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I just want to say, I wholeheartedly support Arlo making more FromSoft videos on this channel. Just a blue, cuddly muppet explaining how brutal fights with horrific demon abominations set against a gradually, inevitably decaying universe makes him feel
I love hearing about people playing these super hyped games well after their release date, it’s so cool. Like I’m only playing through Dark Souls for the first time now, despite it coming out like a decade ago
I'd love to see you do mini-reviews of older games that you happen to try (cough cough all the fromsoft games!) That could be some fun content for people feeling nostalgic!
I love Arlo but a lot of his opinions are explained like “This game is great because… it’s awesome haha”. He even does it in the Forgotten City section.
@@raymondbenito1405I agree. I love his channel, and his personality. But his links awakening controversy video where he just says “let people have their own opinions” over and over again for like 15 minutes was just a bad video.
I booted Link’s Awakening up yesterday. And don’t get me wrong: I love that game. But I really wanna try emulating it to get a smoother experience on the fancy new remake of my very first video game (tied with Pokémon Blue; my seventh birthday was GREAT)
4:22 Actually, I feel like the great majority of Sonic fans, including myself, REALLY enjoyed and appreciated the calmer tone in Frontiers. After over a decade of childish writing and mostly uninteresting mechanics or story, Frontiers was a huge breath of fresh air for fans of the franchise, and I really hope they continue building on the ideas Frontiers established for future games.
Arlo's journey with Fromsoft was exactly the same as mine last year. Once I played Bloodborne, I obsessively played every other Souls game and still have been unable to stop ever since. Yes, we have a problem
Have you played tails of iron? I haven’t played a lot of soulsborne games (I own several, they’re just on my backlog), but I really enjoyed Tails of Iron and have heard it’s kind of a 2D souls-like.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land is easily my GOTY. Tho I was also content wit the length. Every second was amazing, and I wish I could experience it all again the same way as my first time. Music is amazing, graphics are amazing, level design is amazing, the charm is amazing. The game is just a super high quality title. A must have in the system IMO
@@clauleon2810 this isn’t about which is the best, it’s about which is your favorite. If it’s about which is best, congrats at 10/10 or 9.5/10 game is better than a 8.5 or 9/10 game
Props to Forgotten Land for actually making the post-game “harder bosses, more lore” mode part of the main story instead of relegating it to a non-canon side story like the last three games did.
I've only really played old games this year, but here we go in no particular order. 1. Sonic Generations 2. Super Mario Odyssey 3. METROID DREAD 4. Pikmin 1 5. Portal 2 6. Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness 7. Klonoa: Door to Phantomile 8. Mega Man X2 9. Psychonauts 10. It Takes Two
I am a Splatoon enthusiast who could go on lore rants for hours, so my favorite by far has been Splatoon 3. I've already met so many more amazing people through this community and I love these games so much. Edit: Woah so many people have seen this! Glad to see some more splatoon lovers :]
@@uhmyself11111 Me personally the main way I know people in the Splatoon community is through streamers, just chilling in a TH-cam or Twitch chat is enough to get you recognizing other people. Beyond that you can go to things like Discord servers where you interact more directly with other people
@@non-playable ehhhhh i gotta lightly disagree on that, the prize of set piece design, color and variety would have to go to elden ring, but i do agree that ds2s visual set pieces are fantastic and 2nd only to ER. it has more varied color usage and beautiful vistas than the other games, especially compared to bloodborne, which i find to be the "worst" one in environment design and variety, worst is a strong word as its still beautifully designed but i digress. ds1 and sekiro do come close to ds2 in those aspects though, theyre all artistic masterpieces as far as i am concerned.
@@non-playable I agree, I think it has some of the most forgettable bosses, but some of the best level design in the series. The exact opposite of DS3 lol
I understand you, but I suggest you give it another try when you have the patience to deal with all the jank (and the infamous Shrine of Amana). Deep down, this game has... a soul, of all things. Oh! And the DLCs are superb.
I just played Persona 5 this year, and WOW, what a game. It ate up my life for a few months during the summer, and I easily poured a 100+ hours into it. Please play it if you haven’t, probably one of the best games I have ever played.
Hard agree. If I didn't play elden ring, it would probably be the best game I played this year. I usually hate JRPGs, but the pacing of persona 5 is leagues better than anything else in its genre.
@@R3in_Ch what do you mean too expensive? you get the full game (and you'll complete it in 80-100 hours) and all the dlc previously released. i got the switch version a couple of days ago,and after two months from its original re-release (october of this year) i found it at 40 bucks. a must buy.
You’re Elden Ring experience sounds similar to mine. I had played Dark Souls 3 before but never really got into it. But I played Elden Ring and was COMPLETELY enamoured, I platinumed that game and then kept plying it. Then after I was done I went on a FromSoft spiral, platinuming Bloodborne, playing through Demon Souls, replying Dark Souls 3. FromSoft completely dominated my year thanks to Elden Ring.
Dark Souls III is the first soulsbourne game I finished and I absolutely fell in love. Thankfully, I had enough experience from then other games that the references to the other games were not lost on me. I went back and finished 1 and 2. Amazing series. Enjoy!
Oh congrats DS3 was first game too and it was great, but DAMN do they the kitchen sink at you in the High Wall. Still a great game once you get past it,the Cathedral and Pontiff though
My favorite game that came out this year was Return to Monkey Island. We've waited so long and the series really didn't miss a beat, it's as if they'd been coming out consistently all this time. Definitely a fun casual and funny experience that I loved.
Scarlet and Violet is probably the most fun game that I've played in a while that I still can't recommend people buy yet just because of the state of the game. Go play Arceus instead until they patch SV
@@swordeaser Storywise, not, it is the first one in which *spoilers* the professor is death. And the open world feels like fresh air. As always, "steps in the right direction"
2022 was by far my best year in gaming, I got to play so many games I’ve always wanted to play. Omori, Xenoblade 3, Crisis Core, Splatoon 3, Elden Ring, Digital Devil Saga, Chrono Trigger, Fallen Order, Devil May Cry, God of War IV and V.. man I could go on. Xenoblade 3 was by far one of the best games I’ve ever played though, and easily an all time favorite. Merry Christmas btw :)
Sparks of Hope was my favourite 2022 game. It was a worthy sequel to Kingdom Battle in almost every way. Also, fun fact, the glowing spirals on the floor give you coins if you spin the left control stick on top of them.
Really....I was wondering what those spirals on the ground were for. Does the game eventually let you know about using the left stick to active the spirals to get the coins?
Elden Ring also converted me into a Fromsoft freak 🤣. After I beat Elden Ring, I played Dark Souls 1, Dark Souls 2, Dark Souls 3 and then 1 again. Now I am in the middle of a Bloodborne playthrough. These games are amazing!
@@stefanocappelli yeah 1 thing I love about 1 is how substantial the hidden areas are, on my first play through I found the best in fire link by just messing around and it blue my mind lol
I'm a little jealous that you can jump so deeply into a series like that. Even though I LOVED Elden Ring, I feel like I need to switch genres every time I beat a game or I start to get sick of the gameplay style. I plan to play another Fromsoft game soon, but I think it will be a while before I make it through the whole series.
Surprised by the Dark Souls 2 bit. Glad to hear you liked it though. It's easily the most underrated of the series and I grow tired of hearing others say it's bad. Sure, it's janky but its got this charm to it that really solidifies a true fan
@@glungusgongus waiting for it is better than playing it at 24fps/upscaled 720p, especially after a game like elden ring. BBs graphics can get butchered on modern 4k tvs, and its really repetitive artstyle does not help. im pretty sure were getting a bb remaster/remake in the 10th year anniversary, so 2 or 3 years from now hopefully. fromsoft makes too much money per game for sony to just let go of, i can pretty much guarantee that a bb2 will also get announced at its tenth year mark, or maybe im just being too hopeful...but sony would be truly dumb not to do something with the IP.
