt SO good. And the ensuing carnage was just delicious.
3) Project Snowblind
It's not the most explosive of first-peson shooters, but everything it did, it did SO well. It's an overall very good shooter that feels modern thanks to controller pre-sets that have the shoot function on the shoulder buttons. The game's main hook are the augmentations that you can use to get an edge in battle, and trust me, few things feel as good as using the Reflex augment, slowing down time, so that you can pump enemies full of lead before they know what hit'em.
Runner-up) Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
It's Uncharted, need I say more? It has shooting, it has parkour, it has exciting set pieces and it has a lot of interesting banter between characters during the more subdued parkour/climbing segments. With this one, they tried something new, by adding a very open ended chapter that has multiple objectives you can tackle in any order as well side-objectives... and I think it worked really well. Chloe is great as the possible new lead for the series, and they almost managed to make Nadine likeable. Almost.
Winner) Dusk Can't say I'm against the rise of the boomer-shooter when we get games this good. Instead of it being a retro-revival, like say Doom or Shadow Warrior, Dusk is an entirely original IP that looks like Quake but feels like Blood. The weaponry feels great to use, strafe-jumping around enemies works to perfection and I loved the horror elements. Dusk is a great time for anyone that likes Boomer Shooters.
Best and Worst RPG Game of 2022:
Going through RPGs has become somewhat difficult considering how much of a time sink they are, but hey, I played enough to warrant their own set of awards!
Worst) Ephemeral Fantasia
Every now and then comes a JRPG that tries to rob Lunar Dragon Song of its title of THE WORST JRPG EVER MADE, well, joke's on Lunar DS, as Ephemeral Fantasia came out first and it's much worse. Learning how to proceed is an exercise in frustration due to the arguably interesting plot device of the time loop, but figuring out where to be and when will drive you mad. The gameplay is as boring as it gets, and some dungeons are egregiously badly designed, being closer to a labyrinth than anything else, coupled with an obnoxious encounter rate... this game is the absolute pits.
5) Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot Bandai-Namco continue their trend of releasing graphically downgraded, but fully updated ports of their games to the Switch, and I don't mind it one bit. Kakarot is a fantastic way to experience the entirety of Dragon Ball Z in a very flashy way. You get sidequests, multiple playable characters, random encounters, the whole gamut, coupled with CC2's flair of making things look cool. The Switch version comes fully patched, which is a godsend considering how buggy the original release was, the first two DLC additions... which aren't very good, but hey, it's extra content!
4) Tiny Tina's Wonderlands
While the game crashed a few more times than I would've liked, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is what Borderlands 3 should've been, as this feels like a proper step forward. Grenades have been turned to spells, translating into all sorts of different abilities, character customization is at an all time high, which doesn't matter too much since it's a FPS, but hey, I like it, and even better, it has something I've always wished for Borderlands... Proper melee weapons! It's fantastic.
3) Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin
The game's title is as senseless as its plot, I'll tell you that much. Also worth mentioning, this game is highly divisive, thankfully, I'm on the part of the division that loved the game. I loved how the equipment actually changed how the characters looked, I love the simple but fun hack-and-slash gameplay that made exploring the game so enjoyable... and viciously defeating enemies so engrossing.
Runner-up) Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 might possibly my favorite Xenoblade game. They did away with all the anime garbage tropes and garbage fanservice that brought XC2 down, in order to tell a much more interesting story. It helps that the six main characters are easy to love. While I wouldn't say that they refined the combat, it works well, it's not my favorite combat system when it comes to JRPGs, but it's not terrible, and they added pseudo-mechs into the mix. Honestly, it's gonna be a tall order trying to surpass this game whenever XC4 comes out.
Winner) Dodgeball Academia It may not look like one, but Dodgeball Academia is a RPG, a pretty good one at that, however, instead of having turn-based battles, you get Dodgeball. It's amazing how such a silly game is so great, every party member has their own set of abilities, for instance, a few are not able to block, instead having a counterattack, which you may need to time since it has wind-up. Or not. Characters can affect the ball with different elements, and they bring different elements to the fight, such as being able to heal buddies or having strong AoE shots. Moving aside from the battle mechanics, they made travelling through the Academia fun, which is something completely tertiary to the game, and yet, adds so much to it! The story is incredibly stupid, but it helps since the game looks like a cartoon. It's the unlikeliest of games, but man, it's phenomenal.
Best and Worst Fighting Game of 2022:
Well... I'm getting out of Fighting games to play, so something tells me this category will be gone next year. Most of the fighters I played this year were rereleases too, but thankfully, classics never grow old.
Worst) Granblue Fantasy Versus Legendary Edition
Granblue Fantasy Versus was one of the first games I played this year, and the game was surprisingly good, even the Single Player content was great. So I heard that Legendary Edition was coming out, which included every DLC character, so I was pumped. But it was a DLC code. Absolute garbage, what a worthless release.
