The games that got away in 2022

[Jamie John]

What were some of the games that were released this year which you didn't get around to but really want to play?

 

I played about fifteen games this year that were released in 2022, and while I got through most of the big hitters that I'd had an eye on, there were definitely a few that slipped through the net and are now top of my list for 2023.

 

They include:

 

Pentiment

 

 

I've actually started this, but I also started Vampire Survivors at more or less the same time. This turned out to be a mistake, because, as soon as I did, Pentiment didn't get a look in. I'm definitely going to back to it, however, as I was certainly charmed by the first hour or so that I played, even if it does feel like a bit of a slow burn.

 

Neon White

 

 

I didn't hold high hopes for this when it was originally revealed: I don't really go in for games with cards in them, as a rule, and the anime art style turned me off. By all accounts, however, it's supposed to be addictive speed running fun that encourages you to break its systems to find faster and faster routes, and it sounds perfect for the Steam Deck. You should skip the dialogue, however, or so I've read.

 

Norco

 

 

2022 was ostensibly a brilliant year for text-heavy, atmospheric narrative games, and, along with Citizen Sleeper (which was excellent), the abovementioned Pentiment, Return to Monkey Island (which I've still not yet played), Roadwarden (which I also want to play), Norco is supposed to very much fit the bill, being a point-and-click adventure set in an alternate universe version of a relatively small town in Louisiana. It's also on Game Pass, so there's no excuse.

 

The Case of the Golden Idol

 

 

Talking of left-field text-heavy narrative adventure games, this 2D detective-em-up set in ultraviolent 18th century England sounds very much my cup of tea. It appears to have flown under the radar for a lot of people, probably because of how brilliantly ugly it looks, but frequent comparisons with The Return of the Obra Dinn means that I'm all but required to play it. Another one for the Deck, I reckon.

 

Anyway, I could go on, but what were some of the games you just didn't get to this year?

[Qazimod]

This is what I said in the abstinence thread:

 

On 20/12/2022 at 16:06, Qazimod said:

Considering how many 2022 games I resisted picking up - the latest EDF, Soul Hackers 2, Metal Hellsinger, Outmode, FFVI Pixel Remaster, Tunic, Sol Cresta, P4A Ultimax - I think I did okay!

 

EDF 6 didn't get released over here yet, so that's not too bad. Outmode and Ultimax I can take or leave - the former didn't review amazingly well, and I've played the latter before. FFVI is FFVI and I've played FFVI, and I kind of lost interest in Sol Cresta. I still regret missing out on:

 

Tunic

 

 

I think this got released in the middle of the crazy period where bloody everything was being released and I had no chance of making time for all of it. I had already played a demo of it back in 2020, and I really liked the visual style and harsh challenge imposed by the limited number of hearts. I think the only reason I didn't commit to a purchase is because I felt like a whole game of challenge like that would be too brutal for me and I'd quickly lose interest.

 

Metal Hellsinger

 

 

This was one of the hardest "nah I can wait" decisions of the whole year. Despite its simplicity and indie-ness, Metal Hellsinger's demo was a hell of a lot of fun. Taking the concept established by BPM: Bullets Per Minute and applying a metal hellscape to the experience worked so much better than I expected, and I still listen to the demo's awesome "Stygia" track now. The vocals coming in when the multiplier reaches its maximum is a brilliant incentive for performing well.

 

Soul Hackers 2

 

 

I've tried a few SMT offshoots and there haven't been that many that have really grabbed me, but a lot of people who have excellent taste and trustworthy opinions were talking about how enjoyable this was. And it released on normal consoles rather than following the bizarre tradition of an SMT ending up stranded on one platform forever. Maybe I'll get around to it sometime next year. But then maybe I should have bought this game instead of spending money on Persona 5 for the third time. 🙃

 

Vampire Survivors

 

 

Not quite sure how I dodged this. I think I looked at the hype surrounding it and was worried that it was a bit of a fad, a one-trick pony that would quickly be forgotten. It sounded like a dopamine factory for people who don't like playing games but want to associate with games like this so that they sound like they're down with the kids. It sounded like the initial novelty would wear off and eventually people would move on to the next craze. However, I do enjoy the browser demo and I can see the appeal.

[Jamie John]

@Qazimod- Tunic is brilliant (my second best GOTY, in fact), but it's best as a puzzle game, not a combat one. People going in expecting fighting as tight as Death's Door are going to be disappointed; turn on invincibility mode and focus on the puzzles instead.

