The Rllmuk Game of the Year Awards 2022 - Voting thread - voting closed

[Alan Stock]

Game of the Year

 

1. Elden Ring

2. Roadwarden

3. Immortality (video game)

4. Tunic (video game)

5. The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe (2022)

 

Biggest disappointment:

 

1. AI: The Somnium Files – Nirvana Initiative (a total letdown compared to its predecessor)

2. The collapse of the Disco Elysium developers

3. Dying Light 2's characters/story

 

Best visuals

 

1. Elden Ring

2. Stray (video game)

3. Immortality (video game)

 

Best audio

 

1. Xenoblade Chronicles 3

2. Neon White

3. Splatoon 3

 

Best writing

 

1. Roadwarden

2. Immortality (video game)

3. The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe (2022)

 

Best not 2022 game:

 

1. Satisfactory

2. XCOM 2: War of the Chosen DLC

3. Gloomhaven

 

Best developer:

 

Andrew Shouldice

(Tunic's Creator)

 

Best format/console/controller/brain interface:

 

PC

 

 

NEW! Full Writeups and Honourable Mentions 

Spoiler

Game of the Year:

 

1. Elden Ring

The game that keeps on giving, the game that spawned in this forum alone a wealth of discussion, sharing of stories, Ste Pickford's awesome art notebook. I deliberately handicapped myself for the challenge and faced some of the toughest bosses I've fought in gaming, and came out on top. I love the way the true scale of Elden Ring continually surprises you with its ever expanding map and vistas of places you never even knew existed, and the secrets within secrets. A triumph.

 

2. Roadwarden

Overlooked this year is this excellent text adventure RPG set in a Witcher 3-like wilderness where as a Roadwarden you have 30 days to find out as much as you can about a remote peninsula. Meet the inhabitants, balance survival mechanics, do quests and uncover whatever mysteries you can in the time available. Hopefully more people discover this gem over time.

 

3. Immortality (video game)

To say too much about Immortality is to spoil it completely. Uncover the stories behind the scenes of three films from different eras by viewing short clips from them, whilst figuring out their plots as well. Great production design, great acting and a brilliant premise. It has a few structural issues with its new image-match technology but the longer you play the better it becomes. Don't be put off by the initial slow pace and get involved. 

 

4. Tunic (video game)

Another one man indie winner this year is the game with the fox. Whilst I merely thought it was competant and polished during the first half, the second half blew me away with its amazing puzzles and the brilliant use of the in-game manual to dripfeed clues, lore and secrets. Maybe one day I will finally get around to translating the symbol language... Featuring some of the best puzzles in games of all time, period.

 

5. The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe (2022)

This remaster of Stanley Parable was supposed to add a few new bits of content... but creator Davey Wreden got a bit carried away and it ended up taking years because he stuffed it with maybe 5-6 hours of brand new content and endings. The new content is amazing, riffing on game sequels and nostalgia. The Narrator is back with more very funny gags and an amazing performance. Everyone should experience this imaginative and funny game, even if you played the original already the new content is more than worth the asking price. 

 

Biggest Disappointment:

 

1. AI: The Somnium Files – Nirvana Initiative

What a letdown. The sequel to the acclaimed AI: The Somnium Files visual novel/puzzle game, Nirvana Initiative sees some characters return and a bunch of new ones. Sadly the plot here just doesn't cut it. Most of it hinges on the game's biggest twist that fundamentally doesn't work in practice. The worst impulses of the first game are only only more indulged here, the characters are mostly annoying or cringey and the mystery just isn't as compelling as the intriguing setup for the first game. Oh well!

 

2. The collapse of the Disco Elysium developers

Even though I've still not played much of the game, its a real shame to see one of the most creative groups in gaming fall apart. Hopefully some of them will continue in the industry in the future.

 

3. Dying Light 2's characters/story

On paper Dying Light 2 sounds great: bigger environments, better parkour, more activities. And yes, it had those things. Unfortunately its all populated by the most unlikable and forgettable characters I've seen in a game for some time. They tried to go Witcher with their side and story quests, but didn't have the writing chops to pull it off. Never have I been so keen to jump off a skyscraper just to get away from my annoying sidekicks (disclaimer - I did have a glider).

 

Best Visuals:

 

1. Elden Ring

I remember complaining a bit about the lo-fi visuals at the start of Elden Ring. Sure, it looked quite nice, but it didn't really blow me away. Oh how wrong I was. Whilst the fidelity might not be fantastic, the art design in this game is next-level. I'll never forget emerging from Stormveil Castles back path to that view. The mood and scale just captures that epic fantasy vibe perhaps better than any game I've seen.

 

2. Stray (video game)

What a stunning game. An overgrown underground city of creeping vines, neon and trash. The details in the buildings are insane. At times it looks photo-realistic. And the cat animations are very well done too. Beautiful.

 

3. Immortality (video game)

Whilst this might seem like an odd choice considering its an FMV game, what you have to appreciate is how the game emulates 3 films from different eras and totally nails it. From the costumes, sets and and prop designs to camera filters, both on and off the fictional set it feels authentic. They even used the authentic cameras from those eras to film some of the scenes. And add to this the striking extra layers and stands out as a totally unique vision of... vision. Sorry.

 

Best visual honourable mentions:

- God of War Ragnarök

I'm still (only) 20 hours in but whilst initially the game doesn't seem that much of a step up visually from its predecessor, that fallacy is shattered later in the game as you are plunged into vibrant and incredibly beautiful environments. 

- Cult of the Lamb

Combining cutesy cartoon animals with Lovecraftian horror like its inspiration Binding of Issac, they really nailed the visuals here. Crisp and colourful graphics and emotive characters make it a very striking game. Just a shame that all the nice battle effects sometimes get in the way of the gameplay.

 

Best audio

 

1. Xenoblade Chronicles 3

Another epic score from the some of the best in the RPG business, for me the soundtrack is even better than Xenoblade 1 or 2. Great mood pieces but also absolutely mindblowing heart-pumping music for the most exciting boss fights and cutscenes. And the lovely injection of flutes into the main score to reflect the story. Rivals only FF7 Remake as my favourite RPG score.

 

2. Neon White

Just a load of funky D&B bangers and good beats, perfectly fitting the mad pace of the game.

 

3. Splatoon 3

My first Splatoon and I was surprised to find a catchy and hip soundtrack behind all the splatting. The vocoder stuff is really well done too. Made me miss Jet Set Radio!

