Patrick O'Rourke's 5 favourite things of 2022

2020 sucked, and and so did 2021.

Now that we have that out of the way, I enjoyed quite a few things this year — contrary to what the MobileSyrup squad and my partner frequently assume.

From the return of my green infinite young man with Halo Infinite and discovering a new genre of Idiot box I never idea I'd be interested in, to finally having the time and infinite to build a garden, 2021 wasn't all bad.

Below are a few things I enjoyed during this hellscape of a year:

Halo Infinite

Halo Infinite Master Chief

Image credit: 343 Industries

I didn't wait Halo Infinite to be proficient.

No really, my expectations for the game were beyond low following the rumours surrounding the title's troubled development bicycle. Thankfully, the somewhat open-world campaign and its accompanying multiplayer way are fantabulous and the best-case scenario for how a modern Halo game should look and play.

A quick triple impale in ranked 🔌. movie.twitter.com/AiCJEfFaXB

— Patrick O'Rourke (@Patrick_ORourke) December 31, 2021

I've sunk roughly 85 hours into the title and then far between Halo Infinite's campaign and multiplayer. In fact, this number is likely even higher given I spent a dozen hours with a press preview build of the game prior to its public release. If you know me and my gaming habits, you'll be aware it'due south extremely rare for me to stick with a game this long let alone play it for three.v days.

💣 pic.twitter.com/1LqLTMNWH8

— Patrick O'Rourke (@Patrick_ORourke) December 28, 2021

Also, I'd like to mention that I'm a 'Diamond 2' in ranked, which while not quite 'Onyx,' is still pretty damn expert for a 33-year-erstwhile with slowing reflexes.

NHL 22/21

Image credit: EA

When I was in my mid-20s, I spent a lot of time playing the NHL video game series with my older brother. Whether information technology was organized leagues where we each controlled an individual actor and tracked states or just playing a quick game of "CHEL" on my ain, the serial was at ane point, a meaning part of how I spent my time.

Over the years I've lost touch with the series, merely the actress time I found on my hands among the pandemic allowed me to leap back into the serial and start playing information technology once more. A lot has changed about the franchise over the years and I find the 'Threes Eliminator' arcade mode more akin to how I remember the series playing in the late 2000s, but generally, information technology's still the same game I enjoyed all those years agone.

It'southward also given me an opportunity to spend fourth dimension with my brother during the pandemic, albeit about.

Yellowstone

Image credit: Paramount Network, Peacock

If you lot told me a few years ago that I'd be eagerly awaiting the release of a neo-western Tv set testify every Sunday, I wouldn't believe you. Yet here I am, watching Yellowstone'south latest season every calendar week.

Though season 4 has gone a little off the rails, bingeing the commencement three seasons of the prove has been a treat because they offer a window into a world I'll never experience and know very picayune about: ranching. Yellowstone stars Kevin Costner equally John Dutton and his several developed children — including Luke Grimes as Kayce Dutton — equally they endeavor to protect their home from land developers. People get shot, cows go wrangled and the Montana scenery is absolutely breathtaking.

It'south a simple premise that takes several unexpected twists and turns throughout its seasons, and if yous're looking for a compelling, bottom-known show to watch in the new year's day, Yellowstone could exist what you're afterwards. Yellowstone streams on Amazon Prime Video in Canada.

Gardening

Patrick's Garden

I've e'er enjoyed gardening.

When I lived in a condo, I had several large planters on my balcony, but now that I live in a modest townhouse with an equally small backyard, I take the space to create the garden of my dreams (sort of). Though I've lived in this firm for over two years at present, my beginning effort at gardening was rather unsuccessful. The soil around my abode is mostly clay and in that location merely isn't enough soil for virtually flowers and vegetables to grow.

Fast forward to this summer and my partner and I congenital several in a higher place-footing gardens and filled them with what felt like countless bags of soil. Finally, for the first fourth dimension in my life, I was able to grow tomatoes, peppers, strawberries and more. Amongst the stress of the ongoing pandemic and my 24-hour interval-to-day job managing MobileSyrup, tending to my starting time truly successful garden offered a much-needed respite.

I'chiliad already working on my garden plan for 2022.

iPhone 13 Pro

iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max

This wouldn't be a list of Patrick'southward favourite things without some sort of an Apple product on it, and similar last twelvemonth, that device is an iPhone. Though I normally opt for the iPhone 13 Pro Max considering I one time preferred its 6.5-inch size, this twelvemonth I made the switch to the 6.one-inch iPhone 13 Pro.

I don't think I can go back to the large boi of a phone.

The iPhone thirteen Pro is but so much lighter and feels more comfortable in my hands — specially when I'm lying in bed and scrolling through TikTok well after I should be asleep. Overall, the upgrade over the iPhone 12 Pro is all-time described as a refinement. The camera is slightly better, particularly under depression-calorie-free, and the display now supports a 120Hz refresh rate, offering butter smooth performance. Beyond this though, the iPhone 13 Pro is largely identical to the iPhone 12 Pro.

Still, just like in 2020, Apple tree's latest flagship smartphone remains my nearly used tech device of the twelvemonth and offers one of the all-time all-effectually smartphone packages out at that place.