Topic: Your favorite games of 2021

So I try to do this thread every year. As someone who rarely gets to too many games the year they actually come out and is more focused on games from whenever, it makes more sense to do a thread about what people actually played in the year, rather than just what games just happened to come out in 2021.

The only rule, as always, is that it has to be games that you played for the first time (for a significant amount of time) in 2021. So as to not be able to choose games you've played regularly for years, but also to not negate games you just happened to play a small amount of in the past.

Admittedly, I do not have a lot for this year. I didn't play a ton this year and the vast majority I did were either replaying a game or were disappointing or in general not great.

1. Metroid Dread: Well at least I have a current year game at the top. While not my favorite 2D Metroid (high bar), it gets about as close as I could've reasonably hoped for. It's probably the best playing game in the series with the most engaging boss fights. But the main reason its great is that its a brand new, modern, 2D Metroid. Without feeling obligated to be the 2nd best remake of Metroid 2, Mercury Steam put out an expectedly fantastic game. Like even half the stuff I thought I might not have been into about the game as I was playing it, were not actually issues for me in the long term.

2. Deltarune Chapter 2: I was wondering if this counted, but then I remember the Overwatch beta in 2015 was considered GOTY in some circles so...oh well! The thing is, is that I was not as into Chapter 2 at first. It was still obviously great in most ways, but it was just hard to feel special like the first chapter was as this genuine surprise, itself not as special as Undertale. Y'know, lightning in a bottle. But then I heard about and experienced the alternate route in the game. Yeah, ok, this is really special actually. Even before being a completed game.

3. Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity: This was my most hyped game the moment it was announced. Using Hyrule Warriors to tell the past storyline of BOTW was such an immediately brilliant creative decision, that I was mad at myself for never thinking of it. Now I've not beaten the game yet, but I have put in enough hours to say that it...almost lived up to those expectations. Like the story is better now that its a story and not scattered memories, and the English voice acting is definitely better (low bar), but its not especially grabbed me either? Like for two games now, these voice acted parts of these Zelda games are not as good as the non-voice acted parts of several different Zelda games, deal with it. I've enjoyed it as a game a ton, and its obviously better than the original Hyrule Warriors in the places where it counts. I don't think for me it will surpass the original (though the original would be worse than this for me if I ever went back to it, I assume), but like not being the best 2D Metroid, that's fine. That's plenty.

4. Oxenfree: I just beat this before the year ended, and I bought it partially to have completed another game in 2021. I didn't know much about this, so I will say, it was a real pleasant surprise. I guess I'd describe it as like a halfway point between a smaller adventure game with the Telltale multiple choices (with it being more vague on if they matter or not) and a horror game with light puzzle elements. But most of it is that the horror aspect really worked for me. Its focused on creepy things you hear on the radio and interacting with unknown entities and its just so well done. So genuinely creepy and for my tastes, about as scary as I've found a game. The sound design is also largely fantastic, and is vital to why it worked so well. But that being said, for such a short game, there's too much backtracking if you want to figure certain things out in the game and too long load screens for every area. But it was great despite all that.

5. Great Ace Attorney Adventures: So this was a two game release, but I only got around to the first one. Despite a slow start, it was pretty great. I'd still say on its own, its a lesser game in the series, but most of what makes the series great is still here. And I do know that the sequel is the really great one, this is partially set up for that game. I get it. While I didn't love it as much as the mainline 3DS games, I will say, this is the best use of 3D animation in the series (especially without any of the awkward versions of AA1 characters) and the first time I at all appreciated an AA game that primarily took place in a new setting (maybe because its a REAL new setting, not a wacky fictional one).

