Welcome to my 2022 list of games that I loved.

2022 has been another wild ride but I probably will give it the credit of being a little less cataclysmic than last year. Is this because I left Twitter? Maybe.  

Welcome to my 2022 list of games that I loved. 2022 has been another wild ride but I probably will give it the credit of being a little less cataclysmic than last year. Is this because I left Twitter? Maybe.

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Some supplemental awards first.

‘Oh, thank my stars co-op arrived’ award:

§ Halo Infinite

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  ‘Please stop releasing your games in December’ 2021 awards:

§ The Gunk

§ Tunnel of Doom

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‘You are a compelling game, but my word, your politics suck’ award:

§ Police Simulator: Patrol officers

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10. As Dusk Falls XBO, XSX/S

As Dusk Falls is pitched as having meaningful stories and heartfelt performances brought to life by motion comics. The game follows multiple people across different threads involving a heist gone wrong, telling the story from the robbers’ and victims’ perspective. As Dusk Falls’ other big pitch is that it can be played online with up to 8 friends, and each time a choice must be made each player places a vote with the ability to override all votes. As all my friends are complete misfits, this means that instead of anything being accomplished, characters in As Dusk Falls will spend most of their time doing the worst things. To its credit, the game does a great job of keeping things on track. I am pretty sure I wasn’t supposed to laugh this much, but As Dusk Falls certainly brings it when played with chaotic pals.

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9. Broken Pieces PC, XBO, XSX/S, PS4/5

Broken Pieces is pretty great. A 3D adventure with a focus on puzzling and some minor combat. Set in a remote French Village that seems to exist in a post-event world where it’s not entirely clear what that event was. The localization is all over the place and adds to the unnerving nature of the game. Broken Pieces’s peers are Deadly Premonition and Syberia. If either of those names make your ears prick up, then you have to try this game.

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8. The Quarry PC, XBO, XSX/S, PS4/5 Review here

Supermassive consistently release titles that hit my top ten. Never in the top 5, but I still look forward to playing them. The Quarry is no exception. Larger and a bit longer than its Dark Pictures compatriots, it starts slower but ends up being rewarding by leaning into a goofier horror story. One of the things I’m enjoying is that the writing team started to become aware of its own tropes and then learning how to subvert them. For example, they’ve loved giving the players a ‘Drew Barrymore’ character for the tutorial – someone that shows up briefly to get murdered or sidelined. Not this time, and it’s great to see the writing being experimental and finding new ways to spin the story. However, it’s the multiplayer that keeps things entertaining as the hot-seat means that I could not predict the story twists.

Below is a heavily spoilered example:

Later in the story, after The Quarry had set up two characters and framed them as the protagonists, things turn to a pitched battle with a murderous family, everything slowed down for a second and required one of my friends to make a pivotal shot… And he missed. Both the protagonists die. The story continued without them.

What a great game.

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7. Tunic – PC, XBO, PS4/5, XSX/S, Switch

I was unimpressed by Tunic’s demo, outside of the very nice, squidgy pastel-colored models that made everything look like it was made out of opaque jelly sweets. What I played of the demo felt like someone was just retreading Legend of Zelda. That’s not to say the full game of Tunic surprised me and didn’t ape Link’s adventures, but it’s doing so much more. The element of ‘aha!’ when a level circles around on itself made me appreciate how clever each layout was, and the unlocking of each piece of the in-game instruction manual leading to even more ‘aha!’ moments is inspired. Then, when I realized what the liner notes meant… Well, it was the first time I fully appreciated what made Fez so appealing to players. Finally, when I hit a pretty nasty bug right at the end that meant that the final boss was much harder than it needed to be, Tunic just didn’t give a shit that I made myself invincible and beat the boss without trying. The journey and the exploration was more important.

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6. Windjammers 2 – PC, PS4/5, XBO, XSX/S, Switch, Stadia Review here

Windjammers is a unique game in many ways, I played it in the arcades back in the ’90s and then again on emulators in the 2000s. The back and forth of throwing a disc in a sort of air hockey/Frisbee hybrid is so simple, but the tactics and mind games that emerge contain so much depth. All I had craved for the last couple of decades was a decent port on my preferred console, but DotEmu (a company that is very much on a roll after Streets of Rage 4) went one better. Not only did they manage to make Windjammers 2 bigger with more varied abilities, trickshots and techniques, but also better. Although the skill ceiling is higher, it doesn’t detract from the crazy amount of simple fun able to be had. It also helps that the online multiplayer is rock-solid too.

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5. Pick Pack Pup – PlayDate

Not only does this entry give me an opportunity to brag about getting a PlayDate earlier this year, it is also a way to celebrate my favourite entry of the first season of curated games. Pick Pack Pup manages to find a new spin on the ‘match three’ genre with the character having to connect items first to package them, then they dispatch the packages, the more dispatched at the same time, the better the bonus. The game finds new ways to change up the format as the story progresses with different objectives, and the challenge modes add extra incentive to return. The story itself is a criticism of Amazon (and capitalism at large). Entertainingly, the protagonist steals a rocket and goes to Mars. For me, the most charming part of Pick Pack Pup was that it was a compulsive 3-4 hour game, perfect for a plane or car journey, and it fit perfectly into the PlayDate’s weekly offering. For those who get a chance to try the diminutive crank handheld, make a beeline for this one.

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4. Elden Ring PC – PS4/5, XBO, XSX/S Review here

I mean, I am sure it isn’t much of a shock that Elden Ring is on this list. It’s a phenomenal achievement by From Software to pack so much into this game and still make it feel like it had a personality. It is also by far the most accessible in the franchise, with a ton of neat elements that made it so I could finally talk to some of my friends about the experience. There is something in there, though, that weirdly rubs me the wrong way – like, I am resentful that the game is basically Assassin’s Creed, only with its excel spreadsheet checklist of side missions hidden from the player. When I realized that I was ticking off a series of boxes (during a fire giant fight) it soured a game I think I otherwise might have considered perfect. Still, I have high hopes that From Software will go from strength to strength after Elden Ring’s performance and that leaves me with hope that I’ll finally get another Armored Core game. Never mind, Armored Core VI got announced this a great end of year for me. Get me a mech!

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3. Gunfire: Reborn Switch – PC, PS4, XBO, XSX/S, Android, iOS

With one of the most forgettable names ever (frequently referred to as ‘Ghostmaster: Remix’ or ‘Gunblast: Remaster’ in this household) Gunfire: Reborn is a fantastic co-op, first-person shooter with roguelite elements. Each run allows the player to pick a class, accrue levelling-up points, better weapons, and scrolls that can buff/debuff, and the developer seems to delight in allowing the player to create utterly broken builds that allow players to go on rampages. The four player co-op elements (once players are higher level) allows for people to see the great range of different builds like the dual-wielding dog and the glass-canon bunny rabbit, while mixing and matching different styles. It’s on Game Pass right now, and even if you don’t have friends you should be playing it.

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2. Roguebook Switch – PC, Mac, XBO, XSX/S, PS4/5, Stadia Review here

“A top ten and I only have one roguelite on here” I saym as I realize I haven’t written about Roguebook. Every year I find a game that hits me like meth — hitting me with wide-eyed nights of hours slipping by in some sort of fugue state as I play ‘one more game’.  What Roguebook improves for the Darkest-Slay-the-Monster-Train-Dungeon formula is that it lets the player feel like they have more agency in their path towards the bosses, and there feels like there’s an ability to course-correct a half-failing run with the two hero system. The most roguelite addicted have complained that there is not enough variation in deck discovery, but that wasn’t something that bothered me as I climbed through the ranks while unlocking more cards. Charming, and a fantastic entry point for people curious about deckbuilding roguelites.

