It's that time of years again. Although I've ended up pretty busy this year I'm hoping I can come back and add a bit more for 2022, but for now here's what I've been playing this year.
Honorable Mentions
Although 2021 has been another tumultuous year, I do still do a number of things in the gaming sphere and these two were close to my heart and took a lot of my time
Soul Reaver 2 Beta
This little beauty showed an earlier version of one of my favourite games. Not too much to show, but it did finally show us the deleted female vampire and her cutscene - along with scenes featuring three other deleted characters - and numerous other minor changes. I worked through this one for the 20th anniversary of SR2
Blood Omen Alpha
This bugger has technically taken up about half my year. Okay so we originally wrote about this back in 2018, but with the pandemic and all we’d done for the alpha SR1 it seemed wrong to leave this without the love it deserved. So for the 25th Anniversary of the series we started putting out a BO1 alpha video series. It’s taken about six months of pretty much solid work and I’ve only just finished it, but there will be enough videos to keep going through until nearly April next year.
Also Rans/Maybe Next Year
Okami
A cause of some interpersonal falling out, my SO loves Okami, but perhaps doesn’t appreciate my distinct lack of artistic skill - and my inability to draw perfectly straight lines of perfect circles free-hand. Without these skills the drawing sections seemed quite difficult. I’ll probably revisit this once I don’t have someone monitoring my drawing so much ;)
Alan Wake
Having played through and quite enjoyed Control and Quantum break, I thought I’d go back to where it all began. Unfortunately I’ll be honest I got a little bored and a little busy by the end of the first chapter. But I’m hoping to get back to it at some point
Transistor
I tried playing this a few years ago on a friend’s recommendation and I couldn’t get along with it. Having now played its successor Hades I thought it was a good time to go back and try again - and I still can’t get along with it. Shame cos I know there’s gold here
Tekken 7
I have not played fighting games in a long time and then this came on sale. I’d heard good things and yet it seems it’s a genre that has now passed me by. I just couldn’t get my head around it any longer and the story mode seemed really weird.
Stories Untold
Another “I played X and it was good so let’s play X-1”. In this case the predecessor to Observation - and this is just not what I expected.It’s essentially an old text based RPG type thing - complete with a virtual retro 80’s PC and room on screen - where you have to type and guess the right responses to progress. I’d forgotten how frustrating those things could be and after spending an hour cycling through all the possible commands with no success I put it down. There’s probably a solution somewhere but I don’t have the patience anymore.
Life Is Strange: True Colours
My traditional Christmas purchase/present that I haven’t finished yet. 2 Chapters in and it seems really good. We’ll see how it fares through 2022.
Now onto the real thing:
Disappointments
Twelve Minutes
With Outer Wilds and a few others peaking my interest in time loops, I was intrigued by this lovely looking thing and the cast seemed amazing. However the final product let me down. Only Willem Dafoe is worth noting, there’s next to no exploration and where others have a trail of breadcrumbs to investigate, Twelve Minutes seems to just be about randomly guessing and doing random stuff until something works… and the less said about that twist ending the better.
Assassin's Creed: Valhalla
A game that disappointed me so much that I'd forgotten that I'd played it this year and almost missed it off the list - despite it having a big chunk of playtime. I'm not even sure where this went wrong. On paper it should have been up on the top end of my list. I loved Origins and Odyssey so when I saw this getting rave reviews I thought this would be a slam dunk, but unfortunately for me it's gone off like a wet fart. Explore the whole of England (and beyond)? Check. More assassin-y stealth? Check. Social Stealth is back? Check. Vikings? Check. More interesting exploration puzzles? Check. Story and Lore fan service. Check! Hell my University town even shows up. All of these things should have made it great, but it just fell so flat for me.
After Bayek/Aya and Kassanadra, Eivor as a protagonist just felt so flat, the story was so vast that it fell apart and felt disjointed and uninspired with no overarching motivation - such that it devolved into what seemed to be a territory grab simulator. I appreciated what they were trying to do with the story and liked the developments but most of the major beats just didn't affect me or play on my emotions like Kassandra's story had. The follow on content has seemed to be disappointing compared to its predecessor - mostly consisting of time and money sinks. And OMG the bugs: so many game breaking bugs that were just never fixed. I came across no less than six game breakers that had been there since day 1 and were never patched.
The monetization was far more dubious than previous entries.... I mean I could go on about this for ages but long story short, all those things that people complain about in AC games seemed to finally be pushed so hard here as to actually break the experience for me and I just cannot understand how this one got any good scores at all unless it was people deliberately backlashing against the direction of Origins and Odyssey.
