Here we are for our second post celebrating the best games of 2021! If you missed the previous post for our best games of the year, you can review it right now: 2021 PS4Blog.net Gaming in Review – Ceidz.
My Game of the Year: Ghost of Tsushima (PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5)
So many great games came out in 2021, but the one that took the top spot for me on the PlayStation 4 was one that released in 2020, which I only got to play this year. It’s the incredible Ghost of Tsushima. Everything from the story to the gameplay is great, making it a must-play on the console. Speaking of which, I haven’t yet gotten a chance to play the DLC, but it will be one of my top priorities as we dive into 2022, and I won’t hesitate to play it all over again on PlayStation 5!
Along with the game that takes the top spot, others also stood out during the year. It was already my game of the year for 2020, but playing the DLC for Streets of Rage 4 made it climb back to the top of the list for the games I enjoyed this year, as it really added some gameplay to an already incredible game.
I also really enjoyed UnMetal, a game that has a nice mix of stealth and mixed with a great sense of humor, paying homage to the old-school games in the Metal Gear series.
Honorable Mention: Doki Doki Literature Club Plus (PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5)
And along with those games, the one that I had also had a chance to review and that would take second place on the PS4 this year for me is Doki Doki Literature Club Plus. This was one of those games that totally caught me off guard, especially considering it’s a visual novel. Saying anything else about it would spoil the experience for you, but rest assured that it’s definitely one that is worth playing.
And here we are a year later with the PlayStation 5. Although I didn’t get the chance to play the new God of War game, since it was pushed back to 2022, there were a lot of games on Sony’s console that left an impression on me. I started the year with Miles Morales after completing the previous Spider-Man game, which was such an amazing experience, both for the gameplay and the story. I can’t wait to see what the next entry will bring to us in a couple of years.
My Game of the Year: Returnal (PlayStation 5)
And then we have titles that scored high on my list – all exclusives – that are now part of an amazing catalog to play on PS5. First, there was Returnal, which took Housemarque’s strengths and style, boosted them to the next level, and made great use of the DualSense controller.
Then sometime later, the new entry in the Ratchet & Clank series came out, and although it didn’t blow me away like I was expecting, it was still a solid entry in the series that also put to good use the DualSense and the incredibly awesome SSD drive of the console.
Honorable Mention: Hades (PlayStation 5)
Although not a PlayStation 5 exclusive, Hades finally landed on PlayStation in 2021. Hades from Supergiant Games is a roguelike that found a way to make the gameplay feel satisfying, with a lot of variety and depth, while still being approachable for beginners -as opposed to punishing games like the also great Returnal. And even if this solid gameplay loop could’ve been enough to take a top spot, they found a way to tell a story intertwined with the fact that you will die in this game – a lot – so there was as much joy playing the dungeons as there was dying to be able to continue the story. If you haven’t played this game, it was by far one of the best games I played on the PlayStation 5 this year.
As for what’s coming in 2022, I’ll play Ghost of Tsushima a second time while I wait for the big titles that will come out next year. Expect me to dive into Horizon Forbidden West in February, and I am sincerely hoping that we won’t see other delays and that I’ll finally be able to get my hands on God of War: Ragnarok. My hopes are high for these two, but I’m sure we’ll get the chance to see other great games during the year for our beloved Sony consoles.
