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Hundreds of games are released each year, from massive AAA titles like Call of Duty to small Indie projects you’ve never even heard of. No individual can keep abreast of all released offerings, let alone play even a fraction of them.
We have nearly completed half of this year, and there have been some exciting launches, such as Sniper Elite 5 and Ultimate Epic Battle Simulator 2. Many more prominent names are scheduled for later this year.
Among this deluge of titles, here are some underrated options that did not receive lots of coverage but are worth your time and energy.
Five underappreciated games of 2022 to check out
5) Grid Legends
This baby comes with all the bells and whistles for those looking for a spectacular yet easy-to-master racing title. Codemasters have planned Grid Legends as a spiritual successor to 2019’s Grid and 2002’s TOCA Race Driver by focusing on a thrilling edge-of-seat motorsport action and iconic racing moments.
The title’s highlight is its story, presented as a sports documentary rather than a standard drama. We are filled in via cutscenes before or after races and from the viewpoint of camera teams sneaking into VIP areas and garages.
This well-edited live-action offering was put together using a mixed-reality process that places real-life actors on digital backdrops and is a refreshing form of storytelling compared to its peers. Boasting around 130 tracks and as many cars across 22 global locations, it has a lot of content to justify its price.
There is also a career mode that gamers can play once the 7-8 hour-long storyline is completed. The title breaks your available options into chunks instead of displaying everything on one screen.
A nemesis system where AI competitors carry grudges outside the race and make life difficult for you as you meet them across successive races adds to the complexity.
With an impressive 22-player multiplayer mode, the title focuses on intense competitive entertainment instead of the most accurate tire-to-tarmac behavior like Forza. Environmental effects such as the rain splattering on your windshield are well detailed and coupled with realistic engine sounds, Grid Legends aims for a top-of-the-line gaming experience.
4) Expeditions: Rome
The Expedition series has a stellar record for being a turn-based party management offering with previous titles based in Conquistador and Viking times. The latest addition to the franchise is set in ancient Rome and sees you lead not only your band of Praetors but entire Legions through enemy territory.
As the scale of the responsibilities is so much more extensive, players don’t have to worry about the little things such as food and supplies but rather focus on the big picture.
The title forces users to actively use all their companions and not just their favorite starting ones, thus allowing for a much more balanced team as the entire retinue participates in the end-of-campaign sieges.
It is divided into three major campaigns, each being longer and more deadly than the last. Combat encounters are well thought out and require considerable cooperation within the team to succeed. Upgrading gamers’ team members to unlock overpowering skills and using them in tandem is satisfying.
Interestingly, it’s not the enemies that become more powerful as individuals progress, but the world around them that constantly comes up with combat encounters or even chance mishaps as they travel.
Where Expeditions: Rome shines is the storyline. From legendary adversaries to backstabbing allies, it forces users to walk a difficult path where they constantly balance their conscience and ethics against objective victory.
3) Dune Spice Wars
Emperor: Battle for Dune came out in 2001, and since then, gamers have wanted a sequel. From the developers of Northguard and Wartales (Shiro Games), Dune Spice Wars builds on the fame of the recently released movie starring Timothee Chalamet.
Providing a realistic 4x grand strategy experience similar to Total war or Stellaris, the title transports players to the brutal desert planet of Arakis. They can play as the Atreides, Harkonnen, Fremen, or Smugglers to compete, control, and dominate the invaluable spice trade. Each faction plays differently and approaches combat, resource gathering, and diplomacy uniquely.
Be warned, though, as individuals’ competitors are not their only worry. The planet itself wants them dead, and users are constantly aware of the presence of a separate colossal entity to whose rules they must bow down.
Players could be gleefully fighting their enemies when, suddenly, the giant sandworm takes a massive bite out of their military machine.
Though still in early access, with a lot more to expand into, the game already has a considerable gaming experience for gamers enthralled by the mystique of the Dune universe.
2) Dorfromantik
Loosely translating to “village romanticization,” the game literally does what its name says. This award-winning, relaxing tile placement strategy and puzzle game transports users to an idyllic countryside. They get a stack of hexagonal tiles to start with, and figuring out where each one would fit perfectly is the entire jist of the title.
Each tile is procedurally generated, and, of course, players are rewarded with bonus tiles if they find the right spot it is intended for. However, the game continues just as well, even if they want to build their landscapes the way they wish.
There is no time pressure or building constraints, making this the perfect therapeutic meditation game if gamers are looking to calm themselves down. The world seems terrific with pastel-colored houses and farms with loosely stroked, uneven edges for a charming vibe.
Individuals can lay down a vast landscape as they wish and watch it come to life with steam engines chugging along railway lines or tugboats traveling down the meandering river.
Readers can plan everything right down to the detail for their toy-like countryside as they vibe to a soothing background score or don’t. It’s their world, so users can do whatever they want!
The title was released recently after being in early access for more than a year and is complete with multiple game modes if players are looking to switch things up.
1) Warhammer 40K Chaos Gate Deemonhunters
Due to the vast number of Warhammer Game releases, most people expected Daemonhunters to be another clone along the same line, but it isn’t. This turn-based strategy game is set in the 41st Millennium in the time of space marines and grants gamers control over the elite Grey Knights, the hammer bearing the emperor’s wrath!
They are pitted against the forces of the plague god Nurgle, who rapidly grow their influence over a galaxy. The combat is fierce and punishes users heavily for mistakes. Every mission has them racing against time, thus ensuring they are constantly barging headlong into enemy squads.
Whether individuals are juggernauts, obliterating enemy squads in two turns, or cannon fodder for their numerically superior foes, it is all up to how fast they can pick up the basics. There is a significant learning curve as the game literally does zero handholding, and enemies scale up progressively like similar TBS titles (read XCOM).
Where the game differs from its inspiration is that it eliminates the hit probability. Each shot is guaranteed to hit, and players are leading the mythical Grey Knights, not some green recruits new to battle! Yes, they spend most of their time in combat, but it masterfully affects their playthrough through the things that happen between missions.
Dialogues pop up between the NPC stakeholders on users’ teams, and their choices significantly affect other aspects of the game. They can never please everyone and must always choose who to piss off and deal with its ramifications.
Where it shines, though, is the unit skill tree. Each Knight belongs to a different class, complete with their unique skills. Using these skills imaginatively to efficiently neutralize enemies feels so satisfying and is what will keep players coming back despite failing repeatedly.
No situation or enemy is too hopeless for their Knights, as they can steamroll through anything as long as gamers use them correctly.
Note: This article reflects the author’s views.
