Another year is now over and it's truly been one to remember. It's had its share of good and bad moments but now it's time for me to celebrate what 2022 had given us within gaming and award that which deserves praise. I started doing these blogs back in 2012 and 2022 like all other years found a way to be unique. Feel like I got to play most of the games that I wanted this year and those that I've yet to play don't make me wait with this blog. As always there will be spoilers. Now lets get this show going and first out is..

The Anticipated

The top 5 games that I looked forward to this year that got released this year and which I had the chance to play:

1: Horizon: Forbidden West

2: Elden Ring

3: God of War: Ragnarök

4: AI: The Somnium Files - Nirvana Initiative

5: Xenoblade Chronicles 3

What game lived up the anticipation the best?

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 - When this game made the list, even the top 5 I had actually only played Xenoblade Chronicles 2 and wasn't super into the series. That changed a fair bit when I played Xenoblade Chronicles 1 earlier this year to get ready for this game. Having played both of those great games made me feel anticipation for this game. It made me believe that maybe we're in for a treat and holy shit what a treat we were in for! This game blew my anticipation out the water, it showed that I can never really be sure on what will rock my world and what will get the largest grin on my face. The developers of Monolith Studios did themselves real proud with this game. It crushed it!

The largest disappointment

Saints Row - It's been a few years since there were a truly worthy winner of this award. Kinda felt bad about handing it to pretty decent games that just didnt match their fierce competitors. This time however, the award very much goes to a worthy winner, this time I played one truly disappointing game that honestly should cause the involved people to question themselves. The developers likely did all they could but man this game.. is truly not worth the money anyone would ask for it. The story is oof, the characters are unimaginative and a waste of potential and the combat just dont feel good at all. Just.. nothing about this game really gives me hope for the series going forward. I for one won't be all too eager to giving it my money, it will have to earn it, bloody fucking earn it.. So to anyone that's not played it yet, if you really must play it then please wait for a sale, preferably a good 75% sale or something. You deserve better!

Places 10-8

10: Victoria 3 - Maybe a sign I missed some great games this year as while Victoria 3 is a good game it's lacking a lot of the stuff a game that deals with strategy, nation building, economics and politics really needs. It's fun, don't get me wrong here, the hours can fly by at an insane pace when you really get into it but the game can be much better and that's why it only is 10th on this list.

9: The Quarry - The successor to the famous Until Dawn game and this one delivers! Enjoyed it way more than I thought it woukd, it shows that the developers learned a fair bit from Until Dawn and while Until Dawn maybe was spookier this one felt as a more complete game, a more complete experience where the characters were more developed and not only living from being scanned from famous actors. This game really made me look forward of what is to come!

8: Pokémon Legends: Arceus - This is the first Pokémon game I play in well over a decade, since the age of Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald. This was a return to a series that means everything to my childhood and I'm glad that when I finally returned to it I returned to a game that gave 2022 a good start in terms of gaming and gave me a chance to once again love the silly world that is Pokémon

The Unexpected

A Plague Tale: Requiem - When I put this game on the list of anticipated games it didn't make the top 5 cut as I had only played the first games at the dying hours of 2021, finished it on new years eve and I was hooked. Couldn't believe I had looked past it. After that I maintained som anticipation for the game but with the fierece competition seen clearly by the list above it wasn't the main game on my radar for this year, not actually all that close to being it. So it had the chance to cause an upset and what an upset it did cause! This game completely blew the competition out the water for this award. I did never in a million years think I'd enjoy this game as much as I do and this is why gaming is so awesome. You think you have an idea on what games will rock your year but somehow the medium always have the ability to throw a wrench into the mix and this time that wrench is an amazing experience delivered by Asobo Studios and its hard working and skilled staff. Very, very well done to everyone involved! They delivered on all fronts and should rightfully feel very proud of what they achieved here. I love surprises like this! Gonna be talking more about this game later in the blog so stay tuned!

Places 7-5

7: Horizon: Forbidden West - This is a great game so don't let its position here fool you. It's more a sign that from here on the competition is insane! Horizon: Forbidden West struggles to step out of the prequel's shadow and while it developed Aloy, gave other characters some screentime and improved the combat it just didn't blow my world the same way the first game did. When the third game comes however, I will be there with open arms. I love this series!

6: AI: The Somnium Files - Nirvana Initiative - The first game really wowed me and once this game got announced I was all about it and in a way this game is better, it manages to step out of the first game shadow and it establish its own but similar style of weirdness that makes it very endearing and fun to play. A game that manages to combine smart mystery writing with goofy almost childish sillyness. Just showing that games CAN be both and can be both at the same time!

