BEST GAMES OF 2022

HARDCORE GAMERS PICK THEIR BEST GAMES OF LAST YEAR

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WHAT WERE THE VERY BEST GAMES OF 2022? IT'S LIKELY NOT WHAT you're thinking. For one thing, many games are just new versions of popular AAA franchises, and there's nothing very original about them. Also, most gaming writers are biased towards the games they usually play. So, in a quest for fair judgement, we locked a group of gaming gurus in a room. Here is how they broke it down.

ELDEN RING

Wes Fenlon: Has a whip ever awoken something in you? Take that question however you want - for me, whips were the catalyst for fully appreciating how much FromSoftware has improved the flexibility of its combat over the past decade. Compared to the Souls games, which tend to have pretty clear picks for the best weapons, Elden Ring allows you to stick practically any ability and affinity on any weapon and dual wield for new moves. After playing some 60 hours with a pair of curved swords, I threw away my muscle memory to become a whip guy, and it was a thrill. Instead of getting in close for quick combos, I was staying back to poke at enemies or pouncing with a dualwhip slam.

The scale of Elden Ring's open world exhausted me, but the depth of that arsenal is going to keep me coming back for years. I mean, have you seen that twinblade with a scythe on it? I will never go back to the monogamous sword life.

Sean Martin: Weird builds are definitely one of the best things to come out of Elden Ring.

Once you've honked an invader to death with a giant horn, electrified yourself to roll around like Sonic, or fired an endless stream of madness-inducing fire from your eyes, it's hard to see Souls' staple sword 'n' shield the same way.