Game of the Year 2021 - The Winners

Game of the Year 2021 - The Winners

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PST Staff

Here it is then. The end of another year, when it’s time to take stock and perhaps make some New Year’s resolutions. But sod all of that for now - we’ve got some Game of the Year winners to get through, and despite what’s been another crappy year in so many ways, we had some cracking video games to play in 2021.

You know the drill by now: we have a chat, put together the nominees, then squabble about which games should be declared winners and which get to have a runner up nod. Rest assured that not everyone leaves the conversation entirely satisfied, and we suspect that you too won’t agree with everything here. That’s what makes the world such a wonderful place - the ability to have a civilised conversation, agree to disagree, then get on with our lives without any further need for discussion. Lovely.

Anyway, we had a hard time whittling down this list and reaching a compromise, but we bloody managed it somehow. It’s a good thing we’re still working from home, so we no longer have to engage in the bloodsoaked gladiatorial battles that normally ensue with the making of these GOTY lists. No one had to die this year. So without further ado, here are our 2021 Game of the Year winners. Enjoy!

Once you’ve finished reading, do leave us a nice comment, won’t you? And be sure to have a fantastic New Year! Here’s to a prosperous and kick-ass 2022!

Runners-up:

Erika Mori as Alex Chen in Life is Strange: True Colors

Remember the name Erika Mori, folks, because if her performance as Life is Strange: True Colors’ protagonist, Alex Chen, is anything to go by, it'll be a name you’ll be hearing again and again in the coming years.

Mori absolutely nails bringing the troubled and adrift Alex Chen to life, and breathes such empathy into True Colors’ already impressive narrative, that it’s hard not to feel every emotion that Chen herself is feeling. While Life is Strange’s Max could rewind time, True Colors’ Chen is a powerful empath, an empath whose twists and turns you’ll feel yourself at every turn due to the exquisite nature of Mori’s performance. Every betrayal, every moment of anger, every moment of vulnerability, Erika Mori brings it to life, and without her, it’s hard to see True Colors’ moments hitting as hard as they do. The depth and range of her role was second to none in 2021, and she absolutely aces a tricky role, that can flip between solemn isolation to uncontrollable rage in an instant. Her performance as Alex Chen was absolutely flawless, and while Mori might be a newbie to voice acting, she’s most definitely a natural.

Jason E. Kelley as Colt Vahn in Deathloop

From the moment protagonist Colt Vahn awakens on the obsidian sands of Blackreef's shores, Jason E. Kelley's monologuing as the dogged antihero is a constant in Deathloop, his effusive confusion at his developing situation never anything less than brilliantly entertaining. As Colt gradually unravels the truth behind the Visionaries – the targets he must dispatch within a 24-hour window to break the loop – and the more you learn about his relationship with powerful rival assassin, Julianna Blake, the more frantic the voice over becomes, ensuring you become irrevocably invested in his mission. Special mention to Julianna voice artist Ozioma Akagha, too, in providing an excellent foil for Colt, and helping to create one of the most energetic and intense video game rivalries of all time.

Winner:

Lenval Brown as The Narrator in Disco Elysium: The Final Cut

One of the best additions to 2021’s release of Disco Elysium: The Final Cut on consoles is by far the fully-voiced narrator, played by musician turned voice actor, Lenval Brown, who perfectly manages to bring Disco Elysium’s protagonist’s inner thoughts to life.

Brown’s cadence, his sultry tones, easily made the Final Cut the definitive version of Disco Elysium. When Brown speaks, you sit up and listen. He really manages to capture the emotion, the anguish, the pain and contempt of every single thought. With around 350,000 recorded words, he’s probably one of the most vocal video game voices of all-time too, and the fact that just before the final credits roll, his words carry as much power as the opening minutes is testament to the quality of his performance. You seriously just can’t avoid getting swept away and enraptured by his hypnotic intonations! Disco Elysium is a great video game as it is, but it hits a new level with Brown at the helm, it really does.

Runners-up:

Lost Judgment

Where the first Judgment dealt with a serial killer whose calling card was to remove the eyeballs of their victims, Lost Judgment opens with a similarly grisly discovery, then broadens its scope with a sprawling, interconnected case that goes far deeper than you might expect. Delving into the rabbit hole during the main case is utterly compelling, but it's the surfeit of School Stories and side content that keeps you coming back to private detective Takayuki Yagami's latest tale, encompassing activities like boxing, robotics, dance club, and skateboarding, as well as all manner of shenanigans in the game's 42 Side Cases. As a sequel, it's above and beyond anything we expected, expanding upon practically every facet of what made the original Yakuza spin-off such a remarkably engaging crime story. Fantastic stuff.

