While 2022 saw a lot of upcoming games delayed into what is already looking like an incredibly stacked 2023, it was still a packed year full of a ton of great releases both big and small. From the juggernaut that was Elden Ring to masterpieces in Chained Echoes and Xenoblade Chronicles 3, 2022 might offer up one of the most diverse lineups in gaming history. It was also a year that saw me actually have trouble picking a clear Game of the Year.
So, let’s take a look at all the winners of Analog Stick Gaming’s very prestigious and highly memorable Game Awards of 2022!
Chained Echoes Wins Game of the Year, Best Indie, and Best Narrative.
While you can check out my review here where I gush endlessly about it for a few thousand words, Chained Echoes is one the best games I’ve ever played. I was hooked on this title from start to finish, and playing it on the Steam Deck meant I could experience it wherever I went. From its captivating story and characters to its amazing combat system, this game is one I can highly recommend not only can you play it almost anywhere, but it’s also an RPG you can easily beat in under 30 hours, so it is highly digestible when compared to a few others.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Wins Best RPG/JRPG and Best Soundtrack.
Right up until I played Chained Echoes, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 was about to clean-sweep my GOTY. Now, with that in mind, I gave it my best RPG/JRPG as the combat and systems here are deeply complex but also immensely rewarding. This game is an absolute stunner, and its soundtrack is massive in scale and every single track is superb across the board. Clocking in at easily 140 hours to tackle nearly everything, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a tough recommend due to that sort of time investment, but once you let it get its hooks in you, that time will simply melt away.
Elden Ring Wins Best Art Direction, and Best Action Adventure.
Holy Shit. What a game. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be even able to play much of Elden Ring let alone beat it, given that difficult games are rarely my cup of tea. I expected to play it for a few hours, hit a wall, and then move on to something else. 120+ hours later and not only have I completed my journey, but I also killed almost everything there is along the way. Elden Ring might not have the most graphically intensive environments, but its Art Direction is second to none as this game is stunningly gorgeous everywhere you go. The world that exists here is captivating and you take part in new experiences and locations so often that this world feels like it will never fail in offering up something new for you to explore. Elden Ring is a masterpiece and needs to be experienced.
NFS Unbound Wins Best Racing Game.
Need for Speed: Unbound does a lot right to keep you engaged with remarkably decent driving mechanics and an anime-infused aesthetic that works in the game’s favor. Now, this award is a tad hollow as it’s also the only racing game I’ve played this year to any degree. I do find its story mode to be somewhat grindy and the acting and characters to be rather grating, not to mention the game having AI that literally cheats to win, but I wouldn’t have included this award if I didn’t feel that there was something there. For any of its faults, Unbound is still vastly enjoyable to play. The customization of your racer and car really stands out, so if you have the chance to at least check out the 10-hour EA Access trial, then I certainly do recommend it, because the game is rather impressive, if a bit too repetitive.
Persona 5 Royal Wins Best Handheld Game.
Released this year on Xbox, Switch, and Steam, Persona 5 Royal is no longer locked away in Sony’s console jail, allowing nearly everyone the chance to experience this stunning release. Despite being just a re-release, I included it in this year’s awards because technically, this is the first time the game has been truly portable without Remote play or otherwise. The game runs damn near flawless on the Steam Deck and is a JRPG experience, like Xenoblade Chronicles 3, that requires a pretty hefty 100+ hour commitment. With amazing combat, memorable characters, and a story that keeps you guessing, Persona 5 Royal is the definitive way to experience this stunning adventure.
Trails from Zero Wins Best Remaster/Remake.
Trails from Zero is an interesting release. It never had an official English release in the west, so a group of fans took it upon themselves to do the legwork to make that possible. When the official publisher took an interest in this localization, it became official and Trails from Zero was officially brought over to these western shores. This remaster is great, providing us with the Crossbell Saga that was very influential in the background of the Trails series going forward, especially that of Trails of Cold Steel. With the newest entry in the Trails series releasing in 2023, and this game being a huge part of that narrative going forward, Trails from Zero is a definite must-play for any fan of JRPG’s.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land Wins Best Family Game.
