And now we move to part 2 of the list. We’ll get to it shortly, and it make that wait even shorter, I will simply list and link the relevant pages now and then let you continue on either way you choose to:
The video of all art media I loved in 2020 and 2021!
Last years gaming list; part one, part two, and part three!
Part one for this year’s list!
For those that chose not to click away, I present the second half of the video games I beat in 2021;
- Red Dead Redemption -
I was equally excited to replay Red Dead Redemption as I was understandably worried about replaying Red Dead Redemption. It was going to be my first time replaying since Red Dead Redemption 2’s existence, the game that recently molded how I view story-based games that value story over gameplay. Red Dead Redemption 1 did a similar thing all those years ago, it was the game that showed me games were ready to have truly great stories and how that could be more important than the gameplay. As I’ve gotten older, I now value gameplay over story but again, I also think if the story is the center than you can make that work if you really sit down and craft that story.
Which was my worry, as even before replaying I could remember some bits were not going to age well, be a bit too juvenile or on-the-nose. I have to say, playing it again, that only happened less than a handful of times. There is something about what Red Dead Redemption strove for that still stands strong in 2021 and beyond.
It’s still a harrowingly bitter story, maybe even besting the sequel in really painting a sad tale where nothing really ends up mattering or changing. 2 has more themes and is written better, but when 1 soars it’s still soaring in a way only it could. The Mexican Revolution section is particularly well-crafted and personally sets John’s gray status far better than the opening, and the end section of Tall Trees crests that into just how stories like this are supposed to go and what they really mean after all.
Perhaps the second is better, it will still have the higher rating at the end. However, the controls snap much better here even if they don’t reach the heights the sequel’s controls sometimes can once you understand them. It’s not as bogged down by other mechanics you need an atlas to understand. The map is still one of my favorites, and a weaker story that still soars is not too big a downgrade from an excellent story in the grand scheme of video games. Arthur Morgan’s redemption proved to be a hallmark or gaming history, but John Marston’s original landslide into it still feels right at home there. I still love this game, it’s barely aged at all.
9/10
- Dead Rising 2: Case
Zero -
Simple as can be for this. I played vanilla Dead Rising 2, and then Off The Record, so it felt natural to go back and play the Xbox 360 stand-alone game that was as much a taste of the real game before it released as it was an additional story for those that wanted more afterwards as it is still available to purchase and was added to the backwards compatibility program for Xbox One.
As much as I want to say, “It’s just more Dead Rising 2 which is all I need!”, that almost sounds like a huge insult as I think the game really is a fun little package for what it is too. Like I said it’s additional story, there’s some quests and characters, you can even keep a save file and replay like the real game! Originally you could also transfer this save over to the real game and unlock stuff early, but only the 360 version, so that feature doesn’t work for the Xbox One ports of Dead Rising 2, making this even more of a stand-alone game than it previously was.
So yeah, it’s more Dead Rising 2, but I think it takes that concept better than Off The Record did. I can’t help saying that I’d rather play this again than Off The Record. I got every achievement because it was just fun to play this incredibly quick but rewarding side game and that needs to be stated and also considered for the score. Sorry, but it’s going to get a higher score than Off The Record, and I understand that’s weird, but I earnestly just loved playing this more.
8/10
- Ben 10 (2017) -
I’ve seen zero episodes of the Ben 10 reboot, but this game was on sale one day and I’m a sucker for licensed games and gave it a whirl. It’s decently fun, something a fan of the show would probably really enjoy and that I think it mechanically sound enough for it’s intended audience.
It’s not a golden gem for licensed games, but I did have some fun here playing around as Ben and his alien forms. The game claimed some worked better against some enemies but I feel they all were about as overpowered, which at least meant it wasn’t frustrating. Not much to say as it’s just a game for fans of a show, but as basically a newbie I also had some fun.
6/10
- Undead Nightmare -
Red Dead Redemption, unlike it’s sequel from the look of things, got a story DLC set in an alternate reality where the zombie apocalypse was unleashed in New Austin and only John Marston could stand in the way of total zombie takeover.
Boy is it fun. The gameplay being snappy helps, although it also means that flaws in the controls are a bit more obvious as you are shooting even more than before. The updated side quests are unique, and the character interactions are really funny, but I also discovered they are mandatory to finish the story and that feels wrong to me even if the end of the story would make those side missions odd to say the least. Odd in a way I would have loved to see them play out though, so it remains a criticism. It would have added even more flavor to the dark comedy, which is just as bleak as the main game despite the laughter, and it would also add replay factor which this needs as a short experience.
