Whoa hey, one of these again. I know I've been silent and I apologize, but hey, freelance work has had me busy and so has my actual human job. But anywho, i've played some games in 2022 and dammit, I really wanna talk about them.
Just a heads up for this list, not all games I played and have super enjoyed this year have come out this year. So if something doesn't seem right release wise, it doesn't. Also, obviously, this list in any particular order either.
But anyway, LET'S GO.
1. Ghostwire Tokyo (Tango Gameworks)
-Goddammit I loved Ghostwire Tokyo. Created by Tango, the same team behind The Evil Within and ran by Shinji Mikami, the story follows a early-twenty-something named Akito as he attempts to save his sister from a masked cult-leader as he tries to use her to make Shibuya the new home for thousands of spirits. But, you have a ghost inhabiting your (dead) body named KK who grants you crazy powers to fight said spirits and get your sibling back.
Many have compared the gameplay of Ghostwire to 'Far cry style' open world games, but they couldn't be anymore wrong. Nothing feels as satisfying as shooting magic towards no-faced skinny spirits and running towards them to rip the cores from their chest. The game is beautiful, taking fully advantage of the PS5's graphical prowess. KK and Akito have fantastic chemistry and the voice acting is incredibly well done (play with Japanese voices!)
I just wish more people gave this a chance!
2. Final Fantasy Origins; Stranger of paradise (Tecmo Koei & Square Enix)
-I swear this isn't a joke. I mean, well, the game sure acts like one. The main character Jacks spews about chaos every five seconds, and he also drops the f-bomb before punching a boss square in the jaw. So basically, this isn't the Final Fantasy game you remember.
Stranger of Paradise is a take on the events leading up to Final Fantasy, the original. I don't know if anyone truly wanted to know what made Chaos, well, Chaos, but here ya go! In all seriousness, hidden under the mid-2000s dad-rock style story, you have a incredibly engrossing combat-mixed-with-job-system that means no matter what job Jack is, every combat encounter is going to be different.
Your entire party just oozes the bro vibes that the boys in Final Fantasy XV gave us, and you actually deeply begin to care about these characters as the story goes on. While this title does have it's flaws, like an incredibly bloated inventory system, I have a feeling Stranger of Paradise will go down as a cult classic as it becomes cheaper and more people pick it up. You know, for the meme?
3. The Dark Pictures; House of Ashes (Supermassive games)
-The horror genre as of late really has had a tiny bit of a dry spell. Since Resident Evil Village, it's been a bit quiet. But leave it to Supermassive for comic back everytime. The third game in the anthology series, House of Ashes it's a prime example of taking what one has learned from the past installments and making everything ten times better.
You follow a group of soldiers as they fall into an underground labyrinth in the desert, fighting against ancient vampire creatures as they try to make it to dawn. Of course, it's up to you (or you and a friend) to make sure everyone makes it. It's hard to discuss this title without spoiling it, and I'm so legitimately shocked I haven't seen many doing as such. The one thing about the Dark Pictures titles is there always an homage to another horror property or trope.
And while House of Ashes is the same, something about it just is so more original then the others and makes it much more fun. The QTEs are still sweaty-palm inducing, and the accessibility features make it far less terrifying and more fair. It's an incredibly high, well, high for this series, and it's going to be fascinating to see if the next title, Devil you Know, can raise that.
4. Kirby and the Forgotten Land (Nintendo & HAL Labs)
-Come on ya'll, it's KIRBY! Kirby and the Forgotten Land is an absolute delight of a 3D platformer, just easy enough for anyone to play it with enough depth and timing in fights to make it the fun type of challenging. We follow Kirby as him an all the waddle-dees are teleported to a mysterious, post-apocalyptic land that looks very identical to our own, helping the puffball find where he is and saving his friends in the process.
Playing pretty much handheld mode on the switch OLED, Kirby is a beautiful and bright experience that just makes you smile the entire time your playing it. I could easily go into how bonkers the final boss is, but frankly, I won't spoil you. That's rude.
In the middle of a rough few years due to you know, *rapid arm motioning*, Kirby is exactly what we needed to just smile for a bit.
5. Pokemon Legends Arceus (Gamefreak & Nintendo)
-Let's be real, Pokemon has been the same for decades at this point. Yes, they can add new Pokemon and new region for us to explore...but nothing has changed the formula so intensely as Legends Arceus has. You pick your gender as every Pokemon title has, but your character gets teleported back in time by the Pokemon god Arceus to stop two other recognizable gods from destroying time and space itself.
Unlike the normal Pokemon formula, you don't do constant battles, but instead, you sneak up behind the critters, throw a ball-and hope for the best. While this may sound repetitive as all hell (and yes it is), you fall into the routine quiet quickly, and one can easily spend hours doing this same action over and over.
But, it doesn't take away from what makes Pokemon...Pokemon. Cute creatures, fun boss battles, great characters...if this is where the Pokemon franchise is going, and Scarlet & Violet takes from this...we're in for a fantastic future.
