A-to-J Connections' Favorite Video Games of 2022!

1/2/2023

Is this the start of a new "End of Year" article tradition for A-to-J Connections? Why yes it is! 2022 saw a bunch of changes at A-to-J as it was the first real year that we were all able to get up and go to a bunch of events again and that brought about a bunch of restructuring as we tried to get ourselves back into the swing of things. The one constant though is always video games! We at A-to-J are gamers and we have some strong opinions on them so we decided to work on a "Favorite Video Games of 2022" to go along with our similarly-themed music article! This is our first year at this though, and we got somewhat of a late start on it, so it might not be as full as we had initially hoped. Some of the entries are different from each other as there are two choices here that are.... two choices,... and even a favorite song choice (though it is from their favorite game of the year as well) but we're off to a great start! Anyhow, it's time to check out our choices below and maybe you can let us know your favorite picks as well!

Manuel - General Manager / Editor-In-Chief

Picking my favorite game of the year was a bit difficult as I had a couple games that really grew on me that I reviewed for A-to-J Connections (Most notably Crystar), but I'm going to have to go with Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes.

I'm a sucker for Musou games in general (known as "Warriors" games here) and I really liked the first FEW game which was something of an original story that also had a "Greatest Hits" of the Fire Emblem series feel to it. Three Hopes is a more focused game and serves as an alternate universe midquel of sorts to Three Houses proper. You take on the role of a new protagonist, ally yourself to one of the three houses, and fight off wave after wave of enemy while exploring new angles of the Three Houses universe that were not covered in the main game. It's not as fully featured as the main game, or the previously mentioned Fire Emblem Warriors, but it has a gameplay loop that's really addicting. Also, the story, side content, and characters really drew me in and ensured that I spent over 100 hours fully completing all three routes.

There are a few things to complain about though. This is the only Musou/Warriors game I can think of that doesn't have a single central hub where you can play through each story, but it forces you to progress along one story per save instead. Also, I'm surprised that there has been no DLC released for it, but that's an odd thing to complain about isn't it? None of this kept me away from the game though, and the former point also challenged me to min/max my way through the latter scenarios so I could experience everything in one run. Also, did I mention that single-handedly wiping out entire armies can really take the edge off at times? This is a great game and I can't wait to play Fire Emblem Engage later this month and I hope that its release kicks Koei Tecmo into gear regarding Three Hopes DLC. One can hope at least!

Oh, and check out Crystar too!

J.D.: UPZ Mod / Staff Writer

I’m going to shut up about River City Girls for a minute (assuming I haven’t finished the sequel before this goes live) to talk about my favorite game of the year: Live A Live.

This JRPG from Square (now Square Enix) was originally a Japan-only release for the SNES (pronounced in the way that Manuel hates) finally saw an official release overseas this year with its HD-2D remake. It tells the tale of multiple heroes from different times and places and how they all deal with loss and those driven by hate. All these plotlines come together in the end in a way that I don’t want to spoil even if it is nearly 30 years old at this point. Just play it and I think you’ll understand

Each section adds some twist to the classic JRPG format. For example, the Present Day section with Masaru trying to become the world’s strongest fighter, plays like a cross between Street Fighter and Final Fantasy with one-on-one combat relying on positioning and learning new techniques from each of your opponents to win. The Twilight of Edo Japan chapter where you play as the ninja Oboromaru, combines the JRPG battles with a stealth game giving special rewards for runs with no kills and runs where you kill everyone.

The art of the game is beautiful taking full advantage of the HD-2D style and each chapters’ character designs were originally done by different artists. The Twilight of Edo Japan chapter’s were originally by Gosho Aoyama, creator of my favorite manga Detective Conan, so I really like that one. The music really stands out, especially the opening theme before the main menu and the boss theme “Megalomania”.

There are just so many reasons to recommend this package. If you haven’t already, I hope you check it out.

Janette: Manga/Anime Project Leader / Staff Writer

While Elden Ring (rightfully) has gotten so much praise this year and really sucked the air out of the early part of 2022’s gaming news, I’m not here to talk about that. I’m here instead to talk about a pair of notable March releases that are my Japanese GOTY and my Japanese YOU ARE INCORRECT FOR NOT PLAYING THIS BUT YOU ARE ALSO CORRECT FOR NOT PAYING FULL PRICE FOR THIS game.