 

Best Writing

 

1. Roadwarden

As you've probably noticed, I'm a rather long-winded writer. So I really appreciated Roadwarden's tight and snappy descriptions and dialogue, all broken down into easily digestable chunks. The game only gives slightly animated images and SFX to provide ambience so all rest of the world building, characters and atmosphere all fall to the writing, which admirably keeps you hooked for the duration.

 

2. Immortality (video game)

Whilst some mock the fake films and themes of the game, I thought the underlying stories were compelling and mysterious. But what stood out to me was how the game portrays what goes on off-stage on a movie production, and the writing totally sold me on that. Also, Barlow and co once again somehow structure a mad jigsaw puzzle of clips into a way that eventually makes sense. Mad.  

 

3. The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe (2022)

As sharp, witty and hilarious as ever, Davey Wreden's script for the new content is just on fire. Its topical, its weird, its funny, its sad. With only the Narrator in your ear to tell the story, it builds on the original game in totally unexpected ways. This guy is so talented, many people don't know he was also the creator and writer of the very different but excellent The Beginner's Guide. 

 

Best not 2022 game:

 

1. Satisfactory

I've waited to play this game for years but my potato laptop wouldn't let me. Now I have it and its as good as I hoped. With the mechanics of Factorio in a glorious 3D alien world, and a great translation of the factory builder to 3 dimensions, Satisfactory offers new ideas, exploration and ambience in spades. The scale is also insane, when you first build the Space Elevator you won't believe your eyes. Its just a bit of a shame the game is geared towards destroying the beautiful environment that surrounds you. I know that's kind of the point, but I've been trying to be a good boy, steering my conveyor belts around trees and only building multi-storey metal monstrosities on empty land.

 

2. XCOM 2: War of the Chosen DLC

The best tactics game of all time gets even better with this DLC. I finally got around to finishing it this year. Like the XCOM 1 DLC, War of the Chosen integrates fully into the main campaign, adding a host of new levels, enemies, mechanics and best of all, the Chosen. These 3 alien warlords are constantly trying to throw a wrench in your plans. They turn up in the middle of missions with their OP abilities. They raid your base, you do special missions to try and track down and eliminate them. They add a load of character to the game and yet another crazy thing to have to deal with, but its so well designed the extra challenge is well worth it. It isn't all doom and gloom though, the DLC adds new tech and build diversity to help in the fight. It's just brilliant. The only downside is the final mission which felt a bit undercooked. Definitely not a DLC to try until after you finish the main game, but for anyone who did that and wants more, don't miss out on War of the Chosen.

 

3. Gloomhaven

Finally got the digital version of one of the most beloved board games of all time. It's my first time to the franchise and although it's intimidating, it is also very good. A co-op game that can also be played solo, its a turn based dungeon-crawler where your deck of cards is used to spend actions. Its very hard and very tightly balanced. A huge campaign sees your heroes earn XP, new cards and equipment over time. The game constantly pushes you to make hard decisions and improvise where necessary. Graphically its all very well presented and from what I can tell it is a totally faithful recreation of the board game. Tough but rewarding, with tons and tons of depth. 

 

Format of the year: PC

Some great games this year and there are so many amazing Early Access titles on PC at the moment. In addition I got a new latop recently and have been able to take advantage of Gamepass which has been brilliant. For me none of the consoles shone this year on their own merits, there were only a few big exclusives - and PC ended up getting most of the other stuff anyway. Many of my top games of the year were first out on PC, or are PC exclusive, as well as a bunch of my honourable mentions below. The console companies need to step it up in 2023!

 

2022 Honourable Mentions:

- The Case of the Golden Idol

This puzzle game takes big inspiration from Return of the Obra Dinn, where you are presented with snapshots of bizarre crime scenes and must use observation and deduction to fill out info sheets on questions like whodunnit, what character's names are, what order events happened in an so on. There's some good sleuthing to be had here. The Q&A interface limits the scope a bit, and although the art style is unique I hate their ugly potato faces (thanks for the quote Backpage Podcast), but overall its a pretty good detective game and it's cheap too.  

- Apex Legends

Why am I woffling about Apex in 2022? Well, its a game I still continually hop back into. They keep adding fun new maps and Legends, and balance-wise the game's in a great place right now. The vast arsenal is well balanced so you can just find a weapon that suits your playstyle. The Legends are well tuned now so none are too OP. Maps continually get tweaked with 5 huge ones now in the mix. The playerbase is healthy and its still as great fun as it ever was, with amazing movement, character abilities, level design, meaty weapons and a lot of personality. I still follow the ALGS esports league and its a good watch too to see how different the Pro games are to us noobz. It's been nice to see Apex get a lot more fans this year as people drift off from Warzone and find out what the best Battle Royale in the market has to offer.

- Vampire Survivors

This narrowly missed out on my top 5, but its still an amazing game. Where the real genius of the game lies is in its unlock structure and hidden depths, always giving you a reason to dip back in to unlock a new character, discover a secret or try a new challenge. The 30 minute time limit is also perfect, a game you always know when you have time for.

- Citizen Sleeper

A sci-fi game with a lovely atmosphere, as a newly awoken android you land on a space station city and events play out in a visual novel style, as you struggle to earn money to survive and uncover the history and machinations of colourful characters on board. The clever dice mechanics see you roll a number of dice every turn, and the pips on the dice can be spent on certain actions, making for good risk and reward as you decide whether to invest in storylines, survival or long term quests. The game has a melachony but warm vibe and some lovely art. Its pretty short too and definitely worth your time if you like sci-fi or visual novels.

- Stray

Although I don't think Stray's gameplay is all that good, I do think its a lovely little mood piece, with its aforementioned wonderful graphics and a great little soundtrack. The cat and robots all have a lot of personality and I love the cool environments of this decaying neon city. I also really like how being a cat opens up new ways to look at a space, planning routes up pipes and along windowsills never gets old. And any game that catches the attention of my non-game playing friends and family is always a good thing for games in general. Be sure to check Youtube for the funny real-life dogs going crazy over this virtual kitty!

- Dorfromantik

The ultimate chill-out game of the year. This landscape tile builder gives you a bunch of hex tiles covered in little trees, or houses, or rivers, etc, and then you plonk them on the grid and try to match up the terrain types. There's no time limit so you can relax and plan out your moves. It gives you mini-objectives like 'build a 30 tile forest' and rewards you with more tiles if you do it, run out of tiles and its game over. So there are always multiple goals to work towards. It looks lovely as your landscape ever expands, and it all animates with little running rivers, trains chugging along railways and trees swaying in the wind, all whilst a soothing soundtrack plays in the background. Very compelling and very chill. 5/5 ploughed fields.

