Happy New Year, y’all. I hope you’re spending these first few days of 2023 in good mind and health, perhaps even nestled on the couch with a video game or two.
As we turn the page on 2022, it’s time to celebrate what went well this past year—wooh, the World Cup!—and say “to hell!” with what went poorly. John Henry, just sell the Red Sox, dude.
2022 was an impressive year for entertainment at large. Sure, it wasn’t the juggernaut 2023’s bound to be (Tears of the Kingdom, HBO’s The Last of Us, the Mario movie, etc.), but it was solid nonetheless. Whether you played sprawling epics like God of War, took indies like Citizen Sleeper for a spin, or simply opted to catch up on anime, 2022 had some absolute bangers.
In the spirit of the season, I’m back with another “David’s favorite things” op-ed. While I didn’t get to sample everything 2022 had to offer, the following selections blew me away with their ingenuity, accessibility, and just genuine badassery.
I won’t bore you with a long intro (unless… woof, too late). Let’s kick this bad boy off.
Want to hop to a specific section? I’ve got you covered:
- Best TV Shows of 2022
- Best Movies of 2022
- Best Books of 2022
- Best Anime of 2022
- Best Albums of 2022
- Best Video Games of 2022
Best TV Shows of 2022
Andor
When Disney+ was first announced, fans of the House of Mouse brimmed with excitement at the prospect of new Star Wars content being delivered straight to their homes. Fast-forward to 2022, and it’s clear the streaming service hasn’t lived up to expectations. Sure, shows like The Mandalorian exist, but they represent a light drizzle in what should’ve been a torrent of content.
Andor aims to right that wrong, and by just about every metric, it succeeds. Over the course of its 12-episode debut season, Andor tells an intricate origin story of the mercenary turned revolutionary Cassius Andor. With pinpoint writing, nuanced characters, pulse-pounding action, and a stellar musical score, Andor brings the spectacle of Star Wars’ biggest movies to the small screen, all while delivering scathing commentary on classism and authoritarianism.
More than any Disney+ show before it, Andor feels like must-watch television. There’s not a single lightsaber in sight, yet Andor outclasses its bigger-budget brethren in about every way imaginable.
Barry (Season 3)
It’s a damn shame that HBO’s Barry doesn’t get the love and attention it deserves. This beyond dark comedy stars Bill Hader as Barry Berkman, a former marine and current psychopathic hitman who decides to shoot his shot in L.A. as a wannabe actor.
In three seasons, Barry has delivered us fascinating characters (NoHo Hank, anyone?), thrilling action set-pieces, and “so cringe, must binge” laughs. Never before have I seen a show so deftly blur the line between comedy and drama—one minute you’re wheezing, the next you’ve got your hand over your mouth, fighting back tears.
It’s looking like Barry might wrap with season 4. If that’s the case, then it’ll be a long time until we see something of its ilk again, if ever.
Better Call Saul (Season 6)
You can’t have a Best of 2022 list and not include the bittersweet final season to Better Call Saul. While the hype for BCS has gotten a little off-kilter in recent years—I’m sorry, Jason, it’s not better than Breaking Bad—Vince Gilligan and team deserve their flowers for bringing this masterpiece to life.
If you’re unfamiliar, Better Call Saul is the prequel to AMC’s hit drama Breaking Bad. Not only does BCS add depth to several side characters from the original show—Saul Goodman, Mike Ermantrout, and Gus Fring, to name a few—but it also adds entirely new complexities to the Breaking Bad universe by way of characters like Kim Wexler, Howard Hamlin, and Nacho Vargas.
Season 6 (not to reveal much), ties together the arcs of its characters beautifully. One moment in particular—if you’ve seen it, you know what it is—was so gut-wrenching that it gave the entire six-season run of BCS a renewed sense of gratification.
In short, if you dropped Better Call Saul because you thought it was “too slow” or just a “show about lawyers,” you owe it to yourself to give it another chance.
The Rehearsal
Nathan Fielder is everyone’s favorite cringe comic, and he’s back with an HBO exclusive that builds upon the foundation of Nathan for You, then promptly shatters it.
The concept behind The Rehearsal is so bizarre, it’s almost impossible to describe. As with Nathan for You, Fielder plays himself, only this time he’s helping people “rehearse” various life scenarios to ensure a happy outcome.
In the first episode, he helps a man who’s lied to his trivia buddies for years about his master’s degree (or lack thereof). After rehearsing his confession countless times—and following Fielder’s convoluted flowchart of dialogue trees—the man is able to go ahead and come clean.
