While 2021 has proven to be one of the worst years ever for actually buying technology (PC hardware and consoles), that doesn’t mean that it’s been a damp squib in terms of gaming. While not perhaps the greatest year ever, we’ve certainly still had some pretty amazing titles land over the last 12-months. Which, at least in my opinion, are the best though? Well, I love me a bit of controversy, so, since it’s Christmas (well, very nearly the New Year at least) let’s have a top 5!
Oh, and just to iron that out a little bit in advance, the following list is in no particular order.
I would start by freely conceding that the first-person style of the more recent Resident Evil titles (excluding the remakes) has not pleased every fan of the franchise. For those who did appreciate the new direction taken in 7, however, Resident Evil 8 (Village) definitely seemed to take everything that worked from the last title and simply made it better. Exactly what you want from a sequel to a great game!
Similar to Resident Evil 7, Village starts well and ends a little weak. Without delving too much into spoilers, I think the first half of the game involving Lady Dimitrescu was far more entertaining than anything that came after (House Beneviento was amazingly creepy and in many respects one of the best parts of the game. It was just a shame you could basically finish it inside 15-20 minutes).
Resident Evil Village is, however, undoubtedly one of the best games of 2021 and any who disagree will surely only be those lamenting the first-person transition the franchise is taking!
Arguably representing one of the first major flagship titles for the PS5 (albeit coming out around 6 months after the console’s release), Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart has already firmly cemented itself as a ‘must play’ title for the system. It’s graphically glorious and has perfectly replicated, and improved upon, everything fans of the prior releases loved. The only real criticism, which we’re shortly about to repeat, is that Sony simply hasn’t managed to get enough PS5’s into owners’ hands yet to try this out!
Returnal is not going to suit everyone’s tastes. It’s effectively a jaw-dropping gorgeous bullet-hell shooter that definitely represents one of the first titles to truly show us what the PS5’s hardware is and will be capable of in the future. The only real downside this title has is that it’s not easy. In fact, at times it’s punishingly difficult. When you do finally manage to beat a boss though, you get a real sense of satisfaction from this.
Additionally, in terms of horror, I think this easily has Resident Evil Village beat. And that’s surprising given that, between the two, this is undoubtedly the more action-based.
A game about a married couple seemingly on the verge of divorce. Doesn’t sound like much fun, does it? The amazing thing though is that ‘It Takes Two’ is quite possibly one of the best 2-player games from the last 10-years. Without a doubt, its biggest positive is the fact that it has been very specifically created for two people to play this at the same time and on the same console. Yes, online play is possible, but this is a game that is best suited to two people sitting together trying to achieve their common goal.
The levels are fun and creative with new mechanics gently introduced. – I both played and beat this with my wife, and we somehow managed to save one marriage without the game managing to destroy our own. That’s a big achievement for any title in this household!
It’s, yet again, another huge win for the Nintendo Switch. Despite the aging nature of the console (nearly 5 years old just in case you were not keeping track) Metroid Dread is not only arguably one of the best releases the franchise has ever seen, but quite possibly one of the best games of the year. – Don’t think this is the typical Nintendo experience where the title holds your hand throughout your playthrough though. Metroid Dread is, occasionally, incredibly difficult and you will, at times, find it amazingly frustrating.
Like all great ‘hard’ games though, the difficulty is not unfair. The challenge is in you simply getting good. With an amazing ending as well (that will genuinely make some cry), while the Nintendo Switch isn’t the spring chicken it once was, titles like this clearly show that there’s life in the old console yet!
In one fell swoop, you probably have my most rage-inducing and controversial Christmas/New Year article of 2021, but what do you think? – What’s the best game you’ve played this year? And what was the worst?… Well, in regards to that latter question, be sure to check our website and social media tomorrow as Mike’s more than ready to tell you what he thinks stunk up 2021!
Additionally, for more of his Ranty Christmas 2021 specific content, you can check the link here! – They’ll be one (practically) every day over the holiday period!
NB. Mikes Rant is a semi-comedic opinion piece and may not reflect the opinion of eTeknix as a whole!
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