DualShockers' Favorite Games of 2022 -- Otto's Top 10

As 2022 (thankfully) comes to a close, the DualShockers staff is coming together to share their personal favorite games throughout the year. Unlike our official Game of the Year Awards, each of these lists is meant to reflect which games stood out personally to each of our staff members. Additionally, any game — not just 2022 releases — can be considered in each Top 10 List.

2020 is finally over…finally. Nosotros've dealt with a lot this year; a pandemic, a tumultuous election bicycle, an extremely decorated hurricane flavor. In that location's been so much going on that I've been finding most of my comfort in games. I don't really play for escapism and don't really expect it; some part of the real world will e'er bleed into a game, and it's the medium's nature as an art form. Merely still, some bring those much-needed brute comforts, and that's role of why you'll find that a lot of my acme ten games this yr aren't really from 2022.

It'south been a year of regression for me, by and large brought on by quarantine. This started every bit a joke with friends when I began listening to music I liked in loftier school, but information technology gradually became a reality as I began playing some of my favorite games from the aforementioned time period. It's not like they weren't accessible either; that's ane of the master benefits of gaming mainly on PC, every bit everything is within arm's reach.

Either manner, I spent a lot of this year playing games. Some of them I didn't enjoy as much as others, merely the ones I did savor made a genuine departure. Happy holidays and happy New Yr, honey reader; here are my top 10 games from this 365 twenty-four hour period-long dumpster fire.

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10. Clone Hero

I mentioned creature comforts for a specific reason. I've played Guitar Herogames since I had a Wii and worked my manner towards beating the games on Skillful. It's i of my crowning achievements in games, something I'm genuinely proud of. The twenty-four hours that I shell "Through the Fire and the Flames" on Skilful is nevertheless cemented in my brain and preserved in an embarrassing motion-picture show of me at 17, sweaty and sporting a white tank summit, plastic guitar in one hand, while the other threw a thumbs-upwardly.

This twelvemonth, something called me back to that dandy game of yore, except I didn't really have a way to easily or comfortably play information technology. Until my friend told me about Clone Hero. This uncomplicated game, which is totally free by the way, lets players play whatsoever vocal from whatsoever Guitar Herotitle. Past that, it'southward also a repository for songs made past other players that rank from enjoyable to mind-bendingly difficult. I erred towards the former, and have since played through "Cliffs of Dover" more times than I'd like to admit. While some folks institute comfort in the soft aesthetic of Brute Crossing, I plant mine in the multicolored buttons of a guitar-shaped controller.

nine. Carmine Dead Online

The yr information technology came out, I played way too muchRed Dead Redemption ii. I immersed myself completely in the fictional Wild West and left the experience wanting more. Deplorable to say though, there aren't really any cowboy-themed games that can hold a candle to Rockstar's latest championship. So, I had to settle for the next best thing — Red Dead Online. And honestly, "settle" is far as well harsh considering that I loved this multiplayer version of Ruddy Dead Redemption 2.

Over the course of about of this year,Red Dead Onlinewas a fantastic service. I could log in for a couple hours a day, goof around with a pal of mine, and log off feeling like I was advancing slowly but steadily towards a new milestone or goal. The game even received a couple of updates calculation much-needed actress content. Sadly, since the game'southward last update and its massive nerfs to how much gilt (the game's premium currency) could be earned, I haven't touched it. Withal, those memories of me lassoing a friend and dragging them behind on a horse just can't exist beat.

8. Crash Bandicoot 4: Information technology's About Time

This game'south place on my list surprised me, even equally I struggled to put information technology together. But I'd be mistaken if I didn't mention how much fun I had with the latest entry in the Crash Bandicootfranchise. It doesn't just build on everything that byCrashgames have been; it makes them (for the most office) better, all while retaining that experience that the classic titles had. Yes, that ways the game is sometimes hair-tearingly difficult.

Just whenCrash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time gets information technology right, it's something to behold. It's one of the about spectacular platformers I've played this twelvemonth, filled with personality, whimsy and good ol' fashioned fun. I'm not diving dorsum into the game to collect every gem or blast every box, but if I do kick information technology upwardly for the random level hither or at that place, I know I'm in for a good time.

Bank check outDualShockers' review ofCrash Bandicoot iv: It'south Virtually Fourth dimension.

7. Cyberpunk 2077

This is…a hard one to write nearly. I accept a lot of strong feelings about Cyberpunk 2077and its developer CD Projekt Red. Information technology's a game that I, forth with hundreds of thousands of other gamers, accept been looking forward to for years. And when it finally arrived it didn't just fall flat, it crashed into the Earth's crust with meteoric force. Ten years from now, the industry will call launch disasters like this "Cyberpunks." If it's not happening, requite me a year; I'll make it happen.

