Kinda Funny Gamescast: Video Game Podcast - Kinda Funny's Game of the Year 2021 - Kinda Funny Gamescast

Episode Date: January 13, 2022

Go to http://meundies.com/kindafunny to get 25% off matching pairs, 15% off your first order, and free shipping! Get 25% off and zero delivery fees on your first order of $15 or more when you download the DoorDash app and enter code GAMES2021! Sign up at http://chime.com/kfgames to make your first good decision of the new year! We decide Kinda Funny's Game of the Year 2021 with our biggest cast EVER! Featuring Janet, Parris, Mike, Barrett, Tim, Greg, Blessing and Andy! Time Stamps: 00:00:00 - Start 00:02:16 - Housekeeping 00:06:38 - Number 10 00:12:30 - Number 9 00:18:08 - Number 8 00:26:25 - Number 7 00:38:03 - Number 6 01:00:03 - Number 5 01:10:14 - Number 4 01:19:45 - Number 3 01:35:43 - Number 2 01:46:09 - Number 1 01:57:03 - Honorable Mentions & STATS Epic Creator Code: KindaFunny Follow The Kinda Funny Game of the Year Team On Twitter: Greg Miller: https://twitter.com/GameOverGreggy Tim Gettys: https://twitter.com/TimGettys Andy Cortez: https://twitter.com/TheAndyCortez Blessing Adeoye: https://twitter.com/BlessingJr Mike Howard: https://twitter.com/SnowBikeMike Barrett Courtney: https://twitter.com/SadBoyBarrett Parris Lilly: https://twitter.com/vicious696 Janet Garcia: https://twitter.com/Gameonysus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What's up and welcome back to the kind of funny games cast. As always, I'm Tim Geddes. Join by the biggest cast we have ever had on this show. They said it couldn't be possible. They said it shouldn't be possible, but guess what? We did it because we're kind of funny. I'm Tim. We're joined by the new base of video games.

Blessing at Ayoia Jr. What's up, Tim? The nitro rifle, Andy Cortez. Great afternoon gamers. The big daddy himself, Greg Miller. Tim, I know there's a lot of people you gotta get through so you're in a rush. But if you don't mind, I'd like to read from the number one. magazine, the Mizzou Alumni Association

magazine to tell you that Mizzou is the number one ranked school for value schools among national university and neighboring states. It's the 12th and the best value among public universities and 14th best online bachelor's program. If you're going anywhere, ladies gentlemen, make it, Mizzou. Speaking of bachelors, Greg, the bachelor

went to Mizzou currently. And he gave a nice little M-I-Z and me at home went Z-O-U. I learned. What's his name? Do I know? His name is Colton. No, it's not Colt. Clayton. Did he graduate in like 05-ish? I don't know.

Probably not. But whatever, continuing the show, because it's kind of funny his game of the year, it's not just the kind of funny games cast cast. We wanted to get all of the gamers out there. So of course, Barrett Courtney is running the boards, as he always does. But joining us from the beautiful Vita Island, PS I Love You's Own, Janet Garcia. Yo, what's good. So much, so much.

Video games, Janet. That's the answer. And to talk about those games, we have not one, but two reps. from the Kind of Funny Xcast, Paris Lily. Hey y'all. And Snow Bike Mike. Hey, yo, thanks for having me on today. This is going to be fun.

This is unprecedented. I don't know what type of disaster we're going to get into, but we took the idea we had last year for Game of the Year, where each one of us came with our top 10 lists, and then Barrett took them all, ranked them, calculated the numbers, crunched the numbers, and came up with Kind of Funnies overall top 10 list. And that resulted in insanity.

thing people were going nuts final fantasy seven remake out did the last of us part two to become kind of funny game of the year what insanity will happen this year we'll have to wait and see because this is the kind of funny games cast where each and every week we get together to talk about video games and all the things that we love about them you can get it on youtube dot com slash kind of funny games or roosterteeth dot com if you want it as a podcast just search your favorite podcast service for kind of funny games cast and we'll be right there for you if you wanted to get the show ad free if you want to watch live as it's recorded and if you want the exclusive post show.