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1. Severed Steel – Switch, PC, XBO, XSX/S, PS4/5

I booted up Severed Steel before writing this to check if I was really going to make it my game of the year and got into a new game+ playthrough. Played in first-person, perspective this is a game that muses on what it would be like if Max Payne was just an endless stream of slow-motion violence set to a propulsive beat. Every level requires jumping, sliding, wall running and shooting — it’s like Cliff Bleszinski made good on his comment about how worried he was we hadn’t seen the gunplay in Mirror’s Edge and then built a game that had flawless gunplay/parkour. It’s just a cacophony of good times.

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Most Disappointing of the year: Plague Tale: Requiem

I am still enjoying Plague Tale, and I will likely finish it, but the disappointment I feel is that it seems that the developers and I have very different ideas of what we wanted from this game. Plague Tale: Innocence was a surprise – a gorgeous title on a budget that squeezed just enough gameplay into its cutscene heavy adventure that kept me engrossed. This first entry offered up a range of tools for stealthing and killing, but rarely had big enough areas to explore the possibilities with them.

What I had hoped for the sequel was that Requiem would build on this solid foundation and provide more open areas to fully realize the promising stealthy/fighting dichotomy. Instead, Requiem is about a lot of walking and talking and ‘push forward to win the game’ setpieces. These are impressive, they just indicate that, given a bigger budget, there will be even fewer interesting things to do in the next game and more emphasis on bombast. I hope that is not the case, because I love the world.

The post AJ’s Top 10 of 2022 appeared first on Gamecritics.com.

I thought this was a garbage year for new releases until… ::checks watch:: …like a month ago.

It actually wasn’t a bad year, but up until December, 2022 seemed like a year defined by my GOTY pick and not much else. Upon further reflection, many of the games on my list were peppered throughout the year, but a solid seven or eight of my picks either didn’t come out until very late in the year or, in the case of my #2 choice, I wasn’t even aware of until mid-December. This is partially why this list is so late, as I needed a January of actually playing these games to decipher my own awards.

2022 was also a year in which I played less videogames than maybe any year since I was eight. I’ve officially hit my mid 30s, got married, my career is in full swing, and a quickly-developing poker habit means a lot of Sunday afternoons that would’ve been spent playing the latest and greatest game is now spent at a local card room playing low stakes tournaments. I still love games and will be first in line for many in 2023, but I’m starting to think that the days of “gaming” being a defining part of my life are numbered. My mother would be so proud.

With that said, I still played a fair bit (especially lately), and I’ve still got the ability to write lists, so here is the only guide you’ll need to know what was worth playing in 2022.

The “I Just Felt Like Giving This Game An Award” Award: MyVegas Slots

Ok so here’s the thing: This game is trash. Its UI is awful, it takes forever to get into the actual game, its microtransaction scheme is borderline predatory (which makes sense given it’s a game about playing slot machines), the art sucks, and it essentially preps any child who plays it towards being a gambling addict. It’s one of the few games ever made where I legitimately believe the Earth would be a better place if it didn’t exist.

So why on God’s Green Earth am I giving a terrible game released over nine years ago one of my incredibly prestigious awards? Well, frankly, it saved me hundreds of dollars this year.

I ended up going on vacation to Las Vegas twice this year. I DO NOT recommend this, but I got married there this past summer, and then my wife & I went there for Christmas this year as well due to my mother retiring to Lake Havasu, Arizona, and Vegas is the closest major airport to her.

For both trips, I used MyVegas to collect various coupons on our trip, as on top of collecting chips, the game also has another currency based entirely on length of play that can unlock various rewards to use on The Strip. So for about a month beforehand each trip, I would have this awful game running on a spare phone in the background grinding BOGO Buffet coupons and discounted show tickets. It got my best man a free room at Excalibur on his way out of town, and overall I probably used about $400 worth of MyVegas Rewards on both trips. I even got a match play that I won, so it got me $50 cash as well. Considering this is the only videogame in history to actually give me tangible, cash based rewards due to play, I felt it earned a spot on my year-end wrap-up.

With that said, if you’re never ever planning on going to Vegas (good plan), please never play this exploitative dreck.

2023’s Story of the Year: Who Gets Bought Next?

Corporate consolidation is one of the more nightmarish things happening on Planet Earth currently, and 2022 was a year where the videogame industry got hit hard by this sickness. Microsoft spent tens of billions of dollars purchasing both Bethesda Software and Activision, then Sony got scared and overpaid for Bungie… just because, I guess? NetEase decided to waste a bunch of money on Quantic Dream, and secret-CCP-Tentacle-Monster Tencent continued acquiring studios (Sumo Digital) while also owning like 10% of every company you enjoy the work of.

Also have you heard of Embracer Group? The Swedish corporation went on an absolute tear by essentially buying the backlog of multiple companies, including purchasing all of Square-Enix’s Western studios and IP for a shockingly low amount.

Speaking of Square-Enix, they were the catalyst for this award, as I don’t see them being an independent company come 2024. Considering they are tripling down on NFT’s a year after the world realized they were a sick joke brainstormed by Philistines, I expect the Final Fantasy studio to be a Sony subsidiary by year-end. Electronic Arts I could see being acquired as well. The boards of public companies are essentially incentivized by stock subsidies to cash out and sell to the highest bidder to line their own pockets even if the company is doing well, and I see no reason why this won’t continue. Less choice is always bad for the consumer, and despite various ten-year Call of Duty promises thrown about by Microsoft, there is no planet where any of this can be spun as a good thing.

2022’s “Ehh…I’ll Play It Later” Award: TIE between God of War: Ragnarok & Horizon: Forbidden West

These two games essentially take the same space in my head. Both are sequels to games I enjoyed, both are big-budget triple-A games by prestige developers, both are Playstation exclusives, and both serve very well as “Next-Gen Showpieces” for people lucky enough to have a PS5. The problem is that both God of War: Ragnarok and Horizon: Forbidden West essentially did the same thing — take the first game, slightly pretty it up, and make it bigger-er. “Longer” is not a feature I value highly in gaming, and that’s essentially the biggest innovation for each of these titles.

I recognize the immense quality of each along with the massive amount of work that went into each title, but neither of these games made me particularly excited to actually play them. I finished Horizon: Zero Dawn for the first time in the lead-up to Forbidden West’s release, and it took literally a half hour of playing the newest entry in the franchise for me to realize that this was not the game I wanted to play at the time, and I still haven’t touched it since. I hadn’t played God of War (2018) since…well, since 2018, and it still felt way too similar to me upon release. Could either of these games have made my list if I played them in their entirety? Sure. Again, there’s a lot of good in these two titles. With that said, I really don’t have a lot of drive to do so, which is, when you think about it, pretty damning.

Turd of the Year: Sonic Origins

You know it’s a weird year when the 3D Sonic game was a pleasant surprise while the 2D effort was an embarrassing letdown. Considering it’s been the other way around for two decades, I was shocked to see Sonic Origins be so profoundly disappointing. Leading this years pack in the “How did you f**k this up?” category, Sonic Origins took the seemingly simple task of enhancing Sonic 1-3, Sonic CD, and Sonic & Knuckles, then proceeded to inject nearly 30-year-old titles with a variety of new bugs and some downright awful input lag. Also, if developer Headcannon is to be believed (I’m inclined to believe them due to their exceptional work on Sonic Mania), the final product is actively worse than the gold copy they turned in to Sega.