6. Xenoblade Chronicles 2: For the 2nd year in a row, I end on the game I played SIGNIFICANTLY more than any other this year. In a way, this only kinda counts, since I played a decent bit of it late in 2020, and if it was any worse I might not have included it at all. But since I played it so much more in 2021 (I might've played it more in 2021 than I played the original period), I think it still counts. I spent a lot of time complaining about this game, because it has a lot of frustrating parts, a lot of time wasting nonsense and a lot of unnecessary things that shouldn't have been as big a problem as they were. But the reality is, the things it is good at, it is incredible at. Between the combat, the world, the graphics, the music, there are enough parts of this game that are at or near a 10/10 that it was worth going through all of it. And at its worst, it was at least truly fascinating to experience. That time I spent 4 hours doing 1/3 of one sidequest and trying to get through one room of enemies is an experience I won't forget anytime soon! I mean, everyone loves the 2nd Paper Mario despite its awful backtracking, so a larger game with more of that type of nonsense can also be great despite itself!

I also started Hyrule Warriors Age of Calamity this year. I love the storyline and how much more depth it goes into the events before the Calamity and BOTW. Also, I really like how they gave more personality to the champions and other Ally’s. For me, it’s kinda been a stress reliever because you can just hack and slash through lots of enemies at once 😆. Honestly, I feel like this game is underrated and more people should play it.

@kkslider5552000
Let's see...

1. Yokai Watch 3 Tempura 3DS
2. Yokai Watch 2 Bony Spirits 3DS
3. Yokai Watch 1 3DS
4. Skylanders Imaginators PS4
5. Skylanders Swap Force PS3

I kinda wish I recorded every game I played, I might start as of this year using one of the tracker apps. I tend to make note of the stuff I play that came out in that year, but don’t really record anything from my backlog.

Off the top of my head, I’d probably say my game of the year that wasn’t released in 2021, but was a first time play in 2021 was easily Pokemon Shield (and to a lesser extent the DLC). I dunno, I know S/S are easy to hate on, I’ve bought into some of that hate in the past, too. But I sat down to properly play through, pushed the bias out of my mind and had probably the best experience I’ve had on my Switch to date, second only maybe to MH Rise.

I made my GOTY generally Mass Effect Legendary, but that kinda breaks your rules, as I have played those games for probably hundreds of hours since they first came out on the 360. So if I can’t use that, I am thinking then my 2021 GOTY might actually be MH Rise.

For the longest time I ranked Stories 2 higher as I think that game made some choices about pacing, structure, systems and endgame that really gave the game a staying power that sustained it beyond Rise (for me). However, playing Rise again after going cold on it for a couple of months with @JaxonH and going back and playing older MH games, it just really makes me remark at just how good Rise is generally as a game, but also kind of how against the grain Rise is in modern gaming, too. In the good way.

Rise actually restores a bunch of classic MH stuff World otherwise left behind, but it also modernises MH in a way I don’t think World necessarily did. The game makes MH truly accessible really for the first time. World may have been more accessible than previous MH games, but you give that to someone who has never played a MH game before and they are going to have a ROUGH new player experience. On top of that Rise just cuts out so much of the filler, for a faster, smoother, more streamlined and enjoyable experience, overall. A lot of Rise’s design philosophies kinda go against the most vocal demands of the MH community and some may see Rise as selling out. But in a world where every game these days seems to want to be a souls like experience, the fact Rise took MH in the opposite direction while still remaining more true to the franchises history (no matter what vocal babies say otherwise) just kinda shows what a special game Rise really is, to me. It is the first MH game I would openly recommend to anyone and unlike many it seems on the internet, I don’t believe in the gatekeeping powers of brutal difficulty, I want games to be able to be enjoyed by as many people as possible, so we can all love a thing together. I really hope Rise is the future of MH and that they don’t end up crumbling to pressure with Sunbreak.

No particular order:

Shin Megami Tensei V (Switch) - Actually just finished off the final boss just a few minutes ago! I'm still sorting out my overall thoughts, but there's no doubt it was a great experience, and I liked the large Xenoblade-esque exploratory segments. There are things about it that could be better (I wasn't a huge fan of the dungeons), but it was my first in the series & I'm awfully proud of myself with sticking with Normal all the way through, given how hard the game is generally considered.

