So, 2021 comes to a close and it was a slow and difficult year for everybody not just for video games but that is what we are all here for only and that is the games that came out this year. Let us all look back at the best titles that managed to come out and here are the best gaming titles that came in 2021.
Rules:
No Remakes, Expansions or Remasters of old games
Only titles released in Europe count
10: Monster Hunter Rise
Developer: Capcom
Capcom has done well with the Monster Hunter Series so far and their newest entry Monster Hunter Rise expands the formula greatly with a bunch of new features and mechanics. One of those included being able to use an animal companion called a Palamute to ride across the map and into battle and also Wirebugs to mount and ride certain monsters. Combat remains just as entertaining and engaging both on your own and other players online. There is enough in Monster Hunter Rise to keep hunters coming back including upcoming DLC story arcs.
9: Resident Evil Village (VIII)
Developer: Capcom
While it does nothing new or innovative Resident Evil Village takes the First-Person Gameplay of Resident Evil VII, mix in Resident Evil 4 alongside vampires including that 10-foot-tall lady we all know and fall in love over, werewolves and you got yourself a solid game. It brought back the upgrade system from Resident Evil 4 with you having to buy upgrades for all the different guns you get. There are some clever puzzles and some tense boss fights which are both enjoyable to figure out and then it dives into psychological horror territory and it is handled so well. It even continues the plot devices that happened in Resident Evil VII allowing it to set itself up for something bigger. If you liked Resident Evil VII, you'll enjoy Resident Evil Village just as much.
8: It Takes Two
Developer: Hazelight Studios
Hazelight Studios the team that brought us A Way Out brings out another enjoyable CO-OP Only game with It Takes Two. The game has two players having to cooperate with each other to use their character's different abilities such as Cody being able to rewind time, and May being able to replicate herself. The many puzzles in the game are enjoyable to solve and are clever. There are some fun little minigames that two players can also take part in as well.
7: Returnal
Developer: Housemorque
There have been plenty of enjoyable Roguelike games out there but one to show off the PlayStation 5 is Returnal a Third Person Rougelike Shooter game with incredible visuals, deep and challenging gameplay against extraterrestrial entities with growing visions. It's one of those games where if you die, you are back to square of the entire game but you know you want to go back and try again because of the addictive nature of the combat and how enjoyable the game is and the satisfactory result when you manage to make it further and further seeing how you improve is quite the achievement.
6: Hitman 3
Developer: IO Interactive
After Square Enix finally abandoned IO Interactive so that they can be an independent studio, things started to look up especially for the Hitman series. Hitman 3 concludes the storyline plot of Hitman (2016) and it does so with great results. The many stealth missions that you do in the game are well pulled off including so new locations such as Dubai, Berlin and also the Carpathian Mountains plus you can import maps from the previous games into Hitman 3. The new thing added into the game is persistent shortcuts and of the stealth gameplay is really fun and rewarding.
5: Rachet & Clank Rift Apart
Developer: Insomniac Games
Insomniac Games never seizes to amaze us when it comes to their games and the newest entry into the Rachet & Clank series successfully brings fans including new players to the PlayStation 5. It carries the gameplay from the 2016 reboot but with new features such as being able to Tether between different rifts and it features a new playable character Rivet who is voiced well by Jennifer Hale. The gameplay is still just as incredible as the 2016 game and it really makes fantastic use of the PlayStation 5 hardware because the visuals are gorgeous.
4: Shin Megami Tensei V
Developer: Atlus
Atlus as always made delivered some of the finest and high-quality J-RPGs in the industry, of course they are known for the Persona games of the Shin Megami Tensei series of games but they also worked on the mainline entries as well. The latest entry of the Shin Megami Tensei series is a combination of Shin Megami Tensei III and IV being able to recruit demons into your party through negotiation and then also fusing them to create a more powerful demon for battle. The combat relies on it's turn press system where exploiting and enemy's weakness grants you another additional turn and the same can happen to you if they exploit yours and Shin Megami Tensei is no stranger to being very challenging and one step into a new zone will undoubtedly spawn an enemy who kills you in one hit. Hope you save often because you'll die a lot especially if you are not prepared to tackle whatever new challenges await you. That won't stop you from having any enjoyment that you'll have from playing SMTV because the presentation is superb, the music is wonderful and its world lore and characters are fantastic.