Even so, my time withCyberpunk 2077has more often than not been stellar. The game is unlike anything I've always played, with its interesting characters, fun and varied side-quests, and scale. I said it before in my review, and I'll say it once again: goose egg in Cyberpunk 2077is washed in a half measure. It goes all the way, for amend or worse, and when it's for better it'south awe-inspiring. I've put way as well many hours into Cyberpunk 2077equally-is, and I have a feeling that past the end of side by side year that count will exist well over 200. Since I finished my terminal run ofFallout: New Vegas I've been looking for a new open-world RPG to play to death, and I recall this is it.

Bank check outDualShockers' review ofCyberpunk 2077.

half dozen. Duck Game

Earlier on in quarantine, my friends and I were struggling to find games to play. Sure, we'd hop on Jackbox for some quick laughs, only all of our tastes were also radically different to really get into ane game. Until we collectively rediscovered a unmarried strange title from 2022:Duck Game. This weird title, a platformer fighting game where each player is a bloodthirsty duck, is a elementary joy and one of the best multiplayer games I've played all year.

Not only is it packed with fast-paced one-striking-impale activeness, merely the game has an insane amount of modding support. Once we played through and got tired of all ofDuck Game's default maps, we'd only spend 10 minutes finding a agglomeration of new ones to run around in. That plus the game's continued support–which has resulted in an viii-histrion mode–makes Duck Gamestand out from any of this year'southward multiplayer titles.

five. Halo iii on PC

I really shouldn't have to justify this one. Before this year in the center of the summer, Halo threemade the leap from console exclusive to PC thanks to The Master Principal Collection. Prior to this, I hadn't playedHalo 3since my days as an edgy centre-schooler, listening to Ascent Confronting and hating my algebra teacher. The regression hit once more, and although I didn't kickoff listening to Rise Against, I did sink another hundred hours into what is arguably ane of the greatest FPS titles of best.

Y'all really can't go incorrect withHalo 3; information technology's got simply about everything. Its entrada is stone solid, filled with fantastic setpieces and memorable moments. Multiplayer is a constant blast where anyone tin find a game style to sink hours into. Mine was SWAT, and I've since become a sweaty, try-difficult player whenever my friends and I queue up for information technology. And and so there'southward custom games, the center and soul of Halo 3. Playing archetype custom games from my childhood wasn't just fun; it fabricated me feel something a game hadn't made me feel in a long time. I was sent back to those days playing on a medium-sized plasma screen, talking to online friends with a crappy headset. Past being a great game, Halo 3is a great memory, and revisiting it with all the PC bells and whistles was one of my favorite gaming experiences this twelvemonth.

4. Mount and Bract 2: Bannerlord

This is one of those games that I had been waiting years for. Literal years for. When everyone else was hyped aboutCyberpunk 2077, I was asking "well, when'sBannerlord?" The twenty-four hour period finally came early this year when the game finally released in Early Admission, and information technology's everything I could have e'er asked for.

The Mount and Blade games place players in the shoes of a random schmuck in a made-up version of the medieval age. From in that location, players are set loose to do whatever they want, although it usually culminates in taking over the world. WhereBannerlordgets information technology right is the immense scale of everything. Massive field battles between armies tin can stretch out to one-half-an-hour, and sieges on castles or cities are only immense. There isn't another game out there likeBannerlord, and the craziest office is that the game isn't fifty-fifty out of Early Access yet.

3. Final Fantasy seven Remake

As I'yard writing this, I'k on the closing acts ofConcluding Fantasy 7 Remake. I've never played the originalFinal Fantasy 7, and at this indicate, I don't recollect I ever can. The sheer dazzler of FF7Rhas but ruined whatsoever future attempts I could brand to play the original game. Its standout visuals and soundtrack are, every bit far as I can assume, a plumbing equipment tribute to an extremely important JRPG championship.

That beingness said, I can't get over what a sheer joy it is to playFF7R. Combat in this title is impactful, fluid and fun. It rewards careful planning and thoughtful character building with satisfying combat scenarios from its get-go to, well, at least where I am now. One time you lot've got a massive enemy staggered and can let loose on them with each member's abilities, it's a show well worth watching.

Sure,FF7Rhas its low points. Its puzzles are slow, the side quests are vapid, and virtually of the time anyone talks, I yell at them to close up and get me to the next fight confronting a behemothic mech or monster. Only at all other times, FF7R is nothing short of spectacular. It's not my Game of the Year, but damn if it didn't earn the bronze medal.

Check outDualShockers' review ofConcluding Fantasy 7 Remake.

