• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Game Informer's Top 10 Games Of 2021

Hestar69

Member
90% western games plus the usual Resident Evil.

Usual mainstream western outlet in a year with plenty of great Japanese games.

The fact that Tales of Arise isn't there says it all. 🤔
Agreed. I would replace returnal (which is over rated IMO) and move metroid to number 1 and halo #2.

Overall a good list though.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Isa

TintoConCasera

I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
So you bought yourself a Series S and played the hell out of that Halo game :messenger_smiling:
Those inquisition-like post are cringe as fuck.

Btw the game is out on PC too, dude might have played it there.
 

95mellow

Member
An alright list. The picks were very Game Informer.

I can't help but feel like Deathloop is a little overrated, though. I beat it, it was good, but I didn't really feel the pull to return to it and experiment like with other Arkane games.

I really have to play Infinite - damn.
 
Last edited:

Brofist

Member
Don't forget bald, rugged space marines.
I dunno that top 10 looks like a fairly varied list to me. The only one game that comes close to your description is Halo, but I don't think even that is tbh.

Tales and SMTV are both good games but neither is doing anything mind-blowing, and I can see them being left of top 10 lists, especially ones from outlets that probably lean more toward "Western" games.
 
Haven’t played some of the games on that list but first place is very deserving of it. I wasn’t anticipating Halo to be this good but I can’t put it down!
 

Belthazar

Member
Those inquisition-like post are cringe as fuck.

Btw the game is out on PC too, dude might have played it there.

Yeah, it's kinda messy to try and "expose" someone like this, especially since the Series S is pretty much readily available in my country and is usually discounted. I got my Series S the week Unleashed dropped on BC.
 

Spaceman292

Banned
Maybe if they stopped using the same trash settings, with annoying characters, boring tropes and tedious gameplay, people would have loved them.

No offense to Japanese games, but they need to get in touch with modern games.
Metroid Dread and Resident Evil are both Japanese. They don't exactly have the same setting or characters.
 

TintoConCasera

I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
Maybe if they stopped using the same trash settings, with annoying characters, boring tropes and tedious gameplay, people would have loved them.

No offense to Japanese games, but they need to get in touch with modern games.
Which japanese games have you played lately that made you think this way? Legit curious.
 

95mellow

Member
Maybe if they stopped using the same trash settings, with annoying characters, boring tropes and tedious gameplay, people would have loved them.

No offense to Japanese games, but they need to get in touch with modern games.
There is no catchwords, if you dont understand it.

Japanese games simply tend to focus on wishful fulfillment, instead of doing grounded games. You know, the games that questions your morality, not focused on teens only, trying more mature characters.

People dont want to play with 12-16 years old characters. We aren't kids anymore.

What you played as kids, wont translate to when you are a grownup. Your perspective changes. What you tolerated as kid, you wont tolerate it, when you are adult. Unless you are that kind of person, who is interested in those kind games.

...so Western games don't focus on wish fulfilment? What do you mean by "grounded games"? Plenty of Japanese games feature moral dilemmas and questions; it's what JRPG stories are founded upon. No game has made me question my morals more than Final Fantasy XIV, for example.

It seems like you just don't gel with Japanese aesthetics, which is fine, but saying they need to "get in touch with modern games" ignores some of the groundbreaking Japanese IPs that have innovated, including in non-aesthetic ways like gameplay.
 
Last edited:

kingfey

Banned
It seems like you just don't gel with Japanese aesthetics, which is fine, but saying they need to "get in touch with modern games" ignores some of the groundbreaking Japanese IPs that have innovated, including in non-aesthetic ways like gameplay.
This might be the reason.
I played yakuza like a dragon. Lets just, I couldnt last more than 3 hour. Game and story was good. But the rest, I couldnt last.
 

TintoConCasera

I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
Bandai Namco games. My worst japanese games.

Capcom, has good interesting games, but certain aspect of their games (NPC) need improvement.
I guess you are referring to games like Code Vein or Scarlet Nexus? Yeah those can get very tropey.

That said not all japanese games are like that by a long shot. Take for example the Shin Megami Tensei games, which can really make you question your own morals, or the Yakuza games, which are dramas better written than most western AAA games, even with their cheesy stuff.
 

95mellow

Member
This might be the reason.
I played yakuza like a dragon. Lets just, I couldnt last more than 3 hour. Game and story was good. But the rest, I couldnt last.

That's totally fair. Aesthetics are a huge part of games.

I still haven't played any of the early SMT games because I dislike the first-person dungeon crawling, haha.
 

kingfey

Banned
I guess you are referring to games like Code Vein or Scarlet Nexus? Yeah those can get very tropey.

That said not all japanese games are like that by a long shot. Take for example the Shin Megami Tensei games, which can really make you question your own morals, or the Yakuza games, which are dramas better written than most western AAA games, even with their cheesy stuff.
There are Japanese which are very good. But those are rare now. The ones you listed.

I liked it, when they were questioning the morality of our actions. Had meaningful interactions, and not too much tropes.

