Top 10 Video Games of 2021

After what was the most uncertain and concerning year in human history, 2021 showed a shining light of hope with the creation of a vaccine for Covid-19 to give us the protection we need to hopefully someday return to normality and without the fear of catching a deadly virus. And also during the year there have a plentiful share of new video games to entertain us. Some that surprised us, made us laugh and were just overall fun. So as 2021 comes to a close, here is what I consider to be the Top 10 Video Games of 2021. As always these are games that I have played. Meaning that there are ones that I didn’t get to play mostly due to not having a PS5 yet. So games like Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, Scarlet Nexus, and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy will not be on this list. And this is all just my own personal opinion so take this list with a pinch of salt. Respect my opinion and I’ll respect yours. Sound good? Great. Onto the countdown.

Number 10. New Pokémon Snap.

One of the biggest surprises that got announced during 2020 was the reveal of a sequel to the 1999(Or 2000 for us the UK.) Nintendo 64 game Pokémon Snap. And like its predecessor, New Pokémon Snap is a first person on-rail photography game where you take photos of Pokémon in various locations while using  fluffruit to lure certain Pokémon for better close up shots, play a melody to make some Pokémon dance and the new Illumina Orbs to make Pokémon glow. For more variety there’s also day and night versions of each location where certain Pokémon show up along with a level up system and branching paths in some locations. Giving the game has a ton of replay value. Add that with the great and relaxing gameplay, you have one of the most satisfying games of the year. Thanks to developer Bandai Namco the game looks amazing with its colorful and vibrant environments and character models and runs at a solid 60fps. The music is pretty good like the previous game ranging through multiple styles to match each locations environment. After many years of demanding a Pokémon Snap sequel, New Pokémon Snap delivers on so many notes that Pokémon fans around the globe will enjoy for years to come.

Number 9. WarioWare: Get It Together.

And continuing with the surprise announcements, at E3 2021 we got the reveal of a brand new game in the WarioWare series. September the same year, the game was released and it was a fun and mostly enjoyable experience. But more on the gameplay in a bit. The story begins with Wario and his friends at his company WarioWare Inc. when Wario finishes the game they have been developing. When he tries to start it however, the console does not turn on, much to Wario and his friends’ confusion. Annoyed, Wario throws the console in the air and he, along with his friends, get sucked inside the game. When he wakes up, he discovers that his game is riddled with “Game Bugs”, which cause corruption and glitches within the game’s levels. Wario and his friends have to destroy these bugs by beating their respective levels. The writing is funny, weird and clever like the previous games in the series. But just like the previous installments the highlight is the gameplay. Which is pretty good though with its new mechanics it takes some time to adjust as you actually control the characters which have their own control gimmick in order to clear the microgames in each level. And given the short time limit to clear them, there are ones that need a lot of split second decisions in order to clear them that at times can be infuriating. But despite the flaws the overall gameplay is still fun. Especially if you have more people for multiplayer. The cartoony visuals are fantastic and fit the weirdness of WarioWare and run at a smooth 60fps. And to top it off, the sound design is easily the best it has been in the entire series. A lot of gamers seemed to have slept on this one as no one talked about it since the full game was released. Maybe it could be the gameplay shift for this installment. But honestly, WarioWare: Get It Together is a fun time that deserves more recognition. If you’re a WarioWare fan, definitely check this one out if you haven’t.

Number 8. Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin.

Prior to this I haven’t played much of Capcom’s Monster Hunter series aside from a few demos. But for my first full playthrough of one, I went for the second installment of it’s JRPG spinoff, Monster Hunter Stories. And thankfully, playing the first game that was released on the 3DS back in 2016 is not required as it’s own self contained story. You play as the grandchild of Red, a legendary Rider. The story begins with a fateful encounter with Ena, a Wyverian girl who has been entrusted with an egg with the potential to hatch into a legendary Rathalos which could wreak havoc if awakened to its destructive power. The gameplay incorporates both the monster hunting of the main series to obtain materials for forging and upgrading weapons and armour and the turn based battle mechanics of a JRPG. And they both work really well. Especially when you find monster eggs to hatch to add new monsties to your party. Presentation looks nice with its anime visuals and cel shaded graphics. The game does run at 30fps but during battles and exploring some areas the framerate does take a big hit. It’s not to the point of being unplayable but it is very noticeable if you’re playing the Switch version like I did. So if that’s a deal breaker for you, go with the PC version. Sound design is neatly balanced with orchestrated music for its soundtrack and mostly good voice acting. I say mostly because listening to Navirou and his never ending cat puns gets very annoying very quickly. So you may wanna switch the voices to Japanese if he gets on your nerves. But overall, Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin is a great JRPG that both Monster Hunter fans and RPG fans will enjoy. Another must have RPG for the Nintendo Switch. But what about the OTHER Monster Hunter game that came out in 2021 you ask? You’ll find out later on this list...