Tales of Arise (Steam) - Fantastic return to form for the series after Zestiria & Berseria didn't quite hit the highs of the earlier entries for me (though Berseria was a few steps in the right direction). Great cast, fun combat, cool world building, and a whole host of much needed modern QoL improvements here & there.

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury (Switch) - Every once in awhile you'll play a game that isn't particularly deep, but it gives you that unadulterated sense of childlike fun that puts a smile on your face from beginning to end, and this was one of those times.

Microsoft Flight Simulator (Steam) - I don't often get those "wow" moments from games anymore, but when I discovered I could take off from the military airport near my no name Midwestern city and using my real world sense of direction find my highschool & even house recreated in game, needless to say that was a pretty big wow moment. Honestly put the game down a few weeks later after flying around some big cities looking at famous landmarks, but that experience shook me so much I have to include it.

Ninja Gaiden Master Collection (Switch) - Only played two out of the three games (Sigma 1 & 2), but listing it as a whole as I can't choose between those two. The Switch port suffers a bit (particularly sections in Sigma 2), but these are some of the most intense games I've ever played (seriously, there was a boss in Sigma 1 that took me over 20 times to beat), and are other examples of me being proud of myself for completing them on Normal.

Honorable Mentions : Metroid Dread (Switch), Ace Combat 7 (PS4), Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water (Steam), Famicom Detective Club: the Missing Heir (Switch), Sakura Wars (PS4), Star Wars: Republic Commando (Switch), Ys Seven (Steam), Ratchet & Clank (PS4), & Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition (Switch - Easily could have been in the main list, but I played most of it in 2020, and I think I included it in that list, so I don't think it's quite fair to include it).

EDIT: I can't believe I forgot about Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order (PS4)! My PS4 was stretching at the seams trying to run this thing (who says Switch is the only system to struggle running games?), but although I don't get too interested in these big AAA cinematic western games, this one was genuinely great.

My favorite 2021 games...

Smurfs: Mission Vileaf - I bought this on PC simply because I love the Smurfs, ended up loving it because of how well made and fun this platformer is. Genuinely surprised by this one, given I bought it as I like games based of cartoons I like.

Halo Infinite - While it's only the free-to-play multiplayer, had fun with this one. Again a PC game as I don't own an Xbox, but a friend and I had a good time playing together.

Shin Megami Tensei V - Started playing this on Christmas day, and so far I love it. I've played previous games in the series on 3DS, so I was really looking forward to playing this game.

Sonic Colors Ultimate - I enjoyed Sonic Colors on Wii, and so far, I'm liking this remaster. It feels and plays like Sonic Colors, but the graphics look a lot nicer, and I really like the new version of "Reach For The Stars" in the intro.

Cruis'n Blast - This is the kind of arcade styled racing experience I love.

My favorite game I played in 2021 was The Book of Unwritten Tales 2. I played it on IOS and simply loved it. I’m looking forward to playing more great games like this one in 2022.

Definitely Metroid Dread. Although I didn't play too many new games this year, lots of stuff from previous years like Outer Wilds, Rivals of Aether, and BOTW.

Metroid Dread and Mario Party Superstars were my favorite games in 2021. I liked revisiting Super Mario 3D World when that came out on Switch, and I liked the new stuff from Animal Crossing: New Horizons' update. Played some Luigi's Mansion 3, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe last year, as well.

Do games not released in 2021 count?

Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney Trilogy
My favourite game this year by a country mile. I got so invested in the stories, characters and every little aspect of the three games on offer here that I don't know how I lived this long without playing them. Now I'm not gonna sit here and say who my favourite characters were, what my favourite case was or the best music track (Godot, Rise from the Ashes, every Credits theme and JFA Cornered) but just know that I enjoyed every second of playing through these games and that I plan to pick right up again with the Great Ace Attorney after Legends Arceus comes out. PLAY THEM. THEY ARE FANTASTIC. NUFF SAID.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond
It may be a bit too early to definitively say (I only have 7 badges) but I think I already know that I love this game. Being able to use Pokemon like Honchkrow, Lickilicky, Toxicroak and so many more has been amazing and my own self-imposed difficulty has made gym battles that would usually be pushovers into genuine challenges in which I've had to come up with strategies in order to defeat (especially Maylene and Fantina good lord). Music's banging as well, just thought I'd let everyone know.

Paper Mario/WinBack/Streets of Rage 2
I couldn't decide between these 3 gems from the NSO Expansion Pack so I put them all together. Paper Mario has been a wonderfully charming experience full of memorable moments and engaging fights. WinBack has been a completely unexpected joy, filling the 'amazingly cheesy thriller movie wrapped in pure seriousness' game quota that I didn't even know existed beforehand. Highly recommend it if you have the Expansion Pack. And finally, Streets of Rage 2 was very boring to me at first, I didn't get the hype around it at all. And then I kept playing and OH MY GOD IT IS INCREDIBLE. The graphics? Amazing. The gameplay? Amazing. THE MUSIC??? OH MY LORD IT IS BEAUTIFUL. All of these were the definite highlights of the service for me this year and hopefully we get more of these kinds of bangers in the new year.

EDIT: Miitopia
I cannot BELIEVE I forgot to say Miitopia, that was one of my addictions back in the summer, how on earth did I forget about it? Regardless, it is such a memorable gem of an RPG. I put in myself, my family, some Youtubers who swayed me to buy the game in the first place, some Marvel heroes and a bloody Dracovish as my party and it was incredibly heartwarming and hilarious to see them all interact with that modern Nintendo spunk that a lot of their smaller games tend to have. Pair that with constant surprises and one of the best soundtracks ever made (seriously, even if you don't care for the game, you NEED to listen to the OST) and it is absolutely one of my favourite games this year. It's more of an auto-RPG at times so if you're not really into that then you probably won't like it but even still, the character creator gives so much content from just trying to make your favourite characters as Mii's. It's even in the demo so you can just get that if that's all you care about. It is 110% brilliant and I feel like an absolute fool for leaving it out before.

Before digging in, let me get this list out of the way first

• Monster Hunter Rise
• Metroid Dread
• Shin Megami Tensei V
• Monster Hunter Stories 2
• Cruis'n Blast

I played less of the following but still feel they're worth a mention.

• Persona 5 Strikers
• WarioWare Get It Together
• Life Is Strange True Colors
• Neo The World Ends With You
• Great Ace Attorney Chronicles

I left some games out l played before, like Mario 3D World, Zelda Skyward Sword and Fatal Frame. And I have technically played a bit of KOTOR before too, though it was less than an hour. Mobile version just didn't cut it for me. And, I replayed and 100% DCK Tropical Freeze for the 3rd time, and replayed Trials Rising for the 4th time. But those weren't new experiences for me.

My GotY is Monster Hunter Rise, even though Metroid Dread is neck and neck. I got 40 hours just from the demo and another 500 from the base game. By the time the expansion drops I imagine I'll be pushing 1,000 hours. And I loved every second of it. I still love it even now. I paused the game to type this out, in fact.

Anyone who has yet to jump into Monster Hunter, I wholeheartedly recommend trying out Rise and giving the series an earnest try.

yes, and in fact that is practically the entire point of the thread!

Thinking about games not from 2021, but played in 2021. I really like Sin & Punishment on Wii U. Went with the virtual console version. I also enjoyed Two Point Hospital on PC, especially having played Theme Hospital. Sega Ages Virtua Racing, I started playing it during the past year. Also, played a Forza game for the first time, though it's Forza Horizon 4 on PC (I think it was released on PC in 2021).

