2022 Wrapped (Gaming edition)

This was your (well actually my) year in gaming:

On the PS5 we've played the following games:

Cyberpunk 2022

I pre ordered this game back in 2020, but due to all the bugs and negativity around the game didn't want to play it. So I returned it and waited until it got fixed to replay it. And this year it finally happened: patch 1.5 came out and brought next gen versions of the game. Finally!

And with all the fixes, the next gen version, and tempered expectations, I was able to really enjoy this game! It wasn't the masterpiece I expected it to be back in 2020, but there sure is a good story here and some nice gameplay to be had. And on top of all that: Nightcity is looking darn good on the PS5...

Turns out it's no quiet life for Cyberpunk, but going out in a blaze of glory!

Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut

I played Ghost of Tsushima on my base PS4 during lockdown in 2020, and always wanted to replay it on my PS5 with enhanced visuals and dive into the new Iki island content, but never really got a chance to. Until PS Plus was revamped and we got this gem for "free".

Did a complete fresh playthrough of the base game, played the expansion and some Legends content and had a great time. Thank you for all the hours wasted well! Arigato!

Uncharted Legacy of Thieves Collection

I love Naughty Dog's games... So if I can upgrade my copy of Uncharted 4 for only 10 bucks to the new remastered for PS5 version: yes please!

I got Uncharted 4 as a bonus game when I  bought my base PS4, played it way back then. Replayed it when the first lockdown hit, and replayed it again now with the remaster. And while gunplay really sucks in these games, the story and other gameplay mechanics are so good, I just keep coming back to Nathan's story.

The Last of Us Part 1

I try to do a playthrough of TLOU (1 or 2) every year, the story and gameplay are so good... But the last time I played TLOU, it started showing it's age, and the models don't really match the models from Part 2, so with this remake they fixed everything that I wanted fixed. I love Naughty Dog's game, I might've mentioned that...

Endure and survive...

Deathloop

This one was 'free' on PS Plus, and given that I really enjoyed the Dishonored games, I just had to check it out. This game has been on my radar every since it got anounced way back in 2021 together with the reveal of the PS5, but I never really got around to playing it... So anyway, loved that it was available and I did enjoy it massively!

For about 15 hours... I figured out all the ways to kill the visionaries, all I had to do was string everything together in 'the final loop', but I just couldn't be f... anymore. I felt like I got everything I wanted out of this game, and I just watched the ending on youtube and called it a day. Sorry Deathloop, guess I was right not buying you and waiting for it to be on PS Plus.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Death, taxes, and the yearly Call of Duty... I know, it's my guilty pleasure. Given that the originaal Modern Warfare 2 is probably my most played game ever, I just had to get this one. It's not the masterpiece that the original MW2 was, but nevertheless, I'm having so much fun grinding the battle pass right now (already at lvl67 with a little over 50 days remaining)

God of War Ragnarok

I like good graphics, I like Playstation's exclusives, so yea. What else is there to say... Boy

Haven't finished this one yet, but it's a damn good game.

While on the Nintendo Switch we played these gems:

Pokemon Legends: Arceus

My first Pokemon game in 20 years. I played Pokemon Gold on my black and white gameboy pocket back in the day. Oh boy, the number of batteries I wasted on that thing while on holiday... Unbelievable. So this seemed like a nice way to get that nostalgia feeling back, and Arceus sure didn't disappoint. While the graphics weren't on point, the gameplay sure was there! I didn't catch them all, but I did finish the main story (except the last task since that one requires you to actually catch them all).

Pokemon Violet

So with Arceus such a good game, I was back into Pokemon games! Haven't finished the main story yet, but I'm well on my way to catching them all now! I've already collected quite a few Scarlet version exclusive pokemon through trading. Leveling up some pokemon to get them to evolve to complete that pokedex! Oh boy, I feel 12yo again. While not easy on the eyes (the graphics are horrible sometimes), the gameplay is so good, I just keep coming back. Pro tip: play in handheld mode, it seems to be better than docked.

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

Raving reviews, best Lego Star Wars game. But I feel like I'm missing something, I'm not sucked into playing it... I've played Episode 1-3 (those were the movies that came out when I was growing up) but the pull of the dark side is too strong for me. I mean: there's too much other stuff out there that requires my attention. I might come back occasionally to this game, but it's not what I expected it to be.

The Witcher 3: Complete Edition

I got this game for my PS4 way back when, but somewhere halfway through the campaign I lost interest in it and never bothered to complete the campaign, so let's fix that! 60 hours later and almost at the conclusion of the final DLC: oh boy, was I wrong for not completing this campaign. Such good writing/story. Tomorrow the next gen version releases onto PS5, kinda hoping there'll be cross save functionality between PS5/Switch so I can look at my fancy grandmaster armor that I collected on the Switch with raytracing on the PS5. More than happy to have cossed a few coins for this game both on Playstation and Switch. Thank you CDPR!

Portal Companion Collection

The cake is a lie! But the fun I had with these games is not. And do they look good on Switch, I'm amazed! If they ever release a Half Life 2 on Switch, I'm buying!

Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic

Now this is the Star Wars game of the year for me! Loved this game back when it first came out. Played it 5 times to completion, a couple light and a couple dark side finishes. And yet I still found some new quests and stories in this game that I missed all those years ago. Want to play the sequel as well on Switch, but I kinda with the DLC as well, and not sure if that's still coming with all the Asphyr/Kotor drama that's been going on lately...

Disney Dreamlight Valley

I played a lot of Animal Crossing, so when you say Disney themed Animal Crossing: I'm in!

It's not as good as ACNH, but every time a new patch drops, I drop back in. I'm planning on keeping this game for quite a while and playing it occasionally when I don't feel like playing anything else. And it's a perfect game for this, no fancy controls that you need to remember, or combinations, or gameplay mechanics, just plain easy farming/mining/gathering/... and talking to your fav Disney characters!

Also: it looks good on Switch! And runs smoothly! Waiting for it to become free to play next year so I can also play it on the PS5 every once and again.

Disco Elysium

The reason I bought an OLED switch. With all the text that's going on in this game (and oh boy it's a lot, a lot!), I didn't want to play this on my Switch lite. And am I glad I did: it looks spectacular on the OLED switch, text is perfectly legible, the story is amazing, the soundtrack is amazing. It's like reading a book, but on a gaming device. Kinda hope there'll be a sequel or similar game from the developers soon.

Diablo 3

What can I say... I bought this on PC when it came out, bought it again on PS4, and now I have it on Switch. It just feels good to kill some monsters every now and again and complete nephalem rifts while zoning out. Kinda hope that Diablo 4 will hit the Switch (or Switch 2?) soon.

Honorable mentions:

Hitman 3

It's a 2 year old game right now, but they release some new content almost every week. An elusive target left and right, a new unlockable gun/explosive by completing a contract. A whole new map back in July. And they'll be releasing a whole new gamemode 'Freelancer' in January next year. I love coming back to this game and  unlocking those things every week, and completing a challenge left and right. This is how post launch support is supposed to be done, thank you IOI!

Assassin's Creed Valhalla

Same as Hitman 3: it's a 2 year game, but they keep releasing some new stuff every now and again so I keep coming back and checking it out. I've got ~180 hours into this game (thank you lockdown!). They finally released 'The final chapter', the final questline and patch for this game, but I still have quite a lot of things to check out in this game: the Dawn of Ragnarok expansion, the roguelike mode they released, some mythic weapons and armor to collect. I'm going to keep enjoying this game for quite a while longer. Thank you Eivor!

Conclusion

I became a dad late last year, and I thought my gaming life was going to be over. But with some careful planning, some concessions to where/when/how I play, it turns out I'm still capable of playing games and even finishing them (the story, not 100% completing it, that's out of the window entirely). Gotta say, the Nintendo Switch is such a good device for a dad: you can play anytime, anyplace and when the little one starts crying because he's awake: just shut it down and you can continue when he's back to sleep again. No loading screens, straight back in the action!

My PS5 on the other hand isn't getting as much action as last couple years (thank you lockdowns!). So the number of games I played there is rather limited, you can't  easily put down and continue games on this platform, or play for just 5 minutes on this thing. So the PS5 is reserved for the big AAA games, and the Switch for the more casual games/remasters/stuff I missed out on.

2023 Prediction

So as 2022 draws to a close, we look at the horizon and try to guess what 2023 will bring for gaming:

• Hitman 3: the Freelancer mode, and elusive targets, and continuing to chase the 100% on all locations
• Call of Duty: probably not a new game this year, but some kind of expansion to MW2
• Persona 4 Golden: Got this on the Vita, looking forward to it on the Switch
• Hogwarts Legacy: Not going to buy this on release, gonna wait for a sale or for it to hit PS Plus
• Star Wars: Jedi Survivor: Star Wars game of the year? Tempted to get it at release, might wait for a sale though
• Diablo 4: Tempted to get it for PS5, but would really love if they would release it on Switch... it feels like a better fit for the handheld console.

I still have quite a few games on my backlog that I want to finish, so I'm hoping that I can complete the following games in 2o23:

• Resident Evil 2, 3, 7, 8: They released PS5 versions of 2,3 and 7, and I just want to replay 8. So 2023 probably going to be very spooky!
• Star Wars Kotor 2: As mentioned before, I'm waiting on the DLC before I do a playthrough, but I might as well just play it because I'm doubting the DLC will ever release.
• Far Cry 6: I'm about halfway through the campaign and got distracted, it was a good enough game that I want to finish it, so might as well do it in 2023 instead of buying new games for the backlog
• The Last of Us Part 2: After playing the Part 1 remake, I want to go back to Ellie's story in Part 2. Keep a tradition alive of replaying this game every other year
• Cyberpunk Phantom Liberty DLC: Well... CDPR redeemed themselves with patch 1.5, so I'm gonna throw some eddies at them... More Keanu Reeves right?
• Witcher 3 Next Gen: This one is releasing tomorrow, hoping to play a bit of it next year on the PS5. As mentioned: cross save would be epic for this!
• Final Fantasy Crisis core: this one is arriving today in the mail! I had the limited edition PSP of this game, and I loved it back then. Hoping to get as hyped now as back then!

And there we have it! 2022 is wrapped! Bring it on 2023! Sorry for the long post, here is a potato: