[Editor’s Note: Authors were told to approach their game of the year lists however they wanted, including listing their favorite games they personally played this year regardless of release year.]
Most CHAOS in a game: Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin
Of course Stranger of Paradise tops the list of CHAOS. A high fantasy game with names like Jack, Neon, Ash, Jed, and Sophia just shakes things up! Also, taking out the pesky world travel, cities, and unique items streamlines the amount of CHAOS you can create. All you do is run through dungeons that are a mix of a Souls game and God of War—Just like the hundred previous Final Fantasy games. Don’t like this unique Masamune? Don’t worry; we’ll drop 50 different versions of different strengths and levels for you. For maximum CHAOS!
Suckiest game: Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Kirby just sucks and sucks in this awesome game. This is by far my favorite Kirby game and one of the best of 2022. It would probably be the best game if it didn’t have a mini game that gave me flashbacks of working in fast food when a bus showed up when everyone called in or was on break.
Best dystopian future: Stray
I never thought a cat simulator would be one of my favorite games. But achievements for scratching different items and napping on a robot’s chest made this fantastic game worth one of the best of 2022. This game reminds us that we must leave a better future for cats.
Wait, it’s 4 a.m.? I started playing at 2 p.m.: Marvel Snap
I have to set a timer before I let myself play Marvel Snap. Honestly, it’s one of the best card battle games I have ever played. I lose track of time, and I am mad that they are probably going to get me to spend $100 on an MCU Agatha Harkness card in 2023.
Revenge is sweet: Kongregate.com
You should have just given me that shiny Narco Polo Kongpanion, Kongregate. You wouldn’t have had to shut down. Now you’re “rebranding” and making blockchain games. You sure do have your finger on the pulse of gamers. We definitely all want blockchain and NFT games. Tell Urbaniacs I said hi.
I have a package for you in 2023: Street Fighter 6
The teaser for Street Fighter 6 in 2022 was HUGE! Everyone who watched it had a massive reaction. Ryu is definitely on top with this colossal new game. Capcom is delivering a gargantuan present for us this year. I’m definitely going to be first in line for this enormous new installment in one of my favorite series.
Sometimes bullying works: Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster
They tried to slip the train suplex by us, but boy oh boy were they wrong. You don’t make a mistake like having the train not be upside down and expect fans to stay quiet. It was the 2022 version of making them completely rework Sonic in the movies.
You spent 8 years of my salary on what?: Diablo Immortal
I never thought I would see a day when someone spends over $100,000 to max out a single character in a game. But here we are. And someone who spent the money to max out a character found out he was too powerful and the game wouldn’t match him against anyone. What a world.
Honestly deserved the praise it got that I ignored the past few years: Final Fantasy XIV
I stopped playing during the Stormblood expansion, even though I was almost to the end. The story was boring, and my character was getting pretty complicated. Coming back, I pushed through to the end of Stormblood, and I was able to take in the fantastic story of Shadowbringers. I am moving through Endwalker, and I am giving myself time to explore and enjoy the story. Summoner was also made simpler, which I appreciated.
Mobile games I played the whole year:
I love a good idle game, and Grumpy Rhino knows how to make them! Idle Apocalypse and Idle Mastermind are games I play daily. I also played Grumpy Rhino’s merge game, Necromerger daily. Egg, Inc. also got a daily play from me. I returned to Pokemon Go pretty early in the year, and played it through most of 2022 as well.