5) One Piece Gigant Battle 2: ShinSekai What if Jump! Ultimate Stars was actually fun? Oh! Them's fightin' words! But really, it does away with the cumbersome Deck system, so it plays like a proper fighting game. Despite only have a single attack button, characters have pretty large movesets all things considered, and the 2D Sprite work is gorgeous. The only really bad thing about it is that you either need a FAQ or Japanese knowledge to get the most out of it.
4) The King of Fighters XV
The King of Fighters XIV went for quality over quantity, which sounds awful, but the quality wasn't half-bad. For XV they retooled the entire graphics, and now we've got a game that, while not overly detailed, looks beautiful, with saturated colors and exaggerated character models, a game that visually stands out from how rudimentary the previous game looked. Looks aside, the game is another solid entry in the series, I love the fact that Ash is back, and some of the new faces, like the new rival heroine, are pretty good new additions to the roster.
3) Dead or Alive 5+
Despite my hatred for fanservice, Dead or Alive is a franchise that keeps popping up in my library. And why wouldn't it, Dead or Alive takes after Virtua Fighter, which makes it very easy to play, but hard to master... although not as complicated as Virtua Fighter, mind you. There's also a lot of stylish scenarios that can play out thanks to the ever exciting Hold system that lets you counter attacks in very stylish ways. The Vita port is excellent, only missing the Tag battles, but looks amazing and plays just as well. If only Ultimate DoA 5 had gotten a Vita port too....
Runner-up) Capcom Fighting Collection
Turns out DarkStalkers is a load of fun. Since I grew up playing the PS1 DS3 release, I always felt previous Arcade iterations, even though they played more smoothly, weren't as good since they were missing a ton of characters. Well, I gave every single version of Darkstalkers a proper try, and it turns out these games were amazing since the very first entry. Sure, it gets weird how the character roster gets mixed and remixed in the final games, but they are still pretty good. Having every Arcade release of Darkstalkers is reason enough to own this cart, but you also get Warzard, a most curious mixture of RPG and Fighting, as well as the almost-as-obscure Cyberbots fighting game, which is really neat. And if that wasn't enough, it also includes the ultimate version of Street Fighter II, a classic, that lets you pick from any version of every character. One of Capcom's finest retro-releases.
Winner) JoJo's Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle R All-Star Battle was a fantastic release way back when, as it was a pretty fun fighting game with a ton of fanservice. This rerelease touched up the mechanics in an attempt to make it more competitive, which I feel makes the game feel better, added new mechanics in the form of tag-attacks and, as the cherry on top, included new characters, such as Trish Una. I recently played through the entire campaign again, since I also purchased the PS4 port, and man, this game is a true beauty.
Best and Worst Driving Game of 2022:
It keeps surprising me how I've been playing more and more driving games as time passes, since I used to avoid this genre like the plague. I wouldn't say that I missed out, since I'm sure I wouldn't have appreciated these games back then, but I'm glad I like them now!
Wrecking Crew is not a horrible game, in fact, it tried to do something very unique for the genre, by having huge tracks filled with different routes. Sadly, I feel like they failed at it, as the game is more confusing than fun. But I can't fault it too much, y'know, it tried to do its own thing.
5) Crash City Mayhem Another driving game that did its own thing, albeit more successfully. This is more of an action game in which you drive a car, as each of the few missions is all about driving and fulfilling objectives, such as tailing someone, collecting objects or what have you. There's quite a few different vehicles to toy around with, which was pretty neat. Sadly, the framerate really holds this game back, but it's not a bad time.
4) Chocobo GP
Ah! Chocobo GP, what a blunder. It's surprising, but this game was fun despite Square Enix, since they tried to monetize every single bit about the game, easing you into spending real-life money for in-game goodies, including Cloud as a Racer, Cloud, who was an unlockable in the original PS1 release. Absolutely shameless... but, despite the Square's scumminess, the game is a honest-to-goodness fun mascot racer.
3) HotShot Racing
I don't know what I was expecting when I purchased this game, but a successor to Ridge Racer I was not. It's really good, controls are snappy, the sense of speed is vertiginous and, while it's rather short, it did the best to add extras, such as customization and alternate color palettes, to keep players invested.
Runner-up) Test Drive Unlimited
Test Drive Unlimited feels like a game ahead of its time. It's an open-world driving game in which you can tackle various different challenges at your own leisure, and as you win challenges you get more money, to buy better cars with and thus gain access to tougher challenges, and get even more money. The in-game world is HUGE, and there's a lot to do, so racing game aficionados won't be hurting for stuff to do.
Winner) Burnout Paradise Remastered Another open-world racer, but set in a much smaller town, which I feel works to the game's benefit, as it's easier and faster to get to where you want to! The game runs beautiful on the Switch, it looks great too and the racing feels so fast and destructive, it's an easy game to get lost into, and my favorite racing game this year.
