Software? Games? |
2021 was still a year plagued by COVID-19 so again many releases were delayed but a few big releases managed to make it through, including six that featured on our previous list such as Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, Halo Infinite and the latest entry in the Battlefield series. Anyway, since it's the final month of 2021, it's time to take a look at the 10 Most Anticipated PC Games of 2022 (according to Choicest Games, of course)!
As it's been with previous years, I've again managed to recruit the help of my wife as a judge and I've also decided to use the third judge that I created in 2020 which is based on the popularity of a game, at least according to Google Trends. Ultimately, this resulted in more weight being given to AAA titles (otherwise, the entire list would probably be dominated by indie games - not that there's anything wrong with that but I'm trying to strike a balance here).
The Judges
Mark G
Mark founded the blog Choicest Games in 2008 and has been playing PC games since the 1980s. He has an eclectic taste in games but his favourite genres include point 'n' click adventures, First Person Shooters and almost anything to do with sci-fi. He is also leader of the social guild/clan Gamers of Choice.Lanna
Lanna is Mark G's wife and being the supportive wife that she is has contributed reviews and her input on the running of the blog. Lanna enjoys puzzle games, FPSs and Civilization. She was also at one stage world champion at Everyday Genius Squarelogic.Google Trends
A website launched by Google in 2006 that analyses the popularity of top search queries in Google Search. The website uses graphs to compare the search volume of different queries over time.How the list was made
An arbitrary list of 140 games was compiled (much more than last year's 97 which was again more than the previous year's 60) through a combination of me scouring the Internet for exciting PC titles coming out next year as well as any the contributors could find as well. I used the same scoring as previous years where contributors were given a choice of three potential scores:
0 = Not interested in the game at all
1 = Slightly interested. Keeping my eyes on it and/or will buy it if there's nothing better to get
2 = Must-buy. I will buy it on release or I've already pre-ordered it.
Contributors were asked to assign a 0, 1 or 2 to each of the games on the list. I would then count up the total score and then sort the list by score in descending order.
Unlike last year, there was no clear winner this year. In fact, there were no games awarded with five or even four points this year. Seven games were awarded a score of three points and 17 were awarded a score of two. Most games awarded a score of two were added to the Honourable Mentions list. Games that were awarded points by both human judges were given priority but the raw Google Trends scores were used to assist ranking the games where only one human judge voted for them.
This year, only one game on the list appeared in last year's list (so I think that's an improvement) and this year there are only two crowdfunded projects on the list.
So I present to you the 10 Most Anticipated PC Games of 2022 as voted by Choicest Games
Honourable Mentions go to:Ark II
Baldur's Gate III
Destiny 2: Witch Queen
Dying Light 2 Stay Human
Elden Ring
Gotham Knights
Have a Nice Death
Lost Ark
Monster Hunter Rise
Redfall
Sifu
Sonic Frontiers
STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl
Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown
10. Company of Heroes 3
Company of Heroes 3 takes you to the Mediterranean theatre |
Company of Heroes 3 is a World-War II Real-Time Strategy game where you're given the opportunity to command troops in the Mediterranean theatre in a single-player campaign or multiplayer against humans or bots. It's the third entry in Relic's Company of Heroes series with the first being released in 2006 and the second in 2013.
I've found previous Company of Heroes games to be solid and immersive RTSs and if I wanted to play an RTS set in WWII, Company of Heroes was the franchise to sink my teeth into. I am confident Relic will create a worthy successor with the latest game but they're not resting on their laurels either, since they're apparently incorporating a "Dynamic Campaign Map" mode allowing players to "command the overall war effort and experience an unprecedented level of strategic choice" (I'm guessing this will be similar to gameplay we've seen in the Total War series). Since the game is set in the Mediterranean theatre too and Commonwealth forces are confirmed to be included, I'm hoping this means we finally get to see ANZACs in a Company of Heroes game.
The game is scheduled for release in Late 2022.
Score:
2 out of 6 votes
Voted by:
Mark and Google Trends
Release Date:
Q4 2022
[ LINK: Company of Heroes 3 Official Website ]
9. Summer Daze at Hero-U: Ifeyo's Adventure
A map screen from Summer Daze at Hero-U |
Lori and Corey Cole are well known amongst veteran adventure gamers as the minds behind Sierra's Quest for Glory series. Since their time at Sierra they've released a new game called Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption and they're currently working on two new games: Summer Daze at Hero-U: Tilly's Tale and Summer Daze at Hero-U: Ifeyo's Adventure. Originally, they were meant to be as part of one game but the Coles decided to split the games in two in October 2020. Both games are visual novel style adventure games mixed with some RPG elements and the first part, Tilly's Tale, will release anytime now (it's currently available on Steam to alpha and beta testers).
