After last week where I had some less than positive things to say about each of the big games I’ve played / reviewed so far this year, today I want to run through some which are yet to come that keep me excited for the future of gaming. Let’s kick things off with the most recently announced to be out this year, mere hours ago!
God of War: Ragnarök
Oh yes, it’s finally confirmed for 9th of November 2022. Within five minutes of its announcement I had my holiday request form into work, as well as authorised (I stood there and waited until a signature appeared on the approved line). I have replayed God of War 2018 almost every year since it released and so have the story and gameplay fresh in my mind for jumping back into Midgard as Kratos and Boy.
My main cause for excitement is Ryan Hurst appearing as primary antagonist, Thor, as well as the opportunity to explore more of the nine realms. It is already confirmed by Santa Monica Studios that Ragnarök will be the last God of War game focussing on the Norse Pantheon, and so the epic conclusion set up in 2018’s outing will be upon us before the close of this year.
Any excuse to hear more of Kratos’ aggressive screaming really..
Hogwarts Legacy
Hot on the heels of Ragnarök for my most anticipated game, especially now Forspoken has been officially bumped to 2023, is Hogwarts Legacy. While this game does not yet have a concrete release date, instead the tantalising launch window of ‘Holiday 2022’, I remain hopeful we will see it this year as a Thanksgiving / Christmas time frame will certainly generate the most revenue and dominate game sales. I predict that by the time it has been out for three months it will dwarf Elden Ring’s lifetime sales, but only time will tell on that front.
Finally having the opportunity to fully explore the Hogwarts castle, grounds and attend classes is an invitation nobody will allow to pass by. For over two decades I have been a massive fan of the franchise and hopefully this year will be the time I get to take it all in at my own pace.
Pokémon Violet
I am sticking with Violet as my first choice as I slightly prefer the cover Legendary, but after we see some version exclusives I may swing my support over to Scarlet instead. At time of writing we have seen frustratingly little of the gameplay and new additions to the Pokémon roster but based off the morsels of information we currently have, and some reliably sourced leaks, I am hugely confident in Violet being game of the year material. Unfortunately for it, it also has Ragnarök and Hogwarts Legacy to contend with for that title.
I hope Game Freak aren’t content to withhold the lion’s share of game details until release like they did for 2019’s Sword and Shield, where the leakers did more positive marketing for the game than the actual developer’s did! There’s still time, four months in fact, so maybe it won’t come to that but after so much speculation I just want to see the fully evolved starters and find out what the generation 9 gimmick will be. Give me something like Mega’s!
Forza Horizon 5 Expansions
This could be the year that a game emerges as my favourite of the year two consecutive years! The first expansion for Forza Horizon 5, Hot Wheels, is out in the next couple of weeks, with the second expansion also expected later this year. I am still completely besotted with the base game, proven by the fact I’ve recently hit the 110 hours of game time milestone despite the fact I haven’t yet completed all of the events.
I am very happy Hot Wheels is releasing during this year’s game drought as it gives me ample opportunity to pile as many hours as I want into it without other titles trying to draw me away.
Stray
To end this list feature on a game I’m really excited for but which is unlikely to be a strong contender for game of the year: Stray. The ‘cat courier’ game as it is known online, I am looking forward to playing as a friendly cat exploring a cyberpunk style world whilst hopefully also making a nuisance of myself as all felines do. There’s already confirmed to be a dedicated ‘meow’ button, which you can be sure will greatly wear the use of part of my DualSense!
PlayStation Plus Extra / Premium & Xbox Game Pass
As a bonus couple of entries, I am yet to sign up for either of these services, but am almost certain to as we drag deeper into the current game drought. Between the releases of Stray and God of War: Ragnarök is a span of nearly four months, so I am sure to cave in that time and subscribe to something to keep my gaming brain occupied.
What are your most anticipated upcoming 2022 games? Do you agree with some / all of my picks? Let me know in the comments and I will be back again soon. Thanks for reading!