I've absolutely adored Shadows Over Loathing - a classic RPG by Asymmetric - and the new Lego Star Wars was pretty cool, too. Zeepkist is a unique sandbox game, so those make up my 2022 list. I guess I didn't buy many new Nintendo titles, but 2022 was a great year for games
so happy with PLA being above SV, both are fun games but the immersion and gameplay loop of legends is way more engaging and is the most fun ive had with a pokemon game in my 18 years with the franchise
My GOTY is easily a little known indie called SIGNALIS. My original game of the year was Elden Ring. However after playing this game it stole my heart, my mind and my soul. Its such a powerful classically inspired survival horror game that should go down as a standard for the genre. In my opinion its the best the genre has to offer. It never gets stale, its constantly keeping you on edge, its puzzles are genius. Its just a tightly packed near perfect experience with my favorite video game story ever told. Partially because its only half-told and you have to fill the gaps. Its truly a masterpiece and for only 20 dollars and it being 10-12 hours of pure master work, this game has landed itself as among my favorite video games of all time. Full stop.
Kind of a shame to see a game like Pokémon Scarlett/Violet on a best of the year list while Xenoblade 3 is missing - two open world games but one that vastly improved on it to please its fans both old and new, while the other did the bare minimum and still gets praise from fans because it has pokemon in it. This is why they can release games like Scarlet/Violet. They know fans won’t just buy it, they’ll praise it and will take any pokecrumbs the company feeds them. Literally no one would be talking about or praising it if it weren’t pokemon - it’s so disappointing to see a company get away with stuff like this. No offense meant as I get it, it’s not like there are other Pokémon options. But it sucks to see such a flawed, rushed and *bad* game praised when an actually good open world game just seems to not have gotten the attention I think it deserved. To each their own I guess.
There's Digimon Survive from this year, and Monster Hunter Stories 2 and Shin Megami Tensei V from last year. Those are your alternate "Pokemon" options. Also, Digimon Survive is my favourite game from this year.
If someone told 2020 Arlo that TWO mainline Pokémon games would both make his top 5 of the year in just 2 short years, I don’t think he would believe them.
I have the same top two! I wasn't expecting to find anyone else with a Fromsoft and Pokemon game at the top of their list since those franchises are so different, but those two games completely hooked me this year. Great list. Happy Holidays!
Each individual change made to Salmon Run in Splatoon 3 may not feel major on its own (Cohozuna, a couple new maps, a few new bosses, a few new special waves, egg throwing, MUCH higher egg quotas, Big Run - plus the broader Splatoon 3 changes like squid roll/surge and new weapons/specials), but once you start playing it they really add up, especially at the higher ranks. I went back to Splatoon 2 Salmon Run a couple weeks ago and it felt like a such a different game, almost like a rough draft for what Salmon Run is now.
Oh boy I played some games this year. Xenoblade 3, Splatoon 3, Bayonetta 3, Portal 1+2 and NieR Automata Switch ports, Pokemon Legends Arceus and Pokemon Violet. However none, come even close to the absolute majesty of Chained Echoes. An absolute love letter to 90's jrpgs and easily the best game that I've played this year and already in my top 5 favorite games of all time. It's that good. The music, visuals, battle system, and story are absolutely perfect beginning to end. And the more mature tone the game takes is also a beautiful breath of fresh air as well. If you have not played this game yet and have any appreciation for 90's jrpgs, please check it out. Best way to describe this game is if Xenogears and Chrono Trigger had a baby and it looked like Stardew Valley.
I'd add Xenoblade 3 to my list. It's pretty impressive to make a swarm of origami move around while 6 other characters and enemies move in battle in the middle of an open world, where other monsters walk around on screen. Not to mention one of the character's hair being on fire all the time. And all without the performance failing.
I'm so glad you have been uploading this much lately. I work in retail and I'm losing my mind right now because of the holiday season. Your vids are always a treat to watch after my long days. (Almost done with the hellscape of Michaels. I start teaching after the next semester!)
My top half game of the year was P5 Royal. Bought it on Switch and after a slow first couple hours absolutely fell in love with the game. I put more time into this than I did Xenoblade 3, which I also loved
Arlo has been avoiding playing Xenoblade games for so long and I don't know why. Every time he complains about Paper Mario for everything it does wrong, I'm just like, please just play Xenoblade. It does what you wish Paper Mario would do. Xenoblade 3 is the easiest one to get into if you aren't a Xenoblade fan. If Arlo can play Persona 5, he can play Xenoblade 3.
@@ShallBePurified on a mechanical level maybe but humor,style and story telling is veeeeerry different, I think it's mostly the anime inspired style (which only became more prominent after X) but also it's a pretty daunting series because of how big the worlds and combat mechanics are, its just not for every one
@@DigiBrad Yeah but Arlo played BotW and Elden Ring, two really big open world games. He also played Persona 5. If he can find it in him to play those games for 100 hours, he can surely play Xenoblade.
This year was amazing for games for sure. My top 2 are easily Xenoblade followed by God of War, but Arceus Legends isn't far behind. Honestly there were so many games I don't even remember what I played anymore, but there were a lot I've yet to play. Next year is gonna be insane with all the releases too. I'm especially excited for Wo Long since I need my Souls-like itch scratched (not counting From's games since I don't like them), and I've played too much Nioh 2, so I can't wait!
my most played games this year were easily Animal Crossing (started a new island late last year after changing my name, and played it just about every day) and Mario Kart 8 (the DLC inspired me to finally try to beat all the cups and get the time trials). But as for new games, I absolutely ADORED Tunic and recommend it to everyone. Definitely the kind of game you want to go in completely blind for. I've also been enjoying Mario+Rabbids 2 and Pokemon Scarlet this holiday season.
I picked up Elden Ring on Black Friday and I don’t even think I’ve put in 10 hours, but it’s easily my game of the year. It’s so hard yet so addicting at the same time. The combat feels amazing and the world is absolutely beautiful! Elden Ring probably has the most beautiful world I’ve ever seen in a video game
Sad for me. I didn't like the combat. It felt slow for me. I prefer games like Sekiro, Spiderman or GOW Ragnarok, where I feel fast enough. I know the game is amazing but I wasn't enjoying my time 😔
Honestly there's only one game on my list this year and it's Xenoblade Chronicles 3. I was absolutely floored by it and sacrificed an entire month of free time (and sleep) to that game. I could not put it down and when I finally finished it I had to fight back tears from how emotional it made me. 10/10 would buy more Monolith games. (Ragnarok was a close second).
Some highlights for me this year are Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Triangle Strategy, and Them's Fightin' Herds. ( I know it's been on PC a few years, but it came to consoles this year and I Love it!)
Probably not my absolute favorite game of the year, but Return to Monkey Island is easily in my top 5. Point and click games were always my jam, especially the Humongous Entertainment games, and when I finally discovered the various LucasArts games I was smitten. Return is simply one of the best games of its kind I’ve ever played. I felt like I rarely got stuck and the quality of both the story and puzzles kept me glued to my Switch until the credits rolled.