 

- Hardspace: Shipbreaker

Another sort of chill-out game, you work in a space shipyard, and take apart ships piece by piece using your laser cutter, using your gravity tool to push chunks into the correct giant recyclers. The ship designs become more and more devious as you advance, and extracting the maximum value from them means meticulously taking them apart in the right order, detaching objects from inside. Hazards like depressurisation, reactors that will blow when out of power, hurtling space junk and so on add a bit of panic and careful planning into the mix. For me it outstays its welcome a bit, but its a great concept with a cool Southwestern vibe with country music playing during your shifts, and a wry take on your greedy corporate overlords in the presentation.

- Card Shark

I enjoy the concept of this more than I do playing it. Very original, a game where you learn real-life card tricks and do tricky mini-games to enact them in ye olde French countryside as you scam rich nobles out of their gold. Its tough, and it really makes you memorise the tricks, which is why I've fallen off it because its a bitch to come back to after time away. Love the idea and strength of the vision though.

 

- Marvel Snap

Boiling competitive collectable card games down to their bare elements, whilst adding some new twists, Snap is a marvelous bit of game design, as you'd expect from the man who ran Hearthstone for years. The small deck sizes and very fast games mean that deck building is quick and easy as well as being fast to test. The best idea though is the 3 zones where you place your cards, each of which is randomised each game. Your mission is to have the highest scoring cards on 2 out 3 zones to win after 6 turns. Each zone has a special effect which wildly change how each game plays, even with the same deck. Maybe a zone doubles the points value of low cost cards if you play them there. Maybe you can only place cards on that zone on the final turn. It's this variation that makes every game diferent and forces every player to adapt. It may go horrible on the monetisation front down the line, but for now its quite generous as card games go and is free to play. A nice surprise.

 

- Powerwash Simulator

Is it a game? is it a chore? no... its Super Powerwash Simulator! I can't really decide either, but what I do know is that it's incredibly satisfying to clean up those dirty playgrounds, cars, gardens and skate parks. Do I enjoy it? Sometimes I do, sometimes I get bored. It is so compulsive. Its definitely the best powerwash game out there and its very polished. That much I can say. Its also very chill and has a nice atmosphere. How do these pigs make their stuff so dirty though? Never install this game and Vampire Survivors at the same time, you'll definitely become a drooling vegetable.

 

- Signalis

This game is definitely over-hyped in my opinion, I have lengthy thoughts in the rllmuk thread. To summarise, its an isomentric sci-fi survival horror inspired by stuff like Resi and Silent Hill. The gameplay is pretty by the numbers with a few extra twists. But whilst I don't think the gameplay is very good, I do love the ambience and most of all the imagery and the story. I spent days after analysing and discussing the cool classic sci-fi horror plot with the folks on the game's Steam forum page. For me, those aspects made up for the very real flaws in the rest of the game. 

 

- God of War Ragnarök

Being only 20 hours in (!) I can't give a fair overall judgement on this. I enjoy it, I like the characters, but I also think its bloated and I've gotten a bit bored of it. Part of the reason is because I'm playing it in a completionist way. Maybe I should stop doing that. But I can appreciate its tight combat, the insane production. the performances and its reams of polish. Will it totally win me over in the end? Only time will tell. 

 

- Dying Light 2

Despite this being in my dissapointments list, I have to give it an honourable mention thanks to the best parkour in any game, period. Once you unlock some of the upgrades, movement through the city in Dying Light 2 is a joy. Its exciting, its dynamic, it feels 'crunchy'. The city rooftops are so fun to navigate. Then they added stuff like the grapple hook and the glider, which just lets you chain even more movement. The time trials and chase sequences are great. I also want to shout out the brilliant sections where you climb up massive skyscrapers or towers; great traversal skill tests and puzzles, with an incredible sense of scale and vertigo, and rewarded with amazing views and a dive off with the glider. If only the rest of the game was this good. Its still worth playing for the parkour alone.

 

Conclusion

We may not have had a load of huge titles this year, but it was more than made up with a load of great stuff from small studios and a couple of truly epic triple A games. I can't think of a year more diverse than this in terms of its genre variety and originality for the top games. Love it. Some games I missed out on, or have yet to play this year, are: Callisto Protocol, which I got for xmas. Horizon Forbidden West - I couldn't face another massive open world game, only having completed Zero Dawn and its DLC last year. Pentiment, which I've found a bit of a drag after one in-game day. Final Fantasy Crisis Core, which I want to play but when its cheaper. And Norco, which I thought sounded too depressing/artsy but apparently its worth a shot. Next year in gaming should be crazy with the big hitters, can't wait!

 

[Marzipan Travolta]

Game of the Year

 

1. Elden Ring

2. Tinykin

3. Vampire Survivors 

4. Hardspace Shipbreaker

5. Tunic (video game)

 

Biggest disappointment:

 

1. Death of Giantbomb

2. No Switch upgrade

3. Meta Quest price increases

 

Best visuals

 

1. Elden Ring

2. Pentiment

3. Grounded

 

Best audio

 

1. Vampire Survivors

2. Metal: Hellsinger

3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge

 

Best writing

 

1. Norco (video game)

2. Citizen Sleeper

3. Hardspace Shipbreaker 

 

Best not 2022 game:

 

1. Into The Breach 

2. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

3. Blade Runner (1997 video game)

 

Best developer:

 

FromSoftware

 

Best format/console/controller/brain interface:

 

Steam Deck

[Rudi von Starnberg]

Game of the Year

 

1. Pentiment (video game)

2. Roadwarden

3. Total War: Warhammer III

4. Norco (video game)

5. Know By Heart

 

Biggest disappointment:

 

1. The implosion of ZA/UM

2. Sam Barlow continuing to make games

3. Citizen Sleeper

 

Best visuals

 

1. Pentiment (video game)

2. Signalis

3. Warhammer 40,000: Darktide

 

Best audio

 

1. Pentiment

2. Warhammer 40,000: Darktide

3. Total War: Warhammer III

 

Best writing

 

1. Pentiment (video game)

2. Roadwarden

3. Norco (video game)

 

Best not 2022 game:

 

1. Pathologic 2

2. Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous

3. Final Fantasy XIV

 

Best developer:

 

Creative Assembly

 

Best format/console/controller/brain interface:

 

don't care

 

Spoiler

Game of the Year

 

1. Pentiment (video game) - Basically a masterpiece. Josh Sawyer finally does it (and the rest of the development team, everyone did a fantastic job). Like catnip for me.