There’s a reason even the biggest fans of the sequel think would give the edge to 1 just because of this DLC. It also still holds up, not as good as the main games personally but also one of the few DLC’s that feels like a thoroughly unique experience I can imagine people liking more than the main games.
8/10
- The DLC’s for Fallout 3 -
It was Case Zero that convinced me to add DLC’s to this list, and I even changed the order so I could do them all in a row barring the Ben 10 game. It’s hard to talk about these ones as this time, I just played them while listening to some podcasts and live stream VODs. I wanted to do some achievement clean-up, discovered I’d already gotten every main story and side quest achievement without remembering I had already, and just went into the DLCs.
I’ve played Fallout 3 plenty of times before, including the DLC’s when I was and when I wasn’t hunting PlayStation trophies on my old PS3 copy. So I sort of mindlessly got the 360 achievements, just the story ones too, so mindlessly I couldn’t tell you how I did them character wise.
Still, it’s mindless because I know them this well and think they are this good. I’ll just pump out a rating for each one so you can see which ones I like the best!
Operation Anchorage - 5/10
The Pitt - 9/10
Broken Steel - 6/10
Point Lookout - 9/10
Mothership Zeta - 6/10
- The DLC’s for Pokémon Shield -
These are talked about in the video, mostly Isle of Armor as I greatly preferred that one. Still, as I say in the video I also did really like The Crown Tundra, it’s just that legendary hunting was never my favorite thing. I do love how both DLC’s added refreshing story content and some of the best characters in the game, and were some of the better DLC’s I’ve played for a newer game in a long while. I feel DLC has gotten smaller and less interesting over the years, despite games getting bigger, so this expansion pass brought me back to the longer DLC days where they completely added to the formula and were games in their own right. I’ll review both separately, and I highly recommend both.
Isle of Armor - 9/10
The Crown Tundra - 8/10
- The Maneater Truth Quest DLC -
Briefly mentioned this in the video, as I talked at length about the main game and why I loved it. The DLC got a quick mention as something I found less interesting, which ultimately means there isn’t much to say even with what I didn’t already say, even if you don’t count the original blog entry for the main game from last year. Some fun new powers, a weaker if promising based-off-one-joke story, hopefully the next game from this studio does something new as that’s now more promising, I feel Maneater has run it’s course and is best left as this great budget title with DLC only for those who couldn’t put it down, like myself.
5/10
- Adventure Time: Pirates of the Enchiridion -
Bought from the same sale as the Ben 10 game, it’s a game based off Adventure Time. I’ve seen some of the show but am beyond behind in watching it. A handful of episodes, but I’m aware of places it went thanks to online chatter especially with the sequel specials.
The game takes cues, from what I understand, from The Legend of Zelda: Windwaker. Most if not all of the Adventure Time games are inspired by Zelda games, the creator of the show Pendleton Ward happens to be a Zelda fan and is closely involved when it came to the games from what I’ve heard.
I like the ideas tried out for this game, but it doesn’t click with me. The difficulty can feel frustrating at times, unfair even which is odd for a game aimed at children, grinding is ridiculously necessary. Then again, I love some RPGs that require heavy grinding so it’s hard to tell why it doesn’t work for this one, it’s a wire act not even RPG does right and even then that can be beyond subjective if the game’s world draws you in.
The writing can be pretty funny, the story can be kind of interesting, but I can’t even say what else that got my interest as the game is leaving my mind as I speak despite the fact I earned every achievement. Then again, I earnestly DIDN”T want to get the achievements but I discovered a lot of abilities are hidden behind side quests, so I was practically forced to so I didn’t have a miserable time attempting to beat bosses without the abilities clearly meant to help you in said fights.
I want to say mediocre, but I did enjoy the Ben 10 games while not caring for Pirates of the Enchiridion, and that has to account for something or other. I hear fans find this game one of the better for the franchise, but what that means for me turned out to be little to nothing.
4.5/10
- Sam & Max: Beyond Time And Space -
When S&M got backwards compatible for the Xbox One, I bought both available seasons and ate up the first season all over again. It’s sometimes rough around the edges in terms of puzzle ideas, but it’s writing is so funny and clever that it’s still one of the duos best outings. Season 2 is an oddball and I remembered why when I replayed the first episode back then; the gameplay, puzzles, and story building all improved but there was just something up with the humor that felt less strong and that meant the package didn’t feel as good despite the vast improvements. The attempts at grander scales also meant the 4th acts could sometimes drag on just as often as they could feel earned but at least finishing them did always feel satisfying.
