Best and Worse of 2022 | Yearly Wrap-Up

The year 2022 has been, well, not that exciting when I look back on the forms of entertainment I’ve experienced. So much of what I watched or played this year was either something I have already experienced in some way or was just on my to-do list for years. There are plenty of things that have happened in the real world that have caused me to seek out a bit of escapism and entertainment, but modern movies and modern video games have been just annoyingly plagued by terrible traits that seem determined to suck all the fun out of them. I’m far less interested in watching modern movies because they always seem to be full of overbearing political agendas that take priority over important things like quality writing or compelling characters. And so many new video games by big publishers are bloated with predatory mechanics determined to leech as much money out of you as possible. It’s a good thing I have someone to entertain me during the holidays instead.

Admittedly, I also feel like 2022 was a year in which I was too busy to really sit and absorb something new. I was constantly seeking out comfort food and only occasionally dipped my toes in something I hadn’t before for the sake of having something to post on this site.

Worst Cyberpunk Video Games I Played

The fact of the matter is, I haven’t played any games that I felt were bad or boring enough this year to call them the “worst.” There are plenty of games I started and haven’t finished, but none of which were bad or unenjoyable; I just didn’t have the time or desire to come back. So when I tried to think of the worst I played this year, all I could come up with were games that I think had plenty of positives, but were just buggy or not fully realized. Interestingly enough, they both were games around the Cyberpunk look at style.

The Ascent

If The Ascent is the worst game I played the entire year, that’s not too bad. The Ascent is a game I’ve played to near completion with a friend in co-op at the time of writing this. I actually had a great deal of fun playing this with my friend, even though it’s a twin-stick shooter, which rarely ends up being very satisfying to me. Everything about the presentation of this futuristic world is incredible and immediately captures your attention. The music is also incredibly fitting, with clear inspirations from Blade Runner and Akira in its tone. The main issues I had with it were that I didn’t think the story was very compelling and that it was buggy as hell. Again, I think The Ascent has its problems, but it’s also a fun co-op experience.

Cyberpunk 2077

Admittedly, this could go into the list of games I need to play more because I haven’t gotten very far, but I’m trying to theme things here! When discussing Cyberpunk 2077 there’s no getting around the reception it got at launch. In some ways, it manages to be on par with the levels of expectation and disappointment that No Man’s Sky experienced. That being said, the internet was a buzz with Cyberpunk 2077 for a number of reasons this year, and public opinion seemed to be turning around. Much like No Man’s Sky, it had a rough start and seems to be winning people over with improvements. So I decided to give it a shot and, well, I haven’t been too impressed so far. That being said, I’ve barely even begun so I can’t really give it too much heat. What I have experienced makes me want to ask whoever the director was for the game: “Why did you decide to have the opening chapter of the game filled with montages of our character doing missions, heists, and other crimes instead of letting the player do them?” Maybe there will be a mod or DLC later that actually lets you play the parts the game intentionally skips for no good reason.

Games I Played The most

I don’t have a best game this year because I really didn’t play enough of something new to form a full opinion. Had I spent more time on them, maybe I would have put Hitman III or Thymesia in a best list. Had I actually bought Elden Ring, maybe that would be it. I just didn’t have the drive or the time to do so, however, so I kept going back to games I’ve played before.

Bloodborne

What else do I need to say? I keep coming back to it because it’s become my comfort food. Despite how much I didn’t enjoy it the first time I played it, I eventually came to realize its quality and now I cannot help but come back again and again. I keep my old review up now as penance for my incorrect opinions and to remind me that I should always be willing to give things another try, because it might just be me that’s wrong.

Civilization VI | Gathering Storm + New Frontier DLC

Since I wrote my article about how I didn’t beat Civilization VI because I had too much fun starting over and relishing the early game, I have since gone on to beat it 6 different ways and on all difficulties above the default—the victory on the hardest difficulty was with the use of an exploit because I’m not that good. I’ve had a lot of fun relaxing and playing the game over and over with a new leader each time. The early game is still my favorite part of the experience. When I did a huge True Earth game with a military victory as Alexander the Great I was exhausted by having to manage so many cities I conquered, but I’ve come to appreciate the end game a lot more. The new additions of the New Frontier DLC also add some interesting mechanics to the game that change your strategies entirely and, in some ways, make the game a little easier. When you’re busy, there’s no better game to leave on in the background while you take care of something else, because it’s always there, ready for you to come back.

