God of War has been delayed until 2022. Breath of the Wild 2 has been delayed until 2022. Horizon Forbidden West has been delayed until 2022. Boo hoo. All three games that exist aren’t coming out for the foreseeable future – the pandemic has consumed the entire games industry as we know it. Except, actually, it hasn’t. 2021 has been a phenomenal year for video games already, most people just aren’t bothering to engage with the right ones.
I have been excited for all three aforementioned games for three, four, and four years, respectively – I was actually scheduled to review two of them. I understand being disappointed by delays because I personally felt that way. What I don’t understand is going completely feral because of delays, because you’d better believe developers also wish they could launch their games under normal circumstances – probably way more than you do, actually. Throwing your toys out of the pram because a video game is coming out slightly later than anticipated because of a) the pursuit of quality and b) the wellbeing of actual humans who are working on it is a bit childish, eh?
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That’s not even the point though. I’ve seen dozens, if not hundreds of people taking to social media to lament the lack of games. “Last year was so much better,” they’ll say, before proceeding to claim that 2022 will be the best year for games of all time (it won’t) because three blockbusters are absolutely going to come out (they might not). I agree that 2020 was great – Hades, Persona 5 Royal, and Doom Eternal were among my personal favourites, but even stuff I’m not interested in like Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Final Fantasy 7 Remake are objectively brilliant.
That’s the thing: 2021 has had some objectively brilliant games too. Sure, there have been some major triple-A launches – I’m thinking of stuff like Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart and Resident Evil Village. I played neither of those games, which I reckon compounds my argument even further. I also didn’t play Returnal and barely touched Monster Hunter Rise. My argument about 2021 being a strong year doesn’t even need four of its objectively biggest games to stand – I’ve played over 50 other games that are all fantastic in their own right.
Off the top of my head, without consulting any kind of list, I can list off Persona 5 Strikers, New Pokemon Snap, Loop Hero, The Forgotten City, Death’s Door, Before Your Eyes, Valheim, Griftlands, Nier Replicant, Mass Effect: Legendary Edition, Skyward Sword HD, and Pokemon Unite. We’re only in August and my top ten is already a total minefield.
Yes, some of these games are remakes or reboots. Yes, some are sequels. Yes, some are indies that most people who play games casually might not necessarily know about. None of that refutes my argument that this year has been fantastic, though – if anything, this degree of consistent quality across remakes and smaller launches speaks to how good they truly are. Aye, there might not be 2,000 people spending years on the follow-up to one of the biggest games of the 21st century. Does that matter when it comes to evaluating whether or not something is good though? No. You play the game and you judge it for yourself. I resent the blatant lie that someone could go through every game I listed above and not enjoy at least half of them.
And that’s only out of the stuff I played – and only what I personally liked. I think The Ascent is oppressively overwhelming, but that’s because it’s just not to my taste – it will justifiably be many people’s game of the year. I don’t really mess with Agent 47, but Hitman 3 was unanimously well received. I can’t wait to finally carve out some time where I can ditch Pokemon Unite to start NEO: The World Ends With You. And that’s just what’s out! I don’t care much for Far Cry, but Far Cry 6 is going to be huge. Then there’s Metroid Dread, Halo Infinite, Kena: Bridge of Spirits, Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, Battlefield 2042. Life is Strange: True Colors, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker… you get the gist. When people look back at 2021 in several years’ time, it won’t be to say, “Ah, no Kratos – shit year.” People will marvel at how so many good games came out in such close proximity to one another at the height of a literal pandemic.
I understand the disappointment. I understand the impulse to lament the lack of games and talk about how the industry has come to a screeching halt. But my understanding comes from a place of knowing better. I thought 2021 was pretty bare too. I was worried it would be lackluster and that I’d have to spend the year replaying older games. Fortunately, that hasn’t been the case – if anything, 2021 has been one of the best years for games in a long time.
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