This is basically what my hopes were for xenoblade 3 and I got what I wanted outta it with this game. Absolutely phenomenal and definitely my favorite new game of 2022 EASILY. The combat, music, characters, and story are all in a league of their own. It’s like I was playing the height of squaresoft with modern features and a decent budget. Absolutely recommend if you love snes jrpgs, mecha, or a big fan of xeno. Please give chained echoes a chance. (Check out my review for a more in depth dissection of this imo masterpiece)

This would be #1 but it’s at 2 for two major reasons. One there’s no gameplay, and two it’s not new so I figured I’d let chained echoes get the deserved first place. Muv Luv Alternative is top 2 stories in fiction and it ain’t 2. I adore and love this game so much and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since I finished. I rarely cry at media but this had me ugly crying multiple times and I was genuinely fucked up at the end, it really shook me up. Thanks PSI for putting me onto one of my now favorite pieces of media.

Top 3 is not easy to make for this year, I played a lot of bangers that I really loved and Xenosaga III was unsurprisingly one of them as well. I was skeptical that I’d get the same feelings Xenogears gave me but it pretty much was that and perhaps slightly better if I’m being honest because of how kick ass the combat on foot and in the E.S.’s are. There was really only one character imo that didn’t get fleshed out enough across the three games apart of the main party but he clearly was supposed to be much more and due to the series being cut short he got owned. Everything else about the game is fantastic and I cannot wait to revisit Xenosaga III again very soon, been itching for a replay because it’s so damn good. Shion is a top tier protagonist that really shined throughout her whole journey between all three games. And it’s always nice to see my boy Jr. Another top tier character and easily in my top 3 for xeno period.

Took a chance with this when I first got my deck. Seen a cute cheap Touhou fan game in my discovery that was deck verified and said why not. FIRE! Turned into one of my favorite games. Such a chill, relaxed, and comfy experience cooking up for da girls and serving each branch. A really fun and lighthearted game that has one of the best soundtracks I’ve ever heard. The game is still getting supported and that’s what absolutely keeps me from hopping back on and so far the dlc has only gotten better and better. Cannot recommend this game enough if you enjoy some restaurant& time/resource management for a laid back experience to kill some time. This was also hard to place.. I wish I could have 4 games in my top 3
(Peep my review for a more in depth gush over how much I enjoyed this game)

Ion give a fuck what anyone says, extra and unlimited are amazing. I never once felt like Extra was boring or unnecessary filler, it was just a funny enjoyable read. I’m thankful that I didn’t get filtered by it because it absolutely paid off that I had such a great time in the first two. I honestly think Extra/Unlimited aren’t that far apart from Alternative and it obviously wouldn’t be nearly as good without them if we’re being honest. Unlimited is a whole different beast and I had an even greater time in it because I didn’t expect the pickup to be in there. The ending is cold af and man there’s some amazing tracks throughout both titles. Goat peak fire

DDS forced me to replay Soul Hackers because after finishing it I really couldn’t tell which was my favorite megaten, and honestly I’m still not sure. Very close to Persona 4’s ost DDS is easily top 2 for megaten soundtracks period. I mean how can you go wrong with the gritty grunge that captivates the atmosphere so well. I’m really excited to replay this and hit 2 up because the more I hear about the sequel the better it sounds. Hopefully I enjoy it as much as the first.

Asano released 2 bangers this year and this remake is probably they best they’ve done in HD-2D. Shout-out Ex for recommending me the original and since it was already on my radar thanks to him I had to snag the remake day 1. I still plan on playing the original because the game itself is awesome. The only issue I have is the difficulty is really easy 90% of the game, wish it had a bit more challenge but that’s ok since it’s still fun and a blast to play/experience.

Probably the best SRPG ever made

Fantastic story, amazing route branching, awesome soundtrack, incredible gameplay, and top tier characters. Was my favorite new game of 2022 until chained echoes. Asano is the best team at SE easily rn

Despair, pain, depressing, dark, and gritty. Went into this completely blind and I’m so happy I did, as it was my first Yoko Taro game and I was pulled in instantly. Despite being mostly recommended the og, I’m glad I stuck with the remake because I definitely would not like this game nearly as much if it wasn’t for brother Nier. Hot take but I love the rearrangements for the remake as well. The story was a holy shit moment the whole time and Fyra is one of my favorite characters in gaming period. Amazing adventure, amazing tale, banger!

(HONORABLE MENTION #1)
Not part of the top 10 but I figured it was definitely worth mentioning because Mother 3 is kickass. I feel really dumb waiting like a clown hoping it could get a international release even tho I still planned on playing the fan translation when it did but I finally decided to play it cuz one of my homies loves this game dearly and it’s very obvious why. Mother 3 is an emotional story driven epic adventure that took a way more serious tone than the previous entry’s did. The whole series is really great and I don’t think one in particular hails supreme since they all excel in different ways. There’s so many banger tracks(unsurprisingly) and an awesome cast of characters that I couldn’t help but not enjoy throughout the journey. I really like the way the story is formatted and you’re thrown into different perspectives somewhat like how they did with earthbound but it felt more natural and easy flowing for the current events happening. Chapter 7 is a tear jerker and I’m not ashamed to admit it hit me really damn hard. Thanks for pushing me to play it Eddie, really loved it.

(HONORABLE MENTION #2)
Unfortunately(or maybe fortunately so I have no choice but to revisit it again) there was so many games released and ones I planned to play I only did 2 playthroughs/endings of Catherine but they were both extremely enjoyable. Megaten is very easily my favorite franchise and even tho Catherine is not technically a megaten game it does have some dna and references that made it a must play for me. Atlus is known for being insanely creative for their spin-offs but man this is a whole different level considering how it’s a standalone experience that is nothing like anything they’ve made before and probably anything they’ll ever make(prove me wrong Atlus). The puzzles are fun as fuck, the mostly piano based soundtrack is insanely groovy, Vincent is a chad, and the characters are insanely memorable.