Happy New Year, everyone, and welcome to the Prolific Gamer 2022 Roundup Hootenanny!
Last year I set a new personal best record for completed games, tallying 94 total. I had no intention of even attempting to match that total in 2022: instead, I made a conscious decision that I wanted to focus a bit more on RPGs, which is a genre I felt I'd started to fall away from in recent years.
Here's a graph charting my historical game completion by genre. While action and platforming titles have always been there, and certainly other genres have plenty of room to grow, RPGs were the thing I felt like I really wanted to chase after, being typically "meatier" experiences. So how did I do in my quest?
At first glance, not that well! You can see that my percent rate for the general "action" catch-all actually went up! Significantly! Putting more than a tenth of my completed titles into the RPG bucket isn't exactly shabby, but I still didn't even manage to reach my lifetime mark.
Then again, percentages don't tell the whole tale, do they? Let's take a look at my 2022 gaming platforms and see if anything changes. Ah, there we go. More than a quarter of my completed titles this year were actually retro games. And while that did include multiple retro RPGs as well, in general games of that vintage are shorter than modern ones, which means you can typically play - and finish - multiple of them in the same amount of time it'd take you to clear one newer game. Exceptions apply, of course, but it's a fair enough general rule.
And that takes us to the crux of the thing: I've been talking in percentages, but in my quest to consciously try to play more RPGs, I counterbalanced the "long slogs" by playing more retro titles as well, and so despite not wanting to try to match my 94 games record, I ended up beating last year by clearing a new personal best 103 games in 2022. Oops.
Below is the table with the full list of games, minus a pair of "non-patient" redactions. Click the title of any game on the list to jump back to my monthly post for more in-depth thoughts. Or if you just want the good stuff, check below the table where I'll list my top ten for the year and briefly revisit each.
| Number | Game | Platform | Completion Date | Score (Out of 10) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tomb Raider Underworld | PC | January 7 | 7 |
| 2 | The Great Ace Attorney Adventures | Switch | January 16 | 8.5 |
| 3 | Dragon Quest V: Tenkū no Hanayome | SNES | January 27 | 8 |
| 4 | BoxBoy! + BoxGirl! | Switch | January 30 | 9 |
| 5 | Alan Wake's American Nightmare | PC | January 31 | 6.5 |
| 6 | StarTropics | NES | February 6 | 6 |
| 7 | Kirby's Dream Land 2 | GB | February 9 | 6.5 |
| 8 | Yooka-Laylee | PC | February 10 | 4 |
| 9 | A Virus Named TOM | PC | February 11 | 5.5 |
| 10 | Anodyne | PC | February 15 | 7 |
| 11 | Super Meat Boy | PC | February 16 | 7 |
| 12 | Unreal Tournament 3 | PC | February 21 | 7 |
| 13 | EarthBound Beginnings | NES | February 22 | 2.5 |
| 14 | The Lion's Song | PC | February 23 | 7.5 |
| 15 | S.C.A.T.: Special Cybernetic Attack Team | NES | February 25 | 7 |
| 16 | Maquette | PS5 | February 26 | 7 |
| 17 | Vice: Project Doom | NES | February 26 | 7 |
| 18 | Kung Fu Panda: Showdown of Legendary Legends | PS4 | February 27 | 1 |
| 19 | Double Dragon | NES | February 27 | 6.5 |
| 20 | Anomaly: Warzone Earth | PC | February 28 | 7.5 |
| 21 | Journey to Silius | NES | March 3 | 6.5 |
| 22 | Tomb Raider (2013) | PC | March 8 | 8.5 |
| 23 | LIMBO | PC | March 10 | 8 |
| 24 | Crystalis | NES | March 12 | 6.5 |
| 25 | Shadow of the Ninja | NES | March 14 | 7 |
| 26 | The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt | PS4 | March 16 | 9.5 |
| 27 | Titan Quest Anniversary Edition | PC | March 24 | 4 |
| 28 | Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow | DS | March 25 | 8 |
| 29 | The Spectrum Retreat | PC | March 25 | 7.5 |
| 30 | Tales of the Neon Sea | PC | March 29 | 5.5 |
| 31 | Kirby Super Star | SNES | March 29 | 7.5 |
| 32 | The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine | PS4 | April 4 | 9 |
| 33 | Erica | PS4 | April 6 | 6 |
| 34 | Onrush | PS4 | April 10 | 7.5 |
| 35 | Loop Hero | PC | April 12 | 6.5 |
| 36 | Psycho Dream | SNES | April 15 | 5 |
