It’s that magical time of the year again: When I get to try and remember all the games that came out and try to rank them in order of my favorites. This year, I’ve already gotten video spotlights planned for all the games, so I’m going to be trying to do things a bit more organized. But as always, let’s start with the pre show awards.
For those just joining, the Game-Wisdom Awards are when I look at my favorite games of each year. Only games that I’ve played will be eligible, and if you would like to complain, I accept bribes in the form of gold only. I’ll be starting with my random awards as always and #10 will be later today.
“Pulling a Blizzard” Award — Activision/Blizzard
After the debacles levied at Blizzard last year, it seemed fitting to have an award specifically for a company doing as many self-inflicting wounds as possible to its image. Lo and behold, I didn’t expect Activision/Blizzard to take it two years running. The recent horribleness of some of their employees and managements’ attack on workers wanting better means they get the dishonor of this award.
“I Could Have Been a Contender” Award — Deathloop, Returnal, Psychonauts 2
There were plenty of great games released in 2021, and there were of course those that I didn’t get a chance to play. With Deathloop, everything I heard about it involved the experience starting to bog down the further you go, and I’ll wait for a bigger sale. With Psychonauts 2, I don’t have the money to be spending full price on retail games, especially with the holiday sales and such. Finally, Returnal is a game I really wanted to check out, but unfortunately, I don’t have a PS5 to play it on.
“What the Hell is That” Award — Dungeon Encounters
I’ve played a lot of strange games this year, but nothing more surprising than seeing Square Enix put out one of the most barebone games while still charging $30 for it. The game feels like nothing more than the frame of a dungeon-crawling RPG. There is something good here for fans, but far too little for that price tag.
“Thinking Outside the Box” Award — Unpacking
A really great example of taking a simple concept and running with it. Unpacking may not be longer than an afternoon of play, but it doesn’t have to be. A game about the joy/horror of unpacking after a move and the environmental storytelling of the house. Not the hardest game out there, but it does something unique from the indie space.
Most Anticipated Game: Dyson Sphere Program
Dyson Sphere Program at launch is a good example of how a developer can take a concept and run in a different direction with it. This “Factorio-like” may not have the depth and layers of the hit game yet, but it is more approachable with a unique focus on exploring the universe. At the moment, there are still more game systems planned, and I’m hoping that the game will turn into a great first game for people who love logistics.
11th Place Award: Curse of the Dead Gods
Curse of the Dead Gods seems cursed to be in the shadows of Hades — An action roguelike that has been in early access for some time. Releasing early 2021, while it can’t compete with the overall package of Hades, Curse of the Dead Gods delivers a slightly more evolved action-focused. The use of lighting and parrying with the combination of the different weapon types is far more involved compared to the weapons and buffs of Hades. Having curses that change how you play and the risk/reward of inviting more of them was a nice touch.
What keeps it from getting on the top 10 is that I felt that the overall package wasn’t enough to bump the other games down from the list. After playing it a few times, I did not have the same desire to keep playing and unlocking compared to Hades and other action roguelikes. I would still recommend this game if you’re looking for a little more technical action-roguelike.
With that, I’ll be putting up my #10 later today along with the video versions over at the Game-Wisdom YouTube channel.
10. Prodigal
7. Astalon: Tears of the Earth
6. Loop Hero
5. Webbed
4. Unsighted
3. Inscryption