Being a fan of the universe developed by the Coles it made sense for me to back the Summer Daze project meaning the two votes cast for this game are from me. Ifeyo's Adventure will focus on a human male studying to be a wizard at Hero-U. He must use his magical abilities to save the school despite his society having clearly defined gender roles (usually women are practitioners of magic in his culture, not men). It should be an interesting coming-of-age story and I look forward to its release.
Ifeyo's Adventure should be released sometime in 2022 and I'm guessing it'll be late 2022 considering we're still waiting on Tilly's Tale
Score:
2 out of 6 votes
Voted by:
Mark
Release Date:
2022
[ LINK: Summer Daze at Hero-U Kickstarter Page ]
8. Star Trek: Resurgence
Is it really a Star Trek game if it doesn't have Spock in it? |
Anytime somebody asked which franchise would be perfect for a Telltale adventure, my answer has always been "Star Trek". It seems like my wish has finally come true with news that ex-Telltale developers Dramatic Labs are working on a game called Star Trek: Resurgence.
Star Trek: Resurgence is set shortly after the events in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and will be an interactive narrative game where you'll apparently get to meet new and returning characters, and from the looks of the trailer, one of the returning characters is Spock, so I'm wondering who they managed to get to mimic Leonard Nimoy's voice?
The game is scheduled for release in Spring 2022 (so Autumn 2022 for those of us in the southern hemisphere). Unfortunately, for the Steam fans out there, the game will be distributed on the Epic Games Store first (and I can only assume it will be released on Steam a year later).
Score:
2 out of 6 votes
Voted by:
Mark and Lanna
Release Date:
Q2 2022
[ LINK: Official Star Trek: Resurgence website ]
7. Card Shark
Card Shark is being developed by Nerial, the creators of the Reigns series of games |
This isn't a game I voted for but there seems to be some interest for the game online and Lanna voted for it too. The developers behind Card Shark aren't n00bs when it comes to video games though or card games for that matter, as they are the brains behind the successful Reigns series of games (which even includes a board game).
Card Shark is an adventure game set in 18th century France where you have to cheat your way to the top of high society at card games and uncover some sinister conspiracy. There really isn't much else that the developers, Nerial, have revealed about the game but they tend to have a habit of creating games that are more than they seem and I suspect Card Shark will be no different.
The game is scheduled for release in 2022.
Score:
2 out of 6 votes
Voted by:
Lanna and Google Trends
Release Date:
2022
[ LINK: Card Shark Official Website ]
6. Hogwarts Legacy
Hogwarts Legacy was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic |
Hogwarts Legacy featured on last year's list but the game was delayed. The game is an action RPG set in J. K. Rowling's Wizarding World during the 1800s. You get to play the role of a student at Hogwarts and will have the ability to customise your character, choose your house, craft potions, learn magic spells and visit familiar locations. There's even going to be a morality system in the game suggesting this isn't your average "Harry Potter" game.
Despite there being a whole lot of Harry Potter fans that are keen to play this game (over 500 million "Harry Potter" books have been sold - that's a lot of fans) the game has also attracted some controversy, mainly thanks to its link to J.K. Rowling who some perceive to be transphobic.
The game is set for release in 2022.
Score:
3 out of 6 votes
Voted by:
Lanna and Google Trends
Release Date:
2022
[ LINK: Hogwarts Legacy Website ]
5. Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
Rey using her 1337 skillz to dodge a TIE Interceptor |
The Lego Star Wars games by Traveller's Tales have been around for quite some time now. In fact, the first Lego Star Wars was released way back in 2005 and came out on the original Xbox and Playstation 2! The Lego games by Traveller's Tales are a hit with the young and the young at heart and that's especially true in this household.
This is the sixth Lego Star Wars game to be developed by Traveller's Tales but it's the first one to cover all nine "Star Wars" films (the last Lego Star Wars game only covered "The Force Awakens"). It'll be interesting to see how they cover the events in the "The Last Jedi" and "The Rise of Skywalker" and how they cover the events in movies that have already featured in previous games. The game will have 300 unlockable characters and even has Billy Dee Williams (who plays Lando Calrissian in the movies) lending his voice acting talents to the game.