| 37 | Mortal Shell | PS4 | April 16 | 6 |
| 38 | Everybody's Gone to the Rapture | PS4 | April 19 | 5.5 |
| 39 | Sonic the Hedgehog 2 | GEN | April 19 | 7 |
| 40 | Void Bastards | PC | April 22 | 7 |
| 41 | Team Sonic Racing | PS4 | April 25 | 5 |
| 42 | StarCraft II: Nova Covert Ops | PC | April 27 | 6 |
| 43 | Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty | PC | May 3 | 4 |
| 44 | Monster Hunter Stories | 3DS | May 5 | 6 |
| 45 | Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons | PC | May 5 | 9 |
| 46 | City of Brass | PC | May 9 | 4.5 |
| 47 | Mages of Mystralia | PC | May 16 | 5 |
| 48 | Mothergunship | PC | May 23 | 6 |
| 49 | The Vanishing of Ethan Carter | PC | May 24 | 8.5 |
| 50 | Hell is Other Demons | PC | May 25 | 7 |
| 51 | Darq | PC | May 26 | 7 |
| 52 | Ghost of Tsushima | PS5 | May 28 | 8 |
| 53 | The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve | Switch | June 3 | 9 |
| 54 | Peggle 2 | PS4 | June 8 | 6 |
| 55 | Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin | DS | June 12 | 7.5 |
| 56 | Kirby's Dream Land 3 | SNES | June 18 | 7 |
| 57 | Bulletstorm | PS4 | June 18 | 5.5 |
| 58 | Tearaway Unfolded | PS4 | June 20 | 6.5 |
| 59 | Rise of the Tomb Raider | PC | June 21 | 7.5 |
| 60 | Remnant: From the Ashes | PS4 | June 29 | 8 |
| 61 | Stretchmo | 3DS | July 2 | 8.5 |
| 62 | [Redacted] | Switch | July 9 | 8.5 |
| 63 | Moonlighter | Switch | July 13 | 6.5 |
| 64 | Street Fighter V | PS4 | July 25 | 6.5 |
| 65 | Dragon Quest VI: Maboroshi no Daichi | SNES | July 26 | 7 |
| 66 | Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia | DS | July 28 | 8.5 |
| 67 | Dynamite Jack | PC | July 28 | 5.5 |
| 68 | Kid A Mnesia Exhibition | PC | July 29 | 4 |
| 69 | Dead Space | PC | August 12 | 7.5 |
| 70 | LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 | Switch | August 13 | 5.5 |
| 71 | Hotline Miami | PC | August 16 | 4.5 |
| 72 | Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards | N64 | August 18 | 4 |
| 73 | Star Fox | SNES | August 22 | 6.5 |
| 74 | The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition | PC | August 22 | 6 |
| 75 | Tuff E Nuff | SNES | August 25 | 2.5 |
| 76 | Blazing Beaks | Switch | September 1 | 7 |
| 77 | Legend of Grimrock | PC | September 2 | 7.5 |
| 78 | Never Alone | PC | September 7 | 3.5 |
| 79 | Jelly Boy | SNES | September 10 | 2 |
| 80 | Doom 64 | N64 | September 12 | 7 |
| 81 | Grim Fandango Remastered | Switch | September 16 | 4 |
| 82 | Spanky's Quest | SNES | September 22 | 5 |
| 83 | Little Inferno | PC | September 26 | 8 |
| 84 | [Redacted] | Switch | October 1 | 9 |
| 85 | Blaster Master Zero 3 | Switch | October 9 | 6 |
| 86 | Yoshi's Story | N64 | October 11 | 5 |
| 87 | Ristar | GEN | October 14 | 6.5 |
| 88 | Double Dragon II: The Revenge | NES | October 18 | 6.5 |
| 89 | Shadow of the Tomb Raider | PC | October 20 | 7 |
| 90 | Gunstar Heroes | GEN | October 22 | 7.5 |
| 91 | The Swapper | PC | October 24 | 7.5 |
| 92 | Claymates | SNES | October 29 | 3.5 |
| 93 | Final Fantasy VII Remake | PS4 | November 1 | 9.5 |
| 94 | Little Nightmares | PS4 | November 3 | 6.5 |
| 95 | Sword of Vermilion | GEN | November 12 | 6 |
| 96 | Doomsday Warrior | SNES | November 14 | 5 |
| 97 | LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes | PC | November 16 | 5.5 |
| 98 | Returnal | PS5 | November 22 | 8 |
| 99 | Banjo-Kazooie | N64 | November 28 | 6.5 |
| 100 | A Plague Tale: Innocence | PC | December 1 | 7.5 |
| 101 | Heavenly Bodies | PS5 | December 4 | 7 |
| 102 | Alisia Dragoon | GEN | December 13 | 7 |
| 103 | Nioh 2 | PS5 | December 31 | 6.5 |
My Top Ten Patient Games of 2022
10. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter - 8.5/10 (Excellent)
Both redacted games above would make this list if only they were a little bit older, but the bottom pair of games here are worthy of inclusion all the same. The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is the second best "walking sim" type game I've played, falling only behind What Remains of Edith Finch in terms of quality. It's got terrific presentation, a better "detective reviewing the scene" style than the Batman Arkham games, and a really engaging storyline that hooks you until the end.