You gotta go to patreon.com slash kind of funny games, just like our Patreon producers, James Davis, praise Portillo, Craig Miller's back and better than ever. Pranksy, Delaney twinning, Tyler Ross, first responder, ND, Julian the gluten-free gamer, James Hastings, and Casey Andrews. We appreciate you also very much.

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Barrett, do you want to tell the people how this worked this year different than previous years? Yeah, so in the previous years, in the last two years specifically for game of the year 2020 and game of the year 2019, Game of the Year was voted on by list sent to me. And the people voting were the hosts of Gamescast, which typically, I think in 2019, was five people, maybe four, and then last year was four people with the host of Gamescast being you, Greg, Bless, and Imran the Don Khan. This year, we wanted to open it up a little bit and get more of an overall voice for the top 10 game of the year for Kind of Funny. So,

not just including the Gamescast hosts, which is Tim, Bless, Andy, and Greg, we opened it up to myself who directs all of the... core game podcasts. And then we also opened it up to the third PSI Love You host, Janet Garcia. And we have the two Xbox representatives with Paris Lily and Snow Bichael, Michael, to kind of get an overall, what does kind of funny feel across all three of the core games podcasts of what our top 10 list is. So everybody sent me their top 10 list.

And the kind of the way scores went, if you sent me your number one, game of the year, that got 10 points. Number 2, 9, number 3, 8, all the way going down to number 10, got one point. We will get into, at the end, I've got some stats for you at the end of this episode. I know there are some questions of like, well, scores be weighted differently this year. We'll get into why I actually did calculate that afterwards and why I stick to the 10 points scale kind of being the, I think, the most fair. We'll get into it, though. So, yeah. It's Because somehow you got some persona bullshit on the list. That's why he's number one.

Again, we'll talk about why I think it was a more fair and balanced way with the 10-point scale. So, yeah, everybody sent me their votes. I also calculated my votes as well, my first year voting. And yeah, that's how this was come up with. I know last year we revealed, I'm excited for this year because last year we revealed the top 10 with y'all seeing images and not knowing what the top 10 was before. This year we spruce things up a little bit, so I'm excited to get into it. We also started with honorable mentions before the actual top 10 last year.

And I love that this year, we're not doing the honorable mentions first because that means that like for what, yeah, for what, for what 2021 was? It's not like it is a, oh, we know that it's going to be last of us in Final Fantasy and like a specific games at the top. I'm excited to get there and be like, yo, what the fuck is number one when it could be probably five to 10 different games. That's exactly why I didn't want to do it at the top because this year was so diverse. Yeah, it's such a diverse year. fantastic video games and all of us obviously have such different opinions on so many of these that I don't think any of our lists are even going to resemble each other. I know Bless and I did a

shit list a couple days ago after Games Daily and we were looking at Time Magazine's top 10 games of the year and like it was a wild list like it was not what you would expect at all super varied like indie games triple A games all things things all over the place and it was just it was crazy and like I feel like that energy is going to be here too but I love that we're going in None of us except Barrett know the order of these. So without further ado, let's get right into it. Number 10. This is Kind of Funnies top 10 game list of 2021.

Number 10, Hitman 3. So there we go. Hitman 3 coming in. I'm so happy. I did not think Hitman 3 is going to make the list. I'm very happy about this. Who do you think had it highest on their list? Blessing.

Mike? I had it in number two. Wow. Hitman 3 deserves a lot of respect this year. And I'm glad to see it. It's at least made our top 10. It's been fun to see a lot of other people's top tens around the globe. And Hitman is either on it or not on it.

But Hitman 3 was number two for me. How much did our friend Washburn 135 influence you on that one, Mike? Waspern did a lot of influencing, but I will say when I look back on it, I really enjoyed everything that I.O. created in this. The package itself of getting Hitman one and two into the full package of three, right? The community work that we got to see, especially with us over here kind of funny,

we made awesome levels and different Hitman assignments. So Hitman 3 for me was a really special game this year. Yeah, back in January too, right? Like this is fun that like we're talking a whole year later and like it's coming in on our game of the year list. Bless, what else do you have to say about Hitman 3? Yeah, I think, I mean, I'm glad that I was getting props for this game. It's one that I think part of me wasn't expecting it to show up,

mainly because this has been the third iteration of this series of Hitman. And the current iterations of Hitman have been very iterative. They've been very much like, they hold that core that I think the first one had, which is, hey, this is kind of a ongoing game. This is kind of a game's of a service. We have like the foundation set with Hitman 1 and everything else feels a little bit more additive additive on top of it as opposed to reinventing the wheel with each game. But I think that has worked so much to the benefit where with each Hit Man game,

I think the levels and the experience gets better, right? Hitman 3. In terms of mechanics, like probably the biggest newest thing, the new thing they added to the game was the camera as an item. But, like, aside from that, things are, it's pretty much the same game. It looks marginally better because it's on the newer gen of consoles.

