Our Favorite Video Games of 2022

Podcast Summary

• Jason, Maddy, and Kirk share their top 10 games of 2022 on Triple Click: The podcast discusses top games, shares personal experiences, and encourages Maximum Fun membership for bonus episodes

  Despite the cold weather and differing opinions, Jason, Maddy, and Kirk are excited to share their top 10 games of 2022 on Triple Click. This listener-supported podcast not only discusses video games but also shares personal experiences and encourages support through Maximum Fun membership. Bonus episodes are a perk for members, including discussions on Star Wars, Horizon, and formative games. As the year comes to an end, the trio reflects on the past year's episodes and looks forward to future discussions. Join Maximum Fun to access all bonus episodes and stay tuned for more gaming conversations.

• Gamertag Radio's Unconventional Game of the Year Awards: The team shared their personal favorite games of the year, including an 11th bonus game, emphasizing the importance of discovering games that leave a lasting impression.

  The Gamertag Radio team does not follow a traditional format for naming their Game of the Year. Instead, they each share their personal lists of favorite games from the year, including an 11th bonus game. Kirk, starting the list, chose Signalis for the Lynch Award for its vibes and dense storytelling. His second pick was Elden Ring, which won the Century Award for staying entertaining for over 100 hours. The team emphasized the importance of playing games that leave a lasting impression and encouraged listeners to explore lesser-known titles. They will also be doing a predictions episode in the future.

• Games with unique qualities and ambitious approaches left a lasting impression: Elden Ring's open-world exploration and intricate lore, Immortality's three distinct movies within the game, and Citizen Sleeper's immersive and impactful stories were praised for their innovative approaches and lasting impressions.

  Both Elden Ring and Immortality made a lasting impression on the speakers due to their unique qualities and ambitious approaches. Elden Ring, with its open-world exploration and intricate lore, continues to be a source of fascination and comparison for new games. Immortality, on the other hand, showcased an unprecedented level of storytelling through creating three distinct movies within the game, leaving the speakers in awe of its strange ambition. Citizen Sleeper, despite its excellent cast of characters, received the Constellation Award for narrative design due to the immersive and impactful stories it presented. Overall, these games stood out for their innovative approaches and left lasting impressions on the speakers.

• A game of survival with a branching narrative: Players navigate complex relationships and financial security in an endless, evolving story where choices matter

  Citizen Sleeper is more than just a survival game. At the beginning, players may feel desperate and under immense pressure, but as they progress, they realize the game is an endless, branching narrative where choices lead to new and evolving stories. Characters like Maddy, who players may initially help out of desperation, can later become a source of stress when they fail to repay loans. The game's narrative design creates a sense of realism and pressure, making players feel obligated to characters while also maintaining an element of precarity. The experience is not heavy-handed, but rather subtly explores the way we navigate relationships and financial security in the world. The exact same events can unfold differently for each player, adding to the game's replayability and depth.

• Life's Challenges and Distractions: Finding Fun and Innovation in Games: Games like 'Citizen's Game,' 'Escape Academy,' 'Trombone Champ,' and 'Vampire Survivors' offer moments of fun, challenge, and innovation, helping us navigate life's distractions and pressures.

  There are always challenges or distractions in life, no matter how secure we may feel. This was a theme that emerged during the discussion of various games, including "Citizen's Game," where the speaker expressed the pressure of deadlines and aging, and "Escape Academy," a cooperative escape room game that provided a fun and engaging distraction. Another game, "Trombone Champ," was praised for its subtle innovation, as players not only fail comically but also actively play the trombone and hear their own bad playing. Lastly, "Vampire Survivors," a game where players don't press any buttons, was described as ingeniously designed and addictive, offering a unique gaming experience. Overall, these games provided moments of fun, challenge, and innovation, reminding us that there's always something new to discover and enjoy.

• Unique gaming experiences in Vampire Survivors and Marvel's Midnight Suns: Vampire Survivors hooks players with simple, addictive mechanics and intense action, while Marvel's Midnight Suns offers a complex experience with a surprising and charming story, appealing to strategy enthusiasts and narrative lovers alike.

  Both Vampire Survivors and Marvel's Midnight Suns offer unique gaming experiences that hook players in different ways. Vampire Survivors, with its simple yet addictive mechanics and intense action, is a prime example of a game that engages the player's lizard brain, requiring only movement and no button pressing. On the other hand, Marvel's Midnight Suns, a tactics game with a surprising and charming story, offers a more complex experience that appeals to both strategy enthusiasts and those who enjoy engaging narratives and character development. The unexpected enjoyment of the story in Marvel's Midnight Suns adds an extra layer of value to the game, making it a standout title that players find hard to put down.

