Our individual Game of the Year articles allow our lovely team of writers to share their own personal PS5 and PS4 picks for 2022. Today it’s the reviewer’s turn Brett Posner-Ferdman.
After what seemed like years of waiting, the newest entry in The King of Fighters series is finally here, and it was well worth the wait. As a longtime fan of the series, it’s great to see all of these great KOF and SNK icons come together to shatter all of my expectations. As much as I like tekken and street fighter, there really is nothing quite like creating your own 3v3 team of some of the craziest characters (I’m looking at you, king of the dinosaurs). The addition of the Max Mode system has added a new level of depth to an already deep combat system in a way that keeps combat fresh, without being too difficult to master. Plus, with a whole host of DLC characters to come, it looks like this entry has the longest legs the series has ever seen.
The Persona series has long been associated with PlayStation, much to the dismay of Nintendo and PC fans. But 2022 marked a departure for the series to new platforms, and thankfully the PS5 was no slouch. Boasting a smoother frame rate, improved textures and lighting, and all the DLC from the original release, this re-release really is the definitive way to play Persona 5 Royal, especially if you somehow missed it. to play the 2017 or 2020 version. The only caveat of this version is the lack of an upgrade path for PS4 owners, which makes the overall product slightly worse for long-time fans like me. Despite this, Persona 5 Royal is still one of the greatest games ever made and well worth everyone’s time.
A bit of a controversial choice, but Sonic Origins was definitely a highlight of this year for me. It’s no surprise that I’m a big fan of Sonic the Hedgehog, having grown up with countless of its titles, but classic 2D games have long been some of my favorites. Having the mobile remasters of Sonic 1, 2 and CD available on home consoles has been a dream of mine for a decade, and this release finally delivers on my wishes, with the added bonus of a new remastered version of Sonic 3 & Knuckles. Plus, the game’s mission mode is surprisingly fun, putting a fresh spin on some of these classics. If you haven’t experienced the original 2D Sonic games yet and want to play them on modern consoles, I can’t think of a better way to play them than in Sonic Origins.
A re-release that came and went with very little fanfare, the PS5 version of Resident Evil 2 Remake is another example of how the current-gen console can take an already phenomenal game and make it a little better. Improved textures, haptic feedback, and load times make for a much smoother (and creepier) experience. As my favorite game of 2019 and as a die-hard Resident Evil fan, it’s no surprise that I have such a fondness for this remaster. In fact, the PS5 version was my most played game of the year, according to my PlayStation 2022 recap. And, unlike Persona 5 Royal, Resident Evil 2 Remake on PlayStation 5 offers a free upgrade for owners of the PS4 version, which is an easy excuse to revisit one of the best entries in the series.
If you had told me at the beginning of the year that Sonic Frontiers, of all games, was going to be my favorite game on PlayStation this year, I would never have believed you. Everything shown of the game before launch looked like a mess, with poor pop-in, half-baked world design, and very little that screamed “Sonic.” In fact, for a very long time I kept referring to the game as Sonic Forces 2 lest Frontiers was another Sonic disaster. And yet, having finally played the game for myself, I can confidently say that it’s the most fun game I’ve played this year. I had the biggest smile on my face as I explored the vast open spaces, grinding on rails and battling ginormous titans. Ian Flynn also did a fantastic job writing the story, with arguably the best plot and character I’ve ever seen in a Sonic game. And of course, I can’t overstate how awesome the soundtrack is. The game is by no means perfect, but the joy I felt from start to finish was unparalleled compared to anything I’ve played this year on PlayStation. Plus, the promise of more waves of free DLC only makes me incredibly optimistic about the future of what this game can deliver. Welcome Sonic, it’s been a long time.
What do you think of Brett’s personal picks for Game of the Year? Feel free to wholeheartedly agree or relentlessly reprimand in the comments section below.
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