Most Disappointing Game of 2022:
Early this year I was a bit worried that this year wouldn't have enough disappointing games for this list, which in a way, is actually a good thing. But not to worry, as later on I had enough disappointing games to spare!
First of all, Bayonetta 3 is really good, like REALLY good. But... I fell victim to the hype machine, and Bayonetta 3 was a bit of a step down in a few respects. The framerate just can't keep up with all the new ideas, I didn't like not being able to mix different weapons, and above all.... what the hell is up with the ending? Bayonetta 3 was poised to be the biggest, baddest Bayonetta... but in the end, I think it's the weakest entry yet.
4) Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise
Ultimately, I did like Deadly Premonition 2. While a sequel was completely unnecessary, I actually liked the new plot, and the new characters as well, it felt like a real sequel, and none of the charm was lost. However... What the hell is up with the performance? The framerate is a joke. How cumbersome and poorly explained the quests were was also very lackluster, it's as if they went out of their way to polish the things that DID need polishing. The first game was fantastic despite its flaws, you'd expect a sequel to keep what worked and fix what didn't, but kept both, and it had a horrid framerate to boot. The 'horror' elements were a complete bust too, it had, what, three different types? And every 'dungeon' was identical. Once again, Deadly Premonition is enjoyable despite itself... but this time around, it almost wasn't.
3) Auto Modellista
As far as I know, no other racing game looks like this one. The cellshading looks gorgeous, and in motion, this game looks the part too. It's a shame that it plays so poorly. What's worse, it seems they tweaked the controls and physics for the overseas release, which made it a much worse game than it originally was. What a shaem.
Runner-up) Alan Wake Remastered
If you were into games during the PS3/X360 era you've head of Alan wake, and if you were a Sony Pony, much like I was, then you've probably always wanted to play Alan Wake. And this is what we received, a barely stable version of the game. It's hard to enjoy a game that crashes pretty much at least once per chapter. And one of those crashes resetted my collectible stats, which as you can guess, wasn't very nice. I don't care how many patches the game got, what matters is that the disc they printed is a disgrace.
Loser) Granblue Fantasy Versus: Legendary Edition This mess again.... Man was I bummed when I opened the box only to be greeted by a scummy DLC code. The worst part about it is that ArkSys usually aren't scummy when it comes to this Rereleases, only when they first release games and they get in your face with all the DLC characters you need to pay extra for. It's even worse, 'cause this is a totally different SKU, and yet, they decided a DLC code was the way to go. Screw you, ArkSys.
Most Surprising Game of 2022:
And now, the total opposite, the games I expected nothing of... but got a lot out of!
5) Trauma Center: Second Opinion
Even though I was familiar with the series, it's been a long, long time since I played Trauma Team, so I wasn't ready... I wasn't ready for the CHEESE. But it was AMAZING, the story takes itself so seriously that it becomes charming, but the game is really fun too, feeling more like an Arcade game than a surgery simulator-thing.
4) Captain America: Super Soldier(Wii)
Captain America on PS3 I know about, everyone will tell you how it's a surprisingly decent Arkham clone. But the Wii version? Nobody talks about the Wii version, they probably saw the cartoony graphics and dismissed it.... to their detriment, as this version of the game is pretty good. And this comes from someone who finds the Cap'n boring, but his games were anything but.
3) Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg
I've known about this game ever since I watched a gaming TV show back in the day, back when I was a PS2 Teen, and it looked so colorful, and weird. And since then, I've always been meaning to play it. I finally did, and it didn't disappoint, in fact, I was surprised at just how much fun I had with it. It's a platformer, but it's very original, both in aesthetics and mechanics. Honestly, it's a crime that Sega never expanded on Billy Hatcher.
Runner-up) Xuan Yuan Sword 7
This one caught me completely off-guard. I don't remember how I found out about it, or what compelled me to give a Chinese game a try... but I'm glad I did, 'cause this game was FIRE. It's such a polished game that thanks to its Chinese sensibilities feels like something quite different from what I'm used to. Thanks to XYS7 I'm now going out of my way to get Chinese games in my library.
Winner) Pirates: The Legend of Black Kat Oh yes! I get to talk about Pirates: the Legend of Black Kat. This game is as unknown as it gets, and both its title and cover makes it look like a budget release. But what if I told you... what if I told you that this game feels a whole lot like Assassin's Creed IV, but it came out a generation before. This is one of the most underrated games I've come across in recent times, and I'm happy I somehow came upon it.
Best New Character of 2022:
Well, for whatever reason, this year I found a ton of new female characters that I really loved, while the guys weren't as interesting, at least not by themselves. For example, I found both A Plague Tale and Xenoblade 3's casts of characters to be incredibly compelling as a whole, but by themselves? None of them stood out.
