Topic: Non 2022 Goty

Not every game we’ve played and loved this year came out in these past 12 months. Lets give love to some amazing games that deserve it even tough they weren’t released this year

Mine would probably be Earthbound. I don't usually enjoy RPGs so I had never bought it before, but when it came to NSO I decided to try it since it is is so popular, and I really liked it!

My favorite games of the year in no particular order because it hurts to rank them

Metal gear solid 5; my first metal gear story wise I enjoyed it but I understand it’s radically different from the previous ones. The gameplay is amazing though. Starting with ground zeros it’s instantly freeing. It’s this cinematic prologue that feels a bit unpolished however it opens up into my most played game of the year phantom pain. Words cannot do the randomness of the gameplay justice. You arr given a treasure trove of options and ways to come at a challenge. Your first big questions are leathal or non leathal and stealth or non stealth. From there you are give an infinite amount of weapon combinations to finish your objective. Do you go in guns ablaze with the many different weapons such as pistols, rocket launchers, and machine guns mowing every enemy down, do you bring a giant tank with you, or perhaps you stealth around killing everyone before they realize there is a threat. You can also use a bunch of tricks and traps like gas mines and decoys to stealth in without anyone realizing your there. You don’t even need weapons for most of the missions you can go in without any gear and be fine. The game is whatever you decide it is

Nier replicant; some of the best characters in all of gaming Emil, Kaine and Weiss are like family by the end you’ll love them. The story of replicant is kind of mediocre but that dosen’t matter. What matters is whenever these characters talk and they are almost always talking you’ll be happy. The bickering and heartfelt discussions are all so entertaining to listen to. Even this game’s boring side quests are really fun because you hear these characters complain the whole time with you. They hate these pointless quests as much as you do it’s hilarious. Buy the end of the game despite the stories flaws you will cry for these characters because of the ringer it puts them trough. But it’s not all doom and gloom this is one of the funniest games I’ve played

Nier automa; I love this game but leas than replicant. It has an amazing humanist story but with weaker characters. You will still love all 3 of the of course even if one of thier back stories can only be accessed by a fan translation of a Japanese play. That being said the game is amazing so many powerful scenes and existential questions. You’ll love it you just need to wait for the plot to kick in. And the game much like replicant is laugh outloud ridiculous

Yakuza like a dragon; an adult focused earthbound. It’s a gritty crime drama starring the worlds biggest rpg fan. Ichiban sees the world as an rpg and every interaction loops inward to create a special experience. The lovable cast of characters which are some of gamings best Nanba adichi and I won’t spoil the rest are his party, his baseball bat is an legendary weapon and his street brawls are epic fights. This game has a ton of amazing banter. Your favorite part will be the characters bickering about Idols and calenders. The game is also an amazing crime drama high tension and great conspiracies. And yakuza is also know for its amazing comedy you wanna fight a roomba or a monkey with a crane. Or do you want a side quest dedicated to finding a guy who pees in the resivior or a side quest where you beatb up an evil mascot guess which one is real they all are. The game is a terrific JRPG and I highly recommend it

Doom 2016; truly a masterpiece gameplay wise. The combat and music is pure adrenaline. Almost no plot or cutscenes a pure gameplay experience one that helps support the argument that the experience playing a game can be the art. Everything the stun grabs, every weapon works perfectly it’s a beautiful flow experience you can only get from gaming.

DK tropical freeze; it’s the same as doom this game is a gameplay masterpiece. Every level is intricately detailed every enemy perfectly designed and the sound track is incredible. Bouncing on these difficult platforming sections with perfect control and succeeding on your first try will make you feel like a god.

Xenoblade 2; I finished xenoblade 2 this year an amazing experience. It stands perfectly on its own with one of JRPGs finest combat systems and cast of characters. Similarly to nier you will love them all and regret saying goodbye. Then at the end everything plot wise snaps into place and it’s an amazing revelation. The graphics are also incredible it runs like a decent ps4 game. And that is the highest praise I can give it pure perfection in gaming form.

Jedi fallen order; a great licensed game it I say this very cliché makes you feel like a jedi and not in the way you expect. On harder difficulties every action you take has consequences every move needs to be planned ahead of time if you can’t feel the rhythm of combat your dead. The story is great and exploration is like metroid all in all a great time.

Shadow of modor; the nemesis system makes this game. What should have felt like a by the numbers assassins creed copy is amazing. You truly get to feel like you are forming bonds with the uruks and that makes fighting them feel so good. Killing a giant that has previously humiliated either in a fair fight or with strategic trickery brings the same rush as killing the hardest bosses in some games because it’s personal. These powerful uruks are self made nightmares only you can conquer. Watching a level 1 butthole rise trough the ranks to captain and becoming a titan of difficulty will always be great fun. And when the game inevitably brings back an nemesis you believed died long ago it’s a true grudge match.

GOTG and Days Gone; I don’t want to give my full verdict until finishing them because despite being pretty amazing Theybgot shafted because of other releases. Great fun though and both will probably be on next years list

This absolute masterpiece and it's not even close.

(big honorable mentions to Street Fighter Alpha 2, Kirby 64 and River City Girls as well though!)

This year was the year I played the Souls series and Bloodborne.

I have to say that the experience I've got with those 4 titles was absolutely amazing!

The atmosphere and the world building in those games is perfect!

And ofc I finished Elden Ring as well, but it is 2022 game and the official GOTY so ...

Fire Emblem: Three Houses. I finally beat a route (Silver Snow) and Cindered Shadows.

Metroid Dread. Amazing little game, and one of the highlights of the system's library.

@Ryu_Niiyama How worthwhile do you think the Three Houses expansion pack is? I don't usually buy DLC for games, but I'm torn on this one.

Hard to say, probably elden ring, wile I never got around to beating it it ate up a lot of my game time for four months, worth. Oh and dead by daylight, played the ever loving heck out of that game.

@Ralizah It is pretty short. Only 7 chapters but you get some items, new characters, and a little more info about Byleth (and Rhea). But it isn’t some huge expansion. You could likely pass on it.

@Ryu_Niiyama Gotcha. Thanks. If I ever catch it on sale again, I might grab it. Otherwise, I'll probably pass.

@Zuljaras are you going to do sekiro and demon souls?

I'm going to answer this as "Best Game I played in 2022, but was released earlier"

Probably Need for Speed Most Wanted (2005). I finished up a replay of the game last year. Still a good game in 2022, just wish EA would bring back Pursuit Breakers for future NFS games.

Another game I enjoyed replaying last year was Yu-Gi-Oh! World Championship Tournament 2008. Definitely cool to play it now that I know more about the top decks back then. In 2008, I was just starting to understand some of the competitive strategies, although I was able to beat the game.

Harry & Kim FTW

Most of what I played last year 2022 was released same year... but I have 2 x notable mentions here for this thread:

Runner up - Ghost of Tsushima, just immaculate/beautiful and a level of qaulity you'd expect from Sony/Suckerpunch. Definitely formulaic to an extent, as are most open-world games, but certainly 'a rich man's Ubisoft' !

Winner - Thimbleweed Park, a throwback Point-and-Click game from creators of Monkey Island. Challenging but never too obtuse, this game really stayed with me after beating