2021 is coming to a close, and as we welcome the new year, it’s time to look back and celebrate the best games we at Gamer Malaya and Gamer Matters had the opportunity to play, and share stories with you throughout the year.
Either through the main website you are reading here, or through our ongoing by-weekly podcast, dia.log – The Gamer Matters Podcast, these are the games that we remember fondly of that happened to release in 2021.
Each of the 30 games has featured in our Game Of The Year Awards, competing in various categories and honours.
Here is a summary of the Top 30 Games Of 2021, according to Gamer Malaya and Gamer Matters.
GM Top 30 Games Of 2021, #21-#30 (Unranked, in alphabetical order)
Far Cry 6
The Far Cry series has come a long way from its mysterious island filled with mutants to its rather star-studded future. Its improvement within the last 8 games is no mean feat for a series that perhaps has stood the test of time.
Far Cry 6, on paper, might look similar to its previous successors but it is the quintessential experience for all things Far Cry, that’s perhaps only rivalled by another first-person shooter on this list that’s on their own redemption arc.
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water
Koei Tecmo’s remastering of this Wii U title not only makes the game free from its console prison but also brings in the horror for folks wanting a piece of the old-school style horror games from the PS2 era.
It is an interesting horror experience. Fans or even newcomers to the series might enjoy this one with the spooky atmosphere that it brings.
Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water Review
The Forgotten City
For once in the gaming industry, a company’s name is true to its namesake as the folks at Modern Storyteller have indeed bought in a form of modern storytelling that feels refreshing, yet familiar.
Starting its life as a Skyrim mod, The Forgotten City is a time-loop detective-style sort of game in which you see yourself trying to save a cursed underground Roman city from its “Golden Rule”. Any more than that elevator pitch and it’s basically a spoiler, so do try out this piece of interactive storytelling.
Guilty Gear Strive
Arc System Works continues to strive for fighting game greatness with this latest entry. Somehow, its already mind-boggling good aesthetics are still being pushed forward, and its solid fighting game mechanics are now paired with more fan-requested features including rollback networking.
Guilty Gear Strive makes a good case of being the dominant fighting game every player in the FGC should be playing right now, and one of the better gateways for newcomers to get into fighting games.
It’s bullshit blazing, and you know exactly what that means once you see Guilty Gear Strive in motion.
Hot Wheels Unleashed
It has been a long wait but finally, Hot Wheels fans have gotten a racing game worthy of its long-running legacy. An amazing arcade racing experience for kids, die-cast enthusiasts and racing game fans alike.
Milestone nailed the fundamentals well and with all of the attention to detail for the now 80+ cars, which you can pick them up at any supermarket or toy store, are 1:1 with their toy models, it’s no wonder why this is our Best Racing Game winner.
Winner of: Best Racing Game
Humankind
Amplitude Studios is indie no more and is going straight to the court of the biggest 4X game for a challenge. Humankind gives Civilization a run for its money, bringing in new twists to the strategy game spanning the history of, well, humankind.
An amazingly well-executed aesthetic and the many interesting mechanical tweaks will make you keep clicking one more turn for hours on end.
Lost Judgment
RGG Studio’s Yakuza spin-off series may have a rocky future due to likeness issues, but this sequel to Judgment builds on the original’s beat-’em-action and investigation gameplay. While still retaining the magnificent balance of gruesome real and light-hearted wackiness. Dead bodies appear when a serious plot is unravelling in one minute, and take part in high school dance numbers in the next.
Yagami’s latest investigation is something that shouldn’t be lost in the 2021 shuffle, even if it only gets into your backlog.
Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy
Take the snappy Marvel Cinematic Universe writing and pair it with Eidos Montreal’s own knack of creating a unique story with gameplay elements that suits both needs, you’ll get this game essentially.
Guardians Of The Galaxy is a space-adventure of heroes we might have seen on the big screens doing typical space-adventure things whilst bantering together. Along with a solid gameplay loop and story choices that make you laugh or even cry at times, it’s all thanks to the pedigree of the development team that makes this Marvel outing one of its memorable ones.
Marvel’s Guardians Of The Galaxy Review
Mass Effect Legendary Edition
Bioware isn’t in a good state reputation-wise right now, but they weren’t like that before. This remaster of the trilogy of Mass Effect games is a reminder of when Bioware was at their best- bringing in captivating worlds, characters and story usually seen in CRPGs, to an even broader audience thanks to its cover-shooter gameplay.
Tweaks to the original Mass Effect to make it play more in line with the more polished later titles make it worth taking another trip, or start your journey for the first time, as Commander Shepard.
Melty Blood Type Lumina
What happens when the obscure fighter finally gets its time in the sun, bringing in a new fresh coat of 2D graphics paint and the familiar in-depth mechanics that rivals the likes of any Arc System game? You’ll get Melty Blood Type Lumina, the reboot that nails everything and even manages to be newbie-friendly as well.
