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Top Ten Video Games from 2022

2022 was another strong year for me when it comes to gaming. This is the year when I bought a tablet, so I would from now onward emulate more games on it than on my phone. I also played many games on both my laptop and on my PC, so this is going to be a pretty diverse list in terms of genres, consoles and eras represented.

10. Little Nemo: The Dream Master

I am a big fan of the ‘Little Nemo’ movie as it is very nostalgic to me. This platformer is a game adaptation of said movie and it’s one of the most underrated platformers I’ve played. It is definitely too difficult in its last level, but the levels are so varied in their design and the gameplay mechanics consisting of collecting keys and transforming into different animals were quite unique.

9. Mickey Mania

Similarly to the above game, Mickey Mania is also too hard and way too short at just six levels. Still, all of these levels are memorable recreations of iconic Mickey Mouse short movies. Couple that with gorgeous graphics and art direction and you’ve got one of the best cartoon games out there. It’s perfect for all animation and platformer fans.

8. Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask

Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask is one of the best entries in this series. Yes, its 3D graphics are so-so and many puzzles can be frustrating to solve, but those that work are excellent while the sections set in the past added a breath of fresh air to this game. The mini-games are also quite good. The highlights are its superb story and characterization.

7. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Knuckles

Although uneven in difficulty, the third Sonic game is one of the best 2D games in this franchise due to its brilliant animation, sound and level design. It also features a solid storyline and excellent bonus levels. It’s a game that is basically two games in one, but it really should only be played combined.

6. Disney’s Aladdin

Back in the heyday of Disney game adaptations came Disney’s Aladdin, a wonderfully faithful and iconic platformer that benefits from excellent exploration elements and gorgeous visuals. It also has a terrific score and superb designs of all levels. It is on the easier side of things, but it’s still worth playing for both Disney and classic platformer fans.

5. Subnautica

Subnautica is quite demanding in its difficulty as the survival mode can be annoyingly unforgiving. Still, this remains one of the best exploration and survival games due to staggering world building, gorgeous graphics and a great sense of both horror and adventure. Diving in this game felt like real diving – both beautiful and immensely dangerous.

4. Cuphead

The tradition of cartoon-like games continues on this list. Cuphead is surely one of the hardest games out there, but in my opinion its difficulty level is manageable if you have strong reflexes and perseverance. The structure of just bosses for the most part with no true levels was frustrating, but those bosses are uniquely designed and memorably demanding in difficulty. But the highlight here is the audio presentation as the game literally evokes 30s cartoons in its every frame.

3. Luigi’s Mansion

Luigi’s Mansion remains one of the best and most underrated games of its era. The game is charming, atmospheric and very much lived in. While the difficulty level isn’t particularly demanding and its controls take some time getting used to, the gameplay mechanics are still highly unique and different than in any other game. It’s such a fun game to play throughout with the exploration being its biggest asset.

2. Assassin’s Creed II

Iconic for all the right reasons, Assassin’s Creed II most certainly is one of the best entries in this wonderful series. Yes, it’s way too easy for my personal taste, but it’s undeniably hugely entertaining to play through due to excellent stealth elements and terrific side quests. The world building, storytelling and characterization are its standouts as they worked in unison to create this gorgeously cinematic action-adventure game.

1. Super Mario Galaxy

Super Mario Galaxy isn’t just the best game I played all year, but probably the best game that I’ve played so far in my life. It’s that good. The visuals are great while the amazing orchestral score put a smile on my face every single time. It’s a gorgeous game that is also delightful to play due to incredible level design and so many different gameplay mechanics that all worked and that made this platformer hugely varied in style. It was such a joy to play, in fact, that I still miss playing it to this day.

Honorable Mentions:

Sonic CD – Sonic CD is ridiculously short and not that great in execution, but the time travel concept worked and its audio-visuals are mesmerizing.

Mega Man 8 – The eighth entry in the Mega Man series is extremely underrated. It has its issues, but it remains a fun, well made platformer that also looks terrific.

Metal Slug – Metal Slug isn’t quite fun to emulate as it was intended to be played on arcades first and foremost, but it still remains a technically outstanding, charming run and gun game.