Something went wrong. Try again later

MocBucket62

This user has not updated recently.

2689 1106 41 16
Forum Posts Wiki Points Following Followers

MocBucket62's WAAAAAAAAAAAAY Belated Favorite Games of 2022

Hey its that time of the year where not only are people celebrating different holidays, but for those who have gaming hobbies are posting their lists for their favorite games of the year. And I am definitely going to participate in that. However wait, does this list say it's a belated list for my favorite games of 2022? Wait? How did I not do this last year? Plus a list? Usually I post a blog for my favorite games of the year and do some meaty writeups on my favorite games.

So let me explain. I definitely did some gaming last year and have a list ready to go of my top 10 games of the year. However the reason why I'm doing a best games of 2022 list now in December of 2023 and not last year was because of a few things. I kinda got caught up on different stuff within my life namely work and last year I couldn't muster the enthusiasm to do a Favorite Games of 2022 Blog. I was working on an award blog but ultimately didn't post it. Plus there was some other interest that while my gaming hobby didn't go away entirely, it was an interest that kinda got to an all-time high last year after I had not felt very emotionally invested in this thing for a while and that is College Football (namely my fandom for the Florida State Football program) From 2017-2021 FSU had fallen from grace in football and would typically go 6-6 or 5-7 in the regular season. They were in a slump for some time and kinda because of them struggling, Fall became a huge part of the year for me to focus on my gaming hobby. However last year they played a huge game against the LSU Tigers in the Superdome and as close as the game was, this moment here electrified my interest in the sport and for FSU football specifically:

I was jumping off my sofa and shouting in joy when this happened. The football equivalent of seeing Banjo Kazooie announced for Smash Ultimate DLC. Seeing FSU blocked a game tying FG with no time left to win the game actually had a huge impact on the amount of time I spent playing games in the Fall. I was able to beat a few games and one game that will be highly ranked on this list wasn't stopped as I beat it in September, the same month it released. However, I found myself spending more of my free time looking at projections for college football and watching college football games than playing video games. Games like Splatoon 3 could have had more time played but instead I wanted to watch Florida State play and get their 1st 10-win season since 2016. Or even follow out of nowhere stories such as seeing the TCU Horned Frogs get to the College Football Playoff. It was something that cannabalized my gaming hobby and really slowed down my time and focus on the medium. That said, I played a whole lot of games before Fall started and many are on this list. But otherwise, College Football and the Rise of FSU Football are more or less the reasons why I didn't do a personal best games of 2022 list or blog. That and some games that I really connected with that year were either not discussed a lot for GOTY deliberations I followed or were not talked about at all.

OK, back to talking about games entirely. I look back at 2022 and will say compared to 2023, I do feel that pound for pound its not as strong of a year in games as this year. Looking at my two lists combined I could see 3 2022 games in the top 10 and 7 2023 games making up the rest of the 10. However, 2022 is a year I still consider to be pretty special for gaming for me (despite the slow Autumn for me as explained earlier. I was able to get a PS5 finally and got to experience some amazing games from Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart to Astro Playroom. I'd say 2 of my favorite video games of all time came out in 2022 and while I initially ranked one above the other, really they are tied for being both my favorite games of 2022. Plus Games ranked 3-10 I consider to be either great or super well-crafted they deserve the mentions on this list. So anyways, lets get to my incredibly way too late favorite games of 2022 list. Also, I plan on doing a 2023 Favorite game list too rather than a blog. Saves a little more energy doing lists instead of doing lengthy blogs.

List items

  • I mean c'mon. When I got a PS5, Elden Ring was THE game I was gonna dive in a play. I had never played a From Software game before or any Souls like game. So I was excited and also nervous to tackle Elden Ring. But man this game delivered on the hype and probably stands as my favorite game I've played on the PS5 to date. Elden Ring takes that difficult formula that From Software has used in many of their games into a Fantasy Open World that is both beautiful to explore but also one that's not afraid to kick you in the nuts. Its fascinating how my journey started as once I opened the world I felt I was suppose to go towards the Tree Sentinel or the chapel he was riding nearby. But I chose to go leftwards and instead eventually beat the Bloodhound Knight Evergaol and took on Castle Morne. Eventually I went on the main story path and from there, I spent over a hundred Hours becoming the Elden Lord and enjoyed my time taking down bosses in a Strength build and using the summoning bell for some assistance. I'll never forgot taking on Godrick the Grafted in front of my brother and I managed to beat him in 1 try (with a Jellyfish Summon and another NPC helping mind you). But man that felt incredible beating a From Boss on my first try in front of my own brother! Bloodhound Fang before it got nerfed is the Metal Man Blades to Elden Ring's Mega Man 2.

