Without a huge “personal discovery” like PLATO last year, this year was mostly characterized with a growing appreciation for arcade games; the reaffirmation that I will always prefer platformers and action-adventures; and the discovery of a surprising aversion to early CRPGs after the 70s ones I played last year (namely the mainframe computer ones). I think I will start to re-love RPGs as I enter the JRPG era. I am so excited for 2023 backlog though: I am finally at the NES and MSX era that I know I love (from the start of this project when I thought NES was start of post-Atari console gaming ha smh). Much of 2022’s backlog felt trudging, 1982-4 felt like they’d never end, especially since the initial excitement of 70s text adventures from last year lost its allure. But there were some definite highlights along the way.
Since I played, uh, no games released in 2022, this is indeed a list of games I played in 2022, regardless of release year. Mine is in order of most important/favorite though of course that’s dubious to an extent. In many ways the top ones are ones that I consider the best and ones I can actually readily just play (e.g., without abusing savestates or using cheats or getting overly frustrated, because I’m not a particularly good gamer). But also the top ones are ones that are most important, most harkening to my upcoming favorite era of NES-through-the-PS2, most underrated despite the obvious ties to great respected series like Zelda, and the most changing for me with getting me to fully engage in new genres like arcade action, shoot em ups, and text adventures.
The links for each title leads to my specific review of them for more in-depth info on my playthroughs and screenshots.
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Moon Patrol (MAME & Arcade, 1982) - This one took a bit. I knew I loved it, but saw it as a 4 star great arcade game. Even my review reflects this–I kept adding more and more. I thought I couldn’t get to the end without abusing savestates. But this has a Continue function (so amazing for its era), and it had an allure that kept bringing me back. So, it kept climbing in my love. Then I found out my stepdad loved the game too and bought an arcade machine that includes it. Then, to top it off, I found out my local video arcade had the original machine too! I played through it in all 3 formats, tho I can’t claim to have gotten through the Challenge versions–but that only adds to my love and the Feel of this game. The Continue function, the Look, the addicting Play–all bring me back over and over. It’s a new forever, that I know I will play with my nephew, with my stepdad, by myself at the arcade, and eventually do a true 100% Completion (even Challenge versions) using MAME and savestates most likely ha. Simple, but excellent game, largely thanks to its Continue function, ABCD checkpoint concept, and the mechanics of the Score-with-Continue-ability (your score resets when you use Continue, so you could go for highest Score, getting furthest, etc.–it’s up to you what goal to reach for).
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Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped (PS1, 1998) - This one seems a bit redundant to put on the list, especially so high-up, since it’s already been established as an Ultimate Favorite for most of my life. However, I did replay it this year (all on stream, the first time playing through a game on stream) and it only reaffirmed my love of it. I found myself even playing it in between streams, just to test out upcoming levels and not save, because I truly enjoy it so much. Even the levels I still dislike to this day–namely the flying levels, the swimming levels, and the racing levels–garnered new appreciation from me, mostly because (probly thanks to playing through old retro and arcade games improving my gaming skills) I actually did pretty well at them this time! Some of the flying levels I’d avoid like the plague as a kid, I got the Gold Relic within first couple tries! The YouTube playlist of my full 105% playthrough is here. Everything from the music to the look to the collectibles characterize this as a top game to me. What a classic “forever” game for me, and it characterized 2022 and my upcoming years of gaming by reaffirming my love for platformers, my love for the NES-through-PS2 era, my new hobby of streaming, and my love of 100% tracking in games (just seeing the percentage motivates me, even with the early text adventures I played in 2021 and continued this year). For a few years before I got a Grouvee, when I would try to return to games I know I love, I wouldn’t fully engage or complete them, it felt like “why am I playing a game”? Grouvee reinvigorated my love of gaming and cataloging, both Grouvee and streaming adds excitement and camaraderie to replaying my old favorites (and games new to me), and I finally feel like I could truly replay the Rugrats games I always put down for replays, the Humongous Entertainment games, the FF games namely FF9 that I hadn’t finished for years, etc. So, Crash 3 deserved a high position in this list since, even tho I already knew I loved it, it characterizes the upcoming years of replaying classics on stream and getting closer to my beloved PS1 era on the backlog!