A terrific fighter that does its fundamentals well, but is overshadowed by the big boys and that’s fine really. The bathroom floor is always welcome for any Melty Blood tourney, this time using the Nintendo Switch.
Old World
From the lead designer behind Civilization IV, Old World puts a magnifying glass on human history to focus on a specific age – the ancient era where the Greeks, Romans, Babylonians, Persians and Carthegians ruled the world. The Old World.
A focus on micro-managing, a slower pace, and the injection of Crusader Kings-like elements where leaders grow old, die and be replaced by heirs (along with some lite courtroom drama and shenanigans) makes it one of the most innovative games in the 4X genre of 2021.
Outriders
People Can Fly has been cooking this one for quite some time now and their version of a looter shooter has been quite a surprise with how fun and intuitive the game is.
They bought together many elements of their past works into a satisfying combo that, when combine with the rather quirky but grimdark story campaign and endgame, will see players have a blast of a time with this sleeper hit.
Quake (2021 Remaster)
You wouldn’t guess that a game that’s celebrating its anniversary this year would release an updated version of itself, with better graphics and improved controls that helps improve the experience greatly. And never mess it up at any point?.
Then you have the 2021 remastering of Quake, a project by ID Software, Nightdive and even MachineGames, they have worked on making this version playable on all forms of consoles and only becoming an update for those who have already owned the original game for PC. This is perhaps the new standard for remasters moving forward.
Ratchet & Clank Rift Apart
Insomniac Games returns to their old mascot platformer series to introduce the world to the power of the PS5.
The next-gen exclusive title brings graphical and technical prowess into a solid 3D platformer, and a return to form for Ratchet & Clank after that peculiar remake/movie-tie-in title in 2016.
Winner of: Best Game We Didn’t Play
Samurai Warriors 5
If you google “video game junk food”, then this series, in general, would pop up constantly, because of how easy it is to just pick up and play within minutes of starting up the game.
And this entry, Samurai Warriors 5, has brought in new ideas and focus to a series that makes learning about Feudal Japan somehow enjoyable with its outlandish display of mowing down enemies and a shonen manga like storyline which will engage you from start to finish.
Scarlet Nexus
A unique JRPG within the many entries on the top 30 list, Scarlet Nexus brings in a unique perspective on the genre with more rich and visceral combat that pairs up with two different story beats.
But since it is a new IP, there are some blemishes here and there, but that doesn’t stop players from enjoying what looks like a starting of a brand new franchise.
Shin Megami Tensei V
Atlus loves making players suffer during both combat and dialogue choices, so of course, they had to turn up the ante for SMT V.
It’s hard as nails at times, and the new choice of going open-world might not be everyone’s cup of tea but there is no doubt that this game is one of THE best JRPGs that you can have on the Nintendo Switch right now.
Tales Of Arise
The Tales series has seen more downs and ups over the years, with them finally getting the sequel that long-time fans wanted, with huge improvements from combat mechanics,story-telling and more, all without losing their unique identity.
Fair to say that we finally have a game that many can join in the Tales series without any baggage from their less than stellar outings.
Unpacking
A game about unpacking a person’s life within a chilled out puzzle game doesn’t sound fun on paper, but Unpacking does well to bring in nostalgia for those who were once on the move.
The joy (or even pain) of unboxing one’s own memories, distilled into a pixel game, and Witch Beam nailed that to a Tee.
Valheim
A surprise gem of 2021, we have a new base-building survival game from Iron Gate Studios under Coffee Stain publishing. From the start, it captured the hearts of players with its chill vibes and balanced challenges of survival games.
Did I say “vibes”, because chill vibes describe Valheim perfectly. The music, the mid-fi assets, the blue tint of the sky, the living forest and everything in between just blends in and makes you think “one more thing, one more” and eventually realize you’ve been playing for 10 hours straight.
Due to being Early Access, we forgo a lot of potential wins for Valheim as we wait for a more fleshed-out release. But the fact we put it as our Top 30 of the year speaks volumes of Valheim’s quality out of the gate despite being Early Access.
GM Top 10 Games Of 2021 (Ranked)
10. Wildermyth
What looks to be a simple turn-based strategy RPG, Wildermyth hides an amazingly powerful storytelling tool. Your paper cut-out characters will grow in character after each campaign, with you having the choice to nudge them how the stories will evolve via choose-your-own-adventure-style choices.
Wildermyth, this indie game by World Walker Games, remarkably captures the spirit of playing a traditional tabletop RPG with a group of regulars, where the lore and characters become cherishable as you keep coming back again for multiple playthroughs.
9. Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139…
Nier Replicant is basically Nier Automata 1.5 and that’s exactly what the Nier fans wanted when Square Enix announced that they would remake this cult classic for the current generation of consoles.
It still has one of the best meta video game stories ever for a JRPG and the updated combat that they have plucked from Automata makes it more appealing to play this game, now more than ever.