My Top 10 Games of 2022 are 10. Live A Live 9. Fire Emblem Warriors Three Hopes 8. Bayonetta 3 7. Kirby and the Forgotten Land 6. TMNT The Cowabunga Collection and TMNT Shedder’s Revenge 5. A Plague Tale Requiem 4. Horizon Forbidden West 3. God of War Ragnarok 2. Triangle Strategy 1. XenoBlade Chronicles 3
I think my favourite games to come out this year were probably: Xenoblade Chronicles 3 - Took everything I liked about the last 1 and 2 and turned it up to 11. Emotional story, fantastic combat, lovable and characters, amazing music, gorgeous world to explore. As much as I adore Xenoblade 1 and 2 this might well be the best. Elden Ring - If it weren’t for Xenoblade 3 this would easily be number 1. Phenomenal open world with excellent combat and tons of customisation. Much like Arlo, it has well and truly sold me on FromSoft’s games and I’ve now started going back through Dark Souls and loved it too (playing DS2 at the moment and basically having the same though process as Arlo). Return to Monkey Island - Incredibly funny, charming and intelligently written revival of the series that ends it on a fitting note. Great writing abs fun puzzles all round. Brok The Investigator - A really unique genre hybrid of point and click and beat em up set in a engaging cyberpunk setting with a gorgeous cartoony art style. This is something really fun and different and I want more things like it. Pokémon Legends Arceus - Well and truly pulled me back into Pokémon with a new and engaging take on the formula that proved incredibly addictive. And no, I haven’t played Scarlet and Violet yet. There are a few games I still need to get round to like Stray, Kirby, God of War Ragnarok and Bayonetta 3. But these were my favourite new games this year. However, a lot of my favourite things I played this year were older releases that I just got round to now. I already mentioned Dark Souls but a few others were: Mass Effect 2 - Finally playing through the trilogy and utterly fell in love with the world, combat and characters. And the second was the best of the punch. Devil May Cry 5 - Binged the series and it absolutely goes out on its highest note. The absurd yet technical action never gets old. Echo - An indie horror visual novel that features some of the best story and characters I’ve ever seen in a video game. Seriously the writing is THAT good. This game has not left my brain for 5 months now. I can’t stop thinking about it. And it’s FREE by the way. God of War 2018 - The hype for Ragnarok got me to finally try this and it did not disappoint. Yes it sometimes tries a little too hard to be cinematic but it still captures that Zelda like formula of action and adventure that I love, and combines it with an epic story. I look forward to getting to the sequel. Final Fantasy XIV Heavensward - Finally started this and despite my inexperience with MMOs I enjoyed the base game, A Realm Reborn well enough, but this expansion is where the game REALLY comes into its own. And to think, I still have 3 more expansions to go.
I told the developer of the forgotten city way back 1.0 release for the mod, that it was fantastic and had a great story and was just the best to play. He really appreciated it and i hope that it helped spark the push to keep gokng
I do love a good end of year list lol. I think my top 5 games of 2022 would be: 1) Neon White 2) LIVE A LIVE 3) Sonic Frontiers 4) Disney Dreamlight Valley 5) Mario & Rabbids: Sparks of Hope
My number one this year was pretty easily Xenoblade Chronicles 3. Incredible story (I’ve loved seeing people who haven’t played the series before experience and marvel at it, especially since it’s the weakest in the numbered titles by a tiny bit imo 😂), really awesome and deep gameplay that is actually explained really well, impeccable soundtrack, and just an absolute profusion of things to do. I’ve played and beaten it twice, and am planning on going back somewhat soon for another; on top of that, despite its RPG and somewhat linear status, it still managed to make a world so full of life, locations, and characters that it’s one of *those* ones-the ones where it doesn’t matter how many times you boot it up, if you run around for a bit, you are going to find or read or encounter something you have never even seen before. I love it, easily one of my favorites of all time. As I hinted at earlier, you can absolutely start with 3 if you really want to; it explains itself well, and the story can be enjoyed without context from 1 or 2 (although it would help to make some scenes and characters work a bit better).
Definitely the same for me. Its top 5 switch game in my opinion. I'm honestly not sure why Arlo doesn't really play them I think he plays fire embelm which isn't too far off with "annoying" jrpg stuff.
@@LP-bt2dt For real though. Xenoblade 3 is also the least reliant on anime tropes that he hates so much so he should just jump on that. It does everything he complains that Paper Mario doesn't do. Great story, great characters, meaningful writing, interesting world, engaging combat, etc. He should just do it.
2022 has been a backlog year. I only played TMNT: Shredder's & Bayonetta 3 as in 2022 titles. This year I finally got around to playing Hollow Knight, Doki Doki Literature, GTA V, Ys: Memories of Celceta, Psychonauts 2, Project: Warlock and my current love Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights
its amazing how consistent arlo's whole "i don't care about this series" (goes open world) "now i love it" thing is. is it amusing? annoying? idk. but its a thing. my favorite game of this year? easily Triangle Strategy. i'd been wanting a challenging and well crafted turn based strategy game for way longer than i care to admit. this game finally hit all those marks. as many times as i lost a fight, i was ready to try it again. the cast, the world, the lore, the story. i've missed having these kinds of things to be invested in. best part i haven't even done everything the game has to offer yet! i gotta get back to it and finish it out for good. its great
I was surprised to learn that The Forgotten City mod turned into a game caught my attention... and unsurprisingly, happy to see Legends Arceus on the list of yet another content creator. Without a doubt my favorite Pokemon in the last decade. 🥰
I am so envious of you and others like you who get to play video games for a living. As someone going through a horrible work schedule, it's bittersweet to see others having fun and enjoying their free time.
Violet was going to be my favorite game of the year cuz the open world and "The Way Home" chapter. But I played Elder Ring because of Arlo and well, I am loving it. I still has GOW and Horizon waiting.
@@OxbowisaMstie played the first years ago. Such a good series indeed. Made me feel excited as a child when I was near defeating some of the bosses. Had quite some time of not feeling that while playing something
God Of War: Ragnarok and Horizon Forbidden West were definitely up there for me, but I didn’t spend too much time playing new games this year. That’s because after playing Elden Ring, my GOTY, for over 300 hours, my thirst for Soulsbourne still wasn’t satiated. Being the first Souls game I ever played, I felt the need to try the others. Starting with Bloodbourne, then blasting through Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls 1-3, and Sekiro, I easily put well over 1,000 hours into Souls games this year, Miyazaki basically owned my soul for half the year lol.
It is great to see people finally understanding what makes Dark Souls games *so* good. And, then, they play Bloodborne and their entire perspective on the genre changes forever, struggling to comprehend how brilliant Miyazaki's formula actually is.
"And, then, they play Bloodborne and their entire perspective on the genre changes forever, struggling to comprehend how brilliant Miyazaki's formula actually is." some of the other games are much more brilliant, DS1, sekiro and elden ring for example. man some bb fans can get a little unassumingly passionate XD but i digress, to further add to your point, then they play sekiro and struggle even more as to how he keeps making masterpieces, and then they play elden ring and implode their brains and wonder how they can even make something better, and then they drown in sorrow as fromsoft raise their standards in gaming too much so they wait for the next fromsoft fix, slowly losing sanity as they play the games all over again.
Great video. Just wanted to say two things. One, Kirby and the Forgotten land does have less worlds than its 2d counterparts, but as someone who completed it, I feel if you find all the collectables, do all the challenges and complete the extra world, you still get a full game. Two, the way I've been describing Scarlet and Violet to people is it's a 7 out of 10, but it's the best 7 I've ever played, lol.
Threre really is something magical about majula in dark souls 2. I think that town and the people who end up living there just... make that game so much more than it could have been otherwise. SPOILERS like the blacksmith's daughter that you save and she's right by the blacksmith but they both cannot remember each other because the whole world is a memory that is falling appart.... oof.
Personally, Majula is my favorite Hub of every souls like game both for its music and the calming giant waves lit up by the orange sunset on the horizon. Also, say what you want, but I really appreciate the bonfire aesthetic mechanic. It made farming less tedious, combat more enjoyable, and you didn't have to run through the game multiple times to get everything.
