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GotY 2022 5. Pokémon Scarlet/Violet An open-world core Pokémon game finally is here, and... My feelings on it are very mixed. It's got a lot of ingredients I appreciate, but but on the whole so sloppy and undercooked that I can't fully enjoy them. The end result feels strangely hollow and bland. I've consistently enjoyed core Pokémon games for two decades, but for the first time, this is one I was comfortable putting down and walking away from not long after release. What a mess. 4. Animal Crossing: New Horizons I got a lot of mileage out of this game in early 2022, fully exploring and enjoying what its final content patch and DLC had to offer. I had a terrific time completing collections and customizing my island and resort, and was sad when I finally exhausted everything that I felt like doing. Looking forward to the next Animal Crossing game and doing it all over again, whenever it happens. 3. Pokémon Legends: Arceus For the first time since the inception of the series, the core Pokémon games stepped out of their comfort zone and truly attempted to innovate and modernize, and the resulting experiment works far better than I ever would have guessed, with delightfully smooth movement and rewarding exploration. It's ugly and basic in many ways, but if they can iterate on and enrich this formula they'll have gold on their hands. The question is, will Gamefreak let it happen? The Pokémon franchise is infamous for throwing out some of its most warmly-received features and refusing to build on them. Scarlet/Violet obviously took some cues from Arceus when it comes to movement and exploration, but those mechanics are not nearly as satisfying in that game.  2. Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker Endwalker has kept up the marvelously high level of quality that the game has been lauded for since 2019, and I'll never stop being impressed at this team's output. It only put out two major patches this year, but the addition of the Adventurer Plates feature alone has created endlessly enjoyable player-made content. This game will always be significantly flawed due to being bloated and putting its weakest content first, but it's consistently improving with time, and I appreciate that. 1. OMORI I put it on my #1 slot last year, and since it was re-released on consoles this summer with some new content, it's rightfully at #1 again. This isn't the first game to mix wholesome, bittersweet, and horrific subject matter into a simultaneously joyful and painful journey, but its execution has done things for me that no other work of fiction has. Last year, OMORI hit me like a thunderbolt and taught me so many important things about myself, and it's never stopped helping me since. I feel weird lumping an experience like it in with more conventional entertainment, but it's a video game and it belongs here all the same.
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Dec 11, 2022 17:00
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| # ¿ May 10, 2024 01:30 |
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