Disco Elysium: The Final Cut

As far as whodunnits go in 2021, there is no finer example of how to spin a narrative than developer ZA/UM’s Disco Elysium: The Final Cut, which finally made its way to consoles after what seemed like forever.

That two-year wait for the previously PC-exclusive title was completely worth it, though, with ZA/UM delivering its absolute definitive version to consoles, the studio giving the notorious narrator a voice, one that changes the game tenfold. Beneath its glorious art-style is a fabulously complex world and narrative that will dazzle, delight, and bewilder at every turn. That story is only enhanced by a cast of seriously complex characters, especially the game’s troubled protagonist, who as the story unravels, so does the RCM detective’s past. His troubles, his inner thoughts and darkest feelings, all beautifully told, as he and his sidekick, Kim Kitsuragi, try to unravel the mystery that unfolds before them. Disco Elysium is an expertly crafted narrative, and easily one of the year’s best.

Winner:

Life is Strange: True Colors

There’s no disputing that after the indifferently received Life is Strange 2, developer Deck Nine had its work cut out to return the Life is Strange feeling to the Life is Strange franchise. While Life is Strange 2 was a harrowing experience, one that was far too bleak in nature for a franchise that made its name around friendship and togetherness, Life is Strange: True Colors was a fantastic return to form for one of Square Enix’s flagship franchises.

Life is Strange: True Colors’ story was a tale of hope, a tale of togetherness, a narrative about finding somewhere to belong, to call home, in a crazy, ever-changing world. What Deck Nine managed to achieve with True Colors’ story was to instill in the player a message of hope through a story set in the beautifully idyllic mountaintop town of Haven, with a diverse cast of characters from all walks of life. From the opening minutes to the closing moments, Deck Nine managed to keep the player guessing, with classic Life is Strange twists and turns at the heart of every major - and minor - decision. It’s hard not to feel moved by True Colors’ narrative, and to truly care for its characters, and that’s why it’s 2021’s best story.

Runners-up:

Call of Duty: Vanguard

Each year, it's with great trepidation that we gingerly dip a toe into Call of Duty's multiplayer. The expectation is that, given the fast pace and level of skill required to play, the entire experience will be a torturous, thankless one, and, more often than not, we're happy to be proven wrong. Call of Duty: Vanguard saw developer Sledgehammer Games (and numerous other sister studios) delivering a cracking suite of multiplayer modes, an arsenal of authentic World War II weaponry, and a strong selection of neatly designed maps. New addition Patrol takes the simple idea of a constantly mobile capture zone and creates a wonderfully chaotic fracas, while weapon handling feels wonderfully robust. Zombies might not have delivered the goods, but we've been lapping up Vanguard's other multiplayer offerings, and will no doubt continue to do so.

Back 4 Blood

Living up to the legacy of Left 4 Dead and its sequel was always going to be a huge task for developer Turtle Rock, and if we’re honest, Back 4 Blood may not have quite reached the high standards set by the Valve-published series. But you know what? It got pretty damn close. It takes a lot to get the four of us at Resero Towers (aka our individual home offices) together for some multiplayer shenanigans, and this year it was Back 4 Blood that drew us together more often than any other game. Whether we were popping zombie heads with assault rifles, trying out a new build with the game’s deck building system, or screaming over our mics that three Tall Boys had entered the fray, we were having a blast. Back 4 Blood was not only excellent fun, but a great excuse for us to chat shit and socialise. And honestly, what more could you want from a multiplayer game?

Winner:

It Takes Two

Built entirely around co-op, It Takes Two is a masterly piece of work, and a natural progression from director Josef Fares' previous projects, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons and A Way Out. The tale of parents going through a difficult time in their relationship, It Take Two's narrative might be the stuff of subpar Disney, but as an excuse to shrink down protagonists May and Cody, turn them into dolls, then force them to work together, after their daughter Rose makes a wish, it hits all of the right notes. Anthropomorphised 'Book of Love' Dr. Hakim might be an irritant, but it's hard to care when there are so many expertly constructed puzzles, incredible set pieces, and such gloriously inventive, utterly memorable moments. A truly sensational, must-play experience, if ever there was one.