Yeah... Dark Souls 2 is a mess of a game, but a few of its parts (Majula, the PvP system, etc.) are often considered the best of the series. One can only imagine what From Software could have achieved with more development time.
@@SystemBD was it rushed? Didn’t know that. I feel like elden rings multiplayer is the best in the series though, it works the best and there are more options than ever for how to summon.
@@flataffect it was going to be a next gen, but due to Bloodborne deal with Sony, FS had to release it a year earlier than expected and basically downgrade it a generation back.
Wow. Didn't expect to see DS2 on a 2022 game of the year list haha. That was my first Souls game so I have a very soft spot for it. My game of the year is Xenoblade Chronicles 3. I haven't had the chance to play Elden Ring yet but I'm very excited to do so!
"Not for Broadcast" technically arrived in 2019, but it made it's full release earlier this year. And man, it's such a good time. Quite hectic as hell, fairly short, and probably with gameplay that wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. Yet it still does that gameplay great, and manages to deliver great satire within a genuinely gripping story, at least for me.
Surprised to not see Tinykin on here. If you've not played it you really should. It's essentially the pikmin concept transformed into an excellent collectathon 3D platformer. When I update my "Favorite games of all time" list in a week's time, it'll absolutely end up in my top 25 (of all time, not just the year)
Kirby Super Star was one of my favorite games when I was a kid, and Forgotten Land gave me those feelings again. It was SO good. My only real complaint is the lack of proper Helpers. Bandana Waddle Dee is somewhat okay as a second player, but I really missed being able to give P2 different abilities.
I've seen quite a few people liking it a lot. To me it really seems to come down to how much the poor performance and bugs bother you. There is a very solid foundation here, but it was the technical aspects that had to take the hit
@@Tintelinus Yeah, I just don't notice frame rate drops if they aren't pointed out to me most of the time, since I'm having so much fun I just don't notice. SV really is the best main series Pokemon game (aside from maybe PLA) if you can ignore the technical stuff.
Xenoblade 3 was my favorite game of the year and will probably remain my favorite game of all time until I the next Xenoblade releases (or if I ever get to play X lol). It really is just the perfect game for me, great cast of characters and excellent voice acting, game looks and sounds great and the animation is done really well. The combat is so smooth and cuts out the unnecessary fluff from past games while still staying complex in its own way. And the story, the story is so deep, yet has also made me realize just how much people can miss in a game's story. All put together in one game, Xenoblade 3 is an absolute masterpiece... which is why it disappoints me so much that pokemon s/v is 4th on your list. You can have your opinion, not judging that, but it just causes such pain to see people who would almost definitely enjoy Xenoblade not even trying it and then putting *things* like pokemon s/v this far up on the list.
Arceus. Seriously. That's my list. I put nearly 600 hours into Arceus this year; I got *so* close to perfect completion before Violet came out, but didn't quite make it. I even saved fighting Arceus until that last night, and managed to go without spoiling how awesome the fight is the whole time! I've beaten Violet now... and honestly? I haven't played it in, like, a week and a half. There's just not much to do in it. I kinda want to get into competitive, but building a team isn't as easy as it was in Sw/Sh due to how many Tera Shards you need, and all the mons I want to use are banned in the first competitive season, so... yeah. I played Arceus literally all year, but I'm basically already done with Violet. I may go back to Arceus and see if I can finish those last Marks of Solitude before the end of the year.
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0 gatcha?
Recommending Scarlate: dislike
I'm so glad that you enjoyed elden ring so much. Aren't you glad that you gave ds1 a chance and stuck with it?
Adam sessler
@@andreylucass Elaborate? He didn't recommend it; he shared his opinion.
I just want to say, I wholeheartedly support Arlo making more FromSoft videos on this channel. Just a blue, cuddly muppet explaining how brutal fights with horrific demon abominations set against a gradually, inevitably decaying universe makes him feel
Big fat review of elden ring!!
Man really must be Christmas time if we are getting this many arlo videos!
Gotta get that December ad revenue
Lololol right?! I love Arlo
I just started playing BotW a couple of weeks ago, so there's my game of the year. In a shocking turn of events, it's very good.
Began playing in 2021 and finished all DLC this year and enjoyed it more than any game in a long time. Can't wait for BotW 2 (err TotK).
I love hearing about people playing these super hyped games well after their release date, it’s so cool. Like I’m only playing through Dark Souls for the first time now, despite it coming out like a decade ago
Give it a little time. It loses it's luster really really fast
@@thebigbean8783 Before or after the 50-hour mark?
@@thebigbean8783 it hasn't after 200+ hours in it
I genuinely still can't get over how good Elden Ring was. I knew it'd probably be pretty enjoyable but I didn't expect it to be _that_ good.
Yeah. We all had insanely high expectations for Elden Ring... and, somehow, the game manage to overcome them.
The arlo end of year combos are something I really look forward to a lot
it's an arlo explarlo
I'd love to see you do mini-reviews of older games that you happen to try (cough cough all the fromsoft games!) That could be some fun content for people feeling nostalgic!
Agreed, I think arlo should do reviews on all his favorite retro games
@@quantumdog9791 even if they were smaller, like 5-10 minutes, I'd adore em
I love how very thought out arlo's opinions are.
Yup, thought out enough to talk about BotW for 3 hours just in one video
Yeah. Lol!
I love Arlo but a lot of his opinions are explained like “This game is great because… it’s awesome haha”. He even does it in the Forgotten City section.
@@raymondbenito1405I agree. I love his channel, and his personality. But his links awakening controversy video where he just says “let people have their own opinions” over and over again for like 15 minutes was just a bad video.
I booted Link’s Awakening up yesterday. And don’t get me wrong: I love that game.
But I really wanna try emulating it to get a smoother experience on the fancy new remake of my very first video game (tied with Pokémon Blue; my seventh birthday was GREAT)
This many Arlo videos in such a small span of time! It's a Christmas miracle!
4:22 Actually, I feel like the great majority of Sonic fans, including myself, REALLY enjoyed and appreciated the calmer tone in Frontiers. After over a decade of childish writing and mostly uninteresting mechanics or story, Frontiers was a huge breath of fresh air for fans of the franchise, and I really hope they continue building on the ideas Frontiers established for future games.
Arlo's journey with Fromsoft was exactly the same as mine last year. Once I played Bloodborne, I obsessively played every other Souls game and still have been unable to stop ever since. Yes, we have a problem
Have you played tails of iron? I haven’t played a lot of soulsborne games (I own several, they’re just on my backlog), but I really enjoyed Tails of Iron and have heard it’s kind of a 2D souls-like.
Psplus releasing bloodborne for free in 2018 has cost me like £150 in games 😂
@@daniellebackus819 Bro Dark Souls is much better than indie 2d games
Same. Bloodborne was a life saver for me last year
Kirby and the Forgotten Land is easily my GOTY. Tho I was also content wit the length. Every second was amazing, and I wish I could experience it all again the same way as my first time. Music is amazing, graphics are amazing, level design is amazing, the charm is amazing. The game is just a super high quality title. A must have in the system IMO
Don't forget the final boss, them and their battle theme are stuck in my head permanently with how raw the whole sequence and fight was
For me Kirby and Xenoblade were my top games. Kirby was a joy to play.
Yeah lets pretend like kirby is better than elden ring and ragnarok 😂
@@clauleon2810 this isn’t about which is the best, it’s about which is your favorite. If it’s about which is best, congrats at 10/10 or 9.5/10 game is better than a 8.5 or 9/10 game
Props to Forgotten Land for actually making the post-game “harder bosses, more lore” mode part of the main story instead of relegating it to a non-canon side story like the last three games did.
I've only really played old games this year, but here we go in no particular order.
