2022 is a huge year for the gaming community no matter what console you play on; from Elden Ring to Breath of the Wild 2, everyone in store to have a new favorite by the end of this year. The top three notable exclusive releases for each console being; Stalker 2, Ark 2 and Redfall for XBOX Series X. Splatoon 3, Breath of The Wild 2, and Kirby and the Forgotten Land for the Nintendo Switch. God of War Ragnarök, Horizon Forbidden West, and Forspoken for the PS5/PS4. A lot of the XBOX exclusives will also be released on PC since they are owned by Microsoft. Plus, PCs always receive a steady stream of new releases from Indie Developers on Steam so if you’re ever looking for something new, try giving Independent Developers a chance!
Speaking of Indie Developers, within the last 3 months Scott Cawthon and Steel Wool Studios have released the eighth title in the Five Nights at Freddy’s Franchise after 8 years. It definitely is not the newest indie release out there but it is one of the most notable in the category within the last six months. The nearly decade old Franchise that many Indie enthusiasts (active around 2013) grew up playing or watching others play such as youtuber Markiplier and Dawko. Dubbed Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach, the game takes a drastic turn from the normal playstyle of its predecessors and gives us an area to explore at our own free will while unlocking the lore and getting multiple endings as Gregory, a child stuck in the building after hours; trying to survive from the murderous animatronics and the security guard who he believes is trying to hurt him. Most of the die hard fans loved the new change to the gameplay and were content with the addition to the lore despite Scott Cawthon not being in charge of the full game like he was with the other installments. If you enjoy lore, horror, and strategy based games, you should try out the franchise starting from the very beginning. Though the first few aren’t as polished as the newer installments to the franchise, replaying them personally gives me a nice sense of nostalgia and frustrating fun.
The most highly anticipated game release of the year is finally here. From the makers of the Dark Souls franchise, Elden Ring delivers an open world experience like no other. Start by choosing your character’s role ranging from Samurai, Vagabond (Knight), and Sorcerer. After your selection you must travel across vast kingdoms and spooky dungeons fighting monsters of all kinds. Work your way around one of the largest in game maps ever made and level up your hero along the way.
Elden Ring has been released for a little less than a week and it has already become one of my favorite games of all time. The game was designed and written with the help of Game of Thrones creator, George R. R. Martin. Now some people may disagree but Game of Thrones had a very entertaining story and the characters in the show are similar to those in Elden Ring. While I never played it, people claim this game plays similar to early days Skyrim. From what I can tell you though, this game is the hardest game I have ever played. Every enemy or monster in this game is more than capable of killing you. Regardless of the damage you are able to do, you can never be too comfortable in a fight. You’ll want to spend hours on this game, and believe me you will. There have already been times where I have looked down at the clock and hours have passed but when you’re playing this game it’s worth it. Elden Ring has been released on all platforms except for nintendo. Cross-platform play is not yet available so you will have to play with friends on similar consoles or PC. Overall, if you’re struggling to find a game to play, I suggest giving Elden Ring a try.
