Glad to see Pentiment getting so much love! Definitely the most unexpectedly great game of the year for me.

@xtoadsannom6704

Жыл бұрын

I feel a lot of people must have played it or finished it very recently, there's been a surge of Fanart the last 2 or 3 days on Twitter and Tumblr...

@MrDalisclock

Жыл бұрын

It's nice to see other people noticing this gem. Its interesting it was made by obsidian and pretty much flew everyone's radar. I get it has a focus that won't appeal to a lot of people but it's the same studio that made Fallout New Vegas(among other things) should get it an acknowledgment. Though it does look like an indie game for sure

@ungooglablegames

Жыл бұрын

Five games in 50 minutes is insightful, but on the other hand I managed to rank ALL games from 2022 in 40 minutes.

Great video my dude, really gotta get around to finishing Pentiment, it was so captivating when I started it a few months back. Your videos are always a comfort, and I hope to see more bangers in the year to come 🙏

@ungooglablegames

Жыл бұрын

Five games in 50 minutes is insightful, but on the other hand I managed to rank ALL games from 2022 in 40 minutes.

Hey man, I’m too poor for patreon, but that doesn’t mean I don’t support you. You’re up there with Joseph Anderson and mandalore as far as KZread essayists go. Thank you for your dedication to the craft. Despite the highs and lows in engagement, please continue your creative venture on this platform. The value your videos provide to KZread is a blessing to the website.

@francismakoni1526

Жыл бұрын

100% Writing on games and Joseph Anderson, are for me, some of the most enjoyable essayists. The way they weave their words in their videos to vividly relay the emotions they get from playing different titles, the small little think pieces in each video, the editing, the games covered. All top tier stuff

@benabraham4086

Жыл бұрын

JA has absolutely nothing compared to Writing On Games

@francismakoni1526

Жыл бұрын

@@benabraham4086 subjectivity is implied…

Well, imma keep it real this introduction was probably the most relatable thing I heard in a while. Didn’t expect that from a top 5 games list

I love your love for Pentiment. Such a masterpiece.

So happy with your GOTY! One of my top games of 2022

I felt so out of the loop when no one mentioned Teardown at all for any top games in this year. Thank you for proving I'm not a wierdo for waiting for it's final release. I guess most people played it in early access and the final release wasn't so meaningful for them. Great list and always love how you never know what games to expect in your list. I can't wait to try out Pentiment and put it on my great games I missed from 2022, just like Psychonauts 2 from 2021.

@ungooglablegames

Жыл бұрын

Five games in 50 minutes is insightful, but on the other hand I managed to rank ALL games from 2022 in 40 minutes.

The definition of pentimento is "An underlying image in a painting, especially one that has become visible when the top layer of paint has turned transparent with age, providing evidence of revision by the artist." - Genius

I’ve still not gotten around to the final act of Pentiment, but the first two acts alone have it as a serious GOTY contender for myself as well. The way your choices echo through the years is so well done and feel like they carry real weight.

One of the best and most interesting retrospective of the year gone by! And thanks for recommending Lambhoot. Just started watching. What a great writer!

I inherited the game of Pentiment from my father, who gave few notes. Every year dims quicker, though it overjoys me to see others dive into the tasks of remembering and seeking the truth of real events. So the *video game* needs to stay in the hands of other people, who have the time for it, and who need to learn how to embrace Imperfect Understanding in the quest to dethrone lies. I’m glad to see that Pentiment exists.

I haven't played Pentiment yet (I really want to as a huge New Vegas fan) but what you said during that section about the passage of time really hit for me. Wanting to try and "do" and "achieve" everything in like, one run has you missing out on just enjoying the little things, but what else is there to do? Strive for less? These are things I think about a lot. Great video as always, hope 2023 continues the upwards trajectory of your mental!

Me out here pushing 'Skip' on literally every cutscene in Neon White for exactly all of those reasons lmao

Thanks for the video, Hamish. Hope you have a great new year! \o/

Elden Ring and Pentiment both had such immense emotional impacts on me, two of the greatest games I’ve played and they both came out this year. Citizen Sleeper was also a banger that I don’t see many people mentioning

@b1thearchitect401

Жыл бұрын

How exactly did Elden Ring have an intense Emotional Impact on you? Just the satisfaction of beating a boss? The feeling of discovery? Cause it sure as shit wasn't the story.