1. Sonic Generations
2. Super Mario Odyssey
3. METROID DREAD
4. Pikmin 1
5. Portal 2
6. Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness
7. Klonoa: Door to Phantomile
8. Mega Man X2
9. Psychonauts
10. It Takes Two
I am a Splatoon enthusiast who could go on lore rants for hours, so my favorite by far has been Splatoon 3. I've already met so many more amazing people through this community and I love these games so much.
Edit: Woah so many people have seen this! Glad to see some more splatoon lovers :]
yeah I am surprised to see it so low
At least we got it and a lot of people are enjoying it
idk how you meet people in internet communities, it just seems like a thing that doesn't happen
@@uhmyself11111 Me personally the main way I know people in the Splatoon community is through streamers, just chilling in a TH-cam or Twitch chat is enough to get you recognizing other people. Beyond that you can go to things like Discord servers where you interact more directly with other people
SPLATOON 3 LETS GO 👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊
I relate to Arlo. After Elden Ring, I got bit by the fromsoft bug and went on to play every Dark Souls.
My favorite games this year were Triangle Strategy, Tunic, and Legends Arceus! All three were just phenomenal
Switch only
@@glungusgongusOnly one of those are Switch exclusive though.
@@glungusgongus
Not everyone owns multiple consoles or a PC, nothing wrong with that
@@Miriam_J_ There is
@@glungusgongus stop trolling you're just being annoying its not funny.
Glad to see Dark Souls 2 get some love. It really has something special and unique among the Souls games.
IMO in terms of art direction it may have the best areas and best visual set pieces of any game in the series. So much variety and colour.
@@non-playable ehhhhh i gotta lightly disagree on that, the prize of set piece design, color and variety would have to go to elden ring, but i do agree that ds2s visual set pieces are fantastic and 2nd only to ER. it has more varied color usage and beautiful vistas than the other games, especially compared to bloodborne, which i find to be the "worst" one in environment design and variety, worst is a strong word as its still beautifully designed but i digress. ds1 and sekiro do come close to ds2 in those aspects though, theyre all artistic masterpieces as far as i am concerned.
@@non-playable I agree, I think it has some of the most forgettable bosses, but some of the best level design in the series. The exact opposite of DS3 lol
It's the best.
Big ups to Arlo for having the strength to play through DS2. I've played every other Fromsoft game to death, and haven't finished DS2 once.
I understand you, but I suggest you give it another try when you have the patience to deal with all the jank (and the infamous Shrine of Amana). Deep down, this game has... a soul, of all things. Oh! And the DLCs are superb.
I just played Persona 5 this year, and WOW, what a game. It ate up my life for a few months during the summer, and I easily poured a 100+ hours into it. Please play it if you haven’t, probably one of the best games I have ever played.
Hard agree. If I didn't play elden ring, it would probably be the best game I played this year. I usually hate JRPGs, but the pacing of persona 5 is leagues better than anything else in its genre.
too expensive 😅
Persona 5 is in my top 5 games of all time
Arlo must play persona 5. Pretty amazing game. I started playing after I finished God of War Ragnarok and 40 hours in. P5 is gonna take your heart
@@R3in_Ch what do you mean too expensive? you get the full game (and you'll complete it in 80-100 hours) and all the dlc previously released. i got the switch version a couple of days ago,and after two months from its original re-release (october of this year) i found it at 40 bucks. a must buy.
You’re Elden Ring experience sounds similar to mine. I had played Dark Souls 3 before but never really got into it. But I played Elden Ring and was COMPLETELY enamoured, I platinumed that game and then kept plying it. Then after I was done I went on a FromSoft spiral, platinuming Bloodborne, playing through Demon Souls, replying Dark Souls 3. FromSoft completely dominated my year thanks to Elden Ring.
Dark Souls III is the first soulsbourne game I finished and I absolutely fell in love. Thankfully, I had enough experience from then other games that the references to the other games were not lost on me. I went back and finished 1 and 2. Amazing series. Enjoy!
Oh congrats DS3 was first game too and it was great, but DAMN do they the kitchen sink at you in the High Wall. Still a great game once you get past it,the Cathedral and Pontiff though
My favorite game that came out this year was Return to Monkey Island. We've waited so long and the series really didn't miss a beat, it's as if they'd been coming out consistently all this time. Definitely a fun casual and funny experience that I loved.
Arlo's decent into FromSoft addiction can only be responded to with a simple phrase... one of us, one of us, one of us!
Scarlet and Violet is probably the most fun game that I've played in a while that I still can't recommend people buy yet just because of the state of the game.
Go play Arceus instead until they patch SV
it's just another pokemon
but u can still enjoy it I just wouldn't reccomend it compared to arceus regardless of performance
Yup. Very very fun game, but holy hell is it in a rough state
@@swordeaser Storywise, not, it is the first one in which *spoilers* the professor is death.
And the open world feels like fresh air. As always, "steps in the right direction"
In other words, the game itself is good, but everything behind the scenes is on fire trying to make it work
Dark Souls 2 was so unexpected but delightful to hear Arlo gush about
2022 was by far my best year in gaming, I got to play so many games I’ve always wanted to play. Omori, Xenoblade 3, Crisis Core, Splatoon 3, Elden Ring, Digital Devil Saga, Chrono Trigger, Fallen Order, Devil May Cry, God of War IV and V.. man I could go on. Xenoblade 3 was by far one of the best games I’ve ever played though, and easily an all time favorite. Merry Christmas btw :)
Elden ring was the best new release for me. I also played through ocarina of time 3 times in a row so that’s up there for me too
Sparks of Hope was my favourite 2022 game. It was a worthy sequel to Kingdom Battle in almost every way. Also, fun fact, the glowing spirals on the floor give you coins if you spin the left control stick on top of them.
Odd fun fact, that's just a game mechanic lol
Really....I was wondering what those spirals on the ground were for. Does the game eventually let you know about using the left stick to active the spirals to get the coins?
I love the fact that Arlo is now a fromsoft fan now, I had a huge smile watching that end of this video
Elden Ring also converted me into a Fromsoft freak 🤣. After I beat Elden Ring, I played Dark Souls 1, Dark Souls 2, Dark Souls 3 and then 1 again. Now I am in the middle of a Bloodborne playthrough. These games are amazing!
Bloodborne is so good I could cry actual tears of joy
Wondering what about 1 made you want to replay it the most?
@@oscarnator2324 I missed a few areas that I wanted to play, Ash Lake, returning to the Asylum, the painting and the Past
@@stefanocappelli yeah 1 thing I love about 1 is how substantial the hidden areas are, on my first play through I found the best in fire link by just messing around and it blue my mind lol
I'm a little jealous that you can jump so deeply into a series like that. Even though I LOVED Elden Ring, I feel like I need to switch genres every time I beat a game or I start to get sick of the gameplay style. I plan to play another Fromsoft game soon, but I think it will be a while before I make it through the whole series.
Surprised by the Dark Souls 2 bit. Glad to hear you liked it though. It's easily the most underrated of the series and I grow tired of hearing others say it's bad. Sure, it's janky but its got this charm to it that really solidifies a true fan
He needs to stop waiting for a bloodbrone remaster. Its not coming.
@@glungusgongus waiting for it is better than playing it at 24fps/upscaled 720p, especially after a game like elden ring. BBs graphics can get butchered on modern 4k tvs, and its really repetitive artstyle does not help. im pretty sure were getting a bb remaster/remake in the 10th year anniversary, so 2 or 3 years from now hopefully. fromsoft makes too much money per game for sony to just let go of, i can pretty much guarantee that a bb2 will also get announced at its tenth year mark, or maybe im just being too hopeful...but sony would be truly dumb not to do something with the IP.
@@flamingmanure Its 30 fos at 1080p with bad frame pacing. It will never be better.
I've absolutely adored Shadows Over Loathing - a classic RPG by Asymmetric - and the new Lego Star Wars was pretty cool, too. Zeepkist is a unique sandbox game, so those make up my 2022 list. I guess I didn't buy many new Nintendo titles, but 2022 was a great year for games
so happy with PLA being above SV, both are fun games but the immersion and gameplay loop of legends is way more engaging and is the most fun ive had with a pokemon game in my 18 years with the franchise
Live A Live and Shredders Revenge were my top games this year. I also beat Zero Mission and Fusion this year for the first time. Loved them both.
My GOTY is easily a little known indie called SIGNALIS. My original game of the year was Elden Ring. However after playing this game it stole my heart, my mind and my soul. Its such a powerful classically inspired survival horror game that should go down as a standard for the genre. In my opinion its the best the genre has to offer. It never gets stale, its constantly keeping you on edge, its puzzles are genius. Its just a tightly packed near perfect experience with my favorite video game story ever told. Partially because its only half-told and you have to fill the gaps. Its truly a masterpiece and for only 20 dollars and it being 10-12 hours of pure master work, this game has landed itself as among my favorite video games of all time. Full stop.
Dam Arlo you are grinding HARD with the videos the end of this year. Respect and thank you for all the content!
@@WemplesTemple it is also higher in december as people wanna advertise for Christmas
Kind of a shame to see a game like Pokémon Scarlett/Violet on a best of the year list while Xenoblade 3 is missing - two open world games but one that vastly improved on it to please its fans both old and new, while the other did the bare minimum and still gets praise from fans because it has pokemon in it. This is why they can release games like Scarlet/Violet. They know fans won’t just buy it, they’ll praise it and will take any pokecrumbs the company feeds them. Literally no one would be talking about or praising it if it weren’t pokemon - it’s so disappointing to see a company get away with stuff like this.
No offense meant as I get it, it’s not like there are other Pokémon options. But it sucks to see such a flawed, rushed and *bad* game praised when an actually good open world game just seems to not have gotten the attention I think it deserved. To each their own I guess.
it's probably because he didn't play it this year
He’s also allowed to prefer it the xenoblade series never interested me
@@soape5865 As to why he didn't play it this year😅
@@christianthomey7352 hmmmmmmm fair
There's Digimon Survive from this year, and Monster Hunter Stories 2 and Shin Megami Tensei V from last year. Those are your alternate "Pokemon" options. Also, Digimon Survive is my favourite game from this year.
If someone told 2020 Arlo that TWO mainline Pokémon games would both make his top 5 of the year in just 2 short years, I don’t think he would believe them.
Xenoblade 3 is the best thing that came out this year for me and it ain't even close
Sometimes going back to an older game just feeds a soul and does you good
I have the same top two! I wasn't expecting to find anyone else with a Fromsoft and Pokemon game at the top of their list since those franchises are so different, but those two games completely hooked me this year. Great list. Happy Holidays!
Each individual change made to Salmon Run in Splatoon 3 may not feel major on its own (Cohozuna, a couple new maps, a few new bosses, a few new special waves, egg throwing, MUCH higher egg quotas, Big Run - plus the broader Splatoon 3 changes like squid roll/surge and new weapons/specials), but once you start playing it they really add up, especially at the higher ranks. I went back to Splatoon 2 Salmon Run a couple weeks ago and it felt like a such a different game, almost like a rough draft for what Salmon Run is now.
Arlo posting 3 days in a row is like an early Christmas present
Oh boy I played some games this year. Xenoblade 3, Splatoon 3, Bayonetta 3, Portal 1+2 and NieR Automata Switch ports, Pokemon Legends Arceus and Pokemon Violet. However none, come even close to the absolute majesty of Chained Echoes. An absolute love letter to 90's jrpgs and easily the best game that I've played this year and already in my top 5 favorite games of all time. It's that good. The music, visuals, battle system, and story are absolutely perfect beginning to end. And the more mature tone the game takes is also a beautiful breath of fresh air as well. If you have not played this game yet and have any appreciation for 90's jrpgs, please check it out. Best way to describe this game is if Xenogears and Chrono Trigger had a baby and it looked like Stardew Valley.
I'd add Xenoblade 3 to my list. It's pretty impressive to make a swarm of origami move around while 6 other characters and enemies move in battle in the middle of an open world, where other monsters walk around on screen. Not to mention one of the character's hair being on fire all the time. And all without the performance failing.
I'm so glad you have been uploading this much lately. I work in retail and I'm losing my mind right now because of the holiday season. Your vids are always a treat to watch after my long days.
(Almost done with the hellscape of Michaels. I start teaching after the next semester!)
@Penguin Publisher calm down edgelord
I don't need validation from a sad little person like you. You obviously cared enough to reply.
My top half game of the year was P5 Royal. Bought it on Switch and after a slow first couple hours absolutely fell in love with the game. I put more time into this than I did Xenoblade 3, which I also loved
I feel like Arlo would really like Xenoblade 3, easily my GOTY. Hopefully one day he gives the series a try
Arlo has been avoiding playing Xenoblade games for so long and I don't know why. Every time he complains about Paper Mario for everything it does wrong, I'm just like, please just play Xenoblade. It does what you wish Paper Mario would do. Xenoblade 3 is the easiest one to get into if you aren't a Xenoblade fan. If Arlo can play Persona 5, he can play Xenoblade 3.
@@ShallBePurified on a mechanical level maybe but humor,style and story telling is veeeeerry different, I think it's mostly the anime inspired style (which only became more prominent after X) but also it's a pretty daunting series because of how big the worlds and combat mechanics are, its just not for every one
@@DigiBrad Yeah but Arlo played BotW and Elden Ring, two really big open world games. He also played Persona 5. If he can find it in him to play those games for 100 hours, he can surely play Xenoblade.
This year was amazing for games for sure. My top 2 are easily Xenoblade followed by God of War, but Arceus Legends isn't far behind. Honestly there were so many games I don't even remember what I played anymore, but there were a lot I've yet to play.
Next year is gonna be insane with all the releases too. I'm especially excited for Wo Long since I need my Souls-like itch scratched (not counting From's games since I don't like them), and I've played too much Nioh 2, so I can't wait!
my most played games this year were easily Animal Crossing (started a new island late last year after changing my name, and played it just about every day) and Mario Kart 8 (the DLC inspired me to finally try to beat all the cups and get the time trials). But as for new games, I absolutely ADORED Tunic and recommend it to everyone. Definitely the kind of game you want to go in completely blind for. I've also been enjoying Mario+Rabbids 2 and Pokemon Scarlet this holiday season.
I picked up Elden Ring on Black Friday and I don’t even think I’ve put in 10 hours, but it’s easily my game of the year. It’s so hard yet so addicting at the same time. The combat feels amazing and the world is absolutely beautiful! Elden Ring probably has the most beautiful world I’ve ever seen in a video game
Have you found the elevator yet? Game is absolutely gorgeous that’s for sure. Exploration and combat diversity unmatched.
Sad for me. I didn't like the combat. It felt slow for me. I prefer games like Sekiro, Spiderman or GOW Ragnarok, where I feel fast enough. I know the game is amazing but I wasn't enjoying my time 😔
Not even 10??? Over 400 for me and I haven't completed it yet.
@@kclink1579I put in a lot of hours too and haven’t completed it either. Mostly because I was playing multiple builds at the same time
That game is GENEROUS with content. It's like dark souls 4-6 in one beautiful game
Thanks for the tutorial at the beginning on how to have friends. Arlo is such a nice guy.