I already had a list of every game I played last year so I figured I'd have a go at ranking them all from favourite to least favourite (except for Danganronpa 2 which I'm still playing now). The ones with a strikeout are the ones that I didn't play for the first time, although a few of them did get pretty big updates last year (huge DLC for Isaac, online multiplayer for Groove Coaster and Touhou Spell Bubble).

1. The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles (10/10)
2. The Binding of Isaac: Afterbirth+ (10/10)
3. GROOVE COASTER WAI WAI PARTY!!!! (10/10)
4. Splatoon 2 (10/10)
5. The House in Fata Morgana - Dreams of the Revenants Edition (10/10)
6. TOUHOU Spell Bubble (9/10)
7. Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc Anniversary Edition (9/10)
8. Slay the Spire (9/10)
9. Baba Is You (9/10)
10. Just Shapes & Beats (9/10)
11. One Step From Eden (9/10)
12. NEO: The World Ends with You (9/10)
13. Everhood (9/10)
14. Root Double -Before Crime * After Days- Xtend Edition (9/10)
15. Shadowverse: Champion’s Battle (9/10)
16. SeaBed (9/10)
17. Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings DX (9/10)
18. Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy (9/10)
19. ISLAND (9/10)
20. Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind (9/10)
21. GNOSIA (9/10)
22. Monster Train (9/10)
23. Shin Megami Tensei V (9/10)
24. Atelier Firis: The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey DX (9/10)
25. Famicom Detective Club: The Missing Heir (9/10)
26. Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix (9/10)
27. Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book DX (9/10)
28. Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling (9/10)
29. UNSIGHTED (9/10)
30. Eastward (9/10)
31. Into The Breach (9/10)
32. Doki Doki Literature Club Plus (9/10)
33. CLANNAD Side Stories (8/10)
34. ABYSS OF THE SACRIFICE (8/10)
35. TAIKO NO TATSUJIN: RHYTHMIC ADVENTURE PACK (8/10)
36. Subnautica (8/10)
37. Nurse Love Syndrome (8/10)
38. Corpse Party (8/10)
39. A-Train: All Aboard! Tourism (8/10)
40. Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition (8/10)
41. Monster Sanctuary (8/10)
42. Archvale (8/10)
43. Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom PRINCE’S EDITION (8/10)
44. Metroid Dread (8/10)
45. Nurse Love Addiction (8/10)
46. Littlewood (8/10)
47. DEEMO –Reborn- (8/10)
48. fault – milestone two side: above (8/10)
49. Sumire (8/10)
50. New Pokemon Snap (8/10)
51. Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars (8/10)
52. Kingdom Two Crowns (8/10)
53. UnderMine (8/10)
54. Touhou Luna Nights (8/10)
55. fault - milestone one (8/10)
56. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 + 2 (8/10)
57. TETRIS 99 (8/10)
58. Pikuniku (8/10)
59. Loop Hero (8/10)
60. Tetris Effect: Connected (8/10)
61. Overcooked! All You Can Eat (8/10)
62. ISLANDERS (8/10)
63. Thomas Was Alone (8/10)
64. Tadpole Treble: Encore (8/10)
65. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (8/10)
66. MONSTER HUNTER RISE (7/10)
67. Return of the Obra Dinn (7/10)
68. Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Complete Edition (7/10)
69. Gal*Gun Returns (7/10)
70. MONSTER HUNTER STORIES 2: WINGS OF RUIN (7/10)
71. Grindstone (7/10)
72. Hatsune Miku Logic Paint S (7/10)
73. Slime Rancher: Plortable Edition (7/10)
74. World’s End Club (7/10)
75. Children of Morta (7/10)
76. Mario Party Superstars (7/10)
77. TOEM (7/10)
78. Eliza (7/10)
79. Florence (7/10)
80. When the Past was Around (7/10)
81. Nowhere Prophet (7/10)
82. GRISAIA PHANTOM TRIGGER 5.5 (7/10)
83. GRISAIA PHANTOM TRIGGER 06 (7/10)
84. Cat Quest II (7/10)
85. Hotline Miami (7/10)
86. A Monster’s Expedition (7/10)
87. BOXBOY! + BOXGIRL! (7/10)
88. Beast Breaker (7/10)
89. Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon (7/10)
90. Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition (7/10)
91. FEZ (7/10)
92. Tangledeep (7/10)
93. Paradise Killer (7/10)
94. Invisible Inc. (7/10)
95. LAYTON’S MYSTERY JOURNEY: Katrielle and the Millionaires’ Conspiracy - Deluxe Edition (6/10)
96. Spelunky (6/10)
97. RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Complete Edition (6/10)
98. 51 Worldwide Games (6/10)
99. Cotton Reboot! (6/10)
100. Crown Trick (6/10)
101. Dodgeball Academia (6/10)
102. Cave Story’s Secret Santa (6/10)
103. Thronebreaker: The Witcher Tales (6/10)
104. Overboard! (5/10)
105. Diablo II: Resurrected (1/10)