And they have, like, a few ideas here and there that are sprinkled in. But because it is piggybacking off of Hit Man 1 and 2, which had such strong foundation, that means that the places where they're able to really go for it and experiment and innovate are in the level design. And so, like, Dartman, is my favorite hitman level period. And like that is so strong because of one, how much of it is an homage to knives out,

but then how creative they're able to get with it in terms of creating the mystery, figuring out like who is, like who is the murderer, like how does that feed into what the actual target is and what you have to do in the world? And then the ways that you can play around with those pieces when you're actually customizing what the objectives and targets are. I think that is such a strong level. Berlin is also such a strong level in terms of, hey, you have to discover who your targets are and then take out of it.

out them or take them out. And then there's also a bunch of them, right? That is a kind of a newer thing for this modern era of Hitman games. And even like the other levels, even the final level that we talk about all the time, which is different from what you typically get from Hitman. Even that was pushing it in a way where it's like, damn, you guys have ideas here. You guys are actually taking what you established and really pushing it in ways that still feel fresh and still feel new. And so yeah, big shout out to Hitman 3. Did it Hitman 3 make anyone else's list besides Mike and Bless? Yeah, it was my 10.

So I was like, I love this because this is, at this moment in time, this list is my list, which I'm guessing that won't last very long. But I'm like, oh, like Barrett just put in my list. This is great. But yeah, it's my number 10 of the year. I think it's a fantastic game. It was my first Hitman game. So I kind of went in without the baggage of really wanting it to do something that it hasn't done before

because I'm like, this is my first time here. And I think it did a phenomenal job teaching new players how to navigate. the system because that's something I really struggled with early on. I constantly mentioned on shows that I do my bread and butter is jank stealth where it's like I'm stealth until I have to just start shooting people. You can't really do that in Hitman unless you're like maybe really good with like the gunplay and like spoilers. I'm not that person. But eventually I learned, okay, let's hide here. Let's turn this radio on. Okay, we're going to, you know, poisoning the drinks. You can knock people out with muffins in that game. And I know that's not new to Hitman like three specifically. But that's still.

deserves a lot of love. For me, Dartmoor, obviously, very beloved mission, but one of my favorites was the one that took place in the winery, because, spoilers, you can throw someone into the machine that crushes the grapes, and then they just, like, crush up completely. And there's so many goofy and weird and brutal ways to kill people, but also to problem solve in that game. And I think that's incredibly fun. And I think, too, in the era that we see more and more games implement stealth, I think Hitman really deserves its flowers for being, in some ways, the pinnacle of what a stealth game and what a stealth mechanic can be. So I loved it from the beginning to the end. Highly recommend that one.

And like it's been mentioned, it has a bunch of content too. So if you're someone who really wants to live in a game, you totally have the option to do that with Hitman through those extra missions that they've added in. Hell yeah. Any closing thoughts on Hitman or should we move on to number nine? To piggyback off of that real quick, right? If Hitman 3 is your first Hitman game, that means you have a lot of content that you can dive into. I think that's a really good point where it's like, I don't know the number of maps off the top of my head, but I would estimate probably close to 20 in terms of the amount of content that work in Hitman 3 because Hitman 3 again takes the content from the previous games and puts it in there.

With all the improved mechanics and all the touchups that you get with Hitman 3. And so that is like, that is a lot of hours of game time there for content. And so I think that's a good thing to point out to. All right, Barrett. Number nine. Number nine. Forza Horizon 5. Oh.

