I have some mixed feelings about the year's releases and reactions to some of the Gaming Award nominees and winners.
GAME OF THE YEAR
It Takes Two is top down the gamiest game I've ever played, and it rules. My wife and I played it together and I had to step back between sessions to really appreciate this title. There are a few dozen fun minigames within this game that felt distinct, but also easy-enough for both of us to learn the rules quickly, which in turn allowed us to complement or compete against each other. I have at least 20 years more gamersense--things such as reflexes, movement logic (camera control and jump timing and stuff), etc--that means we're really limited on games we can play as a couple that aren't totally frustrating.
The thing I've left out was the actual story, which is It Takes Two's weakest point. It's about a couple who is divorcing and their kid can't handle it, so pulls them into this fantasy game world. This is all revealed in the opening scene, so I'm not spoiling much. Writing relationships without being childish, shallow, annoying, or naive is difficult because we've seen them everywhere and experienced them ourselves, and kudos to the writers for wrapping it up with the gameplay so neatly. Near the end, there's a level that made my wife and I think all the good rides were over and that it would be a downhill experience--which still would have been awesome compared with games. Thankfully, we were totally wrong, as the last level in the game left us with some of the best memories of the game. It's music-themed and takes some amazing creative direction with the interactions and action sequences. I'm glad to see Hazelight Studios deliver such an impressive title with a fraction of the budget of 2021's other popular releases.
BEST GAME DIRECTION
I didn't like Deathloop, but it won this award for game design and direction. SkillUp pointed out how the game fails its premise in its design. It's a timeloop game where time only progresses when you're in the menus NOT playing. He points out examples where you rig a machine to backfire to kill someone and it all happens offscreen. I've already written about my dislikes of the game, and just don't see why Returnal didn't win that category. This game builds its narratives into gameplay more cohesively. Returnal's sound design and art direction truly embraces the hostile alien world feel. Selene is competent and learns through her exploration, scans, and death...loops. There's an extra layer to it as players who were getting used to the PS5 controller features and tech capabilities were experiencing this unfamiliarity after 6 months of not-really-next-gen games. Bonus points to Returnal for being a smaller studio's successful venture into AAA territory.
Although the games are from 2013 and 2018, I played both Guacamelee games in 2021 and these were some of the most enjoyable titles this year. They're proper metroidvanias with some really creative platforming and some fantastic music tracks. They're often on sale for less than $10 each and are worth anything you pay.
Concrete Genie was a February PS+ title with a memorable papercraft art style. The gameplay is unique and relies on the controller's gyroscope, having you hold it sideways like a paint can to complete the puzzles and designs. The story itself is about bullying and isolation and some people really connect with how Ash overcomes his challenges. I tend to get my catharsis from proper revenge, but nevertheless enjoyed the story and especially the visuals.
One title I didn't connect with was Days Gone, one of the 20 PS4 titles PS5 owners get access to with PS+. I was ready for a more action-oriented version of Last of Us, but instead got an unlikeable protagonist with a punchable face navigating an unfriendly map that's way too big. The worst part of that game was having to maintain your bike. I think this is the last time I fall for a survival game...I just don't like the micromanaging and maintenance outside of RTS games. This probably also explains why I didn't play more than a few hours of Subnautica, another free PS+ game in 2021.