12 months and some great games.
Happy new year all!
Thank you SO much for taking part in this, and have a lovely, safe 2023!
It’s relaxing and calming, and that’s a powerful quality."
And finally here’s jabberwocky: “Good clean fun.”
I see what you did there!
Do ultra controls work with dynamic resolution scaling?
And here’s ukaskew37 again!
Norco
What we said: “Norco is striking, surprising, novel.
It’s nothing less than extraordinarily beautiful.
“This game stuck with me for a long time.”
Gotham Knights
What we said: “A strange unlikely charm underpins everything inGotham Knights.
Maybe they don’t get the budget they need for a truly vibrant open-world.
Maybe they don’t get the time to polish the combat and stop people slipping around on the floor.
Maybe they have to trade the Batmobile for a bike.
But they can add charm.
“Batman is dead - yes REALLY!”
But is he really dead, though?
For me, Sunbreak was just more of my favourite meal.”
In that way, perhaps F1 22 is a little too authentic for its own good.”
It doesn’t want to be finished though, really.
“Possibly the AA hit of the year.
Levels are deceptively simple at first glance, at least the early ones.
“I don’t normally make an effort to 100% complete games,” says 09philj.
“With Neon White it’s not an effort, it’s a joy.”
“My word this game is so much fun!”
I rate this game the most fun to move around in since the originalMirror’s Edge.”
After a quick tour, however, the game’s open worlds held less pull.
“A refreshing, all encompassing collection for fans of the movies young and old,” adds xXtractr.
“Easy, yet still fun.
(Characters also auto-level off the battlefield.)
“Is it dramatically new?
Does it add many improvements over Kingdom Battle?
Does it make for fun and combine XCOMesque tactics, charming Nintendo characters and Rabbids' wackiness?
Oh yes yes yes.”
Dorfromantik
What we said: “Dorfromantikis sunshine on the screen.
To spend an afternoon in its company, unhurriedly placing tiles down with a soft “plonk!
“, while the gentle sounds of a countryside chirrup around you, is to be filled with calm.
It is elegance manifested.
Dorfromantik is a joy.”
“Of course this year’s GOTY is Elden Ring,” says twonha.
“But from the select few 2022 titles I’ve played, I enjoyed Dorfromantik so much more.
Place a tile, grow your little town, bring a smile to everyone’s face.
It never once tried to stab, beat, poison, throw or simply murder me to death.”
Well isnt’t that just lovely, Shrui.
And finally here’s fkratke.
More of the sumptuous visuals and wonderful jazz score.
More of the high difficulty, with bosses taunting you every time you lose.
More of that succulent satisfaction when you finally hit the knockout.”
“It’s pretty much essential if you loved the original.”
And that’s what really stays with me about the game: stories - human stories.
This is a game that reflects, in many ways, our own lives.
“Never really enjoyed a ‘game’ like this in the way that I did,” says Chriskay.
hazywaze was equally impressed.
I was really invested in the characters and choices.”
Azquelt’s a fan of this freshest of shooters.
Ain’t that the truth.
This is something new, and it’s also Pokemon, a decades-old series, in its purest essence.
Battle, trade, collect.
Is it overzealous budget cuts or pure, minimalist design?
Either way, this is a game crafted by subtractive sculpture.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus is either this series' bare minimum, or its purest form.
I think it’s both at once.”
Good work all round.
You VR fans are a quiet bunch, aren’t you?
There were plenty of votes for Moss but not a single comment.
But really you’re trying to arrange happiness for people.
Sheikah is on board with this.
“I enjoyed my time with Cult of the Lamb.
Don’t go in expecting a long roguelite akin to Binding of Isaac and you won’t be disappointed.
Where else can you force feed your cult members bowls of poop?”
It’s a valid question.
“Fantastic blend of dark humour, roguelite gameplay and village management,” says Bushmonkey.
“Nothing else like it and a treat to play.
Yet the Pokemon series has a schedule to follow and it waits for no Slowpoke.”
“A glitchy and buggy mess?
Yes,” says Cydonia88.
Oh wait, there’s more!
“The most fun a Pokemon game has ever been?
Forza Horizon 5: Hot Wheels
What we said: We didn’t review it!
Because then we really could have a Forza Horizon beater on our hands.”
“looking very good Criterion, now can we get a new Burnout hey?”
Well put, MrUkraider.
I think we can leave it at that.
It makes this stuff more than superficial due to the love and craft with which it’s all handled.
It gets you out of yourself slightly."
A fantastic tactical treat, with a good story and interesting characters holding it all together."
We revisit places we last saw five years ago.
There are callbacks to story threads that started seven years ago.
For them, and for me, The Witch Queen is the glorious crescendo Guardians have longed for."
Malek86 tells us what’s on their mind.
Did I mention, though, what a great campaign they made this time around?"
Shit_Pistol was equally satisfied: “Shouldn’t have come out so close to Elden Ring.
Otherwise a great expansion.
Gunplay still unmatched.”
But it’s also one that’s terrified of you looking too closely at it."
“The online 6v6 is excellent as is the gunplay.
DMZ though is a real gem,” says Gizzaciggy.
This is an absolute hug of a game, and quite likely Kirby’s best outing yet."
“you could turn into a Kirby car,” says Retr0gamer.
And maybe learning never has to end, and maybe we can try new things out forever."
Such a tiny little thing, but I’ll remember it for quite a while."
Britesparc has cracked it.
“Made me remember why I used to love beat-em-ups.
Plug in your arcade stick and party like it’s 1992,” says CalamityJames.
But upon reaching the other side I’m not entirely sure he wanted to.
I think I’ve been freer than I was meant to be.
I think I still have too many dangling threads.