• Discovering New Worlds: Gamers' Lasting Engagement with Captivating Games: Players remain deeply engaged with games that offer unique narratives, wit, mystery, and challenging gameplay, creating lasting impressions.

  These gamers are deeply engaged with their games, discovering new favorites and continuing to explore old ones. The tactics and narratives of these games are captivating, providing hours of entertainment and leaving a lasting impact. For instance, "Elden Ring" and "Persona 5 Royal" have kept players hooked for hundreds of hours. "Return to Monkey Island" and "The Case of the Golden Idol" have charmed players with their wit and mystery. "Norco," a lesser-known game, offers a unique narrative experience. These games transport players into new worlds and keep them coming back for more. Whether it's the challenging gameplay of "Elden Ring," the charm of "Return to Monkey Island," or the mystery of "The Case of the Golden Idol," these games have left a lasting impression on their players.

• Recommended Video Games: Haunting, Charming, Engaging, Thrilling, Relaxing, and Classic: Speakers recommended 'Norco', 'Kirby and the Forgotten Land', 'Citizen Sleeper', 'Neon White', 'Power Wash Simulator', and 'Return to Monkey Island' for their unique elements: haunting and grandiose, charming and creative, engaging narrative, thrilling first-person racing, relaxing and satisfying, and classic adventure gameplay.

  These speakers shared their recommendations for various video games, each bringing unique elements to the table. "Norco" offered a haunting and grandiose experience, "Kirby and the Forgotten Land" showcased the charm and creativity of the Kirby series, "Citizen Sleeper" delivered an engaging narrative with a futuristic setting, "Neon White" provided thrilling first-person racing gameplay, "Power Wash Simulator" offered a relaxing and satisfying experience, and "Return to Monkey Island" brought a classic adventure game back to life. Pentiment, despite not resonating with one speaker as much as others, was still recommended for its intriguing narrative and puzzle elements. Overall, these games cater to a wide range of preferences, from horror and action to narrative-driven and relaxing experiences.

• Exploring unique gaming experiences in 2023: Speakers shared their favorite games of 2023, showcasing diverse preferences and common themes of narrative adventures, open-world explorations, historical fiction, and strong voice acting.

  Each speaker had unique gaming experiences and discoveries in 2023, revealing their individual preferences and interests. The games they highlighted ranged from narrative adventures like "The Case of the Golden Idol" and "Marvel's Midnight Suns," to open-world explorations like "Elden Ring" and "Assassin's Creed Origins." Historical fiction and strong voice acting performances were common themes. Some speakers, like Speaker 1, appreciated the mysteries that revealed personal insights, while others, like Speaker 2, were drawn to the cool characters and magical elements. Despite differences, all three agreed on the merits of "Elden Ring," "Marvel's Midnight Suns," and "Assassin's Creed Origins," making them standout titles of the year. Overall, their discussions underscored the richness and diversity of the gaming world and the joy of discovering new experiences.

• Unexpected twists and memorable moments in gaming: Games that surprise and delight with unanticipated events leave lasting impressions on players.

  The most memorable moments in gaming often come from unexpected experiences and twists. The speaker shared stories from Elden Ring, Tactics Ogre Reborn, Case of the Golden Idol, and Triangle Strategy, highlighting how these games surprised and delighted them with unanticipated events. In Elden Ring, the speaker was transported to a new area after an unexpected death. In Tactics Ogre Reborn, the speaker had to make a difficult moral choice with significant consequences. In Case of the Golden Idol, the speaker was shocked by a major plot twist. And in Triangle Strategy, the speaker was intrigued by a character's motivations that were not what they seemed. These moments made these games stand out and left lasting impressions on the speaker.

• Memorable Moments in Video Games: Surprises, Aging, and Robots: Video games surprise us with character connections, remind us of time's passage, and offer unique perspectives on humanity through memorable moments.

  The speakers shared their most memorable moments from various video games, highlighting the interconnectedness of characters and worlds in some titles. Number 5 in the Legend of Heroes series features surprising appearances of heroes from previous games, creating a sense of continuity. In Return to Monkey Island, Guybrush Threepwood's aging process was a poignant reminder of the passage of time. Live A Live's robot chapter offered a unique perspective as a helpless robot on human motivations and a creepy AI's manipulations. Chained Echoes, a recent discovery, already feels like a classic Super Nintendo RPG with exceptional game design and memorable combat. Despite some writing issues, the game's potential is immense. These moments showcase the depth and richness of video games as storytelling mediums.