9. Stretchmo - 8.5/10 (Excellent)
I hope Stretchmo isn't the last hurrah for the Pushmo series, but if it is there are many worse ways to go. One of Nintendo's experiments with the "free to start" pay model, Stretchmo seems at a glance to be a microtransaction-laden nightmare but quickly reveals itself to be a really well crafted and complete puzzle game with a confusing purchase option. It's got some of the best innovations in the Pushmo series and is well worth a look on the 3DS eshop before the platform disappears forever.
8. The Great Ace Attorney Adventures - 8.5/10 (Excellent)
I've been waiting what feels like ages for my boy Phoenix Wright to finally get some closure from the end of his third game, Trials and Tribulations. Instead I suppose I'll settle for a distant prequel, where the formula is clearly just "try to recapture that same magic in the same way" but the execution is so strong you almost don't care. Between the addition of a jury, the deductive sequences, and the really strong story twists, this title lives up to the "Great" in its name.
7. Tomb Raider (2013) - 8.5/10 (Excellent)
In rebooting Tomb Raider for a second time, some of the core essence of the franchise was lost, and I think it's fair to mourn that. The solitude, the remote wonder, even just the silence. In many ways, Tomb Raider 2013 isn't Tomb Raider at all. And yet it's still my favorite game of the entire Tomb Raider franchise, because by losing so much of the past it managed to gain even more. The two sequels each tried to add even more stuff, but in the act of making the cup runneth over they sloshed out some of what made this title so refreshing. There's something special about this game that the series hasn't managed before or since.
6. BoxBoy! + BoxGirl! - 9/10 (Outstanding)
Seems like a lot of games fall into one of three co-op buckets: having no co-op at all, having mandatory co-op, or allowing a second player to play the single player levels in a barely-if-at-all-tweaked fashion. BoxBoy! + BoxGirl! really surprised me by being different from all of these. In this game you get a robust single-player campaign, a completely different second single-player campaign (like "hard mode" but with entirely new levels), and a complete co-op campaign that you can also play in single-player if you want to. And all three campaigns feature brilliantly designed puzzles, meaning they're all worth your time.
5. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons - 9/10 (Outstanding)
It's not quite fair to say that the AAA gaming space is an emotionless void, as there are plenty of high quality experiences to be had there, especially lately. Yet it seems like indie game studios all kind of met in some secret back room of their communal coffee shop turned part-time development studio and made a pact to aim for the player's heart with every single title. Much of the time this falls short, landing clumsily or tritely. Often it works a bit better, tugging at your feelings and hoping you'll miss the giant gaps in gameplay. Sometimes though one of these games just catches you totally off guard and delivers on all fronts, giving you an experience completely unique and unforgettable. Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons was that game for me this year.
4. The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine - 9/10 (Outstanding)
A DLC so titanic in proportion and quality that I refuse to think of it as anything other than its own game, The Witcher 3.5. Featuring a regional map larger than that of most other full games, a complete campaign arc, tons of side quests and even quest types, and much, much more, Blood and Wine is the gold standard for what a DLC expansion can and should be.
3. The Great Ace Attorney 2: Resolve - 9/10 (Outstanding)
Is it called Resolve because it resolves the loose ends left from the first game? Or is it called Resolve because it resolves all my problems I had with the first game as a player? Perhaps it's a bit of both, yeah? While not quite perfect on its own, Great Ace Attorney 2 takes the few minor issues I had with the first title and corrects them all, ending with what might be the best and most epic scenario in the entire Ace Attorney franchise.
2. Final Fantasy VII Remake - 9.5/10 (Superlative)
A friend of mine saw the praise this game received and said, "Yeah, that's cool and all, but it's only a third of the original game, right? I'm not going to buy a third of a game. Let me know when they release a 'Complete Edition' or whatever with all three and I'll try it then, maybe." I understand completely where he's coming from because that's the way I thought about the game as well until I played it. And it puts me in a tough position because I know two things with absolute certainty: 1) My friend's quite reasonable assessment of the game is actually woefully off-base/misinformed, and 2) I can't explain to him why that's the case without massively spoiling the game for him whenever he does decide to play it. So my plea to you all is simple: don't be like my friend. Don't be like I used to be. Play this game.