People venture to solve his films because he doesn’t really make films.
Immortality, I feel, is a puzzle.
An immaculately conceived puzzle, built with superlative skill - and genuinely thrilling in its own right.
But it’s hard for a puzzle to feel profound."
Who wants a nice cool DrDrepper?
(Not from the Connecticut Modhabobos?)
This is a game about more than overcoming living nightmares.
Science fiction and survival horror that uses the past to craft something thoroughly modern.
Like a dying star, Signalis burns bright: beautiful, terrifying and unmissable."
That and there isn’t another game there I’d vote for," says Gordomos Prime.
We’re just glad you’re here mate.
“Big surprise this year.
Stylish, tense and clever.”
Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord
What we said: “We didn’t review it!”
“There’s some strange alchemy at work here.
Something that I can’t put my finger on just keeps bringing me back.
Maybe it’s because it just lets you get on with it.
Go and mess with it.”
A bit like playing Crusader Kings 2 from third person."
Longbraz sums it up: “The best metal game ever made probably.
It really is special!
Bayonetta 3
What we said: “What a mess it is, though.
Bayonetta 3 is overstated, in parts underbaked - but it’s rarely less than a thrill.”
2much: tell us what you reckon.
The demon slave mechanic is a triumph and there are so many fun setpieces and ideas.
You loved this, but nobody left a comment explaining why.
Not for Broadcast
16.
Is it the king of driving games once more?
Is it the best Gran Turismo to date?
Of that there’s no real doubt.”
Except maybe for the roulette prize thing, really annoying.
Game sometimes feels like it’s trying too hard to get some MTs out of you.
Still unrivalled in the sim/cade genre though."
“The only game this year I’ve sunk 40+ hours into this year.
that it has easily been a time sink this year when nothing else has captured my attention.
Top stuff Yamauchi.”
Thanks for that, Mondpix.
“I think about this game all the time.
Great story telling.”
We think all the time about the fact they’re called Shit_Pistol.
ComfyFeline: “An eye-opening, gripping look at life in the ruins of late stage capitalism.
Compelling from start to finish, and more relevant than ever.”
We hope so too!
And if you liked this, do read the book that inspired it.
(It’s called Who Moved My Cheese?)
“Xenoblade does open areas right.
Picking out all the little references to XC1 and XC2 was a joy in and of itself.
I will look forward to revisiting this world in the upcoming story DLC.”
They find limitations and traditions propulsive, accelerative.
This is Tunic to its core."
“The most gorgeous game of the year.
Really good, responsive combat and controls plus a mesmerising world to explore.
Pity I’m shit at it really but I still enjoy it.”
“Few games honour the player’s intelligence and reward their curiosity more than Tunic.”
That’s Ben Reilly on the subject.
“Unremarkable gameplay design … but the sense of place is amazing.
Either a disappointing and subpar action adventure or the best walking simulator of the year.
First lockdown night walks - the Game.
Big plus: talking animals, charismatic yokai and the most detailed disabled toilets in video game history.”
This actually makes it sound brilliant?
We had to get the Ben Reilly verdict here.
“It’s a delight to play!
The visuals manage to feel simultaneously high-res and retro.
These brave, brilliant souls.”
“Premium catting!”
“This was the year of the animal games.
And it’s a pretty good cat game.”
That’s NabNab, spotting the trends, as ever.
It also looked very nice visually."
Sing to me, O Finkmachine: “A complete surprise but a great idea, brilliantly executed.”
“The ultimate Steam Deck game.”
Someone’s doing alright.
I read Franz Mesmer’s main book this year, incidentally.
Requiem, simply put, is one of the finest adventures around."
The setting of medieval Europe is refreshing but as you progress, the world becomes increasingly warped and strange.
Great performances and excellent pacing, too."
Now King_of_Shovels: “An absolutely miserable journey from start to finish, but an incredible one.”
Sifu
What we said: “It could take itself a bit less seriously.
Eze2g has this one: “All good combat games are essentially about rhythm not reflexes.
After enough practice you stop having to think about it and you just flow.
“A game that actually makes me feel like I can fight!”
Glad to be here for this moment.
Really nails the whole kung-fu movie vibe.”
Unfortunately, with Horizon Forbidden West that’s often the case.”
MortenGamst first: “An engrossing game and spectacular to the eyes.
Not quite the sense of wonder of the first game but a very enjoyable gameplay experience.”
“The best open world in the business,” says Doctor_Hellsturm.
“There are so many sights where you just put down the controller and admire the vista.
Dunno what you’re talking about m8.
Return to Monkey Island
What we said: “Reader: it works.
“Plain pure nostalgia,” says Thwidra
What say you, Carlos100?
“It does what it says on the tin, it is more Monkey Island.
When I think about the Evil Dead, sure I think about Ash and chainsaws and cabins.
Gimme some sugar, baby.”
Firstly: Shop Smart, shop S Mart.
Only one comment on this one.
Can’t argue with that.
You’ll stand silhouetted, jagged, cartoonishly angular in front of them.
Its own heroes prove to be just the tonic.”
“Simply awesome,” says Mha71.
Over to you, Cuttlefishjones.
The story, the acting, the everything just made it so totally engrossing.
And again they got the balance right on the effort\reward scale.
It makes you want to play just to see the next big event.
And what and ending.
Add to that FromSoftware’s unforgiving and unforgettable gameplay loop and this is something truly special.”
“No content this year.
Axiom’s verdict is hard to argue with.
Either that or I’m a video game masochist.”
AmorousBadger brings us home: “I spent six months.
It does everything you want a FromSoft game to and then lets you play through how you want to.
An all-time classic.”
Happy new year everyone!
Let’s do this all over again in 2023!
