2021. It’s hard to believe another year is in the books. After what I considered to be the weakest next-gen console launch in recent memory, boy howdy has 2021 started to deliver the goods! So much in fact that there was a lot to choose from in this top 5 list of 2021, and not just choose from, but also play. In an interesting turn of events, every game on my top 5 this year, is actually from this year!
Without further adieu:
#5
Metroid Dread
I’ve been a Metroid fan for many years. My first experience with it was the original Metroid on the NES. I’ll be honest, I was like 7 years old and had absolutely no idea what I was doing: dead ends at every turn, confusing layout, lots of backtracking… you know, hallmarks of the now named Metroidvania genre. My next experience was Super Metroid on the SNES. This game is a retro masterpiece, a revelation to me, and a game that I still find myself going back to, even to this day.
Metroid Dread had a tall task. The Metroidvania genre itself has been polished and iterated by many. Several of the Grumpy gamers (myself included) had some Metroidvanias on previous game of the year lists (Steamworld Dig 2, Shantae series, to name a few). Could Metroid Dread not only live up to its own legacy, but stand out in this new crowd?
Yep!
Developer Mercury Steam managed to craft a gorgeous, modern 2D Metroid game I have been wanting for years. Tight controls, amazing animations, challenging game play, progression through awesome equipment upgrades, and a huge map to explore and get lost in. Some have criticized the difficulty, which is valid in this era of game accessibility. But at the same time, the rage inducing (albeit AWESOME) boss encounters had this old school ‘memorize the pattern’ approach that will reward those with the patience to keep at it. This being said, it’s possible this will turn away newcomers to the series.
I could take or leave the “EMMI” sections of the game; areas where you are stalked by terminator-like robots that can one hit kill you, and they will. A lot. Seriously. Dear God. I guess the titular “Dread” had to come from somewhere.
I applaud Nintendo and Mercury Steam for creating an unapologetically tough-as-nails AAA side scroller in 2021, and a Metroid one at that. Can’t wait to see where the series goes next.
#4
Halo Infinite
I know any of those that know me even a little bit, will be surprised to see this so “low” on my list, considering my fanatical obsession for the franchise, and Xbox as a whole. This isn’t a low ranking. It is an amazing game. 343 finally did what fans have been asking for, for the last decade:
Make a good Halo game.
The promise of this game was interesting. An open world Halo game. I was a little torn on that tagline, as many open world games tend to be a little long in the tooth; artificially inflated with an insane amount of map markers and waypoints. A 100+ hour slog from objective to objective. You know, an Ubisoft game..
Thankfully Halo Infinite is a bit more finite with it’s direction. The roughly 15-20 hour campaign, while existing within an enormous map, is still focused. The optional objectives still feel within the context of the main story as a whole. I don’t feel myself (Master Chief) being pulled out of the important main story to go do something ridiculous and inconsequential like farm ingredients. The side missions are distilled down to: capturing bases (and thus allowing you to operate from them, with marines, weapons, and vehicle spawns), taking down key/unique enemy targets (unlocking their unique weapon variants.. which is super cool by the way), and responding to UNSC distress calls (which gives you valor, and unlocks more fun things at the aforementioned bases). All of which fit within the overarc of the story.
The direction made me feel the game had the illusion of an open world. Despite the map’s size, I still had the “Go go go!!” feeling of prior Halo games. The “openness” of the game was the method on how I approached the objectives. The “Infinite” is the way in which you carry out the missions, and not in the world itself. The freedom to approach how I want, is the draw of this game. Even the inclusion of the Spiderman/Attack on Titan-like “Grappleshot” would lend credence to this. Going back to previous Halo games will be difficult to do without that thing. The amount of fun there is immense. And the moment to moment action in this game feels right at home as it did when I played the original Halo, 20 years ago.
Long story short (and even without the EXCELLENT free to play multiplayer portion of this game), Halo Infinite is the best FPS of the year, one that will only get better with updates (looking at you, Co-op campaign), and one that is certainly worthy of your time.
Suit up, Spartan!
#3
Mass Effect: Legendary Edition
I would normally be a nay-sayer for a compilation on a game of the year list, but this is a special exception. And why do I say so? Because the original Mass Effect series is not only the greatest video game trilogy ever made, but also the best sci-fi story ever told.
That’s right, I said it.
This sprawling space opera is an absolute masterpiece in storytelling, world building, and character development.
If you have not played this series, you now have a fantastic opportunity (or maybe an obligation) to do so with a remastered package of Mass Effect 1, 2, and 3. Majority of the new paint was tossed at the first 2 entries in the series, though all games benefit from the new buttery smooth frame rates and 4k resolution (if running on a console that supports it, of course). Some quality of life improvements were made for the original ME, which I do admit was HEAVY on the RPG elements and greatly benefits from the streamlined remaster. Though if you were ever a fan of Knights of the Old Republic (another BioWare classic), the RPG elements won’t deter you at all.
If you do decide to jump in on this, give yourself some time as these are immense games with insane levels of replay value. The choices and paths you make carry forward from game to game, and often in meaningful and lasting ways. I won’t detail the story here, as I do think the less you know about it the better.
There are a few pieces missing for this to be a totally complete package: namely the multiplayer components of this are missing completely. Had this been included this may have snuck higher on my list. This was a thoroughly enjoyable “horde mode” style PvE multiplayer portion that affected the single player campaign. I would love to see this as a DLC added at some point down the road.
