It’s the last day of the year, so let’s talk about our GOTY picks (with a small twist)

What kind of year would it be if we didn’t close out with our collective Game of the Year (GOTY) choices? A lot of good games came out in 2021, and despite the pandemic putting a damper on, well, most things, it did mean those fantastic games were easier to find time for (in many cases, anyhow). But that doesn’t mean we played exclusively 2021 games — in fact, we played a lot of games that didn’t come out this year!

That’s why for our GOTY picks, we’re each highlighting one game released in 2021 and one game not released in 2021 that we consider to be the best of the best from what we played this year. So sit back, grab a drink, and let’s chat about game we thought were awesome this year.

Rob Flanagan

• GOTY (2021): Psychonauts 2
• GOTY (other): Cities: Skylines

For a game coming out in 2021, I returned to the psychedelic mindscape of the Psychonauts. Psychonauts 2 may be 16 years after the first game, but picks up a week later. Playing once again as the psychic secret agent in training, Raz, you get to travel through different worlds all in the minds of people and try to stop the evil sea witch, Maligula. This game is stunningly beautiful with a great score and a controls infinitely better than they were on the original X-Box.

GOTY from another year: I could lie and say Psychonauts 1 which I did replay, but I did not finish it as the meat circus level is still hell. Instead, the game I really got into this year was Cities: Skylines. Between actually playing it and binge watching YouTube videos of the game, the city builder was my obsession of 2021. It also appears that it won’t be stopping anytime soon, for even though there has not been an expansion since March of 2020, the Airports expansion will be released in January of 2022.

Elizabeth Harper

• GOTY (2021): Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
• GOTY (other): Mass Effect trilogy

Surprising no one that knows me, my game of the year that came out in 2021 and my game of the year that didn’t come out in 2021 are both the Mass Effect trilogy, which was remastered and re-released this May.

I started the year off replaying the original trilogy, which remains very solid. Though the ending has been much lamented, all in all it’s a meaty story-driven game with great characters, great acting, and an interesting — if not wholly original — world. It’s a great space opera, and it’s the kind of game I’ve really been missing lately. BioWare has long been a go-to for story-driven, but their last release was Anthem, which was nothing like that. There have been other games I’ve played this year — Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Outer Worlds — that have kind of filled that space, but nothing quite fits in the same niche as these BioWare RPGs.

The remastered version takes the original trilogy and upgraded graphics, modernized the gameplay and interface, standardized a few things (like the fact that Mass Effect 1 and Mass Effect 2 originally swapped the location of the save and load buttons), and actually made the Mako drivable — an incredible feat, that last one. It retains everything I enjoyed about the original, just polished up a bit.

….but even in the remaster, BioWare clearly still doesn’t know what real hair looks like and, while character creation options are improved, much of it retains a helmet-like quality. Makeup options remain weird, as few major games seem to understand what makeup actually is beyond lipstick, and even lipstick is a bit awkward because in Mass Effect it’s a simple tint effect applied over the lips that doesn’t always quite match the edges of the lips. Weird. Do better, game industry. Lots of room for improvement here.

Just look at Aloy’s hair in Horizon Zero Dawn! Hair is possible!

Christian “Kalcheus” Thoma

• GOTY (2021):  Metroid Dread
• GOTY (other): Mass Effect

This is a tough question for me because most of my gaming time is dedicated to ongoing MMOs like WoW, FFXIV, and Guild Wars 2. However, I did make a significant effort to play other games this year, so I can answer it!

GOTY released in 2021: Metroid Dread. As an older gamer a lot of my favorite games were of the “metroidvania” genre — sidescrolling shoot ’em ups with some modicum of progression. Unfortunately as much as I loved those game when I was younger, I was bad at them (I can’t tell you how many times I died to a bat because I couldn’t time its sinusoidal flight path right), so I saw Metroid Dread as a chance to avenge Young Kalcheus and was able to do so (even though I did die more than once to a sinusoidal flight path). It was a blast (literally) and demonstrated that there is still room for modern interpretations of a classic genre — I just hope we don’t have to wait almost two decades for the next one.

GOTY not released in 2021: Mass Effect. While everyone was hyped over the remastered Legendary edition, I decided to dig into my Steam library and found the original version to play along with. It’s easy to see why the series is such a success with its storyline progression and choice mechanics. As befitting a first game in the series it was likely a lot simpler in execution than the sequels, but it was still effective and enjoyable.