Runners-up:

Kena: Bridge of Spirits

That Kena: Bridge of Spirits was created by an animation studio should come as no surprise to anyone who has seen the game in action, let alone played it. Booting up the game for the first time, you’re treated to an opening cutscene that wouldn’t look out of place blown up on the big screen in the cinema, but what’s all the more impressive is how the game keeps this amazing visual style going even once you hit gameplay. The animation is excellent, as should be expected, but it's the art style that really carries Kena’s visuals, taking inspiration from Balinese culture to create a lush, gorgeous world that’s a joy to traverse through. Between this and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, it really feels like the line between video games and animated films is beginning to blur, and we’re excited to see what developer Ember Lab does next.

Resident Evil Village

While we felt that the Resident Evil VII follow-up fell somewhat wide of the mark, there's absolutely no disputing how unreservedly stunning Resident Evil Village looks, once again an eyeball-bursting showcase for Capcom's mind-blowing RE Engine. From the very beginning of Ethan Winters' unrelenting nightmare the visuals dazzle; whether it’s the imposing spires of Dimitrescu Castle, the confines of the Beneviento Dollhouse, and the snowy village itself, every environment is a grim, macabre treat. Its denizens, too, are rendered in startling detail – you can almost feel the stale breath of the lycans on your face when they grab Ethan by the scruff, the sting of the lashing snow, the cold steel of Lady Dimitrescu's claws sinking into your flesh. Resident Evil Village is disgustingly gorgeous, and further proof that the RE Engine is one of the most accomplished game engines around.

Winner:

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

Ratchet & Clank games have long been compared to animated movies, with their excellent animation and art design prompting people to liken them to “a playable Pixar film” ever since the PS3 days. However, this has never been closer to the truth than in the PS5-exclusive Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. The cutscenes alone are beautiful, but it's when the game seamlessly transitions into gameplay that you really get a sense of how visually impressive Rift Apart really is. And that’s not even taking into consideration the variety of locations on offer, from bustling neon cities to lush green open environments, each painted in Ratchet & Clank’s wonderfully cartoony, exaggerated style. Add in a ton of explosions and particle effects when you’re in the heat of battle, and Ratchet & Clank is one of the few games to release in the past twelve months that looks truly next-gen.

Runners-up:

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy

Setting aside the fantastic licensed soundtrack, comprising an array of 1980s pop hits, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy also has its own original album of tunes, recorded especially for the game by fictional band Star-Lord, from which protagonist Peter Quill derives his superhero name. As well as fantastic rock songs created specifically for Peter's cassette player, composer Richard Jacques' orchestral score brilliantly accompanies the action. Enter a Huddle to boost the Guardians' morale, meanwhile, and you'll be randomly served an '80s tune, like 'Take On Me' by A-ha, 'Never Gonna Give You Up' by Rick Astley, or 'Since You Been Gone' by Rainbow. It works brilliantly. Marry all of that to stellar voice acting, and the audio melange at work in Eidos-Montréal's version of Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy, seldom puts a foot wrong.

Life is Strange: True Colors

Life is Strange hit the ground running in 2015, setting a new standard for what we expected from licensed music in video games. Every track nailed the mood for the respective scenes in the 2015 original, and elevated the scene tenfold, injecting it with a boost of emotion that added to the performance by the cast, a perfect example of that is none other than Angus and Julia Stone’s Santa Monica Dream.

Life is Strange: True Colors takes that game-defining formula to the next level thanks to a full album of Life is Strange goodness from Angus and Julia Stone, perfectly complemented by not only a great selection of songs, but also the mesmerising voice of mxmtoon, who provides the singing voice of Alex Chen. Life is Strange: True Colors perfectly epitomises everything that we’ve come to know and love about the Life is Strange franchise, whose song choice and timing is at the absolute pinnacle of the industry. The truth is that Life is Strange would be half the game without the musical selection of songs, and True Colors is no different. In fact, it’s taken the formula to a new level. Simply outstanding.

Winner:

Returnal

How do you make something sound alien? It’s a question we’d struggle to answer, but whoever was in charge of the audio over at developer Housemarque absolutely nailed it in sci-fi shooter Returnal earlier this year. There’s something deeply unsettling about the sounds of the planet Atropos, especially when combined with the PlayStation 5’s 3D audio, which draws you deep into the world of the game, leaving you feeling surrounded by whatever is clicking, whistling, and breathing just out of the corner of your eye. This sound design is also perfectly partnered with the PS5’s DualSense controller, offering the best use of haptic feedback since Astro’s Playroom, which feeds straight back into the audio experience. With all of this, plus a haunting soundtrack and some excellent boss fight tracks, Returnal offers up the very best audio experience available on PlayStation 5 this year. Outstanding stuff.

