Has 2022 been the best year for gaming yet? Since 2023 has arrived, it’s best to go back and see what games were good, bad, new, and repetitive. Last year, many new games were released such as Elden Ring, God of War, Modern Warfare 2, Overwatch 2, Stray, and so many more. With a significant number of games coming this year, it’s time to go back and see if this year can beat last year’s releases.

“Elden Ring”, the game of the year, was a huge success due to the fact that it is one of the biggest open-world games, with incredible graphics and insane boss fights. Since “Elden Ring” is a big part of the “Soul’s” Franchise, it’s grabbing more people’s attention for their past games.

“I liked how open world it is and how you can go wherever you want to go,” senior Tyler Macoleni said. 

When it comes to being able to do whatever people want in Elden Ring, it doesn’t take much. In most games you are confined to one area and have to follow a certain path, leaving most people bored and not wanting to play the game. But in Elden Ring you can avoid doing the main quest and take your time to explore the game’s beauty, earning new items and getting stronger before taking on the main challenge.

“God of War Ragnarok” is a Playstation-exclusive game that has had many of its own. The initial release date was Nov. 9, 2022. Many people have been waiting for this game for about 4 years since their last one “God of War”. 

This game has met many people’s expectations, but some were a little disappointed.

“I liked the gameplay until the ending because it got repetitive and a little boring at times,” senior Spencer Campbell said. 

The game itself has a beautiful game design and an amazing story.

“I would replay the game as there is a plot twist that is enjoyable to see on a second playthrough,” Campbell said. 

The game is full of surprises and has so much play time as it would take close to 52 ½ hours for 100% completion of the game.

“Overwatch 2”, an FPS Team Based Strategy Game, was released on Oct. 4, 2022. It is a continuing game from Overwatch which was released in 2016. They took home the Best Multiplayer, Best Game Direction, and the Best Esports Game for all of 2016. Their new game adds new character design, gameplay, game modes, and a new ranked system. Most older Overwatch players are excited about, their new PvE game mode. In this mode, you will be able to play with friends on missions to defeat the omnics, artificially intelligent robots. You will also be able to get new skills for your favorite characters to make them stronger than before.

Since Overwatch 2 is a newly released game some things aren’t as fair. “I like the character gameplay, but I don’t enjoy the unbalanced nature of some characters,” senior Saxon Coller said. Some new characters released with the drop of the game are much stronger than others and are hard to counter. Blizzard is always happy to meet other players’ requests so they’re always looking for ways to nerf the character and make them balanced while keeping them good.

An honorable mention in games to review is Hollow Knight, coming out with the sequel to the last game “Hollow Knight: Silksong” coming out sometime this year. Super fun and another beautiful game to play, being the award-winning action-adventure game in 2017. You play as a lethal hornet, discovering new lands and power to help you on your journey.

The game has so many features to enjoy, 

“I liked how the story is written incredibly well, music and art make the game enjoyable to play,” senior Braeden Baker said. 

Playing with a 2D view of the game can still make this really fun. The art style can vary depending on the location you’re at. Being dark and gloomy to bright and fun. 

“More things to do in the game because it’s a big game, it took me about 20 hours to fully complete the game,” Baker said. Along with the amazing art style and enjoyable music, you get to play this game for a decently long amount of time without getting bored of it always wanting to come back.

2022 has been a great experience for gamers. Many wait for more to come, new games, sequels and prequels. Hopefully, 2023 can bring even more excitement to the people that await.