Number 7. Sonic Colours Ultimate.

During the summer of 2021 to coincide with the 30th anniversary of Sonic The Hedgehog, SEGA did a presentation similar to a Nintendo Direct with Sonic announcements. And the first one they made was the highly rumoured and highly requested HD remaster of 2010’s Sonic Colours in the form of Sonic Colours Ultimate. A remaster that had a rocky start when it was first released. But the patches that have been released have fixed most of the issues it had. ...For the PS4 and Xbox One versions of the game. The Nintendo Switch version on the other hand... Yikes. But more on that in a bit. The premise is that Dr. Eggman opens an amusement park in space called Dr. Eggman’s Incredible Interstellar Amusement Park, allegedly turning over a new leaf and making up for past transgressions. The park is made up of several planet-sized attractions. Suspicious, Sonic the Hedgehog and his best friend Tails investigate. They meet Yacker, who comes from a species of aliens known as Wisps. After Tails invents a translator to communicate with him, they learn that other Wisps have been enslaved by Eggman, who plans to harness their energy for a mind-control laser that will allow him to take over Earth. So now it’s up to Sonic once again to put a stop to the evil doctor’s evil plan. Like the Wii original the gameplay has a balance of speed sections and 3D platforming with using alien Wisps to gain power ups to get to new pathways to find Red Rings and find shortcuts. Presentation I think looks really good. Seeing one of the best looking games on the Wii in HD on more powerful hardware was worth the wait. During gameplay that is. The cutscenes are the same as the Wii original but just cleaned up and upscaled. And going back to gameplay, the game runs at a smooth 60fps when playing the PlayStation and Xbox versions. Switch version runs at 30fps. Which wouldn’t be bad if it also wasn’t for the amount of glitches and bugs that the Switch version has. Apparently it has been patched but it’s still not a perfect port. Thankfully the sound design is remains as good as it was back in 2010. Albeit with sound balance issue by default that has thankfully been patched. Another thing that’s like how it was in 2010 is the voice acting. This marked the debut of Roger Craig Smith as Sonic and to this day his performance still holds up. Same goes for Mike Pollock as Dr. Eggman who since then has become the definitive voice of the character. So in conclusion, Sonic Colours Ultimate may not be a perfect remaster but it’s still the same fantastic Sonic game we all know and love. Just don’t play the Nintendo Switch version until its fully been fixed.

Number 6. Monster Hunter Rise.

See? Told you it was gonna be here didn’t I? But yeah, two new Monster Hunter games in the same year. Not only did we a sequel to a spinoff but we also got the sixth instalment of the main series. And for my first main series playthrough, I’m already impressed with what I’ve played so far. While storylines don’t usually play a big part of the main Monster Hunter series but they are present. And Monster Hunter Rise is no exception. Set in the ninja-inspired land of Kamura Village,  you as a new hunter to explore lush ecosystems and battle fearsome monsters to become the ultimate hunter. It’s been half a century since the last calamity struck, but a terrifying new monster has reared its head and threatens to plunge the land into chaos once again. Gameplay is the usual Monster Hunter affair where you set out on quests to find materials by exploring areas and hunting down monsters that vary in challenge depending on what rank you are. So learning to read each Monsters movements are a must so you can dodge at the right time so you go in and deal damage to it till it goes down for you to obtain materials from it to forge new weapons, armour and upgrades. While you have a Palico for assistance, you also have a new canine companion called a Palamute that you can ride for faster movement and deal some additional damage to the monsters you fight as well as the new Wire Bugs for launching yourself upward, to the side to dodge bigger attacks and a wire bug special attack that varies depending on what weapon you use. So yeah, gameplay is solid from what I’ve played so far. Presentation looks amazing. The fact that Capcom were able to fit a game that runs the RE Engine on a Nintendo Switch cartridge and run at a steady 30fps is simply astounding. Which is the same word I would describe the soundtrack. Every track is fully orchestrated that fits the game’s ancient Japan like setting and is brilliantly composed and the voice acting that I have heard so far is pretty good. I honestly wished I got this game sooner. Because Monster Hunter Rise deserves every bit of praise it received and one that I feel should’ve been nominated for Game of the Year. If you’ve never played a Monster Hunter game before and want to get into the franchise, from what I’ve played so far I can honestly say that this is a good starting point. And it’s one I highly recommend to Monster Hunter fans old and new.

Number 5. Metroid Dread.

As the wait for Metroid Prime 4 continues on, at E3 2021 Nintendo got the biggest reaction from fans with the reveal of Metroid Dread. A new game in the mainline Metroid series and canonically the fifth instalment. Following the events of Fusion, the Galactic Federation receives video footage from an unknown source that suggests the X Parasites had survived the destruction of SR388. Seeking to determine if the X still posed a threat to the galaxy, the Federation dispatched a unit of seven E.M.M.I. robots to investigate the planet ZDR, which was believed to be the source of the transmission. The unit vanished soon after arrival. Samus Aran is dispatched to investigate by the Federation and travels to ZDR. As the only being in the universe with immunity against the X Parasites, Samus seeks to uncover whether they truly still exist. Gameplay is the traditional 2D Metroid style of exploration. Shooting aliens to defend yourself and finding items to increase your health, missile ammunition and obtaining upgrades. And it’s no easy feat as the further you progress the more challenging it gets. You will see the Game Over screen a lot. Presentation looks stunningly detailed and runs at a solid 60fps and sound design fits the tone of the overall game. While I’m still playing through it, Metroid Dread is a phenomenal game that must be in every Nintendo Switch owners collection. One that should have won Game of the Year. Here’s hoping that Metroid Prime 4 shows up in 2022.

Number 3. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury.

It wouldn’t be a year of gaming if there wasn’t a Wii U game ported to the Switch. And for 2021 and to cap off Mario 35th Anniversary we were blessed with a port of what is easily one of the best 3D Mario games of the last decade, Super Mario 3D World. A game that follows Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Toad who are watching a fireworks show until they find a tilted glass pipe. After Mario and Luigi fix it, a green fairy-like Sprixie princess appears and tells them that Bowser has kidnapped and trapped the rest of the Sprixie princesses in jars. He arrives and captures her before escaping through the pipe, while the heroes enter it and pursue him. They find themselves in a realm known as “The Sprixie Kingdom” and set off to find the Sprixies. But that’s just the plot of Super Mario 3D World. For Bowser’s Fury it follows Mario as he winds up in a place known as Lake Lapcat and teams up with Bowser Jr. in order to stop Bowser, who has been transformed by an inky substance into Fury Bowser. Gameplay for Super Mario 3D World is the same as it was on the Wii U. It incorporates the point A to point B gameplay of 2D Mario and the fully 3D movement of 3D Mario which still works to this day with some tweaks. For Bowser’s Fury on the other hand, it takes place in a large free-roaming area similar to the open world Super Mario games. Mario must explore the islands in order to retrieve Cat Shines. Bowser Jr., who can be controlled by a second player, can assist Mario by using his paintbrush to attack enemies and reveal secrets. Occasionally, Fury Bowser awakens and begins to attack, transforming the island in certain places. By collecting the Cat Shines, Mario gains access to the Giga Bell, a large version of the Super Bell, which transforms Mario into Giga Cat Mario so that he can take on Fury Bowser. So think of this as Super Mario meets Ultraman. ...with a bit of Dragon Ball Z thrown in. Like seriously, ever since Giga Cat Mario got revealed EVERYONE compared it to Goku’s Super Saiyan form just because he has spiky gold hair when the Ultraman reference is staring right at us with the battles between Giga Cat Mario and Fury Bowser being a full on Kaiju fights. *sighs* Anyway, tangent aside the gameplay for Bowser’s Fury is fantastic and hopefully sign of what’s to come in future Mario games. The presentation for both the main game and Bowser’s Fury looks colourful and runs at a solid 60fps with no dips at all. The soundtrack is still incredible and some of the best music in a Mario game. The new tracks for Bowser’s Fury are great listen to with Fury Bowser’s theme being my absolute favourite due to the F-Zero X vibe it has. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury is fantastic game that’s a must have for any Mario fan wither they be ones experiencing Super Mario 3D World for the first time because not many people bought a Wii U or ones who want to play it again on Switch with the addition of the new Bowser’s Fury side game. Another must have platformer for any Switch owner.

