Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
- Microsoft Delayed EVERYTHING
- Vampire Survivors…That’s It, That’s The Entry
- Horizon Forbidden West Was Deleted From Memory Almost Immediately
- Square Enix Showed Their True Colours
- Sonic Frontiers Didn’t Suck
- Hellena Taylor vs Platinum Games
- Silent Hill Is Back – But Bloober Team Have It
- Pokemon Legends Mopped The Floor With Scarlet & Violet
- Google Stadia Died
- Activision Declared Itself Innocent
So, 2022 is coming to a close and now we can look back at (most) of the year in awe. Gaming has had quite the showing, with massive new releases, a staggering number of disappointments, and some truly abhorrent displays of vitriol from the ones leading the industry.
This list will compile twists and turns that made up 2022, and it will be filled with highs, lows, and everything in between. It’s going to be quite the rollercoaster, so buckle up and get ready for that inevitable drop.
More End Of Year Content:
Hidden Object Games | Online Co-op Games | Upcoming Science Fiction Games | Upcoming Platformers
Microsoft Delayed EVERYTHING
Let’s start things off with a bit of a bang – Microsoft delayed just about every major release they had planned for 2022 and left the Xbox mostly high and dry when it comes to fresh, first-party content. Sure, it still had EXCELLENT console (and PC…) exclusives, such as Immortality, As Dusk Falls, and Vampire Survivors.
This was not a good showing from Microsoft, which was only exacerbated by a lack of announcements at TGA, and an ongoing legal battle to acquire yet another studio. Hopefully, Microsoft will manage to get their act together in 2023, because man, it’s been rough on fans these last 12 months.
Vampire Survivors…That’s It, That’s The Entry
Speaking of Vampire Survivors – it exists. Not only does it exist, but it’s also one of the best games to release in 2022. It came out of nowhere, took PC gaming by storm, stormed out of Early Access, and as recently had its first DLC.
It’s safe to say nobody saw this little indie title by Poncle to carve a path through the gaming community. Hundreds of hours of content, and a gameplay loop that is so satisfying in its simplicity that I can’t keep my hands off of it. Knocked right out of the park.
Horizon Forbidden West Was Deleted From Memory Almost Immediately
Ok, before people get a little bit grumbly about this one, let’s quickly address the elephant. Forbidden West has its fans, and of course, nobody really forgot about it. However, its release was overshadowed almost immediately by Elden Ring, and it never recovered.
Where Horizon got maybe a week of attention, Elden Ring took over all communication channels for months, and it is still going strong. Needless to say, Horizon was pushed to one side, and this was later made even worse when it got snubbed at TGA. Ouch.
Square Enix Showed Their True Colours
Square Enix sucks. They’ve sucked for a while in fact, but it turns out the depths of their nonsense know no bounds. 2022 has hit Square Enix’s reputation like a brick to the face, and frankly, it won’t improve unless Final Fantasy XVI blows the memory of 2022 out of everybody’s collective minds.
But what has Square Enix done specifically? Well, they released several cash-grabbing MTX games, they launched and then canned another Live Service game, they fell back on Final Fantasy VII milking and did their best Shinra impression, they copped a feel when it comes to NFTs and their CEO hates the concept of fun and made those feelings very, very public. That’s just the tip of the iceberg too.
Sonic Frontiers Didn’t Suck
Rather impressively, Sega managed to release a good 3D Sonic game. This is the first truly good entry in many years, and it’s great to see. Sure, it is rough around the edges, partially unfinished, and embarrassingly got called a “test” in interviews, but that’s all just slight smudges on an otherwise crisply clean face.
Sonic Frontiers managed to get people to believe in Sega again. After what feels like decades, Sonic has some relevance, and let me tell you something, it brings a tear to my eyes. If Sega keeps this momentum up, Frontiers 2 could be the next big thing.
Hellena Taylor vs Platinum Games
How can you talk about 2022 and not talk about Hellena Taylor? She caused quite the kerfuffle when she publicly denounced Platinum Games and claimed they had been rather naughty when it came to recasting her. This had the internet in an uproar, and rightfully so.
Well, that was until a number of sources came forward and showed Hellena Taylor to be quite the liar, allegedly. This caused an even bigger uproar and functionally set the Voice Acting communities reputation back to square one.
Silent Hill Is Back – But Bloober Team Have It
First, some good news – Silent Hill is back! After many years trapped inside Konami’s Pachinko Vaults, Silent Hill is back on the menu. Not only are we getting a new entry in the long-running series, but we are also getting a remake of Silent Hill 2.
Where’s the downside? Bloober Team has their mitts all over it. Sure, it’s better than nothing (in theory…), but Bloober Team doesn’t exactly have the best track record when it comes to horror. Their games have failed to muster much enthusiasm from the gaming community at large.
Pokemon Legends Mopped The Floor With Scarlet & Violet
Pokemon got two major releases this year. This alone is rather surprising. What really took the cake, however, was Pokemon Legends Arceus rocking up and flooring Scarlet & Violet in just about every way.
Where Scarlet & Violet released buggy, ugly, and frankly, unfinished; Legends provided one of the freshest takes on the Pokemon formula ever. Who would have thought a spinoff set hundreds of years in the past would turn out better for Pokemon than a mainline duo-entry?
Google Stadia Died
Ok, this is a bit of a joke. Nobody is surprised that Stadia died.
Activision Declared Itself Innocent
In a shocking turn of events, Activision, led by a man who threatened to have staff killed, has declared itself innocent of any wrongdoing. After countless employees have come forward telling of sexual, physical, and psychological abuse – not to mention discrimination – Activision have assured the world they did nothing wrong.
They conducted a thorough investigation into themselves and came to the conclusion they were absolutely in the right the entire time. What a shocker. Now we can all snuggle up to our Call Of Duty and Diablo boxes and breathe a sigh of relief. Thanks, Bobby.
That’s all we have on twists this year, but check back next year for more baffling turns. In the meantime, check out our other end-of-year lists!
