I only update this site about 1.2 times a year. Most of those posts are just a list of the games I played in a given year. This is that post.

I played a fair amount of games this year, but completed very few of them. This is the trend of aging. More games, less completing them. Anyhow here is my very technical setup for this list.

To be on this list the game needed to:

Be released in 2022
Be a game I remember playing

If I include a little *** at the end, this means that I beat the game and rolled credits or I completed its highest objective. At the end, keep an eye open for the honourable mentions, which are games that for some reason or another didn’t fit on this list, likely because they released before 2022.

Nobody saves the World - The press (or maybe just Polygon) loved this game, I don’t understand why. It’s fun that you can be a rat and also a disgusting Mermaid creature, but the gameplay wasn’t doing it for me.

Horizon Forbidden West - A really beautiful game that captures the magic of the first. What magic is that? Killing dinosaur robots and discovering how humanity killed itself in the first place. ***

Tunic - A game where you play as a cute fox cosplaying as Link. An honestly wonderful game with an incredible in-game manual that’s loaded with secrets. Best fox of 2022 ***

Apex Legends (PS5) - Not new in any way or form, but it was released for PS5 so I tried it again. I am bad at this game, but it’s fun.

Crusader Kings 3 (XSX) - Not new in any way or form, but it was released for Series X so I tried it again. I am bad at this game, but it’s fun.

Patrick’s Parabox - A game where you push blocks around. Also sometimes those blocks have a looping image of the universe inside of them, and you can interact with that infinite universe. A challenging puzzle game.

MLB The Show 22 - I like the mode where you roleplay your career in baseball. I made it out of the minors just for my dream team to trade me to someone else. Savage.

Chinatown Detective Agency - I suppose it’s possible that this game is good, but I never encountered that. Instead I played about an hour’s worth of a not super great point and click game. Chinatowns are cool though.

The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe - A sort of remaster but also a new version of the classic game where you take on the role of Stanley, the only person left in an office space. You walk around and things get really weird and/or funny. I don’t know how to describe this game, but the end is not the end. ***

Rogue Legacy 2 (PC) - The sequel to the generational rogue-like. It makes you really wonder about genetics.

Citizen Sleeper - This game is popular with people who must know something that I don’t. Vaguely an RPG. You roll some dice and things happen. I guess it’s not that different from Disco Elysium in that sense, but it really doesn’t compare.

Drainus - A shmup most excellent. I can’t even describe the bizarre story where you have a time travelling frog man as a companion, but you fly a ship and dodge an insane amount of bullets. If you liked Gradius and games like that, this is a winner. ***

Hardspace: Shipbreaker - You play as an indebted engineer who breaks ships apart in space. I didn’t get into it, but I sincerely like the premise. Although the part about massive debt hit too close to home.

Sniper Elite 5 - I didn’t finish it, but nor did I finish any of the other games. You play as some generic sniper man from the first 4 games, who seemingly goes around winning WW2 by himself. It’s fun, and shockingly violent.

Diablo Immortal - If you ever wondered, what would Diablo be like if they made it bad, this is the game for you. Graphics are cool though.

Disc Room(XSX) - A game where you enter into rooms and giant saw blades are just floating around trying to kill you. Once you live long enough, you can go into a new room where more different saw blades fly around and try to kill you. Fun!

Resident Evil 2 (PS5) - Not new in any way or form, but it was released for PS5 so I tried it again. I am scared of this game, but it’s fun. Also, the graphics are nice if you’re into seeing viscera.

Neon White (PC) - This game rules. You play as someone competing for a spot in heaven, by speed running courses full of weird demons. Also the courses are styled in a sort of vaporwave aesthetic. Weird, freaky, fun and a neat little story too. ***

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge - Some of the best pixel art in recent memory. Full of great animation and joyful visuals. It plays like you remember TMNT2 and Turtles in Time feeling like, but it’s even better. So good. Best Turtles of the year.

Fall Guys (PS5) - Not new in any way or form, but it was released for PS5 so I tried it again. I am good at this game and it’s fun. ***

Escape Academy (XSX, PC) - It’s an adventure game that runs you through a series of escape rooms. It’s pretty fun, but some of the puzzles feel a little obtuse. Still I enjoyed the story and the challenge. Best RPG set in an escape room.

PowerWash Simulator (XSX, PC) - I cannot explain how much I enjoyed this game in a reasonable way. You literally powerwash things until they’re clean. It’s very good, somehow.

What Remains of Edith Finch (XSX) - I missed this game when it was originally released several years ago, but it really is a wonderful little story of family and heartbreak. It’s a little scary, but ultimately sweet. ***

Cult of the Lamb (PC) - Have you ever wanted to start a cult where you and your followers are all cute animals? This is the game for you. The gameplay is tight and the base management is fun.

Immortality (PC) - Three films starring the same actress are completed, but never released. You can put together the footage and discover why. An odd and haunting story, told through three films. I cannot imagine the difficulty in putting this game together. It’s audacious, flawed and a must play. ***

Outer Wilds (PS5) - Not new in any way or form, but it was released for PS5 so I tried it again. I love this game and I won’t beat it so I can always go back for more. You play as an alien who lives for about 15 minutes before their solar system explodes. Turns out you can’t die, so you relive those 15 minutes and solve the mysteries of the solar system and maybe more!

Shovel Knight Dig (iOS) - A sort of meh Shovel Knight game. I honestly don’t even remember what the gameplay is like, but I guess I didn’t care for it very much? Maybe it was good and I didn’t give it a try, but clearly it made little to no impact.

Grounded (PC) - A Honey I Shrunk the Kids survival game. I played around with it and it didn’t really click with me. Probably more fun with friends? Also giant spiders, which is a big no for me.

A Plague Tale: Requiem - A sequel to a great game. The last game had you dealing with a giant swell of rats. This version of the game has you dealing with even bigger swells of rats. Gross! Also, a touching story about family and sacrifice. Not quite done this one, but it’s good.

Alan Wake Remastered - About a solid 15 minutes into this game. I wandered into a diner and people recognized me as the famous author Alan Wake. I suspect there’s more it than this given that the first 10 minutes of the game had me being chased around by a shadowy ghost version of myself.

God of War Ragnarok - Once again you play as Kratos, the tortured God of War. This is probably the peak of Dad story video games. Also, graphic violence abound!

Spiritfarer (iOS, PC) - A cozy little management sim/adventure-light game where you ferry the souls of the dead to their final destination. A little sweet, a little sad and a lot of joy. Also the main character has a cat that walks around with you and acts cute all the time, so that’s good too.

Pentiment (XSX) - An adventure game where you are sort of solving a murder? I’m not done yet, but it’s really good. The writing is amazing and the fonts are wild and wonderful. Oh, also the art direction has the entire game looking like a renaissance illuminated bible.

Dwarf Fortress Premium (PC) - This is a game where you simulate hundreds or thousands of years of a great dwarven empire. This game is almost 20 years old and is so complicated it makes my brain hurt. Great stuff. My dwarves seem to be starving but I don’t know how to save them. I look forward to restarting.

Disney Dreamlight Valley (XSX) - Kind of a lesser than Animal Crossing game with disney characters. I largely spend my days running around collecting gems to buy fancy clothing and not helping others or expanding the city.

Overwatch 2 (PC, PS5) - Moving from 6v6 to 5v5 has been a surprisingly smooth transition. I wasn’t sure that I was completely sold on the new feel of the game, but in the end it’s probably a good change that makes the game more fluid and fun. The new battle pass system stinks and I miss loot boxes with interesting seasonal items. I cannot fathom spending $20 on a skin. ***

Taiji (PC) - Sort of like The Witness 2D, but the puzzle design is not quite as good. It’s really impressive and I get the sense that it’s a really small team that made it, so I’m willing to let a lot slide.

Stacklands (PC) - A card stacking game where you build a little society? I think? It’s kind of a flowstate game, but I suspect it will become a stressful game at some point. At some point one of my characters killed a rat and that was kind of neat?

Vampire Survivors (PC) - So the 1.0 release came out this year so I can talk about this masterpiece again. It’s a reverse bullet hell game where you just launch a sickening amount of projectiles out and hit monsters and kill them. I have 50 hours logged on this game. It is so good. ***

The Case of the Golden Idol (PC) - I’m not very far into this, but it’s a vintage inspired game where you try to solve a murder mystery in each mission. It’s a point and click game, but it feels like there are a lot of secrets just sitting below the surface.

Marvel Snap (iOS) - This is card collecting battle game that has a bit in common with the big boys in the genre, but drastically simplified when it comes to getting started. It’s sort of fun, but it’s not blowing me away.

Railgrade (PC) - You’re some sort of person who has the job of building railroads to transport dangerous chemicals around. You analyse the efficiency routes and build better ones. It’s fun, but my definition of fun and yours may not exactly align.

-Honourable Mentions-

Steam Deck - Maybe finally hopefully Valve has created a piece of hardware with staying power. This has brought my steam library back to life. It’s a pretty good piece of hardware, but I suspect if they make a second version that it will have some slightly nicer finishes. That being said, I think this is an excellent device.

Playdate - A very cute and fun little handheld designed to capture the joy of a simpler handheld device. It’s very developer friendly, but I have to admit that I didn’t find developing for it to be the most straightforward experience I’ve ever had. I’m looking forward to tinkering with it more.

Cuphead - This was a big deal a while ago, but I didn’t get around to playing it. It is hard like people say, but the 1920s style animation and art is very charming.

F1 21 - I don’t really closely follow F1 or anything like that, but somehow I found myself completely absorbed in the story of this game. ***

Desperados 3 - I didn’t even know there were two other games in this series, but it plays just like Commandos and Shadow Tactics so it became a great game just like that. Best game where you wear a disguise and then kick people in the shins. ***