On top of that, Sonic Origins has officially taken the title of “dumbest special edition ever” from a multitude of Ubisoft games with the downright insulting “Digital Deluxe Edition”, which charged players an extra $5 for things like a letterboxed background, the ability to control the camera in the main menu, and a music player. I don’t know which is more befuddling — Sega having the audacity to put such “features” behind a paywall (for a game that was already questionably priced at $39.99) , or that Sega thought people would be down to pay extra for such an odd assortment of bonuses. Considering remasters of old classics have been around since Super Mario All-Stars, Sega continuing to do their mascot dirty is as shocking as it is unsurprising, which is a pretty amazing feat to pull off in its own right.

Ohh and they changed Sonic 3’s music because Michael Jackson’s weird family is running out of his money and threatened to sue. When you remake a game and the final product makes me happy I have the original (now de-listed) releases on Steam, you f****d up.

NOW… THE ONE TRUE LIST THAT IS CLEARLY BETTER THAN ALL OTHER LISTS

Honorable Mention: Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII REUNION

While my list has an assortment of major nostalgia trips and a half-remake/half-sequel… thing, I’m happy to see that I, without trying, made a list that doesn’t feature a single straight-up remaster or remake. Again, maybe 2022 was better than I thought?

With that said, remakes & remasters still exist, and the best one this year modernized the only Final Fantasy VII Extended Universe thing I ever liked. The PSP advertised itself as the first handheld to offer “true” console gaming on the go, and despite the system’s limitations, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII got closer to that promise than maybe any other game released for Sony’s first portable gaming device. It featured (at the time) mind-blowing graphics, an entertaining Action RPG combat system, exceptional music, and a main protagonist that was infinitely more enjoyable to play as compared to Cloud Strife.

REUNION takes that original game and puts a next-gen-ish sheen on it. While it uses the assets from the FFVII Remake, it doesn’t quite reach those heights graphically. However, it’s a monumental jump from the PSP release. It also features smart enhancements to the combat that make it a little more fast-paced, and it’s a profound improvement over a release that really should not have been trapped on the PSP for the past fifteen years. Considering it’s importance to the new FFVII canon, this remaster both makes sense and is expertly crafted, which are the two things one really looks for when judging a remaster.

10. Sonic Frontiers

So, again, who knew that Sonic Team and their latest attempt at making Sonic in 3D would be the shining beacon for the blue hedgehog in 2022? I certainly didn’t believe it after early trailers didn’t even get me on board with another “Sonic Cycle”. Here’s the thing — while it being 10th on the list kinda makes this obvious, Sonic Frontiers is definitely the worst game here (…okay it’s not as bad as MyVegas Slots).

It maintains a lot of the problems 3D Sonic has had for literal decades like problematic camera controls, awkward enemy targeting, bugs galore, wonky physics, and a baffling story that seems perfectly tailored to the Pixiv crowd. Sonic coming to a complete stop when landing from a jump is one of the more daft design decisions I’ve run into in a long time. The pop-in is the worst I’ve seen in a videogame since Days Gone, and the way pipes just kinda appear in the sky makes the game occasionally look like something out of an alpha build. The Super Sonic sections, while they are massive in scale and offer some truly inspiring metalcore, are broken messes of failed motion that nobody could ever reasonably call fun.

All of these things are true, but Sonic Team may have actually solved the “What the hell should Sonic the Hedgehog even be in 3D?” question after all these years.

Breath of the Wild was obviously a huge inspiration as Sonic runs through massive islands sparsely populated with little nibbles of content that slowly pad stats and open new areas to explore. I’ve never enjoyed using Sonic more in a 3D space, and that’s due to the sprawling open-world design eliminating many of the cheap deaths from simply not being able to see obstacles or react accordingly to them (cheap deaths still very much exist). Now while I enjoyed my time with this game immensely, it really only rises to the title of “successful proof-of-concept”. Sonic Frontiers is a deeply problematic title, but within it one can see amazing potential, and I’ve never been more optimistic about the future of Sonic in the third dimension. Here’s hoping their next entry will produce less fan “art”.

9. Bayonetta 3

Is it weird calling the 9th best game of the year sorta disappointing? We finally get a sequel to the best game of 2014 and the 2nd best game of 2009, so needless to say my expectations were rather high, but frankly, there’s a lot in this game that I do not like.

The performance is rather terrible, which causes serious problems in a complex character action game. If one wanted a poster child for “Hey maybe the Switch is a bit long in the tooth”, Bayonetta 3 is it. Also, for a series that’s famous for its over-the-top nature, here’s actually too much going on in some scenes, as the game has a need to show off how epic everything is by panning the camera out at the expense of gameplay. The addition of giant Kaiju monsters to help out in combat looks cool, but how frequently they are used takes away from the core mechanics. Considering Bayonetta as a franchise has been known as one giant fever-dream of a party, this newest addition with multiple apocalypses just seems a bit dour compared to its predecessors.

Lastly, I’m kinda with a lot of internet people who say that the romance featured in the game is both nonsensical and antithetical to who I’m pretty sure Cereza is. In other words, this is a problematic title.

But here’s the thing — middling Bayonetta is still better than 95% of all videogames ever produced, and Platinum Games still has some of the better combat mechanics conceived by man to fall back on. When Bayonetta 3 focuses on delivering the manic combat the series is famous for, it excels, and many of the trimmings longtime fans want are here. The art is preposterous, the music is sensational, and there were few experiences so sublime this year as when Bayonetta 3 clicks. I also really liked using the new character Viola, although her addition isn’t quite as impactful as, say, Nero was in Devil May Cry. It’s a great game with quirks that keep it from hitting the delirious highs of the previous games, but that’s enough for a new Bayonetta to crack the list.

8. Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Xenogears was one of my absolute favorites as a teenager. The game was peak anime melodrama in a time where I was into that sort of thing, but above all else, I loved Xenogears because it was, and remains, totally f***ing bonkers. There are multiple scenes of characters murdering everyone they know, it hammers players over the head with themes in a way that makes Hideo Kojima look subtle, and disc 2 is essentially a multi-hour interrogation cutscene followed by fighting God. It’s a mess, but it’s a gloriously entertaining mess that stuck with me way longer than any other JRPG made by Monolith Soft with the word “Xeno” in it. The Xenosaga series was… good but never really reached that peak level of silly championed by the first game. The first Xenoblade game is an absolute classic with numerous gameplay innovations that JRPG’s now are barely getting on board with, but outside of a few hints here and there, it didn’t really strike me as a Xeno game, whatever that means. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 was literally the moment in my life where I said “hmm…maybe I’m actually not into anime anymore?”.

Now, while it still doesn’t reach the wild heights of Xenogears (probably for the best, honestly), Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was the first time I believed I was playing a true successor to the ol’ OG. Child soldiers dying over and over again in endless wars so they can power demonic robots is the kind of ridiculous concept I’ve wanted from this series for years, but Xenoblade Chronicles 3 actually tells a great story with this idea thanks to the absolutely stellar main cast. This is one of the more enjoyable group of superfriends I’ve played in a JRPG in a long time, which is good considering the staggering length of this title. Expect a 60 hour playthrough at the absolute minimum, and thankfully the inventive combat makes it engaging for the player the entire way. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is absolutely worth the time investment for anyone into anime that goes on-and-on about the nature of existence.