Honestly there's only one game on my list this year and it's Xenoblade Chronicles 3. I was absolutely floored by it and sacrificed an entire month of free time (and sleep) to that game. I could not put it down and when I finally finished it I had to fight back tears from how emotional it made me. 10/10 would buy more Monolith games. (Ragnarok was a close second).
I got it for Christmas and will play after I finished the new Fire Emblem Warriors.
I haven't played all of the Nintendo games that came out in 2022, but my personal game of the year is splatoon 3! It's so good. ☺
thanks for uploading so much lately. I've been extremely sick with nothing to do for days
Some highlights for me this year are Xenoblade Chronicles 3, Triangle Strategy, and Them's Fightin' Herds. ( I know it's been on PC a few years, but it came to consoles this year and I Love it!)
Triangle Strategy definitely flew under most people's radars this year
Probably not my absolute favorite game of the year, but Return to Monkey Island is easily in my top 5. Point and click games were always my jam, especially the Humongous Entertainment games, and when I finally discovered the various LucasArts games I was smitten. Return is simply one of the best games of its kind I’ve ever played. I felt like I rarely got stuck and the quality of both the story and puzzles kept me glued to my Switch until the credits rolled.
Arlo: “I want Paper Mario to be an RPG again.”
Also Arlo: (will ignore banger RPG’s)
My Top 10 Games of 2022 are
10. Live A Live
9. Fire Emblem Warriors Three Hopes
8. Bayonetta 3
7. Kirby and the Forgotten Land
6. TMNT The Cowabunga Collection and
TMNT Shedder’s Revenge
5. A Plague Tale Requiem
4. Horizon Forbidden West
3. God of War Ragnarok
2. Triangle Strategy
1. XenoBlade Chronicles 3
I think my favourite games to come out this year were probably:
Xenoblade Chronicles 3 - Took everything I liked about the last 1 and 2 and turned it up to 11. Emotional story, fantastic combat, lovable and characters, amazing music, gorgeous world to explore. As much as I adore Xenoblade 1 and 2 this might well be the best.
Elden Ring - If it weren’t for Xenoblade 3 this would easily be number 1. Phenomenal open world with excellent combat and tons of customisation. Much like Arlo, it has well and truly sold me on FromSoft’s games and I’ve now started going back through Dark Souls and loved it too (playing DS2 at the moment and basically having the same though process as Arlo).
Return to Monkey Island - Incredibly funny, charming and intelligently written revival of the series that ends it on a fitting note. Great writing abs fun puzzles all round.
Brok The Investigator - A really unique genre hybrid of point and click and beat em up set in a engaging cyberpunk setting with a gorgeous cartoony art style. This is something really fun and different and I want more things like it.
Pokémon Legends Arceus - Well and truly pulled me back into Pokémon with a new and engaging take on the formula that proved incredibly addictive. And no, I haven’t played Scarlet and Violet yet.
There are a few games I still need to get round to like Stray, Kirby, God of War Ragnarok and Bayonetta 3. But these were my favourite new games this year.
However, a lot of my favourite things I played this year were older releases that I just got round to now. I already mentioned Dark Souls but a few others were:
Mass Effect 2 - Finally playing through the trilogy and utterly fell in love with the world, combat and characters. And the second was the best of the punch.
Devil May Cry 5 - Binged the series and it absolutely goes out on its highest note. The absurd yet technical action never gets old.
Echo - An indie horror visual novel that features some of the best story and characters I’ve ever seen in a video game. Seriously the writing is THAT good. This game has not left my brain for 5 months now. I can’t stop thinking about it. And it’s FREE by the way.
God of War 2018 - The hype for Ragnarok got me to finally try this and it did not disappoint. Yes it sometimes tries a little too hard to be cinematic but it still captures that Zelda like formula of action and adventure that I love, and combines it with an epic story. I look forward to getting to the sequel.
Final Fantasy XIV Heavensward - Finally started this and despite my inexperience with MMOs I enjoyed the base game, A Realm Reborn well enough, but this expansion is where the game REALLY comes into its own. And to think, I still have 3 more expansions to go.
Bro nice taste
I told the developer of the forgotten city way back 1.0 release for the mod, that it was fantastic and had a great story and was just the best to play. He really appreciated it and i hope that it helped spark the push to keep gokng
Arlo looks so cute with his little Santa hat. 10/10
Arlo always spoils us in December, he is a gift.
The forgotten city is SO good. Loved the mystery.
"So Arlo, what Souls game is one of your best games ever"
Arlo "yes"
So cool to see 'The Wild At Heart' appear on this channel, a really great indy from the last couple years
I do love a good end of year list lol.
I think my top 5 games of 2022 would be:
1) Neon White
2) LIVE A LIVE
3) Sonic Frontiers
4) Disney Dreamlight Valley
5) Mario & Rabbids: Sparks of Hope
My number one this year was pretty easily Xenoblade Chronicles 3. Incredible story (I’ve loved seeing people who haven’t played the series before experience and marvel at it, especially since it’s the weakest in the numbered titles by a tiny bit imo 😂), really awesome and deep gameplay that is actually explained really well, impeccable soundtrack, and just an absolute profusion of things to do. I’ve played and beaten it twice, and am planning on going back somewhat soon for another; on top of that, despite its RPG and somewhat linear status, it still managed to make a world so full of life, locations, and characters that it’s one of *those* ones-the ones where it doesn’t matter how many times you boot it up, if you run around for a bit, you are going to find or read or encounter something you have never even seen before. I love it, easily one of my favorites of all time. As I hinted at earlier, you can absolutely start with 3 if you really want to; it explains itself well, and the story can be enjoyed without context from 1 or 2 (although it would help to make some scenes and characters work a bit better).
Definitely the same for me. Its top 5 switch game in my opinion. I'm honestly not sure why Arlo doesn't really play them I think he plays fire embelm which isn't too far off with "annoying" jrpg stuff.
Xenoblade 3 was amazing. Probably my second favorite, with Elden Ring being #1.
Same. It deserves a lot more attention than it got and is a fantastic game. All the pieces really came together to make something special.
pokemon fans need to play xenoblade series and see how this series add something new on its sequel. that's how you make a new game in the franchise
@@LP-bt2dt For real though. Xenoblade 3 is also the least reliant on anime tropes that he hates so much so he should just jump on that. It does everything he complains that Paper Mario doesn't do. Great story, great characters, meaningful writing, interesting world, engaging combat, etc. He should just do it.
2022 has been a backlog year. I only played TMNT: Shredder's & Bayonetta 3 as in 2022 titles. This year I finally got around to playing Hollow Knight, Doki Doki Literature, GTA V, Ys: Memories of Celceta, Psychonauts 2, Project: Warlock and my current love Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights
I love how much Arlo is uploading lately, especially after such a big fat review of Pikmin!
Woah it's cool to see you here! Always cool to see how close these circles are. Like two worlds colliding at the flicker of a candle...
@@magnawiz aha I see what you did there, cheers
its amazing how consistent arlo's whole "i don't care about this series" (goes open world) "now i love it" thing is. is it amusing? annoying? idk. but its a thing.
my favorite game of this year? easily Triangle Strategy. i'd been wanting a challenging and well crafted turn based strategy game for way longer than i care to admit. this game finally hit all those marks. as many times as i lost a fight, i was ready to try it again. the cast, the world, the lore, the story. i've missed having these kinds of things to be invested in. best part i haven't even done everything the game has to offer yet! i gotta get back to it and finish it out for good. its great
I was surprised to learn that The Forgotten City mod turned into a game caught my attention... and unsurprisingly, happy to see Legends Arceus on the list of yet another content creator. Without a doubt my favorite Pokemon in the last decade. 🥰
I am so envious of you and others like you who get to play video games for a living. As someone going through a horrible work schedule, it's bittersweet to see others having fun and enjoying their free time.
