Overall Game of the Year 2021 - Article
by Evan Norris , posted on 20 January 2022 / 8,794 Views
For all its great games, 2021 still felt like a year of transition. With two new home consoles — Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 — on the market but far from firmly entrenched, and with Nintendo content to punt most of its heavy hitters into 2022, the year seemed like it was ramping up toward something to be delivered at a later date. Even the titles of 2021's finest games seem to point toward that sensation of growth and anticipation: Rise, Dread, Horizon. Maybe even Infinite, if you fear those chip shortages will last forever.
2021 didn't just come and go with a promise of greatness, though; the year saw dozens of remarkable games, spread rather evenly across the AAA, AA, and A spaces. Capcom had one of its best years on record — which is saying something — with new entries in the Ace Attorney and Resident Evil series, plus two Monster Hunter games, including fan-favorite Monster Hunter Rise. Microsoft made a big splash, not only with AAA software like Forza Horizon 5 and the hotly-anticipated Halo Infinite, but also a smattering of mid-range games that boosted the value of its subscription service Game Pass. Josef Fares added to his already impressive resume with It Takes Two, an endlessly-creative co-op platformer. Finally, Nintendo breathed new life into the Metroid franchise with Metroid Dread.
The Shortlist:
Forza Horizon 5
Halo Infinite
It Takes Two
Metroid Dread
Monster Hunter Rise
The Runner-Up:
Halo Infinite
The Halo series has experienced its fair share of ups and downs over the last ten years, but with the arrival of Halo Infinite last month it's safe to say the legendary first-person shooter is on the rise once more. Where recent Halo games had struggled either on the multiplayer front or within the single-player campaign — or both, depending on who you ask — Infinite manages to succeed in both areas, delivering a compelling open-world campaign where player choice and improvisation are prioritized, and an addictive, if somewhat limited, suite of multiplayer options with smart map design and plenty of interesting power weapons and gadgets. The future is bright for the Xbox flagship franchise.
The Winner:
Metroid Dread
As a series, Metroid doesn't have the cachet or selling power of big Nintendo properties like Mario Kart, Animal Crossing, or Super Mario, but you could make a convincing case that it's one of the company's very best in terms of quality. That case is only strengthened by the inclusion of Metroid Dread, a brilliant action-adventure title that simultaneously honors 35 years of Metroid and pushes the IP forward in a market increasingly crowded with Metroidvania-style games.
Metroid Dread delivers in a number of ways — production design, ambient sound, a thick atmosphere of isolation — but it notches its greatest victories in gameplay. The moment-to-moment action is sublime, thanks to smooth animations, buttery movement mechanics, and bounty hunter Samus Aran's badass moveset. The gameplay loop, heavy on exploration, discovery, problem-solving, and close-quarters combat, is immensely satisfying. Finally, the game's trademark E.M.M.I. stealth sequences are breathless, impromptu affairs that earn the name "Dread".
It took Nintendo almost 20 years to release a wholly original 2D Metroid game, but it was worth the wait. Say hello to our pick for Overall Game of the Year 2021.
Previous Winners:
2020 - The Last of Us Part II
2019 - Resident Evil 2
2018 - God of War
2017 - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
2016 - Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
2015 - Rocket League
2014 - Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
2013 - Super Mario 3D World
2012 - Journey
2011 - The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
2010 - Mass Effect 2
2009 - Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
2008 - LittleBigPlanet
2007 - BioShock