Top Ten Games That I've beaten in 2022
Description
I've beaten plenty of games this year (45 so far!) But which ones were the best? Well...
Metroid Dread
This game took everything great about Super Metroid, and put it into a modern game with HD graphics. The bosses were awesomely designed, the world was fun to explore, and the story was actually very well done. Honestly, the only complaint that I have about this game is that I wish it was longer.
Persona 5 Strikers
I really didn't have super high hopes for this one. A story-heavy game being squeezed into a hack n' slash like Hyrule Warriors or Fire Emblem Warriors? Meh. But I popped this in to give it a try and OH MAN. The entire voice cast is back, the writing is great, the story had me on the edge of my seat, they actually added new characters that fit into the world in a natural, unforced way. Plus the soundtrack being a mixture of Persona 5, Royale, and new reprises was phenomenal. I spent easily 60 hours on this game.
Vandal Hearts
Controversial Opinion: Final Fantasy Tactics wishes it was as good as Vandal Hearts. I haven't heard anyone talking about this game, and MAN it was a great time. The graphics are great, it feels super satisfying to watch your army become a group of super-soldiers, and I was quite shocked to see heavy use of blood in a mid-90s PS1 game. Highly recommend if you like turn-based strategy games.
Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Winter Assault
Yup. 2022 was finally the year I tried out Warhammer 40K. I love the insane world, and all of the factions with their various quirks. First, I played Dawn of War, and loved it to bits. But it was too easy. Then Winter Assault came along and bumped up the difficulty, but also let me play as other factions, such as the Eldar and the adorably stupid Orks. Honestly, this became my favorite Warhammer game. I heard everyone loved the sequel, Dark Crusade, the most. But...I absolutely hated the departure from the story for a generic game of Risk with uninspired levels and no missions to work toward. I'm sure it was great as a multiplayer game. But single player? It doesn't even hold a candle to Winter Assault.
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
I have the Aria of Sorrow and Harmony of Dissonance double pack, but this one was by far my favorite. As far as I am aware, this is the first Castlevania game to take place in the future. It incorporates Symphony of the Night exploration and rpg system, but improves the map navigation problems that Harmony of Dissonance had. The graphics and soundtrack are absolutely fantastic, and the controls are super tight. You can't go wrong with this game.
Star Fox (1993)
Sometimes you really do need to just go back to where it all started. And this year, I did just that. While I definitely prefer Star Fox 64, I'd be doing a disservice to not mention how great the gameplay and music for this game is. Plus, come on, the 3D graphics were revolutionary for their time. Someday I need to play Star Fox 2. Fun fact, I streamed myself playing this for the first time this year, and the world record holder for speedrunning this game showed up and chatted with me for a bit.
Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown
I just tried out this series for the first time last year. And man, this game dialed the craziness up to 11. The graphics are a huge leap, the music gives you goosebumps are you fly your way around the sky. And I'd be lying if I said the "Ghost of Kyiv" story didn't inspire me to pick this up and give it a try.
Attack of the Earthlings
If you liked XCOM, but wondered what it would be like to play as the aliens, this is the game for you! It's definitely not as serious, having more of a Portal style of humor. But this game goes for like $12 every time there's a Steam sale, and this game is 8 of the funnest hours you've had in a strategy game in a while.
Code Vein
While I've dipped my toe into the whole Soulsborne sea, I'm not exactly keen to play them often due to how infuriatingly difficult they are. Code Vein was a nice change of pace to that. Sure, it's a generic anime game with generic anime tropes like amnesiac characters (multiple characters!), giant swords, and strips of cloth holding on for dear life to cover massive honkers, but it found a way to keep the Souls style gameplay while also providing (mostly) competent AI partners and creative bosses and levels.
Serious Sam (2002)
An FPS game that doesn't even take itself remotely seriously? Yes, please! The plot is ridiculous in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way, and the the characters love to make jabs at themselves as well as other games in the genre. I giggled at almost every Duke Nukem reference. The "waves of enemies before moving on to the next room" formula got a little old after a while, but this was an older game trying to gain its footing just as 3D was becoming mainstream.