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The Best Video Games of 2021
My history with gaming is one of ebbs and flows. Some years pass when I touch nary a joystick. 2021 was not one of those years. Since I gamed more than I have in a long time, enjoy a type of post I’ve not deigned to make before: the year-end list.
First up, an honorable mention.
Returnal
Only played Returnal for a couple hours. It gets a mention because it looks purdy and is pretty neat gameplay-wise. If difficult third-person shooters are your thing (and you’re somehow not aware of this already), then I figure you’ll appreciate the heads up. Plus Sony PlayStation 5 owners could use anything to pad out their game libraries. As for me, I much prefer the only other roguelike I played, Hades, but that was released last year.
Now onto the actual best games.
Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny
The newest installment of Nippon Ichi Software’s long-running Disgaea series was subject to fan backlash before release, mostly because it abandoned the series sprite-based graphics for 3D models and it’s a Nintendo Switch exclusive in North America. If you don’t sleep with a Flonne body pillow, you probably won’t get incensed about such matters and can enjoy Disgaea 6 for being another impossibly dense strategy role-playing game starring a cast of irrepressibly quirky characters. The humor, as usual, isn’t actually funny, but in a genre whose stories are typified by an unjustified sense of import, the dopey approach is a gust of fresh air. There’s just enough heart to keep you invested. I want to know what will happen to our zombie protagonist, Zed.
Some reviews have complained that the game is dumbed down. That might be true compared to previous entries in the series — Disgaeas 4 and 5 are sitting in a drawer waiting for me to have 500 hours to spare — but it is laughable to claim the game lacks complexity. Compared to the entry I have completed, Disgaea 1 Complete, this is far more dense in its mechanics, containing a million systems and subsystems with windows and windows of menus, though if you just want to experience the main storyline, you need not concern yourself with most of these. I’ve only delved into Disgaea 6 for about 45 hours because I’ve been otherwise occupied for what will soon be apparent reasons. Looking forward to getting back to it someday and concluding the quest of Zed and Cerberus, his talking zombie pug. Oh yeah, the game has a talking zombie pug. Probably should’ve started with that fact and left it at that.
The cover art was drawn by comic artist Darick Robertson.
No More Heroes III
It took 11 years since No More Heroes 2 to get the third entry in Suda51’s outrageous hack ’n’ slash series. In the first title, one character had a line mentioning uber-prolific director (111 credits according to IMDb) Takashi Miike; in the second game, Miike had a (silent) cameo; and this time around, each chapter ends with a cut scene of protagonist Travis Touchdown and a buddy discussing various films in Miike’s oeuvre. This is appropriate because the game channels Miike’s most gonzo films. It’s gruesome in its violence, vulgar in its humor, and uninterested in following conventions or appealing to a broad audience.
Suda51 is a guy with a lot of ideas. He never lets one go to waste. The heart of NMHIII is fast, twitchy combat, but the player first takes control in a sequence aping an old 8-bit beat ’em up. At other points, you control a giant mech in a 3D space shooter, explore an abandoned school in the style of a first-person survival horror game, and fight bosses in a rhythm game, a turn-based RPG, and a 2D fighter. To earn money, you can play a bevy of minigames including picking up trash, mowing lawns, unclogging portable toilets, and shooting skyscraper-sized alligators. These aren’t as addictive as those found in NMH2, but they are far better than the games that dragged down the first NMH.
This is taken from a cut scene animated by AC-bu. The shot does not convey how weird the scene is.
Combat has been improved, with more abilities at players’ disposal and a variety of enemies, each requiring novel approaches to defeat. The only real criticism I have is that eventually you discover sushi — items that can improve your stats and heal you midbattle — can be abused, trivializing most of the game. I’d recommend playing on “Spicy” difficulty, which limits how much sushi you can use. The game is nice and short, beatable in a few sittings. Some nerds complain about its performance, but that’s like listening to a Poison Idea demo and complaining about the production. Speaking of music, the soundtrack of NMHIII is godly. Seriously, I’d wander around Naomi’s Lab just to bop to that crazy tune. When riding around Perfect World, I didn’t want to get off my motorcycle and no longer hear a track that’s somehow both bangin’ and ethereal. Even the stupid rap song that plays when you buy sushi fills me with joy.
Metroid Dread
Even though Super Metroid is the greatest game ever made (and coincidentally my favorite), I’m more into the series’ first-person entries. When Metroid Dread was announced last June, I was excited but mainly viewed it as something to hold me over until the eventual release of Metroid Prime 4. Once I got my hands on it, I beat it within a day. Then another five times. That won’t be my last trek to planet ZDR. Though the Metroidvania genre has been the hot thing in indie games for some years, and the Metroid series is credited as the genre’s progenitor, most of the games released these days take their cues from the “vania” half of the portmanteau. Metroid Dread doesn’t follow that trend, instead sticking to the style established by the series it continues. It’s a compact experience, and progressing across the map efficiently is a puzzle in itself. There are rewards for beating the game within a time limit, a Metroid tradition predating the very idea of speedrunning.