Joe Perez

• GOTY (2021): Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
• GOTY (other): Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales

GOTY released in 2021: I played surprisingly little “new” games in 2021. Metroid Dread was a fantastic stand out, a great return to force of the Metroid in 2D goodness. Absolutely adored it. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart was surprisingly good. Great visuals, stupendous voice acting and just overall a ton of fun. If I had to give it to a single game released in 2021 that I think was my favorite released this year, I think I have to give it to Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. It was a surprising hit after the failure that was the Avengers game. Great story, fun, great voice acting and dialog, super fun game play and decision making that changes some of the events in the story resulting in a different experience on a second playthrough. So, I’m going to go with that as my GOTY 2021.

GOTY not released in 2021: This is the easiest one for me, honestly. Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, released on November 12, 2020 and is one of the greatest games I’ve played in recent history. Great story, amazing controls and great feeling game play. It is everything I wanted it to be and more. It remains one of the few video games that has caused me to actually cry.

Mitch “Mitch” Mitchell

• GOTY (2021): It Takes Two
• GOTY (other): Bloodborne

GOTY released in 2021: I actually played a decent amount of top-tier games released this year — Resident Evil Village, Metroid Dread, Ruined King, It Takes Two — but It Takes Two takes the win hands down. It’s the perfect co-op game, and it continually impresses me with how it finds ways to bring in other game genres. I’ve had Street Fighter-style boss fights, a Frogger moment, and even a scenario where I cut down angry plants with a sickle while my girlfriend mowed them down from afar with a flower-turned-turret. The game is amazing all around, and if you ever need a couch co-op game, this is it.

GOTY not released in 2021: This is really tough — I played Bloodborne, Dark Souls 3, and Horizon: Zero Dawn this year, among others — but I think I have to give it to Bloodborne. It’s just so up my alley, and it was one of those games I was immediately hooked on. It was my second Platinum trophy ever, and I loved it so much that I went through the game twice in a row! (Granted, I ended up getting Plat on Horizon, but Bloodborne is too perfectly me to not get the win.)

Anna Washenko

• GOTY (2021): Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
• GOTY (other): Fire Emblem: Three Houses

GOTY released in 2021: Even before we entered an age where time has no meaning, I’ve rarely paid much attention to games’ release dates. I play things when I feel moved to play them, because I know that’s how I’m going to have the best experience. So even though I’m pretty certain my eventual favorite release from 2021 will be Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, I only dipped into it for a couple hours and thus can’t in good faith name it my game of the year. That means I’m happy to give the temporary title to the Mass Effect Legendary Edition. I had never actually played the trilogy before, even though watching them be played back in the day was pretty pivotal to my realization that games were going to be a passion of mine. It has been a real pleasure to finally chart my own course through this piece of gaming history, without all the agony of the original Mako controls.

GOTY not released in 2021: I mean, have you seen any of my WRUP ramblings this year? It’s Fire Emblem: Three Houses. I also have to give respect to Breath of the Wild, which was a tremendous source of joy and sanity for me in both 2021 and 2020.

Ted Atchley

• GOTY (2021): Mario Golf: Super Rush
• GOTY (other): Retro Bowl

GOTY released in 2021: I don’t tend to play many new games. This year, New World and Mario Golf: Super Rush were the only two games released in 2021 that I played. I don’t feel right giving my GOTY to a game I didn’t play. So my GOTY released in 2021 is Mario Golf: Super Rush. Each of the unique game modes is super fun and make the game of golf more accessible and exciting to a younger audience. It has all the trademark Nintendo whimsy. The story mode does a good job of teaching you the basics, but you can also just dive right in and play. It’s great fun solo or with friends.

GOTY not released in 2021: I don’t tend to play a huge catalog of games, and rarely play any new releases. For most of the year, my limited gaming time was devoted to WoW, and Hearthstone. I played some Civilization VI, Battlefront II, and Star Wars: The Old Republic. My son and I had a blast with tried and true favorites like Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros Ultimate. But I’m giving my GOTY not released in 2021 to a little game I started playing in 2021 called Retro Bowl.

Retro Bowl is a love letter to the 8-bit football video game Tecmo Bowl, which I played a ton during the early 90s. The game’s nostalgic graphics, simple controls, catchy music and fast paced game play made it a hit in my book. I love how the have has your control both the on-field and off-the-field team management. The monetization model is more than fair. Though there are in-game purchases, you can progress as far as you want without ever paying more than the original 99 cents. Any of the “coaching credits” add-ons simply speed up those initial seasons where you take your team from doormat to contender. Retro Bowl was released in 2020, but saw a huge uptick in popularity in 2021 and will have a Switch port coming out in 2022.

