With each passing year I realize that I probably spend at least half my gaming time with ongoing, live service style game from previous years, than I do with brand new titles, so this year I thought let's look at both for this year's end of year listing.
So here we go with my five favorite new games of the year, and my five favorite games from previous years that I'm still playing.
As always, I don't include any games or franchises that I've worked on.
Number 5
New - Hardspace Shipbreaker
This one could almost be on the other side of this list as a returning game given the nature of Early Access programs these days. It did however officially release this year, so it makes this list as one of my favorite new games.
This first person game is as immersive a logic puzzle as you could hope for. Tasked with dismantling old starships, you take on the dangerous work of carving the old hulks up in zero gravity with your selection of tools. The only thing between you and cold, hard, vacuum of space being your very flimsy spacesuit and your wits.
Also, a fantastic soundtrack.
Old - Team Fight Tactics
I'll admit, I felt like TFT slipped a little in my playtime this year, but then realized I still played enough ranked to make Gold and Platinum in each of this last years seasons.
I still love the core loop, and the way the team continue to refine the nature of the how the random elements influence the game. Just enough change to keep things feeling fresh, without making it feel like I totally have to relearn the game each switch.
Number 4
New - Return to Monkey Island
Pure nostalgia maybe? Perhaps, but I still enjoyed it massively. Just self aware enough of the traps it could have fallen into to avoid falling into them completely.
It is everything you would want from a new installment in the franchise. Clever, often funny, and rolls along at a good pace. The framing of the story, complete with its multiple endings also had some interesting things to say about the nature of legends, memory, and storytelling.
An adventure game in a year end best of list? Honestly, there were almost two, as the superb Norco almost made the list as well.
Old - Fortnite
Fortnite continues to be a fascinating exploration of what you can fuse into one core concept. Most of all though, it manages to remain fun and fresh whenever you jump in. It's pretty hard to categorize the experience that Fortnite offers in 2022. Sure, at it's heart is the same casual friendly version of a Battle Royale game, but it's also a whole lot more. The fusion of events, modes, user generated content, and quests means that there is always something interesting to see and do whenever you return.
Number 3
New - Citizen Sleeper
The two entries in this slot share a little bit of structural DNA albeit with very different games wrapped around them. In Citizen Sleeper you are an artificial consciousness trying to survive after an escape from a corporation finds you hiding out on a battered old space station.
The game uses an engaging and simple to understand dice mechanic to have you navigate a series of choices every day, but the true genius of the game is the way it weaves heady themes with the normality of life on a space station. Populated by a series of interesting and engaging characters that will linger it manages to make your choices feel meaningful by limiting how many you can make.
Old - Persona 5 Royal
The release on the Switch gave me a reason to play through this fantastic JRPG again. Brilliantly structured with just enough depth to the battle system to keep it from getting stale, the game actually fits well on the Switch. The structure fitting perfectly with the 'pick up and play' of a handheld. I haven't tired yet of the style, and I've now played through on three separate occasions.
Number 2
New - Darktide
The folks at Fatshark took the Left 4 Dead style formula they used for the Warhammer Fantasy setting in the Vermintide games and applied it to the grimdark world of Warhammer 40k. They picked the right type of characters for it to work and fit with their style of squad based banter.
The gameplay oozes with tension and is well balanced, making sure that you always feel the mission is one mistake, or over extension, away from abject failure.
The setting fuses with some excellent level design and that tight core loop to keep things exciting through the multiple play through of each map with escalating difficulty.
I love the world of Warhammer, and having a crop of current games that do the universe justice is most welcome.
Old - Dwarf Fortress
Ok, this is another one which could have been on either list. It got a visual upgrade this year with a full release on steam. It is though the same game. The same, brilliant, deeply absorbing, game. The re-release made me go back and direct a new generation of Dwarfs trying to survive the random nature of their generated world.
Number 1
New - Tunic
Easily my favorite new game of the year, Tunic made me embrace a genuinely challenging game in ways that most games can't. Beneath the cutesy and charming exterior was some tough but fair gameplay that made progression rewarding.
Throw in the brilliant 'unlock the game manual as you go' mechanic (that I fully expect to see mimicked in the years to come.), and you have a compelling experience that rewards exploration while keeping you moving forward to face the next boss.
Old - Cyberpunk 2077
This was my game of the year last year, despite its rocky launch. So a year on, that hasn't changed, and the myriad of updates and additions to the game have taken it to a level you might have expected or hoped for first time around.
Boosted by the excellent anime companion series on Netflix, Cyberpunk 2077 is reaching the kind of audience that CDPR would have wanted upon it's initial release. If you haven't played it yet, you should. The characters are some of the most memorable in games, and Night City itself is one of the most impressive locations ever created for a game.
Honorable Mentions
Quite a few cool new games this year beyond this list, so here are a few of the others that landed for me
- Norco
- Marvel Snap
- Stray
- Horizon Forbidden West
- Elden Ring
- Vampire Survivors
- Neon White
- Rollerdrome
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