• Innovative combat mechanics and cinematic horror experiences: Chain Decos offers strategic combat decisions based on map, while The Quarry delivers suspenseful horror with couch co-op

  Both Chain Decos and The Quarry offer unique and engaging gaming experiences, each with their own memorable moments. Chain Decos introduces an innovative mechanic during combat, allowing players to make strategic decisions based on the map and switch paths to maximize their route. The Quarry, a spiritual successor to Until Dawn, delivers a cinematic horror experience filled with suspense and unexpected twists. Its couch co-op mode makes it perfect for playing with a friend or partner. Despite not having finished Midnight Suns or playing enough of Patrick's Parabox, both games seem promising and likely to make a significant impact on the gaming industry.

• A standout performance by Richard Schiff as Odin in God of War Ragnarok and the unexpected gem Papers, Please highlight the year's gaming offerings: God of War Ragnarok and Papers, Please showcased exceptional performances and innovative gameplay, adding to the impressive lineup of 2022 video games.

  While God of War Ragnarok was a solid entry in the series, it was overshadowed by the incredible experiences of previous games like Elden Ring and Horizon Forbidden West. However, the standout performance of Richard Schiff as Odin elevated the game and made it a worthy addition to the list. Another unexpected gem was Papers, Please, which was a delightful discovery and a testament to the enduring talent of developer Lucas Pope. Additionally, the Steam Deck transformed the way games were played, making handheld gaming a convenient and enjoyable experience. Overall, 2022 was a great year for video games, filled with memorable experiences and innovative titles.

• Maximum Film awards Steam Deck as Hardware of the Year and recommends 'Redefining Realness': Maximum Film honors Steam Deck as top hardware and suggests reading Janet Mock's poignant memoir for engaging storytelling

  The Steam Deck was named Hardware of the Year on Maximum Film, and Maddie recommended the memoir "Redefining Realness" by Janet Mock, praising its poignant and engaging storytelling. Kirk suggested watching the more entertaining and approachable second season of "The White Lotus," which offers less floundering plot and still delivers pointed commentary.

• A comedy of manners with a twist of mystery: The White Lotus S2 is a unique blend of genres, showcasing Jennifer Coolidge's unforgettable performance as the goat lady, and exploring class, sex, and identity in a compelling and thought-provoking way.

  "The White Lotus" season 2 is a unique and entertaining blend of genres, including a bourgeois comedy of manners, sex farce, and mystery. The show, written and directed by one person, is a distinct and cool vision that keeps viewers engaged with its intriguing plot and complex characters. Jennifer Coolidge shines as the unstoppable and terrifying goat lady, and Mike White's writing and direction perfectly capture her quirks and vulnerabilities. The show's exploration of class, sex, and identity, along with its whodunit elements, creates a compelling and thought-provoking viewing experience. Additionally, White's personal experiences and critiques of gay culture add depth and nuance to the show. Overall, "The White Lotus" season 2 is a must-watch for those seeking a fresh and engaging television experience.

• Two Entertaining Shows and Movies: 'The White Lotus' and 'Glass Onion': 'The White Lotus' critiques societal issues and offers thought-provoking commentary, while 'Glass Onion' delivers a clever and absurd murder mystery with a standout performance by Janelle Monae. Both provide moments of surprise and are overall enjoyable.

  Both "The White Lotus" and "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" offer unique and entertaining experiences. "The White Lotus" critiques societal issues through a personal lens, while "Glass Onion" delivers a clever and absurd murder mystery. Janelle Monae's standout performance in "Glass Onion" adds to its delightful experience, making it a must-watch for fans of the genre. Despite having some predictability, both shows and movies provide moments of surprise and are overall enjoyable. "The White Lotus" may not leave a lasting impression as a classic, but it offers thought-provoking commentary on societal issues. "Glass Onion," on the other hand, is a fun and entertaining mystery that keeps viewers engaged from start to finish.

• A fun and entertaining watch with unexpected cameos: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is an entertaining movie with broad characters, unexpected cameos, and a unique blend of comedy and mystery that keeps the audience engaged. Janelle Monae's strong performance elevates the film.

  "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" is an entertaining movie with broad characters and unexpected cameos. Despite some criticisms of the broadness and lightness of the characters, the film is endlessly funny and elevated by Janelle Monae's strong performance. A notable running joke involves the unexpected appearance of a character named Daryl, played by Edward Norton, who adds to the entertainment value of the movie. Overall, "Glass Onion" is a fun and enjoyable watch, and worth checking out on Netflix. The film's unique blend of comedy and mystery keeps the audience engaged throughout. The unexpected appearances of various celebrities in the movie add to the entertainment value and make the viewing experience even more enjoyable. While some may find the characters a bit broad, the overall entertainment value of the movie makes up for it. "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery" is a must-watch for fans of the genre and a great addition to Netflix's lineup of movies.