    It makes sense for Elden Ring to be my overall GOTY from 2022 as I spent the most time with it that year and it felt great to beat it. However, I consider it a tied GOTY as its my 1A GOTY. Below is my 1B GOTY and unlike Elden Ring, is a game that didn't get review copies out and nobody really talked about it, but one that I love just as much as Elden Ring despite being a far different game.

  • It says #2 here. But no this is my 1B GOTY of 2022. Freedom Planet 2 was announced on Christmas Day of 2015, a year after the release of the first game on Steam. The Original Freedom Planet was a game I only really got to play in 2017 and it was a really fun 2D Platformer that combined the sense of speed of Sonic with the combat that one might find from a Genesis era Treasure game such as Gunstar Heroes or Dynamite Headdy. Though its a game that I always chose Classic Mode for because I only wanted to play the levels and didn't care for the story. The sequel was in almost 7 years in development and for me I waited 5 years for Freedom Planet 2 to release on Steam. Let me tell you, it was 110% percent worth the wait.

    Freedom Planet 2 is to me a prime example of an ideal game sequel. Like FP2 it also has a Sprite based artstyle to pay tribute to Sega's platforming history. Though this time the sprites are far more detailed and even a few 3D polygons are thrown in here that it feels more like a lost Sega Saturn game than the 1st game being a Genesis homage. Levels are Mostly shorter than the first game which I feel is a better decision as each level usually has a better focus and pace without getting too complicated and every level ends with a boss fight, many of which are really fun. The game still takes that Sonic and Treasure inspiration like the first game but does so much more to make it far more enjoyable. The characters have far more fleshed out movesets than in the original. Take Lilac for instance, she's the speed character who has basic melee attacks such as an uppercut, spinning mid air jump and a dragon boost that's meant for a speed boost. But now she can cancel out of her boost to save meter and even use that cancel to create a leave a light explosion that can be devastating to bosses if done right. Each character has parries now too which can save you from taking damage and for Lilac, if she lands a parry she can do a short-range teleport towards the aggressor and attack it. Carol even has a projectile disc she can throw at enemies but can even use that disc as a bonus jump horizontally or vertically to give her more mobility. I haven't even talked about the new perk system where characters can have potions which can give them certain perks to up to five slots and can either go all in or more attack power or speed or mix up different perks. There's even flexible difficulty options with certain items equipped to either make the game easier or make the game way harder (such as starting a level with no health) for a high risk, high reward strategy. The campaign at times will let the player choose different sets of levels in any order to see if they want to do the easier levels first or get right to the more challenging parts. Freedom Planet 2 like the original has a killer soundtrack done by Leilani Wilson as I'm still listening to tracks such as Phoenix Highway and Nalao Lake to this day. Heck I'll say, the story in this game doesn't come close to the storytelling of my #3 game or other games I love such as Chicory: A Colorful Tale or Psychonauts 2. But compared to FP1, its a big upgrade as there's a better balance of the serious stakes of the plot while doing a better job throwing in jokes when it needed some relief. Plus the amount of world building is pretty impressive for a 2D indie platformer.

    MAN I had a lot to say about my love for Freedom Planet 2. Its one of the best sequels I've played and I highly recommend checking it out on Steam if you love Platformers. Oh and one more thing, get to the BattleSphere as soon as possible. Some great side content is over there during and after clearing the Sphere's Story chapter.

