The GNamer Forum Awards 2021 and Five Years of Switch (Thanks For Voting!)

= Hitman 3 (6 points, 2 votes, 1 first)



You say:
“One of the best trilogies ever made quite frankly.”
“Haven't played enough of this to score it higher but what I have played is great, allows for creativity and experimentation with fun and sometimes hilarious results."

= Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy (6 points, 2 votes, 1 first)



You say:
“An absolute joy from start to finish, a really focused and engaging story with some great characters kept me hooked from the very beginning. Plenty of memorable moments, a fantastic soundtrack and some of the funniest writing I've ever heard in a game make this one of my favourites of 2021.”
“A surprise hit at the end of the year. Has big Mass Effect energy with a more established pool of squadmates to draw from, a little bit more depth to the combat would send this soaring to the top, lets hope for more!”

I say: Nothing to say about either of these two I'm afraid. 

Returnal (8 points, 2 votes, 0 firsts)



You say:
“Easily one of the toughest games I've played in a long time, but damn, it's satisfying to get good at this. I couldn't help but compare this to Hades given they both come from the roguelite genre and whilst I preferred Hades's blend of storytelling tied to the death loop mechanic, I do think Returnal smashed it in some areas perhaps even better than Hades did. The combat is frantic and purposefully stressful, with pounding music and a flurry of lasers and neon bullets hurtling towards you. In some respects, it reminded me of Thumper in how half the challenge is getting through the sensory overload on screen. Once you enter that flow state of dodging bullets whilst returning with your own hail of fire, the game really becomes something special. The haptic feedback and adaptive triggers on the DualSense did a solid job of heightening the experience too.”
“Incredibly frustrating and punishing but in a way that makes even the smallest successes feel amazing. Gameplay feels so well made and responsive, the atmosphere is both tense and a magical at the same time and whilst the main character is a bit of a wet blanket the story is perfectly mysterious.”

I say: Roguelite, is it?  Yeeeeeeeeeeeah. Also Thumper was bobbins.

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (10 points, 3 votes, 0 firsts)



You say:
“I do think this got overlooked somewhat when it came to end of year awards from publications. Visually quality isn't everything, I know, but this is genuinely the prettiest game I've ever played. I know the whole "it looks like a Pixar movie" quote was memed to high heaven, but it's true.
Graphical quality aside, A Rift in Time was a breezy platforming delight. I enjoyed each level and the R&C formula of throwing zany weapons at you at a steady pace still works well. There really is something to be said for a game that doesn't overstay its welcome with supremely high production values. Despite being done with it, platinum trophy and all in about 15 hours or so, I still very much felt like I got my money's worth.”
“I may seem a little down on this because it does very little new with the series and gets repetitive but that's not necessarily a bad thing, the Ratchet gameplay is solid, satisfying and features some brilliant set pieces, well worth playing just not the system seller it's painted as.”
“Shows what that PS5 can do.”

I say: There were two bigger-budget colourful Nontendo 3D platformers released in 2021.  This isn't the one I'm jealous of.

Wordle (10 points, 2 votes, 2 firsts)



You say:
“It feels like I'm doing something smart when I wake up, and it's better than scrolling twitter or youtube or something.”
“It’s the best and only game off Switch I’ve played from 2021, so I’m giving it five points.  Because I can.”

I say: Ha ha, yessssss!  This is the only Nontendo game I played from 2021 (even though I only began it in 2022) and so got my five points.  Beautifully simple, I've really enjoyed my time with it.  Now that Dordle has a daily version, it might well get my points for 2022.  Or I might forget about it by December.

Deathloop (12 points, 3 votes, 1 first)



You say:
“Takes a lot of what makes Dishonored great and removes the sense of guilt for going in and just tearing enemies apart. Juliana fights are tense and always a good time.”
“Round round, baby, round round spinning out on me”
“I can't believe Mas didn't like this??”

I say: And we're back to the faces.  I think I'd have guessed that this would come first, but like several of the other games in this top five six, not my bag.  Glad the three of you enjoyed it, though!

