3 Up, 3 Down – October 2022
October was a very good month for quality video game releases, but it didn’t match the incredible output from September. All of the top releases heavily exceeded expectations, and performed above the most hyped games from October 2022. One of our bottom releases was a massive title that we were, to be honest, half expecting to disappoint, despite developer promises to the contrary. The Three Best (and Worst) Video Games from October 2022 are:
The Good
The DioField Chronicle
***click here for our review***
Square-Enix has been releasing lots of games this year. There have been lots of old franchise sequels and remasters, but The DioField Chronicle is a rare new IP. It’s a very accessible strategy JRPG. It doesn’t have nearly the same depth that a lot of modern PC strategy RPGs have. It has lots of options and a compelling narrative. Our reviewer ended their review by writing “I loved this game. I’m surprised that I loved it! I’m not very good at real-time strategy games but The DioField Chronicle is accessible and great fun.” It might even be a front-runner for non-RTS fans to try out the genre.
New Tales from the Borderlands
***click here for our review***
Telltale Games, who made the original Tales from the Borderlands, didn’t make this sequel. But Gearbox Studio Quebec nailed the Telltale formula. New Tales from the Borderlands improves on the original in every way. The shining element of the sequel is the writing and humor. The story is compelling, but the characters and their dialogue are something special. Our reviewer wished “the action wasn’t so restricted to quick-time events, because a full-on action game with such quality humor and characters would be a hands-down GOTY contender”. Any Borderlands or Telltale fan should know the gameplay, and consider New Tales from the Borderlands a must-play.
A Plague Tale: Requiem
***click here for our review***
A Plague Tale: Requiem is another sequel that improves upon the original in nearly every way. It’s a story-driven, cinematic third person action/ adventure game. The environments are denser, and the puzzles are more challenging. Every aspect of A Plague Tale: Requiem wreaks of quality. It’s the style of game almost guaranteed to be on the top half of The Three Best (and Worst) Video Games from October 2022. Our reviewer suggested “A lot of gamers missed A Plague Tale: Innocence, but everyone should play this altogether amazing sequel.” If anyone wants to jump right in, Requiem has a lengthy prologue recap of the original.