@assenine619

Жыл бұрын

@@b1thearchitect401 the "story" or what I'd call "stories" in elden ring can definitely have emotinal impact.....elden ring is world built and connected with many stories over an overarching plot...the entire radhan plotline.. Godfrey's history...maliketh ,Melina,blaidd are just a few of the characters i can think up of whose conversations, backstory and environmental storytelling kept me engaged and invested... Seeing someone as arrogant as malenia say she has failed her brother when she dies adds a sense of humanity and emotion to the characters which affect people deeply...you don't need a story to mention every small detail through cutscenes and then have the characters play out some sad opera scene to consider it "emotinal storytelling"

@casulrekr6340

Жыл бұрын

@@b1thearchitect401 yes and yes. The boss thing kinda comes with every souls game but the sense of mystery and discovery around every corner and the feeling of slowly peeling back every layer the game had to offer was unlike any other open world Ive ever experienced. large areas with breathtaking artistic choices paired with the density of content was truly spectacular and unmatched in most of gaming. The open world genre as a whole has fallen flat for me ever since I played through it for the first time

@arindammahanta2736

Жыл бұрын

Yes! Citizen Sleeper deserves more love

@UnreasonableOpinions

Жыл бұрын

@@b1thearchitect401 Yelling that someone's personal emotional response is somehow objectively incorrect is endearing you to nobody.

Always a delight to get a long video from you

Most of my favourite titles this year were also games that weren't initially on my radar; mainly Triangle Strategy, Prodeus and Signalis. I don't know if Hamish has played Signalis in particular, but I bet he could make a hour long video on it's story themes alone lol.

Such a good 'best games' video. I'm happy to hear 2022 was better for you. Here's to a great 2023!

Absolutely fantastic video! And so good to hear that this year has been a more balanced year for you!

ayyy glad to see a fellow albini fan lol happy new year brother

5:30 I did the EXACT same thing with the planks in that mission lmao

Happy to hear that you're feeling better about youtube this year; this site is a cruel mistress. Also happy you've got an outlet for more out-there videos like the cheese drumkit one.

The introduction more or less sums up 2022. Happy New Year sir!

Hope you have a good 2023 mate!

Your description of Pentiment and the place of art and history in preserving fleeting memories literally made me emotional. That is all.

When I clicked on the video I said to myself it was going to be another video that will not include Pentiment and make Elden Ring the game of the year. But as you can guess I was surprised and happy to see someone choose Pentiment as I did. Keep up the good work mate

In Frame Out is so good

Awesome list! Pentiment is like the ‘Rashomon’ of video games

Excellent list

hell yeah Pentiment. i think i like Signalis more overall, but it's a tight race between these two (and yea sure elden ring as well) and being a trackmania addict is also know as Gerstmann Syndrome

Did not expect to see clips of Steve Albini is the into to a top games of the year video, but I gotta say, it's pretty cool.

Keep Writing On Games, my friend. Great work

I’m glad teardown made it to somebody’s top 5 list. I’ve been interested in teardown since the game was only a few videos on Twitter and it’s my 12 year old self’s dream video game. I used to lose my mind over destruction physics but so many games centered around destruction hardly hit. Red Faction Guerrilla and Battlefield 4 seemed to be the only video games worth while with impressive, meaningful and visually striking destruction. Teardown comes along and blows my mind. Everything that I can think of seemingly can be done, and I enjoy relishing in the chaos. To burn the 6th story of a 10 story building and watch it fall in on itself as the fire erodes the floor and debris begins to fall crashing down causing more mayhem in the process. It’s pure unscripted chaos in its rawest form. Never been so impressed at something other than visuals, the opportunity of infinite gameplay that’s hardly ever played in the same way and is always dynamic and reactive is extraordinary compelling to my brain.

Hamish i just wanna say i love you dawg my resolution is imma become a patron you do a lot for me xx

The shoutouts to other channels is a nice touch.

