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ArbitraryWater's Favorite Video Games of 2021 (that came out in 2021)

by arbitrarywater

List isn't final until I write the inevitable write-up, but uh. Here's the thing. This year and new releases? Didn't actually play a ton of them, to be honest. Between going very hard down the "playing and streaming older stuff" and my general indifference to a lot of 2021's supposed heavy hitters, I think 2022 is gonna hit a lot harder.

Showing 1-10 of 11 items

Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous

1. Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous

It's still pretty fuckin' buggy, it took me literally 120 hours to finish, and has a genuinely terrible army management layer, but hot damn this game is why I love CRPGs. Finally, the stupid escalation and power creep of any given Pathfinder campaign brought to its natural conclusion with a campaign built around the premise of being a literal demigod level power

Hitman 3

2. Hitman 3

The conclusion to Hitman is more hitman, and upon further reflection, quite possibly Best Hitman? Kind of hard to separate it from the other two games, but Hitman 3 with its two predecessors is one of the single best packages in video games

Resident Evil Village

3. Resident Evil Village

The video game that dares ask: what if we made Resident Evil stupid again.

Inscryption

4. Inscryption

Card Fuckery and Fuck Cardery

Halo Infinite

5. Halo Infinite

Recency bias may be in effect here, but even if the campaign runs out of steam before it finishes, this is the most relevant and interesting John Halo Fucks Shit Up has been in a literal decade.

Monster Hunter Rise

6. Monster Hunter Rise

By law there has to be a Monster Hunter game on any given list of mine the year it comes out. That said, I sure didn't play very much MH Rise in the last six months! On the other hand, there's something to be said for feeling satisfied with what I did play. Need I remind you that Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate literally ruined my grades.

Cruelty Squad

7. Cruelty Squad

an actual hell nightmare

Arthurian Legends

8. Arthurian Legends

This year's "Game I'm into that you've never heard of" Just a deeply, deeply stupid throwback FPS that I also kinda love

Chivalry II

9. Chivalry II

Dedicated yelling button.

Necromunda: Hired Gun

10. Necromunda: Hired Gun

Eurojank Doom 2016

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