X-Cash showing up. Forza Horizon 5 coming in at number nine. Paris. I'm honestly shocked that it's number nine. I really thought this would be a lot higher on the top 10 list. You know, it's obviously it's visually stunning. I think just the arcade racing aspects of the open world

of the Forest Horizon 5, they really nailed it with the different, I guess, biomes is the new term everyone uses, but the different environments in Mexico, highlighting all of that, the culture of Mexico, everything about it, was fantastic. So it was higher on my list. I think I had it at either four or five overall, but yeah, absolutely top 10 worthy. Mike, where'd you have it? I had it at number four for my list, and that's personal preference.

I think if we were to look at games as a product and we, we were really going to get to the nitty gritty, it would probably be much higher and be probably number one on the year. I think this game is something special and we know what playground is capable of. And we talked about it on the X-Cast, me, Paris and Gary of like,

how do you improve upon perfection? And somehow they came back and did that. And I think, like Paris said, going to the new environment, going to Mexico, living it up a lot more than that just UK just kind of side of the countryside. This is really special.

And I loved everything. I think it had a lot of activities, had a bunch of races, multiplayer had some problems at the beginning with connectivity issues, but honestly, nothing is cooler than doing all of these races with your friends. And on top of that, there's infinite options to play, right? You can customize each and every race, however you want it, share it out with the global world of gamers.

And like, that's really cool to see. Not only do you get everything that playground made, but so many more community-driven stuff. So that's really great. I love Ports. Do you guys think that Horizon 5 was like really, the standout in the series or do you think it's just finally the time for the franchise to get the praise it deserves?

It felt like a culmination to me. I thought once they got to Horizon 3, they were really starting to, playground was really starting to find the cadence that worked that was appealing to the arcade race or audience. Four obviously iterated on that and it just seemed like five just put everything together and kind of like I was even saying before, them going to Mexico and, and, and, Mexico having these varied environments that you can explore and race through with your friends, I think just brought it all together. And like I said, I mean, from a visual standpoint, I mean, one of the best looking games that we had in 2021.

Yeah, I think that's where I come in where it's like, I think the jump to series X really does push Forces so much. And if we're talking about how strong this last year was for Xbox as a platform, I do think Forts Horizon 5. It's kind of the shining star. I would put it up, put it up against Halo. And I'm right there with Mike that like, I think. in a world, I could see us even having this at number one, because when you're talking about pure quality and polish, I don't think anything does it better than Forza Horizon 5. And I know for me, like in my story of Forza Horizon this year, this is like my third Forksa Horizon game. And

even though it's the third one, I'm still finding new ways to enjoy it. Like playing it with Mike and the squad on stream and doing like the cross-country races, basically. Like, those were such a fun time. And that was the side of Forza that I didn't experience before because I just wasn't playing that game online like that. I was just in it for the main experience. And also the battle real mode, which was new to me as well. Like there's so much in there to enjoy content-wise, and they just keep upping the ante, I'd say, with each game.

And I'm right there with Paris, too, that it feels like a culmination. Andy Cortez. The idea that a driving game can even, like this will be the only driving game I play until the next horizon, most likely. I do think even though we had that insanely hyped moment of 343 releasing HILA multiplayer early. That was awesome, but I kind of wish that didn't happen because we would have stuck with

Forza longer. And I had such a fun time with Forza. I think the community aspect is so great with all the user-generated cars. I have all these little stupid small cars that I just found myself wanting to collect more and more. And I have a jiggly-puff car and a Kirby car and a Pikachu car. Like, there's a bunch of dumb shit you can do in this game. game, but I really loved whittling down my Xbox friends list to personal mutual friends that I know in real life or have worked with before.

And I would log on every day and say, God damn it, Mike surpassed me on that damn sign posting thing. Oh, damn, not that Phil Spencer is my personal friend, but I've got to catch up to Phil. I got to pass them up on this thing or whatever. And it was just so cool seeing our friend Danny Pena, Paris's co-host on Gamerontaguer. radio, see him, you know, doing super completionist type stuff in Forta Horizon 5. Such a fun time, such a great game. And yeah, just the total package in terms of polish and, you know, visuals and they just nailed it across the board.

So shout out to playground games. I had an absolute blast with it. And if it weren't for Halo infinite releasing early multiplayer-wise, I would have stuck with it definitely a lot longer than I did. did it make anyone else's top 10? It was seven on mine. It was also on mine. I think it might have been seven as well.

