2021 is obviously not a particularly good year for games. Usually, when we start writing these, I have several games competing for my own three of the best of the year. However, this year, I almost know what these three will be before December.
In a way, this is good; something that leaves such a strong impression that you can’t imagine it being hit by anything else. However, on the other hand, I really want to have that kind of inner struggle. This is a holiday tradition!
Return-PS5
I’m unlikely to dislike Housemarque’s next game. I like almost all modern games made by Finnish studios. Housemarque’s action style, speed, presentation and flow somehow manage to make the arcade relevant to the current era.
But I didn’t expect the plot of the comeback when I was sleeping. Or work while looping the boss theme. But most importantly, I didn’t expect games similar to rouge to appear near my favorite game this year. More importantly, I don’t think Returnal will achieve its goals so gracefully.
For such a simple concept, it is difficult to know where to start using Returnal. But my thinking is this: What if the bullet hell and arcade-style actions of other Housemarque games are reproduced in the third person, while maintaining the visual wonder and not affecting readability? What if—because the single life type of arcade games makes them resemble rascals in a sense—the core mechanics become the foundation of the entire game world and narrative structure?
I can continue to praise Returnal. I am happy to admit that it also has problems. But the thing is this: no other game this year has bothered me day and night like this. For me, this is usually a unique state of FromSoftware, but despite my doubts, Returnal managed to do it, and I am more grateful for it.
Back 4 Blood – PC, PlayStation, Xbox
Back 4 Blood may not introduce revolutionary mechanisms, impress the next generation of technology, or provide memorable narratives. However, compared to most games I played this year, this shooter inspired by Left 4 Dead gave me more fun.This alone is enough to make it on this list, but Back 4 Blood is also worth mentioning no.
Back 4 Blood is not a game that overlaps XP bars and countless process systems. I don’t log in often to play it, so I can check my dalies or get a disposable hat. I do this because its gameplay is always satisfying and its experience is unforgettable. It brought me back to the era that was most important to the game, before the process became its own mechanism.
It’s rare for a retro game to try to reshape the classic feel of anything, and it’s even rarer to do so while providing a compelling case for modern audiences. Back 4 Blood can accomplish these two tasks effortlessly.
Nioh 2-computer
Nioh 2 easily enters the list of the best games of the year for any action fan. Its unique and challenging melee brand is undoubtedly its highlight. But somehow, the sequel managed to expand and improve the original game, which is all due to it in a sense.
But none of this is new. Nioh 2 did not actually come out in 2021, only the PC version.I even played it on PS4 when it was released in 2020, but I didn’t really do it Understand it Until it comes to the PC. Although I appreciate the technical advantages of playing it on PC, I will mainly talk about gameplay here.
I played the first Nioh and Nioh 2 on PS4 as soul games, not action games. This makes me feel painful most of the time, but I keep coming back because no other games offer this brand of action. No matter what happened between then and the PC release, a switch in my mind flipped: I started playing it as an action RPG. Fast forward about a month later, except for one DLC, everything else has been completed, and multiple characters have been created to experiment with different weapons and constructions.
I have always believed that there is nothing like Nioh, but now I understand what It is actually Has grown, it reminds you to open and experience the essence of games from time to time, not what you think they should be.
Visit the iGamesNews 2021 Game of the Year page to see the choices of our other employees this year. If you feel a little disrespectful, why not take a look at our 2021 Alternative Game Awards?