Much like my thoughts on 'Last of Us', chalk this one up to an overhyped and over-reviewed game turning out to be nowhere near as good as suggested and severely disappointing as a result.
Middle Ground
Limbo
First off, screw the early indie gamers… and devs.. Limbo is from that era of early digital indie games. Where single people could make compelling games in their bedrooms…and they all made sadistic platformers that taught you how to complete something and then put a trap there for the lols. Great fun if you like the feeling the developer is laughing at you. Less fun if you like having you sanity or enjoying the games you play.
Streets of Kamurocho
Its the first level of Streets of Rage 2 but with Yakuza characters. What's not to like?
Before Your Eyes
An inventive little game that is controlled by your eyes. I’m serious. It uses your webcam to track your eye movements - specifically when you blink - and this controls your progress through the story. It’s a little weird. Especially when you’re struggling to keep your eyes open so you don’t skip a scene but very well done and lovely little story, if a little on the short side.
Sayonara Wild Hearts
Another short one and to be honest I’m not even sure how to describe this. Sort of a trippy rhythm game. It’s so off the wall and is really enjoyable
AER Memories of Old
Take a pinch of journey and mix it with an open world made up of islands in the sky where you can change form and soar as a bird. Another lovely little indie game with a lovely atmosphere, beautiful artistic visuals and a story line that a mini-epic
Lost Ember
Lost ember is one of those games that Steam has been recommending to me for years, and I’m glad I finally took the plunge. Not unlike AER with have something of a cosmic-epic plot wrapped up in a smaller indie-game like atmosphere with some inventive mechanics and a heart warming/melting story. You play as a wolf trying to get a spark into heaven, but you can shape shift to be any of the animals you find along the way. A lovely little game with a lot of heart
Quantum Break
I’d ended up quite impressed by ‘Control’ last year so it seemed sensible to go and look back at Remedy’s other works - especially with the hint that they were all linked. The game and the plot were pretty good and I can definitely see how it fit in the progression from Alan Wake to Control - although I’m not sure the whole game>TV episode>game sequencing necessarily worked to its strengths. Nevertheless it was an enjoyable one and I’m a sucker for time screwing sci-fi.
Unravel 2
This year, myself and my better half played a few couch co-ops together and this was one of those lovely experiences for us both. You play as two string figures linked by twine and you have to find ways through platformy-like levels by swinging, knotting yourself up, pulling the other through and a lot of teamwork. A lovely little game even if the story lost me a bit.
Carrion
One of Devolver Digital's that I’d had my eye on for a while. They call it a reverse horror game and it feels a bit like an old platformer from 16-bit era - only you’re the bad guy/boss. A really inventive little game with some light metroidvania elements, where you start off small and only by gruesomely murdering people in the most horrifying fashion can you grow, evolve and develop new skills and fulfil your Lovecraft abomination potential. It’s brutal and funny with a couple of sequences I wasn’t expecting and a nice little twist to make you consider who the bad guy really is.
Streets of Rage 4
It’s back and goes straight for the nostalgia. Okay this is essentially made by a group of fans of the original games and it really shows. They’ve taken all the best bits and rolled it together into one package, throw in the new levels and updated elements and this truly feels like a worthy successor. The gameplay and playability is still there it still feels just as good - and as an added bonus you can earn points to unlock all of the past characters from previous games. Amazing and addictive and makes it feel like the early 90’s all over again.
Superliminal
If there’s one thing I do like in my games is a bit of a mind screw that makes you go “What?!” leaving you totally baffled before explaining itself. Such is the case for Superliminal. Perhaps the closest example I can think of is something like a cross between Portal, Antichamber and the Stanley Parable. You have a series of rooms with puzzle room that defy physics and make you question your perception while a narrator tries to guide you through and explain your predicament. A lovely brain teasing perspective changing mind bender
Observation
I must say I really wasn’t sure what to expect with this one and ended up really pleasantly surprised. An atmospheric sci-fi game that puts you in the role of HAL on 2001: A Space Odyssey. You play as the computer when something Alien happens to your craft and it seems a single astronaut survives. As the computer system you should aid her…but something else is whispering - or beeping - to you in the dark. The game is virtually on rails with very little true exploration allowed, but it is nonetheless stunning, tense and gripping and stuck me to the edge of my seat. Terrifying, awe-inspiring and amazing - and an ending that begs a sequel.
