Who knew that 2021 would be an even weirder year than 2020? In case you are coming across this for the first time ( & I imagine most of you are) I do a yearly Top 7( & 1) post about my favorite videogames of the year. Normally I do 7 to challenge myself to narrow it down from 10 ( because everyone does a Top 10) but this year I found it extremely hard to even get 7. The reason being is two fold, other things in life have taken the priority and the majority of the games I spent most of my time with this year ( one in particular) didnāt come out in 2021. If you're interested in seeing my last few years you can check them out here 2020,Ā 2019, 2018, & 2017
Alright, Lets get the party rollinā or something.
Favorite Game that Didnāt Come out in 2021: Hunt: Showdown (PC)
Couple of admissions here. Iām not a big multiplayer guy anymore, but when I do play, I especially donāt like Battle Royale type of multiplayer. Add in the permadeath aspect and Hunt: Showdown is something I should not even remotely enjoy. Somehow, I became a little bit obsessed with Hunt through the year, especially duringĀ āeventsā. I took a $20 gamble back in March of last year. I was looking for something to play with a friend that wasnāt just a standard multiplayer game. Not to use the clichĆ©Ā āThere is nothing like itā but there seriously isn't anything like it on the market. Hunt is a PVPVE team based bounty hunter experience based in around 1895. Teams of 2 or 3 set up to hunt 1 or 2 monsters on map, but there are also other teams setting out to do the same. There are various types of regular monsters to fight outside of Hunters and Bounty monsters, and they can often give your position away or even be used as bait or even worse, a pain in the ass during a gun fight. If you are able to snag a bounty (or two) AND survive, you will level up your Hunter with special traits. If you die, you must start over with a new Hunter, so its certainly an added stake. The game has the most impeccable sound design. I canāt imagine playing this game without headphones. The sounds are so important in determining if a team of Hunters are near by. whether it be a flock of crows to a twig snapping in the woods to the sounds of gun fire in the distance, the more you play, the more you become adept at deciphering where other teams are. Stealth and patience are VERY important in this game. If you are keen on those, stay far away. Even after 260 hours (my god) every gun fight is heart racing and intense. Hunt does have a fairly steep learning curve and its not easy, so that may be a deterrent for some. It isnāt perfect. It still has some of the things that plague all multiplayer games but the good far out weighs the bad. I grew up on Counter Strike, Unreal Tournament and Halo multiplayer, butĀ Hunt: Showdown is some of the most funĀ Iāve EVER had in a multiplayer game. Its exhilarating and nerve racking at the same time. No better time to jump in than now!
Number 7: Ratchet & Clank: A Rift Apart (PS5)
I will be the first to admit that I'm not the biggest Ratchet & Clank fan, having only finished maybe 3 of the games in the series. I enjoyed the PS4 remake of the first well enough and was excited about the power of the SSD and going through the portals seamlessly with all the bells and whistles we were shown in previews. Felt a little cheated that it wasnāt as spectacular as it was advertised. It felt like a very pretty PS3 game. I donāt mean it as a knock but the gameplay hasnāt really evolved much since the PS2 games, not even saying it needs to, but it didnāt FEEL like a PS5 game like another game on this list. The story was fine for someone who isnāt really invested in that universe. I enjoyed my time with it and I think its certainly one of the better games of the year.
Look Far Cry is Far Cry. Itās junk food but in gaming form. Its nothing revolutionary, but there is something about it that I enjoy, sometimes even love. I do often get burnt out on big open world games and I typically limit myself to which Ubisoft titles I'm going to play. Far Cry is the one I typically go with because I know exactly what I'm getting out of the box. The gameplay is fun and simple to pick up. Each iteration often implementing something new to try and keep it fresh. There are things I didnāt love about FC6. Most notably the dependence on various ammo types despite NOT being able to switch them on the fly ( only at work benches) There were a few firefights I got in where i had the wrong ammo and it caused some frustration. There is quite a lot of stuff packed into Far Cry 6, some fluff, some interesting. The story is like most, its there to push the gameplay and its nothing special but it serves its purpose. While I do appreciate a big world to explore, I did find myself a little overwhelmed with how big it was and it, at times, felt too big.Ā
Number 5:Ā InscryptionĀ (PC)
Inscryption is one of those games that sortāve comes out of nowhere and completely surprises you. Admittingly, I like a lot of Devolver Digital games because they are very weird and different and Inscryption is no different. Its a card game at its core, but its not JUST a card game. Its also a mystery filled with puzzles while also being a rogue-like. The majority of the game takes place in a cabin where you are being forced to play a relatively simple, but ever evolving card game ( think PokĆ©mon meetsĀ YuGiOhĀ but with a twist). Again, the card game is just the basis, but its not the full meal. You must solve puzzles, that may not even seem like puzzles, in order to find tricks and hidden cards to help sway your way in battles and ultimately escape. The story is told via narration in a quasi-table top game with bosses. Its being narrated by the creepy āmanā above all while you're being held essentially hostage. If you fail to beat him and your candles burn out ( your life bar), he essentially murders you and puts yourĀ āspiritā in cards for you to use in the following runs. Iām just scratching the surface here as I donāt want to spoil everything, but its certainly worth your time.
