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Without further ado, here's my Top 10 Games From 2021 10. Bowser's Fury (Switch) This game was a bit of a surprise since it was just a throw-in with 3D World, but it was actually really fun! An open-world Mario with everything in one level instead of the usual structure. Constant threats from Bowser, using the same geometry in different ways (and seeing how things change), and procedural unlocks of new areas kept the Mario formula fresh! This game could have easily been higher up this list were it not for the god-awful performance issues that made it almost painful to play a lot of the time. The framerate chugged like an old steam engine whenever Bowser was on screen 9. Celeste (PS4) There's a lot to enjoy about Celeste--the simple but responsive controls, the ethereal soundtrack, the great pixel art--but I think what kept me coming back to it was the fact that risk taking wasn't punished for the most part. If you died, you just went right back to the start of the same room, and sure, some of those rooms went on a bit too long, in my opinion, but overall it was a challenging experience that I thoroughly enjoyed. The sense of achievement I got from beating some of those B-sides and later main-story rooms is hard to match (I never did finish the space level though) 8. Disco Elysium: Final Cut (PS5) I loved the story of this and the RPG aspects a LOT. The voice acting was also top notch, and the writing was fantastic. That said, the dice-roll RPG aspect of this was NOT for me, because I save scummed every single roll lol. I know I'm missing the point, but it was still beyond frustrating to roll snake eyes on a check that I had a 97.33% chance of winning, so I just played it the way I wanted. Great game, highly recommend to anyone. Highlight was when Kim roasted me at the end for yelling loudly about communism to everyone I met but also asking them for money. 7. Scarlet Nexus (PS5) This was a fun, stylish romp that was exactly what I wanted going into it. The powers were fun to use, and it was basically like anime Control, in that I spent a lot of time just throwing random garbage and poo poo at my enemies. The story was suitably weird, what with the moon surrounding the Earth with a field that turns people into monsters, and it had social link building like Persona 5. All in all very solid. 6. Returnal (PS5) I will start this off by saying I do not like the modern roguelike formula. I tried one a couple years ago and I thought it was dumb. The whole randomisation thing coupled with having to start over just didn't vibe with me (nothing against people who like it). HOWEVER, I gave Returnal a try since it was the only big PS5 game coming out at the time and the environment/atmosphere looked really cool. Plus most of the roguelikes I'd seen at that time were kinda lame-looking 2D stuff and Returnal had spectacular art design. The combat in this game was fantastic--Housemarque made some truly fun guns and really used the Dualsense controller in a neat way. The story was cursory but enough to keep me curious, and the only reason it wasn't higher was that I STILL don't like roguelikes (this one was just a lot better than I could have expected, but I probably won't give another one a shot, especially after Hades), and having to rely on RNG spawns to get the last bit of collectables to clear out the biome surveys is dumb. 5. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart (PS5) Some people harped on this game for being short, but I like a game that doesn't wear out its welcome. Ratchet and Clank has been known for its guns for a long time, and the ones in Rift Apart didn't disappoint. They felt and looked great, had all sorts of cool effects. Plus, they finally made the hoverboots fun to use. My list of slight negatives is that they didn't use the rift stuff enough and no chicken/sheep gun. 4. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim (PS4) I didn't get this game until January, or it would have been on my list last year. I can't count the number of times I thought I knew what was going on and the game just kept dropping more layers on me. The mystery and puzzle solving was great and the tower defense kaiju stuff was, if not necessarily a blast, still unoffensive and engaging. But the real number reason this game deserves so high a spot? Yakisoba pan and hemborger. Chaotic disaster bi for life. 3. Final Fantasy IX (PS4) Sony have been adding Final Fantasy games on PS Now for the past couple months (including FFX/X-2 this month and Zodiac Age next month), and I've been using that as an excuse to re-play some of them (I started with 8 since I don't really like *playing* 7). While I have a number of issues with this particular port from Guild Studio, FF9 showed me again just why it's been my favourite Final Fantasy game ever since the first time I played it. The world is charming as gently caress, the story is touching, the characters are fully dimensioned, and the music is the best soundtrack overall in any video game. I beat the original game on the PSX at least 6-7 times, and just like this time, I got every single Chocograph treasure in Chocobo Hot and Cold and every single hidden treasure on the world map. There is no such thing as too much time spent on Gaia. And as a bonus, the port doesn't have a scratched Disc 4 that froze after You Are Alone four times in a row. 2. Life is Strange: True