It has been exactly about a year now, I heard about Pentiment from this video and I have wanted to experience it ever since. I just rolled the credits on it a few minutes ago exactly midnight and I really wanna say thank you

Cheers Dongo!

2022 was probably the fastest year of my life and one of the few years i didnt actually play anything in my 35+ years in gaming. Last time this happened was due to call of duty burn out. Fortunately i found the last guardian, journey and firewatch to rekindle my love of gaming.

Thanks for the vid

Great list

Would you happen to have a list of the music in this video (especially at the start)? I always love the music you use. Thanks!

Fantastic video

Great top and oh, Pentiment, what a god tier videogame.

I loved Pentiment. Was my #3 pick this year, truly a great game!!

I had a really good Vampire Survivors run today.

Really happy to see gt7 on your top 5. Racing games get passed over so often, but goddamnit they’re worth something even with their flaws!

I really appreciate the amount of time you dedicate to talking about each entry in the list. A lot of top X of the year lists don't really do that. And I really hope Elden releases story dlc because yeah, it might be one of the least replayable fromsoft games there is for me, and everyone else I see replaying it is just doing some ludicrous speed run to some ridiculous meta build of the week. I solely comment on that game because it was the only of your top 5 I've actually played (not having a gaming PC is really making me miss out on some cool stuff lately). But deffo gonna go grab vampire survivors on my phone now (although, I heard even on top pcs the amount of on screen objects can bring it to a standstill so uh... Will it crash my phone? Lol) Now to get back to my absurdly long list of games to play..

My immediate first thought seeing the video title and creator: “Pentiment better be on that list!”

Comparing the pedals of a race car to the keys of a piano and performing a piece of art is a great analogy

I don't usually comment on these videos, but I really want to encourage anyone reading to watch In/Frame/Out videos! That channel is criminally under-watched! If you have any love for movies or just for the art of critique, please watch that channel! Thank you for all your hard work this year!

I loved elden ring, but given the name of the channel, I think you made the right call.

In frame out is really great!

what makes a top 5/11/13 list great is not what but why. And this is one of the best out there. I leave here my hope for a new year of interesting things

I tried out Heat Signature this year, which a great system driven game where difficulty and progression is based around what you and your enemies can/can't do and innovative solutions around such. No time to run back to your docked spaceship to escape? Shoot a window to vent yourself and remote control your ship to pick you up. Need to assassinate a target on a ship that's crew is armed to the teeth? Hijack a different ship and use its weapons, or simple ramming, to take out the target without setting foot on the target ship. Also really enjoyed the Last of Us Part 1 remake on PS5, which led me try out Part 2 finally and I've been really enjoying that so far.

I had a very similar experience with Elden Ring, after I had put close to 300 hours into it and had finished it my brother asked me my thoughts on the game. I told him that I thought it was the greatest game that I’ve ever played that I would never play again.

@Ghorda9

Жыл бұрын

just remember that you don't have to do everything in a replay.

@UnreasonableOpinions

Жыл бұрын

I get it. I played a mega-playthrough because I am incapable of not being a completionist, made the considered choice to put it down for six months even though my brain was screaming for more, and I think I enjoyed my second go far more as a result. It's like re-reading a book, you need to give yourself long enough to get the sense of surprise back - or discovery, in the case of ER.

@mbh9566

Жыл бұрын

@@Ghorda9 That’s probably true for you and most other people, but I have some kind of completionist OCD when I play through games. Especially when it’s a game that I think is exceptional, like Elden Ring. So if I played it again I know for certain that I’d be compelled to do everything all over again.

@Ghorda9

Жыл бұрын

@@mbh9566 i fix this for me by just making a simple tangible checklist, in this case i just get all remembrances and complete a certain ending.