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Below the Root (Apple II, 1984) - This was the first game to truly bring me the feeling of Zelda, adventuring secrets power-ups etc. And it rightfully is seen as a predecessor to the Metroidvania genre, namely the Tomba types that I love. Some clunky navigation mechanics, but with a very clever death mechanic (time-based rather than damage-based), I was motivated to just keep trying and trying. I think that was a huge part of my love for it–the ability for me to keep trying and trying till I got it right. Plus, I have always loved playing games with guides, like Legend of Dragoon and FF10–I absolutely loved playing through those specifically by following a guide. Flipping through the official walkthrough, or organizing a spreadsheet based on a GameFAQs upload, etc.–for action-adventures and RPGs, it was something I always loved. This game truly brought back that feeling. As odd as it sounds, this map and this guide were a huge part of why I loved the game so much. The way the map and guide interacted with the game, without cheesing it but still helping make it manageable, it’s a feeling for the PS1 era I just hadn’t gotten yet with other retro games. (Definitely at least check out the map, because it’s simply beautiful to look at.) To top it off, I still can replay it some day as other characters, which changes the route and gameplay mechanics. What an incredible game!
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Demon’s Forge (Apple II, 1981) - The Look, the solvable and RE+FF-esque puzzles, the fantasy Feel–this proved to be my new all-time-favorite text adventure. Overall, I wasn’t feeling 80s text adventures as much as the 70s ones I played last year. This one had everything I look for, the roots of Zelda and Resident Evil style puzzles, and an incredibly satisfying adventure Feel to it.
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Atic Atac (ZX Spectrum, 1983) - Like Below the Root after it, this was one of the first games to truly give me that Zelda feel and to fully re-engage with follow-a-guide gameplay that I personally love (tho I know it’s divisive in the gaming community). I had the map printed lol, I love printed/paper walkthroughs. The boomerang weapon is a trope I so love and as far as I know, this is the first instance of it. Exploring room after room–only having a guide to help navigate it not to tell me how to beat each room–spamming the boomerang–the captivating constant Speccy sound effects–the comforting Speccy colors and Look–what a great game! A cute imaginative concept a la Swagman, addicting gameplay a la Zelda, and replayability with different classes and routes and secrets.
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Space Zap (MAME, 1980) - Simple, fast-paced, and addictive. What made this attach to me is that I reached a goal (100k points) that I thought I couldn’t, and truly had fun doing it. You can just jump right in and enjoy playing! It was the right lineage from when I finally began to enjoy arcade games more in December 2021 with Head On and Space Invaders, and now look at this–so many arcade games in my top 10 of the year!
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Flicky (MAME, 1984) - Like Robby Roto below, I loved the collect-then-dash-to-the-start gameplay a la the later Abe’s Odyssey I so loved in childhood. I like that you could play this in different ways–try to save them all the fastest, try to play it safe and steady, try to get the most points, etc. And I love that I can actually enjoy the game–play it as intended–without having to abuse savestates. I get that early gamers took pride in gatekeeping the culture, with most microcomputer games being insanely difficult (tho largely due to clunky controls imo), but there’s something to be said about a game with a healthy progression of difficulty that allows for repeated trial and error for people like me to gradually engage more and more with the game. I was able to play this on stream, and after playing Pine Applin (which I considered a favorite at first, because when I played it the first time I didn’t have to abuse savestates… I must’ve been in a heightened mindset, because sheesh the replay was brutal), this was a nice breath of fresh air–difficult, required some savestates, but without feeling like I was just cheating the game. Cute, fun, addicting, and a type of difficulty I know I can return to.