A Way Out
Gotta love Josef Fares and Hazelight. I played Brothers: A Tale of two sons a few years ago and was won over by it’s charm and inventive gameplay…And Josef’s little megastar turn in the last few years had certainly focused my attention on his next projects but I just hadn;t managed to get around to this until now and I can honestly say I wish I’d played it sooner. A Way Out takes the Brother experience and makes it a full couch co-op experience, with so many nice little touches, lovely gameplay sections. I could go on for ages. Stealth, Shoot Outs, Teamwork, Puzzles - it’s got it all. Hell we spent hours playing connect 4 inside a videogame and then went and bought a real set because of it.And that last sequence is amazing. This is a brilliant game. “f**k the Oscars” indeed.
Cream of the Crop
Hades
One of those I’ve been pushed to play and I just didn’t see the point. “A repeating roguelike? Yeah not sure about that”. But ultimately I’m glad I was persuaded. The combat is fast paced and exhilarating and the procedural generation means you never quite know what you’re gonna get, so it’s a constant challenge. The music is epic, the voice work is amazing, the story is engaging and dished out in parts so you always have reason to come back for more. And every time you think you have it mastered a whole other level opens up meaning you get to replay it more. Hades is a masterpiece that really deserves the praise it got.
It Takes Two
Speaking of masterpieces, It Takes Two just won Game of the Year - and for very good reason. My word Josef Fares and Hazelight did it again with this one. It clearly builds upon A Way Out but is just a whole other level. It takes the couch co-op gameplay, adds a whole bunch of really enjoyable classic competitive mini games to the mix and dials everything up to 11 - on the way taking aim squarely at just about every genre out there. Seriously this game does so many videogame genres and plays just as good as the best of ‘em. The story seems a little kiddy to start with, but it’s absolutely not a ‘just for the kids’ game and there are some moments where I’m not sure it would even be suitable for them. It’s funny, replayable, the narrative is great and the gameplay is fantastic. Honestly this can’t come highly recommended enough.
The Forgotten City
A chance stumble recommended because of my enjoyment of Outer Wilds, this was a game that took my breath away - especially considering it started out as a Skyrim mod with a small team of devs before blossoming into a full game of it’s own. How do I even describe it? You’re transported back in time and find your way to a forgotten Roman City filled with golden statues. There is one rule - the golden rule - if anyone commits a sin (which is not really defined) then the statues will come to life and turn the inhabitants to gold. And if you’re quick enough you can make it away to a time portal to start the time loop again and try to fix where you went wrong. The game itself is a real adventure. Filled with bits to explore, puzzles to solve, information to glean and work out, accusations to make and a philosophical discussion about the very nature of right and wrong. It’s beautiful, atmospheric, scary in places, thought provoking, educational, has great voice acting and haunting music. It’s tragic and funny, has well thought out structure, clues and endings and the true ending is a punch the air winner. I loved this game
Ghost of Tsushima
Got this one after Christmas last year and for the longest time this year I couldn’t see past it for my favourite game of the year. It’s just so effortlessly stylish, like walking into a kung fu movie. The usual PS exclusive amazingness is on show: a huge open world filled with stunning sights and achingly beautiful visuals, amazing gameplay and detailed combat, fantastic atmosphere and music, a brilliant story with entertaining quests and a tragic haunting end - and so many neat little touches that I couldn’t put it down. As far as AAA games are concerned this was my number 1 pick - although I might put it a little below some of the top ones I played over the last few years. It’s just so cool and I loved it for it… but there was another that stole my heart more
Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye
Looking back on it, the original Outer Wilds was one of those games that was just so inventive and epic that I didn’t really know how to rate it. I felt obliged to move some of the big AAA titles above it on my list, but looking back now I almost feel that Outer Wilds gave me more to remember with its time loop getting lodged in my brain and my heart far more, so perhaps I’m correcting for that here.Echoes of the Eye does more of what OW did, but takes it to another level.
are the masters of time loop games and gradual clues to unravel a mystery and make you solve it and EOTE just adds so much that it feels simultaneously like a new game and like an inseparable part of the base game. I won’t spoil too much (such games are best going in blind anyway) but there’s something new and unseen in the solar system with new areas to explore, new mysteries to work out, breathtaking scenery mindbending physics, brainteasing puzzles and a trial of breadcrumbs and questions to follow and ponder and that oh so memorable musical score is back and adds even more…and then it gets dark…literally…suddenly there's stealth and terror like I really had not expected from this game…and meta commentary… and the light of discovery…It’s one my SO and I actively debated not finishing because once you know the magic is gone and you can’t erase the knowledge and play again. A beautiful (if somewhat unclear) ending makes it all worthwhile and ties it back to the base game - and if you finish the base game again there is a special reward waiting.
A truly stunning game that - even with a few frustrating sections - really blew me away and deserves to be considered the best of the year.
