The Top Ten Games of 2022
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- Опубліковано 8 гру 2022
- Some part of you decays while something else feeds from that decay. And you join the chorus. And together you sing the song of growing things. | Directly support me and watch exclusive videos by joining Nebula at go.nebula.tv/jacob-geller
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Games shown in opening montage (chronologically) : Metal Hellsinger, Scorn, Disc Room, Tunic, Not for Broadcast, Silt, Unbeatable [White Label], Midnight Fight Express, Bayonetta 3, Rollerdrome, Tinykin
Other non-listed games shown: Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Horizon Forbidden West, Snatcher, Fortnite
Music used (chronologically): Dies Irae, Infinite Love (Vendla), Good Job, You Made it to the Bottom of the Mind Control Facility (The Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe), Delirious Eyes (Norco), Die Toteninsel Emptiness (Signalis), Main Theme (The Last Clockwinder), Glass Ocean (Neon White), The End is Never the End Again, Memory Zone- French (The Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe), Star Ball Rolling (Super Mario Galaxy 2), Red and Blue (Vampire Survivors), Art (Immortality), Raeb’s Lament (God of War Ragnarok), Possible Futures (Citizen Sleeper), Rennala, Queen of the Full Moon (Elden Ring), Main Theme (The Last Clockwinder), Dream Chaser (F-Zero X), Good Job, You Made it to the Bottom of the Mind Control Facility (The Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe)
Thumbnail Credit: / hotcyder
Description Credit: Citizen Sleeper - Ігри
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i need the mug has a conversation opener for piss christ
Wow money, how much is that in money I wonder
@@pygmalioninvenus6057 i hope you lead a fulfilling life
As much as elden ring us elevated by modern online discourse I would have loved to play it as a kid before the age of UA-cam guides and fextralife wiki.
An undocumented world for me and me alone to uncover, secrets still hiding over the course of years.
How long after the video does the special offer last? Because I would gladly buy it, but I don't trust myself with that amount of content a week before my exams
Jacob Geller
so true
Fuck yeah
This is: Jacob Geller Time.
Sounds like a threat
youtube
Imagine being able to cite your own professionally written article in your own professionally made video. Never change Jacob
Just wait until he accidentally self-plagiarizes himself
(yes that’s a thing)
That was fantastic tbh
That's actually seen as academic misbehaviour and is highly discouraged.
Edit: I actually fucked up, it's not using your work as a source, but publishing the same work twice, oops, sorry guys
@@amberhide04 Well this is a video on games my dude.
@@amberhide04 I would assume, but still cool none the less
"it's not JUST dad stuff..."
and I took that personally
Seeing that I have such similar taste in games to Jacob Geller is an ego boost tbh
Huge ego boost
Pineapple :D when next dumpster diving ?
Huge ego boost
@@MasDouc He does... his whole shtick is going through 100s of sometimes near-unknown games from Steam. He's joking. I'd give his channel a look, it's quite good :)
Finally, the game awards that actually matter, from a man who actually plays videogames.
media bad
same game won in both tho
@@izaliths_ Yeah but Signalis is on this list, which is a brilliant game. And Elden Ring rules.
Elden Ring either way tho, what's the difference?
@@neutch1991 ye
it's insane he really makes these videos and people just get to watch them for free? absolutely mind blowing, pure condensed good vibes
@@recitationtohear you. I like your style, I hope you have a nice weekend
@Razagan
It's another bot. They come in pairs now.
@@randomtheorist251no fucking way
@@randomtheorist251 checked their account and oh my god you are right, the bots got me gents. End me before it spreads
I’m sorry little one
I believe the Signalis devs (all two of them) have cited Shaft's adaptation of the Monogatari series as the inspiration behind the "This space intentionally left blank" cutaways. It pops up in some of the seasons, and may be tied to a stylistic choice by one of the directors who did a lot of work across the seasons.
Looking for this comment! Yeah, it also reminded me of Monogatari
love monogatari and will probly play Signalis when I got time so that’s perfect
@Quinn Do you have a link to when they said this? I can't find anything.
I saw that shot and it immediately made me think of Monogatari. I am so glad to hear that inspiration was indeed taken from there, because Monogatari has some of the best cinematography and character writing that I've seen.
@@Eukleides89 know the reason why at all? its interesting thought but I have no idea why its done for
Hi Jacob, I wanted to talk about THIS SPACE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK. Its taken stylistically from anime: SHAFTS anime adaptation of the monogatari novel series. In the show its used stylistically as "covering", e.g. the covering of eyes behind hair to obscure and imply emotion, the covering of a gory scene to let your mind wander, the covering of the fact that the slide saves on the time, budget and skill needed to actually paint the scene. Historically it was born of a combination of a clever art director(Akiyuki Shinbo), tight production schedules, and a desire to communicate through text in a visual medium similar to the silly floating text in Sherlock. In the context of SIGNALIS where memory is a key theme you can eke out some interpretation but...