Colors (PS5) I wasn't honestly sure how much I was gonna like this game when I got it, but I was optimistic. Dontnod's first installment remains tied with this one as my favourite, with either one perhaps edging the other out depending on my mood that day, but they really made a lot of missteps with LIS2. On the other hand, Deck Nine, who made this one and Before the Storm, really showed that they knew what made these little slice-of-life decision trees a blast to explore. While Alex Chen's powers aren't quite as cool as time travel, and the story doesn't have *quite* the same emotional weight as the abandoned and rebuilt relationship of Chloe Price and Maxine Caulfield, True Colors has plenty of punches to throw, and the incidental writing is a joy to listen to. HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: Alex singing Blister in the Sun (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Cy-juXetCs) The LARP/RPG Steph getting completely flustered in the magic shop (assuming you made the right choice about whom to romance) Steph trying to throw off your foosball game by asking if Alex is into girls Also, the DLC they released later that's just about Steph's arrival to Haven Springs is well worth it. Anyone who enjoyed the game should definitely get it. 1. Persona 5 Strikers (PS4) As someone who had never really played a Dynasty Warriors/musou-type game before (aside from the demo of Hyrule Warriors, which didn't really draw me in), I was curious to see how much I would actually end up liking this game. Persona 5 was one of my top games last year (coming up short only due to the release of TLOU2 and FF7:R, which was a surprise smash), and I loved the characters dearly, so there was no question as to whether I would pick this up. I just don't know if I expected it to essentially consume my gaming life for two weeks while I got the platinum (and played pretty much nothing else in between). The story picks up basically at the end of Persona 5, with the gang getting back together for reasons, and it trades the turn-based combat of P5 for real-time battles with swarms of enemies all around, forcing you to use Persona abilities in new ways to clear mobs, avoid damage, and generally show a bunch of fuckers who's boss. There are a lot of parallels to P5, but it diverges in interesting ways with some new characters. The social link stuff isn't nearly as developed as the original game, but I wasn't necessarily expecting it to be (and god knows how much longer the game would have been if so, haha). I played through once on regular and once on NG+ merciless, where it took me like five tries just to get out of the opening tutorial, but it still felt fresh and fun the whole time. Some of the end-game Personas really are awesome and contribute a lot to the enjoyment. As mentioned before, I was a newcomer to musou games, and I don't think I'll pick up another one, as I've heard they tend to be kinda grindy/sloggy, but this one never seemed to get too dragged down in all of that, and it helps that I really liked the wrapping they put around it. I recommend this game for anyone who liked Persona 5 and just wants some more time with the characters. I certainly didn't think it was gonna get my top spot for the year, but I can't think of any game I enjoyed more than my time back with Joker and the gang. ----------------------------------------------------------- Honourable Mentions FF7:R InterMISSION I decided not to include DLCs in the list for this year just as a personal choice. If I had, this probably would have bumped a couple things down the list, as Yuffie was like a faster, cooler version of Tifa in terms of combat. It was a good-sized DLC and even managed to make me enjoy Fort Condor, which is about the most praise I can give something. Ghost of Tsushima: Iki Island Ghost of Tsushima was a surprise for me last year, and Iki Island just added on a bunch more of what I loved about it. Vaguely mystical psychological trauma, engaging combat, and some new multiplayer additions at the same time. Hades I don't want it to sound like I didn't enjoy my time with this game, because I did, overall, but this is the one that really solidified that I just don't like games that rely on RNG for progress. I spent way longer than I should have had to waiting for the game to decide to give me the right dialogue trees or spawn certain characters and it made the choice to set it down for good all the easier. Fare thee well, Meg. I'll never get a full bond with you, because the game decided to never let you show up in the House ever again once I got you to six. Kena: Bridge of Spirits I think I'm going to enjoy this game a lot--I just haven't played it enough to give it a full ranking. I might roll it over to next year's list, but what I've played so far suggests a beautiful world, some fun combat that still manages to throw some challenges in here and there, and some quality animation/voice acting to boot. Worth checking out, especially if you can get it on sale like I did.
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Dec 14, 2021 05:13
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Mamkute posted:9. The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (2000) Whenever they release that for the N64 collection on Switch, that'll probably make my Top 10 list again. Still can't believe Skyward Sword is getting a proper Switch release before that and Wind Waker.
