November 2022 was filled to the brim with some of the year’s biggest releases, which is typical of this time of year. Although not all of them lived up to expectations, others like God of War Ragnarok garnered critical acclaim and are must-plays for anyone gaming in 2022. Still, there are plenty of other games that released in November 2022 that also deserve admiration.
December 2022 will be packed with exciting games too, so you’ll want to check out these six titles before that rush begins. From well-known games like God of War Ragnarok to smaller indies like A Little to the Left, these are the November 2022 video game releases that you shouldn’t miss.
God of War Ragnarok
Sony Santa Monica followed up 2018’s critically acclaimed God of War with a sequel that is bigger in almost every way. While that doesn’t always work out perfectly for God of War Ragnarok, it’s still a massive and emotionally touching action game. It features many great accessibility options for players that need those too.
“God of War Ragnarok is much bigger than its predecessor, though not inherently better,” Gaming Editor Giovanni Colantonio wrote in his four-star review of the game. “It’s more reminiscent of the jump between the original God of War in 2005 and God of War 2, offering a largely similar experience down to its plot beats. That larger scope makes for a messier story that loses some of the previous game’s intimacy, but the trade-off is even sharper combat that further establishes the franchise as the God of action games.”
As God of War Ragnarok had the bestselling launch of any first-party PlayStation game ever, there’s a good chance you’re already playing it. If you haven’t checked it out, though, this sequel is a must for PlayStation owners. God of War Ragnarok is available now exclusively for PS4 and PS5.
Pentiment
This hasn’t been a great year for Xbox, but at least Pentiment ended it on a high note. The narrative adventure game sports a unique art style based on the illuminated manuscripts from the period in which it is set: 16th-century Europe. It follows a fledgling artist named Andreas across decades as he solves murders and sees the small religious farming town of Tassing evolve.
“Although Pentiment might not be consumed in the most ideal way as it gets reduced to a piece of ammo in the never-ending console war, the game itself is a special work of fiction that’s worth engaging with outside of its circumstantial release,” gaming writer Tomas Franzese wrote in his four-star Pentiment review. “Pentiment is a well-written adventure with an absolutely stunning art style and choice-based narrative that engages players in ways genre leaders like Telltale never quite did.”
Pentiment makes you feel smart when you play because of how it immerses you in history and grapples with themes surrounding the creation of art and the legacy it leaves behind. It’s truly a standout narrative adventure game that anyone who enjoys a game with a good story should check out. Pentiment is available now for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
While the rampant technical issues can sometimes sour the experience, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are still a welcome evolution of the series. They split the difference between the classic Pokémon games and this past January’s Pokémon Legends: Arceus with an open world that players can explore as they earn gym badges, take down Titan Pokémon, and defeat Team Star.
“Developer Game Freak trusts players to carve their own path through the open-world Paldea region, even if that means letting them walk into a battle entirely unprepared,” Colantonio’s three-and-a-half star review of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet explains. “More than all of the big-picture formula shake-ups, it’s that psychological shift that proves to be this generation’s most important innovation. Though the bike may wobble, the training wheels are finally off.”
It’s not a perfect experience, as catching Pokémon isn’t as seamless as it is in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, and it has loads of frame rate issues and bugs. Still, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is the open-world Pokémon game fans have been demanding for years. Hopefully, this is the start of a new golden age for the series. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are available now exclusively for Nintendo Switch.
A Little to the Left
Max Inferno’s A Little to the Left is a deceptively simple puzzle game as its puzzles just ask players to organize a group of objects. They continue to get more complicated when a cat starts messing with the objects as the game continues. The fact that there are multiple solutions to many of the puzzles means that A Little to the Left has a lot of replay value.
“The debut game from Max Inferno is a wonderfully clever puzzle game that’s all about the stress of trying to create order out of chaos (especially when a cat is involved),” Colantonio wrote in a four-star review of A Little to the Left. “It turns mundane household organization into a video game objective that’s deeply satisfying and frustrating in the same comedic breath. If your idea of a power fantasy is perfectly organizing a cutlery draw, this is finally a video game made just for you.”
A Little to the Left is a small and simple game, but a joyous experience nonetheless. It’s one of the best puzzle games to release this year and should appeal to cat owners in the same way Stray did. Don’t let this game fly under your radar just because it launched on the same day as God of War Ragnarok. A Little to the Left is available now for PC, Mac, and Nintendo Switch.
Among Us VR
While VR games remain niche, some neat titles are still emerging in the space. Among Us VR is the latest to catch our attention as it adapts the hit social deduction game for virtual reality. It’s Among Us as you know it, but body language plays a much bigger part as you try to deduce who the impostor is. You’d think Among Us was always made with VR in mind after playing it.
“After spending just an hour with it, I can confidently say that Among Us VR is the best version of the game,” Colantonio wrote after playing Among Us VR for the first time. “The physicality it brings is just enough to reinvent the simple game, forcing players to think about their body language as much as their ability to lie. The catch is that you’ll have to find enough friends with VR headsets to enjoy it, which is no easy task.”
By putting a new spin on a tried-and-true gaming hit, Among Us VR has become one of the most memorable VR games in a while. It’s a title VR enthusiasts should check out during this lull ahead of the PlayStation VR2’s release in February 2023. Among Us VR is available now via the Meta Quest Store, the Rift store, and Steam.
Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration
While yet another Atari game collection doesn’t initially sound that appealing, Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration goes above and beyond in documenting the storied game company’s history. It contains over 100 Atari games (including six new ones based on classics) and materials from their development and releases. This is all organized around several Interactive Timelines that players can navigate through and learn Atari’s history from.
“In practice, Atari 50 feels like a museum exhibit-turned-video game,” Franzese wrote about Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration. “It made me feel like I was walking through the Smithsonian’s The Art of Video Games exhibit for the first time, except everything is about Atari’s 50-year history … Anyone who loves gaming history owes it to themselves to check out Atari 50.”
While there were plenty of new games to enjoy in November 2022, this collection of old ones is just as interesting to check out, especially if you have a soft spot for Atari. I hope this isn’t the last we see of this Interactive Timelines approach to video game collections. Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and Atari VCS.
