MMNTech GOTY Awards 2021: Best of the Best
It’s been a rough couple of years for the games industry. The beer bug has ground production to a complete halt, with many titles getting delayed or rushed out the door unready. That’s not to say we haven’t had a few diamonds in the rough. Or some genuine 24-karat gold. So let’s ring in the new year with my picks for the best games of 2021.
Honourable Mentions…
I only try to cover games I’ve actually played in my awards list. Obviously there’s a lot of releases that I just can’t get to for one reason or another, but still receive high acclaim from gamers. So it’d be remiss not to give them a nod.
Metroid Dread (Nintendo)
One of this year’s biggest surprise hits was Metroid Dread; a game that came completely out of the blue. We know Nintendo has been working on another Metroid Prime for years, but absolutely nobody was expecting another classic side-scroller. Let alone one this damn good. Nintendo took everything that made the classic games great, than amped it up a notch with a thrilling cat and mouse chase between Samus and the corrupted battle robots hunting her. I did play the demo, and while I’m not a terribly huge fan of Metroidvania type games, I can certainly see why this has gotten such high praise. Dread certainly does justice to the formula, and then some.
Bronze Medal Award goes to…
The Artful Escape (Beethoven & Dinosaur)
The Artful Escape is one of those Game Pass titles I downloaded on a whim, but man, what a ride. It’s nothing short of a 1980s rock opera distilled into video game format. You play as Francis, the nephew of a legendary folk musician. Everyone expects him to live up to the image of his deceased uncle. But instead of playing ballads about coal miners, he’d rather be shedding some sick riffs. With pressure mounting to perform at a tribute concert, Francis is whisked away by a mysterious girl, and an eccentric guitar god, on a cosmic rock & roll adventure of self discovery.
Beethoven & Dinosaur have really created something akin to a roller coaster here. The visuals are spectacular, and the music… the music is just awesome. This is definitely something you want to play with a good set of headphones. We also have a strong voice cast including Michael Johnston, Jason Schwartzman, and Apollo Creed himself, Carl Weathers.
Where it does fall short is on gameplay. While a 2D side scroller, it does have a lot more in common with walking simulators. There are some small rhythm game segments, but these are pretty easy and fairly sparse throughout. It’s more an interactive movie or work of art in that respect. I also thought the paper doll aesthetic of the character models clashed a bit with the rest of the game. But that certainly shouldn’t deter you from experiencing it. And boy is it an experience.
Silver Medal Award goes to…
Lost Judgement (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio)
It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of the Yakuza franchise, as well as its various spin offs. I try not to put them on the list every year, as I don’t want it to simply be a fanboy showcase. However, you do have to hand it to Ryu Ga Gotoku. Despite the fact that they’re basically publishing new games annually at this point, the quality of the franchise has certainly not diminished. Quite the opposite in fact. And that’s a very rare feat in this industry.
This time, Yagami is called to help fellow private detectives in Yokohama, who are investigating bullying cases at a local private high school. Unfortunately school administrators are more concerned with a potential lawsuit than their students. Things take a dark turn though after a trainee teacher, and alleged former bully, turns up dead. Tortured and his throat slit. Apparently killed by the hands of the victim’s father as revenge for his son’s suicide. There’s just one problem. The father has an air tight alibi. Things begin to unravel from there, as a much larger conspiracy starts to bubble up to the surface. One that will really push Yagami to his limits.
RGG Studio doesn’t shy away from exploring sensitive social issues within Japanese society. Given how much pressure there is to conform, bullying is not exactly unheard of, even if it is not often talked about. Not to mention the country’s suicide epidemic. Unlike a lot of Western games, they manage to deal with the issue in a gripping drama that’s never pretentious.
Gameplay wise, we see numerous improvement and welcome additions. Combat is a lot more like Yakuza 0, with a whole new style to add more balance and speed. A skateboard has been added for faster travel around the large map of Yokohama, borrowed from Like a Dragon. We also get a new School Stories section that has you solving mini cases as a substitute teacher for the high school’s mystery club. Overall this is a huge improvement on Judgement, and shows that RGG still has the spark to make legendary games.
And the winner of the MMNTech GOTY Award for best game of 2021 goes to…
Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine)
Psychonauts 2 is one of those rare games when a sequel outdoes the original. Rarer still when it releases 16 years there after. Tim Schafer is responsible for some of my favourite games of all time, and he certainly hasn’t lost his magic touch when it comes to this trippy, uh, trip into the human psyche.
We pick up immediately where the last game too off. Circus runaway Raz heads off to his new career as a bottom rung intern at the titular organisation of psychic spies. Things start to spiral out of control when we find out that the previous game’s big baddie, Doctor Loboto, wasn’t actually the one pulling the strings. No, he works for a far darker power that’s connected to Raz in ways he cannot possibly imagine. Psychonauts 2 is essentially a late 90s Saturday morning cartoon, packed with the humour and irreverence that Double Fine are known for. However, the game also manages to deal with some pretty heavy subject matter, like depression, addiction, and loss in a mature and heartfelt way.
Gameplay has also substantially improved from the original. The oft clunky controls have been replaced with a buttery smooth platforming experience. All Raz’s psychic powers are a joy to play around with, and creative level design certainly puts them to good use. This is compounded by the excellent art design which builds on the originals retro future 1960s, reminiscent of spy films of the era. It’s probably one of the best looking, and certainly most original games I’ve played in quite some time.
Overall, the entire experience is just a blast of twists and turns, and the ending leaves you wanting more. Psychonauts is probably the best action-platformer I’ve played since Mario Odyssey, and that’s saying something. Making it an easy win for our best game of 2021.