Cool. Moving on. Number eight. Number eight, Metroid Dread. Wow. Wow. Number eight for Metroid Dread.

I'm going to come out and say it. This feels right to me. Super high quality game. Amazing game. I recommend everybody that's at all interested in Metroidvania's play this game because it is really, really damn good. It's a very damn good Metroid game, but I don't think it's game of the year number one quality. I do

think that there's enough in it that kind of takes it down to number eight, feeling really right for me. I loved it, loved the experience, especially it coming out with the Switch OLED. I think it's a beautiful game that really takes advantage of the vibrant colors, which is not necessarily something I've previously looked for in

the Metroid franchise. But fighting the Emmys, each one of them having their own kind of bright neon look in the really kind of stark, dark, foggy environments that we're used to from Metroid was I think a really kind of inspired visual distinction between what we're used to and something that's kind of more fresh and new. I feel like the more you play the game, the more custom you get to its systems. And by the time you get to the final boss and you're fighting it for, I don't know,

hour three and a half before you beat it for the round 29. Like it is really starting to click where you're like, I don't hate this. I love this. And I feel like that's like the magic of it where it's this trial and error of figuring out the patterns, but then knowing that you're fucking up and you want to get through it all. And it has some of the most rewarding hype moments as a lifelong Metroid fan. Like there are some extremely cool things that happen in this game that feel really rewarding. And I can't wait to see where they take it next.

But at the end of the day, they accomplished what they set out to do with Metroid dread. And that is something that I didn't know that Mercury Steam had. in them necessarily. I really enjoyed Samus returns, but Metroid Dread, really happy it's on the list. Yeah, same. I have it a bit higher on my personal list at number five. Though, man, there are some really, you know, you talk about the final boss battle and hour three. That boss battle turned me into the Joker. And also the last couple hours of the game in general, without spoiling, it's some of the enemies you fight and maybe you have a hard time with, but you finally win. And then surprise, he's in the other room in a different color now.

It's like, why did some of that I do take issue with? But on the whole, I think MetroD dread is highly impressive as a classic Metroid game. I think especially in the era where so many different people have taken on the Metroidvania formula, a lot of the questions going into this was how, what will Metroid have to say in this era where so many people have already, you know, put out stuff in this space? And I think a lot of us were maybe a little bit worried about, will this feel, you know, do they still have the sauce for it? And it's so clear that they do. Like, I think the environments,

again, are incredible. It's one of the best-looking games on the Switch, which I know has its own asterisk because the Switch isn't exactly, you know, a high-fidelity machine. But I just think the moment to moment when a combat was incredible, the inclusion of like the Perry's. And you kind of had this bit of autonomy and power during basic enemy encounters, which I don't think you always have had in previous Metroid games, in my opinion. And I think they did, on the whole, a really good job of balancing the power and pain that is a Metroidvania of getting lost and struggling and learning and figuring out how to master the tools that you have. Definitely some things I'd like to see changed moving forward, but on the whole, it is a damn good

Metroid game. And I think Metroid in general is a franchise that's really up there in terms of what game franchises currently exist. So for it to be one of the best in its franchise is already a testament to how good Metroid dread is. So yeah, love it. Don't want to play it again. me want to cry at the end. Not because the story was beautiful, but just because I'm like, am I really going to sit here and spend my entire day just to say to myself that I did it? And the answer is, yes, I did because I'm sick. But that's more of a me problem than a hell.

Yeah. Andy, I want to get to you in just a sec, but to jump off what Janet just said about not wanting to play it again. I want to go to Barrett. Barrett, you've been replaying the hell out of this game. Oh, yeah. And this was my number three. And this is the, and I really fell in love with this game.

This was the first Metroid game I had actually played into a two. completion. I'd played like a couple here and there growing up, but never really dug into them. And as a fan of Metroidvania, I was like, I gotta play a fucking Metroid game. And yeah, I agree with everything that's been said. So the positives that have been said so far,

of just like how well it does Metroid design, of course. Yeah, I love the inclusion of the Emmys. I know that's kind of a hit or miss for some people, but I love that like the kind of battle with them is like, all right, What is the perfect path to get where I need to go while avoiding this fucker as, as best as I can without getting killed? And yeah, it's the game that I've replayed the most this last year, because it's that easy, like, my first playthrough, I beat it in, like, seven and a half hours. And I know you get some, some different cooler JPEGs at the end of the game. If you, like, beat it, like, quicker or, like, on the harder difficulty and stuff like that.