Winner of: Best Remake/Remaster
8. Hitman 3
Hitman 3 is Hitman’s Greatest Hits. IO Interactive is ending this trilogy of Hitman games on a high note.
A collection of excellent levels that show the designers’ are on their A-game, the continued polish of the sandbox where you can kill targets in the most gruesome and/or stupidly silly ways, and the ability to play the previous World Of Assassination levels should you own them makes Hitman 3 the complete package. The addition of VR is neat too.
IO is moving on to new projects in the future, but they have given Agent 47 and his fans the best parting gift with Hitman 3.
7. Resident Evil Village
Resident Evil Village (or RE8) is the quintessential horror game where you know what’s about to happen but get excited to play it anyway, even after three different releases in 3 years. The game is short and sweet but fun enough to enjoy what is essentially the Resident Evil 4 formula, with elements of RE7 built upon that concept.
Capcom might find it hard to top this one.
Winner of: Best Meme Generator
6. Chivalry 2
Torn Banner Studios has returned to form with this sequel to its original first-person/third-person medieval melee warfare game. A robust multiplayer server at launch that was able to handle the player base load across multiple platforms is impressive, especially for an indie game.
Chivalry 2’s brand of melee combat that’s fun to just tap buttons but rewards mastery, and its goofy and silly themes to offset the visceral-ness of war makes it one of the best multiplayer games of the year. March and fight! For that guy we like!
Winner of: Best Indie Game
5. Halo Infinite
Finally, the big break that 343 Industries needed after a mediocre 5th game.
Halo Infinite is a showcase on how a game series that helped expand the first person genre could learn a thing or two from the competition and which in return, excels in being an enjoyable experience for both veterans and newcomers to the series.
4. Road 96
DigiXart’s road-trip adventure might have the simple twist of it being procedurally generated. But that simple twist brings life to the cast of characters you meet as you attempt to cross the border as one of many teenagers fleeing a country.
It’s the natural evolution of the many Telltale and Quantic Dream-esque narrative adventure games, but one brave enough to let players involved to weave together the various sublime story beats.
3. Deathloop
Arkane Studios’ goes beyond immersive sim with its murder-puzzle action shooter. The world is a mystery worth investigating. The fantastic characters keep you invested to find every little clue to what this world is.
The time loop mechanic pushes what a roguelike can be, tickling the same senses of replaying a level of Hitman over and over, each time armed with an ever-stronger weapon you have available: knowledge. The introduction of the invasion system makes Deathloop “the Dark Souls of immersive sims”.
Its pedigree as a pure immersive sim may be in contention. But judging it as an action title, Deathloop is simply fantastic.
Arkane has finally broken their unfortunate curse with Deathloop- they can now make mainstream-appealing video games. If you felt Arkane’s brand of games were too restrictive before, Deathloop sets you free. Kill them all. Then kill some more.
2. Forza Horizon 5
Welcome to car paradise. Playground Games’ latest edition of its open-world racer may not be bringing in major overhauls to the series, but Forza Horizon 5 is still a delight.
The fantastically realised open world of Mexico is just so much fun to be it. Cruising, racing, drifting, and smashing roadside objects are the best as they have ever been.
Forza Horizon 5 maintains to be a vehicle of self-expression, be it custom liveries, tunes, races or game modes, Playground Game really gave players a playground to have fun with cars.
Whether you are a car enthusiast that appreciates the Ferrari 488 GTB model in the game has the custom 488 GTB-branded briefcases under its bonnet as it should, or players who couldn’t care less about overly-expensive mechanical beasts and just boot up a racing game once in a while on saw this available on Game Pass, Forza Horizon 5 will treat you to an amazing tour.
Game Of The Year 2021 – Psychonauts 2
The original 2005 game from Double Fine was a rough gem that has so much potential and goodness buried by a myriad of faults. But its 2021 follow-up is not that. It’s a bright shining diamond of a follow-up that will leave long-time fans, its Fig backers, and newcomers to the series in satisfaction.
Psychonauts 2 turns out to be a decent platformer, but also with the level of artistry and polish to its world-building, storytelling, and presentation. Raz’s new adventure as a Psychonaut intern is a relatable kid story of learning from mistakes, a tale of uniting the mightiest warriors again to face against a returning big baddie, a spy thriller, and introspective journeys into the personal struggles of many different individuals each with their own insecurities and demons to face. With impeccable humour to tie it all together.
To pull all (and more!) of those story threads packaged in a decent platformer that’s just fun to play is one heck of a result, and it’s a treat to play and right until the end. It’s easily one of the most competent and consistent video game of this year in how finely put together it is as a whole. Double Fine even.
Psychonauts 2 is Gamer Malaya and Gamer Matters’ Game Of The Year for 2021.
Winner Of: Best Aesthetic, Best Story, Game Of The Year