Glad to hear you're doing better and treating yourself better compared to the start of 2022. Looking forward to seeing what you've got with 2023. And yeah, I dig Elden Ring a lot, but there's also something exhausting about it. It leaves me wondering if it perhaps sacrificed something in its massive scale, but it's one of those things that will take a lot of contemplation (for example, at some point leveling takes for-ev-er due to how exponentially high experience requirements become and how few runes seem to be dropped, and as a result, does that have a negative impact on the dopamine hit? Would be curious to compare with those that play MMO's where leveling slows to a crawl in the late game, I think, but it's all theory from my part). Regarding KZread channel call-outs, I think it depends on a lot of factors, but I wonder if shouting out a particular video is perhaps more harmful than the channel on the whole. One video with an astronomical number of views compared to others ends up being the one shared via the algorithm more, and in my case that resulted in the two videos I felt the greatest shame in hindsight being the ones getting the most attention. I don't like burying things, but I unlisted both as they don't represent what I want my channel to be. A boost of subs can be a downside since subs don't translate to views, and collaborations don't guarantee one audience will welcome another creator, but I think shouting a channel out and explaining why is better than nothing.

@Ghorda9

Жыл бұрын

you don't need to farm levels in elden ring, it's common for me to finish the game around rl 130, i get satisfaction from just beating the bosses, the levels i don't really care for.

@RamblePak64

Жыл бұрын

@@Ghorda9 I should clarify, I never really engaged in rune/level farming or grinding, and I am certainly familiar that From's soulsborne series can be completed at lowest level. However, what I more meant was the natural progression of leveling up itself. So, if you're playing, say, Dark Souls or Bloodborne without farming or grinding, there seems to be a steady progression of experience gained so that each boss feels like it contributes to your getting stronger. In Elden Ring, this seems to deteriorate really fast really early, so that it requires defeating multiple bosses (again, without grinding or farming) just to earn a single level up. Naturally this will impact different players differently, and impact some not at all, but for someone that likes these games but isn't a hardcore fanatic, the balance just seems a bit out of whack.

@Ghorda9

Жыл бұрын

@@RamblePak64 the remembrance bosses are where all the levels are at, mohg and melania being 420k/480k respectfully as an example and you can duplicate/cash-in the remembrances for 30k each.

have you ever played paradise killer? i think it would be very much in your wheelhouse. it's like a 3d platformer collectathon and an open world mystery game smashed together to somehow bafflingly amazing results. a lot of it has to do with the setting and lore too, which is just engrossingly weird as all hell, but in an intricately crafted and competently written way that doesn't feel like they're just trying to be wacky for the sake of it

Very unexpected and interesting!

Great picks. I would love to play a version of GT7 without any gross practices hampering it but the driving looks incredible and the visuals are unmatched.

Very amazing

I'd love to hear your take after playing a proper racing sim with a decent wheel/pedal set up. Assetto Corsa is dynamically better than GT7 in every way (except variety, though mods fix that), and the most accessible one. And when you get into the most hardcore sims like RFactor 2, you will wonder how you ever even played games like Grand Turismo. Seriously, with a proper force feedback wheel and pedal set, and triple screens (or curved ultrawide or VR), it is a completely different, fully immersive experience. You can literally feel every bump from laser scanned tracks through the feedback on the wheel. With very little suspension of disbelief, you are THERE. And hearing you talk about how much you liked GT7, I really, REALLY think you would be into it (I don't even consider it video games at that point, racing sims is an entirely different hobby. And I love it)

I have no interest in GT 7 or Vampire Survivors. They are just not my type of games. I don't like the art style of Pentiment, but I'd maybe try it out if it came to Switch. If a game isn't action oriented and focuses more on narrative, I'd much rather just play on a portable console. It's like reading a book in my bed for me. Teardown definitely looks fun, and I'll have to check that out. Elden Ring is definitely my favourite game of the year. I absolutely loved it. I only did one playthroug, though. I generally will only replay a game a few years later. I still haven't replayed BOTW, and that's probably my favourite game of all time.

Thanks mate. Love you too.

I really preferred Vampire survivors beginning of the year 2022. When it was in early access. Without mess of weapons and arcanas. The simplicity of it was truly addicting

Surprised A Plague Tale Requiem isn't on here

Vampire Survivors feels like someone has turned every insidious aspect of real gambling and slot machines into a virtuous cycle of dopamine dumping.

re: GT7, I started playing it a few weeks ago and wow is the ticket system the stingiest I've ever seen. Like 9 times out of 10 you get the shittiest reward on what looks to be a random spin, its hilarious.

Sidenote what was the bg music in the end segment?