Spanish developer MercurySteam Entertainment took to heart the criticisms of its last crack at the series, Metroid: Samus Returns (a remake of the Nintendo Game Boy title Metroid II: Return of Samus). Controlling heroine Samus Aran feels better than ever. Never has her movement been more fluid and snappy. Combat too reaches unseen heights, with several bosses rivalling previous series highlights like Quadraxis, Diggernaut, and Mother Brain. They’re also hard. This is the most challenging a Metroid game has been since Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. I don’t play cinematic AAA games so haven’t been soured on QTEs (quick time events), and I enjoyed the action movie flair they brought to these battles.
The game works around the technical deficiencies of the Switch, opting for a sleek graphical style and excelling in those areas that are not dependent on computing power: art direction, lighting, and animation. That last one is especially notable. In particular, I like the movement of the E.M.M.I. (extraplanetary multiform mobile identifier) robots. They pursue Samus with an agility that is at once feline and distinctly mechanical. Every room is filled with background details so intriguing they’re a threat to your run time. Unlike a previous entry in the series that will go unnamed, the plot takes a backseat to the gameplay. What plot is here expands on the existing Metroid storyline in satisfying ways without resorting to nostalgia bait.
The most common complaint has been about the soundtrack. I don’t get it. The music is wonderful. Its only misstep is having to live up to some of the greatest original soundtracks in gaming. These tunes aren’t as hummable as in past titles, but they’re meant to be atmospheric and foreboding, and in that regard they succeed. My one gripe is that some of the puzzles require too much precision. MercurySteam operates under the assumption that every human has magic that slows down time so it can make a dozen frame-perfect inputs within a matter of seconds. Those puzzles are all optional, so no biggie.
I expected to like Metroid Dread, really like it. I loved it. I’ll say it: This is a better game than Hollow Knight. Samus Aran has returned to reclaim her throne. Game of the year.
* * * * * * * *
That’s it. Many of you probably read this with the confusion a Dragon Ball Z fan would have reading an article about showering. The rest of you will be perplexed that this Best Games of the Year list consists of three titles. I didn’t lie when I said I’d gamed far more in 2021 than in previous years. I played every title in FromSoftware’s Dark Souls series multiple times, finally got around to playing Hollow Knight and Shovel Knight, played but have yet to finish Doom Eternal, Blasphemous, Hades, and Phantom Brave. I did not, however, play many games released in 2021. The only one not mentioned above was Resident Evil Village. An hour of that solidified that I don’t want to bother playing Resident Evil games.
This post exists because I’ve wanted to talk about these games but didn’t feel motivated to write individual posts for each. In case anyone else follows the parody gaming news site Hard Drive, I’m already aware it joked about this exact type of article:
Gamer Who Played Three New Games This Year Releases Top Ten Listhttps://t.co/E3uNNeMln0
— Hard Drive (@HardDriveMag) December 24, 2021
As for why I posted this in 2022: Just to be safe, I wanted to let last year finish. You know, in case something came along at the 11th hour and changed my whole listing. Imagine the catastrophe that would be, and be thankful you’ve been spared such a fate.
Published in Entertainment
Death’s Door. You heathen!
Edit: and Inscryption.
Heard of it, but not even sure what type of game it is or what platform it’s on. Can you give a rundown?
It’s a Zelda-like. It has amazing music and visuals! I bought it on Steam, I don’t know where else is available.
I guess it’s indie? I suspect you and I just like very different game styles.
I’m always disappointed when Robotron 2084 does not make the list. Annually.
I got a Zelda Game & Watch for Christmas, so I might actually like that. I’ll look into it, but as you can imagine, my plate is already overflowing with games to play.
Speaking of Zelda, I think the series is as responsible for the metroidvania genre as either of the games that make up the word. Zelda was just top down instead of a sidescroller.
It is to my eternal shame that I did not include Robotron 2084. Time for seppuku.
What is Robotron 2084?
Just watched some gameplay on Returnal. I would have to Returnal that game, because there’s no way I can keep up with it.
That’s gotta be Brienne of Tarth.
It’s something old men used to shove quarters into at a frantic pace circa 1987, at a record store by the University of Arizona campus.
Basically, a frantic scramble of shooting. I actually have this on the Xbox, with a bunch of other arcade classics. Cracks me up to play it. Fun but frustrating.
I’m not great with dual analog aiming so I feel you.
That’s what I said. I’m always saying “that’s gotta be Brienne of Tarth.” Like every minute I say that.
All my games are old. The newest thing I’m playing is oxygen not included.
So my list can’t match yours :p
I vote for Hades. It is strategically rich, a little random, and endlessly fun. Also, it has a great and does things with the plot progression that only a videogame can do. It gets pretty much everything exactly right while still feeling like a fresh new thing. Videogames are still a new art form so that’s very rare.
It’s funny in real life, I’m considered behind the times. I barely keep up with the hot, new games.
I’ve never heard of Oxygen Not Included so not a great reference point for me. I do wonder what it’s not included with.