Tales of Arise and Mario Party Superstars are my two favorite games this year.
Honorable mentions: Bowser's Fury, Miitopia, Skyward Sword HD, Pokémon BDSP, Wario Ware: Get It Together!

2021 was awesome for gaming!

1. Resident Evil Village - This is my GOTY. Amazing atmosphere and I loved every second of it!

2. Dying Light for the Switch! - I love that port.

3. Diablo 2 Resurrected - I played this again on the Switch and it is just as addicting as it was back when it came out

Hmmm…

1 - Dragon Quest XI S (Switch). Played it right at the start of the year, and nothing else quite tops it
2 - Metroid Zero Mission (GBA). Superb. I know it’s not the Metroid everyone else was playing, but this pretty much a perfect game, and doesn’t outstay its welcome
3 - Halo Infinite Campaign (PC). Ongoing but, as someone who hasn’t picked up an FPS in roughly a decade (Bioshock, if you’re interested), I am really enjoying this. Even if the story is garbage.
4 - Shin Megami Tensei V (Switch). It’s kicking my behind, but it’s very good.
5 - Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order (PC). What RR529 said
6 - Monster Hunter Rise (Switch). The MH title that opened my eyes to the series. Wanted to play more, but got distracted by Fallen Order (see above) and never went back to it. But I intend to
7 - Donkey Kong Country Returns (3DS). Brilliant ok every level, and one of the prettiest 3DS games I’ve played. I’d rank it higher, but I wanted it to be over by the time I finished it
8 - 999 (DS). Classic visual novel, and really enjoyed it. Got all the endings, and found the best ending without a FAQ in the minimum number of plays!
9 - Final Fantasy VI (SNES). First time playing it, and it holds up really well. Liked it more than Chrono Trigger, FWIW
10 - Call of the Sea (PC). Neat adventure game with Lovecraftian undertones. It’s on Switch as well, and worth checking out

I really liked Monster Hunter Rise (the last time I played one was on the PSP), Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury made some good changes to the original and I also liked the additional game – it was a bit short, but I didn't expect a lot to be honest and 3D World alone would have been enough for me to buy it.

Besides that I love the Pokémon remakes (I put 120h into it already) and New Pokémon Snap was also a nice game.

I haven't played Metroid Dread yet and I am probably gonna do that sometime this year.

@BenAV Such a long list! I impressed by the sheer amount of games you played and there are so many unusual games in there too! Meanwhile me and my backlog don't get along too well. Really want to try out SeaBed sometimes

@Solaine It's always a big struggle to try to keep up with all the interesting games that release (especially these days with how many good indie games there are) but I try my best to get through what I can, haha.

SeaBed was a really interesting visual novel. I was actually pretty unsure about it at first as it doesn't clearly state which character is saying which lines and I found that a bit hard to keep track of at times but it really grew on me the more I read. Ended up liking it a lot.