Imo its to be understood as a stylistic technique first and foremost.
saw this comment before starting the video, got to this point, and exclaimed "holy shit it is monogatari"
Which part of the video is this talking about?
@Bhavya Kanodia 5:45
The red is absolutely a monogatari reference (judging by the unmistakable red slide and Japanese kanji) however it is worthwhile noting "this page is intentionally left blank" in monogatari itself is a reference once more to legal documents and such when a page is left blank as for the person to not think its a printing error. The reason for a blank page however, is when you are printing things its cheaper to print pages on big sheets double sided as opposed to using multiple pieces of paper as thats less steps when mass producing, so you'll notice books typically start at an odd-numbered page for this reason. For a slide to be "intentionally left blank" implies theres some kind of mass production element (and being a novelist, NISIOISIN would definitely be aware of this)
Came to comment this.
Jacob truly is a gift to youtube and video essays
Indeed
He truly is, isn't he? God bless this man.
He didn't include Splatoon 3 so no
@@Kokorocodon 99
Disco Elysium: The Final Cut was to me what Immortality was for you to an extent. As a kid I would have bounced right off it, hated how every bit of interaction is through dialogue or looking at things, but as an adult I was able to dive into the story. Satisfying skill checks, stellar voice acting and beautifully done characters
Hardcore!
@@of5606 INTERNALLY COHERENT!
@@of5606 MEGA HARDCORE!!
@@flataffect Is it though?
Same. I bought it on release, still in the middle of high-school, and man did I bounce off of it. But now I'm finally playing it for real this time, and god it's such a feeling of a game
2:40 Norco
4:29 Signalis
6:20 The Last Clockwinder
9:24 Neon White
11:22 The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe
14:08 Vampire Survivors
16:17 Immortality
18:28 God of War Ragnarök
20:58 Citizen Sleeper
23:21 Elden Ring
Thanks!
Thank you :)
Kingly
neon white but not ultragoat? mid vid
shoutout
It’s so funny to see Jacob talk about Norco cause I used to live a few miles away from Norco Louisiana. It’s a weird sad little place in the middle of the swamp with an absurd amount of smog plaguing the skies, so much so there are some who simply refer to it as “cancer alley.” Hyped to try out the game.
Wow, sounds like the game stayed true to the real world.
NORCO really is phenomenal.
Played it through to the end and I can't say I came away with the same impression as Noah. It seemed like it could be great, but stopped just short for me.
@@Tofu_va_Bien Sorta my experience with Citizen Sleeper too. I have actually really stopped to trust Jacob on his game choices, I clearly have a fundamentally different interest and taste in games lol
(From this video I have tried Signalis and Neon White and I have finished Citizen Sleeper and Immortality and I will probably play Norco (also Ive watched some of The Stanley Parable DLC) but most of them have been quite "mid" for me to keep it short, not bad but time couldve honestly been spent better. The only really good "recommendation" that I've ever got from this channel was Outer Wilds. And over time I've realized Jacob actually only talk about games I either find to be "mid" or straight up dislike, all the while he has never talked about a big collection of games I love (even when it thematically fit), and that I'd talk about constantly if I was him.
Wow, these are all single-player games! I think a lot of people, myself included, have gotten pessimistic about the state of live service battle pass driven games. But while those trends exist, it's important to remember that there are still creatives out there who want to compelling narratives and/or interesting mechanics. Market research and predatory practices might be rampant, but there will always be great games. Thanks for helping us know where to look.
Games have never stopped being about this, not to mention there are plenty that Jacob himself hasnt played that I myself find worthwhile
There's still tons of good multiplayer games with singleplayer campaigns, no microtransactions and good narratives, like Splatoon 3.
Honestly I started finding myself enjoying these types of games better, the only problem is that they eventually have to end (although that's probably a good thing) and I have to find something new to do or go back to those live service games
Just astounding how he can give such beautifully assembled speeches on every one of these game somehow WITHOUT spoiling any of them! Still comPLETELY capable of playing many of these and getting a nice experience. I might just try out that Citizen Sleeper game.
the credits song spoiled the new Stanley Parable for me, no need to play it now
Stanley Parable was one of my personality defining game that popped up early in my teenage years, and Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe most CERTAINLY delivered on my expectations (which were completely blown out of the water). I'm glad you enjoyed it as much as I did and somehow put my exact thoughts into words so succinctly.
I think it’s a very silly game that has some incredible endings but most are just silly fun. I liked it a lot to be honest but the original is still better imo
Yeah I was pretty much the only kid I knew that played it. Wonder if experiencing the game at an early age factored into how I developed into an authority and society questioning anarchic individual.
@@bloodsweatandbeers4684 oh my encounter just got me to think about video games as an artistic medium but that's cool too
@@Glennjamyyyn hey, I've just bought the game without realizing there is an ultra deluxe edition. I'm going completely blind. Should I play the OG or UD edition or both?
@@AhmetKartal start with the OG, I think UD is far more enjoyable after having seen all that the OG has to offer. Take your time with the Stanley Parable and soak it all in, explore to your heart's content, THEN try out UD. The entirety of UD content is built upon having previously seen the OG.
If you want, you can try refunding the OG and buying the UD, because the UD is the exact same as the OG until you enter a literal "new content" door, so you could just refrain from going in there until you're ready.
I can’t express how much I love citizen sleeper, I literally named myself after it. It feels so intimate, truly conveying that feeling of finding moments of happiness, good communities, and great friendships and family within a very difficult world
How is Jacobs beard so perfectly tailored, it looks like he just stepped out of a character creator everytime
I remember reaching Anor Londo in Dark Souls 1 and being impressed with the scale of the city. Playing elden ring, the capital by the Erdtree was a similar experience, but what is so incredible is that almost the entire city is able to be explored. Leyendell is anor londo fully realized, and is something I always wanted. It felt like the apocalypse hadn’t yet happened there. Returning to it later in the game after the mountaintop of the giants, seeing it in ruins, I knew the end was near.
I was very much playing my own life experience in Citizen Sleeper. I turned down every ending when presented, because at the end of the day, I am the one remaining person here, in the place I eventually made home, after everyone I knew has moved on, because there's always more people coming here, passing through or staying, and this is what I stay for. There's always a new experience here, because it's always evolving with the people who come here like I and everyone else did.
it's insane how right you are about everything. Painting Elden Ring's accomplishes as "effortless" summed up a thousand thoughts i had about the game into a sentence.
Neon White was such an unforgettable experience because of how goddamn fun the combat was, I think it has perfected the movement shooter.
Music too! I’m gonna be bumping the soundtrack far after I’m satisfied with all my times
I don't think it perfected it but it perfected that niche type of game (strategy fps movement)
I found the game through the soundtrack on Machine Girl’s yt page, it’s been sitting on my “must play” list since
I def don't agree that it perfected the movement shooter, but it was incredibly fun.
@@drwill439 nice ror2 pfp but I also agree as I prefer something to like doom eternal or even rollerdome
the absolute unmatched energy of citing "A line you really like" from a review, only to reveal that it's your own review, is incredible. I'm not even finished watching the video I just had to draw a line under that
Honestly, the game I'm most glad to see on here is Signalis. It's a game that didn't seem like it got a lot of reach; I was basically the only person I knew in all of my various internet circles who played it and talked about it. But it immediately cemented itself as...probably my favorite horror game of all time? Definitely my favorite new game I played this year (that qualifier is exclusively because FF14 Endwalker hit me like a freight train). I adore games that are as dense, confident, stylish, and resonant as Signalis wound up being. It's earned a spot in that rare category of games that I don't know if I want to replay, even if a replay or two is needed to tug at all of the threads, just because the ending I got felt so right and redoing it all feels wrong, somehow.
Like you said, Signalis is a game that absolutely begs to be untangled, and I really desperately hope it gets enough exposure that I'll be seeing people pulling at the threads on UA-cam for months.
Man I wish I could write as good as Jacob Geller, I keep thinking that every time I watch one of these videos. Even something as simple as a top ten list is so beautifully orchestrated to put some novels to shame
When he said he organised his thoughts into a numbered list, it made me wonder if he's been watching Jenny Nicholson lately..
The best way to get there is starting writing! Anything you’re putting to paper is a step to the right direction
He got this good by doing it a lot for years, probably with the help of a lot of feedback and time spent reading other good reviewers. If it's something you really want to learn to do well, you can.
you know how to get to Carnegie Hall? practice.
Hey, all it takes is trying. Most of the best in the industry started out sucking, so, if it is really something you wanted to do, just start writing and keep trying! I am sure that you can get there, eventually.
Thank you for talking about Signalis, one of the best survival horrors in years somehow gets barely any traction
A bit worried that he says it only took 8 hours to beat... Really hope he didn't fall for the fake-out ending!
There were so many moments in Elden Ring that blew me away but my absolute favorite was after days of struggling against Commander Niall thinking, like i do with most souls games, "this is where i give up" i ended up summoning someone to help me. Dude walked in, blasted him with a beam, killing him in about 5 seconds. He then turned to me, did the fist to chest bump emote and disconnected. Willed me on to continue the game and get better.
jacob. you were perhaps one of the only constants in my past year and it was a year without many constants. i constantly thought about your videos, whenever i would open youtube and see you had uploaded i dropped everything to put on my noise canceling headphones and listen to you, and just in general i loved your work. i've rewatched your videos more than any other creator on here and i genuinely appreciate everything you've done this year. i don't even play video games that often! i mostly replay skyrim and stardew valley! you always have me absolutely entranced watching videos about games that i might never play and i am so so glad that you get to do this youtube thing as your job when it seems clear, to me, that this is what you're built for. thanks for an intellectually incredible 2022, jacob, and here's to a thrilling 2023!
when he said Citizen Sleeper was his #2, I just screamed "YES" because I watched holly hollowtones play all of it (her vods are on youtube too :o) she reads & does voices incredibly well) and it was incredible. I've listened to the songs from it almost every single night since, and I'm not exaggerating. More people ABSOLUTELY need to play it, it hasn't gotten enough attention and I love it so so much.
I swear everytime I hear the music from NieR:Automata in your videos, I am brought back to that world. Whether it'd be through tears, tension, or calm relaxation, NeiR:Automata is the game that is still stuck with me. I'd love to hear your thought of it, its music, and endings.
I think he already made a video on it but I might be wrong?
I was wrong
Holy Fuck me too! Just the set pieces with music makes it seem sad or melancholic or even joyful
It's actually insane now that I think about it, that he hasn't talked about Nier. I feel like he's the perfect fit to make a video on that kind of story.
man I might this year try to power though NeiR:Automata and witchers 3, I litterally have both of them just sitting there cus its not really my type of game but they are both sooo cool
@@smallguy2 i've been wishing he'd talk about the series since at least the replicant remaster came out, but nah he definitely hasn't made a video about it that i know of
Everyone I know who has had a spiritual relationship with Citizen Sleeper started it at 3 am and finished it in almost one sitting, it’s just so damn good.
So damn good
can back this claim, cant believe the song from the video hit me hard
Just finished the game, left with lem and Mina
I cannot explain how much I loved citizen sleeper, although I couldn't bring myself to have another play through. I had my experience and grew close to the characters and I wouldn't change that for the world. I can't even remember which ending I chose, nor when I finished it but I remember crying. I remember feeling, that playing the game again will never replicate the experience I had and loved.
I would love to watch a full fledged video on in!!
Signalis is easily my personal GOTY for 2022. It's such a love letter to both classic survival horror and the works of art that influenced it but it's also mind blowing in its own right. I've been aching for that classic survival horror experience for a long time, and Signalis delivered tenfold. It's up there with some of the best survival horror games of all time for me, easily.
and yet we have stray in the game awards....or other titles, while signalis, easily one of the goty contender - nowhere to be seen
@@Exel3nce It came out too late for a non-AAA GAME
@@Exel3nce Stray being in the awards is fine. I prefer Signalis by far, but Stray has the same right to be there.
@@fy8798 lets be honest, not really...far from it actually. Stray is the Definition of basic or Style over substance. Its not bad but boy does it not deserve this "hype"
I think what attracts me most to your channel is that your passion for videogames is just palpable, I can feel it radiating off the screen in every second of every one of your videos. Sincerely awesome
this might be silly, but Elden Ring makes me incredibly happy. I've never played a single fromsoft game, I'm terrible at games in general lol, but I saw how excited everyone was for it. I saw people waiting for it every day and hoping it would be good and being so, so eager to play it and love it. and I was so happy when it came out and everyone adored it. even as a non-gamer, as someone on the outside looking in, seeing so many people satisfied and excited and unified and joyful about Elden Ring was a really special thing to see and experience. If you're reading this and you liked Elden Ring, I'm really glad you had fun :)
Signalis is my 2nd favorite game of all time. Love hearing props for it. Its impossibly beautiful, and stories like this are my absolute favorite. Ive never seen one same interpretation between fans and i love that about it. Its such a beautiful mirror into yourself. What a masterpiece
Elden ring has not wavered from my mind, no game has held my thoughts and focus this well since goddamn super Mario Galaxy when I was a little kid. The magic of its world, the familiarity of its controls, the art direction, all come together as a testament to everything FromSoft has learned over the past 13 years.
I'm here to fight for Cult of the Lamb. I loved every second I spent with this game, everything from the combat to the art style to the village building to the minigames, it was perfect for me.
Same, I loved it too. However the severe bugs and how short the game really is kinda kills it's potential as an overall top 10 of the year.
how? everything that was outside your camp was mediocrity, unfortuantly. the combat was fun for the first time but boy is it lackluster
I've come back here to say: Thank you Jacob for the Citizen Sleeper recommendation.
A wonderful, human piece of art about hope, entropy, and our little place in this uncaring cosmos.
The ending I got was bittersweet, and I adored it.
Citizen Sleeper was truly a spellbinding and beautiful experience. I didn't start my journey through it's sprawling space station at 3am but it kept me going until 3am and finding the multitude of endings that just made me feel... so, so much. So glad to hear that others have played it and loved it and it's characters and stories just as much as I did. A fantastic list and another fantastic video, it always lights up my day whenever I see the notification of a new video from you!
Jacob, you do such a good job in your writing and speaking of 1) balancing feeling like a friend recommending something cool you like and talking about how something made you feel and 2) delving deep into the meaning of something, asking yourself and us why these pieces of media stick with us.
Now I really wanna see speedrunners tackle the last clockwinder and figure out optimal movements while being able to reproduce them perfectly on the fly to be as fast as possible.
Jacob, you and I had the exact same experience with Citizen Sleeper. Well, at least in regards to the act of playing it, who knows if our lives played out the same way.
Playing it in one sitting, listening to the OST all day while I work (and tearing up when certain songs play), and telling everyone within arms reach to play it.
Thank you for doing it justice!
Thank you Jacob.
I discovered your work about a year and a half ago and I haven't been able to stop recommending your videos to everyone willing to listen to me rambling about them.
They are continuously fun, interesting, original and truly inspiring.
I love how well you choose which words to use to describe your feelings about any piece of culture, your passion bleeds through the screen and it's frankly admirable.
Here's to another year of great videos!
I was very excited to hear you talk about Citizen Sleeper! I haven't heard too many people talk about it, and it really deserves more attention.
Omg. I don’t know too many people that also played “Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk”.
That was a really good sequel and a crazy game where you play the good voice inside of someone’s head who is trying to get better and through their trauma.
Damn. I felt like everyone avoided such a good game.
it kinda went crazy seeing it on his list too
I played it and felt pretty scared, but I cared for that little girl
Anyone knows whether he talks about it in any of all those videos? I scrolled through all of them briefly but coundnt find. Interested what he has to say, given that the sequel is not mentioned i imagine he didnt like it all that much.
It was surreal to see it on his list of games
Thanks for the recommendation, I hope this doesn't punch me in the gut emotionally
Hearing him say that "we're gonna get into some wacky stuff" next year has gotten me unreasonably excited.
Haven't played Signalis, but that "space left blank" thing looks like a definite reference to the same technique used constantly in Bakemonogatari.
Your point about how when something is good, you search for the negatives made me realize how much I actually love Elden Ring. Being a long time Fromsoft fan, I found myself comparing it constantly to aspects of From's previous titles, and usually complaining about the differences. While it may not be my favorite game by From, it's still certainly a masterpiece
oh man, the last clockwinder is one of the few games i've seen that actually make me want to get into VR. sounds like a very neat concept
I absolutely love your videos, Jacob. I cannot stress enough that the quality of your videos and the topics you discuss scratch this nerdy and intellectual itch in the back of my mind that I never knew how much I needed scratching. Thank you for all of your videos and please keep being awesome!!
So glad you featured Norco. It was a masterpiece.
I have about a 10 page document of things I think are very bad about Elden Ring, and it was still so genuinely satisfying and fun that it easily goes on my personal #2 spot this year. The first two thirds of that game are immaculate.
I would like to see that document if possible, honestly just curious
Same! I personally belong to the "Sekiro better" school of thought, but I wouldnt mind seeing at least a teensy Excerpt of that document
@@nunyabiz6532 Interesting because Sekiro just plays too differently for me to like one over the other
I could do the same with every souls game. they are so artistically and mechanically beautiful that the only thing in them that isn't, stands out more.
they are also all immeasurably difficult so that might help it
@@captainblastems3367 as a non-souls fan and an ex-pro game dev, coming from a background of idtech/source-style fpses, immersive sims, and fighting games, the combat and movement was clunky in major nonstylistic ways that have been solved by other games. For example, the infinite-length uninterruptible move buffer. It gets extreme, like when you buffer a roll, get hit before your current move ends, get up, and several seconds after buffering the roll, are forced to roll straight into another hit. For my tastes, the game would have no buffer at all, which has precedent in super smash brothers melee and other retro fighting games. The drawback: less forgiving inputs for inexperienced players. The benefits: more intentionality to your actions and requiring that you internalize exact frame timings to "git gud". That gripe is my best example because of how incredibly solved it is, but how underbaked most (non-fighting-game) devs' state systems are. One of my biggest issues was definitely stylistic, just not a style i enjoy. Most of the bosses have physics-defying anime-looking movement that whips them around, even in midair, without any source of locomotion. I don't mind that in games with styles that suspend disbelief or use vfx to show the source of acceleration, but here it has no justification. Plus there are the messy hitboxes that mean a character's pose has little correlation with where they're hitting. I understand how most players either miss or forgive those details, but to me, they're inexcusable. For the rest: it's incredibly easy to miss story beats by not following an exact route, which would be fine the game was either linear or short enough to replay multiple times and piece together, but I'd simply prefer the story be more dynamic, accommodating alternate sequences like fallout new vegas. The world collisions are inaccurate, and slope handling is subpar, a common issue for open world devs. If there won't be ingame handholdy quest logs, give me an ingame blank journal to fill out so I don't have to constantly alt-tab to notepad. I liked a lot of the game, and I understand why people adore it, but all that stuff and dozens of issues I didn't mention added up to turn me off.
Hey Jacob! Just wanted to say that we are all really proud of you and your creations this year. Hearing you've been able to make this your full-time career really put a smile on my face, because if there was anybody who deserves to make a living from the sheer thoughtfulness and quality of their work, it's you. Your analysis never fails to draw me in, and you weave essays into stories that have hook after hook, it's honestly a joy to see how any one video will inevitably grip me by the throat with a particularly witty or vulnerable moment. Thank you for being awesome!
I absolutely adore citizen sleeper you talked about leaving and yes you can do that but I also love how you can also just choose to make it your home and stay and if you did they even went in and added free dlc to add more to the story, and I am desperately waiting for the last episode to drop early next year. It just love how even if the story can go in so many ways every way will feel personal to someone.
As much as I adore your more themed and "big serious" essays, the lighthearted energy of videos like these is still excellent!
It makes me incredibly happy to see Citizen Sleeper get the love it so truly deserves. I had a very similar experience, completing the game in two sittings and in the days in between I had trouble falling asleep because I couldn't stop thinking about it. The thought put in to its world and its characters and its systems is breathtaking, I'm glad you felt the same way.
I marathoned In Other Waters, the other game from the same developer, and ended it with just a little shiver of that "broken and magical" feeling, so Citizen Sleeper is right at the top of my list of games to play when I have free time again in January.
Hey, thankyou for all the work you put into every video. You really have incredibly interesting thoughts, concepts, and take-aways in every video you release. It was this year that I began to explore your channel, and become more of a consistent viewer. And with how varied and change-filled this year was for me, it honestly took me aback when you mentioned the different videos you had worked on this year. In my mind, it's felt like a much longer journey. And well, it was nice having your videos be a part of this year for me.
Have a happy rest of your year, oh, and happy hannukah if you celebrate it! Take care, and may you enjoy whatever you get up to!
Elden Ring is special to me, because it's one of the only times I can remember that I knew, while playing it, that it was going to be considered one of the greatest games ever made. I've been gaming for 20+ years now, the hobby defined my childhood and later on, my career. But the legacy a game leaves behind is typically defined well after its launch period. Cult classics and underappreciated masterpieces are usually formed in the crucible of hindsight and retrospection. But I knew within just a few hours, Elden Ring is going to be remembered as a landmark in both the Soulslike stamina management genre, as well as open world gaming as a whole.
I've been gaming 40 years and agree Elden Ring is one of the greatest of all time. Surpassed what I expected. Delivered what others promise but always fall short on. I'd more or less given up on "Open World" as a concept because most implementations were really just linear, padded out with shallow side quests. But Elden Ring got open world right. As well as almostg everything else. (yes, it was too long, too much, but would rather that than not enough, too little, too derivative).
@@OrangeNash brilliantly stated 🙏
I remember way back in 2017 when I first heard about this new Fromsoft game that GRRM was helping write and I was already extremely excited. The game sounded like a fairy tail and in between when I first heard about it and when it released I graduated high school, finished my undergraduate degree, and close to finishing a masters. I was waiting for so long and I had such high hopes for the game and when it finally came out I realized, legitimately within the first 5 hours of playing that this was going to be my favorite game I’ve ever played and god damn I was right. Lifting up the door to gaze upon Limgrave, that gentle tune playing in my ear. The chills of finding a random elevator in the Mistwood and discovering an entire other world with its own stars, all beneath the massive overworld. Every time I got teleported to another area of the game or advanced further north and the map expanded, I was awestruck. I thought the Bestial Sanctum was the furthest north point on the map for the first 5 hours of my playthrough… and then I got teleported to the divine bridge; somewhere so far north with so many miles inbetween me and the spots of the world I had already discovered, it seemed impossible. I still get chills thinking about my first playthrough. Playing the game in the first day, the first week it was released was legitimately magical and I hope to god I’m ever able to experience something like that again while playing a video game.
please make a separate video for signalis, i feel like not enough people talked about that game and it was really great.
I wish I could immerse myself in my own life the way Geller immerses himself in games
jacob, you are a downright incredible creative and a stunning voice in terms of all things analysis. your work shines with so much love and cleverness. that's all, just wanted to say thank you for how much of a delight your videos are
always such a delight to hear you talk about this, our passion, thank you for everything you decide to ramble about, I hope to keep watching your stuff for many years to come
You really hit the nail on the head with Elden Ring. It was everything I ever wanted in a video game. It’s so good
It’s a genuine crime, Jacob puts together some of the most comprehensive, passionate and intriguing video essays and we don’t have to pay a dime.
We rob him continually and he thanks us for the attention.
yes because benefitting from the art or experience of others without money changing hands is the truest form of criminal activity !?
I'd like that to come off as jovial... but praise be 2022 in the best of all possible timelines It just won't
@@EggBastion for it to come off as jovial, try phrasing it more jovially. As it stands it's giving "I missed the initial joke".
I noticed tunic popped up in the list of games you played this year, loved that one. I don't want to spoil it for anyone but the depths it goes with it's language and secrets just blew my mind.
Love everything you have to share, Jacob. Keep it up
Yeah, Citizen Sleeper is my goty for pretty much the same reasons you list. Every time I got to an "ending" I felt like something wasn't right for the story built by my playthrough, so I lingered. And the game let me, and more doors opened here and there, until I found a conclusion that was the perfect capstone to the feelings I had at that point in the journey.
It's sorta like what happened with Sunless Sea, and also happened with Roadwarden this year on a completely different aesthetic and vibe. It takes a lot of good writing to have a multiple ending game without linear routes to them that nevertheless feels consistently "yours" and seamless when you finish.