Kena looks like a character straight out of a Pixar movie, with a design that was very simple, striking and memorable. Her personality was a bit subdued, but it helped match the naturalistic environments she visited.
4) Sindri
I didn't like Sindri at first, in the original God of War he was a walking Marvel character, with his cartoonish dislike of germs. But then Ragnarok happened, and for as unimpressive as I found that game to be, Sindri became a much more three-dimensional character. In between friends he struck a friendship with Atreus, his cartoonish dislike of germs was toned down, and he got to tell his background which added depth to his brother as well.... and then there's everything that happens and how he changes.... Sindri finally became a character and not a cartoon.
3) Viola
Viola is really cool AND really lame, just like both of her parents! As the new blood of Bayonetta, I loved her. She looks badass and doesn't need to get naked to sell the game. I loved her personality, and how she fought, not only could she slash away with her katana, but she can also throw down fists with the best of them. I wouldn't mind Bayonetta going forwards with Viola as the lead, heck, I'd want that.
Runner-up) Isabel
Well, another girl with a blade. Isabel stands out in Eastward because she is one of the very few characters without a quirk or something funny about them. Most characters in the game, even if they don't say something funny, they at least have some kind of quirky animation. Not Isabel, which adds the mystery behind her. It's hard to talk about what made her so fantastic without delving into spoiler territory, but she changes, a lot, throughout the adventure, but witnessing her turn into a tragic heroine was one of the best things in Eastward.
Winner) Klaasje Amandou
Another character that is hard to explain what I loved so much about her without giving some of the best things about the game away. And to say I loved her would be wrong, as I actually HATED Klaasje, and that's what I love about her. She is the central element to the crime you are sent to investigate, and as forthcoming as she is... not everything may be as it seems. Her nihilism hides her cunning, and she leaves open more mysteries than the ones she helps you solve.
Worst Game Cover of 2022:
I love this category almost as much as I love the one about the best game covers. I've always loved videogame covers, when I was younger, that and the screenshots at the back were some of the few ways you had to decide if what you were buying or renting were something you'd enjoy. Nowadays, covers don't matter as much, but I still enjoy the effort, or lack thereof, when it comes to making them.
5) Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor Game of the Year Edition
It's a head. That's this game's cover, a head with a ghostly half. Whoopee-do. Very uninspired and forgettable, the original cover was much better. But at least the character render doesn't look as awkward as Kratos and Atreus(Foreshadowing), I guess.
Well... if this cover is good at something, it's at showing you that Ragnarok is pretty much the exact same game as before, but now set in Winter. No, really, the cover is pretty much identical to the one in God of War, but now they are wearing winter clothes. That's it. Their poses are incredibly boring, Krato's empty look towards the horizon looks dumb, and Atreus just looks awkward. Is this the best they could come up with?
3) Koumajou Densetsu: Akeiro no Koukyokoku
I get it, they wanted to ape Ayami Kojima's artstyle, I get it. But the blacks and whites are just thrown together into this black vomit that makes it hard to understand just what you are looking at. This cover is a mess, kind of like the game it's representing.
Runner-up) Johnny Bazookatone
Was this supposed to sell the game? This round character made out of purple, green and blue blobs of color? Is he shooting paint? Why a white background? I mean, at least I understand what I'm looking at, but what I'm looking at is quite hideous.
Loser) Ephemeral Fantasia
Usually I love hand-drawn game covers, but what the hell is this? Even by generic anime standards this is decidedly low effort, it looks as if it was drawn by a little kid, but hey, the game is one of the worst JRPGs I've ever played, so it couldn't have gotten a better cover.
Best Game Cover of 2022:
And now, for the game covers I actually liked. There were plenty of them this year, so rounding it down to five was challenging!
5) Flynn: Son of Crimson
This one is really neat, it's very dynamic, with Flynn, brandishing his red energy powers, being assaulted by the rival, brandishing her green energy abilities. It's a very neat cover, for a neat little game.
Maybe I'm biased because yellow is my favorite color, but look at all that YELLOW, when was the last time you saw a cover THIS yellow? Coloring aside, the cover represents its game well, you can already tell that you'll be battling monsters, and the art looks really nice.
3) Capcom Fighting Collection
It's very busy, but I love it. Hand-drawn art of various characters from the various games included in te collection. It's a fun, well-drawn cover.
Runner-up) Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore
The game as a letdown in many respects, but at least the cover is incredible. It has a nice mixture of light blues and pinks that makes it stand out from other games, which is already quite pretty, but add to that how every main character is hand-drawn? You've got my money already.
Winner) Granblue Fantasy Versus Legendary Edition
I hated this release, but damn if it isn't a cool cover. Tons of hand-drawn characters, at most of them in some kind of dynamic pose ready to do battle. An absolute stunner.
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