What's YOUR game of the year for 2021 ?

[sepheronx]

Haven't even played much but I'd still go for RE Village.

Man that game was terrible. Might as well been called Van Helsing the video game.

But the again, I can't name any other game released this year.

 

[Timelessest]

For me this year pc gaming was really disappointing. Those that I played Ac Valhalla was good enough.

 

[skizzo]

I must be the out of touch old fool when I haven't even heard of the game that wins game of the year....I really live in my own bubble with games. I pay attention to what I enjoy and the rest is noise that gets filtered out.

Man that game was terrible. Might as well been called Van Helsing the video game.

But the again, I can't name any other game released this year.

Tormented Souls
it doesn't deserve game of the year......but it did the classic survival horror game right on. Mentioning because it's was released this year

And as much as I was "meh" on RE8 after a first playthrough, just the last month or two I have gone back now to do all the deeper stuff. Creeping towards 100% achievements after about 80hrs and 88% progress so far. It morphs into something different once you start unlocking things I think. I took the long road by the fact I accidentally selected to NOT save after my first completion....so had to wait until 2nd time through to unlock the store

 

[AusWolf]

Cyberpunk 2077 is easily the most bitter disappointment I have ever had in my 25-year-long gaming career. To call it a disaster is being nice to it... I hope you like it, and more importantly, I hope the game itself is in far better shape than it was when it first came out. To me, the damage is done and the deal is sealed, maybe once the final update and DLC ships, I may try it again.

It is quite polarizing... some people seem to have undying love for it, others, such as myself, have never seen a stinker of that proportion, and consider it a biblical dookie beyond redemption... I guess it is best that you make that judgment for yourself. One thing is for certain, however... it is not the game that CDPR promised, marketed, and perhaps not even the one it intended to make. It just... is.

Don't take it personally, but I'm sick of people complaining about the release version of CP77. The game (in its current state) is fine, as it has been for the last 6 months or so. Try it now. If you don't like it because of a feature, that's okay. Crying about bugs in an old version is like crying about your childhood mistakes. Totally pointless. Life goes on, people grow wiser, and games get fixed (sometimes after release, but still).

 

[qubit]

Cyberpunk 2077 is easily the most bitter disappointment I have ever had in my 25-year-long gaming career. To call it a disaster is being nice to it... I hope you like it, and more importantly, I hope the game itself is in far better shape than it was when it first came out. To me, the damage is done and the deal is sealed, maybe once the final update and DLC ships, I may try it again.

It is quite polarizing... some people seem to have undying love for it, others, such as myself, have never seen a stinker of that proportion, and consider it a biblical dookie beyond redemption... I guess it is best that you make that judgment for yourself. One thing is for certain, however... it is not the game that CDPR promised, marketed, and perhaps not even the one it intended to make. It just... is.

So, hangonaminute. Because it came out flawed you refuse to update your opinion of it once they've fixed the problems which CDPR now largely have? That's completely illogical.

 

[Timelessest]

For me cyberpunk was just a good game and that's the problem, like many I was hoping for a Witcher 3 quality, but all I got was an ubisoft level. The history had some good moments, but mostly it was meh. Combat was also just ok.

 

[Kursah]

