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2022 Year-End Review

 It's time to close out another year with our 4th annual GOTBP Year-End Review. Still can't believe it's another year down filled with good games, bad games and everything in between. 

By now I think both of you guys know the drill. I hand out totally meaningful awards that totally aren't just my random opinion for best game, worst game, most surprising, most disappointing and most deserving of a modern update/remake. So, without further ado, lets recap this year's games (all scores out of 10). Remember, 10's games and non-gaming related reviews are ineligible.


Suikoden II - 9.75

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night - 9.25

NFL 2K2 - 9.25

Doom II - 9.25

Twisted Metal: Head-On - 9

Fatal Fury Special - 9

Pokemon Trading Card Game - 9

Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy - 9

Saiyuki: Journey West - 8.5

Team Sonic Racing - 8.5

Kirby's Return to Dreamland - 8.5

Ristar - 8.5

Twisted Metal: Black - 8.25

Knights of the Round - 8

Mega Man - 8

Mortal Kombat - 8

Killer Instinct (2013) - 7.75

Cricket 2022

Samurai Warriors - 7.25

Alien Storm - 7

Twisted Metal (PS3) - 7

Lego Batman - 7

Shining in the Darkness - 7

Decap Attack - 7

MX 2002 Featuring Ricky Carmichael - 7

History Civil War: Secret Missions - 6

Ridge Racer - 5.5

Alundra - 5.25

Beavis and Butt-Head - 5

Flying Dragon - 5

007: Everything or Nothing - 4

Rush N' Attack - 4

Survivor - 4

Street Fighter - 3

Batman Forever - 3.75

Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers (Genesis) - 2.5

The Amazing Race - 2

You know what? It's been a pretty solid year. In fact, this year may have my highest average score ever, just look at all those 9s. I've played a lot of really good to great stuff and had very few complete duds this year. For score adjustments, I might have to move MX 2002 down to a 6.5, but would probably move Everything or Nothing up to an even 5. I think I gave the former too many passes in my initial evaluation due to my unfamiliarity with the subject matter. I think I undersold the latter's impressive presentation and style a little bit, as it comes from a genre I just straight up don't like. Anyway, now for the awards.

For all the high scores and good titles, this is also the first-time game of the year wasn't even close. With all due respect to Bloodstained, Doom II and others, Suikoden II is the game of the year hands down. We are talking a top 40 or 50 game I've ever played, a true all-time classic. It's one of the closest, maybe the closest, times I came to adding to my 10s list since I started. I may very will do so after another playthrough and a little more time. Anyone who has even a slight interest in JRPGs should play this game and anyone who wants to get into the genre would do well to give it a look. 

Worst game was also not close this year. The Genesis version of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers was a button mashing mess, Batman Forever is as bad as you remember and it is profoundly shocking how awful the original Street Fighter is when compared to literally anything else in the series it spawned. But The Amazing Race isn't even a video game, it's just a collection of menus. I was bored after about 5 minutes and other than allowing you to unlock clips from the show you could probably just find on Netflix anyway, it offers absolutely nothing. The only chance it would have had of not being here was if I decided to not consider it a video game at all, which I seriously considered. You would have more fun clicking around the file explorer on your computer than playing this sorry excuse for a dung heap of a game.

Most surprising was weird this year because it's a game that I absolutely had plenty of familiarity with when I played it, yet it still shocks me. Even today, the Pokemon Trading Card Game surprises me every time I play it. I don't like saying games "age poorly," but a lot of games do become obsolete. This game should, for all intents and purposes, be obsolete. And yet it's still as fun, addictive and engrossing as it was 20 years ago. It still shocks me that they managed to so faithfully recreate the Pokemon TCG on a Game Boy cartridge without losing almost any functionality.

Most disappointing was, without a doubt, Alundra. This game was so, so heavily hyped up that my expectations were sky high going in. But what I found was one of the most unfairly difficult, frustrating experiences I have ever had. It's also frequently called a JRPG, which I believe to be a gross misrepresentation. Just because it's a PS1 game about an elf with a sword doesn't mean it's an RPG. Just because it's a Working Design game from the 90's doesn't make it good. I know Alundra is beloved by many, but I just don't see it. Maybe I will give it another shot later, but I really didn't like it.

I'm going to cheat a little bit with most deserving of a modern remake and loop all of the Twisted Metal games in here. I guess it really wouldn't be a remake per se, because the 2013 TM is decidedly modern. But I think the series is due for a comeback, especially in today's online-centric, battle royale-obsessed world. I really think a Twisted Metal game for the modern gen would be a hit.

And with that, we have concluded another successful year. Before we officially wrap up, let's take a look at our continuing progress through the 10s list:

Borderlands 2

Breath of Fire 2

Civilization 2

Deus Ex: The Conspiracy

Doom

Earthbound

Final Fantasy 6

Final Fantasy 7

Final Fantasy 8

Goldeneye: 007

Half Life 2

Heroes of Might and Magic 3

The Last of Us

Legend of Legia

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Lunar II: Eternal Blue

Madden 04, 08, 09

Mega Man 3

Mega Man X

Metal Gear Solid

Might and Magic VI: The Mandate of Heaven

Pokémon Red/Blue/Yellow

Resident Evil (REmake)

Resident Evil 4

Resident Evil: Code: Veronica

Soul Caliber

Star Ocean: The Second Story   

Street Fighter II Turbo/Champion Edition

Super Mario 64

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the 7 Stars

Super Mario World

Twisted Metal 2

Valkyria Chronicles

WCW Vs. NWO: World Tour

Not going to lie, it's taking longer than I thought. And if anything, progress is going to slow down a bit because I'm running out of non-RPGs on this list. Either way, I'm excited to see what 2023, my 5th year, is going to bring.


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