My 2021 in Video Games
video gamesIt is January 1st, 2022. That means I can no longer beat any more games in 2021, and it’s time to talk about the ones I did beat. The log just below is mostly for my purposes, but I wrote some words about the games I liked a lot below that.
Overview
Beaten:
Jan 01 - Tetris Effect (PS4)
Jan 05 - Yakuza 3 Remastered (PS4 [PS3])
Jan 15 - Altered Beast (Genesis Mini)
Jan 23 - Beyond Oasis (Genesis Mini)
Jan 25 - Sexy Parodius (Saturn)
Feb 03 - Captain Commando (Switch [Arcade])
Feb 05 - Gradius V (PS2)
Feb 19 - Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen (DS [NES])
Mar 16 - Mr. Bones (Saturn)
Mar 25 - Ghosts ’n Goblins Resurrection (Switch)
Apr 06 - Yakuza 4 Remastered (PS4 [PS3])
Apr 21 - Hades (Switch)
Apr 25 - Yakuza: Dead Souls (PS3)
May 09 - James Bond 007: Nightfire (PS2)
May 20 - Judgment (Remastered) (PS5 [PS4])
May 27 - Virtua Fighter 2 (Saturn [Arcade])
May 29 - Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (PS3)
May 30 - Zero Wing (Genesis)
May 30 - Alien Storm (Astro City Mini [Arcade])
May 30 - Golden Axe: The Revenge of Death Adder (Astro City Mini [Arcade])
May 31 - Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown (PS4)
Jun 03 - Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty (PSN [PS3])
Jun 09 - Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time (PS3)
Jun 10 - Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus (PS3)
Jun 17 - SEGA Rally Championship (Saturn)
Jun 22 - Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (PS5)
Jun 27 - The Legend of Oasis (Saturn)
Jul 05 - Ms. Pac-Man Maze Madness (Dreamcast)
Jul 05 - Alex Kidd in Miracle World DX (PS5 [SMS])
Jul 11 - SEGA AGES Phantasy Star (Switch [SMS])
Jul 15 - Space Jam: A New Legacy - The Game (Xbone)
Jul 21 - Daytona USA (XBLA [Arcade])
Jul 25 - ACA NEOGEO Baseball Stars 2 (PSN [Arcade])
Aug 04 - Panzer Dragoon Orta (Xbox)
Aug 16 - Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster (PS4 [PS2])
Aug 20 - Devil May Cry 2 (Switch [PS2])
Aug 27 - Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening - Special Edition (Switch [PS2])
Aug 27 - Halo: Reach (Xbone [360])
Sep 07 - Ground Zero Texas: Nuclear Edition (PS4 [SEGA CD])
Sep 12 - No More Heroes III (Switch)
Sep 19 - Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell (Xbox)
Sep 27 - Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition (PS4 [PS3])
Sep 28 - Fighting Vipers (XBLA [Arcade])
Oct 15 - Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania (PS5)
Oct 15 - Maximo Vs. Army of Zin (PS2)
Oct 29 - Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition (PS5 [PS4])
Nov 01 - Cotton Reboot! (PS4 [X68000])
Nov 06 - Guardian Heroes (XBLA [Saturn])
Nov 08 - Unpacking (XSX [Game Pass])
Nov 18 - Superman (Arcade)
Nov 18 - Ninja Baseball Bat Man (Arcade)
Nov 18 - Laser Ghost (Arcade)
Nov 18 - A.B. Cop (Arcade)
Nov 18 - Lucky & Wild (Arcade)
Dec 02 - Pokémon: Magikarp Jump (Android)
Dec 12 - Lost Judgment (PS5)
Dec 20 - Gargoyle’s Quest (GB)
Dec 22 - Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 (PS1)
Dec 25 - Tech Deck Skateboarding (GBC)
Dec 30 - Pokémon Brilliant Diamond (Switch)
Completed:
Mar 16 - Mr. Bones (Saturn)
Nov 18 - Superman (Arcade)
Nov 18 - Ninja Baseball Bat Man (Arcade)
Nov 18 - Laser Ghost (Arcade)
Nov 18 - A.B. Cop (Arcade)
Dec 20 - Gargoyle’s Quest (GB)
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Progress - 2012 - 2013 - 2014 - 2015 - 2016 - 2017 - 2018 - 2019 - 2020 - 2021
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Finished - 0024 - 0041 - 0034 - 0022 - 0025 - 0014 - 0019 - 0025 - 0038 - 0060
Complete - 0000 - 0004 - 0005 - 0001 - 0002 - 0001 - 0002 - 0002 - 0006 - 0006
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
2021 was a busy year for me! Sixty finished games in a year is a personal record, and it’s one I don’t expect to touch anytime soon. As I did last year, I’m hoping 2022 leaves less time for games as the pandemic hopefully subsides at least into something much more manageable. I’d like to return to a life of more regular travel and out-of-the-home activity. We’ll see if my wish is granted.