Phil Xavier

• GOTY (2021): Tales of Arise
• GOTY (other): Persona 5 Royal

GOTY that came out in 2021: Tales of Arise. It’s an almost perfect Action JRPG: Flawless combat, great graphics and music, fantastic interactions between playable characters, and a story that already starts impactful, with high stakes, and never loses tempo. This game has almost no weak points or glaring flaws that I could find; the level of polish and care is mind-blowing.

Honorable mention: Metroid Dread, which I absolutely loved as well.

GOTY that didn’t come out in 2021, though? That’s a tough one; but after much deliberation, I’ll go with Persona 5 Royal.

It’s a colossal JRPG that might take you well over 100 hours — but by the time I beat it, I still craved more. It’s filled with genuine characters — flawed and sometimes contradictory — whose stories take them to the deepest, darkest parts of their own psyches, having them not only face, but actually embrace their most intimate fears and flaws in order to emerge whole, with a better understanding of themselves, and of society itself.

Given the times that we live in, this game’s theme of rebellion against corrupt figures of authority — from abusive coaches and greedy conmen to ruthless CEOs and egotistical politicians — is one that deeply resonates with me as well. Add to that the phenomenal soundtrack (which ended up among my top artists of the year on Spotify!) and a masterclass in presentation — oozing flair and style like no other game I’ve ever seen — and it’s easy for me to place Persona 5 Royal among my favorite games of all time.

Andrew Powers

• GOTY (2021): Deltarune Chapter 2
• GOTY (other): Animal Crossing New Horizons

For new game, Deltarune Chapter 2! Which we downloaded as both Chapter 1 and 2, but the release of Chapter 2 in September 2021 means it falls into this category. This Undertale-esqe game got my son introduced to, and interested in, RPGs. I couldn’t ask for more from a game. We’re now replaying this, to take a different route through the game. Still get the same ending, as your choices don’t matter… Deltarune Chapter 2 is my new GOTY.

The two games I played the most this year, neither of which came out this year, were Animal Crossing New Horizons and Star Wars: The Old Republic. SW:TOR had its newest xpac delayed, while AC:NH had a great update and its first DLC recently, so I’ll give Animal Crossing GOTY in this category.

Matthew Rossi

• GOTY (2021): Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous
• GOTY (other): Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

So I’m thinking hard about this and I’m on the horns of a dilemma here.

For GOTY that actually came out in 2021? It’s not even a contest. Although I did really enjoy Ruined King and recommend it to JRPG fans, I thought Curse of the Dead Gods had potential, and despite it not actually being out yet, I’ve played a lot of Baldur’s Gate 3 (which went into early access in 2020). I’d have to say that my go-to game that was released this year was Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, which I have played for over 800 hours since it released in September of 2021. I absolutely love this game, the character creation, the actual meaningful choices that significantly affect the outcome, it’s just a beautiful little RPG that I love love love.

For GOTY that didn’t come out in 2021, there are a lot of options. There’s Immortals Fenyx Rising, a mashup of Breath of the Wild and AC Odyssey which was really good — I’d even argue better than BOTW, which I played pretty solidly for months at the start of the year. There’s Greedfall, a perennial favorite, feels like an old school BioWare classic — if you’d never heard of it you’d be able to believe it came out just after Jade Empire and the current release was a remaster. There’s The Outer Worlds, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, all of which I played a bunch this year.

But I have to be honest and admit there are only two games who could possibly take this. One is Assassin’s Creed Odyssey — my girl Kassandra is still one of my favorite characters in video games ever, and the expansive ancient Greece she explores is just my favorite open world in a long time. And the other is Cyberpunk 2077, because Night City itself is such a fleshed out and vivid place, the storyline is somewhat straightforward but the side quests are brilliant, and in general it succeeds in being the best Fallout game since Fallout 2, and that includes Fallout 3, Fallout New Vegas, and Fallout 4, despite not being an actual Fallout game — it really feels like a better version of the Bethesda formula for Fallout.

Still, I can only pick one. I’ve seriously agonized over this, but in the end? I have to ultimately dance with the one who brought me: Kassandra.

It was always going to be her.