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Dec 14, 2021 06:51
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Lady Radia posted:whenever people say it was a bad year i assume they only own a PS4 or an XBone. I don't like this take because this was a great year for console gaming too. joyless fucks are platform agnostic. I finished Kena: Bridge of Spirits and I'm not going to edit my list for this year. I'm just gonna boot it up and play it for two seconds so I can put it in next year's. what a great game
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Dec 21, 2021 20:51
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Whizzing Wizard posted:1. Final Fantasy IX hey, fellow "FFIX on their top 10 list" friend
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Dec 26, 2021 21:08
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Rarity posted:Hi friend, these are some cool games. Unfortunately one of the rules of the thread is that you must write a little bit about each game to explain why you like it for your votes to be counted so I won't be able to score your points unless you do Fix is just competing in exhibition
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Dec 29, 2021 20:51
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Jay Rust posted:1. bloodborne: 2020 had like fifteen people voting for bloodborne for some reason it's a good game Brent
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Jan 1, 2022 09:13
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Aidan_702 posted:A week for results??!?! But I gotta buy some of the top results while I’ve still got a tiny amount of money left after Christmas just load your wallet 
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Jan 1, 2022 17:31
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My picks for best music I remember from this year are: Game: Returnal Track: Hyperion https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyvFei5Avu4 Game: Final Fantasy IX Track: You Are Not Alone https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ha6iWPqrJeE Game: Persona 5 Strikers Track: What You Wish For https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QK4MjRoE_1c Game: Life is Strange: True Colors Track: Blister in the Sun https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Cy-juXetCs Game: Hades Track: In The Blood https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojx8dyes__8 Game: A Short Hike Track: See You At The Top https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6OjhgzThM8 Game: Final Fantasy 7 Remake: InterMISSION Track: Descendant of Shinobi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJBVVtSx_Yo&t=6s morallyobjected fucked around with this message at 04:17 on Jan 2, 2022 |
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Jan 2, 2022 04:14
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Axel Serenity posted:Kena not even breaking Top 75 is heresy : Kena will get on my list for next year, probably. I didn't have time to get it on there this time.
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Jan 8, 2022 16:27
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VideoGames posted:you were myth-taken. we get it, you watched Buffy: The Vampire Slayer
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Jan 8, 2022 17:56
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VideoGames posted:
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Jan 8, 2022 19:34
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Walla posted:The lowest ranked game on my list came in with 7 points (Broken Sword 5), so at least 1 other person mentioned it. Right? yeah, all 1st place games get 10, 2nd place get 9, etc.
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Jan 8, 2022 19:34
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fridge corn posted:It's just like buying a copy of TLoU and a PS3 but plus 1 that and the servers are actually on
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Jan 8, 2022 19:45
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Regy Rusty posted:That's not how any of this works! bopbop thinks the points are distributed equitably to each game because he is a communist. he doesn't realise that the strong survive regardless of the common chaff at the bottom.
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Jan 8, 2022 19:47
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Regy Rusty posted:I fell off Life is Strange after the first one's bad ending and haven't kept track since. But I guess this latest one is good huh? True Colors is great, and the DLC makes it even better
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Jan 8, 2022 20:04
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Escobarbarian posted:I think this one has different developers this is correct, though LIS1 is still tied for my favourite. Deck Nine really overtook Dontnod though, in terms of consistent quality.
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Jan 8, 2022 20:05
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LVG is the hero we needed
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Jan 8, 2022 20:10
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exquisite tea posted:It's Bae OP. it's especially jank that you only get the kiss if you choose the bad ending. also I'ma take this opportunity to plug the graphic novels. If you want more Max/Chloe timeline shenanigans, the graphic novels are great.
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Jan 8, 2022 20:14
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Rarity posted:He's playing FF9 in Spring and he's playing FF8 right now. I will fight people about this
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Jan 8, 2022 20:15
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Walla posted:I do dry January 12 times a year. yeah, I don't do any drugs/alcohol/etc. just water and the very very occasional soda or juice for me.
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Jan 8, 2022 21:15
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Arist posted:I cannot tell if it's a joke that a quote of mine is here because I did not rank Prey lmao, I honestly bounced pretty hard off that game lol that was your quote for P5 Strikers
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Jan 8, 2022 21:24
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great topic again this year y'all! special shoutouts to veeg and Rarity for doing all the hard work! looking forward to next year's already
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Jan 9, 2022 00:48
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