Runners-up:

Back 4 Blood

We’re so happy to have Left 4 Dead back. Except, we don’t actually have the Valve-published series back, do we? Instead, we’ve got the new (and legally distinct!) IP Back 4 Blood, and developer Turtle Rock really managed to craft something that feels new and familiar at the same time. Taking that classic Left 4 Dead structure, and adding customisable weapons, collectable ability cards, and random AI-generated effects to each mission equated to one of our very favourite co-op experiences of the year. There may be some kinks to work out and some balancing issues to fix, but hey, that’s the whole point of a new IP, right? It can only get better in the next game. Or so we hope.

Deathloop

Once again proving that developer Arkane Studios is a master of its craft, Deathloop takes the immersive sim sandbox ethos of Dishonored and Prey, but creates something entirely new and exciting. An intricate 'murder puzzle', which, on paper sounds straightforward enough, Deathloop is actually rather demanding, tasking amnesiac hero Colt with dispatching eight targets known collectively as the 'Visionaries', in the space of a single day. Easier said than done. As new IPs go, Deathloop is about as good as it gets, boasting a killer concept, a colourful cast of rough and ready characters, a distinctive setting in Blackreef, and a genius hook at the centre of it all. Given the surfeit of time-looping games released this year, that Deathloop manages to stand out at all, is testament to just how utterly brilliant it is.

Winner:

Returnal

My god, I really hope they make another Returnal game. While it’s unclear if protagonist Selene’s story is finished or not, the game’s time-looping premise and alien setting could easily see a sequel or spin-off title, perhaps with a different character in the lead role, facing their own psychological issues. However developer Housemarque wants to approach it, there’s a ton of room for the studio to improve upon what is already one of the very best games of the year, and we’d love to see where it goes next. With its intriguing and uniquely designed alien world and ancient alien society, there’s so much still to explore. It’s hard to believe that Housemarque went from making purely high-action arcade titles, to creating an atmospheric masterpiece like Returnal, but they absolutely nailed it in this new IP.

Runners-up:

Art of Rally

With its low poly art style, clean lines and scrubbed surfaces, and top-down perspective, you'd be forgiven for overlooking Art of Rally based on first impressions alone. But doing so is to let one of the year's coolest little racers pass you by, its no frills approach to rally racing belying something far more deep and intricate, boasting gratifying handling like any good racer worth its salt. Thrashing your little off-road vehicle around compact open worlds, as well as point-to-point rally courses, is never anything less than an absolute pleasure, like transporting Micro Machines away from its pool tables and sticky breakfast surfaces, then offering a challenge akin to something you might find in a more traditional rally sim. Developer Funselektor Labs evidently knows what it's doing, providing a wonderfully unique love letter to rally racing, in a beautiful, elegant package. Gracefully skidding around a gravelly curve seldom feels this good.

Hades

Supergiant’s latest title, Hades, finally made its way to home consoles this year, and it was certainly worth the wait. Indie roguelikes aren’t exactly difficult to find in the modern marketplace, but Hades stands apart from the crowd with its genius narrative structure, which sees each and every death progress the story forward, giving you new characters to talk to, new revelations to discover, and new relationships to develop. Add onto that some amazing combat, with plenty of unique weapons to try out, and a bunch of satisfying godly powers to unlock on each run, and you’ve got something really special here. Oh, and even if you struggle with it a bit, there’s plenty of progression to be found here, even if you do keep dying, meaning that it never feels impossible to reach the credits. We may have had to wait a year to play it on PlayStation, but now that it’s here, it’s one of the best games on the system.

Winner:

Death's Door

It’s really difficult to find pretty much anything to criticise about Death’s Door. The art style is gorgeous. The music is top notch. The combat is crunchy and challenging, and the puzzles are really well designed. Everything just comes together so well as a whole. Not to mention the game’s boss fights, which are some of the very best of 2021 - perhaps not surprising, considering Death’s Door comes from the studio behind Titan Souls, the 2015 indie title that was all about boss fights. Telling a story about the lighter side of death, Death’s Door is an effortlessly charming and immensely polished combination of 2D Zelda and Souls that is never anything but a joy to play. If you’ve not already tried it, what are you waiting for?