7. Neon White

“Style over substance” is a bit of an overused term at this point, but in the case of Neon White, it’s actually the opposite, as the “Style” part of Neon White is its worst aspect. Unfortunately, the visual novel aspect of the game features a putrid story with some of the most grating characters I’ve encountered in a while, and the ethereal aesthetic wasn’t my cup of tea. At least the music somewhat slaps, and the game makes it pretty easy to skip through the nonsense.

Now the substance of Neon White is what gets it on the list. Once you get past the bad art and borderline tasteless writing, there is an immensely satisfying puzzle-platformer underneath with perfectly tuned controls and exceptional level design.

There are very few feelings better this year than absolutely nailing a level while bouncing around it like a ninja, and there are few feelings more infuriating than finding out that baller run was actually four seconds off the Platinum award time. Racking my brain around how to shave off those crucial seconds led to high levels of gratification. This is about the last thing I expected the Donut County developers to make, but I’m sure glad they did.

6. The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe

So a bit ago I said this list didn’t feature any remasters, and I stand by that when it comes to The Stanley Parable 2, which (…Spoilers?) is the actual title of The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe once players progress beyond a certain point. Ultra Deluxe is a dramatically expanded rendition of 2013’s funniest game — so much so, that I think it’s somewhat of a disservice to label it a a simple remaster. The original game had 19 endings, Ultra Deluxe has a whopping 42. There are hours’ worth of new dialogue from the GOAT-contending narrator along with large swaths of new areas to explore.

Furthermore, there’s a whole lot of new, hilarious introspection from writers Davey Wredan & William Pugh, who have essentially made most of the new content center around what the hell it was like to make a massively successful indie darling and the daunting task of following it up. These are themes touched on in their previous work since the original Stanley Parable, but they take it to hysterical heights here. Ultra deluxe takes what was a neat little thing with the original title and transforms it into a complete work that absolutely shines in 2023.

Did I mention it’s really goddamn funny?

5. Return To Monkey Island

The point-and-click adventure genre has had various “comebacks” over the years with the now-defunct Telltale Games kicking it off in 2004. How ironic that they then practically killed off any other modern interpretations when The Walking Dead unfortunately morphed an entire genre into “Dialogue from Bioware Games: The Game” before things got worse with titles like Gone Home sprinkling item collecting into walking around and damn near removed puzzles from the Adventure equation altogether. Weird low budget adventure games from small European studios kept the genre on life support, but this wasn’t exactly a vibrant genre in 2022.

Thankfully, Ron Gilbert is back and… he’s pretty much doing what he did in 1990 — and that’s A-OK in my book. Take away the exceptional art, voicework, and modern trimmings, and this is essentially a SCUMM game with dastardly puzzles as obtuse as they were 30 years ago. They require a fair bit of moon logic, and if you’re not up for that, they’ve put in a mode with simplified puzzles for those who just want to enjoy the absolutely stellar writing. With that said, this decidedly old-school experience was a delight from the get-go due to both its ardent convictions of genre conventions and the reverence it has for the source material. Sure, it kinda ignores the past three Monkey Island games because Ron Gilbert is a stubborn old man, but if that’s what it takes to get him to make another LucasArts adventure genre, that’s a trade i’m willing to make. This is an absolute must-play for anyone who grew up making literal mountains out of molehills.

4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge

The moment the game started with a Mike Patton rendition of the classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme was when I knew Shredder’s Revenge was gonna be special. Tribute Games clearly loves themselves some early ’90s TMNT games, and this is one of the best nostalgia trips i’ve played in a long time. The sprite work on display here is wildly expressive while also maintaining an old-school aesthetic that I appreciated. They also did a great job with the combat, as it keeps things simple while adding a layer of depth that’s attainable to novice players. It’s not super long, but it’s longer than most games of this ilk, and there are plenty of reasons to go back.

All of that is great, but this game makes the list due to the special memories I have playing it with my wife. She’s not much of a gamer, but she had some experience with arcade beat-’em-ups as a kid and I thought this would be a good attempt at an evening of couch co-op. This was correct thinking on my part, as we had an absolute blast playing through the entire game, and she ended up being the one who demanded we continued on from where we left off the next day. This is her Game of the Year and she’s my better half, so that definitely played a part in this game being so high on this list.

3. Marvel’s Midnight Suns

For a game that I was super excited for because I thought it was going to be “XCOM with Spider-Man”, I was actually surprisingly delighted to see that it isn’t that. I wasn’t expecting a 60-hour RPG/Dating-simulator with the breadth of dialogue options found in an old-school Bioware RPG. It also doesn’t have the same sense of dread that permeates an entire XCOM run, as it’s probably for the best that a mainstream Marvel product for the masses isn’t set up to ruin 20 hours of work with one bad mistake. While I was hesitant hearing Midnight Suns was card-based in its combat, it actually became one of the strengths, as building decks allows for high versatility in all characters while allowing me to tailor my superheroes based on the situation.

Midnight Suns is built around a Marvel Comics run from the 90s, and the team at Firaxis did a great job of capturing that feel. These are great interpretations of the characters, and I appreciate that they didn’t try to ape the current vibe of the MCU. Yes the characters are quippy, but that was the style of the decade as well in the comics, so it’s appropriate. This is a fabulous comic book game made by a bunch of dorks who used their undeniable talents to deliver a deep, intricate, surprising, and meaty experience. This is the only game on this list that I paid $70 for, and it was worth every penny.

2. Vampire Survivors

So, as previously alluded to in my MyVegas rant, I kinda hate slot machines. Poker is both cheaper and more stimulating, and I’ve never really understood the appeal of dumping money into a machine and… just kinda hoping for the best? Poncle, the stage-name for the developer behind the most out-of-left-field GOTY contender I can remember, used to develop slot machines, and that shows with Vampire Survivors. He was able to take the audiovisual stimulation of a slot machine and inject it into a rather unassuming roguelike to crystalize the most potent digital crack-cocaine I’ve experienced in a long time.

Vampire Survivors‘ greatest strength is how it’s able to take the sensibilities of exploitative, microtransaction-based shovelware and craft a legitimate experience out of it. It has all the trappings of a game I should find offensively terrible, but a $5 game with weird Castlevania knock-off art has no business being this engaging and interesting, especially once players progress to a certain point and, well, things get weird. This miserable pile of secrets is something I adored peeling apart one collectable at a time, and discovering all the game has to offer on my own without asking the internet was immensely gratifying. It’s not quite Game of the Year, but it’s the best value of the year by a country mile, and I’ll happily pay for every bit of DLC that Poncle wants to drip out.

This game is a sickness infecting my brain, and I’m down for it.

1. Elden Ring

That’s right, I’m going chalk. Everyone else’s Game of the Year is my Game of the Year for the same reasons everyone else will list. Elden Ring is the culmination of nearly fifteen years worth of ideas and gameplay innovations smelted into a defining achievement for an entire genre. This is not just the best Souls Game ever made. Elden Ring is the Souls Game. If someone out there somehow didn’t know what a Souls Game was and they asked me to pick one for them, without any hesitation whatsoever, without any worry on if they’d “miss something” by not starting with the original games, I would hand them Elden Ring and tell them to go nuts. It’s so good that it makes other games in the soulsverse (is that what we’re going with?) practically obsolete. I tried to go back and play the Demons Souls remake and Dark Souls Remastered after finishing FROM Software’s newest release, and while my 90-ish hours with Elden Ring definitely prepared me to better perform while playing their older titles, the smart gameplay enhancements and truly unparalleled scope of Elden Ring make their previous efforts seem like quaint, yet important relics that allowed their masterpiece to flourish.

