2022 saw many issues, what with the ongoing covid pandemic, tech layoffs, the conflict in Ukraine, and more. But for me personally, it has ended on a high being able to spend the last couple months on paternity leave with my first kid.
The internet loves lists of things, so here are three lists of random categories for the year.
In 2022, I played plenty of games from past years, whether that was trying out Seablock in Factorio, thinking I could replay FFXV before my son was born (spoiler, he got here 2 weeks early), playing the 6.1 and 6.2 FFXIV patches, continuing a very-long-running Gloomhaven campaign with my friends, or trying another run of Don't Starve Together with my wife.
But, for this category we'll look specifically at my top five games that were released in 2022.
First, in no particular order, are some runner ups. Games I still enjoyed, but didn't make the cut: pokémon scarlet the latest entry in the long-running pokémon franchise, the tactical rpg Triangle Strategy with the Octopath-like HD-2D visual style, the short innovative solitaire village builder Stacklands, and the donut-based puzzle game Freshly Frosted.
Starting at #5 is APICO, the indie beekeeping simulator. It was simultaneously super relaxing, while remaining engaging collecting bees and mastering the mechanics of breeding and gathering resources. Not to mention an awesome soundtrack by Mothense.
At #4, described by Yahtzee in Zero Punctuation as a "post-dad game", Hardspace: Shipbreaker has you dismantling spaceships for parts in a dystopian capitalist scifi future. Like APICO, both relaxing and engaging, but rather than breeding bees, the joy came in learning the most efficient way to scrap ships and score those sweet credits to slowly chip away at your crippling debt.
Coming in at #3 is Strange Horticulture, an occult puzzle game of identifying plants and uncovering plots. I loved the user interface of this game that left it to the player to decide how to organize their stuff, the overall aesthetic that oozed with charm, and the thought that clearly went into designing the different plants and their associated puzzles.
At #2 is a game that actually came out in South Korea in 2019, but made its global debut in 2022. Lost Ark is an Action MMORPG with super fun combat, gorgeous locales, interesting characters, and plenty of end-game content. It had different modes that were reminiscent of playing Diablo, Monster Hunter, and FF14 all with the right mix of challenge and rewards. And not to mention all the mokoko seeds and island souls to collect!
Last at #1 is Pokémon Legends: Arceus which took a spin on the standard formula of catching pokemon. Running around an open world and throwing pokemon balls at unsuspecting monsters never got old. Here is the squad that I went with:
And that's it for games! Up next is TV shows!
For this category, rather than shows that debuted in 2022, I'll consider any show that released a new season in 2022. This is purely out of convenience, since I didn't watch that many new shows this year.
In 2022, I watched a lot of panel shows, quiz shows, and the like, including the newcomer The 1% Club, as well as classics like Jeopardy, Only Connect, QI, 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Would I Lie To You, and more. But in honor of Jeremy Paxman's last season of hosting, my #5 slot goes to University Challenge.
At #4, I honor a relative newcomer to the online streaming scene with College Humor's Game Changer. With a recurring cast of amazing comedians and incredibly clever games, this show never disappoints. Close runners up are their game shows Um Actually and Dirty Laundry.
Another dropout show, Dimension 20 takes the #3 slot, with their 2022 release of A Court of Fey and Flowers with Aabria Iyengar as GM. I was introduced to this show with Escape from Bloodkeep, but between Fantasy High and Misfits and Magic, this show has hit after hit.
At #2 is Netflix's comedy murder mystery Murderville, hosted by Will Arnett. Each episode sees a different celebrity try and solve a case, having to improvise as they go along. With guests like Conan and Kumail Nanjiani, it was a joy to watch. It also introduced me to Murder in Successville, which this show was based on.
Last but not least, is my #1 pick, the new comedy action anime SPYxFAMILY, which sees a spy, an assassin, a telepath, and a dog who can see the future try and avert war. Hilarious, well animated, interesting characters. Definitely a fun new show, and with music by (K)now_Name (who also did the amazing tracks for Dorohedoro), I can't wait to see where it goes next.
And that's it for TV. Last list is food!
Speed round! With a kid on the way in 2022, we moved to have a little more space after 3.5 years in San Mateo, CA. In honor of the town's amazing food scene, here's a quick list of our top 10 places to grab a bite.
To leave room for the amazing places unique to San Mateo, I've left out larger chains like Bonchon, Teaspoon, Mochinut, Curry Up Now, and more amazing spots that are more broadly available. Also special shout out to Suruki Supermarket, which could steal the #1 spot, but I'll keep this list to restaurants.
Anyways, here's to a healthy and happy 2023!