I am SO glad you added Citizen Sleeper to this list. That game was a transformative experience for me.
Came across your channel mid 2022. I've plowed through all your videos and am a huge fan. Keep it up, my dude.
I've had my eye on Citizen Sleeper for a bit, need to get around to it. I think you just gave me the push to do it.
Glad you're doing well. Thanks for sharing the awesome and wild thoughts that pop into your head with all of us.
Wholesome video. Keep making amazing content! When I throw a vid up on the side while I work, I wish they were all like yours.
That second one felt like a Bakemonogatari reference, aha.
Was literally checking the channel yesterday to see if the end of the year review had been uploaded, so was pleasantly surprised to see it now. I look forward to watching it and processing it all.
Thanks for all the amazing videos this year Jacob. I've loved every single one. Really looking forward to what you have in store for next year (and I'm pretty sure you're writing an article for a magazine my friend is also writing for! Crazy crossing of worlds).
I didn't play a ton of indie games this year, but Pokemon Legends Arceus was the first time I genuinely had fun with Pokemon since 2017, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 became the second video game to ever make me cry and is already in my all-time top 10, and PERSONA 5 FINALLY RELEASED ON A SYSTEM I HAVE, HOLY CRAP I'M ACTUALLY PLAYING PERSONA 5, I HAVE DREAMT OF THIS DAY SINCE 2018! Also, while I don't have much interest in the souls-like genre, I've heard so many fantastic things about Elden Ring and I'm super glad for all the people who have played it and loved it. So yeah, I'm inclined to agree that 2022 was a pretty good year for games.
It was a fucking great year for games!
Indeed this year was quite good for gaming, I am really grateful that we had so many awesome experiences like Elden Ring, God of War, Sifu, Immortality, Neon White, Rollerdrome, Stanley Parable UD, just to name a few, what a time to be alive!
Also, I am grateful for having found this awesome channel. Congratulations Jacob on making this channel(which I do assume is a passion of yours) your full time job. Making a living out of something you love is truly an achievement, keep up the good work! :D
Neon White overrated and cringe tbh. Seems like it was made by guy that made that edgy rpg maker game with Haze as the MC.
@@domscards So you just ignore the clever, well designed gameplay and ideas just because the characters are cringe (even though they're intentionally written that way)? What a shallow take.
Thank you for doing those videos, you are the best of what youtube have to offer. I always go back to your video " four short games about pain". Its such a confluence of things I like, plus you sound like a poet putting those ideas together.
On a lazy afternoon I stumbled on this video that was already more than a year old. I listened to your description of Citizen Sleeper and I thought, “yeah, he’s insanely romantic about this game.”
And because I like dystopian, cyberpunk games, I decided this is the game I’d like to try from the list. And I finished it in one sitting.
Then I came back and listened to how you described the game again. You didn’t exaggerate one bit. I love this game, and I love how you talk about it. I keep coming back to this video just to listen to the game’s bit of the video.
Thanks, Jacob.
LOVE the accurate Neon White take. Great game and the story/dialogue does what it tried to do.
I loved Signalis! I really appreciate your ability to find and draw my attention to smaller, strange, and interesting games I haven't heard of or overlooked.
SIGNALIS was definitely one of, if not my favorite game of 2022, ever since finishing it I've been evangelizing it in almost every video game video essay I've seen.
Fear of Cold is definitely one of the Top Ten videos of 2022 for me. i am constantly watching it or listening to it over and over. Here's to another year of Jacob Geller!
Signalis really was that "I understood very little of what just happened but still loved every second of it" game for me this year. I think my only personal negative with the game is that it's not explicitly clear in-game how you get the different endings, and kinda wish there was just a little more guidance or hints on how to get them without needing to search online for a guide. But otherwise, every aspect of that game just meshed so well with me personally--the art, the music, the setting, story, characters, combat, even the puzzles--which I've seen a lot of people say is a negative but I thought Signalis had some of the best tactile puzzle design out of any game I've ever played and I was really sad thinking about going back to all the boring, non-impactful puzzles you usually encounter in other games. (Thankfully I started playing CrossCode after Signalis and that game also has some fantastic puzzles that make you feel really big brain when you figure them out)
Will definitely take a look at Citizen Sleeper.
Yea same here, the puzzles were top teir in my opinion. Not too hard, and not too easy, the only puzzle that fucked with me was the butterfly room. And even then the answer was looking right at me.
"Citizen Sleeper pairs its beautiful prose and world construction with a relentless series of gameplay timers that constantly push you to the brink of despairation"
This is exactly what I expected when I got into Citizen Sleeper, but I'm surprised by the way it worked on your playthrough. I felt like I had beat the economy a little after the first week, and I wasn't really trying to min/max at all. I also really wanted the second half to have a little more sidelined uppercuts in store, the way quests flowed just got a little too predictable for me. Honestly a little jealous of your experience.
I don't watch your video essays but I love these end year videos and your input on MinnMax. I hope that speaks to the wide appeal of your content and range. I love how you explain your enjoyment for stuff in a way that isn't just about raw enthusiasm but why and how it impacted you personally.
