2021 was a year in which I barely played anything Triple-A and felt like I missed very little. So here’s my list of games I did play, complete with the broken rule of not picking early access titles. Here I am, once again, telling you about games I liked. I want to give a shout-out to Final Fantasy 14 for being great. Escape From Tarkov, Squad, and Fox Hole for still being great for the entire year. Here’s a list of games, right now, down there, let’s go. Press F to New World.
Cruelty Squad
Although its visual style may seem like some sort of shit-post, it’s far from it. A gross little experience. Cruelty Squad is that moist, fleshy, pink wound that festers and teases the touch of a nail. Each scrape reveals a new truth, skin peeling away from the surface. Those moments of pure exuberance as the rot is torn off, reveal the succulent muscles underneath.
The beat of the game, the questions, and the possibilities it presents. A splendid victim, a mutual exchange of agreements. Cruelty Squad is no mere kill list, but a buffet of the mind’s eye. Altering your body to reach areas once unknown, discovering secrets best left hidden. Each and every level is a playground for the creative, the dangerous, and the cruel.
Cruelty Squad is, was, always will be, a dirty little smudge on the mind. Its presence is foul but so very satisfying. A true example of a cult classic, Cruelty Squad isn’t a must-play, but a must-consume.
Arthurian Legends
It looks like a build engine game; it’s got knights, axes, maces, and decapitations. It’s sorta like Witchaven if it wasn’t bad. The music is great, the map design is (mostly) great; the game is great. It popped out of nowhere, got little attention in the wider media, which is sad.
Arthurian Legends is great. Swiping the head off some mardy fella before blowing up someone with a magic pot is a feeling I deeply enjoyed, and you will too!
White Hell
It’s Early Access, but the amount of content on offer far surpasses most full-release games of its kind. White Hell is a straight-up, no-frills, FPS affair. It’s direct, well crafted, and fully aware of itself, but not as a comedic gimmick. Blasting away skinheads in the cold streets/hills/castles(?) of Norway is a simple pleasure. It does nothing new, nor does it do anything bad.
There’s not a whole lot to say about White Hell other than to express how much fun it is. A perfect shot in the arm of mindless video game enjoyment after a few years of clumsy big games trying to be Citizen Kane, but ended up more Blue Kane.
Quake Remaster
It’s Quake, but with a new episode, cross-play, co-op, and a modern multiplayer setup. That’s really cool.
Football Manager 2022
I play as Sunderland each year. While a number of games try to delve into concepts like depression, nihilism, and hopelessness, only playing as Sunderland in Football Manager can successfully pull it off.
The constant struggle to spend the smallest amount of money on players, yet still be expected to win every game, gain promotion to the Championship and keep the board happy is the true difficulty setting.
Who knew that watching your team slip down the table after hours of planning could result in such a thrilling feeling. It’s like some sort of doomer-like vibe, complete and utter darkness…with the glimpse of the joy of a 1-1 draw away to Morecambe. Fantastic stuff.
GTFO
It’s out! Like fully out! The game that seems to confuse more people than the term ‘cult classics’, GTFO is a fresh take on the 4-player-co-op-thing. Instead of running around and shooting anything that moves, GTFO forces you to sit down and STFU. Sneaking around, hammering creatures in the head, avoiding combat at all costs. It sounds boring, but it’s pretty much survival horror. Low ammo, low resources, low health, high threat.
The quickest way to explain GTFO is to imagine the middle of Aliens, but the marines have 14 bullets between them and a couple of toffee hammers.
GTFO is fantastic…but only if you have mates.
Inscryption
Feeling like some sort of early Queens of the Stone Age track, Inscryption is a mix of genre and ideals that blends together to craft some chunky, bitter yellow liquid. I drank it, I liked it. The art style, the meta-storytelling that layers upon itself, it’s all so…chunky. A smart card game built upon the outline of rogue-lite, that then goes….You know what, play the game. The more I tell you, the less special it’ll be. Try it, if you hate it, you can drop a comment and call me by name or something.
Chivalry 2
I am a simple man. I like swords, axes, and warhammers. I like armor and fighting people in armor. Chivalry 2 is frantic, chaotic and the most fun you can have throwing chicken and scum bags using bows. It looks and sounds great, it offers fantastic maps and plays host to some truly epic battles. It’s not perfect, with some odd design decisions games of the past already *cough* fixed *cough Mordhau* but either way it’s a ton of fun. The biggest problem Chivalry 2 has is its Epic store exclusive deals hamstringing player base numbers. I had a lot of fun, even when the servers were struggling to fill up. Hopefully, a Steam release sees more long-term sustainability for 2021s best sword-hammer-axe-chicken-em-up.
Valheim
The game managed to capture the aging generation of former-Minecraft players looking for something familiar but new. The combination of crafting, combat, and exploration is well balanced, encouraging players to simply enjoy the game rather than stress over it. Somehow managing to make tree cutting fun (like really, watching one tree fall and bring down with it half a forest and your buddy is great), Valheim has a lot of cogs under its hood. There were few games that matched the sense of giddiness I felt when setting off in a longboat in search of resources, lands, and adventure. Hopefully, 2022 can offer even more Valheim and nail it down as a true great.
Aliens Fireteam Elite
Honesty, it was just fun to see both the press and consumers have no idea how to talk and cover a middle-market game without tripping over themselves. The game was fun too, but we didn’t need dance emotes.
Insurgency: Sandstorm
It’s been out on PC for a good while now, but the console version finally popped out in 2021. Sandstorm is still a fantastic entry point into tactical shooters without being intimidating. A getaway into a world of learning, ammo types, and one-shot kills. Sandstorm is a fantastic multiplayer shooter that bangs on PC and console alike. Repent of the evils of Rainbow Six: Siege and embrace the sandy kisses of Insurgency.
Dusk
Dusk came out on Switch. Dusk is great. Dusk.