Runner-up:

Unsighted's Meteor Dust

Unsighted, a 2D Metroidvania with a hint of Souls-y combat, already had plenty to make it stand out. Great dungeon design, cool weapons, and an interesting sci-fi world to explore make it a great title in its own right. The most interesting idea that Unsighted brings to the table, however, is also its most dividing - its time limit. More than being a simple ticking clock, Unsighted (played in its default mode) sees every single automaton NPC character in the game, as well as your protagonist and their fairy-like companion, given a set amount of time to live. This timer ticks down at the same rate for each character, and as days pass in the game world, every character moves closer to becoming ‘unsighted’ - essentially becoming a mechanical zombie. Luckily, you can offer characters an item called Meteor Dust to extend their time limit by 24 hours, but there’s only a limited amount of it in the world. Do you use it yourself, to give you more time to explore the world and complete the game, or do you give it to a useful merchant? Maybe you just want to use it on a character you like? It makes the entire game far more tense and stressful than it would be otherwise, and the Unsighted developers have added the option to turn off this mechanic. But no matter how you feel about the time limit, it’s certainly one of the most interesting additions in a game this year.

Lemnis Gate's Turn-Based Time Looping

Lemnis Gate is a turn-based first-person shooter. That in itself is something you don’t see much of at all, but hearing that, you might think “oh, a bit like XCOM, but in first person, maybe?” No! Instead, Lemnis Gate is all about the time loop, like so many games this year. Players take it in turns, each given 25 seconds to try and complete an objective, picking a different character each turn. The twist? You and your opponent’s previous attempts are still on the map in your future turns, running around, shooting, placing turrets or whatever. The actual match never lasts longer than 25 seconds, but each turn you and your foe make, adds more and more activity to the arena, until there’s five versions of you and five versions of them running around and completing their loops. This completely changes how you think about the game - do you attempt to kill your opponent’s previous loop to stop them grabbing the objective, and take it yourself? Or do you spend your earlier turns setting up turrets and placing shields at strategic points, in an attempt to scupper their future plans? It’s a borderline genius game mechanic, and Lemnis Gate executes it really well, too. Just don’t play it for too long, unless you want to get a headache trying to think about all the possible outcomes.

Winner:

The Medium's Dual Worlds

According to developer Bloober Team, creating The Medium's real world and hellish nether-realm was only possible thanks to the advent of SSD hard drives on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Being able to seamlessly move between the material and spirit worlds is not just a neat trick; it's an integral part of The Medium, as protagonist Marianne solves puzzles while travelling between the real world and the really brown one, where twisted monsters dwell. And, in fairness, it's a thing that feels next-gen, in a similar vein to Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart's alternate dimensions, you can switch between areas instantly, but in The Medium, you can also explore both simultaneously, as Marianne's material self and her platinum blonde spirit world counterpart. It works remarkably well, and provides a unique hook for a memorable psychological horror experience.

Runners-up:

It Takes Two

Given the quality of Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons and A Way Out, it shouldn't have come as a surprise that developer Hazelight's It Takes Two was a similarly excellent game. What did come as a surprise was just how good It Takes Two turned out to be. Giving each player unique tasks to complete and marrying up the duo for complex - but never anything less than entertaining - puzzles contributed to an experience that constantly keeps throwing new things at you. Few games manage to muster such energy, invention, and pure unbridled verve at every turn. With thrilling set pieces, fun mini-games, and smart contraptions to play around with, It Takes Two proved an absolute joy, and about as pleasant a surprise as you could ever hope for.

Life is Strange: True Colors

After the lukewarm response from critics and the community alike to Life is Strange 2, for a minute it actually dawned on us that the original Life is Strange, and its follow-up, Before the Storm, might have been a one-off. A flash in the pan where all the pieces just seemed to fall into place – thanks to the game’s rich setting, fascinating cast of characters and gripping plot – and that DONTNOD (and Deck Nine) would be trying to recreate that magic to no avail for years to come.

