2022 has been a disappointing year in gaming for some, and one of the best years in memory for others. Delays have caused several titles that people otherwise would’ve been excited for to be pushed back into next year. However, even with the delays, plenty of games are still being released this year to get excited about.
December is normally an empty month, but December 2022 brings a host of video games for people who are looking for something new. Whether fans are looking to return to games they already loved, or for a niche JRPG to lose dozens of hours to, December will be one of the better months in gaming for 2022.
10/10 Marvel’s Midnight Suns Challenges Superhero Fans To Play Something New
Firaxis and 2K Games are asking Marvel Cinematic Universe fans to try something new with Marvel’s Midnight Suns, available as of December 2nd. Players will control thirteen heroes in the magic super-team the Midnight Suns, on their quest to stop both Hydra and Lilith, the Mother of Demons.
While people might be looking for an action experience to replace Marvel’s Avengers, what they’re going to get is a turn-based XCOM-like RPG with light roleplaying elements. From all the early reactions, the game seems to be everything XCOM fans could hope for, and hopefully Marvel fans will give it a shot.
9/10 Classic Fighting Game Rumble Fish 2 Finally Leaves Arcades
By now, fighting game fans are a little hungry for some attention. Street Fighter VI is coming out next year, and potentially so is Mortal Kombat 12, but that’s not happening for months. Until then, players can check out the classic Rumble Fish 2 game from acclaimed director DIMPS.
Rumble Fish 2 is an older game that might’ve been forgotten by most, as it first released in 2005. However, the game never left arcades, meaning there are thousands of players who never got to play this beautiful game. This new version of Rumble Fish 2 adds an online versus mode, rollback netcode, training mode, and wide-screen support. It releases on December 8th, just in time for fans who will doubtlessly be hyped by the Tekken 8 and Mortal Kombat 12 reveals at The Game Awards.
8/10 Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion Proves Square-Enix Wants To Remake The Entire Compilation
When people were waiting on the next installment of the Final Fantasy VII Remake series, no one would’ve expected Square-Enix to announce a remake to the game’s prologue. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion is a ground-up remake of the PlayStation Portable title, releasing for consoles and PC on December 13th.
Considering how Final Fantasy VII ended, this game is going to need a bit of an overhaul to explain how things are in this version of events. Still, with some improvements to the combat system, new soundtrack arrangements, and full voice acting, this is going to be worth returning to even for people who beat the original.
7/10 Need For Speed: Unbound Looks To Be Everything NFS Fans Want
The Need For Speed franchise has been a mess for years now. It’s not difficult to believe there was some skepticism surrounding the latest title, Need For Speed: Unbound. It was announced late, and then delayed not long after its announcement. It’s also got a weird anime-style look to it, which feels more like a gimmick than an inspired design choice at first glance.
For players who have gotten the chance to go deeper though, Unbound feels like the first time the franchise has gotten it right in ages. Available as of December 2nd, players will be able to dive straight into this fresh game that promises to give NFS and racing fans everything they’re hoping for.
6/10 Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song Remastered Is The Game SaGa Fans Were Waiting On
The SaGa series has been one of Square-Enix’s longest-running franchises, and one of its more popular entries was Romancing Saga on the Super Nintendo. Years later, series creator Akitoshi Kawazu remade the title for PlayStation 2 as Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song.
Now, almost twenty years later, the game is being remastered and brought to both mobile phones and consoles. The original remake was a considerable upgrade, and this re-mastered version adds new bosses, new classes, and even new characters. It might not make the Best JRPGs of 2022 list, but hopefully it will be received more positively than the PS2 version was.
5/10 The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners Chapter 2: Retribution Gives VR Fans Another Taste Of The Walking Dead
Players looking for a reason to turn on their VR systems will have a chance to return to The Walking Dead universe with The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners – Chapter 2: Retribution, available as of December 1st. One of Skydance Interactive’s main projects, Saints & Sinners Chapter 1 was a solid game with choice-based gameplay at the center of the story.
Even for Walking Dead fans, players having to make it through the French Quarter while trying to avoid both zombies and the so-called Axeman of New Orleans might be the toughest challenge yet. With the series finale having aired in November, there’s no better time for one last return to Robert Kirkman’s dangerous universe. Hopefully, more developers will give their franchises a chance in VR.
4/10 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Comes To Next Gen Consoles With New Content
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt doesn’t need more reasons for people to replay it again. CDProjektRED is still intent on giving them to players though, as the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series version of the game comes out on December 14th. With this version, The Witcher 3 will receive several upgrades like raytracing and DLSS, but those aren’t the biggest changes.
In the update, CDProjektRED will add a bunch of content from the first two seasons of the Netflix series. Geralt will gain the armor and swords from the show, and new costumes for Dandelion and Yennefer. Players won’t just receive it on logging in either, they’ll have to travel back to Velen and complete a quest there for the new content.
3/10 High On Life Brings The Humor Of Rick And Morty To First-Person Shooters
The biggest surprise at this year’s Summer Game Showcases had to be High on Life. From developer Squanch Games, High on Life started as a Google Stadia exclusive before the company pulled the plug on it. Microsoft picked the game up to bolster their exclusives, meaning fans will still get to try this interesting looking game.
The premise is simple enough: the protagonist is hunting aliens who’ve been kidnapping humans and selling them to use their brains as drugs. The player relies on a special set of talking guns known as Galatians to fight back against these threats. With a star-studded voice cast and some interesting game mechanics, High on Life should be a hit… so long as the writing doesn’t get on the players’ nerves too much.
2/10 Chained Echoes Brings The Charm Back To Fantasy RPGs
These days, when people think of fantasy stories, they think of dark stories like Game of Thrones or even the new God of War title. Developer Matthias Linda teams up with Deck13 Games to bring players something a little different. Chained Echoes is a JRPG-like that brings back the classic SNES charm to fantasy storylines.
With a 30+ hour storyline, plenty of customization, and giant robots to fight the enemies with, there’s plenty to love about a game like this. Players looking for a return to the SNES era will want to pick Chained Echoes up when it releases on December 7th.
1/10 Genshin Impact Continues To Pack Each Update With Content
miHoYo’s Genshin Impact has been literally unstoppable, seemingly gaining more fans by the month. On December 7th, the company will add to the game again with update 3.3, “All Senses Clear, All Existence Void.” This new update comes with plenty for players to get excited about, including a new five-star character in The Wanderer, and a four-star archer in Faruzan.
New characters aren’t the only things coming to the game, though. This latest update expands on the game’s story mode in the Archon Quest, moving past the Sumeru storyline. There’s also a new TCG being added to the game in Genius Invokation, where players can challenge NPCs all over the map.