2. Hades

Hades was the game that nobody knew they wanted this yr. It slipped in out of nowhere in September and claimed the hearts and minds of tons of players, including me. I'chiliad non the biggest fan of roguelikes; I like a decent clamper of them, and there are a select few that I adore. Primary among them is The Bounden of Isaac, which I've played since it was a Flash game back in the early 2022s. And then it should deport some weight when I say that Hadeschallenges that game for its Roguelike Male monarch crown.

Hades, like many titles from Supergiant Games, excels in nearly every aspect, even those it doesn't have a right to. I mean, information technology'southward a roguelike game, so why in the world am I falling in love with its characters? Why is its art style absolutely entrancing? Why have I learned to play "Good Riddance" in total to the point where I tin't get the song out of my head? Also existence fantastic to play, Hades is a vivid piece of fine art in its own regards, and I'd be remiss to not admit information technology as such.

Check outDualShockers' review ofHades.

1. The Last of Us Role Ii

This was an insanely hard decision to make. Part of me wanted to give this spot toHades, but I had i singular thought that prevented that.The Last of United states of america Role Two is, much likeHades, more than only bully gameplay; information technology is deep, penetrative fine art. The stuff that, if y'all let it, will eat at your very core. It didn't just shake me; it moved me and has lived hire-free in my head ever since finishing it. Hadesdoesn't do that.The Terminal of Us Part Two does.

As a game, I greatly enjoyedThe Last of United states Part II. I plant its hibernate-and-seek mechanics more than fun to toy around with; they got my adrenaline pumping nearly every fourth dimension. I got anxious as an enemy would saunter past a automobile I was hiding under as Ellie, and encounters with Infected are, equally always, horrifying. While I spent much more time rummaging through closets, drawers and other containers for crafting materials than I would have liked, I couldn't assistance enjoying each moment of playing The Last of Us Function II.

Simply experiencing the game is something much unlike. Being present for its story, really soaking all of that in, is a gut-wrenching slog. I know I'k making it sound terrible, but information technology wasn't. Information technology was a fantastic study of desperate, vengeful characters and how humanity works when pushed to its limits. By the game's end, I had been begging Ellie to stop for about v hours. I wanted the game to be over, to stop when the ending could have been happy. Instead, it chose to wrench guts with teeth until its bitter end. This story has stayed with me since I finished it and likely will keep to long after I finish writing this paragraph. It's masterful, and not just i of the all-time stories I've experienced in a game all year, but ane of the best in whatsoever course of media.

Check outDualShockers' review ofThe Final of Us Part Ii.

Honorable Mention: Slippi

I'll be straightforward here: IloveSuper Smash Bros. Melee. It's 1 of my favorite games of best, and it's ane of the few competitive games that I'll actually watch. My group of friends would ever play Melee, that is, untilSmash Ultimatecame out. Only even with the choice of playing a game with an enormous roster that looks better, we've gone back toMeleefrom fourth dimension to time because there's simply zippo else similar it.

Once the pandemic hit though, there wasn't really a good manner to playMeleeonline. If we wanted to play aBlastgame, it wasUltimateonly, and that game's online service is shaky at best over Wi-Fi. That's where Slippi steps in. It'southward a mod forMeleethat gives players a stable, responsive online experience. For the offset time in its 19-twelvemonth history, this game tin can finally be played online as if ii players were sitting side by side to each other. I haven't played as muchMeleeequally I should take, just considering of Slippi, that's going to change.

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Bank check out the residual of theDualShockers staff Summit 10 lists and our official Game of the Year Awards nominees:

Dec 23:Lou Contaldi (General Manager) // Ben Bayliss (Features Editor)

December 24: Grant Huff (Senior Staff Author) // Camilo Olmedo (Associate Staff Writer)

Dec 25: Kris Cornelisse (Staff Author) // Ricky Frech (Reviews Editor) // Ryan Meitzler (Editor-in-Main)

December 26: Michael Ruiz (Contributor) // Mehrdad Khayyat (Senior Staff Writer)

December 27: Sam Woods (SEO Editor) // Peter Szpytek (Video Editor)

Dec 28: Scott White (Video Editor) // Justin Kucharski (Associate Staff Writer)

December 29: David Gill (Staff Author) // Allisa James (Senior Staff Writer)

December 30: Rachael Fiddis (News & Culture Editor) // Cameron Hawkins (Staff Writer) // Charlie Wacholz (Staff Author)

December 31: Otto Kratky (Executive Editor) // Mario Rivera (Video Director)

January one: Iyane Agossah (Managing Editor) // Logan Moore (Special Guest)

Jan 4: Game of the Twelvemonth Awards 2022 Official Winners Revealed

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