Well, Life is Strange: True Colors was Deck Nine’s response to the doubters. Proof that it can recreate that magic at will and the first time wasn’t just a fluke. In fact, in many regards, Life is Strange: True Colors is actually a far superior game to the much-loved and already brilliant original, and the truth is, it had all the key ingredients that the original had, and then some. While Life is Strange 2 was a touch too bleak, what it really lacked was a place called home to protect and a cast of esoteric town characters to get to know, but not only that, True Colors delivered what Life is Strange 2 couldn’t: it delivered a tale of hope, a redemption story, and one that tugs on the ol’ heartstrings, making it one of the year’s biggest and most pleasant surprises.

Winner:

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy

After Crystal Dynamics fudged the launch of Marvel's Avengers last year, faith in Square Enix's next Marvel project wasn't exactly at an all-time high. Enter Deus Ex studio Eidos-Montréal, ensuring that its messaging for Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy was resolute: it was to be a single-player game, devoid of microtransactions or any DLC fripperies. What you bought was what you got, pure and simple. That's all well and good, of course, but it counts for nought if the game is rubbish. Happily, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is sensational stuff, its planet-hopping story never anything less than an unbridled joy, the developer's own take on Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket, and Groot striking the perfect balance between MCU familiarity and comic book accuracy, while bringing its own flavour to proceedings. Like Insomniac's Spider-Man games, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is a Marvel game we can really get on board with.

Runners-up:

Assassin's Creed Valhalla

With a good 100+ hours of content in the base game, Assassin's Creed Valhalla wasn’t exactly crying out for anything extra, but Ubisoft went ahead and made a whole bunch of new stuff anyway. River Raids offered some roguelite activities to complete, casting off from your settlement in Ravensthorpe, and with the changing of the seasons, you'd see your home made over with decorations and various mini-games to mess about with. Add to that two cracking expansions in the shape of the Ireland-set 'Wrath of the Druids' and 'The Siege of Paris', as well as 'Tombs of the Fallen' and a free crossover quest tying the game to Assassin's Creed Odyssey, and you've one of the most generous suites of post-launch content ever. Oh, and on top of that, there's another colossal expansion on the way in March 2022, titled 'Dawn of Ragnarok'. It just keeps on coming.

Call of Duty: Warzone

2021 has been a massive year for Call of Duty: Warzone. The hugely successful free-to-play battle royale has launched not one, but two new maps this year, each one tying into the last mainline Call of Duty release. First we got Verdansk ‘84, a rebuilt version of Verdansk, with entirely new locations and reworked ones, in order to keep everything fresh. And then, right at the end of the year, Warzone got the new Caldera map, set on a Pacific island, to tie into Call of Duty: Vanguard. It’s not all been plain sailing - there’s been plenty of issues with Caldera in particular - but Warzone has also just consistently been updated with new events, game modes, mechanics, and more across the entire year. Since Call of Duty: Warzone launched last year, the game has gone from strength to strength.

Winner:

Hitman III

We can't get enough of developer IO Interactive's murderous 'World of Assassination' sandbox, Hitman III providing another six missions in which to cause the untimely deaths of numerous targets – unscrupulous, horrible people, who, more often than not, deserve it. But what to do once you've taken care of all those targets? Exhausted the myriad ways to off them? Going above and beyond, IO has not only supported Hitman III with constant free updates since launch, including new Elusive Targets, Escalation Contracts, and seasonal events, but also released appealing paid DLC in the shape of The Seven Deadly Sins. While the latter provided a selection of themed content encompassing Greed, Wrath, Envy, and everything in between, it's the frequency with which new stuff has been rolled out for no additional cost that's really given Agent 47's latest outing a long tail. Great stuff.

Runners-up:

Double Fine Productions

Double Fine Productions might have only released one game this year, but that game was the excellent Psychonauts 2, which puts the studio in contention for best developer automatically. However, on top of releasing a top-quality game, Double Fine has consistently proven to be a force for good in the industry. Whether it was frequently updating the game’s original backers with new information and blog posts, or laying out what accessibility options to expect ahead of the game’s launch, Double Fine has maintained a good relationship with its fans. The studio also once again hosted the Day of the Devs event, giving indie studios a platform to promote their titles, and reportedly even avoided crunch in the leadup to Psychonauts 2’s release. We so often report on studios when they do something wrong, but it’s worth noting that Double Fine seems to have done everything right this year.

IO Interactive

Danish developer IO Interactive, pretty much picked up where it left off with Hitman support when they dropped Hitman 3 earlier this year. And by that, we mean showering our favourite assassin with a selection of fresh drops. Content updates left, right and centre is a fair assessment of IO Interactive’s Hitman 3 support, despite early reports from the studio suggesting that support might not reach Hitman 2 levels.

