Spencer Legacy’s 10 Best Games of the Year

Best of 2022 is GameSpot’s weekly celebration of entertainment that made last year unforgettable.

Like most years, 2022 is a good time for gamers. While the pandemic has always had a lingering effect on the entire industry, it still hasn’t stopped the flow of fun titles. So many titles have come out that I still haven’t come across big names like God of War Ragnarök, Adoration of the Lamb, midnight days, ring of elderberry, AI: The Dream Files: Nirvana Initiativeand Stanley’s Parable: Ultra Deluxe. They may be on this list if there are at least 48 hours in a day.

But that’s enough as a start. Let’s take a look at my top 10 games of 2022.

10. Soul Pirates 2

Shin Megami Tensei is a great RPG series. Arguably, no other franchise has had such a successful spinoff, including character the series is essentially becoming its own major franchise. Soul Hackers 2 perhaps not quite up to par Shin Megami Tenseiis the best, but that doesn’t mean it’s not great. The tried-and-true Press-Turn combat system is more refined and enjoyable here, while the overall aesthetic is cool as hell. If you slept Soul Hackers 2 last year, I highly recommend giving it a try.

9. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have always been associated with fun beat ’em ups, so The Shredder’s Revenge Coming out amazing is not a surprise. So much love and passion for everyone’s favorite animal mutant warriors (sorry, street sharks and biker mouse) can be clearly seen throughout this game, but even if you haven’t seen a single piece of turtles media, the base game is incredibly fun, especially on the couch with friends. Also, this intro is too nostalgic.

8. Neon White

Because it mixes the bold aesthetics of mid-2000s anime with 2022 Dreamcast/PS2-inspired visuals, neon white is the meaning of “up my alley”. Going through episodes again and again to get better moments while building relationships with all kinds of cliched anime archetypes was the perfect way for me to close the year, especially with Steve Blum’s soft tone which completes it all. If you’ve got a thing for this era of bustling dork culture, neon white will bring back delicious crisp memories.

7. Stranger from Heaven: Final Fantasy Origins

A group of brothers decided to kill the evil Chaos. This is the plot. What else do you need to do just that? Stranger from Heaven: Final Fantasy OriginsThe gameplay created by Team Ninja is surprisingly deep, and its story invested me deeply in the end. I want to be weird Final Fantasy spin-offs like this – especially if they all come in trucker hats.

6. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII: Reunion

As someone whose username used to be CrisisCoreKid, I’m pretty happy Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII: Reunion. The voice acting is disappointing compared to the original, but otherwise, Meeting improves on the PSP prequel in every way. It looks amazing, the gameplay is exciting and engaging, and the story is as silly, moving, and awesome as ever. Still going strong with the ending and the Juno gunfight linked above? Well, it’s like the “cool rule” like when I was a teenager.

5. Sound Limits

I have written a lot about sound boundaries since launch, but it’s been a while since I’ve had fun with a game. Running through massive open fields and collecting various trinkets triggered something in my brain that made me fly around the plains of the Starfall Isles whenever I wasn’t working or sleeping. The more serious story is also a nice change for the franchise, and I feel more optimistic than ever for future entries in Sega’s most iconic series.

4. Digimon Survive

In some respects, the Digimon/Pokemon the wars of the late 90s are still going on. Digimon won this year, because not only Digimon Survive fully functional, but it’s a great game overall on top of that. The story of a group of children trapped in a terrifying world with Digimon allies is familiar to fans of the series, even the intense, dark tone of Be alive making it different from similar stories in the series. The straightforward tactical combat is fun when it pops up, but the emotional narrative is what really sells this one. Even if you don’t deepen it Digimon, Be alive worth a try for those who want a new taste of ‘mon.

3. Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

My free time throughout the first half of this year was basically consumed by getting 100% Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. I’ve never seen so much content in one game, so much star wars fan, I’m almost in heaven.

The usual endorphin-inducing collectibles-fueled exploration has been perfected here, and the revamped combat system has me more excited than ever for future TT games. I don’t know what license TT will deal with next, but if it is that’s half the fun The Skywalker SagaI will be there on the first day.

2. Vampire survivors

I guarantee that when you first see the pictures of vampires who survived, you’ll think, “Oh, that looks good.” It is simple, direct and unobtrusive. It changes when you play it, because your brain is completely consumed by challenging gameplay loops, sound effects, and colors. I don’t know when was the last time I was hooked by a game, because my Steam Deck was a vampires who survived machine for a good month or two.

My friends and I enthusiastically talked about his many secrets as if we were back in the school yard – an all too common experience at age 26. Moonspell Legacy The DLC just came out, though I’m hesitant to try it out because of everything I have to do this month, and I know going back for just one run will sink its fangs into me again.

1. Xenoblade Chronicles 3

I’ve been thinking a lot about mortality lately, partly because Xenoblade Chronicles 3 embrace the subject and all the uncomfortable baggage that comes with it. The enormous world we expect Xenoblade Chronicles on this point did not disappoint, as did the brilliant cast of characters and gripping story.

The gameplay is less overwhelming than that Xenoblade Chronicles 2, but just as deep, and the voice acting is again just as charming. Rarely can a series be as good as this Xenoblade Chronicles, but the third entry showed that Monolith Soft was unbeatable. I don’t know what’s next in the series (besides the next DLC), but I know it will probably be amazing just the same.