2. Roadwarden - Incredible cross between an RPG, a visual novel, and a text adventure with gorgeous accompanying pixel art and great ambience. If you have any tolerance for a text-heavy game, give this a shot, it's brilliant.

3. Total War: Warhammer III - Didn't release in the best state but with the combined campaign in operation now it's a gem. Constantly surprises me, always something new to experience, so varied. A strategy high watermark.

4. Norco (video game) - Great little narrative game telling a small, personal story in a kind of sci-fi alternate modern Louisiana. Lovely artstyle, good writing, good music. Could have spent a lot longer in the world it conjures up.

5. Know By Heart - Another great narrative game in a year that's been packed with good ones. Bleak as fuck and has a hefty emotional punch. A companion piece to Pathologic, in a way.

 

Biggest disappointment:

 

1. The implosion of ZA/UM - my heart breaks for the creators muscled out by corporate and I'm furious at the people running cover for it with pseudo-justifications in games media.

2. Sam Barlow continuing to make games - this is the fault of everyone who said Her Story was good

3. Citizen Sleeper - A fine enough game, but overhyped in the extreme when I went into it. Saw it repeatedly described as a 'Disco Elysium beater' and it's nothing of the sort. Enjoyed the writing, felt the mechanical elements fell apart later in the game and it has no idea how to end in spite of having like 6 consecutive credit rolls.

 

Best visuals

 

1. Pentiment (video game) - The total commitment to the manuscript/illumination style is lovely to watch and it's full of characterful little animations.

2. Signalis - Great PS1-style throwback graphics, done in an interesting way and not just lazily.

3. Warhammer 40,000: Darktide - Just really good environments and lighting and visual design and all the rest of it even though it's a little one-note.

 

Best audio

 

1. Pentiment - No voice acting but all the sound work is great, especially the quill scratch noises when 'writing out' dialogue. Beautifully designed to keep the player engaged.

2. Warhammer 40,000: Darktide - Like with the visuals it's just really great all around, from the voice acting to the weapon effects and the excellent soundtrack by Jesper Kyd.

3. Total War: Warhammer III - Creative Assembly did some kind of magic with all the sound work in this. Battles in particular sound incredible but all of it is good and the voice acting has the perfect tongue-in-cheek hamminess for Warhammer.

 

Best writing

 

1. Pentiment (video game)

2. Roadwarden

3. Norco (video game)

 

Best not 2022 game:

 

1. Pathologic 2 - probably my game of all time? it's this, or Disco Elysium.

2. Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous - fantastic CRPG experience on the whole. I clicked with this in a big way and the variation of paths and ways for things to play out is a lot of fun. Great combat too, especially being able to switch between real time and turn based at will.

3. Final Fantasy XIV - the gold standard MMO, still great.

 

Best developer:

 

Creative Assembly

 

Best format/console/controller/brain interface:

 

don't care

 

[Wiper]

Her Story and Immortality are great, you bugger! Great selection otherwise, and reminds me that I really need to get back to Roadwarden (whose demo I enjoyed a lot, but lost my momentum when I bought the game and my save from the end of the demo didn't get picked up). 

[SpagMasterSwift]

Game of the Year

1. Horizon Forbidden West
2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II (2022 video game)
3. Bayonetta 3
4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge
5. 

[Ivanho]

Game of the Year

 

1. Lego Star Wars The Skywalker Saga

2. Kirby and the Forgotten Land

3. Atari 50 

4. Mario Kart 8 Booster Course Pass

5. Marvel Snap

 

Biggest disappointment:

 

1. PS5 Price Increase

2. Changes to PS Plus

3. British Politics

 

Best visuals

 

1.

2.

3.

 

Best audio

 

1.

2.

3.

 

Best writing

 

1.

2.

3.

 

Best not 2022 game:

 

1. Mario Kart 8

2. Boomerang Fu

3. Animal Crossing

 

Best developer:

 

Nintendo

 

Best format/console/controller/brain interface:

 

Switch

[Rudi von Starnberg]

13 hours ago, Wiper said:

Her Story and Immortality are great, you bugger! Great selection otherwise, and reminds me that I really need to get back to Roadwarden (whose demo I enjoyed a lot, but lost my momentum when I bought the game and my save from the end of the demo didn't get picked up). 

 

I think Barlow has a knack for really interesting and compelling game mechanics and a complete tin ear for dialogue plus a penchant for sub-soap-opera plots. His games are... very much not for me.

[JPR]

Game of the Year

 

1. Gran Turismo 7

2. Elden Ring

3. Need for Speed Unbound

4. Madden NFL 23

5.

 

Biggest disappointment:

 

1. The Callisto Protocol

2. Diablo Immortal

3. Polyphony Digital

 

Best visuals

 

1. The Callisto Protocol

2. Elden Ring

3. Need for Speed Unbound

 

Best audio

 

1. Need for Speed Unbound

2. Gran Turismo 7

3.

 

Best writing

 

1.

2.

3.

 

Best not 2022 game:

 

1. Returnal

2. Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous

3. Cyberpunk 2077

 

Best developer:

 

here

 

Best format/console/controller/brain interface:

 

PlayStation 5

 

Spoiler

Game of the Year

 

1. Gran Turismo 7 - The handling is amazing and the Dualsense with the haptics and triggers just works so well, I've never felt quite as in control with a controller. I've probably spent as much time creating liveries, trying to shrink an SVG down to 15KB as I have driving but it's really satisfying, an outlet for my uncreative creative talents.

2. Elden Ring

3.

4.

5.

 

Biggest disappointment:

 

1. The Callisto Protocol

2. Diablo Immortal

3. Polyphony Digital - The management of the economy was a big disappointment, they seemed intent on making it harder to earn credits. Drip-feed of 2 or 3 new events a month is frustrating as single player wise I feel there's a lack of content, thankfully I enjoy sport mode but I do wish we had the traditional GT campaign.

 

Best visuals

 

1. The Callisto Protocol - One of those games I took the 30 fps option for the shiny graphics.

2. Elden Ring

3. Need for Speed Unbound

 

Best audio

 

1. Need for Speed Unbound - First glance I wouldn't think this was the soundtrack for me, but I bloody love it, so many new songs added to my library.

2. Gran Turismo 7

3.