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Manic Miner (ZX Spectrum, 1983) - This game defined what I looked for in platformers for the rest of the year. I found myself comparing all later microcomputer platformers to this game. It was so influential, and to think it was programmed by a 16 year old. The first Speccy game with in-game music, and the music was great! There was something about the Look and level designs, especially that last level; the concept; the difficult yet addicting gameplay… This deserves the legacy it has. I worry that, on replays, I might find it too difficult to fully re-engage. But the reality is, that first playthrough, I was able to fully engage with it and enjoy it. And it’s almost like the difficulty-yet-still-return-to-it was a big part of why I will always remember this game. It’s a memory, a legacy, and a reference point I will never lose!
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Zoo Keeper (MAME & Arcade, 1983) - Fast-paced and chaotic, with surprisingly well-done bonus screens in between. It’s a game, like Space Zap, you just pick up and play and scream and laugh and have fun. It wasn’t quite as fun on the proper arcade machine as emulated on MAME, but it still is a game I won’t forget; a game I will replay with family on the Arcade Legends machine (along with other greats like Moon Patrol, Food Fight, & Berzerk); and a simply fun game!
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Scramble (MAME & Arcade, 1981) - Shoot em ups have never been a favorite genre. I’ll play them and laugh for a bit, but like Maze games too (and most arcade games to me, before I started this project), I can easily just put it down and pass on it. But this game had a set ending–something that always drives me–and along with Moon Patrol, enlivened my new love for arcade games. I was driven to reach the end–and I did it! Without even abusing savestates! Like Moon Patrol, I soon discovered my local video arcade had an original machine–and I even managed to beat it there (tho uff that last bit is so darn brutal). Shoot em ups still aren’t a favorite genre–but this certainly is one of my favorite games! And it deserves a place on this list for getting me to fully complete a shoot em up (I did the same with 1942… with hours of gameplay ha), helping overcome my aversion to arcade games, and having a set ending for me to reach for in future replays.
Honorary Mentions (vaguely in order of ones closest to making the list):
Adventures of Robby Roto (MAME, 1981) - so early, and the true start of my love for arcade games. What great colors too! This really probly should’ve taken Scramble’s position but whatevs.
Red Sea Crossing (Atari 2600, 1983) - the penultimate ending of the Atari 2600 era for me. Why did I love this so much?
Marble Madness (MAME, 1984) - nice surprise, the last Favorite I played in 2022. I usually don’t like these type games, getting a marble to the hole, but this was so addicting and well-controlled and well-designed!
Blade of Blackpoole (Apple II, 1982) - in the 80s, I more and more lost my love of the text adventures I so enjoyed from the 70s. This one stood out alongside Demon’s Forge. This year, games like this and Below the Root and Atic Atac really signaled the roots of the Zelda-and-beyond era.
Bongo (MAME, 1983) - Simple, pretty platformer fun. The look, cutesiness, and humor in this really helped it to shine.
Mr. Do’s Wild Ride (MAME, 1984) - This one would have been near the top of my list after my first playthrough–it was around the time I also beat Pine Applin without abusing savestates–I must’ve been super healthy at that time or something because on replays, this was just too darn hard and frustrating! If it weren’t for that attempted replay on stream, this would have made the list for sure. Interesting how replays can affect things.
Facemaker (Apple II, 1982) - Games like this can never top a list to me, since there’s no true goal or adventure, but for early facemaking/animating games, this is the cream of the crop. Definitely check out the screenshots in my review and/or give it a playtest–surprisingly worth it.
Just like last year, I have to give an honorable mention to OldSchool RuneScape. I quit it completely for about 5 months there, returning to it in March. My rule was it had to be backseat/afk, while focusing on backlog. Only when I stream do I fully focus on the game. But I’m just too tied to the community there to fully leave it, plus… let’s be honest, my childhood dream of maxing those stats. I’m now at 2249/2277 total level , which is absolutely ridiculous ( 252 Days and 13 Hours of log time on this account…). To boot, the players voted to add a new skill 
Will I ever achieve my dream of maxing my character?! They hadn’t added a new skill since this iteration was released, and now they gonna?! Argh!