While the premise itself is amusing enough, and Fielder’s delivery is as hilariously awkward as ever, the true genius in The Rehearsal lies behind the curtain. All is not what it seems, and before long, Nathan himself becomes the center of an eye-opening discussion about autonomy, ethics, and free will.
Don’t miss out on The Rehearsal. Just don’t.
Shows I Meant To Watch (But Didn’t)
Did I skip over your favorite show this year? Odds are I haven’t seen it yet. (Except House of the Dragon—liked it, didn’t love it.)
Pour one out for the shows I missed in 2022:
- Atlanta (Season 4)
- Peacemaker
- Reservation Dogs (Season 2)
- Russian Doll (Season 2)
- Severance
Best Movies of 2022
Avatar: The Way of Water
It’s hard to believe it’s been a whopping 13 years since the original Avatar hit movie theaters. Back then, 3D movies were little more than a novelty—and they rarely were worth the premium ticket price they commanded. That all changed in 2009, when Avatar shattered expectations and catapulted the box office to new, unimaginable heights.
The time to market and sell an Avatar sequel has long come and gone. Yet, that didn’t deter director James Cameron, who took his sweet time filming his follow-up flick Avatar: The Way of Water. As for whether it was worth the wait… I’m torn.
I just saw the three-hour, 30-minute behemoth in an IMAX theater, and while it was worth the price of admission, I can’t help but feel a little whelmed. The sequel retreads similar story beats to its predecessor, and many side characters are introduced with little development or payoff.
Still, the production values are top-notch, the score and sound design are stellar, and 3D remains a satisfying way to experience the world of Pandora. It may not win an Oscar for its storytelling, but The Way of Water is primetime popcorn-munching goodness.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever had an impossible task ahead of itself. Not only was it the follow-up to one of the most popular Marvel movies ever, but it had to move the Black Panther franchise forward in the absence of its titular hero.
Given the tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman, no one anticipated Wakanda Forever to smash it out of the park. And, as expected, it didn’t. What Wakanda Forever did do, however, was land a miracle RBI double to secure the win.
It accomplishes this feat thanks in large part to its fantastic ensemble cast. Shuri (Letitia Wright) and Ramonda (Angela Bassett) carry the burden of mourning—and succeeding—King T’Challa, while Okoye (Danai Gurira) and Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) assume the mantle of Wakanda’s badasses in chief. Actor Tenoch Huerta ties it all together with a thrilling performance as the menacing, misguided, yet equally misunderstood Namor.
Wakanda Forever may not hit the same highs as the original Black Panther, but its emotional beats will reverberate throughout the MCU fandom for years to come.
Nope
The moment I left the theater after seeing Nope, I knew I had to share my thoughts. I wrote up a piece ranking all the Jordan Peele movies, and my thoughts then are largely the same thoughts I have now.
Nope may not have the same cultural relevance as Get Out, and it certainly doesn’t hit the same highs as Us (my personal favorite of the three), but it’s still a damn good movie. Peele’s horror-tinged take on the traditional Western earns points for its creativity, weaving a yarn that somehow incorporates cowboys, flying saucers, projectile quarters, and a monkey all in the same flick.
Add in stellar cinematography and a phenomenal performance by Keke Palmer, and Nope’s worth a watch (or several, to unlock all its secrets).
Glass Onion
I just watched Glass Onion a few nights ago with my mother. While we disagreed in our opinion somewhat (she loved it over Knives Out; I thought its predecessor was slightly stronger), we agreed that it was a fun, fast-moving whodunnit.
At two hours and 30 minutes, Glass Onion could have easily fallen into the same pitfall as most modern Agatha Christie films. It seemed way too long for its own good. Surely, I thought, we’d be bored by the time the end credits rolled, no?
As always, I underestimated director Rian Johnson, who ensures Glass Onion flies by like a runaway train. The mystery is sharp and well-plotted, the characters are all interesting (though Daniel Craig and Janelle Monáe are the standouts), and the caper wraps in a nice, neat little bow.
I could have used a little more meat to the mystery and less exposition as to how it was solved, but that’s par for the course with this style of movie. Ultimately, Glass Onion is a fine piece of cinema and an easy recommendation for anyone with a Netflix account.
Movies I Really Need To Get To
I missed out on a lot of great movies this year, but I certainly won’t forget them.
