Hello and welcome to my 2021 Game Awards thread! 2021 was a nice year for video games, and there were many games that I think deserve some recognition. Just know that everything on this list is extremely subjective and based on my personal experience. Additionally, know that I have not played a lot of the major titles from last year, so there are some holes in my awards. Another thing to remember is that I will not be including every new release that I played this year. Best is another word for saying favorite in this thread. The final thing to note is that my categories are created based on the games, not the other way around. For example, if there is a game I have something to say about, I will create a category specifically for that game. Now that the ground rules have been established, let's begin! Multiplayer Game of the Year - Mario Party Superstars I've always been a casual enjoyer of the Mario Party franchise. I only owned Mario Party 5 and Mario Party 8 before purchasing Superstars. I pre-ordered Mario Party Superstars and quickly found a lot of enjoyment. Whether with roommates, online strangers, or even myself, I have had a ton of fun playing through a treasure trove of fun minigames. The board selection is pretty strong too, boasting four boards that I thoroughly enjoy and also Yoshi's Tropical Island (which is a bit simplistic for my taste). Overall, the experience shapes out to be an exceptional entry in the series, and it is a title worth purchasing for all people who enjoy the local multiplayer experience. Most Disappointing Game of the Year - Persona 5 Strikers It is important to admit that "disappointing" does not mean bad. This award is for a game that did not measure up to my expectations. In a way, the fault here is more on my expectations than on the quality of the game. Persona 5 Strikers is far from a bad game, but it is hardly a sequel that I would have wanted for my favorite game of all time. The gameplay loop is interesting enough, but only lasts for so long. The story is pretty underwhelming and by the numbers. The characters are as strong as always, boosted by the strong voice acting performances of the cast. This is not a terrible experience, but I could not bring myself to finish it. Persona, to me, is a series that thrives on its time management and turn-based gameplay. Neither of those elements are here, so the gameplay side of the game felt a bit hollow. Best Game Not From 2021 That I Played For the First Time - Yakuza 0 Yakuza 0 is a fantastic experience, and it barely edged out Kingdom Hearts 2 for this award. The narrative, gameplay, voice acting, and side content work together to create an outstanding game with surprising quality that somehow matches its crazy scope. Goro Majima and Kazuma Kiryu work fantastically as co-protagonists, but Majima steals the show with his engaging character arc. The two main distractions, the real estate and cabaret minigames, are excellent deviations from the main game, but are fully fleshed out and worth the invested time. Best Indie Game - Cyber Shadow I gained interest in Cyber Shadow because the game was published by Yacht Club Games, even though the game wasn't developed by them. Cyber Shadow is a difficult game that harkens back to Ninja Gaiden. The game is certainly fun, but it was really hard for me, resulting in me dying nearly 500 times. The soundtrack has some certified bangers, and there is an exceptional, triumphant moment near the end of the game that made the journey worth it. Most Played Game of 2021 - Star Wars Battlefront II (2017) For the span of over three months, I only played two games: Banjo-Kazooie and Star Wars Battlefront II. While Banjo-Kazooie was an enjoyable experience, I only played it because I was stuck in the hospital for surgery. Star Wars Battlefront II stood as a shining beacon of fun during some months where I was in constant, excruciating pain. I could barely walk at times, and the pain was hardly manageable most days. This was a difficult time in my life, and I barely had the focus for anything. The many, wonderful game modes of Battlefront II proved to be the only distraction strong enough for a long while. I've always been decent at this game, but I really excelled during this time period, constantly being among the top leaders of my team. I've always had a special connection to the original Battlefront II, but the newer release may have just passed it. A Game of 2021 - Mario Golf: Super Rush Mario Golf: Super Rush is a golf video game developed by Camelot Software Planning and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch console. It is the sixth installment in the Mario Golf series following Mario Golf: World Tour in 2014 and is part of the larger Mario franchise. Remake/Re-release/Remaster/Re-whatever of the Year - Pokémon Brilliant Diamond The Diamond and Pearl remakes admittedly are not what I wanted from a remake of one of my favorite Pokémon generations. However, I somehow found myself loving the game(s). The games may not be Platinum, but they give me a similar Sinnoh experience with some extremely important quality of life changes such as the new EXP Share and HMs not being required to have on Pokémon anymore. I beat Brilliant Diamond and had a great time doing it. Shortly after, I restarted the game with a new team. This release seemingly has brought me back into the Pokémon series. For those of you who know me well, you know that I have struggled with playing Pokémon again for about the past four years. And yet, this release may just be dragging me back in. I'm not a fan of the visual style or the relative lack of polish the game holds. But the game brought me back into the Pokémon series, and that's something special, at least in my heart. Honorable Mention of the Year - Deathloop Deathloop was a super fun experience. The gameplay is smooth, the aesthetic is pretty interesting, and the game just has a lot to offer in terms of style. The time loop genre is one of my favorites in media, and I feel the developers did a really good job here. But that's what Deathloop is to me: really good, but not a masterpiece. Deathloop was a large reason I bought a PS5, and it did not disappoint me. Game of the Year - Metroid Dread Like many others, I thoroughly enjoyed Metroid Dread. It is easily the best new release that I played in 2021. The controls are smooth and responsive, the gameplay is fantastic, and the presentation is the best I've seen yet in the series. It was a complete triumph for Metroid fans to have the series back and operating on all cylinders. Metroid Dread is a must-play title for the Switch and is already in contention for one of my favorite 2D side-scrolling action games. Dread was exactly what I wanted it to be; this will be a game I revisit at least once a year. Games I played and/or bought during 2021 and from 2021 that did not make the list: Spoiler Bravely Default II (didn't play), The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles (didn't play), Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania (played, but not much), Shin Megami Tensei V (recently purchased), Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne (didn't play), Big Brain Academy (played, but was a minor experience), Game Builder Garage (played, but was a minor experience), Returnal (recently purchased), NieR Replicant (recently purchased), Scarlet Nexus (recently purchased), Hitman III (recently purchased), and It Takes Two (recently purchased). And there it is! I'd love to see the categories and awards that some of you have for 2021's video games. Not every title in my list was a 2021 game, but I feel like the list gives a good insight to what my year of video games looked like. 2021 was very hard on my health, and video games played a crucial role in helping distract me throughout the process.
That was a great read, thanks for sharing Wizard! Sweet to hear the remakes brought you back into Pokémon as well. Should we post our own awards here or make our own threads?
I've only played a bit of Mario Party Superstars (about 3 or 4 games now), but I have to agree with you on that. HOWEVER, there are a few things that seem odd to me about it, that may hopefully be rectified with DLC. 1) While all the boards are really solid, the selection is a bit weird imo. Why only five of them? Why only from the N64 games? Why only one from 3? Just seems like the could've done a bit more from across the series. I mean, the minigames are from all across the series, so why not the boards? 2) I am mildly confused as to why there is no minigame pack specifically for the Wii entries. Wii U I understand since there was only one, but I feel like 8 and 9 should have a pack for them too. Now aside from that, yes Metroid Dread absolutely GotY.
I'd definitely like to see some DLC for Superstars. What we have is good, but we could definitely use a few more maps to flesh out the experience. Your critiques are definitely valid. And yes, Metroid Dread was spectacular.
