We’re halfway through 2022, so like every year let’s take a look back and round up some of the best games that have been released so far. Now keep in mind these are the Gamecheckup teams choice, you’re definitely gonna have different picks so we’d love to hear yours in the comments.
List of top 10 Best Games of 2022
Dying Light 2
Dying Light 2 Now this is the follow-up to one of our favorite games here at gamecheckup.com and we think it mostly lived up to it.
The open world setting was really cool, the parkour free-running trap-setting stuff was even better this time around, and the combat gave you a lot of options on how to take down enemies.
It just felt like an expanded version of the first game. Now it’s not quite as challenging as the first game and there’s a lot more story stuff and I think it’s kind of up for debate
How much of that decision-making really pays off, but what you have here is just a straight-up fun video game open-world exploration adventure with zombies and bad guys that’s incredibly satisfying to play.
The simple stealth is satisfying, all the hits feel good, the parkour free-running stuff gives you a sense of speed and adrenaline, and there is a lot to keep you busy, a lot of side quests, a lot of side activities, And they don’t all feel like pointless filler.
And of course, it’s all set in a really, really cool well-designed world with communities actually, in various different ways, handling the whole zombie apocalypse thing.
It was kind of fun to really take all that in. Now at this point, we’re through it, it was a mill, we’d shoot it, we swallowed it, that kind of sounds like a gross metaphor, but now essentially we’re waiting for dessert because the original “Dying Light” had some really awesome post-launch support.
So we’re looking forward to seeing what Techland can really cook up for “Dying Light 2” and this new world they set up.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus
Pokemon Legends: Arceus Now there is definitely another open-world 3D Pokemon hot on the heels of this one, but “Pokemon Legends: Arceus” was kind of the first to really give what a lot of people were hoping for.
Just completely wandering around environments, encountering Pokemon in the wild, Sneaking up behind them, tossing a Poke Ball, battling in real-time, all that stuff, and I think it mostly paid off.
While the story and some of the setting weren’t as compelling as I was hoping considering it’s set in a before time, the core gameplay stuff is pretty good and I’m really excited to see where the Pokemon company is gonna take that further.
We’re really excited to see where this story goes next because this new gameplay foundation they built here is pretty cool and has a lot of potentials.
The Quarry
The Quarry This one was recently released and it’s from Supermassive Games, the people behind “The Dark Pictures Anthology” games as well as one of our all-time favorites, “Until Dawn,” and “The Quarry” very much is straight up another game like “Until Dawn” but focusing a little bit more on camp goofiness like from ’80s horror movies, embracing just some of the teen’s soap opera drama stuff, but with some light humor and weird quirkiness but still plenty of scares, It’s still gory and scary, but it’s really based on moment-to-moment decisions.
Where in other games like these more interactive stories rely a lot on quick-time events and just quick button presses, this is actually more about the moment-to-moment decisions you make in the dialogue and how that affects the characters and really how the story plays out.
There are a lot of different outcomes, there are a lot of different endings, And it’s just really satisfying to play through, whether alone in the dark by yourself because the graphics are pretty well most of the time, or if you’re just having some good times playing with some friends.
It very much feels like a celebration of slasher kind of goofier-style horror movies and we love it for that.
Supermassive Games really, for the most part, just gets this stuff and we love playing through their games and we think “The Quarry” is up there as one of their best.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge is holding the #5 rank on our list of top 10 Best Games of 2022.
If you like this type of game, let me tell you, this one is definitely gonna scratch that itch.
It’s from Dotemu, they’ve done it again with Ninja Turtles in general, they’ve just kind of straight up made a new, fun, accessible, but still challenging classic style Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles brawler.
It is so awesome. From the music to the static cut-scenes, the soundtrack, the animations of the characters, and the little voice lines, all of it is filled with some fun old-school gameplay charm.
And while some people can’t go back to this retro style of play, the people that do, like us here, there is a lot to love here.
It’s a short playthrough, it’s nothing crazy, but there’s a story mode and an arcade mode and multiple difficulties, and it is so much better with friends.
It supports up to six-player co-op Featuring the Turtles, Splinter, April, and Casey Jones, and if you love this stuff definitely give it a try.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Kirby and the Forgotten Land If you were looking for something good on Nintendo Switch this year, this 3D Kirby adventure in some really interesting locations is really satisfying.
It’s light-hearted, it’s fun, there’s good stuff to collect, and Kirby can transform into a lot of cool things.
V Rising
The next game on the list of top 10 Best Games of 2022 is V Rising after diving in and us dabbling here and there we gotta say, man, this thing has game popularity on Steam specifically a lot thanks to word of mouth, and it’s pretty worth the hype.
You wake up as a vampire and you have to build your empire.
It’s like a top-down large explorable world with survivable elements, RPG elements, but also vampire elements.
You gotta worry about sunlight, you gotta satisfy your thirst for blood, and it’s just nice to see vampire games Really having a comeback.