Here are the films I still need to watch from 2022:
- Bullet Train
- Emancipation (yes, I’ll still watch the Will Smith film)
- Everything Everywhere All at Once
- Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
- Top Gun Maverick
Best Books of 2022
OK, I should come clean here: I didn’t actually read any books published in 2022. I know, I know. ”He runs a gaming website. Of course he doesn’t read.”
I actually did read this year. I fell short of my 22-book Goodreads challenge, but I made a valiant effort to read before bed each night. So, rather than simply omit a book section this year, I thought I’d give a shout-out to the 2022 books I intend to read in the new year.
Salud to my future page-turners:
- Control Freak (Cliff “CliffyB” Bleszinski)
- Fairy Tale (Stephen King)
- I’m Glad My Mom Died (Jennette McCurdy)
- The World We Make (N.K. Jemisin)
- Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (Gabrielle Zevin)
Best Anime of 2022
Attack on Titan: The Final Season (Part 2)
I included the first cours of Attack on Titan: The Final Season in my Best of 2021 list, and I’m celebrating part 2 for many of the same reasons. The action is thrilling, the music slaps, and Eren Jaeger is as unhinged as ever.
Does The Final Season part 2 go above and beyond what we watched in part 1? Not really. I don’t love studio MAPPA’s decision to drag this ending out into three parts (we’ve got six final, final episodes coming in 2023). But what we got in 2022 is still some fine dining.
Case in point: Part 2’s dock battle in particular still has me in my feelings, months after it aired.
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War
Like many other anime fans, I was shook when I learned Bleach would be returning to TV to air its final arc. For many, it seemed like Bleach was destined to be forgotten. After all, the original series ended way back in 2012.
Yet, a decade later, here we are. Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War has delivered its first 12 episodes, and while I haven’t made it through the entire season yet myself, what I’ve seen has been electric.
I wasn’t the biggest fan of the original Bleach’s pacing, yet the new season has a refreshing vigor to it. Battles look amazing by way of Studio Pierrot (and presumably a hefty animation budget). Blood War also strikes a surprisingly dark tone I wouldn’t expect from a show with a talking doll.
Who knows if Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War can keep up the momentum in 2023. But if Pierrot can continue delivering on the animation side, there’s a good chance Bleach could be back for real.
Blue Lock
Blue Lock easily wins the award for Biggest Surprise of 2022. This anime, which I can only describe as Captain Tsubasa meets Squid Game, came completely out of left field for me this past year. And I’m glad I gave it a shot.
In Blue Lock, Japan has resorted to drastic measures in order to win the World Cup. Having stagnated in prior years, the nation decides to spin up a new training facility to inspire a new generation of top strikers. Thus, 300 top high school strikers receive an invitation to join Blue Lock and compete to become Japan’s number one striker.
Sounds like standard shounen fare, but there’s a catch. To win in Blue Lock, you basically have to be the biggest asshole to everyone around you. The more selfish your actions become on the field—e.g., shots taken, goals scored—the better your rank becomes. Of course, soccer’s a team sport, but in Blue Lock, you have to put yourself above the team… while still somehow playing as a team.
It’s bizarre. It’s morbid in a way only an anime can be. And yet, it somehow works incredibly well. If you enjoyed the competitive nature of Squid Game, but perhaps couldn’t stomach all the violence, then Blue Lock takes the best of both worlds and creates something truly special.
Chainsaw Man
Chainsaw Man was easily my most anticipated anime of the year, and by and large, it lived up to the hype. In my Chainsaw Man episode one review, I explained how MAPPA blew me away with its gorgeous cinematography, jaw-dropping animation, and just genuine commitment to making this a badass adaptation of the source manga.
By the time I’d finished binging all 12 episodes of Chainsaw Man, I firmly believed MAPPA had succeeded in its mission. Not only is the animation that good for the entire 12-episode run, but its story and characters get richer the further in you get.
At first glance, Denji is a cookie-cutter protag you see in every shounen under the sun. Peel back the layers enough, though, and you see a fragile individual who, in many ways, suffers from neglect and exploitation at the hands of the men and women within Special Division 4. His supporting characters have similar layers—Himeno’s character arc was a standout, and Aki’s backstory literally left my mouth agape.
Chainsaw Man isn’t a “feel good” show. You’re supposed to feel shocked and uncomfortable. I still don’t know if I liked every story decision by its creators. Still, it’s something you simply have to experience if you’re a fan of shounen or seinen anime.
(Also, the ending songs go hard. All 12 of ‘em.)
Anime I Missed (Cuz I’m a Sussy Baka)
Noticing a trend here? Yeah, I missed out on a lot of great content this year—anime included.
