*Crawls out from under my rock, squinting up at the sunlight*
Holy hell, I'm alive...I'M ALIVE.
Uh, hi, hello. I realized this kind of went dead and I apologize. For those who don't know, I did some freelance work over one Moviefone for a bit and that was uh...something. Pretty crazy, ya know. Second, I really miss this place. While I adore talking about movies, talking about games is a big passion of mine and dammit, I played a lot of stuff this year, and many of it I really really loved!! So I decided I would come back at the beginning of the year and spell out to you all my top 5 favorite games of 2021. I know on my last list I picked games that not necessarily came out in 2020, but I still ended up playing them.
This will be different, as if I recall, every game I played this year came out this year. So no weird loopholes or anything.
Anyway, further ado, here are the top 5 games I loved in 2021, starting with two honorable mentions I just...needed to talk about.
Honorable mention one; Tales of Arise (PS5)
-So the only reason Tales isn't on the official list is that I am not done. I just received the game for Christmas, and I've only just beaten the second boss. But oh my god do I love this game. Surprisingly, I'm not a huge JRPG person, as I've really only sunk my life into Kingdom Hearts and maybe one or two Final Fantasy's. Tales has been a series I grew up on, as Symphonia was a huge part of my childhood, but I never beat any of the games I played. Arise completely changes that. I am hugely invested in the story and the characters, and the gameplay is everything I want in a JRPG. Reminding me of the tactics of FF7Remake and the real time-ness of Kingdom Hearts, it had me hooked since I first played the demo months ago. I am sucker for mixing science fiction with fantasy, and the game is seemingly hitting all of my right buttons. While I am pretty much guessing major plot beast a it goes on, that's not stopping me from enjoying the hell out of Alphen and his little crew, and excitement for every badass thing they do. I honestly think people are sleeping on Arise, and should totally pick it up if they are the slightest bit interested.
Honorable mention two; Hatsune Miku Project Diva Colorful Stage (iOS)
-Oh my god a phone game. A gacha phone game!! What the hell is this world coming to. Honestly, I'm really only putting this here because I have a new comfort game and will never stop. I am a huge Hatsune Miku/Vocaloid person in general, and have owned/nearly completed every Project DIVA game that has been released in the states. Colorful Stage is simple, it's a rhythm game where you tap along to the vocaloid tracks (both deep dives and greatest hits) and level up your little idol group. The story follows multiple highschool-aged idol groups as they work to make it big with their Vocaloid pals, and it's group has their own storylines where they go through the trials and tribulations of being music wannabes. Normally, I hate gacha games, as anything that forces me to spend money is annoying. But I can see with daily drops and log-in extras, I haven't spent as much as I thought I would. You get enough everyday for at least a few pulls, and more often then not, you will get the character your hoping for. The title also includes online functionality, a first for the DIVA series, where you play songs with others online to gain a total score. I adore this game, and eagerly await each new event to rise the ranks. Call it, comfort food for this stressful time.
Alright!! Now onto my top 5 of the year (no order! I can't choose, this year was tough).
Number 1; No More Heroes 3 (Switch)
-Talk about waiting long for something. As a kid, the No More Heroes games were some of the coolest I had on my Wii. Violent, vulgar, and stupidly fun. I got super invested in Travis Touchdown's rise to the top of the assassin ladder to get the girl. Suda51 has always been one of my favorite developers, and that love was enough for met to purchase a switch when he showed up on stage at the original announcement event claiming "Travis is Back". While at the time that wasn't NMH3, I still eagerly awaited the loveable dorks return and it did not disappoint. Yes, NMH3 isn't the most put together game on this list, it has issues and can sometimes stutter down to PowerPoint levels, but dammit if it isn't fun. Tying up loose ends from nearly every one of the older titles (including Travis Strikes Again), I was satisfied with the journey the title gave me. The brash humor and the dark but humorous tone stuck with me throughout the year and showed me Suda51 hasn't and will not lose his touch for a long time. Travis is his baby, and we are lucky that he was able to get Nintendo's blessing and allow the otaku to grace our consoles once more.