Number 4:Ā Kena: Bridge of Spirits (PS5)
Kena is a deception. On its surface its a charming action adventure game set in a beautiful and colorful world. Very basic and simple gameplay. Combat is fine and isn't complex as the game itself with its various battles and puzzles are very easy, mostly. The Rot ( the little black fuzzy creatures) are cute and serve as a sortāve Pikmin style gameplay addition for solving basic puzzles like moving a boulder and such, except not really. They arenāt as intricate as initially believed, but its not a detriment to the overall experience. Kena actually mightāve been my number 3 game had it not been for the frustratingly and honestly, unfair boss difficulty. The game is very easy, but when you fight the bosses, the game difficulty spike is astronomical. The design of the game doesn't prepare you for the absurd boss battles. The bosses aren't overly complex in design as much as the punishing difficulty makes them extremely frustrating. The game certainly suffers from some major balancing issues, but even despite the frustration of the bosses, I had a blast exploring the world and finding all its secrets.Ā
Number 3: Guardians of the Galaxy (PS5)
Man, you wanna talk about an absolute 180. When Guardians was announced it look awfully bland. The fact you could only play as Star-Lord, mixed with coming off the disaster that was theĀ Avengers game and the weird off brand character models, I was certain this would be a disaster. I had zero intentions of even playing it. I was very wrong. Most reviews were pleasantly positive and on a whim I picked it up for $25.Ā The game is full of charm and charisma. It hasĀ surprisingly good story arcs and its sometimes legit funny. If you liked the MCU movies, you would feel right at home with the type of writing. The gameplay works well. The combat isnāt anything to clamor about but it works well in small doses, which the game paces the encounters very well. It has a super 80s soundtrack. Its not without its fair share of technical issues. It couldāve used more polish but man I had a blast with it. Its a surprisingly long game but never overstayed it welcome, which is rare these days. Makes you wonder how that reveal was so bad..
Number 2: Deathloop (PS5)
I am notoriously a huge fan of Arkane Studios. I loved the Dishonored series and I adore Prey immensely. Deathloop, like Prey and even to some extent Dishonored takes some time to really get into it. I think Deathloop did a better job than Prey did in terms of getting the player acclimated and pushed in the right direction, but it still took me awhile to REALLY get into it. Once, I did though, I was in until the very end. The easiest way to describe for me is take Dishonored gamplay, smooth it up, throw in the Prey exploration ofĀ ādoing what you want in whatever order you want (kinda) and make it a rogue-like and āboomā, you have it. Obviously, that is a very over-simplification of it and the game is much more nuanced than that. The art style is great and a bit of a departure of the patented Arkane look. Gameplay is smooth and the game actually rewards you with replaying sections in different ways and during different times of the day. I think limiting the game to 4 sections of Blackreef was actually a great choice, especially due to the nature of how the game is structured. as there is a pretty big narrative and the game lets you experience it at your pace. By the end of the game though, you pretty much know all 4 areas like the back of your hand and that's a huge advantaged to you, the player. The main goal is to assassinate all targets in one loop, but getting to that point requires lots of replaying. You retain all knowledge in game, so youāre never starting over like other games within the genre.Ā
Let me just tell you. Its very rare that a game, from the start to finish, hooks me completely. Returnal being a bullet-hell roguelite, and one that's often punishing, is a recipe for disaster for me. However, like Hunt, the gameplay absolutely enthralled me to no end. Its twitchy and crunchy and smooth as silk. The game absolutely takes advantage of the haptic feedback triggers as well as the damn near instant and flawless load times between worlds. The weapons all feel different. You may fall into the trap of loving a particular gun, but I assure it has a weakness to counter its strength. Even the map is amazing! Even now, 8 months later, I STILL think about firing it up and going for a run. The narrative being as ambiguous and weird as it is, pushes you to keep going. Atropos is a super fun āplanetā to explore. Selene becomes this character that you are absolutely rooting for by the end of the game. The bosses (only one withstanding) are very similar in nature to what you would expect from a bullet hell, but varied enough to keep you on your toes. Speaking of, the game is not for the faint of heart and is NOT a game to play causally. It requires your undivided attention at all times. There are few moments of rest. There were a few hiccups at launch that have seemingly been fixed, but I never found them to be an issue once you understood the flow of the game. Not being able to exit and save was a weird choice, but once shortcuts were unlocked, it became a non-issue to me. Its the first game, out of everything I've played, that actually felt like a PS5 title. I canāt quite nail down why that it, but both Ratchet and Clank & Deathloop, felt like PS4 games on a PS5. I put over 75 hours into Returnal within the first 2 weeks of release. It was honestly a bit concerning because I absolutely could not stop playing it. When I wasnāt playing it, I was thinking about my next run and what I would do differently. I cannot recommend this game enough.
*Disclaimer, Iāve done this over the course of a week on both a phone and a computer, so forgive any spelling mistakesĀ
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