Here are some standouts I intend to binge in 2023:
- Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
- Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean (Parts 2 & 3)
- Love Is War (Season 2)
- Made in Abyss (Season 2)
- Mob Psycho 100 (Season 3)
- Spy x Family
- To Your Eternity (Season 2)
Best Albums of 2022
Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers (Kendrick Lamar)
Kendrick Lamar doesn’t miss. If the Grammy- and Pulitzer-winning artist already ingrained himself on rap’s Mount Rushmore with his prior albums, then K.Dot’s latest work, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, only solidifies his legendary status.
Earlier this year, I ranked Kendrick Lamar’s ten best songs. It’s a testament to his music that only one song off the new album—”Mother I Sober”—cracked the list. For, make no mistake, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers is fantastic; it’s chock-full of introspective, hard-hitting earworms that demand you play them on repeat.
From the jazz-infused intro track “United in Grief” to the deliciously pointed “Savior,” each track on Mr. Morale reveals a new layer of Lamar’s struggles with identity, trauma, and self-acceptance. While not every track is a knockout—”Auntie Diaries” tackles trans acceptance, to mixed results—Mr. Morale is a grade-A addition to an already illustrious resume.
GABRIEL (Keshi)
It’s a shame more people don’t know about Keshi. The Vietnamese singer-songwriter won me over back in 2020 with the release of his EP Bandaids. With his tender lyrics, silky smooth falsetto, and groovy lo-fi beats, Keshi’s carved out a distinct niche in the alt-pop/R&B space.
In 2022, Keshi finally released his first feature album, GABRIEL—and it was worth the wait. While the album takes inspiration from Keshi’s prior works, it has an identity solely its own. Whether it’s the raunchy rap of “GET IT,” the sultry vibes of “SOMEBODY,” or the softer, more timid “LIMBO,” Keshi shows track after track why he should be at the top of your watchlist.
Best Video Games of 2022
OK, we’re on to the good stuff. While I didn’t feel particularly inspired to rank my noms from the prior sections, I played enough games this year to know my five faves.
From great to sublime, here are my top five games of 2022:
5. OlliOlli World
Spoiler: I’m a massive OlliOlli stan. In college, I used to spend hours perched on my freshman dorm couch, playing the original game on my PlayStation Vita (God rest its soul). In my review of OlliOlli: Switch Stance, I lauded developer Roll7’s 2D take on the arcade skateboarding genre, at the time thinking it was the best thing since glazed ham.
With OlliOlli World, Roll7 has further refined the formula it created with OlliOlli and OlliOlli 2. As with the prior games, you’ll be landing death-defying jumps and nailing slick combos in an attempt to set high scores and progress from one level to the next.
Unlike its predecessors, however, OlliOlli World has an entire map to explore, packed with NPCs to befriend, side quests to partake, and secret routes to explore. You’ll even unlock new gear and skateboards you can use to personalize your experience and add some drip to your protagonist.
It isn’t a revolutionary experience, but OlliOlli World damn near perfects the skateboarding platformer as we know it.
4. Neon White
What a pleasant surprise Neon White turned out to be. This debut game from developer Angel Matrix impressed when it was initially teased during a Nintendo Direct. With its slick art style, novel card slash shooter slash platformer mechanics, and impressive voice talent (Steve Blum as the MC? Win!) Neon White had all the ingredients for a break-out indie hit.
Fast-forward to release, and while it’s clear Neon White didn’t exactly nail its story (turns out, the voice acting is kinda cringe), everything else about it absolutely rules. The gameplay is sublime, with impeccably designed levels and pixel-perfect platforming; the secrets are a joy to discover; and the speedrunning adds a layer of replayability to an already wonderful package.
If you can stomach some grating characters and tired anime tropes, then Neon White deserves a spot in your gaming collection. It’s that good.
3. Immortality
If Neon White was a pleasant surprise, then Immortality was an absolute revelation. The latest in Sam Barlow’s line of FMV mysteries, Immortality grabbed me from the minute I booted it up till the moment the credits rolled, 15-plus hours later.
We’ve already spoken at length about Immortality on The Punished Backlog. (Catch Amanda’s take here, Sam’s take here, and our Prop Awards here.) I doubt I can articulate what makes this game so special better than my colleagues already have—but I’ll try to do it justice.