Kirby games have been often decent to good with some mechanics and gameplay often being far too simple or rarely that engaging to truly keep my interest and remain memorable. Forgotten Land is Kirby's real foray into the more 3D space that Mario has occupied for years. There have been games that have come close to this aspect of what the game offers, but Forgotten Land does a remarkable job at making a Kirby game feel fun and yet original in ways previous entries struggled, at least for me. Combine that with a post-game campaign to unlock the true ending, Forgotten Land is one Kirby adventure that I’ll truly remember.
Soulstice Wins Best New IP.
Soulstice was a blast. I had my issues with it, sure, but this Devil May Cry-inspired game sets the stage for what could be a stellar franchise going forward, especially given this first-time effort of its developer to a game this big in scale. With some amazing combat, characters, and boss designs, I really look forward to seeing what this studio has in store for the future of this series.
Fortnite Wins Best Live Service/Ongoing Game and Best Competitive Multiplayer.
Fortnite is the only Live Service game to truly keep me playing well after release, often having me jump in each day to tackle my quests and level up the battle pass. Its tight shooting and shuffling map design between seasons, not to mention all the amazing skins from Geralt to Spider Gwen to the Doom Marine, keep bringing me back. With the newly implemented Unreal Engine 5 revamp, Fortnite has never looked better, showing that this new engine runs incredibly well on now current-gen consoles. I also do have to shout out the no-build mode as it has been a game changer for myself, a fan of the game that never got on with the building.
King of Fighters XV Wins Best Fighting Game.
King of Fighters XV was a solid fighting experience to take on this year and the first King of Fighters game I really invested my time into. As I am familiar with a few characters making guest appearances in other franchises, I had a blast revisiting with many of them. The story mode is nothing special, but the core fighting mechanics and visuals were very inviting and made for a fun few weeks.
Pokemon: Legends Arceus Wins Most Improved Sequel or Franchise Entry.
While 2022 also saw the release of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, the more traditional split releases, Legends Arceus was the better adventure hands down. With some amazing quality-of-life changes to make this adventure stand out in a modern gaming landscape, to just making a game that felt far more fun to play than the main-series games have been in years, I hope that we see another Legends game come out and really influence the entire series going forward.
Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes Wins Best Spin-off Title.
Three Houses was a damn impressive Fire Emblem game with three campaigns and a wealth of new characters to recruit for your strategic battles, Three Hopes took all that and infused it into the Musou formula, retelling the story with a few tweaks to offer up a fun new experience that features all your returning favorites from Three Houses. While I certainly had my issues with the game, I still think this adventure certainly deserves to take this award.
TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge Wins Best Co-op Multiplayer.
Shredder’s Revenge is the closest we have got to a spiritual successor to the beat’em origns of the original Arcade game. It is such a fun game to jump in with others, fighting alongside not just the turtles, but April, Splinter, and Casey Jones as well. Combat, visuals, and the wealth of fun boss encounters made this a vastly enjoyable few hours. Playing through the bulk of this game co-op with a friend and even a few randoms, certainly had it rank high on my overall list, making for a must-play game that everyone should take on.
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope Wins Best Licensed / Adapted Game.
The original Mario + Rabbids was fantastic and showed that other developers can take on the Mario character and make something really impressive with it. Sparks of Hope improves on the original in every way, with actually letting us freely move around as Mario this time around. If you enjoy Mario and even the slightest bit of tactical gameplay. this adventure is one certainly worth taking, even if the Rabbids are not your cup of tea. And, for those who are not great at these types of games, there is a mode that makes you completely invincible, ensuring you can just sit back and enjoy the story mode with no fear of failure.
Power Wash Simulator Wins Best Podcast Game.
Power Wash Simulator was such a blast, literally. The very basic gameplay of shooting a power wash nozzle at dirt somehow feels incredibly addictive, causing time to just fly by as you power wash a tree house, public bathroom, vehicle, or private jet. I adored this game, played it whenever I could, and always had something going on in the background, whether it was a podcast, Youtube video, or even the absolutely bad Resident Evil Netflix series, oh well, at least I got all my power washing done while taking in that abomination.
Cult of the Lamb Wins Best Community Game.
Cult of the Lamb was such a fun game on its own, but when watching your favorite streamer play it, one with an audience to take full advantage of its community features, it was such a cool thing to see followers and subscribers become members of the cult and join the ranks. Hell, I had the chance of winning my spot in Kinda Funny’s Andy Cortez’s cult. Am I still alive? I have no idea, but that feature, among other things the game did with the audience was something that really brought the community into the game and made for a very unique experience.
