2022 is an absolutely filled year for the video game industry. After dealing with two years of the pandemic, quite a few games were pushed into launching this year. We’re just now into February, but there were a few notable games worth bringing up from January of this year. We have a collection of games that are either new ports, games that just launched out of early access or titles that might have finally made its debut thanks to early access programs.
#10 Expeditions: Rome
Expeditions had its third installment released into the marketplace this past January. For those unaware, this is a strategy series where the game focuses on a specific period. Within January, we received Expeditions: Rome. In this game, we’re stepping into the role of Legatus, a man who joins the military ranks of Rome to avenge the death of his father. It’s a turn-based game where you’ll command a group of soldiers through the environments. Players will need to be mindful of their surroundings to position a character carefully and what weapon abilities they have to use against an opponent. Fortunately, most players have found the game to feature a compelling storyline to keep you playing along and care about the characters presented. You’ll even have some freedom in choices such as dialogue lines, so your playthrough might feel just a bit more personal.
#9 Not For Broadcast
There’s quite a bit that goes into producing a television show. It’s not an easy task between the breaks, ensuring the video feed is stable and censoring harsh language. With Not For Broadcast, the game throws players into running a network. This is a single-player experience where you’ll sit behind various monitors and ensure your production runs without a hitch. Ultimately, this means bringing up adverts, bleeping out certain words, switching between cameras, and avoiding interference. Not For Broadcast came out in 2020, but it was only released through early access. However, January saw the full launch of this game, so you can get through the campaign entirely and attempt to get through an entire broadcast at the National Nightly News without losing your job when productions and guests get a bit too chaotic.
#8 Hidden Deep
Hidden Deep is finally in early access, and it’s quite an impressive game. Keep in mind this title is coming out from a single developer. Overall, the game follows a group of researchers discovering strange anomalies under the ocean floor. Nearly 700 days passed from when the first group of researchers dropped communication. You’re taking the role of a commander leading a second group down to figure out what is going on. You’ll use different tools to make your way around obstacles a bit easier. Add in the fact that you’ll have some heavy machinery to further drill through the tough terrain, or craft bridges are also at your disposal. However, you’ll soon discover that some unknown horrors are awaiting your arrival, making it a fight for your life as you explore deeper into the depths below. As mentioned, this game is available right now, but it’s set in early access, so there will be a variety of updates going out between now and its official launch date.
#7 Nobody Saves The World
Nobody Saves The World is a brand new release from Drinkbox Studios, the folks that brought out the incredibly popular Guacamelee franchise. In the game, you awaken without memories and soon find yourself on a grand adventure. The world is in peril from an evil entity, and who best to save it than you, a nobody. Armed with a powerful wand that allows you to instantly transform into different creatures such as a ghost, dragon, or a slug, you’ll find yourself switching bodies regularly. Each transformation comes with its own unique ability, which will help you fight off hostile creatures and reach initially unobtainable areas. Fortunately, you’ll put these transformations into good use as the island is full of inhabitants that have their own troubles. So strike up a conversation and see how you can aid them with your newfound transformation ability.
#6 Warno
There’s never a good feeling when countries tense up, and the thought of war looms over. The Cold War-era had quite a few tense moments with the fear of nuclear war inbound and the thought of a battle sparking another World War. Warno looks to dabble a bit more into this period and showcase what war might have been like if the countries frustrations forced a bloody battle. With the game, we’re getting tossed back into 1987, where World War III bursts onto the scene. Countries take up arms, and you’ll have to navigate through this RTS in hopes of changing the course of history. Players will have hundreds of different military units featuring a variety of arsenal, vehicles, planes, to soldiers. Press forward through the carnage, war-torn towns, and demolished fields as you fight for your country and citizens back at home. Now, this is a game that launched in January, but it’s also in early access. So you can expect to see various updates roll out between now and the official launch date out of early access.
#5 Astroneer
Astroneer is not a new game. This title first came out in 2019 when released for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 platforms. Finally, in 2022, we have Astroneer on the Nintendo Switch. This is a survival sandbox game, but not one that will have you banging your head against the wall for its difficulty. It’s a rather relaxing game without combat. Here, you’re taking the role of a lonesome astronaut plopped down on a strange alien planet. It’s your goal to gather enough resources to leave the world and venture onto the next planet. Each of which will have goals and challenges for players to overcome. Equipped with the Terrain Tool, players can form and twist the environments to their will while gathering precious resources. From there, you’ll build up your base and gather power. Meanwhile, the aspect you’ll want to watch when you venture out into the unknown is your oxygen level, but even that can typically be easy to manage.
#4 Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection
Uncharted is a staple franchise for Sony. Naughty Dog is a studio that takes care of its projects and provides some extremely detailed gameplay experiences. We’ve been following Nathan Drake on his various adventures across the world since the PlayStation 3. While we haven’t seen Naughty Dog or any other studio owned by Sony unveil a new chapter, there was a collection release. Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection packs in the two latest games together. Players are getting the campaigns from both Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. When they first arrived, these games were big hits, and now they’ve been enhanced for the PlayStation 5. You’re getting faster loading thanks to the SSD, 3D Audio, DualSense controller support, and two performance modes that either focus on 4K at 60fps or 120fps at 1080p resolution. It’s a bit of a shame that we’re not getting the full storyline with all the major releases, but if you haven’t played these games yet, it’s a collection well worth warranting a purchase. This game is currently on the PlayStation 5, but players can also expect to see the collection come out on the PC platform sometime later this year.
#3 Monster Hunter Rise
Monster Hunter has an absolutely strong following. Fans can’t get enough of this IP. It’s overall the same kind of gameplay as the developers don’t drastically change anything up. Essentially, players are dropped down into this world as warriors that track down and hunt behemoth-sized monsters. After a successful bout, the beast will drop down some precious resources which you can take and craft better gear. Ultimately, that allows you to hunt bigger and stronger beasts. That’s the general gist of the gameplay, and you can expect that to hold true with Monster Hunter Rise. What the game does differently is allowing players more focus on verticality. Thanks to a grapple system mechanic, players could venture to new heights and get a better drop on a target. This title also launched last year for the Nintendo Switch, but we finally saw a launch for PC in January.
#2 God of War
2018 saw the release of God of War. PlayStation 4 players were getting a new thrilling adventure as Kratos. Long after his bout with the Greek gods, we find Kratos settled down with a family. But, of course, things are not necessarily pretty when the game story starts up. Kratos has lost his wife and must raise his son alone. To make matters worse, his once peaceful homestead is discovered by the Norse mythological gods and deadly creatures. Players are forced into battle against a new set of godly enemies, but fortunately, Kratos is not one to be a pushover. We’re no longer dealing strictly with the Blades of Chaos, but instead, we have a new two-handed Leviathan Axe. Swing into the flesh of your enemy or throw it for a ranged attack. Then simply recall it to have the axe fly right back into Kratos’s hands. For the longest time, this was one of the exclusive games you had to own for the PlayStation 4. Fortunately, that’s no longer the case, as in January, we received God of War on the PC platform. This might get you prepared for the next installment, God of War Ragnarok. But at the moment, the upcoming game is only for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 platforms.
#1 Pokemon Legends: Arceus
Pokemon Legends: Arceus is the latest mainline Pokemon game released in the marketplace. It’s a thrilling new journey that fans have taken up with. Game Freak did change the formula up just a bit, and we’re essentially looking at what the future of Pokemon games might evolve into. Overall, the title takes place well before the events of other Pokemon titles, but we are in a somewhat familiar region. This game takes place in the Sinnoh region, long before it was known as Sinnoh. Players here are taking on the role of a researcher, trying to catalog all of the wild Pokemon species, which we’re familiar with when it comes to practically all past Pokemon games. With that said, this is more of an open Pokemon game where you can attempt to capture Pokemon in the wild without engaging in battles. Although, triggering a battle will bring back that old-school, turn-based combat setup that previous Pokemon games are known for. For the most part, reviews both from critics and fans alike have been well received.