 

And you're bang-on with Vampire Survivors: it's an endlessly playable dopamine factory for about 10-15 hours, then the novelty wears off a bit, but those 10-15 hours are pure magic.

 

I'd absolutely recommended both games.

[dreamylittledream]

2 hours ago, Qazimod said:

This is what I said in the abstinence thread:

 

 

EDF 6 didn't get released over here yet, so that's not too bad. Outmode and Ultimax I can take or leave - the former didn't review amazingly well, and I've played the latter before. FFVI is FFVI and I've played FFVI, and I kind of lost interest in Sol Cresta. I still regret missing out on:

 

Tunic

 

 

I think this got released in the middle of the crazy period where bloody everything was being released and I had no chance of making time for all of it. I had already played a demo of it back in 2020, and I really liked the visual style and harsh challenge imposed by the limited number of hearts. I think the only reason I didn't commit to a purchase is because I felt like a whole game of challenge like that would be too brutal for me and I'd quickly lose interest.

 

Metal Hellsinger

 

 

This was one of the hardest "nah I can wait" decisions of the whole year. Despite its simplicity and indie-ness, Metal Hellsinger's demo was a hell of a lot of fun. Taking the concept established by BPM: Bullets Per Minute and applying a metal hellscape to the experience worked so much better than I expected, and I still listen to the demo's awesome "Stygia" track now. The vocals coming in when the multiplier reaches its maximum is a brilliant incentive for performing well.

 

Soul Hackers 2

 

 

I've tried a few SMT offshoots and there haven't been that many that have really grabbed me, but a lot of people who have excellent taste and trustworthy opinions were talking about how enjoyable this was. And it released on normal consoles rather than following the bizarre tradition of an SMT ending up stranded on one platform forever. Maybe I'll get around to it sometime next year. But then maybe I should have bought this game instead of spending money on Persona 5 for the third time. 🙃

 

Vampire Survivors

 

 

Not quite sure how I dodged this. I think I looked at the hype surrounding it and was worried that it was a bit of a fad, a one-trick pony that would quickly be forgotten. It sounded like a dopamine factory for people who don't like playing games but want to associate with games like this so that they sound like they're down with the kids. It sounded like the initial novelty would wear off and eventually people would move on to the next craze. However, I do enjoy the browser demo and I can see the appeal.

You do know 3 out of 4 of those are on Gamepass right?

 

 

[Benny]

Shit, I'm going to have to check out Norco now.

[joffocakes]

I had been interested in Tunic thinking it would be a gentle, modern take on old, old Zelda games but @Siri's writeup in the game of the year thread has me really eager, particularly the mentions of referring to the manual and taking notes.

 

I've avoided reading anything about Immortality and Pentiment as both probably benefit from knowing as little as possible. I'm gonna wait until the new year and blast through 'em, so I feel productive.

[Alex W.]

 

Strictly speaking I did at least start Elden Ring and GT7, and I blitzed Immortality but that’s it. Sets me up nicely for the first two in 2023 though!

[Jamie John]

10 minutes ago, joffocakes said:

I had been interested in Tunic thinking it would be a gentle, modern take on old, old Zelda games but @Siri's writeup in the game of the year thread has me really eager, particularly the mentions of referring to the manual and taking notes.

 

I've avoided reading anything about Immortality and Pentiment as both probably benefit from knowing as little as possible. I'm gonna wait until the new year and blast through 'em, so I feel productive.

 

Yes, it's definitely a note-taker's dream:

 

[Siri]

14 minutes ago, joffocakes said:

I had been interested in Tunic thinking it would be a gentle, modern take on old, old Zelda games but @Siri's writeup in the game of the year thread has me really eager, particularly the mentions of referring to the manual and taking notes.

 

Somebody reading my bullshit in the GOTY thread? o nyo

 

My note taking was bordering on the insanity that was Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward, mind. It just gets all very meta and satisfying because of how the (really beautiful) manual reveals stuff to you.

 

I've missed quite a few games this year - Pentiment, Norco, GOW Ragnarok and Elden Ring. I'll likely get around to the former two in the new year before Forza, GOW when the PC port exists and Elden Ring when I bother with, well, every other Souls game.

[Jamie John]

@Siri - you don't need to have played the other Souls games to enjoy Elden Ring. Just get it played, man! It will change your life.

[BadgerFarmer]

I'm in a position where I played most of the stuff I wanted to as it came out, and have caught up on a handful of those I missed in the last few weeks.