Man, teardown is so good but i physically cant play it until i get new hardware. It runs fine but the lighting has a strobing rainbow effect

I loved Elden Ring and I think all your complaints make perfect sense lol. It's a shame people can't just accept that people have different feelings about games. Great list, I like the personal touch to it and am glad that you're putting your life first this year. Definitely more important than pleasing the algorithm gods!

Good luck 👍👍👍

I definitely agree with you on Horizon. Love the environment and how it reflects the game’s lore, but the dialogue can be such a drag. Not nearly as sharp or immersive as something like Witcher 3 and there is way too much of it. Great work as always 👍

We have the same GOTY I'm so glad

God I swear KZread doesn’t give me notifications on your videos lately

Couldn't agree with you more on Pentiment. What an unbelievably special game.

Five games in 50 minutes is insightful, but on the other hand I managed to rank ALL games from 2022 in 40 minutes.

Damn I must be huffing a serious amount of copium cause while Neon Whites story is not the best, its dialogue is horribly cringe a lot of the time, I feel that was the point. As someone who grew up in the late 90s to early 2000s with Toonami and Adult Swim anime dubs, it felt like a major throwback to that era with that, it's visual and Steve Blum also. I can understand and totally get where people criticize but as someone that remembers this stuff fondly, it felt like home and intentional. Still a great list and can't wait to see what's next from you man!

@WritingOnGames

Жыл бұрын

Oh don't get me wrong, it absolutely seems intentional. It's just that even Intentionally Awful can sometimes come across as Just Plain Awful for some people. Thanks for watching!

@randomguy6679

Жыл бұрын

Intentionally bad is still bad

39:05 -- RE: History as a Game Activity; I've been thinking about this lately in many different contexts, so I find it easy to mention again to you confident that you'll get the gist of it quickly. When we the modern refer to "The Dark Ages" we do not understand that it is only "Dark" to the Literate among us. History did not always exist as part of a purely Literate tradition, either; but it has without a doubt been significantly altered by the technology of writing, and later on, the mass reproduction of texts. Curiously, all through the so called "Dark Ages" there were some religious cultures who *did* have a literate tradition, although they limited the education to a fraction of the total number of adherents. In such contexts, Books would often receive a certain amount of veneration out of superstitious dread, and "literacy" for the masses is replaced with liturgy, where things are repeated to achieve some purpose or effect. Oral Traditions are capable of maintaining an historical record, too; but when they do, it might not be necessary to follow the form of a literate historical record, or the analysis of primary and secondary sources. Rather, such cultures might construct a highly elaborate object with exceptionally precise requirements, such as a wooden ship, attaching a verbal narrative to each of the parts and components, allowing the complexity (and longevity) of the object and knowledge of the narrative to further replicate the information and maintain the form of the real-world thing.

@jamespfp

Жыл бұрын

P.S. I also have a kicker to this.... "Social Media" is way more Oral in its patterns of thought than Literate.

Correct choice!!!😊👍🏻

dude you sound just like Roy from the Ted Lasso show

Really sad Tunic didn't make an appearance here, I cannot think of a channel more suited to give it some of the praise and coverage it deserves.

@WritingOnGames

Жыл бұрын

Thought it was fine, saw the potential in it, but just didn't spend enough time with it to truly get hooked (plus the combat was pretty awful).

@mananlak

Жыл бұрын

@@WritingOnGames That's really quite sad to hear, once the earlier Zelda-like section of the game (which I don't think is as bad as you characterize, but invincibility mode is an option) is finished it becomes quite a bit more focused on some of the greatest puzzles I have ever seen in any game--basically recreating the key mechanical "twist" moment in The Witness, but managing to miraculously pull it off THREE times in a single game with layers upon layers of hidden mechanics. The words of one YT commenter may have little standing, but I'll evangelize Tunic as the true heir to LoZ '86 til the day I die.

@mick9707

Жыл бұрын

@@WritingOnGames what did you find awful about the combat?

@Ghorda9

Жыл бұрын

@@WritingOnGames i wouldn't call the combat bad in anyway, you just need to really think about what to do about the different enemies.

This is the year of Aloy and Atreus spoiling puzzle solutions with 5 seconds of starting them.

