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Not every game released is going to set the world on fire. Some will be more disappointing than expected. Others could be downright unplayable. So, as we wrap up our game of the year talks for 2022 at Siliconera, we decided to each reveal what the worst games we played were.

It is fresh in my mind, because I just had to play it, but Samurai Maiden. D3 Publisher titles are a guilty pleasure for me, and this one left me disappointed in so many ways. The script is terrible. The controls weren't precise enough. I didn't like how combo and special attack unlocking worked. The enemies were incredibly generic. It felt like a genuine chore to play. If it had been a $20 title, I could have lived with it. But it being a $60 really bothered me too. — Jenni

I feel like as I continue to review games, there's always that one that either absolutely destroys my PC, is just middling, flat out awful, or all three. And The Callisto Protocol is that.

Not only did it absolutely destroy my PC resolution after several crashes, which forced me to hard restart my PC, but the combat is a slog and the story is unmemorable. The enemy designs are blasé and totally forgettable, and it feels like a clunky retread of PS3-era horror games like Silent Hill: Homecoming. It's just not great from the foundation upward, technical issues aside. — Kazuma

All of the games that came out in 2022 that I personally played had some charm or otherwise redeeming factor to it, except for one game that I would have forgotten about if not for its mention at The Game Awards: Tower of Fantasy. I'm not sure how the game is now after most people abandoned it in favor of the major Sumeru update in Genshin Impact, but when I played it, Tower of Fantasy was an ugly and boring mess. On paper, the story could have been interesting, but in practice, it was impossible to sit through.

Granted, a lot of my ire towards Tower of Fantasy had a lot to do with things outside of the game as well. Some of the things that the development team did (from the Chinese ID controversy to stealing reviews) left a bad taste in my mouth, and the general discussion around it online gave it a fairly bad reputation. Perhaps Tower of Fantasy isn't doing too bad for itself right now, but as it stands, I personally consider it to be the worst game I played in 2022. — Stephanie

It's in my nature to try to find something to like about anything I play, and I'm pretty forgiving of almost any game I'm not professionally obligated to review. I also don't enjoy "hate-playing," which means I usually have little to say when the time comes to throw shade at our least favorite titles. That said, it was more challenging to find that grace for Babylon's Fall, a game that, on most levels, seemed like a bad idea PlatinumGames just couldn't abandon in the womb. The game's inability to muster that sense of motivation and bald-faced chase of live service design trends reminded me of the bad old days of the PS3 era, when global developers aped cover-based shooting games like Gears of War in an attempt to come to grips with era's market-leading designs. The results often felt like inept facsimiles that lacked understanding of why things work the way they do.

Perhaps given more time, Babylon's Fall could've been dragged into the realm of being competent enough to attract a lasting player base. Service games tend to be given many such chances. Unfortunately, Square Enix didn't seem willing to wait, and the game is now due to shut down in February. I'm not so cold as to say "good riddance", but I'd be lying if I said I'd regret seeing it gone. Platinum hasn't given up on the prospects of service games, so I'll leave things on the note that I hope that they take away some positive lessons for the next go-around. — Josh

Related: Worst Games of 2022 According to Metacritic on Destructoid

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We've spent all week doling out our honors for best of each platform, but it's all been building to this: Siliconera's Game of the Year 2022. Will it be what you expect? Some of our picks may surprise you, but what's certain is that each of them more than deserves your time.

These awards represent the consensus of the Siliconera staff. For more of the year’s award selections, check out our Game of the Year 2022 archive.

Winner: Xenoblade Chronicles 3 512g27

Weaving together the first two games while also building out its own world was a tall task for Xenoblade Chronicles 3. But hey, it somehow managed it! It delivers a heaping helping of game, without making the all-too-common misstep of diluting quality or generally spreading itself too thin. Memorable characters! Battle systems with so many options that you probably won't see them all! This is the sort of stuff players wanted to see from the franchise's latest installment, and they got it. This, along with so many other successes, earns it the title of Siliconera's 2022 Game of the Year.

Pokemon Legends Arceus 686v1a

Not the game you were expecting here? Understandable! Its tech limitations make it less of a great Switch game than a game in general, but we can't deny just how much fun we had playing Pokemon Legends Arceus. It may have been intended as an experimental side game to try out ideas for Scarlet and Violet, but we hope the Legends formula continues to see life in its own sub-franchise.

Signalis g6u2p

We said we'd never forget Signalis, and we certainly haven't yet! Offering a survival horror experience with a world worth exploring and truly memorable moments, Signalis is a triumph for games of its atmosphere and genre.

Thanks for checking out our Game of the Year awards! Missed any of our selections? Check out the archive.