We’re hoping 2022 is really the year of the vampire, from “Vampire Survivors” really going viral to “V Rising” really kicking off.
This is just a PC gamer’s game with some really cool combat, satisfying enemy types, beautiful visuals, and good multiplayer.
It’s something you should definitely check out if you’re playing on PC, we highly, highly recommend it.
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga You probably wouldn’t expect us to dive this deep into this one but it’s just awesome. It’s a really well made perfect “Star Wars” package.
Why we have put Lego Star wars on the list of top 10 Best Games of 2022.
If you were of that generation that kind of grew up with the “Lego Star Wars” games or had younger siblings that really grew up with them, they’ve really become a thing.
They’re satisfying well-made games, there are great memes, and “The Skywalker Saga” essentially is a celebration of all those games.
It basically gives you full adventures to play through for each movie, all the main trilogies, and it gives you a ton of explorable kind of open-style world, vehicles, a bunch of characters to play through, and tons of stuff to unlock.
It’s really a grind if you wanna see everything but even if you just wanna passively play through to see all of your favorite “Star Wars” movies recreated in Lego once again, there is a lot of charm here, there’s some great inside jokes and references and it plays better than your average “Lego” game.
They’ve really retooled the combat, the third-person shooting, there are some cover systems.
And also it looks pretty damn gorgeous, it’s really cool to see them recreate some classic “Star Wars” planets in the Lego style but with great visuals.
You got a lot of bang for your buck with “The Skywalker Saga,” especially if you have kids or a younger sibling around, or if you’re like us, you’re just a complete adult and you play these games alone in your home. Either way, check it out.
Horizon Forbidden West
Horizon Forbidden West is the follow-up to “Horizon Zero Dawn.” And with this one, to be straight up, it’s just a bigger, better, crazier “Horizon Zero Dawn.”
I hate to be reductive about it but there are a lot, way more interesting cultures, NPCs, side quests, enemy types, and world variety.
This game is just chock-full of, you know, open-world stuff, but a lot of it is actually meaningful and interesting and well made.
For me in particular I just like some of the environmental puzzles you stumble upon in the open world.
Aloy’s adventure goes full-on crazy sci-fi and kind of buck wild, I still don’t quite know how I feel about it, but the moment-to-moment gameplay from beginning to end was really satisfying.
I don’t know if it’s one of Sony’s best exclusive franchises but when it’s good and it’s firing on all cylinders, this game is pretty awesome.
Also, it’s crazy gorgeous. I mean, look at it, it is a sight to behold, from the environment, the level of detail, the way the characters look and emote
It is like a visual feast, but thankfully it’s got the gameplay chops to back it up.
Sifu
Sifu This is one of my personal favorite games of the year.
It’s just a simple brawler that’s a little bit more than meets the eye.
It is incredibly challenging and requires a lot from you the player.
You need to memorize the enemies and really practice getting through a level unscathed because every time you die you get older and there are certain ramifications that come with that, but if you keep dying and keep getting older eventually you’re gonna be too old to fight and that’s when you get a game over.
So the hook is really to get through a level and beat a boss as young as possible, and that’s an incredibly satisfying gameplay loop, especially when you just chop it up with how the actual brawling, and the fighting works.
The blocking, the dodging, the comboing, all of it is quick and brutal, hallway John Wick old-boy style and it is so cool to pull off.
When you’re doing well in this game, you truly feel like a badass.
That’s what I really wanted to see leading up to this game, watching the trailers and stuff, and I think they nailed it.
From the bosses to the visual style of the levels to the animations to just like getting a quick throw or a dodge or a perfect strike in there, all of it is just hmm chef’s kiss.
“Sifu,” clearly, we highly recommend. and it is holding its #2 rank on our list of Top 10 Best Games of 2022 with honor.
Elden Ring: Best Games of 2022
Elden Ring we really love this game, we’ve made tons of videos on it, and “Elden Ring” straight up
is pretty much at this point the biggest FromSoftware game.
Of course because of sales numbers and hype and all that stuff, but also I’ve seen more people jump into “Elden Ring” than any other FromSoftware game.
This seems to be for a lot of people the gateway drug to FromSoftware gameplay and their other games.
It’s really special, of course, for the FromSoftware touch, you know, the challenging combat, the crazy, over-the-top boss designs, but just really how filled this open world is with actual meaningful stuff to just stumble upon and discover.
This game just consistently will blow you away for the entire length of time you’re playing it.
Just when you think you’ve seen it all, you find a whole new massive area or a whole optional dungeon or a side boss.
The game, even when it’s really challenging and when you hit a wall, still manages to be consistently satisfying, consistently rewarding in a way we haven’t seen with many open-world games.
There’s gonna be plenty of people that comment and say It’s overrated, it’s over-hyped, and that’s fine, agree to disagree.
We really, really like “Elden Ring” and we’re probably gonna be talking about it for years to come and that is the reason why we have kept it on number one out of the top 10 Best Games of 2022.
If you have any more games on your mind make sure to reach out on our Twitter.
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