As far back as February 2021, a mere few weeks after launch, IO Interactive had come out and said that they weren’t planning map DLC for the game that signified the end to the World of Assassination trilogy, with players expecting support to shift from Hitman 3 to the upcoming Bond title in the coming months. But alas, that was not the case. IO has pretty much carried on the same kind of enthusiasm for Hitman 3 that we saw for the previous instalments, with consistent monthly updates, all of which were free for the player. And on top of that, we’re even getting new maps and modes next year too, which is quite frankly music to our ears! IO Interactive’s support for its games thus far has been absolutely top notch, and Hitman 3 is just an absolute perfect example.

Winner:

Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio

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Given a well-deserved nod in the same category last year, for Yakuza: Like A Dragon, developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio had another busy time in 2021. Not only did it follow up 2018s Judgment with superb sequel Lost Judgment, but it also remastered Super Monkey Ball 1, 2, and Deluxe as Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania. The studio also found time to remake Virtua Fighter 5 using its Dragon Engine, releasing the Ultimate Edition of AM2's arcade fighter as a PlayStation Plus title in June. On Xbox, meanwhile, it released the original Judgment so fans could catch up ahead of the launch of Lost Judgment, then capped things off with Yakuza 6: The Song of Life for Xbox Game Pass, making the saga available via the service in its entirety. Should RGG give us Yakuza Kenzan and Ishin remasters next, it’ll be a shoo-in for another award next year.

Runners-up:

SEGA

Another solid year for SEGA, 2021 brought with it another trip to Kamurocho and Ijincho for Lost Judgment, the western release of Persona 5 Strikers (via SEGA subsidiary Atlus), Virtua Fighter 5: Ultimate Showdown, an oft-requested remaster of Sonic Colors, and more Yakuza titles for Xbox Game Pass. What could be better? How about a whole bunch of super monkeys in balls? Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania might have been another remaster, but as remasters go, chucking the best three Super Monkey Ball games into one package with a bunch of extras proved pretty darn generous. A steady and consistent year, SEGA paced itself with more high-profile releases, too, including the well-supported Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles, the Jumbo Edition of Two Point Hospital, Football Manager 2022, an Olympic Games 2020 tie-in game, and the HD remaster of Shin Megami Tensei III. Nice.

Electronic Arts

EA certainly hasn’t had a perfect year - the disappointment of Battlefield 2042 is still lingering a little - but before that, the much-maligned publisher had managed to put out a string of really good titles this year. Mass Effect Legendary Edition offered excellent value for money, wrapping up three top RPGs and making them look gorgeous on modern hardware. F1 2021 offered a best-in-class showing for the Codemasters series, while Lost in Random brought great art design and intriguing gameplay from the EA Originals labels. Knockout City was a surprisingly engaging multiplayer dodgeball game, and of course, we can’t forget It Takes Two, the effortlessly inventive co-op title from Hazelight that turned out to be one of the very best games of the year. EA might have disappointed in some areas, but it absolutely knocked it out of the park, for the most part, and on balance, it's a deserving runner up.

Winner:

Sony Interactive Entertainment

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While it’s still tough to get your hands on a PS5 these days, Sony has been absolutely killing it when it comes to software releases this year. PlayStation Studios not only published two of the best games of the year, in the form of Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and Returnal, but also put out two excellent Director’s Cuts of Ghost of Tsushima and Death Stranding. Add onto that the enjoyable (if underwhelming) Destruction AllStars, and even a new MLB: The Show game making its way to multiple platforms for the first time. Considering the sheer amount of games that PlayStation published last year, and how many are still to come in 2022, it seems impossible for Sony to have a quiet year, and long may it continue. A worthy winner.

Runners-up:

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

What a return to form Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart turned out to be. While the series was prolific on the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3, we’ve not actually had a brand new, mainline entry since 2013. There was plenty of expectation heaped on Rift Apart, then, but luckily the game turned out to be bloody excellent. Giving Ratchet (and new character Rivet) a new selection of inventive and madcap firearms to wield, Rift Apart has some of the very best action in the series, asking players to constantly stay on the move and switch up weapons for each battle. The story is sharp and funny, with new characters Rivet and Kit proving to be a highlight, while the new worlds on offer to explore are varied and gorgeous. Sony and Insomniac may have spent a long time selling players on the next-gen dimensional rifts that only the PS5 could pull off, but at its core, Rift Apart is an old-school Ratchet & Clank game through-and-through, fine-tuned for modern hardware, and it's all the better for it.