All of these games got a single vote - apart from It Takes Two, which appropriately enough got two 2s!  First set have 5 points apiece, descending by one each time.

Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker

Moyles wrote an essay for this so I'm re-spoilering it:

Hades - “This was robbed of first last year so it's time to correct that. ”
Mass Effect Legendary Edition - “Bundle up the best games of all time and do some much needed updates to the gameplay of the weakest entry. It's a joy to be back with Shepard and the crew and all in an easy to access, convenient package. Bliss” (The Lady approves. - Balla)
NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139.. - “Well I almost missed this off the Top 5 completely, then I remembered the rules about remasters etc as Nier Replicant is by far the best game I played in 2021 on any system and I now get why people love Yoko Taro with this phenomenal story, characters, music etc” (I haven't checked the 'spelling' of this game, so if it's wrong blame [REDACTED]. - Balla)
Psychonauts 2 - “They bloody did it. They bloody did it. They picked up a game from nearly 15 years ago and made a really good sequel. Just brilliant. And actually funny. And somehow heartwarming. Excellent. And is a game I played in 2021.”

It Takes Two
“A great co-op adventure with a lot of variety on offer. A must play for anyone who likes having a good time”
“Not as good as A Way Out”
Knockout City - “Who knew video game dodgeball could be this fun.”
Loop Hero - “I don’t need no man got my kicks for free”
Lost Judgement - “A great setting change places the latest of the Yakuza spin off series takes place in a school leading to all kinds of hijinks as you advise the various clubs whilst trying to solve an interesting murder. A great way to while away your days.”
Pulsar Lost Colony - “This is kind of janky and very dated, but actually does a pretty good job of replicating a galaxy full of Star Trek- (or Futurama-) like quests, and works quite well as a multiplayer game, with everyone taking a specific role on the spaceship. But is here because it is a game I played in 2021.”

The Artful Escape - “I will talk about this game till I'm blue in the face, as I feel no one has played it, even though it is top-notch Annapurna.”
Cryofall - “This is crap but came out of Early Access this year, so counts as a game I played in 2021.” ( - Balla)
Rider's Republic - “Ubisoft tho”
Splitgate - “It's portals but with PVP.”
Wildermyth - “And we’ll ride still fired on the beat down low. I don’t need nobody got my honeys When I go round, baby, round round, spend the night on me."

Halo Infinite - “Just for the Multiplayer”
Humankind - “Without humankind, there would be no Sugarbabes”
Kena: Bridge of Spirits - “One of the best looking games I've ever played with some real Pixar/DreamWorks vibes. Quite challenging too without feeling unfair, a sequel would have the potential to be something special.”
masofdas

Forza Horizon 5 - “Vroom, Vroom”
Little Nightmares 2 - “Imagine a world without the Sugarbabes"
Resident Evil Village - “It's here to fill a slot. Has some fun stuff in it, I enjoyed watching my partner play it but didn't see it through myself.”


I say: Even more scattered this year, from 23 games to 28 games (not including masofdas).  There are several games I'm surprised charted so low - Halo Infinite, Forza, and Resi Village, for example - and one that I'm disappointed about in Psychonauts 2.  It's one of two games I'm jealous about missing out on this year, the other being It Takes Two (and I may yet play that).  I'm sorry about the faces but... yep, didn't feel like I was missing out on much else.

p.s. Jim I played There Is No Game on Switch this year and you were right last year, it was great.

Yep, it would have come first.  I didn't count the 'votes', but I did get some comments.

You say:
“Even on Playstation I didn’t play anything that was released in 2021, bar eFootball which was a steaming pile of steam, given there was nothing there. If I actually bought it, it would probably be the Streets of Rage 4 DLC.”
“I played a lot of backwards compatible/enhanced PS4 games last year looking through my library, so nothing new for 2021 besides the next 4.”
“I actually didn't really play anything on my PS4 because I had so much to take up my time on the Switch!”
“The last year has mainly been about the backlog.”

I say: Precisely nobody is interested in what I think about Nontendo gaming, so I'll stop there.