First, Kirby and the Forgotten Land. Finally. Nintendo remembered that Kirby is more than a cute mascot to sell merch and put into questionable multiplayer games and deserves a mainline game on a home console. Planet Robobot was in 2016 on the 3DS, and Epic Yarn (because who actually owned a Wii U to play Rainbow Curse?) was all the way back in 2010. It had been long enough that people forgot that Kirby games are fun! And also get weird and dark! But Kirby’s first real proper HD outing shines through and through. The visuals are charming, the music fun, the combat skills a joy, and mouthful mode way better than I could have dreamed. The addition of having a second player available to control Waddle Dee makes for a delightful, if not chaotic, time. I know its release was a bit overshadowed by so much else, but if you have a Switch, you’re doing yourself a disservice by not giving Forgotten Land a shot. There’s a demo even! Try it now!

And, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. Unlike many, I was onboard with Tetsuya Nomura’s reimagining of the first Final Fantasy all the way from the original trailer where it seemed that our protagonist, Jack, yelled "CHAOS!" every third word. And being a true believer, I was rewarded with a game that is honestly better than it should be. I will be the first to say, it’s not the greatest game. It’s not. But it’s good. It’s enjoyable. You’ve got a mission-based action RPG akin to baby’s first Dark Souls, that can be co-op with 2 friends, and you can put everyone into real silly outfits. Combat is decently smooth, the graphics are great, and each locale is based on a dungeon from a different mainline Final Fantasy, right down to the music. It’s as much a love letter to the franchise as all the easter eggs and references throughout FFXIV are, and also Jack Garland rules. If you can get this game for cheap, do it. It’s fun. CHAOS!

Nestor: Correspondent

For years, ever since we were kids, we had wanted to explore a vast open environment in the world of Pokemon! The most recent entries of Scarlet and Violet brought that dream closer to reality. But Pokemon Legends Arceus has in my opinion done a much better job in my opinion. Sure, the world is segmented and not truly open, nevertheless the areas are fun to explore. The world is fun and gorgeous and, honestly, it's what I wished Scarlet and Violet were like. The story is simple but getting there is a lot of fun, and that final boss battle gives you more of a challenge than most people thought, which was a welcome change. All in all, Pokemon Legends Arceus was a fun experience and if future titles could blend the styles of what Scarlet & Violet, Legends Arceus, and Sword & Shield do, the Pokemon franchise will continue to thrive for years to come.

Teepu: Project Leader / Staff Writer

2022 was quite the year in gaming, with some franchises releasing uncharacteristic messes, and others releasing surprising hits. When it boils down to it though, I had one game that stood out as exceptional: Pokémon Legends: Arceus. It is rough around the edges, no doubt. That being said, it’s the culmination of the best core principles and themes of the franchise bundled into a semi-open-world game. I loved every second of it and it had some of the most positive and forward-thinking updates to the formula since Generation 2 released many years ago. Pokémon Legends: Arceus was my game of the year for 2022, no contest. I would like to give an honorable mention to Sonic Frontiers though. It’s not the best of games, but it’s the best Sonic has been in a long time, and it deserves some praise for that.

Gotta go fast!

Warren: Streaming Host / Staff Writer

[Note: This is a MUSIC video game choice!]

My favorite video game song of 2022 is from THE GAME of the year. Yes! That's right! My favorite song is "The Final Battle" from Elden Ring!

"The Final Battle" is one of the most amazing songs from the game. The song begins with a killer leitmotif of the game's theme song. The combination of orchestra and choir are brilliantly layered to create the sound absolute power. Then the twist in the midsection of song shifts into a slow melancholy theme. Although somber and calm, this doesn't take away from the emotion the song embodies.

So check out "The Final Battle" from Elden Ring. (Video below!) Matter of fact, go listen to the Elden Ring OST in it's entirety. The game is littered with epic pieces of music!

"The Final Battle" - Elden Ring

This was our first try at a "Favorite Games of The Year" type article and it's not really as complete as we probably would've liked, mainly owing to the last minute nature of us getting started on it, but we hope that you've enjoyed our picks! We're heading into 2023 and who knows what sort of gaming goodness awaits us, but we'll definitely be bringing you our picks all over again in a year's time! Also, we may even expand these "End of Year" articles to include anime, but let's just wait and see on that one... Thanks again for letting us show you what we love, and here's hoping that we can continue bring you more great content throughout 2023 and beyond!

-Manuel and the rest of the A-to-J Team!

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