Returnal

Developer Housemarque is well known for its action games, like Super Stardust HD, Resogun, and Nex Machina. But Returnal manages to pair that sumptuous, fast-paced action, with a slow-burn sci-fi thriller narrative, in a way that absolutely shouldn’t work, but really does. With an ever-shifting alien world to explore, Returnal offers up an excellent lead character in the form of Selene, whose background is always left a little bit foggy, and you’re very much strapped in for the ride with her. The narrative is perfectly suited to the game’s looping nature, and there’s always the promise of something new to find upon each death. The game makes excellent use of the PlayStation 5’s features, such as amazing haptic feedback in the DualSense controller, and engrossing use of 3D audio. It all looks gorgeous in action too, and that action is top notch, offering up some extremely challenging encounters, culminating in some excellent boss fights. Even if you’re not into roguelikes or roguelites, Returnal is a game you owe to yourself to play. Unless your name is Rich (thanks, Matt - Rich).

Winner:

Deathloop

Perhaps the biggest problem Deathloop faced ahead of launch, was communicating exactly what it was. The latest 'immersive sim' from the developer behind Dishonored and 2017's Prey, what exactly was it? Was it a roguelike? Sort of. Was it a puzzle game? In a sense. Would it be anything like Dishonored? Certain elements, yep. The moment you actually start playing Deathloop, however, you'll instantly realise that it's entirely its own thing, despite cribbing certain abilities from Corvo, Arkane Studios' other supernatural assassin. Unravelling the game's 'murder puzzle', figuring out an optimum route through the game's eight targets, and gathering enough 'Residuum' to keep hold of weapons and items between loops, quickly becomes an intuitive and engaging activity. No loop is wasted, as you gather clues to the whereabouts of the band of 'Visionaries' protagonist Colt needs to kill off within the confines of a single loop, and, with each loop, you'll grow increasingly powerful and knowledgeable. Truly, there's nothing quite like Deathloop, and it's a bravura piece of work – a hugely deserving Game of the Year winner.

Comments
12
  • EA shouldn't even get runners up for best publisher, they are garbage
  • As much as I liked True Colours, I think Disco Elysium definitely deserved the win on Best Story. Otherwise, fairly dang solid list. I do agree with the above that EA as a publisher doesn't deserve much praise, though.
  • I've know next to nothing about The Medium, but it kind of sounds like the shifting plains from the Soul Reaver games.

    My personal GOTY was Death's Door. I'm glad to see it was your choice for best indie.
  • Best publisher... runner-up EA... are you kidding me?
  • 2021 was a good year in gaming overall, 2022 will be a great year.
  • Sony really had a good year again with exclusives. Can't wait for this year, God of War, Horizon, Ghostwire.
  • 2022 does indeed look like a great year for games. Outside of PS/Xbox, Nintendo hopefully releases Bayonetta 3 and a new Zelda.
  • Nice to see Hitman III win. Best supported game makes sense. All that was mentioned in the article is true but didn’t touch on the new season that brings new maps, modes, a rumored safe house, and more in three weeks. It will be the one year anniversary and they’re planning on a huge year two.

    Nothing against Deathloop winning (I haven’t played it so can’t speak on it) but I find it interesting that it’s already a discounted game and can be obtained for $20 just about everywhere. I guess that’s a good thing but you don’t usually see AAA games drop to a third of the full price within months like Deathloop did.
  • @NMErickson I always see games discounted after they have been out for a few months, it's the best way to grow the player base. I think it's double smart with this game, seeing as it's the last time you will be able to play it on Playstation as it's Microsoft exclusive from now it makes sense to get as many people interested in it as they can.
  • I don't think of any ones for Best Supported should really have qualified, as they're not exactly that old, it should go to games that have been out for 4+ years, not 1-2 years.

    Also, EA being a runner-up for Best Publisher? That has to be a joke, right?
  • My personal GOTY was Returnal and nothing else even came close to the excitement, wonder, anticipation, spectacle and sheer fun this game had to offer.

    I'd also like to offer up the following game as easily, hands down, not even close, the utter WORST 2021 had to offer and possibly one of the absolute worst gaming experiences in history - BATTLEFIELD 2042
  • Best graphics: Returnal

    GotY: Returnal
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