S3 Finale- Top 10 Video Games of 2021

 Welcome back to Thrak Attack! What's your adventure? This year has been a wild year and there have been some wild video game releases in both hardware and software! This year I played games on Nintendo Switch, Apple Arcade, Google Stadia and the Playstation 5! Here are the Top 10 Games of 2021

10. Cyber Shadow was a January release on the Switch and started the year off with a bang! The lack of a story in this game did not bother me because the gameplay felt so good and the controls were so smooth. I loved the challenging bosses, the classic music and the 16 bit feel of this game!

9. FantAsian on Apple Arcade blew me away and changed my perception of what a mobile game could be! I couldn't believe how good this game looked on my iPad Pro and how well the game controlled. The story and world were inventive and the turn based gameplay was a perfect balance of challenge without the usual grind of a JRPG. If this game was on any other platform it would not have made this list but it opened my eyes to what mobile gaming could be! 

 

8. New Pokemon Snap is a game that everyone said they wanted but then apparently no one cared about! But I did! This is such a fun and relaxing game that shines in one particular part... the environmental storytelling. The way that multiple play throughs of a level will change how the Pokemon act while you're around is a genius way to keep me coming back for more. The special challenges for specific shots made me think outside the box, and to be apart of a moving and breathing Pokemon world was refreshing after the disappointment of the Sword and Shield Wild Area. 

 

7. Metroid Dread is not my style of game...but this game is so good I don't care! Unfortunately it came out during my wedding month so I was a little preoccupied and busy but it still holds up as one of the best games of the year and is still a game that should not exist! This does give me hope for the future of the series and Metroid Prime four which is more my style!

 

6. Returnal this game is very similar to Metroid but in my opinion does it better because of the graphical capabilities of the Playstation 5. The acting in this game is fantastic, the mystery is compelling, the atmosphere is weird and creepy, and the all around design of the game is stunning. Unfortunately, it's not my style of game so it's not higher on the list! 

 

5. Eastward was pleasant surprise and a great game to play while traveling with the Nintendo Switch. It came out the same day as SkateBird, which was awful, and it should be getting much more praise than it's gotten. The characters are well defined, the world is charming, and the overall feel of the game is just fantastic. More people should play this game!

 

4. The Famicon Detective Clubs "The Girl Who Stands Behind" and "The Missing Heir" are two games that fused together in my head as one fantastic story. This is a game from the Famicon that never made it to the US in the 80's but was remade for the switch. It's a point and click mystery visual novel and wow did it have me guessing until the end! I loved both of these stories and even though the gameplay wasn't much the story and characters were fantastic!

3. Resident Evil: Village was the last game I have and will ever play on Google Stadia. The service never got off the ground and now I have the PS5 which makes the service redundant for me. Regardless of how I played this game, it is fantastic! The visuals are spooky and clean. The gameplay makes you feel the survival horror genre to the fullest and the character designs are perfectly horrific and intriguing all at the same time!

 

2. Monster Hunter: Rise was the game I was most obsessed with this year! The gameplay loop is so perfect for this series that you can't stop playing! The series's return to Nintendo was a great idea too because playing this game on the go is perfect! This time around I found myself mastering the insect glaive and I cannot wait to go back in with a completely different weapon type!

 

1. Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart was the most fun I had with a game all year and that's the reason why It's #1! This game is basically a Saturday morning cartoon for video games and was the game that showed off what the PS5 was capable of the most! The gameplay was smooth, the characters were perfectly designed and clear, the colors were vibrant, the sound design was crisp, and there were NO LOADING SCREENS!