 

Best writing

 

1.

2.

3.

 

Best not 2022 game:

 

1. Returnal

2. Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous - I needed something Baldur's Gate 2 like and this seemed to fit the bill and oh it did, even down to the 200+ hours to complete. Best part is there's a whole new evil devil play through waiting for me.

3. Cyberpunk 2077

 

Best developer:

 

here

 

Best format/console/controller/brain interface:

 

PlayStation 5

 

[Sarlaccfood]

Game of the Year

 

1. Elden Ring 

2. Gran Turismo 7

3. Citizen Sleeper

4. Immortality (video game)

5. Vampire Survivors

 

Biggest disappointment:

 

1. Xbox 1st Party

2. Bayonetta 3

3. 

 

Best visuals

 

1. Stray (video game)

2. Elden Ring

3. Horizon Forbidden West 

 

Best audio

 

1. Metal: Hellsinger

2. Gran Turismo 7

3. Somerville (videogame)

 

Best writing

 

1. Immortality (video game)

2. Citizen Sleeper

3.

 

Best not 2022 game:

 

1. Wave Race 64

2. Ninja Gaiden Sigma

3. Cyberpunk 2077

 

Best developer:

 

FromSoftware

 

Best format/console/controller/brain interface:

 

PlayStation 5

 

[footle]

Game of the Year

 

1. Elden Ring

2. Pentiment (video game)

3. Immortality (video game)

4. Vampire Survivors

5. Marvel’s Midnight Suns

 

Biggest disappointment:

 

1. Hello where are the xbox first party games?

2. GT7's hilarious broken monetisation model

3. Horizon Forbidden West

 

Best visuals

 

1. Elden Ring

2. Immortality (video game)

3. Horizon Forbidden West

 

Best audio

 

1. Immortality (video game)

2. Tunic (video game)

3.  

 

Best writing

 

1.  Pentiment (video game)

2. Immortality (video game)

3.

 

Best not 2022 game:

 

1. Slay the Spire

2. Returnal

3.

 

Best developer:

 

From Software

 

Best format/console/controller/brain interface:

 

Game Pass

 

Spoiler

Elden Ring took over my life for three months, whereas I’ve bounced off every from software game before that.

The view behind the castle, and the ever expanding map, are works of genius.

 

pentiment and immortality, both of which were on game pass, showed the “adult” pretence of most videogames to be the joke they are

 

I did try another couple of games over Xmas, but the trashy delights of midnight suns seem to be sticking more than more indie fare like The curse of the golden idol. raganok was good, but so so bloated and obvious (more MCU than Midnight Suns?!). I seem to have spent more money on PS5 this year than any other format - hopefully next year there will be a spiderman game with a little less handholding and/or painful monetisation.

 

(returnal - pretty sure I didn’t get to this until January. Great, to the point of being the one killer PS5 exclusive)

 

[Wiper]

21 minutes ago, footle said:

1. Hello where are the xbox first party games?

 

I mean, you've included one of them in your list, twice! 

 

(Pentiment is made by Obsidian, who're owned by Microsoft, and has in fact explicitly been described by the lead designer as a game that only exists because of Xbox Game Pass)

[footle]

4 hours ago, Wiper said:

 

I mean, you've included one of them in your list, twice! 

 

(Pentiment is made by Obsidian, who're owned by Microsoft, and has in fact explicitly been described by the lead designer as a game that only exists because of Xbox Game Pass)

I know! but “what are the other 14 or so studios who aren’t rare (sea of thieves updates) and obsidian (two releases this year) doing” isn’t as snappy. And I was in between tasks at work, hence my failure to think of game 5.

it was almost nba 22-23k (which got me into basketball, via game pass, around the time of the playoffs for a load of sleepless nights).

[metallicfrodo]

Game of the Year

 

1. Elden Ring

2. Metal: Hellsinger

3. Immortality (video game)

4. Vampire Survivors

5.

 

Biggest disappointment:

 

1. Lack of first party MS games

2. Somerville (video game)

3. No Meta Quest 3 this year

 

Best visuals

 

1. Elden Ring

2. A Plague Tale: Requiem

3.

 

Best audio

 

1. Metal: Hellsinger

2.

3.

 

Best writing

 

1. Immortality (video game)

2.

3.

 

Best not 2022 game:

 

1. Walkabout Mini Golf

2. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

3.

 

Best developer:

 

FromSoftware

 

Best format/console/controller/brain interface:

 

Game Pass

[Benny]

On 09/12/2022 at 14:25, Benny said:

Let me get this out of the way first: I'm not going to do the actual awards thread, probably

 

Ah fuck it, I'll do it, one last time.

[womblingfree]

Game of the Year

 

1. Vampire Survivors

2. Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

3.

4.

5.

 

Biggest disappointment:

 

1. Lack of first-party games on Gamepass.

2.

3.

 

Best visuals

 

1. Vampire Survivors

2.

3.

 

Best audio

 

1. Vampire Survivors

2.

3.

 

Best writing

 

1. Vampire Survivors

2. Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

3.

 

Best not 2022 game:

 

1. Doom Eternal

2.

3.

 

Best developer:

 

Luca Galante

 

Best format/console/controller/brain interface:

 

Xbox Series X

 

 

[therearerules]

Game of the Year

 

1. Elden Ring

2. Immortality

3. Dwarf Fortress

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Azrael]

Game of the Year

 

1. Vampire Survivors

2. Sniper Elite 5

3. Pokémon Legends: Arceus

4. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge

5.

 

Biggest disappointment:

 

1. FIFA 23

2. Trek to Yomi

3.

 

Best visuals

 

1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge

2. Trek to Yomi

3. Kirby and the Forgotten Land

 

Best audio

 

1. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge

2. Vampire Survivors

3.

 

Best writing

 

1.

2.

3.