1. AI War 2 - GoTY, Indie GoTY
   1. Great asymmetrical strategy game that plays like an RTS, 4X, and something else, at the same time.
   2. Cool concepts and management style. Interesting research/upgrades.
   3. Badass AI opponent that will wipe the floor with you if you aren't careful.
   4. Easier to get into than AI War 1, an excellent 3D entry to the series.
   5. Would also get the "Most Underrated Game of 2021" IMHO.
2. Creeper World 4 - Runner Up
   1. Great 3D entry to the series.
   2. Plays great, has provided tons of fun. I love the CW and PF series.
3. Beyond All Reason - Free GoTY
   1. Best free TA-like/inspired RTS to ever exist IMHO.
   2. Has made a lot of progress that many other SpringRTS games never could accomplish.
   3. I don't find myself loading up TA, SupCom, or others anymore.
   4. For a free, indie, alpha, it plays great and is worth checking out.
4. Satisfactory - Runner Up
   1. Special mention for my son whom feels this is GotY, the only reason it isn't for me is because I limited my time with it to avoid getting hooked on it...I don't have the time to invest right now. But coming into 2022, maybe!
5. Sword of the Stars Complete / Stardrive 1 + BB Mod + CA Mod - Classic GoTY
   1. Two of my favorite 4X titles ever. SotS hasn't been beat or duplicated in many ways, and I hope someone will pick up that torch. We don't talk about SotS 2.
   2. Stardrive 1 w/o mods isn't worthy of this list, but with what I feel are the necessary mods, that being BlackBox and Combined Arms, changes the game...I'd call it a Distant Worlds: Universe-lite-ish but with better UI, graphics, ship design, and battles.
6. Quake - Special Mention
   1. Recent updates refreshed this one, so, special mention.
   2. I loved this in the 90's, and enjoy it today. I've enjoyed the updates thus far, and getting my frag on.

Keep in mind I avoided most of the AAA games this year, and I tend to play older stuff now, hence #5. lol.

 

[TheoneandonlyMrK]

Did I miss much?!, I can't count Horizon zero dawn can I? Too old?

 

[Sithaer]

Did I miss much?!, I can't count Horizon zero dawn can I? Too old?

I also played HZD this year on PC but its not exactly a 2021 game so I didn't mention it but otherwise I would say that was my best if I ignore the year.

 

[dirtyferret]

My game of the year?...Civ 5 (it's the only game I played this year)

 

[Deleted member 24505]

Can't think of one that i would give a vote for. I have played plenty this year, Farcry 6, gedonia, Teardown, but can't think of any i would say are game of the year.

 

[MentalAcetylide]

I've discovered that many of the old school RPG games from around the late 80's-90's have much more depth to them versus the stuff that is released nowadays. Granted, the graphics was atrocious in comparison to what we have now, but I think the lack of graphic realism encouraged RPG-type game designers to put more work into their games. Just for example, Wasteland, Pool of Radiance, Curse of the Azure Bonds, Champions of Krynn, and especially World of Xeen(Clouds of Xeen & Darkside of Xeen), which had really good graphics for its time.
Another thing I don't like with some of the newer games is that they have way too many cut-scenes. The way I see it, if a game designer has to rely on frequent/long cut-scenes to tell the story of the game, then they most likely did a shit job of incorporating the story into the game and you end up with what I would call a compartmentalized game.

 

[Dr. Dro]

So, hangonaminute. Because it came out flawed you refuse to update your opinion of it once they've fixed the problems which CDPR now largely have? That's completely illogical.

My qualms with it are not the bugs or the quite low performance that plagued the game in its earlier days... it is pretty much the game itself. There is so much potential, yet so little has been done. So many things that were shamelessly cut. I feel like, at least the 2077 I played, was an unfinished prototype of a concept game... and while numerous bug fixes have been issued, there was no content update. The game needs major work, overhauls in some systems and quests that are more meaningful, you know?

I hope that there is redemption for this game yet. That throughout 2022, meaningful updates, both quality of life and content, as well as things that fans at large want (despite some denying it) such as third person camera support and some sort of character customization system come to the game, as well as things that make V's life choices mean something, you know?

Either way, like I said, I think this is a quite heated topic, and only you can decide if you enjoy the game for what it is or not. I hope you do, that would at least make me feel a little better about it. Cheers mate

 

[AusWolf]

My qualms with it are not the bugs or the quite low performance that plagued the game in its earlier days... it is pretty much the game itself. There is so much potential, yet so little has been done. So many things that were shamelessly cut. I feel like, at least the 2077 I played, was an unfinished prototype of a concept game... and while numerous bug fixes have been issued, there was no content update. The game needs major work, overhauls in some systems and quests that are more meaningful, you know?