Number 3. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD. 

With the sequel to Breath of the Wild finally coming in 2022, now is the perfect time to be a Zelda fan. And to coincide with the franchise’s 35th anniversary, Nintendo gave us an HD remaster of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. A game that despite being well received by critics and sold well, was divisive amongst fans due to its heavy use of motion controls. But this new remaster adds some much needed quality of life improvements to make this the definitive version. Set at the beginning of the Zelda Timeline on a floating island called Skyloft, a girl named Zelda is taken to the surface by an evil entity thought to have been sealed away. Link, a student at Skyloft’s Knight Academy, must save Zelda with the help of an unlikely sidekick and seal away the great evil on the surface. One of the biggest quality of life improvements for this remaster is the gameplay as you can optionally use button controls. Which is what I used throughout my playthrough. By flicking the right stick you can swing your sword in the direction you’re flicking it. For me it makes playing this game so much better than before. The presentation has received a touch up and looks cleaner than the Wii original and now runs at 60fps. The soundtrack is the same which is still amazing as this was the first Zelda game to use actual instruments for its soundtrack and its wonderfully orchestrated. This remaster marked the first time I ever played The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword all the way through the end and it was worth the many hours I spent playing. If you never played this game before then I highly recommend playing this HD remaster. 

Number 2. No More Heroes III.

Caught you off guard didn’t I? Some of you probably thought I was gonna put this at Number 1 due how much I love the No More Heroes series and how long I’ve waited for this. But there was one other game that won me over. Anyway, back in 2019 at E3 when No More Heroes III got revealed I got super excited for it because after the alright at the best but still sold well spinoff Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes I was eagerly waiting for the day an actual third No More Heroes game got announced. Then in 2021 No More Heroes III was finally released and I personally was thoroughly impressed with it. Set two years after the events of Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes, the game stars professional assassin Travis Touchdown and follows his return to the fictional city of Santa Destroy, as he must defend the world from a powerful army of alien invaders led by the galactic overlord prince FU and his nine soldiers who adopt the façade of galactic superheroes. The story has a ton of clever writing and humour that’ll make you chuckle with the references it makes. The gameplay is like the first two games. You have open world exploration for finding side jobs and battles to earn money for upgrades and pay the entry fee for the next ranked assassin fight to get higher in the ranks. And it feels satisfying with its tight controls and balanced difficulty. Presentation is kind of a mixed bag for me. I like the visual style they went for but the open world areas can feel pretty empty. Performance is kinda mixed too. In the open world areas it runs at 30fps but for battles and in Travis’s lab under the motel he stays in it runs at a much smoother 60fps. But thankfully the gameplay and story make up for it. Same with the soundtrack although some tracks are pretty forgettable. But overall, despite some flaws No More Heroes III is hands down the best in the series and I really hope we get to see Travis in another instalment in the near future. And with the entire series available on Switch, now the best time to get into No More Heroes if you haven’t done so already.

And before I get to Number 1, I wanna give out a few quick Honorable Mentions.

Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania.

This year had quite a lot of anniversaries and Super Monkey Ball was one of them. For the 20th anniversary of the series, SEGA released a remake of Super Monkey Ball 2 which also has levels from the first game and Deluxe. Same with the mini games. From what I’ve played its challenging but fun at the same time, looks and runs great and the soundtrack is pretty neat. Easily one of the best remasters of the year.

Pokémon Brilliant Diamond.

I’m not too far in so I can’t really say much about it. But from what I have played, I like the chibi character models outside of battles, it plays really good and the soundtrack is a nice listen to. I never played much of the DS original so I’m already looking forward to playing more of this in the new year.

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot + A New Power Awakens Set.

I missed out on this when it came out on PS4 and Xbox One last year so I’m glad it got ported to Switch with both parts of the A New Power Awakens DLC included. From played I’m already enjoying this retelling of my all time favourite anime with its solid gameplay, really good presentation that looks and runs great on Switch and sound design is top notch with its returning English dub voice cast and good soundtrack. The latter of which features new renditions of classic DBZ background music tracks. A must have for any fan.

Freedom Planet.

After years of putting it off I finally got round to buying this game and I’m so glad I bought it when it was on sale. What originally started out as a Sonic The Hedgehog fan game, Freedom Planet pays homage to said series with some Gunstar Heroes thrown in. Good story, superb gameplay, stunning 2D visuals that feature superb sprite work and sound design has a great balance of a pretty good soundtrack and decent voice acting. If you never played this before I strongly recommend it.