 

Best not 2022 game:

 

1. Pokémon Go

2. Streets of Rage 4

3. What Remains of Edith Finch

 

 

Best developer:

 

Luca Galante

 

Best format/console/controller/brain interface:

 

Xbox Game Pass

[Jamie John]

Game of the Year

 

1. Elden Ring

2. Tunic (video game)

3. God of War Ragnarök

4. Immortality (video game)

5. Sifu (video game)

 

Biggest disappointment:

 

1. No Switch sequel announcement

2. Somerville (video game)

3. Scorn (video game)

 

Best visuals

 

1. Elden Ring

2. God of War Ragnarök

3. Tunic (video game)

 

Best audio

 

1. Citizen Sleeper

2. Tunic (video game) 

2. Elden Ring

 

Best writing

 

1. Immortality (video game)

2. Citizen Sleeper

3. Elden Ring

 

Best not 2022 game:

 

1. Inscryption

2. Shovel Knight: King of Cards

3. Kena: Bridge of Spirits

 

Best developer:

 

FromSoftware

 

Best format/console/controller/brain interface:

 

Xbox / Xbox Game Pass

 

---

 

GOTY write-ups and screenshots:

 

Spoiler

1. Elden Ring

 

 

 

What I wrote about it:

 

"Elden Ring is a work of untethered ambition and brilliant execution, particularly when you consider that the game is *130 hours* long. I often teach my students about the Romantic concept of the sublime, defined by Edmund Burke in the 18th century as a sort of crossroads between beauty, terror and overwhelming awe, and something that the likes of Wordsworth, Shelley and Keats all tried to capture in their poetry. Hyperbole aside, in this sense, I honestly feel that Elden Ring is frequently sublime: it's scary, gorgeous and staggering, all at the same time, with an unparalleled sense of scale. Many are the moments where it's left me entirely bewildered, almost incredulous, but not once in the six weeks since I started it have I wanted to play anything else. It's possibly the one most compelling piece of media I've ever consumed: I just had to play it, and I couldn't possibly entertain doing anything other with my time.".

 

2. Tunic

 

 

 

"Tunic is brilliant. It looks like Zelda but it's actually Fez in disguise. If you've enjoyed games like The Witness, Death's Door, Hyper Light Drifter or A Short Hike then you should definitely check it out. I've played it for 24 hours, completed it twice and got the 1000 GS because, once I got going, I couldn't stop playing. If Elden Ring hadn't come out this year then it would be my GOTY.

 

Superb. Go and play it. Stay away from any guides, and don't be afraid to turn on invincibility mode."

 

3. God of War Ragnarök

 

 

 

What I wrote about it:

 

"It’s not as good as the first game, but it’s still pretty damn good, and it’s a rare example of a game that gets better as it goes on, once it opens up and trusts the player more with its layers and layers of different systems. And there’s something to be said for just how undeniably expensive the whole thing is, not just in terms of the polish but also in how remarkably…generous the game feels, if that’s the right word: there are entire optional areas in this, as well as post-game missions and bosses, that would be paid-for DLC elsewhere. I paid £70 for the digital version, and after nearly 50 hours of play, I don’t feel short-changed. For better and for worse, you get the impression that nothing has been left on the cutting room floor, and although there are definitely sections that could have been omitted or truncated, this is a rich, hearty, meaty feast of a game, one that you keep eating because it’s just so damn tasty and looks so good, even though you know you should probably stop. Sort of like a big Christmas dinner. Maybe.

 

Anyway, God of War: Ragnarök might not be subtle, nuanced or innovative, but what it is is Sony-endorsed blockbuster gaming at its most shiny, spectacular and immersive, and I had a great time playing it."

 

4. Immortality

 

 

 

What I wrote about it:

 

"Overall, I thought this was a quite staggeringly ambitious and entirely unique game that will live long in my memory. The casting was absolutely spot-on, and the performances across all three films from everyone, as well as all the behind-the-scenes footage, was as good as any I've ever seen in a film or TV show. I've not played either of Barlow's previous two games (though I definitely will now), but this surely must set a new bar for acting in a video game. The narrative framing of the entire thing - that fact that you are watching actors playing actors who are acting in different roles - is extremely successful at tricking you into forgetting that you're playing a game and immersed me in its world instantly. I was compelled to hunt down every last clip I could, and having only started it on Saturday morning, this game completely consumed my bank holiday weekend."

 

5. Sifu

 

 

 

What I wrote about it:

 

"I thought this was excellent, surprisingly so, as I don't really go in for martial arts movies, nor do I tend to play many fighting or beat-em-up style games. Really, however, I'd say this has a lot more in common with Sekiro than Streets of Rage, most obviously through how Sifu's combat, like in FromSoft's game, centres around breaking enemies' structure and creating openings for deathblows, rather than whittling down health bars. Another point of comparison is the Batman Arkham games, in the way that you're frequently thrown into the centre of a mob of enemies and have to focus as much on managing space and evading as you do on actually fighting. It's a lot more challenging and unforgiving than Batman, however, but repeating the same levels over and over allows you to predict and practise, and the satisfaction you feel when you realise just how far your skills have developed is fantastic: tearing through a dozen thugs without breaking a sweat is absolutely thrilling, more like a brutally violent dance than a brawl.

 

[...]

 

HEY-YAAAAAAH!!! Come at me bro."

 

---

 

Honourable mentions:

 

Citizen Sleeper: This nearly snuck in. A moody masterpiece that owes equal debts to Disco Elysium and Blade Runner - high praise indeed. The synthy soundtrack is wonderful and has entered regular rotation.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land: Apart from perhaps Immortality, the biggest surprise of the year. It starts off like Yoshi's Woolly World but the final boss is tougher than Melania. My four-year-old's GOTY.

FAR: Changing Tides: Essentially, this is the first game but done better. Pensive, atmospheric and pleasingly tactile. If you were disappointed with Somerville then check this out instead.

[spanx]

Game of the Year

 

1. Elden Ring

2. Vampire Survivors

3. OlliOlli World

4. Pentiment (video game)

5. Persona 5

 

Biggest disappointment:

 

1. Elden Ring

2. Deathloop

3. Nintendo Switch

 

Best visuals

 

1. Elden Ring

2. Pentiment (video game)

3. Vampire Survivors

 

Best audio

 

1. Vampire Survivors

2. Elden Ring

3.

 

Best writing

 

1. Pentiment (video game)

2. Elden Ring

3. 

 

Best not 2022 game:

 

1. Microsoft Flight Simulator(2020 video game)

2. Return of the Obra Dinn

3. Satisfactory

 

Best developer:

 

Asobo

 

Best format/console/controller/brain interface:

 

PC

 

 

Elden Ring was clearly the GOTY, but also my biggest disappointment. Astonishing world, gfx, writing/lore…. but another From game I could not finish. I’m never falling for it again, these are games I will appreciate from a distance rather than play from now on. 
 

Asobo started 2022 with an astonishing looking flight simulator that was a bit flaky, struggled to run on even a high-end PC and had a huge number of detractors due to its lack of high fidelity planes. One year on they’ve smashed it - an incredible roster of very detailed planes, vastly increased performance and an ever expanding set of amazing and FREE scenery updates. It’s still the most next-gen thing around. 
 