Lets fucking goooooo! 🥳🥳🥳

Just my experience of course but I tried Vampire Surviviors after hearing so much positivity for it and I didn't like it. Probably just not a game for me, but it seemed like everyone liked it. I guess it comes down to the fact that the gameplay was not fun for me and felt like a chore instead of fun. That's just me though.

@WritingOnGames

Жыл бұрын

It's interesting because I usually find those kinds of idle games to be, like I say, pretty hollow experiences. I think it's just the movement bringing in a kind of bullethell style of play, combined with just how powerful you end up becoming in such a bitesized chunk of time. Can understand people not being able to get into it though.

@labdG

Жыл бұрын

@@WritingOnGames I think I would enjoy a more normal bullethell experience. The fact that I had to avoid enemies while also kinda stay close enough to kill them and pick up the crystals was frustrating to me. And in other games I can have a power trip without the dread of failing because I wasn't optimal and leveled fast enough. Again. very personal experience. I don't want to complain. I just like to compare and discuss experiences.

You can take the rubik's cube off of F12 now

An Obsidian game about history? Ulysses from Fallout New Vegas will be happy.

18:44 I disagree. The consistency of quality and densily packed levels that felt like they mattered were spread way to thin my playthrough took 180 hours (more than my das3+dlc and das2SOTFS+dlc playthroughs combined) and started seeing painfully repetitive enemy after dungeon only 20 to 30 hours in or so. the copypasted wildlife and worldmass didn't feel like it had any life or meaning to it. The quality of the beautiful vistas and initial feeling like you can go anywhere felt like a shallow reward for the cost in terms of quality About 2/3rds through I couldn't wait for it to be over. I've never had these feeling in a soulsgame before. I think going open world was a mistake for the series. Or at the very least they should've cut back on scope dramatically.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 really deserves a mention for it's writing, especially when it comes to thematic resonance, and how phenomenal of a job it does in regards to Ludonarrative Dissonance, or rather- how it pretty much eliminates the concept into oblivion outside of 2 bonus post-game quests.

I’m glad for everyone who gets so much out of Pentiment. But it looks insanely boring to me lol😅

My favorite game of the year was Nexomon Extinction. It came out in 2020 but I played it in 22. Loved every second of it. I played the first and second game back to back and what a ride. I really liked the first game. Man, the sequel literally does everything the original does but way better and then some. Did 3 entire playthroughs.

What ever happened to your disco elysium video?

@WritingOnGames

Жыл бұрын

...what Disco Elysium video?

@chaqalaqalaqa

Жыл бұрын

@@WritingOnGames you mentioned in the 2019 top 5 that you were going to talk about it. I only just played it and was hoping to find some more videos on it

@WritingOnGames

Жыл бұрын

@@chaqalaqalaqa that feels like another age ago so I didn't remember but nope! Went back and checked, just said I was going to return to the game itself. I have returned to it in drips and drabs, love it still, have no intention of making a video about it.

*Road 96*

Oh man, you are not taking optimal lines in GT7. It hurts to see such bad cornering lol

@WritingOnGames

Жыл бұрын

cool

im mad i only just saw this video and im not hacking i can see how im smashing you at neon white just based on the footage 😤 💕

garlic moment

Writing on games: writes a beautiful, in-depth, yet abridged review about how good gran turismo simulates the racing world Also writing on games: plays on chase cam

@VideoGameAnimationStudy

Жыл бұрын

Race cam is fun!

@mick9707

Жыл бұрын

I like chase cam. I like looking at the car I’m driving. Looks cool. I get to watch what it does on the track too, rather than just feel it.

I'm sorry but no DS1's end game is so much weaker. Fire Giant and Malekith are great end game bosses

👍👑

😊👍👍👍

My gripe with Elden Ring it's size. There is too much content. It's exhausting. When I beat it I was just glad it was finally over with and had zero excitement to return to it. I don't think I've ever experienced that in a game before. There's too much of it. It's commendable for sure. But for me it's overwhelming. I had to play with a walkthrough so I could streamline the game for myself. Even with a guide it took 90 hours for a single playthrough. Bloodborne is my favorite game of all time. I can beat it in five hours casually. Even less on new game plus.