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Whether they were testing the limits of the hardware or focusing on gameplay over tech, our Nintendo Switch Game of the Year 2022 selections all stand out through fun and mechanical polish. Check out which games made the cut below.

These awards represent the consensus of the Siliconera staff. For more of the year’s award selections, check out our Game of the Year 2022 archive.

Winner: Xenoblade Chronicles 3 512g27

The phrase "fans of the genre" can be something of a punchline these days. Xenoblade Chronicles 3, though? It really seems to embrace the concept. The game delivers so much JRPG fans want, almost as if it's making a list and checking it twice. And done right? That can be just fine. It gives Xenoblade 3 a unified focus that keeps things fun for players. Also, when we're talking about JRPGs? "Fans of the genre" is basically everyone reading this right now.

Triangle Strategy f5kn

It's been such a good year for both tactical RPGs and pixel-art revivals, and Triangle Strategy is a shining example of both. It can take some time to get going, and it needs you to care about its world to get through its text-heavy storytelling. But once you're in? There aren't many games that can match its depth.

Gotta Protectors: Cart of Darkness 6t4f8

It certainly took its sweet time making it out of Japan, but Gotta Protectors: Cart of Darkness meshes the RPG-style depth of the 3DS release with the same-screen fun of the Xbox 360 original. And the localization? It’s legitimately funny, and that’s so hard to do even without language complications. If you missed it when it launched earlier this year, you owe it to yourself to rectify that now.

What are your Nintendo Switch Game of the Year 2022 selections? Let us know in the comments! And stay tuned for more of Siliconera’s GotY 2022 awards.

Related: AOTF Game of the Year 2022 on Attack of the Fanboy

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The line between console and PC got even blurrier in 2022, with the Steam Deck making the platform a popular portable option. So our picks for PC Game of the Year 2022? Yeah, they're not all the sorts of games you're used to seeing make the platform their preferred home. Read on for our selections. (And tell us your personal favorites in the comments!)

These awards represent the consensus of the Siliconera staff. For more of the year’s award selections, check out our Game of the Year 2022 archive.

Winner: I Was A Teenage Exocolonist 216669

If you're a good fit for Exocolonist's hyper-online writing style, you'll love digging into the visual novel's dozens of hours of conversations and nearly 30 endings. It certainly has a point of view and isn't afraid to preach about it. Still, we think its merits far outweigh its flaws, and it's worth your time and attention. That earns it our PC Game of the Year 2022 award!

Cult of the Lamb 1x3i3p

Publisher Devolver Digital's catalog is so chock-full of games with style and attitude that sometimes it's tough to keep up! But Cult of the Lamb, from developer Massive Monster, still manages to stand out. Engaging mechanics! A signature character! Its particular charms have developed it a, well, cult following, and with good reason.

Signalis g6u2p

Horror adventure Signalis crafts narrative moments with clear influence from other tales in the genre, but does it with its own personality and style. And it rewards playing through again and again, revealing new secrets as you further explore its world. For more on the game's particular charms, read Kazuma's review.

What are your PC Game of the Year 2022 selections? Let us know in the comments! And stay tuned for more of Siliconera’s GotY 2022 awards, including our overall top selection.

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Microsoft's collection of Xbox studios has been growing and growing, and the success of Game means larger audiences for its signature titles. What have been 2022's best, though? It's a tougher question, but we did our best. Here's our pick for Xbox Game of the Year 2022.

These awards represent the consensus of the Siliconera staff. For more of the year’s award selections, check out our Game of the Year 2022 archive.

Winner: Pentiment 3z5g65

While it may seem at first like a departure for developer Obsidian Entertainment, Pentiment proves to have all the narrative focus and world-building we've come to love from the studio. It presents itself in a different way, sure, but one with a compelling art style and a room for customization that really helps players feel like a part of the story.

Tunic j5943

It was a long time coming, but Tunic's action-adventure gameplay made us think of another of 2022's hot releases. It gives you the freedom to explore in your own way, without the handholding of most modern experiences. Oh, and did we mention that it's darn cute? Because it is.

Two Point Campus 2a1759

This follow-up to Two Point Hospital moves the action from medicine to academia. The whimsical approach tends to work better here, we think, than the more serious subject matter of its predecessor, and Campus benefits from moving into a more original, modern approach than the spiritual-successor Hospital. The game’s inclusion in Game certainly didn’t hurt, but what earns Two Point Campus a nod here the most? Just how naturally it controls on a console. That’s always been hard to accomplish, and here it focuses a lot of the interface and makes it easier to play without dumbing down the game itself.