Anna Bell

• GOTY (2021): Boyfriend Dungeon
• GOTY (other): The Long Dark

GOTY released in 2021: This one was tricky, because I have no grasp on what year it is. A few of my choices I was pretty sure were solid — especially Valheim and Hades — weren’t actually released this year. But for 2021 I have to give it to Boyfriend Dungeon. Smashing together the fast-paced gameplay of a dungeon crawler and a romance sim or visual novel was an interesting, innovative hook, and both halves of the equation delivered. When the one core negative point against a game is, “I really wish this was longer… like Sunder the Talwar,” it’s probably a good thing. Runner up: Fossil Corner, a cute, chill puzzler about fossils.

GOTY not released in 2021: I’ve tended to play two game types this year, both rooted in the idea of controlling the unpredictable. The escape of sim games, especially House Flipper and American Truck Simulator, and survival games like 7 Days to Die, have been invaluable to me this year. It probably comes as no surprise to readers of the site, but The Long Dark is at the top of my list. After the initial roguelike scramble to get my bearings and scrape together some gear, when I die the death is one of my own making, my own hubris. Even if it feels random, it still follows the logical internal consistency of the rules set forth by the game — it’s still *fair*.

The narrative in the story part of the game is nuanced, and asks fraught questions of the player, especially Molly’s arc in Episode 3. The Challenges are a good, cheap way to give my struggling brain some dopamine. Hinterland as a whole seems like a good company too, donating part of their proceeds to Doctors Without Borders — and I realize “seems” is doing a lot of work here, in a year when many of us were shocked by the actions of some developers we thought seemed — well, you know. That’s also why I gravitated toward The Long Dark more than any other game this year. Above all, The Long Dark is a quiet haven at a time when it seems like everything else is very, very loud. It’s not a flashy FPS. It’s not a cacophonous jungle. There’s no half-frenzied building stage before zombies come. There are no demands from invisible persnickety clients. It’s just me, the stillness broken by the sound of voice actor Jennifer Hale occasionally exhaling puffs of wispy vapor as I cross the painted landscape, her boots softly crunching in the snow, as I just try my absolute best to make it through one more goddamn day.

Liz Patt

• GOTY (2021): Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
• GOTY (other): Hades

Oh man. I don’t necessarily hop on new games all that quickly since I have such a backlog, so this is a tough call.

GOTY released in 2021: I’m honestly torn between Mass Effect Legendary Edition and Animal Crossing New Horizons Happy Home Paradise DLC. Yes, I know the latter is technically a DLC and not a new game, but it scratched an itch I didn’t know I had in the game. It’s so much fun to wander off my island for a bit, throw together a cute little arrangement and have a happy “customer” at the end of the day. That said, the new Mass Effect release brought me back to a game that I love and improved on some of the most frustrating parts of it (looking at you, Mako controls). I still have some of the DLC content to play through, but if history has taught me anything, it’s that I’ll be returning for more fresh new run-throughs. So I guess my winner is Mass Effect, but Happy Home Paradise still has a warm place in my heart.

GOTY not released in 2021: Hades. You would think that I’d be bored with it by now, but I’ve gotten an insane amount of replayability out of it between boosting the difficulty through Pact of Punishment and run build variety between boons, hammer upgrades, and twenty different weapon aspects. Plus, I could listen to that soundtrack all day long. Seriously, Darren Korb was my top artist on Spotify this year.

Cory Taylor

• GOTY (2021): Halo: Infinite
• GOTY (other): Control

This year’s game has to be Halo: Infinite. I’m a big-time Halo fanatic, I have been since the first one on the original Xbox. So I was very pleased that Infinite felt so true to the original formula while still being a great upgrade and putting its own spin on things. The open-world section was a blast to explore and full of so many great Easter eggs and hordes of aliens to explode. The best part might be that you get to spend the whole time listening to Darin De Paul’s villainous monologues as the Brute leader Escharum. I could listen to Darin De Paul forever.

My GOTY that wasn’t released this year was Control. Never have I played a game that so quickly and instantly dug its hooks into me with every bit of secret that it teased out. The controls were fantastic and the satisfaction of telekinetically throwing a fire extinguisher at someone never got old. I’ve also never seen a piece of in-game media that was as effectively, instantly creepy as the Threshold Kids puppet shows. Control is a must-play for me and I hope that everyone can get the opportunity to explore the Bureau of Normalcy.

 

And with that, Blizzard Watch 2021 comes to a close. Thanks for joining us, and we’ll see you in 2022!