 

I've got Ghostwire Tokyo to start now, and I still want to get round to The Stanley Parable Deluxe, and Neon White.

 

It would be nice to dive into an old-school RPG too - Live a Live, Chained Echoes or Tactics Ogre - but I doubt I'll have time.

 

And then part of my also wants to try both Bayonetta 3 and Horizon Forbidden West, even though what I've seen and read of them has been a little uninspiring. But I really liked HZD and Bayo 1 is an all-time favourite.

 

I'll do well to get through a few of those. I've probably only got a few weeks before the new cycle starts over again.

[Jamie John]

@BadgerFarmer 

 

Chained Echoes has tickled my interest, too, and I've read it's not supposed to be too long. And, despite swearing myself off JRPGs for good, all the gushing praise I read for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has also caught my eye, though that really is an epic 100 hour+ campaign.

 

Regarding Forbidden West, YMMV, but I got fed up with it, despite also enjoying the first game; there's just far too much of it - too many quests, characters and loot, loot, loot. It felt like what the Assassin's Creed games have become.

[BadgerFarmer]

7 minutes ago, Jamie John said:

@BadgerFarmer 

 

Chained Echoes has tickled my interest, too, and I've read it's not supposed to be too long. And, despite swearing myself off JRPGs for good, all the gushing praise I read for Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has also caught my eye, though that really is an epic 100 hour+ campaign.

 

Regarding Forbidden West, YMMV, but I got fed up with it, despite also enjoying the first game; there's just far too much of it - too many quests, characters and loot, loot, loot. It felt like what the Assassin's Creed games have become.

I didn't really get on with the first Xenoblade on Wii. I think I soldiered on for around 30 hours, but it got a bit tedious and I wasn't keen on the combat. So I don't have any real inclination to play the third, especially since it's so massive.

 

I may end up trying Chained Echoes over Live a Live, simply because of the cost.

[ZOK]

14 hours ago, Jamie John said:

You should skip the dialogue, however, or so I've read.

The people who say this are stupid.

[Jamie John]

20 minutes ago, ZOK said:

The people who say this are stupid.

 

O RLY? The TCGS chaps would disagree. I'll make my own mind up when I eventually get around to it.

[Thor]

Elden Ring. Started when it came out, but tired of it and never went back to it.

[ZOK]

27 minutes ago, Jamie John said:

 

O RLY? The TCGS chaps would disagree. I'll make my own mind up when I eventually get around to it.

I’ve no idea who they are, but they must be stupid.

[Jolly]

I read all the chatting in Neon White because I'm a total square who feels oddly guilty for skipping stuff, and thought it started out terrible and then gradually upgraded to charmingly ok.

 

Depends how interested you are in an afterlife where everyone wants to fuck each other I guess. The game is very good, mind.

[ZOK]

Heaven is stupid, and so is God.

[Paulando]

On 27/12/2022 at 00:07, Jamie John said:

Neon White

 

 

I didn't hold high hopes for this when it was originally revealed: I don't really go in for games with cards in them, as a rule, and the anime art style turned me off. By all accounts, however, it's supposed to be addictive speed running fun that encourages you to break its systems to find faster and faster routes, and it sounds perfect for the Steam Deck. You should skip the dialogue, however, or so I've read.

I’ve had my eye on this for a while too, but this recent Game Maker’s Toolkit video tipped me over the edge:

 

 

Picked it up on the Deck and it’s all I’ve played since Christmas. It’s wonderful. I think it’s one of those games that, if you think you’ll like it, you’ll really fucking like it.

[Jamie John]

1 minute ago, Paulando said:

I’ve had my eye on this for a while too, but this recent Game Maker’s Toolkit video tipped me over the edge:

 

 

Picked it up on the Deck and it’s all I’ve played since Christmas. It’s wonderful. I think it’s one of those games that, if you think you’ll like it, you’ll really fucking like it.

 

Yup - looks great, and Perfect For Deck (TM).

[ZOK]

21 minutes ago, Paulando said:

I’ve had my eye on this for a while too, but this recent Game Maker’s Toolkit video tipped me over the edge:

 

 

Picked it up on the Deck and it’s all I’ve played since Christmas. It’s wonderful. I think it’s one of those games that, if you think you’ll like it, you’ll really fucking like it.

I had no idea it was the Donut County guy, how funny!

[BadgerFarmer]

On 27/12/2022 at 14:37, BadgerFarmer said:

I'm in a position where I played most of the stuff I wanted to as it came out, and have caught up on a handful of those I missed in the last few weeks.

 

I've got Ghostwire Tokyo to start now, and I still want to get round to The Stanley Parable Deluxe, and Neon White.

 

It would be nice to dive into an old-school RPG too - Live a Live, Chained Echoes or Tactics Ogre - but I doubt I'll have time.

 

And then part of my also wants to try both Bayonetta 3 and Horizon Forbidden West, even though what I've seen and read of them has been a little uninspiring. But I really liked HZD and Bayo 1 is an all-time favourite.

After listing all these games I wanted to get through, I went and bought The Case of the Golden Idol and Strange Horticulture instead.

 

I've started Golden Idol and would definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys detective games, especially Obra Dinn. It's not actually text-heavy at all, but a series of frozen crime scenes (hence the comparisons to Obra Dinn) that you click around looking for clues. Very easy to get into. 

[Garwoofoo]

I'm halfway through Norco and I think it's pretty awful. It's ugly as sin and appallingly over-written. In tone it's aiming for the same sort of arch knowingness as Kentucky Route Zero but without that game's freewheeling surrealism it's just reminiscent of a sixth-form creative writing exercise. There are a few dreadful mini-games thrown in there as well just to slow your progress down.

 

There's a great story to be told with this setting and the effect that large corporations have on the people and places they leave behind, but as soon as Narco introduced a talking robot I knew that this wasn't going to be it. It feels like a load of science fiction elements have been rammed in so the writers don't need to actually do so much research - if anything doesn't ring true then they can just say "oh, it's sci fi" and make up whatever bollocks they want. You wouldn't get away with that in a novel but it seems it's fine if you're "only" doing a videogame.

 

A real shame as I've heard nothing but good things about the game. For the record I loved Pentiment and Citizen Sleeper this year, but this isn't remotely in the same league.

[Benny]

12 minutes ago, Garwoofoo said:

I'm halfway through Norco and I think it's pretty awful. It's ugly as sin and appallingly over-written. In tone it's aiming for the same sort of arch knowingness as Kentucky Route Zero but without that game's freewheeling surrealism it's just reminiscent of a sixth-form creative writing exercise. There are a few dreadful mini-games thrown in there as well just to slow your progress down.

 

There's a great story to be told with this setting and the effect that large corporations have on the people and places they leave behind, but as soon as Narco introduced a talking robot I knew that this wasn't going to be it. It feels like a load of science fiction elements have been rammed in so the writers don't need to actually do so much research - if anything doesn't ring true then they can just say "oh, it's sci fi" and make up whatever bollocks they want. You wouldn't get away with that in a novel but it seems it's fine if you're "only" doing a videogame.

 

A real shame as I've heard nothing but good things about the game. For the record I loved Pentiment and Citizen Sleeper this year, but this isn't remotely in the same league.

 

I enjoyed Norco for what it was with the general aesthetic it creates with the music and art style. It reminded me a bit for some reason of an old Atari/Amiga/DOS adventure game: B.A.T

 

 

Similar to that in that it has weird mini games and arbitrary and somewhat pointless combat sequences tacked onto it.

 

I know what you mean though, my heart instantly sank as soon as the robot appeared. I do think the story struggles to decide what its supposed to actually be about and making it sci-fi doesn't actually add anything in itself, as the setting imparts no meaning and doesn't seem related to whatever story it's actually trying to tell.

[BadgerFarmer]

A big part of it is about technology and how it can both have an alienating and socialising effect on us. The sci-fi elements are central to that.

It's also a heavily personal story inspired by life in the area itself along with extensive research into its history and geography.

[Benny]

It did feel like I was missing something in it - like it was referencing things that I would need to look more into to interpret properly. That's great though, as it's obviously a game with more than just the usual Marvel movie tier fare you get elsewhere. 

[Jamie John]

I haven't tried Narco yet but I'm not sure if I'm going to like it - it does seem quite divisive. I didn't get on with KRZ, either, which doesn't bode well.

[Opinionated Ham Scarecrow]

Norco is weird. It's like a basic southern US gothic point and click tale about loss that was finished, then given to Hideo Kojima for a final once over before release. I loved it.

[Stanley]

17 minutes ago, Opinionated Ham Scarecrow said:

Norco is weird. It's like a basic southern US gothic point and click tale about loss that was finished, then given to Hideo Kojima for a final once over before release. I loved it.

Is that one also on Xbox Game Pass? 
 

Is Vampire Survivor on there too? I have the iOS version which seems alright but I don’t really like touch controls or using controllers with phones/iPads etc.