PixlBit

2022 was...better? Maybe? We got some great games anyway, and the backlog ever giveth, of course. First we'll take a look at the games I beat and bought and then we'll move onto the Golden Hippo Awards!

Games Beaten

January—Slay the Spire (Switch); Minecraft Dungeons (Switch)

February—Taito Legends (PS2); The Red Star (PS2)

March—Cuphead (Switch)

April—Yoshi's Crafted World (Switch)

May—Golden Axe II; Golden Axe III; Streets of Rage (all Genesis [PS4])

June—Streets of Rage 2; Streets of Rage 3 (both Genesis [PS4]); Azure Striker Gunvolt 2 (3DS); Great Ace Attorney 2 (Switch)

July—Mighty Gunvolt Burst (Switch); Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! (Switch)

August—

September—

October—Wargroove (Switch)

November—Costume Quest 2 (Wii U)

December—Kirby and the Forgotten Land (Switch); Mario Super Picross (Super Famicom - Switch Online); Bubble Bobble 4 Friends - The Baron is Back! (Switch)

Total Beaten: 20

2022 was a decent year for finishing games for me. A few of these were long-time backlog citizens and it was nice to clear some of those out. There were also games I intended to play all year and just never got around to starting. Maybe in 2023!

Games Bought

or somehow acquired

Note: Click on a month to go to that month's recap and see what these games are. The PS+ games in parentheses are part of the total but I wanted to make special note of them since I didn't have to pay for them beyond the subscription fee.

January—2 (PS+: 1)

February—4 (PS+: 1)

March—1 (PS+: 1)

April—1 (PS+: 1)

May—2

June—1 (PS+: 1)

July—3 (PS+: 1)

August—5 (PS+: 3)

September—3 (PS+: 2)

October—2

November—5 (PS+: 3)

December—11

Total Bought/Acquired: 40 (PS+: 14)

Another fairly low acquisitions year! My backlog is still growing but not quite as fast these days.

Addendum of Sorrow: 

Games I spent time with in 2022 but didn't finish

-Pocket Card Jockey (3DS)

I really like this game (horse racing and solitaire is an unusual combination) and I played it a lot when I first got it. But it gets really hard and I kind of fell off it. Plus there is naturally a bit of randomness to cards and that can be frustrating.

The Golden Hippo Awards

And now it's time for the Golden Hippo Awards! These awards are based just on the actual games I played in 2022.

Game of the Year: Kirby and the Forgotten Land (Switch)

Many a game series died in the transition to 3D. Some games, like Metroid, took their sweet time getting to the third dimension. I hadn't realized, however, that Kirby still hadn't made the attempt. But man! Hal sure nailed it on their first try! Kirby and the Forgotten Land is a delightful game that offers enough optional challenge and extras to satisfy an experienced gamer while remaining accessible to younger players (and the co-op is great for playing with young kids). The game looks and sounds great, too, and has a nice chunk of postgame content. As with Ocarina of Time and Metroid Prime before it, Forgotten Land doesn't shake up the Kirby gameplay formula in any meaningful way, but rather it takes classic Kirby gameplay and expands it masterfully into the third dimension.

Runner Up: Great Ace Attorney 2 (Switch)

The first Great Ace Attorney game, while having great characters and presentation, suffered from a few problems—like the lack of a main villain and an overall focus for the plot—but the sequel pulled everything together in a satisfying way. I just wish it hadn't taken so long.

Most Impactful Story: Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! (Switch)

If you like psychological horror, go play this game and then go down a Youtube rabbit hole about fan theories about what is really going on in the greater DDLC universe. You're welcome.

Best Music: Kirby and the Forgotten Land (Switch)

Kirby often has catchy tunes and this new game did not disappoint! 

Best Gameplay Loop: Slay the Spire (Switch)

This deckbuilding roguelike card game nails that "one more run" mentality that made it really hard to put down. This game was so satisfying to finally beat. 

"Finally out of the backlog" Award: Costume Quest 2 (Wii U)

I played the first Costume Quest the year that CQ2 came out and I've been meaning to get to the sequel ever since...and I finally did it!

Best Co-op: Minecraft Dungeons (Switch)

I played all the way through this game with my younger son (occasionally another child would jump in) and we had a great time! Minecraft Dungeons does a great job of simplifying an action RPG dungeon crawl just enough while still leaving some depth.

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Thanks for reading! What were your favorite games you played last year? Here's to a good 2023!