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GAME OF THE YEAR 2022

HAPPY NEW YEAR, GAMERS!!

Another year done, and what better way to reflect than looking at all the video games I played. Like every year, I start games, finish few, and add to my perpetually growing backlog. This year though, I feel pretty proud of my progress in terms of completing games. A whopping 13 games finished this year versus last year's total of 6 games completed.

Here's to finishing more games in 2023!

I didn't play as many newly released games this year. Partially, due to new games costing almost an arm and a leg lately. Instead, I went back and played older stuff (and chipped away at the backlog)!

About half-way through the year, I found a new purpose for my WiiU. My pitiful game catalogue for the console expanded*. I wanted to play games I missed out on during its heyday like Bayonetta and Xenoblade Chronicles.

Other than completing pretty decent platformers, I found myself spending a lot of time on Phantasy Star Online for the GameCube. These types of games always intrigued me as a kid. Online on a console? I hadn't really encountered it before. Nowadays, you almost can't escape a game having some sort of online functionality/connectivity.

I wonder how it worked on the GameCube! My PS2 has an ethernet port, but sadly it was too late for me to try out any online functionality. I would have loved to experience RE Outbreak online.

I did find a video online of someone playing Phantasy Star Online on the Dreamcast. It's an interesting video.

*THROUGH LEGAL MEANS HA HA I PROMISE!!!

Now, for the main event: MY GOTY 2022!

Drum roll, please...

MY GOTY '22

STOMP PLONK

My game of the year is STOMP PLONK!

What the hell is a Stomp Plonk? Well, this is a Stomp Plonk:

Above images are screenshots from the dev's itch.io page

It's a fun musical exploration game. you simply go around strumming your lute. Every where there's some kind of beat, tune or music to follow. You can easily find yourself in some new area just by following the noises. Trust your ears! Not only that, but the areas you explore are very lively. The characters you encounter are pretty animated. They'll dance, hum, and whistle to the beat. They'll also respond to your playing. The world is bursting with music!

Take a leisurely stroll, pluck some strings and enjoy!

> PLAY THE GAME HERE!! <

NEW YEAR, NEW GAMES

Honestly, I'm not even too sure what to look forward to. There's some big games coming out (like RE4R/new LOZ), but I'm shifting a lot of my focus to indie games and AA games instead. I'm finding a lot of fun and creative stuff on itch.io (most of it free!). It's pretty refreshing playing more experimental stuff, and it's made me feel more inspired in terms of my own gamedev works and approach.