Something went wrong. Try again later

redhorsespirit

This user has not updated recently.

23 0 1 3
Forum Posts Wiki Points Following Followers

Game of the Year 2021

A few notes and traditional "category awards" before I get to a top 10.

I've played not enough of some of this year's games I'm wholly interested in to include them in consideration at this point. Those being: Halo Infinite (I've played some multiplayer and a little of the campaign but not nearly enough), Forza Horizon 5, Wildermyth, Life is Strange True Colors, Resident Evil Village, Solar Ash, Sable, Kena Bridge of Spirits, and a few more and will edit my list as I play more from 2021.

A few category awards I want to shout out:

Best Character: Drax (Guardians of the Galaxy). Eidos' Drax is maybe one of the most layered and hilarious characters in a game ever.

Best Looking: Ratchet and Clank A Rift Apart.

Best non-2021 game I played this year: Monster Train. I've played so much Monster Train and my time with it has no end in sight as it has so much replayability with its different classes, combinations, and slowly escalating difficulty. I feel like Slay the Spire steals the show for rogue lite deck builders, but I think Monster Train might be my favorite of the bunch. Runner up (literally): Ghost Runner.

Best Story: Guardians of the Galaxy. Simply some of the best writing in any video game ever. This was better than the Guardians movies in my opinion.

Best Music: Unpacking. I'm not sure I'm as hot on Unpacking as a lot of folks. I like it but can really only play 1 or 2 levels at a time before needing to take an extended break from it. However, the soundtrack is so perfectly fitting for what this game is. It's calming with the perfect mix of nostalgia, melancholy, and joy.

Best Sound: Returnal. Absolutely everything is dripping with crispy details.

List items

  • Returnal is the perfect mastery curve. It is blisteringly difficult upon onset. So much so that I firmly believe its first boss is the hardest in the game and is an appropriate "skill check" for your understanding and execution of the game's mechanics. Like all rogue-lites, you do become stronger as you die more and more; however, Returnal is a slow drip allowing you to hone your skills as opposed to becoming overpowered. By the time I bested the final boss, I felt like I had a complete understanding of how to beat the game consistently and this proved to be true. Returnal's combination of knowledge, skill, and progression is very fulfilling and it is also one of the year's best looking and sounding games. The story, while being a little convoluted, is dark and fascinating and is more than enough of a backdrop to propel you back into its fantastically crafted world time after time.

  • I've liked all of the Hitman games and yet I was a little hesitant on Hitman 3 because I just thought they couldn't do anything new with it. Well...I was wrong. Hitman 3 serves up some of the series' best maps, challenges, and characters. One thing I did different this time around is I went for the platinum trophy in my Playstation copy of the game which asks you to complete all mastery levels on each map. This is the way to play Hitman. Anything less now feels like a cheapened experience no matter how much I loved 1 and 2 without going for full mastery.

  • I played a few metroidvanias this year but the queen of genre Samus shows once again who's boss. Dread has the Metroid series' best gameplay by a mile and while story and characters aren't the focus of any Metroid game, Dread does both of these surprisingly well. I don't really have a lot to say about Metroid Dread if I'm honest. It rules.

  • There is a lot of buzz about Inscryption as the absolute best game of 2021. I see it. It's fantastic, but what stops me from going higher than 4 is that I can't get over how much more I enjoyed act 1 compared to acts 2 or 3. That said, it's tough not to love Inscryption despite my thinking it's a little uneven. It's got cards (great cards), it's genre bending, it's dripping with atmosphere, it's got FMV for Christ's sake. There is a full blown mystery and meta game on top of it all, but none of it would have worked so well had the base card game not been as good as it is.

  • So, I've seen a fair amount of post-hype distaste for Deathloop and while I think I understand the criticisms of its "loop mechanic" (since it really isn't there), I don't think it makes the game any less fun. Deathloop doesn't ask you to solve any puzzles a la Outer Wilds...but I didn't really want to either if I'm being real with myself. Reframing Deathloop as a level based shooter with rogue-lite and time loop mechanics helped me understand what I like so much about this game: it serves you up a blockbuster game experience while dipping its toe into some more niche mechanics...but doesn't ask you to all in. Could it have been better had it gone all in? Possibly, yeah. But even as is, despite how easy it is, its lack of depth, and disappointing ending, I had so much fun playing Deathloop.

  • This is the best story in maybe any video game I've ever played. I've thought about this a lot too...maybe the Last of Us comes close? Guardians' story is nuanced, legitimately gut busting funny, endearing, and nostalgic. All of this game's pieces work together so well and it has a near perfect flow to it all. I can't lie and say part of my love for this game is born out of my (and seemingly everyone's) low expectations for it, but I also can't lie while I say I've missed this game from the moment I finished it.

  • Chicory represents so much of what I love about the evolution of game design. I appreciate it when games don't pretend they have to reinvent the wheel every time out and Chicory basically borrows its full base of its game from top down Zelda but in addition to the paintbrush mechanic and its positive message, it just works. Despite how much it borrows, it feels like something completely fresh.

  • I won't really pretend that Rift Apart's gameplay is anything all that different from the Ratchet remake in 2016. It's not. In some ways (not all), it might even be a little worse. BUT. Rift Apart is a marvel to behold in a way that actually made my jaw drop at points. Specifically there is a sequence where you are grinding on some rails away from a gargantuan robot that is one of the most striking things I've ever seen in video games. I think the game is very good, not great, but looking at this game seriously doubled my enjoyment of it. It's a brilliant spectacle.

  • Death's Door is just a blast to play. The combat is nicely responsive, the puzzles are well balanced, the upgrades are very worthwhile, and the bosses are spot on. The story and characters are for the most part very touching but the focus for me was the buttery smooth gameplay.

  • Olija is a total badass of a tiny game. It clocks in at a brisk 4-5 hours and is ultra minimalistic in its pixel art design, but it is seriously dripping with style and mood. Its story is simple but at times horrifying, sad, and triumphant. Its core combat mechanics are a little difficult to get used to, but are ultimately satisfying. I don't think I finished a single boss fight without audibly affirming how cool I thought it was. This game even does some cool tricks blending gameplay and cinematics, and for how minimal its pixel art is, that is a very novel concept. Olija is a rad game and I don't think it's gotten its due.
Load Comments