While some of us are still mentally and physically recovering from 2021, I am wondering how long it will take for my wallet to recover from 2022. Square Enix have been absolutely killing it this year, yet in some ways, their releases have still been overshadowed by blockbuster hits such as Elden Rin⦠Read More »
Top 5 RPGs: 1. Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster 2022 marked my first chance to play a version of this beloved classic Final Fantasy title, and it easily secured a place in my heart as soon as the ending credits rolled. I love the gameplay, the emotive music, the powerful storytelling, and the charact⦠Read More »
There are many games I simply didn’t get around to this year. Not yet, anyway. So this list is sorely lacking at least one game I’m sure deserves to be here (Xenoblade Chronicles 3). But I have three special awards that I’d like to discuss. Remake of the Year – LIVE A LIVE HD-2D Remake I’m confident⦠Read More »
Okay, I finally played this game and it’s really good (Retro Encounter GOTY) – Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur MachtĀ Xenosaga is a series that’s been sitting on my backlog for years. It’s long stared at me, saying, “You love Takahashi. You need to play me.” Years of hearing up and down things has⦠Read More »
Most people pick their favorite games of the year based on criteria such as gameplay, story, etc. For 2022, I’m doing something different and instead choosing my favorites (in no particular order) based on protagonist fashion styles. Fashion Awards Manafinder After Manafinder’s protagonist Lambda is⦠Read More »
I didn’t play as many new games in 2022 as I did the prior few years, but I got to at least enough to muse on a few favorites, ranking five of them. Let’s get to it: Special Awards Unplayed, Unfortunately – Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Elden Ring, Star Ocean: The Divine Force, Stranger of Paradise Final⦠Read More »
To be completely honest, I don’t feel I’ve played enough games that were released in 2022 to be able to say which game is the best of the year. For what it’s worth, I’d have to go with Triangle Strategy. I haven’t played many new releases because I’ve been trying to go back and play classics I’ve mi⦠Read More »
This is the first year ā maybe in the entire time I’ve written for the site ā in which I felt I played enough high quality new releases to warrant a Top 5. What a banger year for gaming overall. 5. Triangle Strategy If Triangle Strategy had the same tenacity and punch in the first half of the game a⦠Read More »
Best Game of 2022 (That I Played): Horizon Forbidden West Early in 2022, I realized that the release of Horizon Forbidden West was rapidly approaching, and I still needed to play Horizon Zero Dawn. So, with the strong encouragement of RPGFan’s own Caitlin Argyros, I dove into the open-world post-apo⦠Read More »
Another year gone, and I feel like I played more new games this year than usual. Several great games released in 2022, and not just ones starting with the prefix Xeno! Best farming sim of 2022: Harvestella Okay, maybe I didn’t play any other farming sim this year, but I can’t say enough how much I l⦠Read More »
Best RPG that isn’t covered on RPGFan so I might get in trouble for this one – Vampire Survivors Listen, roguelikes and RPGs have a complicated relationship. They’re born of RPGs, but often take a huge diversion from the story-driven focus of traditional RPGs with a focus on execution-based gameplay⦠Read More »
Top 3 Remakes & Remasters 1. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion We got some PSP remakes and ports this year, and while I’m sad Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth came out too late for these superlatives, I’m quite pleased with the ones that did make it out in time for the list. Crisis Core: Final Fan⦠Read More »
2022 has left me strangely tranquil in my personal life. Unfortunately it’s a tranquility born of the acceptance of a lot of changes, not all of which are positive. However, through the support of friends and family, the routine of parenting and work, and, to a much lesser but still crucial degree,⦠Read More »
The Go Away Rean Schwarzer Award Ladies and gentlemen, we would now like to announce this year’s Go Away Rean Schwarzer Award nominees. And they are: Rean Schwarzer in Trails of Cold Steel! Rean Schwarzer in Trails of Cold Steel 2! Rean Schwarzer in Trails of Cold Steel 3! And, finally, Rean Schwarz⦠Read More »
Winner: AI: The Somnium Files ā nirvanA Initiative The sequel to Kotaro Uchikoshi’s 2019 murder mystery, AI: The Somnium Files, is still full of murder and mystery, but this time presented in twos. Two protagonists investigating, two time periods connecting the two parts of the story, and a serial k⦠Read More »
Winner: Triangle Strategy Combining the best elements of Tactics Ogre, Final Fantasy Tactics, and Fire Emblem, Triangle Strategy takes the crown for RPGFan’s best strategy RPG of the year! It’s clear that Team Asano has deep knowledge of the genre, resulting in some of the most exhilarating turn-bas⦠Read More »
Winner: Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is a game nearly twenty-five years in the making. Within it are bits and pieces of every single Xeno property that Tetsuya Takahashi has ever worked on, and they all shine through ever so brightly. It takes the best elements of Xenogears, Xenosag⦠Read More »
Winner: Chained Echoes Year after year, we fantasize about finding an RPG that scratches that nostalgia itch ā a new game with a retro look and feel that takes us back to those halcyon days of the SNES and PS1, before AAA games became the be-all, end-all, and microtransactions were commonplace. Well⦠Read More »
Winner: Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent Fans of the original Octopath Traveler may be champing at the bit in anticipation for its sequel, Octopath Traveler II, but Square Enix’s mobile title Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent is a very worthy entry in the series to bridge th⦠Read More »
Winner: Harvestella During a time of many farming sim games, Harvestella is a sleeper hit. The game combines the typical farming sim formula of growing crops and raising livestock with an epic action RPG experience you would expect from Square Enix. As per RPG tradition, your silent protagonist begi⦠Read More »
Winner: LIVE A LIVE It takes a lot to take a nearly 30-year-old game and make it feel fresh, but LIVE A LIVE pulls it off. Maybe it’s the foundational game that feels unique even in 2022. Maybe it’s the visuals that have been upgraded in gorgeous HD-2D fashion. Maybe it’s a killer arranged soundtrac⦠Read More »
Winner: Chained Echoes I don’t think anyone expected Chained Echoes to be such a hit so quickly, even with the positive buzz before its release. After watching my partner play it for five minutes, though, I knew its status as an immediate hit was completely earned. I just had to play it. Like many r⦠Read More »
Winner: Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak is, quite possibly, the ultimate DLC. It adds new locales, new monsters, new mechanics, new weapons, new armor, and, best of all: new difficulty. It also offers a whole new story, great new characters, and a dizzying array of new fe⦠Read More »
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