1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - 9.5/10 (Superlative)
You would think that completing a hundred games in a year would reduce your backlog to ashes, right? Now sure, free games come by the truckloads these days: PlayStation Plus monthly freebies, Epic Games Store freebies every week, periodic virtual console drops on Nintendo Switch, stuff on GOG, stuff through Amazon Prime, and that doesn't even touch the whole GamePass thing. Yet I'm not one of those people who feels a need to play every single game I get for free, and in fact I write at least half of them off immediately. Even still, as I plan my play time and have multiple games I'm excited about, I naturally start to look forward to the next one even as I'm playing and enjoying the one before. The anticipation is part of the fun for me. I often just can't wait to crack open the next new game and try it out.
The Witcher 3 was not a game I was looking forward to playing with this same gusto, though I did want to play it in general. And while I was playing The Witcher 3, there were a couple other games I had on deck that I was really excited to break into and try. And this feeling only built over time because I was playing The Witcher 3 for over three months. So how good was The Witcher 3? I could've cut it short. I could've decided I'd had enough and rode the main questline through to the end. Any number of times I could've put it aside for something new. Instead I never even really seriously considered the option. I played well over 100 hours of The Witcher 3, including the entire first Hearts of Stone DLC, and when I was finally done and had the entire world of games in front of me, I said "Lemme try that Blood and Wine expansion." And after another month went by, and I had finally exhausted everything I wanted to see and do in the game, I was at long last free to move onto something else.
And that made me a little bit sad.
Coming in 2023
One thing that jumped out to me this year was, interestingly enough, the number of games I didn't finish. While I keep record of every game I ever play, I only keep meticulous notes about the ones I complete. Yet that doesn't always provide the full picture, does it? So I think starting in 2023 I'm also going to include smaller write-ups for the games I played enough to get a firm sense of but decided not to finish for some reason or another.
I've also got some nice ideas for timeline visualizations of how and when I play my games, but I need extra data points in order to pull that off, which I historically haven't recorded. I've begun to add those details in now, so as long as I'm diligent about keeping those facts up to date as I go, I should be able to show these other views next year when I'm wrapping up 2023's year of games.
In terms of the games I expect to play in 2023, here's some of my bigger fish to fry:
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It's too soon to say whether my 2021 commitment to RPGs in general will remain as strong, but I do have every intent to keep churning with the Dragon Quest series. At minimum I expect to knock out VII and VIII this year, with an outside chance of hitting IX by the holidays. Ideally by the end of 2024 I'll be completely caught up on the mainline titles, which will feel great.
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Speaking of RPGs, another series I've really been meaning to get into is Xenoblade. At first I wanted to run the whole gamut. You know, start with Xenogears, then Xenosaga, etc. Lately though I've come to realize I just...don't care about those older titles much at all, and would rather jump ahead to the current series. So it is that after skipping it on both the Wii and 3DS, I'd like to try to play Xenoblade Chronicles on the Switch at some point this year and see what all the fuss is about.
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I don't really know anything about Death Stranding. I don't even want to. Literally the full extent of my knowledge about the game is that Norman Reedus walks around with a stack of stuff on his back and people meme about it. That's it. This wasn't a game I was ever in danger of buying, but Epic gave it away for free over the holidays (mangled though the giveaway was) and I've got just enough curiosity in the Kojima crazy from my Metal Gear Solid days that I'll give it a whirl.
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As the stats at the beginning of this post show, platformers make up a big chunk of my gaming library. I like all kinds of stuff, and I wouldn't say I prefer platformers over other genres, but there is something to be said for the simplicity of just running, jumping, and sometimes shooting things too. So it's perhaps a little surprising that despite having played virtually all the Mega Man and Mega Man X games, I never touched any of the other Mega Man branded series. That should change this year, as I intend to jump into the Mega Man Zero series and see what, if anything, I've been missing. Then, who knows?
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One new wrinkle I added to my organizational methods recently was a way to visualize game releases by year that I have interest in. Not a backlog, per se, as I restrict that to games I already own or have access to in some form, but a way to gauge what games I might want to buy or check out going forward. And I've got to say, 2022 brought with it a surprising number of titles that are well on my radar. Due to subreddit rules I can't talk about them here with any specificity just yet, but I'd say you can probably expect to see a rolling schedule of freshly-year-old releases in my month-by-month updates over the course of the 2023.
Thanks for checking this post out, and I hope to see you in the monthly entries going forward!
| ← 2021 | 2022 | January 2023 → |
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