It's not just that Horizon Forbidden West is bigger, it's better. Guerrilla had already crafted an incredible title in Zero Dawn, but they've graduated into building an immaculate one in Forbidden West. Its strengths are taken to new heights, tuned to being the best they can be, and what were once weaknesses transform into pillars the series can build on. Besides a few minor technical issues, Horizon Forbidden West is the perfect example of what you want a sequel to an already great game to be, and it's certainly a challenger for best game in 2022.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is one of the best games I've played this year. It's fun, it's endearing, and I just want to play it again. The gameplay isn't much different, but it's refined and has aged like a fine wine, with the technical prowess on display we've come to expect from Insomniac Games. If you're looking for a great narrative, the story is arguably the best in the series, with the grandeur of a Marvel movie in tow. One could imply the game isn't long enough, but that's only because they put down the controller, and that's just not what you're going to do if you have a copy of Rift Apart.
I'm not sure how Ember Lab did it, but I walked away from Kena: Bridge of Spirits with my expectations surpassed to a much further extent than I could have imagined. The visuals are breathtaking, the gameplay evolves in meaningful ways, and the heart the story contains has no bounds. You'll find it hard to come across a more wholesome and beautiful game in 2021 than Kena: Bridge of Spirits, it's everything I wanted it to be and more.
Being able to play one of the best games in a generation on any platform is great, but when it's optimized to perfection it's even better. Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection is one of those, a masterpiece that is a masterclass of a port. PC players rejoice, you're once again getting PlayStations greatest at their absolute best.
2023 has already been strong with Game of the Year contenders, and Atomic Heart is another one of them. It lives up to all of the hype and all of its promises; an amazing debut game for Mundfish. Nailing down a few things Atomic Heart is phenomenal at is nearly impossible because it's extraordinary in all of them. This isn't just my favorite game of this year, it might be one of my favorites of the decade.
Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is a straight-out-of-the-comicbooks masterpiece, and one of the best superhero games ever made. The narrative swings to heights writers dream of, and every aspect of the gameplay has been gone over and improved off of it's already stellar design. Insomniac Games has proven lightning strikes several times, and Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is every adjective it's namesake's comicbooks carry, whether Superior, Ultimate, Spectacular, Sensational, or Amazing.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is not only a worthy successor to Remake, but to the original title. With an incredible and multi-layered open-world, outstanding combat, and a heartfelt story that takes you on a beautiful scenic route, Rebirth reaches heights you'd need one wing to touch. Rebirth is special; First-Class in a way only the best Soldiers can be.
Black Ops has absolutely returned with a vengeance. The fast, frantic pace is still there, and the gunplay is still just as great as you remember it. While the campaign may be the weakest part of an overall phenomenal package, it's still very satisfying and the espionage narrative packs a punch. The modes people are going to play the most, multiplayer and Zombies, are the strongest parts of Black Ops Cold War, and offer the best first person shooter gameplay in video games. PS4 and Xbox One players may be missing out on several improvements offered by the next-gen systems and PC, but it's not enough to detract from an amazing experience. My appetite for Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is definitely growing, and like Duran Duran, "I'm hungry like the wolf".
Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered is the definitive way to play the game, whether you've played the original or not, and it's so good you should play it again.
Hitman 3 is the ultimate Hitman experience, period. The game runs almost improbably crisp, and each location is a ton of fun to explore. Replayability is a must, but not just because of the brevity of the campaign, but because there is so much to do in each one. Adding the missions of yesteryear appends even more to the package, along with the ability to be the assassin in VR or take it on the go with Stadia or Switch. I could try and nitpick it for what it doesn't do or where it comes up short (of which there's almost nothing), but when it comes to being an early contender for Game Of The Year, Hitman 3 hits its target dead center.
Firsts don't come around very often, but this is one of PlayStation's first PS5 exclusives and Housemarque's first triple A releases, and the combination is a triumphant success. I'm not sure how they've managed everything in play, taking the bullet-hell stylings of old and meshing them with the trappings of a third-person roguelike, but it works to a fantastic degree. On top of that, the action-packed gameplay is some of the best around, additionally being one of the most immersive and next-gen experiences available thanks to an incredible understanding of the DualSense controller. Yes, the story may take a backseat, but that's the nature of the roguelike genre, and doesn't hinder Returnal in the slightest. I may not be much for roguelikes, but I can see myself "returning" to play this one again and again.
Days Gone is the perfect PlayStation game to make its way to PC. It was already a beautiful game, but held back by the PS4 and PS4 Pro. On PC, Days Gone gets it's chance to flourish, running at uncapped frame rates, high resolutions, and touting an FOV slider. While it is missing some cool next-gen upgrades like ray tracing and DLSS, Days Gone runs nearly flawlessly on PC, and serves as a testament to Bend's tradecraft. Even if you've already played the game on PS4 or PS4 Pro, it's worth jumping back into the shoes of Deacon St John on PC to massacre a freaker horde at the highest level of performance possible.
Buy it. Play it. Enjoy it. It's as simple as the game feels, even if it challenges you more than you'd ever think it would. The more I've played it, the more I see every one of it's accomplishments, with fantastic gameplay and a great choice of art style and soundtrack jewels in its crown. Death's Door does nearly everything right for what it is, and even the shortcomings of the narrative is barely a blemish on a spectacular résumé.
ForeVR Bowl is the perfect way to bowl with your friends in the middle of a pandemic, and maybe even once the lanes are open again. There's plenty to do, lots to unlock, and throwing a ball feels deeper than Wii Sports did back when. Immersion is always going to be key to VR experiences, and just in gauging that, ForeVR Bowl knocks down all ten pins for the strike.
Twelve Minutes is an immaculate construction of narrative that manages to take an extremely compact apartment space and spin an incredibly substantial story in it.
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is the biggest surprise of the year, and joins Marvel's Spider-Man as one of the best Marvel video games in the last decade. The Guardians themselves steal the show, depicted perfectly, with a movie/comic-worthy story that will leave you laughing and crying. The combat is a lot of fun with plenty of strategies to use, even if it can get a little repetitive, and the setting and locations blow you away in scale and how incredibly detailed and beautiful they are. This Guardians team absolutely stands on its own, and just like the movie I'm hooked on a feeling.
This culmination of all things Call Of Duty has resulted in something the entire series can look to, a blueprint on how to build a meaty and superb first person shooter experience.
A delightful journey behind the whiskers of a fuzzy feline friend, Stray is a wonderful game for both cat enthusiast and indie enjoyer alike. The story, while simple, is enchanting with each new discovery – with some that may just make you shed a tear. Gameplay doesn't break new ground, but feels unique from the perspective of a cat, which is handled purrfectly. Stray is incredible, and one you should be playing right meow.
Pentiment does what it does with a magnificent blend of dialogue, characters, and narrative. The winding path you'll take has plenty of off ramps, and while all roads lead to Rome, the journey there feels unique to you. It's so fascinating getting to your specific ending, you'll probably even play it again to see what other decisions look like. Pentiment might not be for everyone, but for the genre, it's a magnificent and compelling work of art.
Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales is a triumph of a game, and now even more people can experience it. That experience may not be as stable as on PlayStation 5 given the diversity of hardware, however there's also a lot more under the hood than you'd get on a console. With all of that in tow, including gorgeous ray tracing and a glut of accessibility options, it's like Miles getting Venom abilities: more power to an already powerful entity. Just like Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered before it, Miles Morales makes the leap and sticks to the wall.