PlayStation Exclusive Wins First 2022 GOTY Award

By Tyler Fischer

The first Game of the Year award has been given out for 2022, and it's been awarded to a PlayStation exclusive only available on PS4 and PS5, at least right now. So far, 2022 has been far from the greatest year in terms of video game releases. In fact, if you remove a few games from the equation it's been a very disappointing year. There's a variety of reasons for this that are neither here nor there. What's more relevant is that come the end of the year, come The Game Awards, Elden Ring will win unless God of War Raganrok can replicate the success and critical acclaim of the first game. That's how little the competition is at the top. That said, the latter isn't out and the former actually didn't win the first 2022 GOTY award; Horizon Forbidden West has.

Released by Guerrilla Games on February 18, 2022 as a sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn, the game garnered an 83 and 88 on Metacritic, with the PS4 version earning the former and the PS5 earning the higher score. As you may know, the game's predecessor managed to do a bit better critically, and it seems unlikely the sequel is going to match it commercially either. That doesn't make the game a disappointment though. Far from it. In fact, it's officially The Develop: Star Awards 2022 Best Game.

Of course, taking some of the wind out of the sails here is the fact that 2022 is only halfway over. If these rewards happened in December, maybe it wouldn't win. Not only did it win Best Game though, but Best Narrative, Best Audio, and Best Game Design as well. It's also worth noting that these awards are European-centric.

"Horizon Forbidden West, by most counts, is another strong release for Guerrilla Games and PlayStation," reads the opening of our review of the game. "This is very much a sequel that just looks to go bigger and better than its predecessor, and in that regard, it very much achieves what it sets out to accomplish. Although I wanted more from the story and the game's general structure is very much the same when compared to Zero Dawn, fans who loved the last title should still love the adventure that this follow-up takes you on."

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