I hope that there is redemption for this game yet. That throughout 2022, meaningful updates, both quality of life and content, as well as things that fans at large want (despite some denying it) such as third person camera support and some sort of character customization system come to the game, as well as things that make V's life choices mean something, you know?

Either way, like I said, I think this is a quite heated topic, and only you can decide if you enjoy the game for what it is or not. I hope you do, that would at least make me feel a little better about it. Cheers mate

Oh I see now.

The way I see it, the game is fine if you take it as an Elder Scrolls / Fallout type "atmosphere simulator". The problem is that many people (rightfully) expected a futuristic Witcher 3 / GTA mashup. The game is not that. If you can accept it, you'll be in for a good experience. If you can't, that's understandable too. Personally for me, CP77 is just another reason why I never give a hoot about trailer videos and other pre-release PR crap.

 

[Metroid]

I never buy new games, better to wait and then buy when sales come up and then play once i get some time to. I really wanted to play that ff7 remake but priced at 70 usd for a game that is 1 year and half old, i'm not stupid. I will wait for the steam version and at 20 usd or less.

 

[wolf]

I love that It Takes Two won, I played it through with my wife on the couch, using the shield to stream 4k60 from my PC. It looks absolutely stunning imo, the art style changes drastically several times over the game, and we just kept asking ourselves over and over "how many games in one is this game?". It never got stale, and managed to hit it's mark about 98% of the time, there is exceptionally little to criticise to me personally. Absolutely deserved win, insane creativity in a space where a lot of the AAA heavy hitters can feel and look and play so samey.

Aside from that probably a solid ~150 hours in MCC coop. Best mate and I do entire coop playthroughs adding various skulls along the way, current run which we're just over halfway through I made a metal print for the both of us (his is a housewarming present) to commemorate how much MCC we play. It really is the gift that keeps on giving.

 

[Anarchy0110]

Yeah. Its VERY skill based though. Played a bit... trial and error is the name of the game. Not something Im capable of for too long

That sounds scary, I'll keep that in mind lol

 

[sepheronx]

I've discovered that many of the old school RPG games from around the late 80's-90's have much more depth to them versus the stuff that is released nowadays. Granted, the graphics was atrocious in comparison to what we have now, but I think the lack of graphic realism encouraged RPG-type game designers to put more work into their games. Just for example, Wasteland, Pool of Radiance, Curse of the Azure Bonds, Champions of Krynn, and especially World of Xeen(Clouds of Xeen & Darkside of Xeen), which had really good graphics for its time.
Another thing I don't like with some of the newer games is that they have way too many cut-scenes. The way I see it, if a game designer has to rely on frequent/long cut-scenes to tell the story of the game, then they most likely did a shit job of incorporating the story into the game and you end up with what I would call a compartmentalized game.

Agreed 100%

 

[AusWolf]

Another thing I don't like with some of the newer games is that they have way too many cut-scenes. The way I see it, if a game designer has to rely on frequent/long cut-scenes to tell the story of the game, then they most likely did a shit job of incorporating the story into the game and you end up with what I would call a compartmentalized game.

I agree, though some old games are equally guilty of this (if not more) due to technological limitations. Game engines of the '90s didn't have the capability to display complex animations and sound, so inter-mission cutscenes were a typical solution. Old games were also sliced into separate levels more than new games are. You could ignore the cutscenes and just tear through the levels, but that broke the immersion, imo, which is ironically the same effect that excessive cutscenes have in modern games. When cutscenes were the only part of the game that told any story, you had to rely on them. Nowadays, when game engines can do everything, you don't need cutscenes so much anymore.

 

[Vayra86]

Don't take it personally, but I'm sick of people complaining about the release version of CP77. The game (in its current state) is fine, as it has been for the last 6 months or so. Try it now. If you don't like it because of a feature, that's okay. Crying about bugs in an old version is like crying about your childhood mistakes. Totally pointless. Life goes on, people grow wiser, and games get fixed (sometimes after release, but still).