Ocarina Of Time is a game that people often reference as having a huge, impactful “moment” when they get out of the starting village and see the huge open world that Link had to explore. It was transcendent for so many people, but that feeling did not even compare to the feeling I had after spending 20 hours running through what I thought was the entire map, only to realize how much I hadn’t even discovered yet. This is the best open world environment ever put in a videogame, full stop. Every single inch of this absolutely massive map feels as meticulously designed as the intricate dungeons it houses, and it’s pretty rare for me to play a game for literal days with a feeling that I’ve barely scratched the surface. While I still think I may personally like Sekiro more due to its aesthetics and combat, I find Elden Ring infinitely more impressive.

An extra congratulations goes to Hidetaka Miyazaki, who has transformed what was a pretty middling studio (anyone remember Enchanted Arms?) into one of the preeminent developers on Planet Earth, churning out hit after hit after hit. He’s in the upper echelons of gaming visionaries now. Miyamoto, Kojima, Garriot, Meier, Schafer, Carmack, whomever else I’m forgetting, and now Miyazaki. Thankfully, he doesn’t seem to have the same desire for a cult of personality around him the way that some of those aforementioned names do, and I think this bodes well for both his future and the future of FROM Software. Their runaway success as a formerly-smallish independent studio goes against the grain of everything this industry stands for currently, and I can’t wait to be there with every subsequent release.

Elden Ring is not the Game of the Year. It’s the Game of Our Time.

The post Jarrod’s Top Ten Of 2022 And Other Meaningless Awards appeared first on Gamecritics.com.

2022 is now in the rear view mirror, and overall I’d say it was a good year — in terms of videogames, if little else.

Interestingly, the rising popularity of the So Videogames Podcast has meant that I had less time to deep-dive on games and less time to write full reviews, so despite playing a ton of titles over the last twelve months, there were still a large number that I just didn’t have the chance to properly evaluate…

I did manage to settle on a top 10, though, and I’m pretty happy where I ended up!

GAMES I WANTED TO FULLY CONSIDER FOR TOP 10 BUT JUST DIDN’T MANAGE TO

Weird West playing it now, it’s awesome.

Neurodeck

The Last Friend

Road 96 intriguing, but I didn’t have time for the multiple playthroughs needed.

Live a Live

Pentiment

Ghostwire Tokyo

Lil’ Gator

Inscryption everyone tells me I’m going to love this.

Arcade Paradise

Lost in Play

Gerda: A Flame in Winter loved what I saw but didn’t finish it due to time constraints.

Foretales this was genius, but the early copy I had was bugged.

Beacon Pines

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENTS

Silt I loved the look of this one, the art was fab. The gameplay featuring body-swapping with various fish didn’t hold the same appeal, though.

Vampire: the Masquerade – Swansong I looooooved The Council from the same developers, so I had high hopes for what they’d do with such a storied license. Unfortunately they went too heavy on obtuse puzzles and levels that felt like they dragged on forever.

Cult of the Lamb A great premise and awesome visuals, but it wasn’t deep enough in combat and couldn’t keep things fresh enough during each run of its roguelike structure.

Cursed to Golf This supernaturally-themed golf game had me on board from day one… until I played it. The vertical nature of each course and a focus on tricks while also dealing with a limited camera view sucked the fun out pretty fast.

Deathverse: Let it Die I loved the original Let it Die and was more than ready to jump back into its twisted, nihilistic universe, but changing up the original structure and putting sole focus on PvP ain’t it. I love the style and the world and basically everything about this game, except the gameplay. If the devs go back to PvE(vP) I’ll be a happy guy. Unfortunately, the devs just announced that the game will be suspended in July 2023 due to various concerns, so it’s unclear if they’ll get the chance to pivot back to their strengths.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Ravenous Devils No real complaints here, this was on my top 10 for most of the year — it’s an idiosyncratic pick, but one I really enjoyed.

Rogue Lords Same as above. This was on my list for most of the year but it just got edged out in December.

Anno Mutationem These devs get so much right and it has style for miles. The campaign went on a little too long and it lost me after the middle, but I’m guessing there are a lot of folks out there that would adore this one if they gave it a shot.

Anvil: Vault Breakers I’m not a fan of early access, and although this one launched as “done” I couldn’t help but feel like they were still shaking things out. I loved the action and the roguelike elements really worked for me, though.

Nobody Saves the World Another one of those less-is-more-situations. I loved my time with this one but the campaign just went on too long. If it had been punchier, it would have been on my top 10 for sure.

Like No Other: The Legend of the Twin Books I loved this reinterpretation of classic point-and-click formula, it’s literally brilliant. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much of a story, which is a major omission in the genre. With a better script, an easy top 10 pick.

Yars: Recharged A creative re-imagining of an Atari classic. Absolutely worth a look for Atari or arcade fans. It came dangerously close to being in my top 10.

BEST GAME NOT FROM 2022

Warhammer 40,000: Battlesector One of the best 40K games out there. A great use of the license, a great campaign, and solid tactics, along with upgrade paths and unit variety to keep it fresh. Didn’t have time to play it in 2021, but it’s absolutely worth the time whenever a 40K fan can get to it.

MY TOP 10 OF 2022

10> Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration An interactive retrospective worthy of being in the Smithsonian. The bar for retro collections has now been raised AF.

9> Marvel Snap Snappy play, simple to understand, and a clever design that ensures no two matches ever play out the same.

8> Card Shark I can honestly say I’ve never been taught to cheat at cards in a videogame before. This series of minigames nestled amidst the French Revolution was fiercely fresh.

7> RPG Time: The Legend of Wright A labor of love that captures the spark and imagination of being a do-it-yourselfer kid in junior high.

6> Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope A smoothly-polished franchise update that fixed my issues with the previous entry and delivered tons of turn-based strategic shenanigans.

5> Sucker for Love: First Date A horny visual novel +puzzle mechanics + Lovecraftian ladies? Yes, please!

4> Grime: Colors of Rot This updated 2D soulslike/metroidvania offers new twists on familiar gameplay, and a ton of style.

3> Vampire Survivors Could not put it down until I had 100%’d it.

2> Elden Ring The next logical step forward for Souls, and a much-needed one. It set a new standard for open-world games and brought back the customization and flexibility From specializes in.

1> Citizen Sleeper A triumphant blending of Visual Novel, RPG, dice-rolling and Sci-Fi elements that come together to deliver the most compelling thing I played all year — and I enjoyed being in its world so much, I kept on playing even after I had gotten every ending and finished every task.

*

The post Brad’s Top 10 Of 2022 appeared first on Gamecritics.com.

As editor of GameCritics.com and the co-host of So Videogames Podcast — and also as a person who just generally loves videogames — I strive to sample as much of the industry as I can.

What’s the new hotness? What’s the current design trend? What’s everyone talking about?

I’m also always on the lookout for hidden gems or indies that fly under the radar, so it basically means that I try a ton of titles every year!

For anyone who’s curious what 12 months of plays looks like for me, here it is in the exact order that I played them.

There are no notes on any of them (except if I rolled credits — that’s mentioned in bold) but you can hear my thoughts on nearly all of them on the podcast.