So I was like, yeah, like, I want to, I love playing Batman Arkham Asylum and beating that in five hours. like how quickly can I get through Metroid Dread. And like, yeah, I love, like, doing, like, kind of a natural speed run, not, like, doing all the, like, I forget what the term is called. Sequence breaking. Yeah, not doing all the sequence breaking stuff, but, like, just playing naturally through it and how fast I can get through it. I love doing that. And, like, I did the same thing for hard where I think my hard mode speed run was somewhere at, like, five and a half hours or something like that. And it was just, like, I really enjoyed this game.

I love the combat. I personally, the second half of the game is where. really hit its stride for me. I love those enemies. I think the way they build up to the final boss is so just chef's kiss in, you know, battle design in a Metroid game. Yeah, I adore it. And that, I think that last boss, I think, might be my favorite gameplay thing of this year. I just, I adore it. Wow. Andy. I had a lot of fun with Metroid dread. This was number 10 on my list. I do think that there are still some old school design choices that are put in there that I don't personally prefer. But I think despite all my problems with it, it's still in my top 10 and I had a lot of fun with it.

And it's above a lot of other games that I thought would have been top 10. I think the action is great. The combat feels so fluid. I love the sliding. I do think that I wish there would have been more improvements in terms of fighting. enemies that aren't mini bosses or bosses. This game is very much Emmys, mini bosses, and bosses. And I also played Hollow Night this year.

And I think that's a far better Metroidvania than this game is. And a lot of it is due to the fact that not only are the boss fights absolutely incredible, just like Metroid Dreads are, I'd say I'd probably prefer those a bit more. But I feel like traversing the world, you are fighting a lot more enemies as opposed to just traversing the world to get to the next minibos or to get to the next boss encounter.

I definitely had some issues with it, but it's still a really damn good game. I know Tim will disagree with me on this, and we talked about it before, but I feel like the soundtrack was such a miss, and they had such an opportunity to pop off with the music in this one. And the main Metroid Dread hit, the main Metroid theme hits, and it's awesome as hell. And then everything else is just kind of like subpar for me. but it's still really damn fun to play. And yeah, when I got my OLED and then loaded it up on the OLED, it's really stunning to see.

To bounce off of that just really quick, like, yeah, I listened to it the first time through, and then all of the times I've been replaying it, like it's my comfort. I'm laying in bed and we're watching something on the TV, and I'm not listening to it because, yeah, I do agree that that was one thing that I was left wanting was more of a banger soundtrack, Andy. Any closing thoughts on Metroid Dread from anyone? Let's move on. Number seven. Psychonauts 2.

Oh, we got to start off with Barrett. What are you had to say? Psychonauts 2 coming in at number 7. Yeah, I've been banging the drum about this game ever since we got to, not even when it came out, but before that when we got to preview it. And, you know, Mike Parris and I got to play like four or five hours of a preview. and I've been very vocal of like it is very much my game of the year. And I'm just,

I'm really happy to see it on this list. And I love that. I think it's the, for me personally, I think it's the smartest and best written game of the year. I think the way, if you don't know, like the quick premise of like you're,

you're this kid who has psychic powers who can go into people's minds and kind of see the world through their, their view and through their eyes. And a lot of what you're doing in those levels going into each people's minds is kind of helping them find a right path because a lot of the people that you're going into the minds to and helping out are people who have dealt with a lot of loss.

And you're not really going in there to fix them, but you're going in there to kind of help guide them to not kind of carry that weight. And I think it's a fascinating kind of look at how everybody carries loss differently. I think the smartest written level, and it's not even my favorite, is Compton's Cookout, where you're inside of like a cooking game show, essentially, and you're helping out this guy who really at the core of it has this anxiety of being judged by his friends. And that's represented in doing this cooking show where you have to go gather ingredients and throw it in a blender and chop it up and all that stuff, which is such a, a, a, a,

unique way to translate the gameplay of that game. And the judges are three of Compton's friends who are represented by hand puppets. And of course, you go through the cooking game show, and at the end, you have to fight them. And the way that kind of ends is that like the, you kind of blow up the hand puppets. And at the very end, the hand puppet is taken off of the hand, and it's shown that it was Compton Bull's hands. that were controlling these hand puppets. And it doesn't beat you over the head of like, see, you were the one who like was putting this pressure on yourself.