Number 2; Life is Strange True Colors (PS5)
-Representation in gaming is more important now then ever before. And that rains true for the representation of mental health as well. The Life is Strange games was a series I always admired, but I always beat them once and never went back for a second thought. I appreciated what they did and the messages they inspired, but that was it. Everything changed with True Colors. Never has games handled the idea of empathy and how one truly handles it like this game. Alec Chen is a protagonist that we needed, and the games handle of grief and trauma through someone who can tap into the emotions around them is profound and deeply important. I never saw any of the twists coming, and having all of my choices and decisions come to fruition at the end and give me an ending I was so emotionally invested in was so heartwarming--and heart breaking at the same time. For context, I ended up going with Ryan at the end, and for the record, he's one of my favorite romance options in gaming ever. If you haven't yet, I highly recommend going into True Colors blind, and find out why the LARPing scene is one of the most uplifting in games this decade.
Number 3; Marvels Guardians of the Galaxy (PS5)
-The Guardians are some of the favorite teams in comics history. A group of misfits just trying to find their way in the galaxy, all coming together due to trauma and the need for a familial complex. And nothing has really perfected this feeling until Eidos Montreal's Guardians game that released this year. I will admit, when I first saw this title, I was intrigued by the designs, the story, but the gameplay looked boring to me, and oh god I am glad I was wrong. Guardians is a fun romp through a retelling of the groups first few months together, and does what any adaptation should do; make the group their own. Of course, some comic book influence (and movie as well, if that's your thing) squeaks it's way in, but all of it used to awesome degrees. The Guardians are their own here, and quite honestly, it's my favorite version of them in a long time. Being able to talk to them and get to know them in between missions, helping to raise your understanding to why their there and how you can connect is fantastic. Guardians is the sleeper hit of the year, and deserved every award it has won so far. Pick it up as soon as you can.
Number 4; Boyfriend Dungeon (Xbox Series X)
-Hello surprise pick of the year. I remember seeing the Kickstarter for this title and losing my mind. Dating sims, specifically otomes, have been a huge amount of my life that I just don't normally talk about. As let's be honest, the premise and idea of them are just a bit out there for some people (which is totally okay!) but with something like Boyfriend Dungeon, I am hoping the genre can be slowly introduced into people's libraries. You create your character, and travel to a fictional Florida city to spend summer break with your cousin and hopefully find yourself a point of romance! You travel the game's "dunj" to discovered yourself and fight your own insecurities...but you so do so with different weapons that are...also people?? I have played a lot of dating sims in my life, but Boyfriend Dungeon swiped the rug out from under me. To date, I've done every romance line, Sunder being my particular (heartbreaking!) favorite, and have fallen for every new character. The combat, while not stressful, is fun and the abilities and weapons make it so much better. I'm hoping everyone who does end up trying this out jumps into the dating sim pool. We'd love to have you!
Number 5; Nier Replicant 1.22... (PS4)
-Remember earlier in this piece that I wrote how JRPGs are very hard to grab me? Well, obviously I somehow forgot how much Nier has changed my life, and introduced me to some of the best friends I could have. For those not aware, the original Nier released in two versions, one for the Xbox and for the Playstation. Americas got one version, Japan the other. But, that means when the game released this year (with the help of Nier Automata absolutely kicking ass) so many people got to witness the original Nier for the firs time--including me. As a kid, I picked it up a bit too early and got stuck. But with the updated combat system and the quality of life improvements, Replicant runs like a dream, and should be the standard for all remakes/remasters going forward. A beautiful story with an even better rearranged OST, if you play any JRPG this year I highly recommend it's this one. Don't let the fact the game has multiple endings scare you, as everyone needs to experience Yoko Taro's masterpiece in storytelling. Flaws, dark, sad, but strangely uplifting in all the right place. Replicant is an important piece for the medium, and it would have been absolutely silly for it not to be on this list.
Annnnd there we go! Oh my gosh, for those unaware I wrote this in a single sitting. Quite honestly, I missed my blog a lot. But my drive to write has fluctuated so much. But, I hope you all enjoy this and actually play some of these titles for yourself!
Also, I'd just like to place a huge thank you to just...you. I made so many fantastic friendships in 2021, but I also had so many firsts this year. I've become a freelancer, I starred on so many podcasts and people are actually...enjoying my content? If you asked me this even a year or so ago, I wouldn't believe you. I know I thank people a lot, but I figured i'd do it one more time in the new year. It is a tad intimidating knowing so many people enjoy my work, but it also makes me happy at the same time.
I will be active here again, so I hope you all stick around. Love you guys! :)
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