JANUARY

1 – Marvel Puzzle Quest, Android

2 – Fortnite, PS5

3 – Dead Cells, Switch

4 – Clid the Snail, PS5

5 – Warhammer 40K: Battlesector, XBX – FINISHED

6 – Hermitage: Strange Case Files, Switch

7 – The Gunk, XBX

8 – Arcadia Fallen, Switch

9 – Picross S3, Switch

10 – Blackwind, PS5

11 – Neon Abyss, Switch

12 – Dull Grey, PS5

13 – Lake, XBX – FINISHED

14 – SNK v Capcom: Card Fighters Clash, Switch

15 – Rainbow 6: Extraction, XBX

16 – Pawn of the Dead, Switch

17 – Nobody Saves the World, XBX

18 – Bad North, Switch

19 – One Step from Eden, Switch

20 – Anvil: Vault Breakers, XBX

21 – Vagante, Switch

22 – Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist, XBX

23 – Blood Will Be Spilled, Switch

FEBRUARY

24 – Astroneer, XBX

25 – The Company Man, Switch

26 – Castle Morihisa, Switch

27 – Transformers: Battleground, XBX

28 – Calturin, Switch

29 – Dracula Frames, Switch

30 – Tux & Fanny, XBX

31 – Scrapnaut, Switch

32 — Draw a Stickman: Epic, Switch

33 — Red Ronin, Switch

34 — Lacuna, XBX

35 — Grim Dawn: Definitive Edition, XBX

36 — Grapple Dog, Switch

37 — Rise of the Third Power, Switch

38 — Gem Wizard Tactics, Switch

39 — Apex Legends, XBX

40 — Armed to the Gears, Switch

41 — GetsuFumaDen: Undying Moon, Switch

42 — Time Loader, XBX – FINISHED

43 — Braveland Trilogy, Switch

44 — Unforeseen Incidents, Switch

45 — BraveMatch, Switch

46 — Zombie Rollerz: Pinball Heroes, Switch

47 — Live or Die, PS5

48 — Elden Ring, XBX – FINISHED

MARCH

49 — Puddle Knights, Switch

50 — Primordia, Switch

51 — Slayin’ 2, Switch

52 — Witcheye, Switch

53 — Roguebook, XBX

54 — Aztech: Forgotten Gods, XBX

55 — Ashwalkers, Switch

56 — Prison Princess, Switch

57 — The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante, XBX

58 — Royal Frontier, Switch

59 — Vengeful Heart, Switch

60 — Weird West, XBX

61 — For The Warp, Switch

62 — Neurodeck, Switch

APRIL

63 — Crusader Kings III, XBX

64 — Princess Farmer, XBX

65 — tERRORbane, Switch

66 — A Memoir Blue, XBX

67 — Deck of Ashes, XBX

68 — Mind Scanners, Switch

69 — Road 96, XBX

70 — Hentai Uni, Switch – FINISHED

71 — The Last Friend, Switch

72 — Kathy Rain, Switch

73 — In The Mood, Switch – FINISHED

74 — The Serpent Rogue, XBX

MAY

75 — Wildcat Gun Machine, XBX

76 — Ravenous Devils, XBX – FINISHED

77 — Waifu Impact, Switch

78 — My Brother Ate My Pudding!, Switch

79 — Rogue Lords, XBX – FINISHED

80 — Seven Pirates H, Switch

81 — Mighty Goose, Switch

82 — Loot River, XBX

83 — Winter Ember, XBX

84 — Thea 2: the Shattering, XBX

85 — Pretty Girls Panic!, Switch

86 — Gibbon: Beyond the Trees, Switch

87 — Dungetris, Switch

88 — Citizen Sleeper, XBX – FINISHED

89 — As Far As the Eye, Switch

90 — Root, Switch

91 — Roundguard, Switch

92 — Dungeons of Dreadrock, Switch – FINISHED

93 — Ogre, XBX

94 — Underland: The Climb, XBX

95 — Moo Lander, XBX

96 — Silt, Switch – FINISHED

97 — Jade Order, Switch

98 — The Wanderer: Frankenstein’s Creature, XBX

JUNE

99 — A Musical Story, XBX

100 — Lit: Bend the Light, XBX

101 — Hentai: Make Love, Not War, Switch

102 — Lamplight City, Switch

103 — Card Shark, Switch

104 — Spellforce III: Reforced, XBX

105 — Souldiers, PS5

106 — Square Keeper, Switch

107 — Vampire: the Masquerade — Swansong, XBX

108 — Sucker for Love: First Date, PC — FINISHED

109 — Delivery From the Pain, Switch

110 — Clan O’Conall and the Crown of the Stag, Switch

111 — Jumanji: The Curse Returns, Switch

112 — Neko’s Secret Room, Switch

113 — Pinku Kult: Hex Mortis, XBX

114 — The Hand of Merlin, XBX

115 — Deadcraft (demo), XBX

116 — Space Warlord Organ Trading Simulator, XBX

117 — Steve Jackson’s Sorcery!, XBX

118 — Shadowrun Returns, XBX

119 — Theatre of Sorrows, Switch

120 — The Outer Worlds, XBX

121 — Graveyard Keeper, Switch

122 — Shadowrun: Dragonfall, XBX

123 – Terror of Hemasaurus, XBX Demo

124 – Poly Fury, XBX Demo

125 – Ynglet, XBX Demo

126 – Tinykin, XBX Demo

127 – Batora: Lost Haven, XBX Demo

128 – Despot’s Game, XBX Demo

129 — Brok, XBX Demo

130 – Lost Ruins, XBX Demo

131 — Endling, XBX Demo

132 – Another Crusade, XBX Demo

133 — Can Androids Survive, XBX

134 — Red Earth, XBX

135 — Darkstalkers 2: The Night Warriors, XBX

136 — Pachi Pachi 2, Switch

137 — Firegirl: Hack & Splash Rescue DX, Switch

138 — Trek to Yomi, XBX

139 — Gem Fighter, XBX

140 — Hyper Street Fighter Turbo, XBX

141 — Hourglass, XBX

142 — Can Androids Pray, XBX

143 — Fall Guys

144 — Trenga Unlimited, XBX

145 — Casual Birder, Playdate

146 — Whitewater Wipeout, Playdate

JULY

147 — Anno Mutationem, PS5

148 — Back 4 Blood, XBX

149 — World War Z, XBX

150 — Gum +, Switch

151 — OAOA, PC

152 — Ara Fell, PC

153 — Alien Engine, Switch — FINISHED

154 — Ambition: A Minuet in Power, Switch

155 — Growbot, Switch

156 — Long Live the Queen, Switch

157 — Power Wash Simulator, XBX

158 — Solasta: Crown of the Magister, XBX

159 — Stray, PS5

160 — Mothmen 1966, XBX – FINISHED

161 — Unsouled, XBX

162 — Running on Magic, XBX

163 — Strange Horticulture, Switch

164 — Into the Breach, Switch

165 — As Dusk Falls, XBX – FINISHED

166 — Train Valley: Console Edition, XBX

167 — Slay the Princess (demo), PC

168 — Scarlet Hollow, PC

169 — Thirsty Suitors (demo), PC

AUGUST

170 — Avenging Spirit, XBX

171 — South of the Circle, XBX

172 — Gigabash, PS5

173 — Gigapocalypse, XBX

174 — Countess in Crimson, PC

175 — Lord Winklebottom Investigates!, XBX

176 — Please Touch the Artwork!, Switch

177 — Rollerdrome, PS5

178 — Cult of the Lamb, XB

179 — Super Bullet Break, Switch

180 — Cursed to Golf, PS5

181 — Voyage, XBX

182 — Hindsight, Switch

183 — Thymesia, XBX

182 — Yars: Recharged, XBX

183 — I Was a Teenage Exocolonist, Switch

184 — Midnight Fight Express, XBX

185 — Soul Hackers 2, XBX

186 — Steelrising, XBX – finish

187 — My Time on Frog Island, XBX

188 — Like No Other: The Legend of the Twin Books, XBX – FINISHED

189 — RPG Time: The Legend of Wright, PS5

190 — Immortality, XBX

191 — The Diofield Chronicle (demo), XBX

SEPTEMBER

192 — Circus Electrique, XBX

193 — Perky Little Things, Switch

194 — Research & Destroy, XBX

195 — Kaichu: The Kaiju Dating Sim, XBX

196 — Gerda: A Flame in Winter, Switch

197 — Rogue Legacy 2, XBX revisit

