What a year 2022 has been! We have been hard at work, but also hard at play. Although we haven’t gotten a chance to play every game, listen to every album, or watch every movie and TV show as we would like, we have enjoyed a lot this year.
We polled the employees at Silen, and brought together what we’ve enjoyed and what we would recommend to other people to check out if they haven’t already.
You might know some of our picks, but we bet you haven’t heard of all of them.
We hope everyone gets a chance to unplug during this holiday season.
Let us know what you have enjoyed this year!
Video Games
Elden Ring
Game of the Year!! The winner for Best Game Direction, Most Anticipated Game, Best Role Playing Game and Art Direction for a reason. Probably no other game took up as much time at Silen as Elden Ring. Not to be missed.
Trek to Yomi
A wonderful tribute to Kurasawa movies, with a powerful story and incredible score by Cody Matthew Johnson and Yoko Honda.
God of War: Ragnarok
How did they manage to meet (if not surpass) God of War? A pinacle of modern game design and storytelling. Won 6 Game Awards for: Best Narrative, Best Score and Music, Best Audio Design, Best Action/Adventure, Innovation in Accessibility, Best Performance.
Time on Frog Island
We had a lot of fun playing and interviewing Time on Frog Island, which released this summer. It’s an adorable and engaging puzzle island exploration game with lots of fun surprises!
Metal: Hellsinger
A heart-racing shooter with one of the most inventive real-time music components in any game up until this point. Great music by Two Feathers!
Music
BLK ODYSSY – BLK VINTAGE
Experimental, psychedelic soul. This album feels both modern and timeless.
Fans of classic Outkast and their team might feel right at home.
Joel Ross – The Parable of The Poet
Joel Ross is one of the most exciting artists working in Jazz today. His music is refreshingly understated but with a deep amount of subtle depth to every decision.
Iceberg Black – The Mothership
A whopping 50(!) song odyssey from an underrated rapper/producer.
The Mothership collects many of Black’s mixtapes over the past decade, as well as enough new songs to justify such a deep listen.
Ella Mai – Leave You Alone (Heart on My Sleeve)
This R&B single has beautiful writing and production as Ella sings her heart out. It really set the scene for the entire album release.
Steve Lacy – Bad Habit (Gemini Rights)
A cool, groovy mix between R&B and nostalgic indie pop with catchy and relatable lyrics. This Billboard Hot 100 chart topper never gets tired to the ears.
Rihanna – Lift Me Up (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)
Rihanna’s beautifully sung ballad fits the powerful emotions of the film. Her music has been missed so it’s a delight to hear something new.
TV Shows
Severance (Apple TV)
The first season of this captivating sci-fi psychological thriller with an interesting take on work-life balance had us hooked and guessing until the end!
The Rehearsal (HBO)
Nathan Fielder continues with his brand of reality-bending comedic entertainment. Every episode will drop your jaw and catch you off guard.
1899 (Netflix)
One of the best new period drama, supernatural sci-fi shows of the year! It’s a trippy masterpiece that originated in Germany.
Abbot Elementary (ABC)
The second season release of a comedic angle on the U.S. education system. We love all of the character stories and uplifting messages.
Peacemaker (HBO)
Suicide Squad writer, James Gunn, presents a hilarious and super silly superhero show that brightens your day.
Movies
Black Adam
So many stunning VFX, sound, and animation moments. The story keeps you invested with awesome action scenes and funny conversations.
Belle
A colorful, futuristic virtual variation of Beaty and the Beast with touching and relevant storytelling. The music hypnotizes you with beautiful melodies and soul.
Everything Everywhere All at Once
An insanely creative, engaging, and dynamic adventure/sci-fi plot that moves you through all kinds of emotions. There are just so many flawlessly executed layers.
Nope
A crazy suspenseful and metaphoric horror/sci-fi with a compelling concept and interesting visuals. The story interweaves and comes together to an exciting build.