This is rarely said, but, kudos to EA for publishing this remaster. If anything, it is a message that the Mass Effect fandom is alive and well. Looking forward to where the Mass Effect series goes next.
#2
Forza Horizon 5
I was a late adopter to the Horizon series of Forza games. I was all about the racing-sim style of gaming that is the Forza Motorsport series. Not to say I don’t like arcade-style racers (“DAYYYYYYTOOOOONAAAAAAAAAAAA!” anyone?), I love them in fact. But prior to GamePass, when I went to purchase a racing game, and it was down to Horizon or Motorsport, I would always pick the latter.
But this is a post-GamePass world where I’m spoiled and I can download and play whatever the hell I want. And hot damn, what a time to be alive.
Forza Horizon 5 is the best arcade racer ever made. And interestingly, almost a year after the Series X/S launch, it is the first time I felt I was playing a true “next-gen” title. So many times during my eye-watering playthrough did I find myself verbalizing how amazing the cars and environments looked. Made me think about how far we’ve come since I played “Rad Racer” when I was a kid. The pick-up-and-play nature of this game is very welcoming to newcomers as well. The easy accessibility made it so my fiancée and I were both able to hop into a multiplayer session and race around a Mexico inspired open world map with relative ease. Right trigger, go fast, left trigger, slow down. And of course, Y button to rewind. She likes that button. (and so do I..)
Forza Horizon does this interesting intro to each of their games, where it kicks off your experience with a bombastic showpiece; a distillation of your experience to come, so to speak. This intro for Horizon 5 took Playground Games a whopping 6 months to create this 10 minute set-up to the game ahead. It’s cinematic, blistering, addictive..
And it’s why Forza is the king of racing.
#1
Psychonauts 2
It feels weird to say this, but 3D platformers aren’t what they used to be. Sure, billion dollar first party developers like Nintendo can pull a modern masterpiece out of the genre a la Mario Odyssey; but this isn’t the “era” of the 3D platformer anymore. When 3D platformers are produced, they tend to be geared toward the largest audience possible. Psychonauts 2 is what happens when a 3D platformer is created for adults. That’s not to say that it can’t be enjoyed by younger audiences, as I’m sure it is. Younger gamers may pick this up and play it at face value: a beautiful, creative, and consistent platformer. But what they may be missing, is the writing and narrative genius that is Tim Schafer (Secret of Monkey Island, Full Throttle, Day of the Tentacle). I played those titles when I was much younger, and I loved them. But then I replayed them as an adult, and realized that there was SO much more.
Developer Double Fine’s “Psychonauts 2” feels like it was meant for adults. It feels like it was meant for me.
Being an adult is difficult. We must balance family, work, finances.. any number of a myriad of responsibilities. All of these, whether we realize it or not, can take a toll on our well-being, and mental health. These can manifest in any number of mental conditions: Anxiety, PTSD, panic attacks, addiction, just to name a few.
Double Fine had a vision to make a game that promoted mental health within the game industry; evident from first screen when you start your playthrough:
This is all heavy stuff. So heavy that Double Fine recruited clinical psychologists to assist in their efforts and potrailal of these conditions. This is all amazing, but, how does it translate into a video game??
Masterfully.
In Psychonauts 2, you play as Raz (Razputin Aquato), a newly recruited member of the Psychonauts (this picks up immediately after the events of the first game, which are nicely summed up for you at the onset of your adventure). The Psychonauts, are a psychic espionage organization, complete with psychic abilities that include being able to go into the minds of other people. People who, as mentioned earlier, may be suffering from the aforementioned mental health issues.
Not only are these mental health topics confronted head-on, they are done in such a clever way, and with such levity and wit. The concepts and themes of each of the subject’s brains are discovered through the levels themselves, rather than through bouts of exposition; the layers are unfurled revealing what makes these people tick. It’s a metaphor for the mind itself.
In one particularly memorable area of the game, I had discovered a brain in a jar. No body, just a brain hanging out in the jar. Once I entered this mind, I discovered a ball of light within it (voiced by Jack Black, nonetheless). This mind’s owner had forgotten his identity. There happened to be another character that needed a loaner brain (long story), so I put 2 and 2 together and put the brain in the body. The previously deprived mind was immediately overwhelmed by sensory overload, from not having senses for so long. Thus began the journey in the mind to reacquaint the ball of light with his 5 senses. In doing so, you realize the brain’s owner is a synesthete (a perceptual phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory pathway leads to involuntary experiences in a second sensory pathway). This is played out in the most psychedelic 60’s-esque acid-trip type level I’ve ever seen. Many games have done a level like this. None have done it as well as this.
Tim Schafer’s writing, and the incredible voice cast had me laughing out loud through the entirety of my playthrough. Sure, the game has a bit of the mid-2000’s platformer-feel-jankiness, and mediocre combat; but I truly didn’t care. I just wanted to see what was next. This has been the most creative experience I’ve had in gaming in a long time. Not only is it my game of the year, but it was so far ahead of the others it’s silly.
“Slightly better than a mouthful of nails!”
(That’s an inside joke, you’ll have to play the game to find out what it means!)
The Grumpy Old Gamers 
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