(s) Archive
2023-01-11
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… 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 forced into exile from the protection of her home city,… Read More »
Okay, I finally played this game and it’s really good (Retro Encounter GOTY) – Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht 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 »
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… 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 characters! Everything… 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… Read More »
This is the first year — maybe in the entire time I’ve written for the site — 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… 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-apocalyptic RPG, quickly falling in love… Read More »
And we’re back today with our individual Editors’ Awards for Games of the Year! And it’s a big year for them, too: we had a whopping 15 different writers contribute individual lists, so there’s a lot to check out here. You will notice that we give our writers a lot of freedom with how to… Read More »
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 Ring and Xenoblade… 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, good entertainment, especially… 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 Fantasy… 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 to perfect your runs. There’s… 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 Schwarzer in Trails… Read More »
Early Access Game of the Year: PokĂ©mon Scarlet & Violet People like to say that Nintendo is old-fashioned, behind the times, and even a bit of a dinosaur. Sure, their online infrastructure may be old enough to vote, they make you jump through hoops just to try to voice chat, and friend codes… still exist.… Read More »
2023-01-10
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 soundtrack… 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 retro-inspired… Read More »
Winner: Noah (Xenoblade Chronicles 3) The Xeno series has given us many fascinating and excellent protagonists, but I think Noah is the best one yet. Where others have personal drives that are understandable and relatable, Noah really is us. Or at least who we want to be. He sees the world the way we want… Read More »
Winner: Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Xenoblade Chronicles 3‘s story is easily one of its greatest strengths. Despite the game crossing the hundred hour mark, the story remains incredibly well-paced, focused, and, most important of all, intriguing. With all its wild twists and turns, the main story keeps players on the edge of their seats while the… Read More »
Welcome to RPGFan’s Games of the Year 2022! I think we can all agree that this year was a mostly a move in the right direction, and luckily, the games followed! This is also one of the most top-heavy years in memory, and our picks might reflect that as well, but there were a ton… Read More »
Winner: Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker Was there any doubt? We joked about calling this an annual Final Fantasy XIV award. But jokes aside, there’s a reason so many of us (and 20+ million more) are in love with the game: it’s the real deal. Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker is unique in that its main story… Read More »
Winner: Xenoblade Chronicles 3 Oi! Just wot is up with these sparkin’ accents? You mean to tell me they managed to blend a variety of world dialects, like Welsh, London, Australian, and even American, put in some fun language of their own, and it all coheres into something wholly its own thing? Yes, yes they… Read More »
Winner: N (Xenoblade Chronicles 3) In a game where many of the villains fall a little flat, N is a revelation. If Noah is who we aspire to be, N is who we’re afraid we’ll become. After everything he’s experienced, would we do anything differently? Would we make the right choice, or would we hold… Read More »
Winner: Eunie (Xenoblade Chronicles 3) “Hear that, Noah? Lanz wants something a bit meatier.” It would be easy to boil Eunie down to her attitude, her ridiculous British-isms, or even her amusing one-liners. In fact, Takahashi and the rest of Monolith Soft could have left her at that, and I bet she’d still get some… Read More »
Winner: Koraidon and Miraidon (PokĂ©mon Scarlet & Violet) How do you get around a massive region filled with seemingly insurmountable mountains and vast rivers? With a little help from your treasured friends, of course. Instead of delegating the box art legendary PokĂ©mon to post-Gym-seven trophies, PokĂ©mon Scarlet‘s Koraidon and PokĂ©mon Violet‘s Miraidon are supportive companions… Read More »