New series for me this year include Beyond Oasis, Gradius, Judgment, Alex Kidd, Phantasy Star, SEGA Rally Championship, Splinter Cell, Super Monkey Ball, and Gargoyle’s Quest. I also finished all of the canon games in the Devil May Cry series. More on that later.
Best of 2021
2021 was even more of a retro year than usual for me. Looking at the above list, of the sixty games I beat, only thirteen were released in 2021, and seven of those were remasters or remakes. Anyway, here’s what I’ve got (in order of release date).
Ghosts ’n Goblins Resurrection (Multiplatform)
The hardest game I’ve ever beaten is also one of my favorites of the year. It brings me endless joy that Capcom decided to bring this series back after ~15 years. This is the first time I’ve ever taken 75 hours to beat a platformer, and it will probably also be the last. But this game isn’t just for masochists like me, as Capcom wisely included some difficulties that make Arthur a little more durable and enemies a little less numerous. I can’t say I recommend this game to everyone, but the outrageous challenge it presents is one of the reasons I love video games.
Hades (Multiplatform)
Okay, I’m cheating a bit with this one. Hades came out before 2021, but it didn’t get a physical release until 2021, which is what I waited for. In the post above, I gush at length about how great it is. It’s got beautiful art, great voice acting, and outstanding combat gameplay. More importantly, its narrative structure keeps the punishing nature of its genre from being too demoralizing. It’s the first roguelite I’ve ever finished because ironically, it feels the least Sisyphean of any I’ve ever played.
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (PS5)
Rift Apart is probably the most technically marvelous game I played this year. With its non-existent load times, incredibly pretty graphics, and ultra-polished gunplay, I was impressed at nearly every turn. Having said that, underneath the shine, it is still just Ratchet & Clank. It’s a fun 3D platformer/third-person shooter with cute characters and a good sense of humor. If that’s not your thing I doubt this one will convince you. But if it is, it’s the best one yet.
Lost Judgment (Console-only Multiplatform)
Lost Judgment marks another great effort by Ryu Ga Gotoku studio. Although I find the characters slightly less endearing than those of the Yakuza series, I find the stories markedly better. Regardless, I’m glad both exist, and I can only hope the contract dispute with Yagami’s actor Takuya Kimura can be resolved so this series can continue to exist.
Best of Years Past
As aforementioned, I favored non-2021 games this year by a considerable margin. These are the ones I’d most strongly recommend (in order of release date).
Gargoyle’s Quest (1990, Game Boy)
This game reminds me so much of Dragon Quest 1. It’s a cute little RPG that’s only a few hours long with charm to spare. The key difference is that its random encounters and dungeons are action-platforming affairs rather than top-down and turn-based. It’s a fun mix up, and since it takes places in the Ghosts’n Goblins universe, I’m already won over. This game is still out there on the 3DS eShop if you don’t have a Game Boy handy. I highly recommend it as a game you can finish in just a couple sittings.
Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen (1990, NES)
All right, I technically played the 2007 DS remake of this, but whatever. They’re fundamentally the same game. Dragon Quest IV remains the latest DQ game I’ve played, but not for a lack of desire to return to it. This series has not missed as far as I’m concerned. This one is full of charming locales and has a cute story as always. It also has the most fleshed-out party members yet. I understand the Android/iOS version has party chat as well, making them even more thoroughly characterized. Absolutely no reason to skip this one if you feel like playing this series in order like I have been.
Ninja Baseball Bat Man (1993, Arcade)
It’s a real shame that this has not had a home conversion yet. This game is probably in my Top 5 of all time in terms of aesthetic. Its gameplay is pretty standard beat ’em up fare, but when you’re doing shit like fighting an anthropomorphized airplane (inside a much larger airplane) or a giant robot alligator, I can’t really complain. I had so much fun with this, and I’d highly recommend giving it a go on an emulator, co-op if you can. You won’t regret it.
Gradius V (2004, PS2)
I’ve been told that my first outing with Gradius may well be the best entry, so unfortunately I may have spoiled myself. This game has a “just right” level of challenge that I don’t often find in shmups. More importantly, it also has a great feature for unskilled shmuppers like me, which is that it awards you additional permanent credits for each hour you spend playing the game. This means that eventually you will have enough credits to clear the game no matter how bad you are. Fortunately, though, the time it takes to earn these also means that you’ll get a good bit better as you go. Bit of a positive feedback loop, y’know? It also has a cool twist ending, so that’s fun too.
Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition (2006, Multiplatform)
This is the kind of game that can shake you out of a gaming malaise. Devil May Cry 3 is the kind of game that, if not for the graphics, I would have believed came out this year. The gameplay is so utterly polished and feels as good as anything they’re making these days. The story is fun, ridiculous camp that is not to be missed either. Devil May Cry 5 may have outdone it, but this is still absolutely essential.
Yakuza 3 (2009, PS3)
Technically I beat the 2018 remaster of this, but they’re very, very similar games. This Yakuza stands out a bit for me as a more personal look at Kiryu, his desire to put his life of crime behind him, and his dedication to his orphanage. In Yakuza 4 and Yakuza 5 (as I understand it), the attention is split between Kiryu and other protagonists, which is fine, I just happen to like Kiryu a lot.
It’s also worth mentioning that this one was not reworked into a new engine like Yakuza Kiwami or Kiwami 2, so it’s a bit clunky coming from those. But it still feels all right. A fully enjoyable entry in a series playthrough.
SEGA AGES Phantasy Star (2018, Switch)
Why did I list this as a 2018 release instead of its original 1987 release date? Honestly I’m not sure, but at least one reason is that unlike DQIV, I think I genuinely would’ve liked the original considerably less. The SEGA AGES version adds an easier difficulty, a dungeon auto-mapper, an improved soundtrack option, and plenty of other goodies. This version of Phantasy Star is not without its rough edges (including intact soft locks!), but it’s the best version there is. If you want to see where this series all began and enjoy the kind of vibe only an old, rudimentary RPG can provide, you could do a lot worse than this.
Judgment (2019, Console-only Multiplatform)
Yagami’s first outing is slightly better than Lost Judgment by my estimation. It lacks the nice additional fighting style and locales introduced in its sequel, but it makes up for with a stronger story. Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio has said they’re sticking with the turn-based formula going forward with Yakuza, but Yagami’s got the action gameplay in good hands on the Judgment side of things.
Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition (2020, PS5/XSX)
Either this or Hades is my favorite game I finished in 2021. It’s a really tough call, but I guess it’s just something about battling the beasts of Hell that really gets my blood pumping. Anyway, Devil May Cry 5 is the ultimate culmination of the series’s signature gameplay and over-the-top story. It’s a really great reward for longtime fans or just people like me that went back and played the series in order this year. I genuinely can’t think of a single meaningful criticism to lodge against it. I think it’s a perfect character action game, and I really hope this team gets another go at the series. Before then, though, I hope to give this game one of my rarest expressions of praise: a second playthrough.
Multiplayer Highlights of 2021
I played precious little multiplayer stuff this year, all things considered. But here are a few I enjoyed. I’m including older games as well. “Ongoing,” as Geoff Keighley might call them. As above, these are listed in order of release date.
Rocket League (2015, Multiplatform)
I guess it sorta sucks that Rocket League got bought by Epic or whatever, but the bottom line is this game is still just so good. You could make a sound argument that it’s the only good and the only true sports game, with everything running on a physics engine and nothing on RNG. I don’t think I’ll ever tire of it.
Pac-Man 99 (2020, Switch)
It’s probably fair to say that the reason this is my favorite of the Switch’s battle royale games so far is that it’s the one I’m the best at. But I also think it’s just a damn good version of Pac-Man. Once you get to the Top 10, shit starts getting truly nutty, and you really have to think on your feet to manage your power pellets, the ghosts, and the insane number of Jammer Pac-Men trying to stop you. This is definitely something that will keep me renewing my Nintendo Switch Online subscription.
Knockout City (2020, Multiplatform)
Unfortunately, I think I enjoyed this one more than my friends. I enjoy any team-based game with teams small enough to feasibly queue with only friends. This is one such game, with threes being the main mode. I really enjoy the idea of a nice 3rd person action game as a multiplayer concept, and I think this game executes reasonably well on that. I think the core dodgeball gameplay may need a slight tweak, especially when it comes to 1v1 encounters, but I still like it a lot. Hopefully I can convince my friends to spend a little more time with this.
Looking Ahead to 2022
Off the top of my head, there’s not a lot I’m looking forward to in 2022. Hopefully Pokémon Legends Arceus will be good, but I’m always hesitant to put my faith in Game Freak to really go outside their comfort zone. I have some interest in Elden Ring, but if it’s more like Dark Souls than Bloodborne, I will lose interest quickly. The new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles game has a chance to be good as well, since I think some of the Streets of Rage 4 folks are involved. Overall, though, there’s not a lot I’m definitely excited for on the horizon, which perhaps bodes well for my backlog.
To repeat myself yet again, though, I really hope I do less gaming in 2022! I want to get the fuck out of my house!