When did you play the game? I don't recognize anything of what you're saying here regarding the last 6 months... There have been versions with more post launch issues than the initial one.

So, hangonaminute. Because it came out flawed you refuse to update your opinion of it once they've fixed the problems which CDPR now largely have? That's completely illogical.

The game is still flawed, buggy, and has elements that are not working properly. Floaty assets, utterly silly AI (up to the point of immersion breaking, and painfully slow while you're quite fast yourself, the difficulty is determined by them onehitting you with a bullet) and balancing, and several quest related bugs were all part of my post 1.31 playthrough.
You can still easily break something by doing stuff 'too fast' for the game logic to keep up.

My qualms with it are not the bugs or the quite low performance that plagued the game in its earlier days... it is pretty much the game itself. There is so much potential, yet so little has been done. So many things that were shamelessly cut. I feel like, at least the 2077 I played, was an unfinished prototype of a concept game... and while numerous bug fixes have been issued, there was no content update. The game needs major work, overhauls in some systems and quests that are more meaningful, you know?

I hope that there is redemption for this game yet. That throughout 2022, meaningful updates, both quality of life and content, as well as things that fans at large want (despite some denying it) such as third person camera support and some sort of character customization system come to the game, as well as things that make V's life choices mean something, you know?

Either way, like I said, I think this is a quite heated topic, and only you can decide if you enjoy the game for what it is or not. I hope you do, that would at least make me feel a little better about it. Cheers mate

And these 'flaws' are also still in the game. Content seems to be missing or unfinished, lacking coherency with the rest of the game, interactivity is still missing from places you'd expect it, etc etc etc.

I'm really not sure what changed positively in the PC version since launch, to be fair I'm also sharing your careful optimism here hoping for the same in 2022. The game has untapped potential.

 

[qubit]

The game is still flawed, buggy, and has elements that are not working properly. Floaty assets, utterly silly AI (up to the point of immersion breaking, and painfully slow while you're quite fast yourself, the difficulty is determined by them onehitting you with a bullet) and balancing, and several quest related bugs were all part of my post 1.31 playthrough.
You can still easily break something by doing stuff 'too fast' for the game logic to keep up.

Oh gawd should be "fun" then.

 

[Vayra86]

Oh gawd should be "fun" then.

Well much like Auswolf is saying, it really matters how much you let that deter your enjoyment. It didn't really kill mine, because OTOH the game has so many awesome places to look at. The world 'works' in conveying that cyberpunk setting, in a lot of places, in various cool ways. As a backdrop / atmosphere simulator the game really does work. That's also kinda why I'm hoping for more interactivity. This game is better played as a GTA than as a Mass Effect, but the part of the game they really 'finished' is the linear Mass Effect storyline, basically. So that might also explain the total confusion in the community/fanbase.

 

[AusWolf]

When did you play the game? I don't recognize anything of what you're saying here regarding the last 6 months... There have been versions with more post launch issues than the initial one.

I started playing it at version 1.2 or 1.21 (I can't remember) and finished it at 1.3. I never said that the game was perfect, but I didn't encounter any major flaw that could break my immersion. The couple of floating objects and minor graphical glitches are easily forgivable, imo. You don't encounter them as much as YouTube videos like to suggest by far. In my 91-hour playthrough the game glitched out maybe a handful of times at most.

The game is still flawed, buggy, and has elements that are not working properly. Floaty assets, utterly silly AI (up to the point of immersion breaking, and painfully slow while you're quite fast yourself, the difficulty is determined by them onehitting you with a bullet) and balancing, and several quest related bugs were all part of my post 1.31 playthrough.
You can still easily break something by doing stuff 'too fast' for the game logic to keep up.

