This year has had a few big releases. We are about halfway through the calendar year, so it feels appropriate to make a list of the best games we’ve received so far. Some being poor and some being great. 2022 has treated us well and with more coming such as God of War. The year has been good to us already and is only bound to get better.
10. Dying Light 2: Stay Human
Dying light got mixed reviews and for fair reason. The story was lacklustre and made the game suffer from pacing issues and bad characters. However, the parkour was satisfying and faster than ever. Once you gained upgrades you could leap to places you could have never got near before. Combat was fine and the world was bigger than ever. Even though it wasn’t the sequel we had dreamed of Techland still gave us a decent game that will have tonnes of future content.
9. Nintendo Switch Sports
Wii Sports was a gigantic hit and Nintendo was bound to try and recapture that magic. Unfortunately, Switch Sports is missing key elements that made the original so amazing like boxing, baseball and golf. They announced that they plan to bring new modes like golf in free updates which is great and will keep the game alive. New modes like volleyball and badminton are enjoyable additions, meanwhile, football is a poor quality mode that doesn’t really work.
8. Sifu
A tough game that requires patience. Sifu is stylish in its presentation and has slick combat. It has a unique system of ageing after you die and respawn. Sifu draws inspiration from classic fight scenes in films and utilises them to its advantage. It takes a while to adapt to the combat system, but once you begin to master it you feel a sense of accomplishment flow through you.
7. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
All Lego Star Wars games in the same place. Jumping from episode one to episode four to episode seven. Having such a huge and diverse cast of the legendary Star Wars series right in front of us. Graphically it is stunning and exploring areas we never got to see in the originals was a treat for old and new fans alike. This instalment had voice acting and it served well with hilarious transactions between different characters who would never get to meet each other in anything else.
6. Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Kirby hasn’t had a big release in years and it finally got the treatment it needed. This is the first 3D game Kirby has received and it has been a success. The platforming isn’t crafted to perfection like Mario but is nonetheless good. The level design really shined in this and showed why it deserved to be placed in 3D. The puzzles being intertwined with combat made us use Kirby’s abilities tactically.
5. Pokémon Legends: Arceus
The Pokémon we had all asked for. Open world and to capture Pokémon that were truly out in the free world. This Pokémon is insanely addicting and lets us get the closest we’ve ever been to a real Pokémon trainer. This Pokémon is far from perfect, but it’s a great step in the right direction for the franchise.
4. Lost Ark
Lost Ark technically isn’t new since it was released in Korea years ago. But for us across the oceans, it’s a brand new game. It took the world by storm and was at the top of steams player count for a long time and even now remains in the top three constantly. Lost Ark mastered what many similar MMOs struggle with and that’s amazing end game content.
3. Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands
A spin-off of the classic Borderlands series. Wonderlands takes us to a fantasy world based in a board game similar to dungeons and dragons. If you’ve ever played Borderlands you’ll know to expect weird, funny and outrageous moments. Wonderlands has some great side quests and it has a lot of content for a spin-off game. The new magic system is a breath of fresh air for the series. Instead of using grenades, we now use spells to destroy our enemies.
2. Horizon Forbidden West
Horizon might be the most beautiful game I’ve seen graphically. We journey with Aloy to help save the world from a potential extinction of all life. The world is unique with interesting secrets to uncover. Fighting against prehistoric machines was something that used to sound like a dream, but not with Horizon out. Horizon is a great game that is truly best experienced on a PS5.
Elden Ring
Elden Ring used everything that made Fromsoft games so good and placed it into one game. The map is massive with no waypoints or markers on the map letting you truly explore the vastness of the unknown. Of course, the combat, bosses and lore are what makes these games so amazing and Elden Ring provided in quality and quantity. Do yourself a favour and just buy the game if you haven’t.