Saints Row IV: Re-elected.

Would you believe that this my first Saints Row game? It was on sale on the eshop and decided to buy it. I don’t usually buy games digitally if they also have a physical release here in the UK but this was on sale for £2.44 so I made it an exception. And from what I’ve played so far I’m loving it. The writing is clever and funny, gameplay is fun and accessible, presentation is pretty good albeit some drops in performance and sound design is actually great. Featuring some stellar voice performances and an awesome soundtrack featuring a lot well known licenced tracks. Just be aware that the Switch version does have an annoying glitch where it crashes during cutscenes which can fixed but putting the console into Flight Mode. But other than that, it’s a great port and a superior alternative to the botched collection that is Grand Theft Auto The Trilogy. Because good lord, Rockstar REALLY dropped the ball on that.

And without a doubt, my Number 1 Video Game of 2021 is...

Persona 5 Strikers.

Back in 2019 I finally gave in and got back into playing RPGs. A genre that I used to be really back and forth on due to not having much time to play them. And one of those was Persona 5. A game that really caught my attention with its anime visuals, superb writing and gameplay and fantastic sound design. Even though I still haven’t gotten round to finishing it, it’s hands one of my favourite RPGs and was eager to try out Persona 5 Strikers. A game that was not only a Dynasty Warriors spinoff developed by Omega Force but was also a sequel to Persona 5. Set four months after the events of the previous game, it opens with Joker and Morgana on a return trip to Tokyo where they aim to catch up with the rest of the Phantom Thieves on a summer camping trip which the whole gang are thoroughly looking forward to. Of course, just as they go about laying out their vacation plans, our heroes are dragged into yet another life or death battle in the Metaverse, this time involving a popular new phone app, EMMA, that's somehow being used by a bunch of high-profile public figures in order to steal the desires of hapless citizens, imprisoning them in enemy-infested jails – this game's version of Persona 5's palaces – which the thieves must now battle their way through in order to save the day. Throughout the story there’s a ton of great writing with its interactions between the main characters. All of which are interesting, relatable and likable. Though be forewarned! While Atlus have said that this game can be played without playing Persona 5, the characters in this do make references to it throughout. So keep that in mind. For the gameplay it plays more like an Action RPG akin to Kingdom Hearts rather than being a full on Dynasty Warriors game. And unlike most spinoffs of said series, the combat never feels tedious and repetitive. But like with Persona 5 you still have most of what made that game great such as exploring areas for buying items for restoring HP and SP, ingredients for cooking, doing side missions and fusing Personas to create new ones as well levelling them up. The presentation uses the same Cel Shaded graphics as the previous game with great anime character and area designs while running at a smooth 60fps on PS4 and 30fps on Switch. The soundtrack is fantastic and multi layered and in my opinion better than the previous game’s featuring returning both returning tracks and brand new ones including heavy rock renditions of Last Surprise and River in the Desert which are just awesome. The voice cast from Persona 5 have returned to reprise their roles and they all put on a spectacular performance along with new cast members that voice the new characters Sophie and Zenkichi. That goes for both the English and Japanese voices. I’m genuinely surprised that no one is talking about this game and at the fact that this wasn’t nominated for any awards at The Game Awards. Persona 5 Strikers is a game that is a superb continuation of one of the best RPGs of 2017. One with brilliant gameplay mechanics, superb visuals and excellent sound design. To me, this is a game that shows that Dynasty Warrior spinoffs can excel without following the usual Dynasty Warriors gameplay tropes. And it’s for those reasons that I consider Persona 5 Strikers as my Number 1 Video Game of 2021.

And those were my Top 10 Video Games of 2021. If I had a PS5 I would have included some more big name titles to make this list a bit more balanced. But hopefully within the new year, that will be rectified. Especially with some of the new games that’ll be coming out. So yeah, apologies to those expecting Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart and Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. But what do you all think? Do agree with this list? And what were your favourite video games of 2021? Feel free to let me know on social media. Now as 2021 draws to a close, I just wanna thank you guys for all the support over the past couple of years. I know I haven’t written as many new lists or reviews as I would like to do in my spare time but hopefully I’ll rectify that at some point in 2022. But till then, I wanna wish you all a Happy New Year, stay safe, get vaccinated if possible and offered to you and I’ll see you in another list. Take care everybody!

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