The game is anticipated to release in Q2 2022.
Score:
3 out of 6 votes
Voted by:
Lanna and Google Trends
Release Date:
Q2 2022
[ LINK: Official Lego Star Wars Website ]
4. Starfield
Pretty snazzy graphics. Hope my video card will be able to handle the game... |
Surprisingly little has been revealed about Bethesda's foray into sci-fi RPGs but considering this is the company behind big franchises like the Elder Scrolls and Fallout, it's probably worth keeping an eye on this one, especially considering director Todd Howard has described the game as "Skyrim in space".
Starfield is set in the 24th century and 20 years after a war between two factions called the United Colonies and the Freestar Collective. You get to play the role of a space explorer for an organisation called Constellation. Anyway, since I love sci-fi and I love RPGs this is definitely one on my radar and I'm sure there are many others who are interested as well.
The game is set for release 11 November 2022.
Score:
3 out of 6 votes
Voted by:
Mark and Google Trends
Release Date:
11 November 2022
[ LINK: Official Starfield Website ]
3. EA Sports PGA Tour
E...A...Sports. It's in the game. |
All three judges managed to vote for this one, probably because we feel nostalgic for golf games in general. It's been six years since EA has released a golf game in the PGA Tour series with the last one being Rory McIlroy PGA Tour in 2015. While the last entry to the series had mixed reviews, earlier entries in the series are remembered fondly by PGA Tour fans.
More information is yet to come out about the game but so far, EA has mentioned that the game will have at least 11 courses, including Augusta, Pebble Beach and the Old Course at St. Andrew's. The game will also feature all four major tournaments (the Masters, the PGA Championship, U.S. Open Championship and The Open Championship) as well as LPGA events. The game will allow you to play against pro golfers or as them, and there will be a career mode. The only question remains is whether the game is coming to the PC? Since the game is apparently coming to all "next generation platforms" you would certainly hope so.
The game is set to release in Q2 2022.
Score:
3 out of 6 votes
Voted by:
Mark, Lanna and Google Trends
Release Date:
Q2 2022
[ LINK: EA Sports PGA Tour Official Website ]
2. Chinatown Detective Agency
It was a dark and stormy night... wait it's always a dark and stormy night in Singapore... |
Chinatown Detective Agency is a cyber noir point 'n' click adventure game developed by a Singaporean development studio called General Interactive Co. Set in 2032, you play the role of a private investigator that travels around the world finding clues in order to unravel a conspiracy.
The game is heavily influenced by the Carmen Sandiego games which is a main reason I backed this game when it was a Kickstarter campaign. Lanna is also a fan of the Carmen Sandiego games so that's the reason the game managed to secure three votes and why it's rated so highly on this list: we are so ready for another Carmen Sandiego-style game!
A prologue for Chinatown Detective Agency was released in October 2020 and the game is currently in beta. The final product is scheduled for release in Q2 2022.
Score:
3 out of 6 votes
Voted by:
Mark and Lanna
Release Date:
Q2 2022
[ LINK: Chinatown Detective Agency Kickstarter Page ]
1. Marvel's Midnight Suns
Hey it's Blade and Captain Marvel! |
Marvel's Midnight Suns is a tactical RPG that will have you play as your own customisable superhero with over 40 different powers. Your character will be teaming up with many Marvel characters from the Midnight Sons, the Avengers, X-Men and Runaways. The game looks like it could potentially be XCOM: Chimera Squad but with a Marvel veneer and that's not exactly a bad thing.
As I'm such a huge fan of games by Firaxis and turn-based tactics, I think it's inevitable I will be checking out Marvel's Midnight Suns when it's released which is why I've given two votes towards the game. Lanna is a big Marvel fan so I guess that's why she decided to give the game one vote, resulting in a total of three votes. Considering Firaxis has a reputation of making quality strategy games and the fact that anything Marvel is bound to be extremely popular, I think Marvel's Midnight Suns could be a hit.
Marvel's Midnight Suns is set for release in late 2022.
Score:
3 out of 6 votes
Voted by:
Mark and Lanna
Release Date:
Q4 2022
[ LINK: Marvel's Midnight Suns Official Website ]
So what did you think of the list? What are you looking most forward to in 2022 in terms of PC games?
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