5: Triangle Strategy - I still can't actually believe that this name is its actually name.. but as silly as the name is the game is incredible! The visuals are a feast for the eyes and it got the cute animation a game of this kind needs. Really made it a wonderful time to keep the eyes on everything that happened. The music doesn't fail either, it got some absolute bangers and the key tracks that play at crucial moments are exquisite! The gameplay is complex but simple enough that anyone really can play it and for those that want to master it there's enough depth to keep the player busy for a while. The characters are some of the finest 2022 has to offer and really elevate the story and narrative with their personal struggles, beliefs and goals. The story and the narrative.. please play to find out why they're so amazing! I almost wish I could place this game higher!

Best Soundtrack

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 - Yepp, time for a new award to this game. It was some SUPER fierce competition for this award this year. Had to step away for a few hours to make a decision here and in the end the power of the flute wins it for Xenoblade Chronicles 3. This is the game where I at any given time can remember the most tunes, the most moments when the music blew me away and for that the game deserves the award. Not only that but it's kinda a core part of Xenoblade Chronicles games to have really awesome music so about time I could give the award to the series! So consider the music one of many reasons why you should play this game and why video game music should garner more respect and appreciation than it do now. The artists that made this soundtrack outdid themselves and are worthy of more than respect, they should be awed!

Most Impressive Aesthetic

Triangle Strategy - Mentioned it before but there's something about the aesthetic of this game that draws me in more than any other game this year and could compete with the best games I've played in the last few years in this aspect. The way it uses color, the way it uses light and just the life it manages to conjure up through its aesthetic is inspiring and remarkable. Feel like it manages this best when the game took place ina city or in the desert where it was an actual feast for the eyes. Sometimes it really isn't about how powerful the graphics are how bombastic the aesthetic is, instead it can come down to how considerate and careful the artists involved have been in making the art piece we all got the chance to play this year. This is not a game, not an aesthetic just anyone could do!

Place 4

God of War: Ragnarök - The game couldn't repeat the GOTY win I gave its predecessor managed but don't take that as a sign that this game is worse. It's not. It's instead in many aspects an improved experience than the previous game. The story I feel is better, the characters are without a shadow of a doubt better this time around. The visuals are as great as always and it's music.. did the game have music? Jokes aside the OST is it's most glaring weakness. I can't for the life of me actually remember a single tune. The gameplay is solid, of high quality but it's not all that different from the previous game and I will have to admit that after a while it got a bit boring, a bit lacking. The game didn't have a single challenging fight for me which the previous game did so that's why this amazing game only end up 4th instead of higher, that and the 3 games left are some of the best I've played in a long time!

Best Game Played That Was Released In The Past

Hollow Knight - WHY DID I NOT PLAY THIS GAME SOONER!? Past me is an absolute fool for not having played this incredible game before! This is among the top 20 games I've ever played and I'm beyond grateful to past me for adding this category so I can award this game something, to give my praise to it in public because this game is perfect! This game got one of the most amazing aesthetics I've ever seen, it got some of the most beautiful visuals I've ever seen and I explored this game for hours just to see what other beautiful views it had to offer, and each time it outdid itself. But the game is much more than a feast for the eyes, the game offers a challenging, but fair gameplay that encourages the player to keep trying, to overcome the challenges the game and we as players put in our way and the feeling of managing to take down a diffuclt boss is the kind of feeling I chase at all times, why I play games that can drive me mad. Hollow Knight also sport a really interesting story that is told with great care through clues, through observations and in small part through words. For those that love only gameplay this game is perfect, for those that love story this game is perfect. For those that love the medium that is video games, this game is perfect. Man I fucking love video games...

Place 3

Elden Ring - Woah, only 3rd?! Yeah, the competition this year is pretty crazy when a game that is as amazing as Elden Ring actually is only manages 3. Only manages is kinda harsh for being 3rd is a sign just how good the game is and that the developers should be proud for having achieved to take the Dark Souls formula into an open world setting where it always was an adventure to be had, always some fight to be had and some view to see that would take your breath away. Elden Ring wont dethrone Bloodborne for me but it's another phenomenal addition to the already insanely good series of games that FromSoft keep producing. These guys just dont stop giving us players amazing experiences and with Elden Ring entierly new audiences got the chance to see why so many of us absolutely love FromSoft games and why getting your face smashed in can be so much fun. The gameplay felt good, want to try magic next time I give it a go and see just how powerful and almost broken I can be! And that's where a lot of fun with Elden Ring comes, finding what works for you as the player and drawing upon all the strength that comes from perfectly clicking with a style and the many bosses that will fall to us, the players when we do our best. This game makes me want to keep trying, to learn, to be better and with a good OST, amazing visuals, great combat and an interesting story that gives context to our many fights Elden Ring never really stops being an outstanding way to spend my time.

