Two iconic franchises throw down in today’s second-round Game of the Year heat, as Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga takes on TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge — another pair of Game Pass heavy-hitters!
The TrueAchievements Game of the Year bracket returns for 2022, with 32 more challengers competing for your votes throughout December. Yes, we also expect to see Elden Ring do quite well here, but last year saw a few upsets on the way to the finals, so there are bound to be some more exciting clashes along the way! Following feedback from last year’s bracket, we’ve made a few changes for the 2022 edition. While the top games were still picked using TA user ratings, we’ve opted for more traditional seeding this time around, at least for the first 28 of the 32 games in contention — the final four slots in the last two rounds were reserved for a few of December’s releases so folks had a chance to play them before voting, with replacements eagerly waiting in the wings should any of the December releases turn out to not be deserving of a place on this list. Sure enough, some did change — both The Callisto Protocol and Need for Speed Unbound failed to hit the great user scores of some of the reserve games, meaning Infernax and MLB The Show 22 got to step in as the next highest seeds by TA user score.
In addition, we’ve made the decision to disqualify remakes and remasters from the running this year based on feedback on many of the rounds last year. We’ve also left out anything that launched into beta or early access (sorry, MultiVersus) and anything that arrived late on Xbox in 2022 having released in a previous year on other platforms, although games that hit full 1.0 release this year are considered to be 2022 releases so a few such games have found their way onto the shortlist. As a result, this year’s bracket runs a varied spread of triple-A heavy hitters, indie darlings, some of the best games on Game Pass, and everything between, so be sure to root for your favourites! Scroll down to see the full bracket for the opening round and for the poll itself, and let us know in the comments why you’ve backed your chosen game. And don’t worry… there will still be a more traditional all-in-one vote later in the month — this format just happened to be a lot of fun last year, so we’re glad to be running it again as an alternative, and it’ll be interesting to compare results at the end of it all. May the best game win!
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
● Explore the Trilogies in Any Order – Players will relive the epic story of all nine films in the Skywalker Saga, and it all starts with picking the trilogy of their choice to begin the journey.
● Play as Iconic Heroes and Villains –More than 300 playable characters from throughout the galaxy.
● Discover Legendary Locales – Players can visit well known locales from their favorite Skywalker saga films .They can unlock and have the freedom to seamlessly travel to 23 planets as they play through the saga or explore and discover exciting quests.
● Command Powerful Vehicles – More than 100 vehicles from across the galaxy to command. Join dogfights and defeat capital ships like the Super Star Destroyer that can be boarded and explored.
● Immersive Player Experiences – String attacks together to form combo chains and fend off oncoming attacks. New blaster controls and mechanics allow players to aim with precision, or utilize the skills of a Jedi by wielding a lightsaber and using the power of The Force.
● Upgradable Character Abilities – Exploration rewards players as they uncover Kyber Bricks which unlock new features and upgraded abilities across a range of character classes, including Jedi, Hero, Dark Side, Villain, Scavenger, Scoundrel, Bounty Hunter, Astromech Droid, and Protocol Droid.
LEGO® Star Wars™: The Skywalker Saga
Play through all nine Skywalker saga films in a game unlike any other. With over 300 playable characters, over 100 vehicles, and 23 planets to explore, a galaxy far, far away has never been more fun!
*Purchasers of the digital edition receive an exclusive classic Obi-Wan Kenobi playable character.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge features groundbreaking gameplay rooted in timeless classic brawling mechanics, brought to you by the beat ’em up experts at Dotemu (Streets of Rage 4) and Tribute Games. Bash your way through gorgeous pixel art environments and slay tons of hellacious enemies with your favorite Turtle, each with his own skills and moves – making each run unique! Choose a fighter, use radical combos to defeat your opponents and experience intense combats loaded with breathtaking action and outrageous ninja abilities. Stay sharp as you face off against Shredder and his faithful Foot Clan alone, or grab your best buds and play with up to 6 players simultaneously!
TURTLE BOYS DON’T CUT KRANG NO SLACK
With Bebop and Rocksteady assaulting Channel 6 and stealing super gnarly devices to support Krang and Shredder’s latest twisted plan, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge sees the Turtles battling across a righteous range of timeless TMNT locations. From Manhattan and Coney Island, to city rooftops and dank sewers, help the fearsome foursome trounce Foot Soldiers, Triceraton Warriors, and Rock Troops all the way to Dimension X!
TURTLE POWER!!
Enjoy stunning full-color pixel art graphics and a vintage TMNT vibe that will rock you straight back to the awesome 80s. Every character, vehicle, weapon, item, and background is directly inspired by the 1987 TV show, making you feel like you hopped into the television — with a dope mix of killer humor and action-packed adventures!
Cowabunga!
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge reunites Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello and Raphael as they kick shell in a bodacious, beautifully realized side scrolling beat ’em up invoking the Turtles’ legendary 1987 design and paying homage to classic TMNT games like Turtles In Time.