Maybe that's the key: I'm a slow player who prefers taking in every drop of the atmosphere. I hate fast-paced shooters and a playthrough of any game takes me about 1.5-2x as much as an average Joe. I tend to enjoy the environment, consider every possible action and loot every lootable crate before moving on. If you slowly enjoy 98% of a bottle of wine, you won't complain about the bits on the bottom. If you prefer it bottoms up, though...

 

[BSim500]

I must be the out of touch old fool when I haven't even heard of the game that wins game of the year....I really live in my own bubble with games. I pay attention to what I enjoy and the rest is noise that gets filtered out.

It's the only sane thing to do. Speaking as someone who's been PC gaming since 1987, trust me when I say what modern Game Journalists (tm) gush over and what gamers actually enjoy have never been so completely separate from each other. Same situation with Hollywood movies with this chart speaking for itself...

I've discovered that many of the old school RPG games from around the late 80's-90's have much more depth to them versus the stuff that is released nowadays. Granted, the graphics was atrocious in comparison to what we have now, but I think the lack of graphic realism encouraged RPG-type game designers to put more work into their games.

The 90's were a positive explosion in creativity (ie, new IP was coming out so thick & fast it was almost hard to stay on top of, devs being willing to experiment and create new franchises every 3-4 years vs today's "let's recycle the same 'safe' 90's / early 2000's IP to death over & over" which is just triggering "Franchise Fatigue" in many of us). The best litmus test of all to dispel accusations of "it must all be nostalgia" is to play a hyped 90's title you missed originally and have only played for the first time recently. Eg, I only played Planescape Torment for the first time in around 2016 (17 years post release). The hype is well deserved for being one of the most unusual and creative RPG's without any prior "nostalgia goggles". Somehow I don't think I'll be feeling the same way about playing many generic / over-sequeled 2021 titles for the first time in 2038...

 

[Vayra86]

It's the only sane thing to do. Speaking as someone who's been PC gaming since 1987, trust me when I say what modern Game Journalists (tm) gush over and what gamers actually enjoy have never been so completely separate from each other. Same situation with Hollywood movies with this chart speaking for itself...


The 90's were a positive explosion in creativity (ie, new IP was coming out so thick & fast it was almost hard to stay on top of, devs being willing to experiment and create new franchises every 3-4 years vs today's "let's recycle the same 'safe' 90's / early 2000's IP to death over & over" which is just triggering "Franchise Fatigue" in many of us). The best litmus test of all to dispel accusations of "it must all be nostalgia" is to play a hyped 90's title you missed originally and have only played for the first time recently. Eg, I only played Planescape Torment for the first time in around 2016 (17 years post release). The hype is well deserved for being one of the most unusual and creative RPG's without any prior "nostalgia goggles". Somehow I don't think I'll be feeling the same way about playing many generic / over-sequeled 2021 titles for the first time in 2038...

So much this. Nostalgia isn't just 'oh its something I used to play'. It happens to a lot of creative works, its all iterative in a way, everyone borrows from one another and a lot of things 'have already been done'. Originality isn't a bottomless pit, so over time you get more and more works that are trying but failing to look/feel original. And originality is synonymous for that sense of discovery many games offer or seek to offer. If its not new, its going to get compared to what was already there, and it has to improve on it in every way.

A hard task. And in that creative search a lot of people get it wrong, or make a twist the community doesn't like at all. And then there is the all-consuming commercial drive, which more often than not kills creativity and originality from another angle. New is risky, because the last trick got X sales, and replay value must be controlled because what if gamers don't buy the sequel, and how else will you sell all those breadcrumbs of DLC content?

And let's face it... many older games are mechanically completely sound, balanced and offered sufficient depth. Instead of expanding upon that, we got simplification to cater to mainstream/casual gamers entering the market. People saying 'nostalgia clouds your view'... apparently didn't figure this out just yet, or they never noticed to begin with. In the same way, newer games can offer a different take on balancing that just needs to grow on you.