  • This is without a doubt the best narrative I experienced in 2022. Pentiment is a small game by Obsidian where you play as Andreas Maler, an journeymen Artist who happens to get heavily involved in a surprise murder mystery in 16th Century Upper Bavaria so he can prove the innocence of a friend of his while trying to find evidence of who actually committed the murder. Its a really cool approach to detective games as you are going around the town of Tassing and getting info about possibly suspects from either talking with them and getting certain answers based on the background and skills you give Andreas or even do certain quests that might give you some damming evidence for someone in Tassing to possibly murder a Baron. Although there's more to the story than just this one Murder as you see Andreas get older and see how he changes as a character. Though what makes Pentiment such a great narrative game and how Andreas develops as a character is that your choices as a player matter and have a long impact on the playthrough. You could get some good info from someone else if you gave Andreas an Orator skill and can convince Tassing pilgrims or clergy to tell Andreas what he wants to hear. Though if you happen to say something that might upset another character, they will remember that and won't be likely to help you out. Its a game where you got to live with your choices and even mistakes and its really impressive how those decisions really shape the story of this game. Plus the art direction is stupendous as its meant to reflect the artwork of 16th Century Holy Roman Empire drawings and the music is really something special. Definitely play Pentiment if you have Game Pass and if you somehow haven't already. Actually beat this game this year in 2023 when college football season ended.

  • They gave Kirby a 3D Platformer! Well, really they gave Kirby a 3D Platformer in the vein of a Super Mario 3D World and not a Super Mario 64. But you know, 3D World Kirby was really freaking fun! Kirby takes his trademark inhale style gameplay into a whole new perspective as he can explore levels like he normally does running and floating around but now on 3D buildings. Not only that, but hey Mouthfull mode was a thing and Kirby can suck up a Car and drive around or even mouthful a vending machine and shoot soda at enemies. Forgotten Land also has a cool mini base sim aspect where the more Waddle Dees you rescue, the bigger Waddle Dee Town gets and that unlocks new minigames and other side content such as the Waddle Dee Cafe mini game (some strong Cook, Serve, Delicious vibes there) and the boss arena. Also Kirby's signature power ups can get upgrades now if you find the Blueprints and they get some real sick enhancements for some later levels. Also a contender for best soundtrack from 2022 as I'm listening to Northeast Frost Street as I type this. I've always enjoyed Kirby on a 2D plane as Nightmare to Dreamland was my favorite Kirby Game, but now I think Forgotten Land might have that title and would love to see Kirby do more 3D Adventures now.

  • I haven't spent any significant time in Pokémon since Ruby. I wasn't sure about this game first but was intrigued by the premise of giving your Pokémon Trainer the ability just sneak around and catch Pokémon by just...throwing Poke Balls at them. Battling them to weaken their health is an option here like other Pokemon game have. But why do that when you can be in a bush, throw food for a Pokemon to get lured and then throw that Poke Ball at them. I ended up really enjoying my time with Arceus. Sure its not the prettiest game on the Switch and its not entirely open world unlike its inspiration Breath of the Wild. But the gameplay loop was so much fun I didn't care. Plus it really got me invested in learning about the Sinnoh generation of Pokemon (a gen I never really paid attention to until now) and loved seeing some of the past Pokemon variants in this game. Love Hisuian Arcanine. Also Alpha Forms! Alpha Mantine and Hippowdon are so big I love them! Also funny enough all that Potato Mochi in the game got me to make Potato Mochi in real life funny enough.

  • I consider this game the ultimate chill game to play when you get frustrated with Elden Ring or another tough game. Freshly Frosted is a neat conveyor belt puzzle game where the point is to get certain donuts to their delivery stations. Some donuts may only need frosting, others may either not need any toppings or even get everything on including a cherry on the top. There are 144 Puzzles all set in these dream like cloud factories. You are trying to build these conveyor belts to get these donuts delivered. Though some puzzles might include new mechanics to be aware of such as a device that might push a donut into a new direction based on its toppings. What makes this game sing to me is its vibes man. The music when you build those belts is so tranquil but when you get the belts going it gets far more upbeat. Plus you have the calmest narrator in all of gaming there telling you about how cool Donuts are and is encouraging you to clear the puzzle. Certainly Freshly Frosted is a delightful puzzle game that came out of nowhere for me and loved every minute of it.

  • Hey what if Banjo Kazooie and Pikmin fused together huh? As in bring the 3d Collectathon aspects of Banjo with the little guy micro management and item gathering of Pikmin? Well then you have Tinykin. A really cool Indie game where like Pikmin, you are a small dude who crash lands on earth and you must help a society of Bugs solve their problems in various rooms of this house. You can have some of these Tinykin do certain things to help you aid these bugs. There are the Pink Tinykin which act like standard Pikmin and carry items. But also there's red Tinykin which can be thrown as grenades to break structures (poor guys) and also green Tinykin which all can form a ladder for our hero Milodane to climb. Plus there's a rad bar a soap that you can surf on to go faster. Also its a 3D Platformer with no enemies. Only things that can hurt you are water and certain obstacles but don't expect any Bulborb enemies trying to chase you down. Overall Tinykin is a really cool fusion of two different gaming concepts and makes for one of the best platformers I played this year. In a year where I feel it was quietly great for the genre. Speaking of platformers...

  • I've heard so many great things about the Klonoa games but never played them until last year. I was so happy to seeing Phantasy Reverie Series get announced so I can play the first 2 Klonoa Games. Door to Phantomile has a great reputation as being some of the best platformers on the PS1. I loved my time with it during the first 4 worlds as seeing how they made a platformer out of are cat/rabbit friend Klonoa using wind bullets to grab enemies and use them as extra jumps in levels or as projectiles. Though Ii found the last few worlds of Door to Phantomile surprisingly more frustrating than fun and felt the difficulty curve went up a little too hard there. Granted that ending was an emotional gut punch that's for sure. But I came away liking Door to Phantomile a lot but not loving it. Kinda wished the Wind Bullet had a little more range and felt those final levels got a little too spicy.

    Lunatea's Veil, however, is the reason to check out Phantasy Reverie Series. Lunatea's Veil was never released outside of the PS2 since 2001 and now finally this game is included in this package and is one current hardware on PS5's, PS4's and Switches! Lunatea's Veil doesn't fix my gripe about the Wind Bullet range, but it feels like they made a better game around Klonoa's moveset and made a game that had a better difficulty curve as well as having more levels with better pacing. What's cool about the levels is that you are in these different kingdoms that are based on certain emotions. One area you are in a giant theme park kingdom called Joilant that is meant to resemble joy while Volk is meant to resemble discord and the levels have these buildings being bombed to a pretty jazzy tune? Plus there's a few board based levels that break up the platforming in some fun ways. Both games are solid and worth checking out, but I honestly had a better time with Lunatea's Veil and am more likely to revisit that than Door to Phantomile. Really happy these games got remastered and are on modern systems.

  • This game suffered big time to my newfound college football love in 2022. I started this game sometime in October and could have beaten it by then. But didn't feel compelled to until early December. Admittedly I wasn't the best at this game as I did get lost a fair amount. But the hintbook was really handy and I was able to use that to lead me the right way. Also I should mention, this game is my first experience with the Monkey Island games. Never played the originals on PC but I did dive into another collection of Ron Gilbert's work as a kid with the Humongous Entertainment Point and Click Adventure games such as Putt Putt and Spy Fox. I also played Thimbleweed Park back in 2017 and quite liked it. This game was a pretty nice title that I think can serve as a good intro point for people who haven't played any Monkey Islands until now or were fans of the Ron Gilbert/Post Gilbert Monkey Islands. The writing was pretty sharp and it got some laughs out of me. I also didn't mind the art style as much as some have pointed to. I might try this again without hints to see how well I do, but overall Return to Monkey Island is a great Point and Click adventure title.

  • RIP Rumbleverse. You deserve so much better than being cancelled back in February this year. Rumbleverse was a really cool take on Battle Royales where instead of it being gun based, everyone is a professional wrestler and are cannonballed in Slam City to learn Wrestling moves, gain perks and then take on other Wrestlers and beat them so you could win this giant Royal Rumble within a city. There's definitely some wrestling and fighting game DNA from the various moves you can learn such as Diamond Cutters or some SF like moves such as E Honda's Sumo Slap. But if you build enough meter you can perform a mega Power Bomb and that can be your chance to eliminate an opponent. Plus some of the movement like climbing up buildings felt like it came from The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction. I only got as good as #2 and never won a match. But I still consider this some of the most fun I've had with a Battle Royale game. Maybe Iron Galaxy could find a way to bring it back but right now they probably have other plans with other games.
Load Comments