Best Side Content

Horizon: Forbidden West - Wasn't sure if I'd hand out this award this year as no game really had this area as their strength but I make this blog in part to remember the past, how each year was and that still is possible to achieve this year by giving Horizon the award this year. The side content isn't amazing but there is plenty of it and what is there usually is pretty fun. One can hunt, platform, explore and just do the things that a big quality open world will let you do and I will come back to the game in part just for that, and to hunt the trophies assoicated with these side contents. I am as always an absolut slut for trophies...

Place 2

A Plague Tale: Requiem - Hope you all survive the surprise of seeing this game here, all the way in 2nd place ahead of games like God of War and Elden Ring! Games that for most people will be GOTY or 2nd place but for me this year everything clicked when I played Requiem. I love this game, I absolutely love it and wish I could wipe my memory of it just so I could play it fresh once again. This game got an amazing story, gripping scenes with some actually good characters with Amicia the protagonist being more than just outstanding, she's a candidate for top 10 favorite protagonists of all the games I've played. She's however not carrying this game all the way to 2nd by herself. She is helped by some great visuals that really drives home how beautiful southern France can be and how much I adore games that involve the seas as much as this game does. A lot of the game takes place on an island that time and time again offers amazing views and solid challenges with its gameplay where combat and puzzles never outstay their welcome but elevate each other and gives the player a break from each other as to never get too much of either. Requiem is not a long game but it's a game where each hour is quality, where each hour was absolute enjoyment for me and I couldn't be happier than to see a game that's not AAA make it this far, to challenge for GOTY and come agonzingly close to winning it. So thank you developers for making this game, for giving my fall of 2022 memories really worth treasuring.

Character of the Year

Eunie - Holy shit do I adore this character, I adore her voice, her lines her story, her everything! Without Eunie I absolutely believe A Plague Tale: Requiem could've won GOTY but Eunie stood strong and gave me a seemingly endless amount of hilarious scenes, great dramatic scenes and just covered all the areas that a great character should. Eunie wasn't only blessed by a great voice actress and amazing lines but also given a design that just speaks to me. I love black her outfit seen in the image but more than that I just love how most outfits look on her! She never stops growing and developing as a character andI've said it before this is a favorite part of video games, of stories in general and Eunie at the end of the game is both the same amazing character she was at the start of it but also so much more. She's a complete character in every sense of the word and her writers gave her a kind of energy that you just don't find often enough. Eunie gave me life each time I saw her, each time she spoke and she's the absolute highlight of this year in games for me. Eunie is the bus!

Game of the year

This years Game of the Year award goes to Xenoblade Chronicles 3! Anyone that makes it this far into the blog knew it was coming, no game this year thrilled me as much as Xenoblade Chronicles 3 did, no game got PLAYED as much as Xenoblade Chronicles 3 did, no game better captures why I love video games than Xenoblade Chronicles 3 did. Chapter 5 on its own offers something that no book, no music, no TV series or movie ever can manage and I invite you to figure out why. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 offers the best story I experienced this year, the most enjoyable gameplay mechanic this year with its chain attack that honestly made me addicted the same way I suspect drugs or gambling can do to people. I had to get a new highscore, I had to! It was at times almost impossible to put the controller down when I was in the grove and hunted higher damage numbers. On top of this the game offered the best cast of characters this year and a cast that can stand toe to toe with the casts of any game that I've played the last 10+ years. Eunie is a well-known favorite by now but Mio, Lantz, Noah, Taion, Sena and worthy honorable mention Ashera achieved incredible things together. The cast of characters in this game is huge and I cant mention them all but it's very much thanks to the cast of characters and the writers behind them that the GOTY this year goes to Xenoblade Chronicles 3. I can't wait until I get enough free time to get back to playing this game, to complete more stuff and to one day replay the game. This time it won't shock me with its twist and turns but instead I will get the chance to appreciate how cleverly developed the characters are, the story is and all it turns it takes. You dont get games like Xenoblace Chronicles 3 all that oftne but when you do, I make bloody well sure to appreciate the shit out of the game. This game drew from its two predecessors and reached greater heights thanks to those two games and this award is in a way also a nod to Xenoblade Chronicles 1 & 2 for their brilliance that allowed Xenoblade Chronicles 3 to not only walk, not only run but to actually fly! So in case you've not played this game please do, please give this series a chance that it so very much deserves. Give some of gamings finest your hard earned time, it won't disappoint.

Wow, and so comes the end of another blog. I've now been giving out this award for over 10 whole years. T E N years! 2023 looks promising for gaming and should hopefully be able to deliver some reprive for us that are around to deal with a world gone mad and mader and madest and madester than ever before. Until then, bye-onara!