What are your Xbox Game of the Year 2022 selections? Let us know in the comments! And stay tuned for more of Siliconera’s GotY 2022 awards.

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Genre-defining releases have been seen at something of a slower pace this console generation. In 2022, though, a few heavy hitters ed the lineup, giving players deeper, more polished experiences that truly feel new and modern. So what's our PlayStation Game of the Year 2022? Read on to find out.

These awards represent the consensus of the Siliconera staff. For more of the year’s award selections, check out our Game of the Year 2022 archive.

PlayStation Game of the Year 2022: Elden Ring 6d574y

You probably don't need us to tell you about Elden Ring, undoubtedly the most-talked-about game of the year. (At least any more than we already have!) It feeds the cravings that From Software instilled in players with its previous games, and its limitless ways to approach the world makes each play feel unique. Congratulations, Elden Ring!

Tactics Ogre Reborn 4n3r1k

A game that’s essentially the same as it was the last two times? How high we rate Reborn says a lot about just how well the original formula holds up. That said, this isn’t the original formula, tweaking a few ingredients here and there to make for a refined and subtly different experience. It’s still very much a classic sort of tactical RPG without a lot of modern conveniences, but it puts the best foot forward for its generation.

Horizon: Forbidden West b72

The sequel to early 2017's second-best open-world action-adventure game mostly about fighting rampant past tech? Yeah, it did a lot to polish its ideas and deliver a larger and more vibrant experience to PlayStation fans this year. It feels great to move around its world, and the narrative works well enough to keep you pushing westward.

What are your PlayStation Game of the Year 2022 selections? Let us know in the comments! And stay tuned for more of Siliconera’s GotY 2022 awards.

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It's the time of year to reflect. Especially as we start thinking about things we did or experienced. As in the last few years, 2022 definitely featured a game remake or remaster or two (or ten), which could make narrowing down the best a little difficult! So we decided to go over these types of titles as a group and see what everyone in the community had to say too.

Well I know what my answer should have been! While I continue my months-long sigh over here, I've been comforting myself with Tactics Ogre Reborn. There's a lot it could have done better (like patch up that sprite work), the gameplay is refined from its already top-notch PSP revision and well worth hundreds of hours of your life. — Graham

I'm going to go with Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition as the best game remaster of 2022. Square Enix did an amazing job with its remasters this year, and I missed this game! Also, its accessibility features really help when you have less time on your hands. I loved being able to speed through battles. Plus... it meant we ended up seeing a Super Famicom Satellaview localization in 2022. — Jenni

Since Graham already cited Tactics Ogre Reborn for me, I find myself split on my favorite "reheated game" of 2022, rather than remake or remaster. First off, calling The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe a mere "remaster" would be a truly great understatement. And yet, it's also not quite a "remake," straddling the strange territory between a reissue of a game you've seen before and something akin to a true sequel. I shan't say more, lest I spoil the fun, but you should play both the original and Ultra Deluxe when you get the time, in that order.

Meanwhile, The Last of Us Part I is very much more the typical revisit to a game that isn't even that old. The content is largely identical, so much so you'd be hard-pressed to tell the two apart if you aren't looking at them side-by-side. But at the same time, it's a beautiful revisit, and the additional options for accessible play lay a good bottom line for what games should all have. — Josh

Graham, Jenni, and Josh put me to shame. I've spent very little time playing games in 2022, and they've managed to pick up no less than four titles I wanted to indulge in. But you could almost substitute Graham's points on Tactics Ogre with my pick, Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster. I've not fully coalesced my thoughts on the Pixel Remasters, but it has been the perfect opportunity to finally play this seminal JRPG I missed as a child. And yes, it came out this year (and coming to Switch and PS4 in 2023 ), and why yes, it has been a really long year, hasn't it. — Khai

It's a simple pick for me. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion was an amazing remaster of an already great game (and I say this as someone who is pretty lukewarm towards all games in the FFVII extended universe), which may make it seem like a weak pick by comparison for best one of 2022. However, with all the changes made to the controls, giving the game an ease of access compared to it's PSP release along with other quality of life improvements, it's set a standard for Square Enix remasters going forward.

But what really elevated it for me, was revisiting Zack's story, and having that opportunity to do so. Crisis Core may have it's moments where it's really just goofy, but Zack's journey is an important one and lays the foundation for the events of the entire Final Fantasy extended universe. Not only that, but it's handling of propaganda, and watching Zack come to realize what SOLDIER stands for under Shinra (and what Shinra actually is), is done fairly well - the more absurdist elements aside.

So while I'd love to give to Tactics Ogre: Reborn, as it's still one of my favorite SRPGs of all time, Crisis Core really gripped me. — Kazuma

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