0
0
As another year ambles ever so slowly to a close, November is always a great month to reflect back on what this year has meant to us. If your 2022 was like ours, it was filled with a cornucopia of ups and downs, not just in our personal lives, but in our gaming lives. This year for ThanksGaming day, our staff looked back on the games that brought us joy, inspired us, and in some cases brought us together with our friends and family. Read on to find out which games we’ve been thankful for, and then take to our comments section and let us know which games carried you through 2022, and regale us with your favorite moments.
Garrick DR: Staff – Steam Deck / Final Fantasy XIV
It’s been a pretty stellar year for gamers no matter what your preferences are. From PC to console gamers, and even mobile players, there’s been a little something for everybody this year. I just wanted to take some time and reflect on this year in gaming so far and Give Thanks for what has given me the most joy and entertainment. Here are just some of what I am most thankful for this year.
The Steam Deck launched in February and, although it was initially hard to get a hold of, production has finally caught up to meet the demand. I finally got my own Steam Deck in July and it’s been a joy to experience and play my library on the go. There’s a bevy of great games to play on the Steam Deck, although sadly there are not a lot of MMORPGs that work on the Deck. I’m still trying to get Final Fantasy XIV to properly work. Despite that, I am extremely thankful that I managed to get one for myself and even more thankful that it hasn’t felt like a waste of an investment. I’m excited to see how it evolves into next year, and what new (if any) MMORPGs will come to be portable as well.
Speaking of Final Fantasy XIV, the latest Patch 6.28 went live recently expanding the North American Data Center and new side activities like the Harvest Moon-esque Island Sanctuaries have kept me actively engaged in continuing my adventures in Eorzea. On the whole, Final Fantasy XIV is the MMORPG I am most thankful for not just in 2022, but for the past decade, as being my go-to MMO to play and stay involved with a community. With the recently announced dates for the 2023 Fan Festival, I hope to finally be able to afford and attend in celebration with my fellow Warriors of Light.
Mitch Gassner: Columnist – Dungeons and Dragons Online \ Warframe \ Path of Exile
This year, I have several games to be thankful for. Although I can’t seem to stick with any new MMORPGs for more than a month or two, I’m thankful for Dungeons & Dragons Online and Warframe for hanging around on my hard drive and providing hours of fun when I’m not engrossed in the latest flavor of the month MMO. I’m also thankful for Path of Exile and GGG for reminding me that free-to-play and cash shops aren’t inherently evil. They are easily corrupted by greedy corporations, but that hasn’t happened to PoE, and for that I am most thankful. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Kevin Chick: Writer – Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous – Enhanced Edition
I had been meaning to play WotR for some time, and the Enhanced Edition was released just when I needed a game I could fully immerse myself in for days. Between the improvements made to some mythic paths and the fun I have been having running around Golarion as an aspiring Lich, I expect it to continue eating up my free time well into the new year.
At first, it was tempting to pick Elden Ring or Total War Warhammer III, but WotR just happened to be there at the right time, and it was a completely different experience from other games I have been playing recently. Also, it was nice to just buy a game, with the Season 1 DLCs, and jump into experiencing an engaging story. I haven’t even finished my first playthrough, and I am already looking forward to the first of the Season 2 DLCs announced earlier this fall.
Typically, I love playing games from various genres, especially those with a persistent online community that makes a game feel like a living world. But so many games in 2022 have felt like they implemented unnecessary intrusive monetary practices. I am thankful that games like WotR are still made/supported, and a big thank you to the developers that make them.
Joseph Bradford: Managing Editor – EVE Online / LOTRO
This year had its own unique set of challenges for me and my family that made 2020 feel like a cakewalk. So it’s hard to pinpoint any one thing in gaming that I’m supremely grateful for because so much helped me get through the darkest moments in my adult life.
A few months after a family member’s hospitalization, I had the chance to go to EVE Fanfest. It was the perfect escape that allowed me to reflect, decompress a bit and just enjoy gaming and work again. Being around all my favorite spaceship nerds, reconnecting with old friends, and feeling like I was doing something more than just typing on a screen meant the world to me at the time. And looking back on it now, months removed, it was the first time where I started to see through some of the storm clouds that fell on the horizon this year for my family.
EVE Online has been one of those comfort games this year for me, and joining up with a new alliance and corporation has reinvigorated my time in New Eden. But The Lord of the Rings Online is also a title I’m immensely grateful for as well this year. The renewed vigor the team seems to have when updating this title throughout the last few years has filled me with a renewed love for the MMO. Running around The Shire, or the new zones like Swanfleet remind me so much why it’s my favorite MMO of all time. I’m grateful to have LotRO to use as both an escape, as well a way to reconnect with one of the best communities in gaming. Here’s to the future!
Steven Weber: Video / Weekend Editor – Elden Ring / Fallout 76 / MMORPG.COM
When I was preparing this article, the first thing that I did was look back on 2021’s ThanksGaming article to see what last year looked like. You see, MMORPGs, and many MOGs in general are unique, in that these games evolve over time. The mark of a good game is its ability to hold your interest, and Fallout 76, despite all of its flaws and shortcomings, has managed to bring me back year after year.
I could say that the new Legendary Power Armor did it, or the inclusion of Expeditions that they’ve recently added. I’d like to say that my insane number of Atoms on my account from forgetting I had subbed to Fallout 1st, or the Legendary Crafting system they added, which at times feels a little tedious, are what keeps bringing me back. The reality of the situation is that, Fallout 76 is a world that not only feels familiar after 4 years, but it is also a game that all of my friends can jump into, and we can always find something to do together, and share things we’ve found for each other. No, Fallout 76 isn’t a right proper MMO, but the cooperative experience has been something I continue to return to time and again.
Elden Ring is also another game that I’m extremely thankful for. Despite a minimal multiplayer experience, it was one of the few games that I feel I really sank my teeth into this year, and played out of pure unbridled enjoyment. Yes, it was difficult. Yes, I probably swore too much after multiple failed attempts at killing Malenia (and cheered too loud when I succeeded). Elden Ring was my first Souls-like, and it solidified my intention to not make it my last.
Finally, I’m thankful for our staff here at MMORPG.COM. Behind the scenes, from our backend programmer, to our managing, hardware and news editor, and all of our freelancers, the work they’ve all put in has been instrumental as we look forward to some exciting upcoming changes along with the MOBA Network.
And, prepare to rev your suspension of disbelief throttle, but I’m extremely thankful for our community. The community at MMORPG.COM is unique in both form and function. Our forum posters here are insightful, generally well informed, and passionate about the genre, even during the times where it’s not so easy to be. With nothing but opportunities on the horizon, I personally look forward to every morning, where I can wake up and read the various opinions from each of you. That now said, I hope all of you jump into the comments and tell us about a game that you’re thankful for. Happy ThanksGaming to you all and – Happy Posting!