3: Deathloop
Developer: Arkane Studios
The ending months of 2021 saw some reasonably decent First Person Shooters but the one that stands out the most this year is Deathloop. You are Colt who is stuck on a time loop and have to take out eight targets that are called Visionaries before midnight overwise the whole day loops. You use a variety of different weapons and also different powers plus also utilizing some stealth and parkour. The number of options of dealing with enemies is creative and the way you can figure out how to effectively take down all of the Visionaries in one day becomes satisfying when you figure it all out. You also have Julianna to deal with who will stop at nothing to ensure the loop is protected from Colt and there is a Multiplayer aspect to it where you jump into other players games as her to try and ruin their progress. The performance of Colt and Julianna portrayed by Jason E. Kelley and Ozioma Akagha are superb and the overall package looks fantastic leaving us with a well packaged shooter that is one of the finest this year.
2: Metroid Dread
Developer: MercurySteam/Nintendo
It has been over 19 years since there was a new mainline original game in the Metroid Series that was 2D and finally we got one that was worth all of the attention and hype with Metroid Dread and the developers really pulled off flawlessly. The controls of using Samus' abilities alongside shooting, climbing, jumping, sliding, as well as using counter attacks and dodging all feel tight, smooth and are easy to get the hang of. All of the puzzle elements that are in the game are well thought up and creative and the boss challenges are excellent with different patterns that you figure out in order to beat them and the moment when you do figure out makes you pleased with what you accomplished. This is a game where you have to make use of every ability that you have as well as finding all of the powerups that you can find in order to overcome the many difficult boss challenges. The gameplay also allows for different tricks allowing to get power ups that normally you weren't supposed to yet as well as potential speed runs for long time veterans. It's a fantastic return for Samus Aran and anyone who enjoys Metroid games will enjoy Metroid Dread while we wait for news regarding Metroid Prime 4.
Honourable Mentions:
Halo Infinite (Xbox Series X/S)
Psychonauts 2 (PS4/Xbox One/Xbox Series X/S/PC)
New Pokemon Snap (Nintendo Switch)
Forza Horizon 5 (Xbox One/Xbox Series X/S/PC)
Warioware Get it Together (Nintendo Switch)
1: Tales of Arise
Developer: Bandai Namco Entertainment
After finally moving to a different graphics engine Bandai Namco finally gives their next Tales Series instalment the step forward treatment it needed giving us what is without a doubt one of the best RPGs to come out this year. The jump to the Unreal Engine 4 is incredible and it is just how unbelievably beautiful and lush the game looks and plays, the environments simply look more breath taking then what we have seen with past instalments especially with all of the environmental effects alongside the day and night cycle and I absolutely love the Skit sequences being played out with the ingame engine. The storyline and the characters are all likeable and it goes into some deep darker subject matter such as slavery and discrimination leading into conflicts between the Dahnans and Renans and how slavery has affected the people throughout 300 years. The battle system has been given an overhaul bringing back the free-roaming from Tales of Berseria as well as adding new abilities like Boost Strikes which are finishing moves for taking down large foes and every character has an individual Boost Attack which either be used to extend the combos or to stop an enemy that is about to use an attack that could potentially deal massive damage to the party adding layers of strategy. One of the best things about Tales of Arise and why it is my number one game for this year is that the game wanted to take the Tales of Series forward in a new direction, make smart changes while maintaining its core gameplay that appeals to new and longtime fans as well as the Western and Japanese audiences and it helped it become not only one of the best-selling Tales of games but also one of the best this year. Hopefully with this and the direction Bandai Namco is going we can hope to start receiving other Tales of titles that have yet to come to the west.
Do you agree with this list? What were your favorite games of 2021?
Written By Anthony Hayball (AQWBlaZer91)
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