(Pocket-lint) – The EE Pocket-lint Awards Shortlist has been revealed, celebrating the nominations across 20 categories from smartphones and tablets to games and fitness trackers. The devices and products nominated have been reviewed by us in full over the last 12 months and there are some excellent contenders.
The Best Game category in the EE Pocket-lint Awards features nominees from the best games available on console, PC, or mobile.
The shortlist nominations for Best Game 2022 are:
You can click on each of the titles above to read our full reviews on each nomination, which will give you an idea as to why they have been nominated.
Below, though, you’ll find some short verdicts that summarise why each game has made it onto our shortlist.
Bayonetta 3
PlatinumGames is the master of character action titles right now in the eyes of many, and Bayonetta 3 shows that it still has that mastery completely nailed down. This is an outrageously extroverted title that has oodles of gameplay to uncover, much of which will have to wait for your second go through it.
The story is bonkers (and a little disappointing), but that was never exactly our focus. Instead, it’s the peerless combat system that sees Bayonetta 3 cruise into our shortlist – fighting demons never felt smoother or more intricate.
Elden Ring
Sometimes you play a game and know that it’ll impact on design choices in the industry for years – Elden Ring is that sort of title. In bringing the Dark Souls template to an open world, FromSoftware has created one of the most astonishing exploratory experiences of all time.
The Lands Between are unforgiving and jaw-dropping in their visual design, but the crucial addition of side activities means that navigating the open world is only as difficult as you make it for yourself – there’s always something else to go see. Elden Ring is a towerinch achievement.
Forza Horizon 5
Playground Games is simply at the top of the racing game – its Forza Horizon series has become the favourite of many casual racer fans, letting you explore gorgeous locales in the world’s most desirable cars. This time it’s beautiful Mexico that we get to zoom around.
The racing itself is so expertly tuned – fun and demanding where it matters, but loose and arcadey enough that you can have a great time without tearing your hear out about braking distances the whole time. Plus, this is a game that’ll have you slowing down to look at the amazing scenery all the time.
God of War: Ragnarök
How do you follow the wonder that is 2018’s God of War? Why, with a game that matches it stride for stride in terms of ambition and storytelling. Kratos and Atreus continue their quest, seeking to subvert destiny but running into constant opposition from the Norse pantheon.
The polish and story is as good as ever, but the combat is more fluid than before, with everything feeling weighty and satisyfing. This is a seriously impressive marker from Santa Monica Studio that it will be a major studio for the long-run.
Horizon Forbidden West
Another excellent sequel on PlayStation, Forbidden West picks up Aloy’s story and expands it even further with a bigger open world and visuals that will take your breath away more often than you would believe. The interesting post-apocalyptic story is also a mystery worth uncovering.
Aloy has more tools at her disposal than ever before, and the game has a much-expanded traversal system that will see you climbing and hiking up to huge heights, and swimming to see underwater depths. All of this makes for a truly joyous return to Horizon.
Stray
A game from a way smaller team that punches far above its weight, Stray sees you navigate a strange world of robots and monsters in the pawprints of a stray cat trying to find its way home. It’s gorgeously simple, with lovely puzzle-solving and a nice, lightly-told story.
The game’s visual design is what make it really score highly, with some wonderful locations to explore and real characters to uncover in its robot population, and Stray rightly became a sensation on its release as people fell in love with its feline protagonist.
How the Pocket-lint Awards judging works
The winner for the Best Game category is decided by the Pocket-lint team, along with a panel of expert judges from publications across the industry. Following the scoring process, the Best Game winner for 2022 will be announced at an in-person event on 30 November 2022 in Central London, along with the winners from the other 19 categories.
A Product of the Year winner will also be announced, chosen from the winners of the 20 categories – and a winner of the EE Superfast Award will also be revealed at the event. We will be announcing the results on the Pocket-lint Twitter handle as they unfold on the night so keep an eye out there.
Writing by Britta O’Boyle.