And like they aren't really doing it. Like they don't spell that out for you. They like, they write it in a way visually and in dialogue that makes you kind of marinate it, and kind of lets you take away what you will in those levels. You know, there's the Woodstock-inspired drug trip level that's essentially narrated,

by Jack Black the entire time and has some of the best music, or not best, but some of my favorite music in any game this year. And, you know, there's a level about alcoholism and how this child was kind of subtly raised by someone who dealt with that. And then when he grew up and then experienced what I would argue the most loss in this game, how he fell into that and how because of his upbringing, he also fell into the dark hole of alcoholism. I think there's a great commentary on even class.

You're helping a bunch of hippies. You're helping a bunch of old sad hippies in this game. And then you see the difference in how they carry loss. And then how someone who comes from wealth and power carries loss. There's so much to say about this game. So I'll cut it short here because I could go on forever. I know, you know, some people have gripes with gameplay and stuff like that. I think I had the benefit of actually playing the first game for the first time this last

year. So I kind of went in with the expectation of like, yeah, the original didn't play great. We'll see how this one was. And in comparison, it is better. And I understand in gameplay comparison to other games that came out this year, maybe it wasn't everybody's cup of tea. But I think it's truly something special. Tim Schaefer has been writing video games longer than some of us on this podcast have been alive. And I think he is still one of the best writers in video games. I think this is his best work personally. And I think what the team at Double Fine delivered this year was absolutely phenomenal. Was it your number one?

Yes, it was my game of the year. Who else had it on the list? I did. And it was also my number one as well. Barrett spelled it all out completely. So I don't need to really repeat anything that he said other than, yeah, the art style was top notch. The writing was top notch. The voice cast, just top notch overall.

You know, I went back and forth with another game on what should be number one, but I ultimately settled on Cycle on. I had such a great experience with that game and coming off of what they built with the first game. I just I just thought it was fantastic. So yeah, overall for 2021, it was my number one. And again, I'm shocked and so low on the list on the top 10, but it absolutely deserves to be here. I had, oh, go, Andy. Go go for Mike.

Oh, I had number five for myself. I loved Cyclonauts too. Barrett spells it all out, just like we've talked about on the X-Cast. The biggest one for me was I smiled all the. way through it every single time whenever we'd get new enemy types and they would be talking about different mental health issues and how that reflected the gameplay. I think they did a really good job. And for me, that made me think. And I think that's the biggest thing that I take away from Cyclonauts too is it made me think. It made me smile and take a deep breath and go, oh, man,

I've had that feeling or, oh, I totally get how they made that into gameplay. And I love that different enemy type. So that was a big one for me. And not many games have ever made me do that. So that's my biggest takeaway from Cyclonex too. I had such a good time with this game. This was number nine on my list. Top to bottom, it is just, it is so impressive with what everybody's mentioned, writing and everything. I think the thing that impressed me the most, having somewhat of a game development background, it was just so, it's so impressive how their art design and their level design are married in a way that supports the story.

just done for visual sake. You're not just, you're not going to the icy biome to take down the abominable snowman. You know, like you're in this world made of quilt and yarn because that supports a story in some way. You're in the psychedelic area because that supports a story in some way. And you're all in these people's brains and they all have, it's very much, you hop into people's brains and there's three things to do, just like there's three things. do in most games in order to succeed and complete the level.

But every time I went into a new place, I was immediately stunned by the level of care that went into the environment work. And again, it not looking cool for the sake of looking cool, it having and serving a purpose is what is ultimately most important for me. And again, the story, fantastic. I thought it was a really damn good game. not even played part one. I just kind of watched a bunch of videos on part one.

