2022: what I played and what I listened to
So long 2022! That was a strange year from me, my first as a freelance. I managed OK, with a contract that lasted half the year and let me work on a personal project… that did not progress as fast as I would like.
But enough of talking about the boring stuff, let’s talk about what I enjoyed in 2022: music and games.
Best albums of 2022
In 2022, I listened to a lot of new stuff, I even managed to do a musical advent calendar composed only of albums released in 2022.
So here are my top three albums of 2022:
3. Take all you can by Freedom Hawk, stoner metal
This album is a huge love letter to 1970’s metal and I have listened to it on repeat for a whole week after stumbling upon it. I did not know Freedom Hawk, so the good news is there are five more albums for me to catch on.
2. Folium Limina by The Otholith, doom metal
This album has all you expect from doom metal and more: low tempo, heavy basses, and violin. Beautiful from start to end.
1. Unison Life by Brutus, post-hardcore
Brutus is a Belgian post-hardcore trio that has been one of my favorite band since I have discovered them a couple of years ago. Their third album, Unison Life, feels like a perfect mix between the rawness of their first album and the refinement of the second.
Honorable mentions
These are 2022 albums that I loved, in no particular order:
- Here’s What You Could Have Won by Kid Kapichi, punk rock
- Myriad by Gaupa. Psychedelic Doom/Stoner metal
- Grey Everlasting by Deathwhite. Doom/Heavy metal
- Innate Passage by Elder. Prog/Psychedelic rock
- Close by Messa. Doom/stoner metal
Best video games of 2022
Like every year I played a lot of games in 2022, but unlike other years, I played a lot of games in the year of their release. Here is my top three for video games released in 2022.
3. Expeditions: Rome
I had never played any game of the series before, and this one took me by surprise. The tactical fights are really clever and like in X-Com you can customize your mercenaries to match your playstyle, but I did not expect the roleplaying aspect to be so good. I chose to play as a woman, and the writers went out of their way to acknowledge it and most characters react to it realistically, it’s not a cosmetic choice. The game has some defaults (technically aged, a bit long) but overall a huge recommendation from me.
2. Citizen Sleeper
Citizen Sleeper is a roleplaying game that presents itself as a boardgame. You throw dice that you then use to perform actions that will allow you to survive on a space station that is (at first) very hostile to you. The survival aspect gradually leaves more room to a lovely story, where your choices seem significant.
1. Elden Ring
Not an original choice, but an obvious one. As a huge fan of Dark Souls and Bloodborne I had a lot of hope for Elden Ring, and From Software did not disappoint. It’s not just “Dark Souls with an open world”, clearly more than the sum of its parts. I know I will play this game for years.
Honorable mentions
- Immortality: Sam Barlow does it again
- Powerwash Simulator: best podcast game of 2022
- Last Call BBS: sad that Zachtronics closes, but it’s a beautiful adieu
- Deathloop: yes it’s a 2021 game, but I played it on Xbox where it was released in 2022
- Vampire Survivors: after more than 80 hours I am not bored and I still got the DLC to play
- Dome Keeper: a mining game with the cutest pixels
Best boardgames of 2022
Okay, I must admit I have no idea, because I almost did not play any new release this year. I have just received “Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion”, but I have yet to play it.
I did however play a lot of “Heat: Pedal to the Metal”, and I love it. The simulation is lighter than in Formula D, but the race is as intense and the risk management is at least as good. Also, there is a clever and simple way to include more cars that race automatically, which makes it possible to play with few players (or even solo) and still have a full grid.
That’s it for 2022, let’s hope 2023 will be better for you or me.