Thank you very much!
LOVED Citizen Sleeper, so glad to see it on this list. Completely agree with how the contrast of the cruel world and moments of compassion lead to some of the most impactful moments of the year. I went in knowing very little about it and ended up enjoying the experience so much more than I expected!
Signalis was so damn special...easily my game of the year.
I know it won't be everybody's cup of tea, but for those that are open to a beautifully abstract sci-fi story with cosmic horror influences that centers around a lesbian couple and explores themes of transhumanism, interplanetary fascism, mental health, and the crushing, unbearable weight of living in a world where your worth is determined by your work... I simply cannot recommend it more highly 🖤
If only Signalis had gameplay as good as its' story. I love the themes, layered motiffs et cetera, but on a mechanical level this is like the bare minimum of survival horror.
I get we're supposed to conserve ammo and genre classics like Silent Hill promote ignoring enemies but this is on a whole new level. On normal difficulty if you'd remove 90% encounters literaly nothing would change pacing-wise because of how passive and ineffective they are. Having 6 inventory slots is a great concept to force players into hard decisions but due to laughably low difficulty you have literaly zero tension in the gameplay and all this choice adds is tedium. Carrying weapons or healing items is pointless so you just end up filling inventory with trash you can't drop and have to run back to a safe room halfway across the map to store items in case you encounter a progression-relevant item. In the end I admire the story, visuals and direction but this feels like the most disengaged horror experience I ever had in my life.
And if I may nitpick: It's more like space communism since they are heavily inspired by the Deutsche Demokratische Republik, the themes of lack of personal property and work defining your worth to the state also seem pretty communistic (altho at totalitarian level communism and fascism tend to get pretty similar so there's wiggle room what exactly this state is).
@@aleksanderolbrych9157 Seeing that flag in a goddamn space horror re-like game really was something.
@@aleksanderolbrych9157 dang, no tension? that sounds like a confusing experience. i played on the same difficulty and i was usually tense in my gameplay. the really strict inventory management felt like an extension of how much it sucks to live in the Eusan Nation, the sound design was amazing (music, vocalizations, etc), and the enemy design kept unnerving me, even on additional playthroughs. different thresholds for different people, ig
@@RyougiVector Unnerving design doesn't mean anything to me if they're not threathening. I loved e.g. Kolibri enemies until I realized you can just stand there because they won't do anything unless you deliberately walk into them. The entire game collapses if you actualy play according to its' rules instead of playing *along* to what the devs intended.
Elden Ring feels like Miyazaki finally got to make his ode to Fumito Ueda architecture. While previous games would use implied architecture, like DS1's lower city of Anor Lando , in Elden Ring all the world building explicit. You basically get to go anywhere, and not only do you want to go to that mountain in the background, some part of you needs to. What I'm getting at, is there are very few games where you boot it up just to look at a cool bridge.
Yeah, especially early it was very fun exploring to see how architecture was used. Personally didn’t love the gameplay, felt like it was a rehash of ds3 when the genre has always evolved past that, but there were a lot of neat things with how buildings and the world were designed, especially early on
Oh the absolute joy of seeing Signalis make the list, oh my GOD what an experience and I am still running into stuff I haven't thought of in my original play, and like... it's vibes? ohhhhhhh man
Actually one of the videos I look forward to every year. Your recommendations are incredible
So glad Signalis is in the List.
He remembered our promises.
Definitely going to give Citizen Sleeper a try! Thank you for the recommendations.
My fave this year was GoW Ragnarok, it blew me away on all levels, and as you said - it's not just about dad stuff. If 2018 was mostly about Atreus' growth, Ragnarok was about Katros', and it's fully realized, it's all-encompassing, and every emotional beat was fully deserved. The ways all kinds of families are explored, the way none of them are on the same track and yet it's all cohesive and all narrative click with each other.... That game is a demonstration of what an expert team can do with time, resources and money. It stunned me.
I loved your videos this year! Looking forward to whatever you have planned (or not) for 2023!
I highly suggest Signalis too.
this has been my favorite year of jacob geller videos for sure! i dont get how you make em this epic man!
Love the channel. Was looking forward to this one.
Cool to see milk inside a bag of milk was one of the games you played! The sequel is also wonderful!
Honestly, Thank You for uploading this video Jacob!
I was having a horrible day but watching your videos makes a small portion of it worth it…
Luv from DownUnda! 🇦🇺🙏🏾❤️🩹
I am so glad you brought up citizen sleeper. I played through it for 7 hours straight, got most of the endings, then played though again the next day to get what I missed.
The writing is fantastic, the mechanics are incredibly well done and the characters are so believable that I got swept up and immersed in their troubles.
I can't recommend it enough. It's so emotional and well written and you should play it.
thx for another great year jacob, you're a gift
Currently playing immortality due to your video on it. Even going into the game spoiled, it's an incredible experience. My partner has been watching while I play and that makes it really fun to discuss