198 — Jack Move, Switch

199 — Slaycation Paradise, PS5

200 — Foretales, Switch

201 — To Leave, XBX

202 — Valkyrie Elysium (demo), PS5

203 — Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty (demo) PS5

204 — Hardspace: Shipbreaker, PS5

205 — Potion Permit, Switch

206 — Nadir: a Grimdark Deck Builder (Prologue), PC

207 — Gunslingers & Zombies, Switch

208 — Absolute Tactics: Daughters of Mercy, Switch

209 — Tower Princess, Switch

210 — Deathverse: Let it Die, PS5

211 — Railgrade, Switch

OCTOBER

212 — Tip Top: Don’t Fall!, XBX

213 — Mozart Requiem, PS5

214 —Prodeus, XBX

215 — Wayward Strand, XBX

216 — Spiderheck, XBX

217 — Space Raiders in Space, Switch

218 — Apico, Switch

219 — Akane, XBX

220 — Dorfromantik, Switch

221 — Serial Cleaners, XBX

222 — The Darkside Detective, Switch – FINISHED

223 — Overwatch 2, XBX

224 — ValiDate: Struggling Singles in Your Area, XBX

225 — Curious Expedition 2, XBX

226 — Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope, Switch

227 — The Last Oricru, XBX

228 — Last Hero of Nostalgaia, XBX

229 — Marvel Snap, Android

230 — A Plague Tale: Requiem, XBX

231 — Dropsy, Switch

232 — Splatter: Zombiepocalypse, Switch

233 — Warpips, PS5

234 — Signalis, XBX

235 — Unusual Findings, XBX

236 — Hunt: Showdown, XBX

237 — Remnant: From the Ashes, XBX

238 — The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow, PC

239 — Fhtagn Simulator, PC

NOVEMBER

240 — Space Tail, Switch

241 — Paper Cut Mansion, XBX

242 — Darkwood, PS5

243 — Robotry, XBX

244 — Sea Horizon, Switch

245 — Ghost Song, XBX

246 — Tanuki Sunset, XBX

247 — The Past Within, PC — FINISHED

248 — Vampire Survivors, XBX – FINISHED

249 — Shadows Over Loathing, PC

250 — Hot Tentacle Shooter, Switch

251 — Atari 50: The Anniversary Collection, PS

252 — Evil West, XBX

253 — Fluffy Horde, Switch

254 — Orbital Bullet, Switch

255 — Norco, XBX

256 — Hades, Switch

257 — Once Upon a Jester, Switch

258 — Soccer Story, Switch

259 — Hot Tentacle Shooter, Switch

260 — A Little to the Left, Switch

DECEMBER

261 — The Knight Witch, XBX

262 — The Last Door, Switch

263 — Marvel’s Midnight Suns, XBX

264 — Sword Ship, XBX

265 — Forspoken (demo), PS5

266 — Terror of Hemasaurus, XBX

267 — Path of Ra, Switch

268 — Raptor Boyfriend: A High School Romance, Switch – FINISHED

269 — Grime: Colors of Rot, PS5 – FINISHED

270 — Wavetale, XBX

271 — Cloud Meadow, PC

272 – Nikke, Mobile

The post Every Game I Played In 2022 appeared first on Gamecritics.com.

In this episode, Carlos & Brad forego the usual format and instead dive into an EPIC three-hour review of 2022 — the disappointments, the games they didn’t have time for, the honorable mentions, and of course, their top ten of the year. The episode ends with picks & pans from our listeners for a varied wrapup!

You can also hear the show on iTunes and Spotify!

Please send feedback and mailbag questions to SoVideogamesPODCAST (at) gmail (dot) com, or post them in the comments section below. Thanks!

The post So Videogames Ep. 317: GOTY 2022 appeared first on Gamecritics.com.

HIGH Next-gen polish brings new life to a tried-and-true formula.

LOW X-Factors feel meaningless in the heat of gameplay.

WTF The single-Be a Pro mode has become a complete afterthought

NHL 22 is my third NHL review here at GameCritics and after spending time with this series and covering it fairly regularly, I’m confident in saying that this latest iteration is both more than an annual update, and less than the sum of its parts — in a nutshell, it’s a mildly underwhelming next-gen experience that still holds promise for the future.

Beginning with the positive, diehard NHL fans will immediately notice the visual and presentation upgrades.

Though the previous generation’s graphics were nothing to sneeze at, player models still had their share of janky moments that took me out of the moment. Coupled with the tried-and-true (but ultimately boring) top-down presentation, the series was long overdue for some extra polish in this regard.

That said, most of the presentation tweaks are pretty superficial. Sure, replays and closeups have a level of visual sheen never seen before in digital hockey, but at the same time, when watching the bird’s-eye view of gameplay, it’s difficult to get excited about light reflections and accurate ice-chip physics.

Also, it should be noted that non-player avatars (such as fans and agents seen during the Be a Pro mode) have exaggerated, cartoonish features. It’s subtle, but it’s there. Perhaps this is a nod to a new visual style coming down the road? It wouldn’t be the first time EA Sports has injected humor into its annual hockey offering.

On the audio end of things, the commentary remains stiff and disjointed, and before long it became a repetitive distraction rather than something to draw users into the experience. While some clips are spot-on and replicate a real game’s commentary, there are plenty more that have little connection to the on-ice action, even evoking unwanted laughs on more than one occasion.

For example, during an intense series of near-misses in front of the crease, commentators Ray Ferraro and James Cybulski had trouble keeping up with the frantic pace, then inexplicably cut to rinkside reporter Carrlyn Bathe for an update on a player that was not involved with the play. When the game returned to a faceoff, there was no acknowledgement that nine shots had been stopped by the goaltender in a matter of 25 seconds. Perhaps I’m expecting too much from a videogame, but then again, this is a new generation of hardware — maybe I’m justified in being disappointed?

NHL22’s biggest improvements (thankfully) occur on the ice, where next-gen horsepower really proves its worth.

Play is both more responsive and better-paced, leading to one of the most accurate simulations of hockey to date. Goalies don’t feel as if they’re on rubber bands, and skater physics better align to the players’ actual physical traits, rather than a simple “fast,” “average,” “slow” series of archetypes. I’m guessing most gamers likely don’t put that much thought into hockey physics, but when compared to a real life team, they’ll see how ridiculously-detailed EA really was when developing this aspect.