Violet was going to be my favorite game of the year cuz the open world and "The Way Home" chapter. But I played Elder Ring because of Arlo and well, I am loving it. I still has GOW and Horizon waiting.
Get on Horizon. That such a good game.
@@OxbowisaMstie played the first years ago. Such a good series indeed. Made me feel excited as a child when I was near defeating some of the bosses. Had quite some time of not feeling that while playing something
God Of War: Ragnarok and Horizon Forbidden West were definitely up there for me, but I didn’t spend too much time playing new games this year. That’s because after playing Elden Ring, my GOTY, for over 300 hours, my thirst for Soulsbourne still wasn’t satiated. Being the first Souls game I ever played, I felt the need to try the others. Starting with Bloodbourne, then blasting through Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls 1-3, and Sekiro, I easily put well over 1,000 hours into Souls games this year, Miyazaki basically owned my soul for half the year lol.
It is great to see people finally understanding what makes Dark Souls games *so* good. And, then, they play Bloodborne and their entire perspective on the genre changes forever, struggling to comprehend how brilliant Miyazaki's formula actually is.
"And, then, they play Bloodborne and their entire perspective on the genre changes forever, struggling to comprehend how brilliant Miyazaki's formula actually is." some of the other games are much more brilliant, DS1, sekiro and elden ring for example. man some bb fans can get a little unassumingly passionate XD
but i digress, to further add to your point, then they play sekiro and struggle even more as to how he keeps making masterpieces, and then they play elden ring and implode their brains and wonder how they can even make something better, and then they drown in sorrow as fromsoft raise their standards in gaming too much so they wait for the next fromsoft fix, slowly losing sanity as they play the games all over again.
Great video. Just wanted to say two things. One, Kirby and the Forgotten land does have less worlds than its 2d counterparts, but as someone who completed it, I feel if you find all the collectables, do all the challenges and complete the extra world, you still get a full game. Two, the way I've been describing Scarlet and Violet to people is it's a 7 out of 10, but it's the best 7 I've ever played, lol.
Threre really is something magical about majula in dark souls 2. I think that town and the people who end up living there just... make that game so much more than it could have been otherwise. SPOILERS
like the blacksmith's daughter that you save and she's right by the blacksmith but they both cannot remember each other because the whole world is a memory that is falling appart.... oof.
Personally, Majula is my favorite Hub of every souls like game both for its music and the calming giant waves lit up by the orange sunset on the horizon.
Also, say what you want, but I really appreciate the bonfire aesthetic mechanic. It made farming less tedious, combat more enjoyable, and you didn't have to run through the game multiple times to get everything.
Yeah... Dark Souls 2 is a mess of a game, but a few of its parts (Majula, the PvP system, etc.) are often considered the best of the series. One can only imagine what From Software could have achieved with more development time.
@@SystemBD was it rushed? Didn’t know that. I feel like elden rings multiplayer is the best in the series though, it works the best and there are more options than ever for how to summon.
@@flataffect it was going to be a next gen, but due to Bloodborne deal with Sony, FS had to release it a year earlier than expected and basically downgrade it a generation back.
@@flataffect It wasn't rushed it was under a different director, the only soulsbourne not directed by Miyazachi.
Yo, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon music? Always a pleasure when that pops up
jeeeeeeez arlo, you and kane and yoshiller are cranking these videos out like crazy! i love it! take care of yourself though you recently-sick madman
Thank you Arlo. Thank you for talking about dark souls 2 as more than just the black sheep of the souls family.
Wow. Didn't expect to see DS2 on a 2022 game of the year list haha. That was my first Souls game so I have a very soft spot for it.
My game of the year is Xenoblade Chronicles 3. I haven't had the chance to play Elden Ring yet but I'm very excited to do so!
"Not for Broadcast" technically arrived in 2019, but it made it's full release earlier this year. And man, it's such a good time. Quite hectic as hell, fairly short, and probably with gameplay that wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. Yet it still does that gameplay great, and manages to deliver great satire within a genuinely gripping story, at least for me.
I haven’t played Elden Ring yet, but with that in mind, my game of the year is Xenoblade Chronicles 3
Surprised to not see Tinykin on here. If you've not played it you really should. It's essentially the pikmin concept transformed into an excellent collectathon 3D platformer. When I update my "Favorite games of all time" list in a week's time, it'll absolutely end up in my top 25 (of all time, not just the year)
Kirby Super Star was one of my favorite games when I was a kid, and Forgotten Land gave me those feelings again. It was SO good. My only real complaint is the lack of proper Helpers. Bandana Waddle Dee is somewhat okay as a second player, but I really missed being able to give P2 different abilities.
Neon White and Sonic Frontiers for me, both games that remind me of everything I love about games and gaming culture.
Finally, another person who likes Neon White
I thought I was the only person who really enjoyed Pokemon SV, so I was so happy to see it make your list!
I've seen quite a few people liking it a lot.
To me it really seems to come down to how much the poor performance and bugs bother you. There is a very solid foundation here, but it was the technical aspects that had to take the hit
@@Tintelinus Yeah, I just don't notice frame rate drops if they aren't pointed out to me most of the time, since I'm having so much fun I just don't notice. SV really is the best main series Pokemon game (aside from maybe PLA) if you can ignore the technical stuff.
Merry Christmas, Arlo. May all your presents be wrapped in Paper Mario wrapping paper.
Xenoblade 3 was my favorite game of the year and will probably remain my favorite game of all time until I the next Xenoblade releases (or if I ever get to play X lol). It really is just the perfect game for me, great cast of characters and excellent voice acting, game looks and sounds great and the animation is done really well. The combat is so smooth and cuts out the unnecessary fluff from past games while still staying complex in its own way. And the story, the story is so deep, yet has also made me realize just how much people can miss in a game's story. All put together in one game, Xenoblade 3 is an absolute masterpiece...
which is why it disappoints me so much that pokemon s/v is 4th on your list. You can have your opinion, not judging that, but it just causes such pain to see people who would almost definitely enjoy Xenoblade not even trying it and then putting *things* like pokemon s/v this far up on the list.
Dark Sous 2 is my first and favorite souls game , good to hear you give it its due respect despite it's problems
Arceus.
Seriously. That's my list. I put nearly 600 hours into Arceus this year; I got *so* close to perfect completion before Violet came out, but didn't quite make it. I even saved fighting Arceus until that last night, and managed to go without spoiling how awesome the fight is the whole time!
I've beaten Violet now... and honestly? I haven't played it in, like, a week and a half. There's just not much to do in it. I kinda want to get into competitive, but building a team isn't as easy as it was in Sw/Sh due to how many Tera Shards you need, and all the mons I want to use are banned in the first competitive season, so... yeah. I played Arceus literally all year, but I'm basically already done with Violet. I may go back to Arceus and see if I can finish those last Marks of Solitude before the end of the year.
Long time Sonic fans have been wanting that tonal shift for YEARS, for most it's long ovedue
Really glad Sonic made your list. There were a lot of big releases but that one is definitely one of my favorites for the year
Arlo: Who doesn't like Friends?
Captions: I don't know
arlo, if you liked the forgotten city, then you would love Outer Wilds, you should check it out!
Never in my life did I think a Sonic game would be on an Arlo list. Lmao
if they just waited a few more months to release scarlet and violet, then these could’ve been the perfect Pokémon games
*few more years…. With a completely different dev team
@@TheAlibabatree yeah probably
Kirby and the forgotten land is so so good. My daughter and I play it together all the time, even after the end
Don’t know if this counts as a new game this year, but the Cuphead dlc was my favorite gaming experience of 2022 (and of all time)