Nintendo seem to have given up. I flew to Canada over the summer to see my kids and thought it’d be a great opportunity to dust off the Switch and get a few games for the flight. There was fuck all from Nintendo that was of any interest, and the one game I have a bash was hugely disappointing (Mario 3D World). It’s now my wife’s Just Dance machine, and I’m considering a Steam Deck to replace it. As a former Nintendo super-fan I find this very sad. 

 

Vampire Survivors has been the biggest shock this year. Only started it a couple of weeks back and I think I’ve already smashed 20 hours in to it. It’s a perfect videogame; simple concept, tight controls, hidden depths, and actually some lovely graphical touches. It’s a game that lives on in your retinas for hours/days after you last played it. Toyed with making it my GOTY

 

Edit: I posted Persona 5 as one of my GOTYs but appreciate it wasn’t a new release, however it’s in reference to the PC release of Persona 5 Royal… doesn’t seem to have a separate Wikipedia page. Hope that’s OK @Benny

[Mawdlin]

Game of the Year

 

1. Vampire Survivors

2. Elden Ring

3. Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

4.

5.

 

Biggest disappointment:

 

1. The lack of AAA games

2. Cancellation of Days Gone sequel

3. PSplus fiasco

 

Best visuals

 

1. Elden Ring

2. Vampire Survivors

3. Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

 

Best audio

 

1. Vampire Survivors

2. Elden Ring

3. Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

 

Best writing

 

1. Elden Ring

2. Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

3. Vampire Survivors

 

Best not 2022 game:

 

1. Return of the Obra Dinn

2. Dicey Dungeons

3. Assassin's Creed Valhalla

 

Best developer:

 

Poncle

 

Vampire Survivors is the Benny Hill of videogames. I've only just been dragged behind bandwagon and I honestly can't remember the last time I was so addicted to such a simple game. Simple but not simplistic. Probably Tetris. Can't stop.

[acidbearboy]

Game of the Year

 

1. Pocky and Rocky Reshrined

2.

3.

4.

5.

 

Biggest disappointment:

 

1.

2.

3.

 

Best visuals

 

1.

2.

3.

 

Best audio

 

1.

2.

3.

 

Best writing

 

1.

2.

3.

 

Best not 2022 game:

 

1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

2. Galaga

3. Boomerang Fu

 

Best developer:

 

here

 

Best format/console/controller/brain interface:

 

here

[BadgerFarmer]

Game of the Year

 

1. Immortality (video game)

2. Elden Ring

3. Pentiment (video game)

4. Card Shark

5. A Plague Tale: Requiem

 

Biggest disappointment:

 

1. Somerville (video game)

2. Saints Row (2022 video game)

3. Signalis

 

Best visuals

 

1. Elden Ring

2. A Plague Tale: Requiem

3. Norco (video game)

 

Best audio

 

1. Sifu (video game)

2. A Plague Tale: Requiem

3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge

Best writing

 

1. Immortality (video game)

2. Pentiment (video game)

3. Card Shark

 

Best not 2022 game:

 

1. What Remains of Edith Finch

2. Into the Breach (Advanced Edition)

3. Inscryption

 

Best developer:

 

Half Mermaid Productions

 

Best format/console/controller/brain interface:

 

-

 

------------------

 

And just to complete a top 10, because these all deserve a mention:

6. Norco (video game)

7. Marvel's Midnight Suns

8. Stray (video game)

9. Sifu (video game)

10. Citizen Sleeper

[thesnwmn]

Game of the Year

 

1. Tunic (video game)

2. Strange Horticulture

3. The Case of the Golden Idol

4. Taiji

5. Dorfromantik

 

Biggest disappointment:

 

1. No new Mario platformer

2. 

3.

 

Best visuals

 

1. Dorfromantik

2. Strange Horticulture

3. Tunic (video game)

 

Best audio

 

1. Strange Horticulture

2. Immortality (video game)

3. 

 

Best writing

 

1. Pentiment (video game)

2. Strange Horticulture

3. Immortality (video game)

 

Best not 2022 game:

 

1. Return of the Obra Dinn

2. Picross S7

3. 

 

Best developer:

 

Hello Games

 

Best format/console/controller/brain interface:

 

Steam Deck

 

 

 

Long and winding commentary...

 

Spoiler

On review I've not played as much as I thought this year. I've dabbled a fair bit but as usual, finishing anything or even getting beyond an hour or two is difficult. And if it's not complete in a few sessions I'm not likely to finish it anyway. Not that I particularly hold this against many games. I want to see how they work, toy with their systems and then move on.

 

My top 5 is best summarised by the fact that two of them don't even have Wikipedia pages. But it utterly reflects my tastes. Puzzles, secrets and a complete aversion to all kinds of skill base challenge (Tunic was played with no fail mode throughout). Let me run around without a care in the world. Let me explore your story or world for puzzles and secrets at my own pace. Let's me apply my brain with as little heart rate increasing action as possible.

Tunic is a masterpiece. It joins Fez and the Witness as games that I think utterly surpass the creativity and achievements of others. I don't care for it's combat at all but the no fail mode means I don't have to. Literally my only criticism is that it's not presented as an option up front from the start and is instead buried in accessibility settings.

The Case of the Golden Idol is a late entry. After playing Obra Dinn just in the middle of December (no idea why it's taken me so long) the references to that in this game's discourse put me straight on to it. A wonderful way to pass a few hours. Great art. Great settings and puzzles. Lots of interesting incidental details. A world and story that slowly builds through each subsequent event/puzzle. The scale of Obra Dinn that it lacks due to partitioning the game into separate cases it makes up for by being more immediately rewarding. It therefore never quite hits Obra Dinn's peaks but it is more approachable and less overwhelming I think.

Strange Horticulture is maybe what I love most in a game. A sedate concept. Drip fed world building and story. The BEST audio and visuals of a thunder storm outside the shop ever captured in a game. Delightful visuals. Simple identification puzzles but full of great details. I just loved this idea. Even the simple act of labelling and organising of plants on my shelves was a delight.

Taiji is The Witness in 2D. In many ways it's actually a tighter and better game than the Witness but the lack of a 3rd dimension does limit how much it can hide around its world to reveal later. But it's still a triumph. Some better puzzle mechanics than The Witness in places and a fantastic ramping difficulty (although I'm sure it starts far too hard for many). Also doesn't out it stay its welcome.