One item of note — X-Factors (temporary, situation-specific performance boosts for elite stars) were a noticeable factor in how this year Madden titles performed, but they have much less impact on NHL 22. While users will see occasional bursts in skills such as scoring prowess from odd angles or the ability to navigate the puck through crowded defenses, most of these boosts are short-lived and ineffective. The presence of X-Factors doesn’t harm the experience, but it hardly adds to it, either.

The annual NHL singleplayer modes all make a steady, if unspectacular return this year.

Franchise mode is a little more accessible (with less micromanagement needed) than previous editions. The Be a Pro “story” mode, however, is completely devoid of personality, giving the impression that EA might be ready to leave it behind in future releases. While there are narrative threads to follow, they’re based solely on conversation trees, and not anything truly tangible for the player.

Instead, EA seems to be going “all in” on the World of Chel — an online/offline hub offering player creation, team customization, and novelty modes like Threes, online clubs and much more. Even with three months of lead time, I’ve barely scratched the surface of all the customized hockey available here. That said, it’s almost too much for any one person to explore without getting overwhelmed.

Online, the World of Chel does a nice job of matchmaking by skill level. Though it’s not a confirmed feature, the matchmaking actually found a way to place me on teams in need of sharpshooters, rather than surrounding me with like-minded online denizens. Whether intentional or not, it made for some pleasant, balanced online endeavors — hardly a guarantee in online sports gaming.

Overall, NHL 22 is a solid next-gen effort for the series, and points to bigger things to come. While longtime fans may be tired of the samey gameplay, there’s enough reason here to believe that EA has plans for the near future. Let’s hope they’re less about novelty modes and more about deeper presentation overhauls and a richer singleplayer experience.

Disclosures: This game is published by EA Sports and developed by EA Vancouver. It is currently available on PS4/5 and XBO/X/S. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the XBX. Approximately 22 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was not completed. Approximately 4 hours of play were devoted to online multiplayer.

Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated E10+ for Mild Violence. The official description reads as follows: In this hockey simulation game, players can select teams from NHL rosters and play realistically depicted games of hockey. During the course of each match, players may initiate brief fistfights; the perspective shifts to isolate two players throwing punches and grabbing at one another until the fight is broken up.

Colorblind Modes: Colorblind modes are available in the Game Settings menu.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: NHL 21 features subtitles and numerous tactile feedback features within the controller, in all modes. Text cannot be resized or altered. (See examples above.) Sound is not necessary for successful gameplay. This game is fully accessible.

Remappable Controls: There are several preset controller configurations, but they are not fully remappable.

The post NHL 22 Review appeared first on Gamecritics.com.

HIGH It’s more than a roster update…

LOW …but not by much.

WTF Madden Ultimate Team is the ultimate wallet drain.

Before this review officially starts, readers should note that this is covering the Xbox One version of Madden NFL ‘22.

Though every effort was made to secure a Series X prior to Madden‘s release, there wasn’t one to be found. Similarly, I would imagine it’s likely that many of our readers may find themselves in a similar predicament. This review is for the patient masses who tirelessly check Twitter for stock updates. They are not alone.

At the end of GameCritics’ review of Madden NFL ‘21, it was made clear that the series needed a next-gen update to maintain relevance. Fortunately, Madden NFL ‘22 does just enough to justify its existence on older consoles.

Maybe it isn’t a “must-buy” in the truest sense (and that Tom Brady fanservice in the opening might deter even more buyers!) but EA Sports seemed to heed reviewers’ advice and made some upgrades for the current season. They’re mostly cosmetic, but the effort is noticeable and appreciated. There might not be a 4K sheen on the Xbox One version of Madden NFL ‘22, but that doesn’t mean this edition is one to sneeze at. Player models are more realistically proportioned, and on-field graphical glitches have been smoothed out more than expected.

No, users aren’t going to love the player faces, and the Create-a-Player is less feature-rich than desired. But on the field, where it counts, Madden still looks an awful lot like Sunday afternoon broadcasts. Gaming is certainly beginning to see diminished returns in graphical quality from generation to generation, and while Madden ‘22 on XBO might not be the belle of the ball, will anyone really notice in the middle of an intense scramble away from aggressive defense?

Last year’s improvements to controls and Skill Stick nuances carry over to this edition with snappier response, even during chaotic pileups at mid-field. The number of onscreen animations is impressive, with tearing and clipping kept to a minimum, even when employing last-second misdirections and dives. Plus, the “pre-canned” feel of the juke animations is largely gone in Madden ‘22, resolving a concern players have had for several editions.

On a negative note, last year’s improved AI seems to have set sail for next-gen machines, leaving Xbox One owners with a computer opponent that rarely learns from human error. This was a highlight of Madden ‘21 and it’s disappointing that the challenge no longer scales appropriately. In short, gamers who enjoy spamming those cross patterns are about to fall in love with Madden all over again.

Under the hood, not much has changed in terms of features or modes. At least, nothing positive. Beyond the standard Play Now, the slightly improved (but still arcadey) KO and Yard modes, and the exhaustive Face of the Franchise story mode, not much has changed.

Otherwise, the venerable Franchise mode has been streamlined and sped-up, eliminating a lot of the office minutiae that mired down previous versions. Now, gamers can realistically manage their franchises without spending hours in menu trees and getting these dream teams on the field is much easier, making a true dynasty a realistic option for the average player.

Likewise, the simpler, more-focused story in Face of the Franchise eliminates a lot of the silliness (and horrific acting) of previous editions. EA Sports hasn’t really matched the NBA 2K series for dramatic prowess, but the mode is a nice distraction for those who enjoy single-player gameplay, and moves along briskly, if not forgettably.

On the flip side of the enjoyment coin comes the long-in-the-tooth card mode, Madden Ultimate Team (MUT). Though card collecting has kind of exhausted its welcome, this year’s MUT is more random and money-hungry than ever. Initial card packs seem weaker than in previous editions, practically forcing gamers to spend real money to derive any enjoyment from the mode. With an improved Franchise Mode and decent online offerings, it’s likely that MUT is going to lose its luster to all but the most die-hard card trading fanatics.

Also, readers should notice the use of the word “decent” when describing online play. While games that stay connected played well, with little lag or delay, maintaining a steady connection was often difficult. Even on a wired, gigabyte internet connection, Madden ‘22 repeatedly booted back to the lobbies without explanation, and even crashed on occasion when trying to find a match. When it worked, online play was as strong as ever for the series. But the erratic connection problems made multiplayer more of a chore than it probably should be in 2021.

In many ways, that last sentence kind of sums up Madden NFL ‘22 for the Xbox One. When it does things right, the pure football gameplay remains one of the finest gaming experiences around. When it doesn’t work, its flaws and missing elements are more evident than ever.

For gamers who haven’t purchased a new Madden title in a few years (and refuse to spend time hunting for a new console) this is a solid, thorough sports sim that still brings a wealth of gameplay to the table.

Disclosures: This game is published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It is currently available on XBO, XSX/S, PS4, PS5 and PC. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the Xbox One. Approximately 12 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was not completed. Approximately 6 hours of play were devoted to online multiplayer modes.

Parents: According to the ESRB, this game is rated E and contains Mild Lyrics in the in-game music selections. Additionally, this is a lifelike representation of full-contact NFL football, and some tackling animations and injuries may concern some parents.

Colorblind Modes: There are colorblind modes available in the Game Settings menu.

Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: Madden NFL 21 features subtitles and numerous tactile feedback features within the controller, in all modes. The game is easily playable without sound and is fully accessible.

Remappable Controls: No, the game’s controls are not remappable.

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