I went back and finished up the rest of the game last year, even managing to earn all the achievements, and I mostly feel the same but also still love the game even more once again. Those puzzles can be so intensive that sometimes you feel very satisfied but other times you feel like you needed a third eye to figure out how the hell you got there. The world building mostly just sets up the following season over everything else, but it does on occasion tie up something nicely and makes some punchlines land flawlessly.
The first two seasons have remasters, and while I bought season 1 twice I am waiting for only the limited run version for season 2 which as of this writing hasn’t been announced yet. I’m also truly just waiting for season 3 as that’s when these great games got as perfect as a game can get.
8/10
- Saints Row 2 -
It’s in the video, but Saints Row 2 showed me that while it is a different game from 3 and 4, and that even though controls are a bit stiff and wonky, it’s the fan favorite for a reason and a truly well-written experience where you actually feel like a bad guy. You don’t leave this game feeling like you made the right call, if you have a heart you may just hate what The Boss ends up doing and especially for how petty it all is after all.
8/10
- Pokémon Brilliant Diamond -
I don’t care much for Generation 4 of Pokémon, and the remakes from last year both solidified that is still the case but interestingly enough it still reminded me why I love this franchise even in the less interesting games.
At one point, the story comes to a crawl just so I the player can move from gym to gym. I don’t have to stop for interactions, I just go at my own flow, and it’s a part of all these games I always love. I just slide into it perfectly, it’s rewarding and also just peaceful. Who cares if Team Galactic still doesn’t seem that well figured out? Who cares if the map design relies on backtracking a bit more noticeable than usual? Right now I have to take on Crasher Wake and Candice and the swamps and the safari zone, get out of my way game I’m playing the game! I don’t connect to Sinnoh that much, but over the years I’ve appreciated some of the lore concepts and many Pokémon designs managed to win me over. I’ll spoil it now that when it comes to Sinnoh, I’ll stick to Legends Arceus, but when Diamon/Pearl/Platinum/BDSP get into the typical Pokémon game groove they still land that very well. I won’t play this one again, but this time I am happy that I did.
6/10
- LEGO Indiana Jones -
Personal fact here; LEGO Indiana Jones was the first game I’d earned every Xbox 360 achievement for all those years ago. I don’t have that same account so I’d been meaning to do it all over again. Funny story though, I forgot there were achievements related to certain gameplay styles and the like so I haven’t actually done it again yet still, only regular game 100% completion which is still a decent feat for LEGO games and almost always fun.
No difference here, and there is something about Indiana Jones that was my favorite of the older LEGO games. I preferred it over the also excellent Star Wars games and felt the following Batman game brought cool new ideas but wasn’t as ultimately interesting. These days though, the formula has been fleshed out and improved so I can’t help but want to stick with Marvel Superheroes or City Undercover, but I think I’d still pick Indiana Jones over Jurassic World and certainly Dimensions.
The controls were a bit rougher feeling getting back into it, but the game was still one-of-a-kind as the ideas tried out here never moved anywhere else despite how well they worked. I may get those remaining achievements after all.
8/10
- Marvel Ultimate Alliance -
Ultimate Alliance and it’s sequel got a short-lived port for the PS4 and Xbox One back in 2016, and I picked up only the first for PS4 and forgot to get around to the second before they were pulled. I had a past with the first though, so it was too hard to ignore purchasing only it even though there was a bundled price for both.
Like LEGO Indy, age has roughed up this gem but the elements that make it a gem still shine. I quite love this quirky little crossover, enough that I’d earned the truly time-eating Platinum trophy and even all of the free DLC trophies years ago and just played it at the end of 2021 for fun only. Spider-Man, Wolverine, Ghost Rider, Moon Knight, Captain America, The Fantastic Four, Deadpool, Elektra and Daredevil, I won’t lie I do think everyone controls well enough and no one is “unplayable” even if I vastly prefer some to others, and also that some are a bit overpowered like the aforementioned Wolverine.
The comic book missions add nice flavor and help you get either more attached to characters you don’t know or allow you to spend solo time with you favorites in a way that respects their stories. Speaking of story, Doom’s plot for world conquest still stands out to me as one that works so well for a video game crossover, you get basically every baddie you could want and a ton of different looking and feeling areas with their own unique rules.
Yes it is wonky, just like any game where you jump with Y/Triangle, but hey Fallout 4 got a perfect score from me so how much does that matter after all?
9/10
That’s the end of my 2021 gaming journey. I’ve been working on tons of other projects, but it’s also nice to have little things like this to stretch with and I hope the end product gave you some insights and maybe game recommendations. Thank you for reading