The developers at Naughty Dog have published a list of their favorite games of 2022, and to my delight, they're not all just Elden Ring.
Don't get me wrong, Elden Ring is a fine video game even though it stole many a GOTY award from the rightful victor, Kirby and the Forgotten Land - I'm just always glad to see other great games get some recognition after FromSoftware swept the Golden Joysticks and The Game Awards and topped pretty much every publication's GOTY list.
Granted, Elden Ring is still the most popular pick from Naughty Dog's list of the year's best games, with both vice president Arne Meyer and animation director Jeremy Yates naming it their top game.
"I know Elden Ring will be a popular choice this year, but if you have heard me talking about playing games this year or looked at my 2022 PlayStation Wrap-Up, it won't come as a surprise I'm fully on this hype train," writes Meyer.
"As someone who has given much of his life to animation, I could appreciate the devotion, wild creativity, and attention to detail that went into the creation of every encounter," writes Yates. "From the originality of Godrick’s second phase to the moment you descend a strange lift to see the Siofra River for the first time, Elden Ring gave me an experience that I simply did not want to end."
Other "to be expected" nods include God of War Ragnarok, which is quality assurance team member Theo Tanaka's favorite game of the year, and Horizon Forbidden West, chosen by another quality assurance dev, Joy Liberatore. Marvel Snap, the game that finally made me a fan of mobile games, got a nod from game director Matthew Gallant.
There are also plenty of underappreciated games on Naughty Dog's list. I'm really happy to see the horror space being recognized with accessibility team member J. Dietrich choosing the brilliant indie Signalis for the top spot. Meanwhile, it's neat seeing more niche games like Rollerdrome (editorial content manager Jonathon Dornbush's pick) and OlliOlli World (communications lead Rochelle Snyder) being spotlighted.
Looking at a jam-packed year ahead for gamers, here are all of the new games of 2023 we can't wait to check out.