Immortality is a gorgeous game. Not gorgeous from a typical gaming standpoint—there are no shaders, no polygons, no teraflops to be seen here. Rather, it’s gorgeous in its creativity. Every clip to be discovered—whether a film snippet, a table read, or a talk show segment—tells its own miniature story. Within, we see the ambition of budding actor Marissa Marcel, the vanity of her seasoned co-star Robert Jones, the sliminess of director John Fisher, and so much more.
Each of Immortality’s three movies—Ambrosio, Minsky, and Two of Everything—could stand as its own indie release, and it’d be celebrated. They’re all wonderfully shot, sharply written, and beautifully acted. Yet, that isn’t the point; it never was the point. Immortality constantly flirts with the allure of being a cinéaste and invites the player to take their part behind the camera.
Along the way, Immortality reveals a whole lot of terrible shit you’d expect to see beyond the glitz and glam: sexploitation, hubris, sabotage, revenge. And it does all this while asking the question: “What are movies (or games, for that matter) really for, at the end of the day? Who do they serve, and who will remember them once the projectors dim and curtains close?”
Immortality doesn’t provide answers, so much as it challenges players to ponder the possibilities. And that’s a pretty damn cool thing.
2. Marvel Snap
I’m equal parts ashamed and proud to say I’ve clocked 150+ hours into Second Dinner’s Marvel Snap. It’s the latest iOS/Android craze, straight from the creative director of Hearthstone. It takes the best bits of Blizzard’s digital card game and puts them into an even sleeker, sexier package. And while it’s dangerously addictive (seriously, I played it for nine hours on Christmas alone), I haven’t regretted one minute playing it.
In my Marvel Snap review, I asked the question: How can a mobile game be so good with so few strings attached? Two and a half months later, I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop—and it hasn’t.
Sure, the game has gacha mechanics; you need credits (i.e., money or a whole lot of time) to unlock new cards, and most of the newer cards are locked behind crazily low drop rates. Second Dinner also keeps releasing absurdly expensive bundles ($50 for anime Sera and Angela skins, really?). But the value I get from the game far outweighs any money I’ve invested so far.
And to be fair, I have invested some money since I reviewed the game: $30 across three season passes (worth it) and $100 for the Cyber Holiday bundle (not worth it). Undoubtedly, Ben Brode and Second Dinner will need to refine parts of the in-game economy—the token shop, especially—if they’re to maintain momentum heading into 2023. But I believe there’s a great game here that should (keyword, should) get even better in time.
Delete Leader, though. Seriously, he’s a terrible card.
1. Elden Ring
Marvel Snap may be my most played game of 2022, but it’s not my game of the year. No, that honor goes to the one, the only, Elden Ring.
Seriously, this game slaps. I’m not much of a Dark Souls guy (I bounced off Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls 1 hard). And while I adore Bloodborne and Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, I’ve never considered myself a FromSoftware fanboy (or apologist, depending on your POV).
But, man. Elden Ring may just be an open-world Dark Souls, but it’s damn good all the same. Limgrave remains one of the coolest areas I’ve ever explored in an open world, and Stormveil Castle easily ranks above the best Soulsborne dungeons to date. The bosses of Elden Ring do get repetitive, but for every Erdtree Burial Watchdog out there (yawn), there’s an Astel, Naturalborn of the Void (holy $#!t) waiting to be discovered.
It’s not as hard as past Soulsborne games (Sekiro takes the cake there), but the freedom and accessibility more than make up for any difficulty inconsistencies. There isn’t much more to be said about Elden Ring, except that it’s a best-in-class effort from a studio that only puts out masterclass works.
If you haven’t played Elden Ring yet, don’t let its Soulsborne status scare you away. It’s a seminal work we’ll likely never see again, and while I think it’s far from perfect, it’s easily the best game 2022 had to offer. Oh, and that title song. Come on.
Video Games I Banished to the Backlog
Backlog, have mercy. Here are the games I didn’t complete (or missed entirely) in 2022:
- Chained Echoes
- Citizen Sleeper
- Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope
- God of War Ragnarök
- Horizon Forbidden West
- Norco
- Pentiment
- Return to Monkey Island
- Tactics Ogre: Reborn
- The Case of the Golden Idol
- Xenoblade Chronicles 3
And That’s a Wrap!
4,000-plus words later, that’s all folks. 2022 was a great year for gaming and entertainment, and I’m even more excited for what 2023 has in store.
What were your favorite games, movies, etc. of 2022? How many times did you die in Elden Ring? What cards need nerfs in Marvel Snap (and why is it Leader)? Let me know in the comments.
On behalf of the entire Punished Backlog crew, we hope you have an awesome start to the new year!