Dorfromantik is a gaming blanket. Curl up and place tiles. Choose whether you're going to try hard or relax with each game. Are you going to hit new high scores or complete mini quests? Or just enjoy building a delightful world. Both are equally as rewarding. No systems here. No concerns about keeping your citizens happy or the trains running. Beyond the actual placing of the tiles there's nothing more than simply enjoying the aesthetics of what you've created. And it is a beautiful game. It's not flashy but it is impressive.

 

My honourable mentions list is also games I love but in some way they didn't feel worthy.

• I haven't finished Pentiment. It's wonderful. I love it. But I'm bothered that I've not gone back to finish it. Maybe if/when I do it will earn its place.
• Immortality is a striking and engaging tale. But it's also seen a lot of praise and doesn't need mine as much.
• Return to Monkey Island is a great return to an old formula but I have new types of story driven puzzle games now and they're just better.
• Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope if the best turn based thing I've played in a long time but it's too long and bit easy to be engaging enough to finish.
• Tinykin is an excellent and charming 3D platformer but its quality is really that it comes from an era with so few mechanically acceptable 3D platformers rather than actually being exceptional.
• Cult of the Lamb is a great twisted blend of Animal Crossing and hack-n-slash roguelike but in the end its roguelike parts just wore me down because I hate combat so much.

 

 

For pre-2022 games I have no idea why I'd put off Return to Obra Dinn for so long. It's a complete triumph as everyone else already knows. Meanwhile the Picross series had devoured most of my playtime from last year and finishing off Picross S7 at the start of the year was somewhat of a relief and broke the spell a little. Still magnificent but I think I have now overdosed.

 

Best developer is an odd category. I see no value in it going to the developer of the best game for making the best game. They have that accolade. They did a good job but I think I'd like to reward someone for doing more. Maybe it belongs to a developer who did the most for their employees (shunning crunch, supporting unionisation, etc). Or the one who released the most games. Or the one who made the most profit.

 

But I've gone with Hello Games because they continue to pour support into a single player title they initially released 6 years ago. I don't play it. I haven't since about a year after it's release and briefly after one update a few years back. But I'm continually amazed by their dedication and the value this has provided to long standing players as well as improving the experience for new ones. No loot boxes. No micro transactions. No DLC. A single up front cost for a massive game they continually make better. There's a lesson for others to just build better and one about perseverance when your initial launch doesn't quite go to plan (and rightly get called our for misleading people).

 

Finally, the Steam Deck, is the device I've wanted for a long time. Pick up and play for a wide range of game types that just don't exist on console, and particularly the Switch, which is the only other place offering handheld gaming. As a puzzle and strategy game fan the PC is the really home of my tastes but I've not interest in sitting at a desk to play. With double touchpads and highly configurable controls wlamost everything can be controlled. Which is lucky, because due to Proton, the range of games that can be played is astounding.

It's not perfect. Some games are just broken. Some aren't available on Steam (no issue with this myself - the dominance of Steam worries me a lot). It requires fiddling all the time. Sometimes it's janky as hell. But I like this stuff. I like learning how to get things running. Being able to battle through and get Ubisoft Connect for Trackmania and Battle.net for World of Warcraft up and running is basically as fun as playing the games sometimes.

Now I just want Valve to revive Steam Boxes and release a Steam Controller 2 (with 2 trackpads) to attach one to each TV in my house. Maybe I could ditch the Xboxes and go pure XCloud for that part of my gaming diet. Or just get Game Pass stuff running on SteamOS please.

 

[Benny]

Alert!

 

I'm probably going to start collating entries soon to get ahead of it, so if you need to edit your entry after I've announced count has commenced, please just make a post to say you have done and I will copy it again if necessary.

[Mr Do 71]

Game of the Year

 

1. Sniper Elite 5

2. A Plague Tale: Requiem

3. Horizon Forbidden West

4. PowerWash Simulator

5. Prodeus

 

Biggest disappointment:

 

1. Deathloop

2. Somerville

3.

 

Best visuals

 

1. A Plague Tale: Requiem

2. Horizon Forbidden West

3. Deathloop

 

Best audio

 

1. Prodeus

2.

3.

 

Best writing

 

1.

2.

3.

 

Best not 2022 game:

 

1. Dishonored 2

2. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

3. Sniper Elite 4

 

Best developer:

 

Rebellion Developments

 

Best format/console/controller/brain interface:

 

Xbox Series X

[Junker]

Game of the Year

 

1. Gran Turismo 7

2. Elden Ring

3. WRC Generations

4. Stray (video game)

5. Vampire Survivors

 

Biggest disappointment:

 

1.

2.

3.

 

Best visuals

 

1.

2.

3.

 

Best audio

 

1.

2.

3.

 

Best writing

 

1.

2.

3.

 

 

Best not 2022 game:

 

1. Redeemer (video game)

2. Death's Door (video game)

3. Art of Rally

 

Best developer:

 

here

 

Best format/console/controller/brain interface:

 

here

[Benny]

Collation has commenced.

[Benny]

Please post here if you make any edits to your existing entry.

 

Final window for edits and new entries is 11.59pm on Monday

[Benny]

 

Good job on following the rules, everyone.

[spatular]

Game of the Year

 

1. Neon White

2. Gunvein

3. Kirby and the Forgotten Land

4. Splatoon 3

5. Into the Breach DLC

 

Biggest disappointment:

 

1.

2.

3.

 

Best visuals

 

1. Splatoon 3

2. Kirby and the Forgotten Land

3. Horizon Forbidden West

 

Best audio

 

1. Kirby and the Forgotten Land

2. Splatoon 3

3. Xenoblade Chronicles 3

 

Best writing

 

1. Splatoon 3

2.

3.

 

Best not 2022 game:

 

1. Pokémon Puzzle Challenge

2. Maestro! Jump in Music

3. Kirby: Planet Robobot

 

Best developer:

 

Subset Games

 

Best format/console/controller/brain interface:

 

Xbox

 

Spoiler

sort of wanted to vote for the into the breach dlc but wasn't sure how so put that as best developer

 

also good was you suck at parking, gt7, wrc generations, edit - chained echoes is good too but not finished it yet, oh and vampire survivors

 

old stuff which was good and missed out- beatmania, f-zero climax, sable, metroid zero mission, mario and donkeykong pipemania version

 

oh yeah not sure how to vote for the into the breach dlc so just put into the breach dlc, not sure it has a name it was a free update