I think it came out in 2019? Definitely before COVID insanity. Maybe November of 2019. I’m also playing Morrowind, Stardew Valley, and Sims 4.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Hades. When I saw it on 2020’s Year End lists, it looked like nothing I’d care for. I’m not too good (only made it to the boss in the second stage), but I’ve only played it a few hours. The character design and graphics in general are top notch. The combat is fun, and the character progression clever, though I suspect roguelike purists don’t like that aspect. If it released 2021, it would’ve made the list.
I remember you recommended me a strategy RPG in the PIT, but can’t recall what it was, just that you described it as Hobbesian. Ring any bells or did I imagine that?
You took both ‘really obscure’ and ‘ancient’.
I could post pong screenshots, but my heart wouldn’t be in it.
Morrowind, that’s old school. Don’t the hardcore fans prefer that one to Skyrim? I don’t know much about those games. Elden Ring is going to be my intro into the world of open world games, and probably will be the last unless Fromsoft continues making them. (Okay, I did play Runescape a bit at a friends house in middle school. Who didn’t?)
I wrote off Stardew Valley instantly, but discovered it’s loved by a lot of gamers, including ones I wouldn’t suspect would like such things. The creators next game, Haunted Chocolatier, looks intriguing. I’m not going to play it, but looks like I dismissed these games unjustly.
I think I’ve only played one game released in 2021 this year: Diablo II Resurrected. Which is literally a reskin of a twenty year old game. I used to care a great deal about shiny new games.
Sucks to get old.
I’m playing morrowind for story sake. It’s the first game I ever played and I didn’t really play oblivion at all. Morrowind’s leveling system is torturous and Oblivion was so different, I gave up quickly. I love Skyrim and have sunk many hours into it on PC and console.
Stardew Valley is interesting in its popularity. I’m not sure what it is that distinguishes it from other farming games, other than the subtle heaviness in human drama it brings to the townspeople. The townsfolk aren’t as bright and shallow as some iterations of the genre tend to make them.
Morrowind was broken in so many interesting ways. I think my favorite is that how high you jump is based off your acrobatics skill and your encumbrance. So if you max your acrobatics (by training yourself to obsessively hit the space bar and jump for no reason at all times), then you can stash everything in your inventory and streak across town jumping two stories at a time like you’re freaking Mario or something.
I played Diablo I at a relative’s house when I was like ten. That butcher boss who lived in the room with all the impaled bodies really spoke to me. I had a friend who was confounded when I told him I chose the (I think) hunter class because that made my character female. Ah, memories. If they released an update of that game, I’d play it.
Oblivion. I forgot there was another entry in that series. You say you play for story’s sake. Is that the primary appeal of the Elder Scrolls games? Is there a primary appeal?
The only other farming game I know by name is Harvest Moon, so I wouldn’t have any idea. From the conversations I hear about Stardew Valley, it sounds like dating is a big–actually seems like the primary–part of the experience. Again, shot in the dark. The closest I’ve got to dating in a video game is there’s a quest line in Dark Souls III where you marry someone, but they’re dead by the time you perform the ceremony. You don’t have to go through the hassle of courting them, but progressing the quest does require completing a checklist of tasks while taking care not to complete other tasks that would fail the mission, so it’s almost as bad.
Back to Stardew Valley, it’s pixel art is pretty and quaint. That might help with establishing a feeling of living through simpler times in a warm, cozy universe.
The primary appeal for me is the sense of adventure. Which is very strong. Which is why, 20 years later, I’m playing III for a story I never finished. The story is good, but the adventure is better. The exploring of an untouched and dangerous world holds an attraction to me. I love the Assassin’s Creed series for similar reasons (also, a better story… I cried when Blackbeard died in Black Flag).
Then it does sound like the townspeople stories are the draw. The higher your relationship, the more you learn about the characters, including the dating, engagement, and post marriage discoveries. Which means, people would replay it just to learn more about other characters.
Happily ever after in Stardew Valley isn’t a guarantee.
I feel ya. Games are possibly the best medium for presenting adventure. They can provide all those side quests and random exploring that would probably bog down a movie or a book with a similar story.
For me, a big draw of games, especially RPGs, is building characters. You start with some runt swinging a stick and by the end they’re a seasoned warrior.
Speaking of video game stories, I just happened upon this tweet:
That has to be a speedrun strat, right?
Years ago I read a famous article about the players who play MUDs. The author argued there were four types of players, or rather four sets of motivation for why people play MMOs. He linked them to the four suits of cards for mnemonic purposes.
I’m not saying that these are the only psychographics out there, or that they map very well into single player games, but basically every Bethesda game tilts super hard towards the explorer category.
Not at all. Increasing your skills in the game comes through usage, which means you’re taking longer than your entire speed run to upgrade acrobatics.
I haven’t spent any time at all reading up on Morrowind Speedruns, but I think the technique works like this.
Like I said, Morrowind is broken in so many interesting ways. I like the jumping thing because it’s silly and fun, not because it’s even remotely the strongest exploit in the game.
Big FO3 Nerd here. Concur.
Sounds like this comment could be expanded to a post in itself.
Like many such models I suspect this is drastically too simplistic and largely accurate.
I propose a separate grouping for fighting games: