The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly - 2022 in review
Not necessarily the best games of the year, but games that have shaped my 2022 experience.
5 Games
The peak of gaming this year for me period.
If you've spoken to me at all this year, you already know that I have been very annoying about this game, and for good reason!
Mother 3 builds upon Mother 2's foundation excellently. Battles are more tense and engaging thanks to new mechanics in place such as shields, special abilities, battle rhythms, and the streamlined opportunities to heal, revive, and save make the game feel less monotonous. The relationships between characters are much stronger than they were in Mother 2, and the fact that every member of Tazmilly has a traceable thread relating to one another like one big family is amazing. The tone of the dialouge varies way more as well, ranging from grim, to lighthearted, to everything in between, as well as being funnier overall.
Mother 3 also has one of the most emotionally impactful stories I've ever experienced in gaming. Every story beat feels essential to the plot, and not a single moment feels compromised. The idea of controlling separate characters throughout a narrative is a brilliant way to keep the game feeling fresh and helps form a familiarity with the characters that builds to an uproarious climax.
Mother 3 is not just the game I'll think most about when looking back on 2022, but also, a new all-time favorite as well.
If you've spoken to me at all this year, you already know that I have been very annoying about this game, and for good reason!
Mother 3 builds upon Mother 2's foundation excellently. Battles are more tense and engaging thanks to new mechanics in place such as shields, special abilities, battle rhythms, and the streamlined opportunities to heal, revive, and save make the game feel less monotonous. The relationships between characters are much stronger than they were in Mother 2, and the fact that every member of Tazmilly has a traceable thread relating to one another like one big family is amazing. The tone of the dialouge varies way more as well, ranging from grim, to lighthearted, to everything in between, as well as being funnier overall.
Mother 3 also has one of the most emotionally impactful stories I've ever experienced in gaming. Every story beat feels essential to the plot, and not a single moment feels compromised. The idea of controlling separate characters throughout a narrative is a brilliant way to keep the game feeling fresh and helps form a familiarity with the characters that builds to an uproarious climax.
Mother 3 is not just the game I'll think most about when looking back on 2022, but also, a new all-time favorite as well.
The peak of my endurance-test gaming this year.
I may have suffered through some bad games with friends through Fightcade, but this was my ultimate trial. 8 hours of unfiltered, raw driving action through a desert via bus, with nothing to do besides honk the horn and talk with the voices in my head (otherwise known as my friends who would occassionally join the Discord VC). It's also a funny, if overdrawn, deconstruction of gaming that has the likes of OneShot or Undertale on its knees begging for mercy.
Truly worth all the time it took to get that singular point that I EARNED, and one of the most memorable experiences of my year.
(And there WAS a Homer Simpson on the bus! I'm NOT CRAZY!!!)
I may have suffered through some bad games with friends through Fightcade, but this was my ultimate trial. 8 hours of unfiltered, raw driving action through a desert via bus, with nothing to do besides honk the horn and talk with the voices in my head (otherwise known as my friends who would occassionally join the Discord VC). It's also a funny, if overdrawn, deconstruction of gaming that has the likes of OneShot or Undertale on its knees begging for mercy.
Truly worth all the time it took to get that singular point that I EARNED, and one of the most memorable experiences of my year.
(And there WAS a Homer Simpson on the bus! I'm NOT CRAZY!!!)
The peak of hanging out with friends this year for me.
Elf Bowling is such a bizarre franchise that I can't help but laugh at it. First spawning from a joke game on AOL, the Elf Bowling franchise has had its ups and downs. And by ups and downs, I mean alternating between being hilarious and being infuriating. Spanning 8 games and even a movie, I managed to play and watch everything Elf Bowling related with friends, and it was one of the most memorable moments of my year.
It's funny then that despite all that, I have hilariously little to say about these games. It's Elf Bowling. You bowl down elves on strike as Santa, occasionally against his brother Dingle Kringle. It reaches its most mechanically dense at Elf bowling 7 & 1/7th: The Last Strike, but even then, it's nothing more than Mario Kart powerups. I could talk for eons about the movie though, but that's a conversation for another day...
Elf Bowling is such a bizarre franchise that I can't help but laugh at it. First spawning from a joke game on AOL, the Elf Bowling franchise has had its ups and downs. And by ups and downs, I mean alternating between being hilarious and being infuriating. Spanning 8 games and even a movie, I managed to play and watch everything Elf Bowling related with friends, and it was one of the most memorable moments of my year.
It's funny then that despite all that, I have hilariously little to say about these games. It's Elf Bowling. You bowl down elves on strike as Santa, occasionally against his brother Dingle Kringle. It reaches its most mechanically dense at Elf bowling 7 & 1/7th: The Last Strike, but even then, it's nothing more than Mario Kart powerups. I could talk for eons about the movie though, but that's a conversation for another day...
For me, this was the year of Kirby.
Not only was it Kirby's 30th anniversary, but Forgotten Land released and became my favorite game of 2022. The Anniversary concert was sublime, Dream Buffet released as a fun time sinker, and a remake for one of the most beloved Kirby titles was announced, which is shaping up to be a great time. So, I found it appropriate to do a Kirby marathon, playing through all the mainline Kirbys, with Epic Yarn thrown in.
To say that Robobot was the highlight of this marathon is an understatement, I found it fantastic. Easily the best levels Kirby has had the pleasure of playing around in, with a great selection of copy abilities as well. The Robobot suit adds a lot of variety to the levels, allowing for fast paced auto-runners, shoot-em-up stages, or just a simple upgrade to your arsenal. The bosses are kickass as well, with so many fights being some of my favorites in the series, such as the Dedede Clone fight, Star Dream, and Dark Matter. Robobot is definitely a shining star in this fantastic series.
Not only was it Kirby's 30th anniversary, but Forgotten Land released and became my favorite game of 2022. The Anniversary concert was sublime, Dream Buffet released as a fun time sinker, and a remake for one of the most beloved Kirby titles was announced, which is shaping up to be a great time. So, I found it appropriate to do a Kirby marathon, playing through all the mainline Kirbys, with Epic Yarn thrown in.
To say that Robobot was the highlight of this marathon is an understatement, I found it fantastic. Easily the best levels Kirby has had the pleasure of playing around in, with a great selection of copy abilities as well. The Robobot suit adds a lot of variety to the levels, allowing for fast paced auto-runners, shoot-em-up stages, or just a simple upgrade to your arsenal. The bosses are kickass as well, with so many fights being some of my favorites in the series, such as the Dedede Clone fight, Star Dream, and Dark Matter. Robobot is definitely a shining star in this fantastic series.
Definitely the game that summarizes my year.
I know it's hard to not say I'm biased in this case, as my friend made this game, but damnit man I found this hitting real close to home. I'll first say what many others have said regarding this game, I'm a cis straight male. However, I don't find the fact that I'm cis causes this game to lose its sense of relatability.
To get kind of personal for a second, this year I made a huge move to Texas, and it was tough for me. I was far away from my family and friends and adding onto that the fact that I am a wreck socially made things very hard for me. Once-close relationships with friends had also become distant, thanks to the move and school getting in the way.
So, when a game comes along about a person who became estranged with their friends, coming together to try and strengthen those friendships.. I can't help but relate to it. Like, I know this effect was not intended for me, but I think it works wonders anyway. The story's message of your friends always being there for you in the end is beautiful and written in a way I find thoroughly engaging.
I know it's hard to not say I'm biased in this case, as my friend made this game, but damnit man I found this hitting real close to home. I'll first say what many others have said regarding this game, I'm a cis straight male. However, I don't find the fact that I'm cis causes this game to lose its sense of relatability.
To get kind of personal for a second, this year I made a huge move to Texas, and it was tough for me. I was far away from my family and friends and adding onto that the fact that I am a wreck socially made things very hard for me. Once-close relationships with friends had also become distant, thanks to the move and school getting in the way.
So, when a game comes along about a person who became estranged with their friends, coming together to try and strengthen those friendships.. I can't help but relate to it. Like, I know this effect was not intended for me, but I think it works wonders anyway. The story's message of your friends always being there for you in the end is beautiful and written in a way I find thoroughly engaging.