Guilty Gear Strive

This was my game of the year last year, but I’d say I played a lot more of it this year. While I’ve dropped off in recent months—because I couldn’t care less about Bridget and barely care about Sin—the total numbers of online matches I had as Testament were staggering. I had my usual win ratio of 1-1—unless I was fighting a Ky in which it was 0-100—but I had a lot of fun, nonetheless. The online connectivity of that game is so good I still can only count on one hand the number of matches in which I felt any significant issue in a match. If they can announce some more interesting characters, I’d be more than willing to come back.

Games I Need to Play More

Thymesia

A poor man’s Bloodborne, Thymesia has a lot of potential. I’ll admit, I haven’t really been absorbing any of the story so far. However, it’s got a good atmosphere, with some creepy settings and some really engaging combat. I think the enemies are a little boring so far, but they still pose a significant challenge. The first boss battle took me a long time to get through, but I never felt frustrated at the game for it. When I finally beat him, I had that same sense of accomplishment as with a good From Software boss, and I was even more happy that the game gave me the option to fight him again. With a customizable toolset, you can tweak the mechanics to your liking in a significant way and reskill the character to play how you want. Seems great so far.

Disco Elysium

I started Disco Elysium a while ago, got a few hours in, then fell off and forgot everything. Since then, a number of patches have come out and more voice acting has been added as well. I love the look and style of this game. The way the story operates feels different than any other game I’ve played that I can even associate with the same genre. While there’s a mystery to solve in it, I find the mechanics of it even more mysterious and intriguing.

Monster Hunter Rise

I sunk a ton of hours into Monster Hunter World and I wonder if it either burned me out or if I just can’t get into Rise because I remain more interested in World. While Rise has a lot of interesting mechanics that either make things more convenient or change how you use your weapons to hunt, I also find the monsters and the world itself less interesting or engaging. That being said, there’s still plenty for me to do in it, so I’m not willing to form a complete opinion just yet.

Ghost of Tsushima

I have not gotten far into Ghost of Tsushima, having only done a couple of play sessions with it. However, what I did play, I enjoyed. The combat felt great and the atmospheric effects were very impressive. It’s a bit friendlier than Sekiro, which manages to be a game I should also consider going back to, but not right away.

Worst Movies I Watched

If there’s anything I did do this year, it was watch some bad movies. And when I say bad, I don’t mean something that Rifftrax can improve with some professional jokes, like Birdemic or The Return of Swamp Thing. I mean movies that actively angered me or bored me to death.

Biggest Loser: Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)

The biggest mistake I made was watching The Texas Chainsaw Massacre immediately beforehand as a refresher. Of course, I’m referring to the original from 1974, but I intentionally worded it that way to highlight the naming conventions of films these days. It’s a subject I’ve talked about a lot this year in many reviews and it just keeps pissing me off. With all the remakes or what I call “dequels” (see this article for more details as to what I’m talking about), it just makes everything more difficult to track, and all the more likely that pieces of garbage like this movie are the first thing a young new horror fan sees instead of the better movies that came before it. But I digress as usual.

If you want to see my complete thoughts on this film, you can read the review, but simply put: This movie is a travesty in comparison to its humble beginnings. It’s egotistical, rote, corporate trash that does its best to tarnish the franchise more than it has already. It’s just another example of a boring horror movie that wasn’t going to make any money or be recognized, so they chainsawed the script enough to force the recognizable franchise name into it.

The Thing (2011)

If I hadn’t drunk so much alcohol while I watched this terrible dequel, it would probably be my number 1 worst film I watched this year. But fortunately for The Thing (2011), I was not able to absorb and retain as much from my viewing experience to calcify my hatred for it.

If John Carpenter’s The Thing from 1982 didn’t already exist, this would be an acceptable horror film with an interesting concept. The reality, though, is that it does exist. In fact, it’s one of the best horror movies of all time and it’s my favorite Carpenter film that I watch every year. All this dequel accomplishes is in showing you how the filmmakers forgot everything important that made Carpenter’s special to begin with. I know the director is credited with saying that he understands he could never remake Carpenter’s in a way that would do it justice. I know he also said they wanted to use practical effects but were rushed into using CGI. I know he’s said made these statements, but I still have questions. If you didn’t you could remake it, why did you make a prequel that is so similar to it? If you wanted to make your own version that was more unique, why did you reuse certain camera angles and repurpose scenes to make it that much closer to Carpenter’s? Prequels suck and they’re even worse when they just use the same name to make sure you don’t see the better movies they’re trying to replace.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)

Of all the Michael Bay horror remakes that came out around this time, this was definitely the worst. I dislike Friday the 13th, but it’s at least not an insult to the original like this is. When you consider how good the original was with its low budget and special effects that still hold up today, the dated CGI and stiff acting of the cast just make this remake unbearable. Jacky Earl Haley as an antagonist is good, but he’s not Freddy Kreuger. He’s just playing a different character altogether and doesn’t ever capture the same quality that Robert Englund had. Get him to play a killer in a new movie that isn’t part of an established franchise and I’ll watch it.

Candyman (2021)

This movie was so boring, I barely remember what happened in it.

IT Chapter Two (2019)

This movie was so boring, I didn’t even finish it.

Every Amityville Movie

After starting my journey down the Amityville Horror franchise, I had to stop by the time we got to the sixth. These movies suck, and yet there are dozens of them, with even more still being made. They’re all boring, bad, poorly acted, and don’t deserve your time.

Best Movies I Watched

Winner: Barbarian (2022)

I was going to put the 2013 Evil Dead remake in the winner slot—which felt a bit depressing, honestly—but Barbarian came in at the 11th hour when I watched it last month. I was surprised, impressed, and thoroughly entertained by Barbarian. Its first act was really engaging, creepy, and uncomfortable in subtle and effective ways. It hooked me immediately and kept my attention all the way to the end. There’s a possibility that I might just be riding the high from watching it and, if I watch it again, I may not be as enthusiastic. But at the time of writing this, Barbarian was the best new movie I watched this year.

Evil Dead (2013)

Of all the remakes and dequels I watched this year, this was definitely the best. It manages to be its own thing without losing what made the original such a hit, to begin with. It’s tense. It’s violent. It’s well-acted. And the special effects are convincingly unsettling in ways that the original indie film was not quite able to achieve, while still amazing at the time. This is an example of a film that respects the original but has enough creative people behind it to make it its own thing. Evil Dead 2 is still probably the best remake of the first movie, but this was a worthy retelling that I can easily recommend.

The Night House (2020)

This was a weird story that, while I didn’t fully grasp what was going on, I still enjoyed. The Night House was recommended by multiple people, so I was worried that my expectations would not be tempered enough when I saw it. Thankfully, it managed to be an interesting and mysterious thriller that kept me engaged throughout. I may have been left with a lot of questions, but that might also be a good thing, for once.

The Hunger (1983)

While I can’t claim that The Hunger is a good movie that everyone should see, I can say that it is one of the most intriguing movies about vampires I’ve seen in a long time. With its use of visual storytelling and art direction, it manages to create a unique vampire story that feels new but also very ‘80s. The biggest downside is how little David Bowie is in it.

Not Bad, Hulu

Hulu released two films this year on streaming that happened to be part of some legendary horror franchises. Both of these same franchises have also been abused and defiled beyond recognition. Both had incredible first films and acceptable second films and were then suddenly scraping the bottom of the barrel so much that they dug through the wood into vile filth with each new installment. Neither of the films that Hulu released this year redeem or undo the crimes that have been committed to these franchises, nor can they be easily recommended with all their flaws. However, I can say that there is hope for them.

Hellraiser (2022)

The first half of this movie does not do much in terms of pulling you in and holding your attention like the original did. However, it makes up for the dull tedium with a latter portion that is far more suitable to the series than any of the direct-to-video sequels. The make-up effects are fantastic. The acting is decent. And it’s just nice to have a Hellraiser movie be a Hellraiser movie for a change.

Prey (2022)

There’s no movie that I had more to say about this year than Prey, and I’ve already said enough. So, I won’t belabor my points here. It’s an entry in the Predator franchise that could have been so much better, and it pisses me off that such potential was wasted. That being said, there are some cool things about it that still make it worth checking out for the curious.

Music Picks for the Year

For once I actually listened to a lot of new music this year. It’s mainly because a road trip with the bandmates allowed me to hear a bunch of material I might never have come across. Here are some discoveries of the year I can recommend.

Twin Temple

Style: Satanic Do-Op

Notes: Catchy, old-fashioned style distracts you from all the Satanic lyrics at first.

Fearing

Style: 80’s Goth without the tears

Notes: Good driving and writing music

Moon Hooch

Style: Sexy saxaphones that stupefy and smash

Notes: Fun jazzy jams

Viagra Boys

Style: Grimy, underground, rock with a side of humor

Notes: SPORTS! YEAH SPORTS! SPOOORTS!

The Oh Sees

Style: Cruising alternative

Notes: Great for long drives, bad for speed limits

Hiromi

Style: Classical mixed with a potpourri of jazz

Notes: Put on random for a wild ride

Panzerballet

Style: Funky, jazzy prog metal for your noodle

Notes: When I’m in a prog mood, this is a great starting point

Sungazer

Style: Trisocapes for your Persona game

Notes: Unpredictable and enlightening

SLIFT

Style: Groovy, grimy, distorted rock n roll

Notes: Fits right in on a playlist with The Sword, Baroness, Uncle Acid, & Black Sabbath

See you Next Year

Once again, thank you for stumbling onto this little site and reading the ravings of a person who has nothing better to do than write up reviews for movies he watches or games he plays with the expectation that no one would care enough to read it. It’s been difficult to write a new review this past year, not just because of time, but because there rarely seems to be anything worth watching. I keep going back to the comfort-food entertainment I have available to me, rather than looking for something new. So when I try to come up with something to write here, I end up going back to something I own. Why? Because new movies and games just don’t get me excited anymore.

It seems like Hollywood has really fallen into a void of misguided approaches toward entertainment, sacrificing good writing, complex stories, and interesting characters for the sake of political ideology or some skewed alternative perspective of reality. I’m not going to get into the weeds on this because DagonDogs.com is just meant to be a small site where I write out thoughts about things that made me think in some way. I just feel the need to stress the fact the film industry in particular has gotten worse with its remakes, sequels, and prequels than it has ever been. I watched many crappy remakes from a decade ago this year because I would still prefer watching trash that I was willing to ignore for years over the newer stuff that’s coming out. Of the few 2022 movies I watched this year, only Barbarian proved to be truly a unique and enjoyable experience. The others that came out within the past year either reached a flawed but acceptable level of quality or fell so flat I didn’t even bother to write anything down for it.

But there’s hope. I don’t intend to leave this article and year with a lamentation of how bad entertainment has gotten, film in particular. I have also seen an increase in discussion across platforms of people who feel the same way. Fans are making noise. Actors with any integrity are pointing out the problems and leaving bad projects. The toxic tactics of the industry aren’t preventing stocks from plummeting. If you look at how shows and films have performed this year and which ones have failed or succeeded, you have to assume someone in Hollywood with some remaining brain cells that haven’t been deteriorated by cocaine and collagen can see the writing on the wall. Things need to change for the better if the industry wants to make any money. I’m hopeful that more adventurous and risk-taking artists will be allowed to thrive in the years ahead, and I’m hopeful that we as the audience will be able to get excited about entertainment again.

If you think I’m wrong, you can let me know in a comment. Or if you think there’s something I need to watch that I missed this year that might change my opinion about the state of entertainment, I’d love to hear it. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next year.

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