But nowdays it's filled with hitting status quo, and putting unnecessary things which hinders the enjoyment of the game.

Take cyberpunk2077 for example. Story is very good. It questions our morality, then you go back to the gameplay, which is riddled with bugs, broken content, and unfinished contents.

It boils down to excusutive having more power. We are seeing these in western games too.
 

Lognor

Banned
I wouldn't go that far. This year has been dry. There was no competition.
I would argue the opposite. 2021 has been a fantastic year, definitely better than 2020. I was just looking at a list of "Best games of 2020" and the list was pretty dire. Other than Ori 2 and Hades, 2020 was a massive letdown. 2021 was a fantastic year in comparison. And 2022 should be even better.
 

kingfey

Banned
I would argue the opposite. 2021 has been a fantastic year, definitely better than 2020. I was just looking at a list of "Best games of 2020" and the list was pretty dire. Other than Ori 2 and Hades, 2020 was a massive letdown. 2021 was a fantastic year in comparison. And 2022 should be even better.
got, tlou2, doom eternal, ff7r, msflight simulator, miles morales, animal crossing?

Are these not fantastic? They are pretty much better than what we got in 2021.
 

Lognor

Banned
got, tlou2, doom eternal, ff7r, msflight simulator, miles morales, animal crossing?

Are these not fantastic? They are pretty much better than what we got in 2021.
Nah, definitely not. Doom Eternal was fine, but was a letdown compared to the previous Doom game. Never played those Sony games, but they're not for me. I have Animal Crossing and it's a fine game, but nothing amazing.

But it's subjective, right? That list you posted is nothing special to me. And maybe you don't like the games of 2021 that I think are absolute gems - Psychonauts 2, Halo Infinite, FH5, Metroid Dread, SMT V, MHR. The list goes on and on. Absolutely amazing year for gaming in 2021!
 

AJUMP23

Gold Member
I wouldn't go that far. This year has been dry. There was no competition.
I always felt like I had something to play. Certainly many releases came late, but Hitman 3 started the year strong. Age OF Empires 4, Forza 5, Halo Infinite, Metroid, Guardians of the Galaxy. It Takes Two, Outriders (I didn't play), Biomutant, Forgotten City, Humankind, Psychonauts 2, Deathloop, Bravely Default 2, and more. I think if anything was dry it was Playstation with first party releases. Which is ok because they are making great games. Xbox had a good year because they delayed Halo, and it payed off.
 

kingfey

Banned
Nah, definitely not. Doom Eternal was fine, but was a letdown compared to the previous Doom game. Never played those Sony games, but they're not for me. I have Animal Crossing and it's a fine game, but nothing amazing.

But it's subjective, right? That list you posted is nothing special to me. And maybe you don't like the games of 2021 that I think are absolute gems - Psychonauts 2, Halo Infinite, FH5, Metroid Dread, SMT V, MHR. The list goes on and on. Absolutely amazing year for gaming in 2021!
Those list are for the general gaming.
This year, it was individual gamers who won.
 

kingfey

Banned
I always felt like I had something to play. Certainly many releases came late, but Hitman 3 started the year strong. Age OF Empires 4, Forza 5, Halo Infinite, Metroid, Guardians of the Galaxy. It Takes Two, Outriders (I didn't play), Biomutant, Forgotten City, Humankind, Psychonauts 2, Deathloop, Bravely Default 2, and more. I think if anything was dry it was Playstation with first party releases. Which is ok because they are making great games. Xbox had a good year because they delayed Halo, and it payed off.
I guess you had a good year.

Mine is next year.
 

Spaceman292

Banned
I didnt know those were all japanese games in the world.
They're a sample of some recent ones. I'm just making a point, because saying that they're all the same is demonstrably dumb. It's not worth making a list of every japanese game ever made to prove that point.
 

kingfey

Banned
They're a sample of some recent ones. I'm just making a point, because saying that they're all the same is demonstrably dumb. It's not worth making a list of every japanese game ever made to prove that point.
I was talking about the ones who use the same formula.
 
Guardians of the Galaxy got a ton of praise from critics when it released only a few months ago and now it seems most of the same sites have forgotten about it when making their Top 10 lists. I'm about 50% done with Guardians of the Galaxy (had to put it aside once Halo campaign released), but it is definitely a great game with well-realized characters and impressive writing.

If I had to guess GOTY for next year, I'm going to say toss up between God of War: Ragnarok and Starfield.
 
Last edited:

Fredrik

Member
What's so special about Ratchet? It looks pretty and... ?
It’s quite possibly the best looking game so far this generation and the best Ratchet & Clank game. But the thing for me is that it’s also localized to perfection with voice acting in Swedish which meant that I could play it with the kids beside me without having to translate a thing. Not even Nintendo does that. Ended up being the perfect family game and one of the best playthrough I’ve ever done with the kids.

Top 3 for me this year.
1. Metroid Dread
2. Forza Horizon 5
3. Ratchet & Clank
 
Top Bottom