Well, 2021 was a wild, terrible year. I don’t have to reiterate what made 2021 so bad because by the time you’re reading this you already know. We all live on earth (I suppose) so there’s no point going through it all. Just, yeah, what a shitty year, right?
But at least we had some great games! I know some people, even some people Kotaku Colleagues, seem dejected at the games we got this year. I do not agree. I think 2021 was a great year for games. Personally, I played as many games in 2021 as I haven’t in a long time. And many were good!
So here are my top 10 games of 2021. (And some honorable mentions at the end.) As always, this list is in no particular order until the end, where I’ll be listing my game of the year.
Resident Evil Village
Sure, the big, big lady the internet had a crush on wasn’t really involved, but what the heck. The rest of Resident Evil Village is still great. Ethan may be an idiot with most of the time very injured hands, but idiots are usually perfect people for horror games. So brave, so stupid … And all of them Resident Evil 4 References didn’t hurt either.
Lost by chance
It’s like a (good) Tim Burton film thrown into a blender with some dice and funny writing. This is one of those games that crept in and after playing the entire game in one weekend I was very impressed. The mix of real-time combat and dice strategy is great and I really appreciated it, even towards the end of the year Lost by chance, it still had new ideas and twists that came my way.
Hitman 3
Oh yeah holy shit. This game came out this year. It feels like it’s been a lifetime. But no, Hitman 3 came out in 2021. Although I think it has the weakest levels of the modern trilogy of Hitman Games, I still had a lot of fun with his new areas. It was also nice to be able to repeat the old levels with fancier graphics and new functions. Hitman 3 basically the entire trilogy has been cobbled together into a perfect package, what more could you want?
It takes two
If you played It takes two, then you already know how dark it gets and how things get totally out of hand in some places. As someone who loves playing games with their significant other but rarely finds games that we both love, It takes two was a nice conversation. The pace is excellent, with dozens of different game mechanics pieced together into a wild adventure that never got boring or predictable. And having someone by your side to experience the darker moments was nice. We’d both say “Oh GOD … WTF!” together.
Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart
I’ve only played two of these games so far while others complained that this gorgeous new entry felt too similar to the past Ratchet & clink Games, I’ve had too much fun to care plus Rift Apart looks like a next-gen game reallywhich is nice considering these new consoles are hanging around my place and taking up space. So yeah, it’s more like the same thing, but I haven’t played a lot of those other games and I think I’m happy about that.
The climb
Here’s a game that didn’t click at all for me… next. The beginning hour or two was a grind. But I got my way and discovered a story I really liked, some twists and turns that surprised me, and a combat system that feels really great – once you’ve got better weapons and figured out how cover works! I would like more of this, please.
Psychonauts 2
On the surface, Psychonauts 2 is a great action platformer with a wonderful sense of style. But if you dig a little deeper you will find a game that asks the question of whether people can change and what happens when we let the darkness grow within ourselves and how others are hurt by our mistakes and past decisions. In 2021, it seems more impossible than ever to forgive people for their terrible, dark decisions and actions. but Psychonauts 2 is of the opinion that it might still be worthwhile. I don’t think I agree, but I would like to.
Halo infinite
Halo infinite is new gloriole game directly inspired by these large, open levels from the original game. However, it also adds new ideas including an awesome grappling hook and a bad battle pass. (All of the new ideas aren’t winners, I’ll admit that.) Still, it’s amazing that my only real problem with Infinite is that I wanted MORE! More campaign missions, more maps, more modes, and firefight. If a game makes you want more, that’s good.
Forza Horizon 5
I’ve played all of the past violence Games, but for whatever reason, this one hit me harder and has stayed with me longer since then Forza Horizon 1 or Forza Motorsport 3. I almost said Forza Horizon 5 as my ultimate game of the year. Maybe in a few years I will look back and regret my final decision. But while I loved the incredible array of cars, the over the top races and stunts, and even (some) the music, one game has barely sneaked and beaten its way violence. And I didn’t expect it at all.
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
Well what a wild 2021 was when Guardians of the Galaxy is at the top of my list. (And when I look around, I’m not alone.) But here we are. After the first trailers came out at E3, I assumed I would play it, but I probably wouldn’t like it or even quit it.
Then it came out and I played the whole thing in one very short lots of time and enjoying almost every minute of it. Writing is simply the best part of this superhero action game, however I also loved the strange worlds You can visit and the way the game reacts to what you do or don’t do. I’ve seen some complain Guardians of the Galaxy is too chatty, but I didn’t mind because the dialogues were often hilarious.
However, the real secret weapon of this game is that it is filled with hearts and charms. It never lets comedy step on the toes of the sad or dramatic moments, and sometimes even uses comedy to creep in character moments that will stay with you long after the end. Hope we get a sequel because I want to spend more time with these weirdos and their space llama.
So, let’s go! This is my list. If you want to read mine 2020 List or 2019 List, just click these links and enjoy. Or get annoyed about my options. Whatever makes you feel better I guess.
Before I go, here are some other great games that I played this year that just didn’t make my top 10 list! Echo Generation, Resident Evil 4 VR, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, The Gunk, Returnal, The Big Con, The Riftbreaker, and Death loop. As I said above, too many good games this year!
And if you care, you can see it every Game I played in 2021 (and in recent years) about my Giant bomb Lists. I keep these because I’m obsessed with my own stats, but they also come in handy when putting together lists like my top 10. Just know that I include every game I play, not just things I finished or liked.
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