Charlotte McBurney Wins Best Performance.
In a year where no one really blew me out of the water, Charlotte McBurney came the closest. Her role as Amicia in A Plague Tale: Requiem shouldn’t be overlooked as she really brings the goods, especially from an actor who doesn’t have a wide range of experience to fall back on. While there were others who certainly earn the nomination here, such as Danielle Bisutti as Freya in God of War: Ragnarok. I found Charlotte to simply move me in ways that Bisutti, and several others, didn’t quite match.
God of War : Ragnarok Wins Best Accessibility.
Sony has done a remarkable job at implementing accessibility settings to make their first-party games playable to a wide range of new players. From color-blind settings to a wide range of button alternatives and assists, Ragnarok really allowed for almost anyone to take in its adventure. For a look at my God of War: Ragnarok review click here, as well as all its available accessibility settings, check out the PlayStation Blog about everything this game offers.
And that concludes the Game Awards for the Best of 2022. What Games were your favorites this year? Do you agree with any of my Awards, or what would you have seen win in some of these Categories? What categories would you like to see added next year? Comment Below.
THE 2022 UNINSTALLED AWARDS
So, now comes a brief discussion regarding the top five worst/disappointing titles of 2022. Last year, I had ten entries, but have reduced it to five to make a more concise read. These are games that disappointed me in ways that I wish they hadn’t or games that are downright awful in some way.
Either way, enjoy!
5. Star Ocean: The Divine Force
While I’ve yet to push through the entire game, my 14+ hours here have cemented that I likely won’t see the adventure through. Every time I jump back in, thinking that I am going to finally complete it, I don’t feel the pull to continue and often find the experience to be just incredibly poor. The bland characters, awful voice acting/direction, boring story, and drab environments just pile on and on and make this game often unbearable. It’s a shame that modern Square Enix sent this out to die, likely resulting in the series ending with this half-baked and bland entry.
4. MX vs ATV: Legends
With continuing a series, your aim should be to produce a product that is better than what came before. Legends just isn’t that. Each vehicle feels far too unwieldy and often just not that fun to control, regardless of the upgrades you make. The game also had significant technical issues at launch, and while the game had some promise, especially with its Trails mode, it ultimately was a vast disappointment all around.
3. Shattered: Tale of the Forgotten King.
Shattered is a game that fails at living up to its potential in vast ways. Its world is boring, its story incredibly lacking, and combat fails to have any sort of weight to it, Shattered feels like the game was released well before it was finished, despite being in early access for quite some time. It’s perfectly fine to be a Dark Souls clone, but you also need to have something that is your identity, and Shattered simply fails at doing anything even close to that. While its world is spacious with a nice visual style to it, the world is empty and rarely begs you to explore it. Had there been something to keep me hooked, I would have likely enjoyed this adventure far more, but as it stands, it’s one journey that I will forget all about by the time I finish this sentence.
2. The Dead Tree of Ranchiuna.
I feel that with a better script, more experienced actors, and some actual gameplay mechanics, The Dead Tree of Ranchiuna could have been an interesting mystery to unravel, but as it stands, it’s a boring trek through the countryside where nothing really seems to happen for long stretches of time. The game is only around two hours long, so it’s not going to waste too much of your time, but it’s just not something I can recommend in the slightest. With character turns that are laughably unbelievable, several of which felt like I was reading a script written by an AI, I can honestly say that this is one of the worst games I’ve played in years, and that is unfortunate as I feel there is a fantastic adventure here that just wasn’t executed on to its fullest potential.
1. GunGrave GORE
GunGrave GORE is one of the worst games I’ve played in a long time as nothing here feels satisfying in any conceivable way. The shooting, special attacks, stuns, and presentation are all disappointingly frustrating and never feel functional. I can honestly imagine a version of this game that delivers, offering tight third-person action with functional skills and mobility that sings, but what is here is just a downright disappointing game that is frustrating to no end and is the worst title that I have played all year long. It’s titles like this that make me glad that Game Pass can prevent me from wasting money on purchasing these awful experiences.
What were some of the worst games you’ve played in 2022? Did you enjoy any of the games I did not? Comment Below!
Cya guys next year with a whole new list!