As usual I do my “best games of the year” list on new years day, but before then I reflect a bit on the gaming year.
I wasn’t sure there would be a 2022 in Review this year, because I crashed in the summer. After playing some really challenging games like Elden Ring, Horizon: Forbidden West and Cuphead, I lost all motivation to play. I tried many new games after Cuphead but none of them were fun, and I just stopped playing.
After a few months of hiatus my friend told me to revisit something that I liked, and I started to play Dark Souls 3 again. I slowly started to came back to having fun with games. I didn’t play Dark Souls 3 to cross it off my backlog, or to review it, or to prove anything to myself (I’ve already platinumed it). I just played it for enjoyment.
Maybe that is why I burned out? I was focusing so much on the achievement and crossing off that backlog, getting that review in, it became a second job.
So I haven’t updated my spreadsheets of games I’ve played for 6 months and right now I’m playing Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt. I’ve already completed that game, and I’m mostly doing side quests for leisure and nothing else.
Elden Ring
I should still mention Elden Ring, because that game swept in and took over my life, even to the point that I started a Rune Level 1 character and played it up to Rennala.
I still watch Elden Ring videos and I just got the FuturePress Elden Ring guide for Christmas which I’ve read page-to-page. It is a massive book.
There are few games that can even compare to what From Software has done with Elden Ring. They have taken everything they’ve learned over the last 10 years and condensed it into a massive world. It is not as inventive as Demon’s Souls and the world building is not as good as Bloodborne, but there are unforgettable places in Elden Ring which just has to be experienced.
I think this game deserves a special shoutout in my Year in Review, because of how much of my year it has affected. It is 10 months since it came out, and I still think about it every day.
Looking forward to 2023
I have some great games in my backlog that I am dying to play in 2023, and my goal is to get back on the horse and play some new and awesome games. I am mostly looking forward to Return to Monkey Island, Salt and Sacrifice, Sifu and Doom: Eternal.
Of games coming out next year there are not many I anticipate. Should I play the remake of Dead Space? I never finished the original because it freaked me out. Will the Harry Potter-game Hogwarts Legacy be something to play with the kids? The only release that I’m looking forward to is Diablo 4 in June.
Another great thing happening 2023 is that PSVR2 is coming out in February and I’ve already pre-booked one. I’m a bit scared that the price tag will affect the sales of it, and limit the amount of VR games we’ll get in the coming years, but I do hope that it will be fantastic.
My next post will be game of the year, 2022.
Replay 