And yeah, Double Fine, absolutely knocked it out of the park. I mean, I'll say again, the level that you're introduced to the Jack Black character is just goddamn. It's just so, so the artistic style, that entire level. And then obviously the music,

I mean, you're literally in a concert in that level. It's so good. I highly recommend anyone that gets a chance to play, you know, Psychonauts to do it. And the way that level pays off at the end, too, is just, I've been replaying it the last few days because I knew we were going to talk about it, just so I could have some more, you know, recent facts in my mind to bring to the conversation.

And, yeah, I replayed that level last night and it's just such a treat. Real good emotional beats, for sure. Any closing thoughts in Psychonauts, too? Play it. Go play it. But before you do that, listen to our sponsors. Kickoff, 2022, with a better checking account with no. No monthly fees, no overdraft fees, no foreign transaction fees, and no service fees.

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Damn it. Tide with Halo Infinite. What? A twist. Whoa! Man, I screamed fuck when last life is strange popped up, but now all the Xbox can be mad as well, and it's tied with Halo.

Holy shit, I didn't see that coming. I didn't even know that was allowed. I didn't know that was a possibility. We had several ties last year, and I will say this was the only tie this year, so. So I, Barrett, was this the one when I went into your room and I said, Barrett, I'm going to need you to change some shit up. And Barrett said, oh, this changes things.

This changes thing. Yeah, it did. Holy shit. I will say before, Andy was the last one who voted. And when he sent in his original vote, there was no tie. And then when he changed it,

this became a tie. Wow. Very, very interesting. So with all of this, Greg, getting you off the bench here, man. Life is Strange. Let's talk about that one first. Life is Strange.

True Colors is my game of the year. It was my number one. I imagine I brought it. A lot of me and Janet probably brought it way up here. Blessing you had it on your list too. I'm sure we'll get to Benisick. Barrett had on his list too. You know, for my money, if you're a list of this,

I assume you know what a Greg Miller-ass game is. And obviously, Life Estrange is always a Greg Miller-ass game. This is the best Life-Estranged has ever been. I think it is the best main protagonist in Alex Chen. I think it's the best supporting cast. I think it's the best town you exist in. I think it's the best gameplay, which I know, oh, it's a visual novel. Oh, it's just this.

This is way more exploratory. And, you know, I talked about it. it in the review we did on it. And I think it's what episode four when they have the party out in town? And then that's when it really actually pulls back the veil if you go out of like, oh, wait, I could have been exploring even more than I thought I was exploring. There's so much more going on in this. I think they do such a great job of giving you a world to exist in, a story to connect with,

characters to have fun with. I think it does the, even playing episode one originally, I mean, if you want to go further back, at the announcement that, you know, here's the next life is strange. and you're going to be playing as this girl Alex Chin and she's an empath and you're like that's the power I could rewind time before I had telekinesis before and now

so I can sense emotions that sounds dumb but it works so well for the story they're crafting and the cliffhanger at the end of episode one is where I was like oh I remember the side of my seat like holy shit they're doing something here and they're committing to something here and so yeah I enjoyed this game far more than I expected to and I expect to

enjoy it. I think it's such a great move for deck nine really proving what they can do with this franchise, where they can take it. And then, yeah, I think it's a must play for people who like these kind of story-based video games. But Janet, am I wrong? I mean, I absolutely love this game. So I think you nailed it. It's my number two of the year.

So I think we really just carry that through. The shout to everyone else who also has it on their list. But yeah, it is fantastic. It's not just the best Life is Strange game. I think it is arguably one of the best narrative games, period. I struggle to think of, granted, I haven't played every narrative game ever, But I struggle to think of too many that I would rank above it. I think when you say best life is strange game, it's kind of like when I said like

best-looking Switch game, it's like, yeah, but what does that mean for the thing? I know not everyone likes Life is Strange because I think it's cheesy or hokey. I think this really steps away from that in a big way while also paying homage to what people like about that franchise. And that's the art style. It's the way that the choices are. It's the stylization of it. It's hallmarks like having a bit of a supernatural twist at one point and like a

a weird moment where you're not really sure what's reality or not. A reality bending moment is a hallmark of the franchise. They nail that. They do everything that the franchise has been known and loved for, but they do it better in a way that's more mature, more thoughtful, and ultimately more impactful. Again, game plays fire. What does that mean a story-based game? It's little stuff from playing a puzzle that involves like choosing songs on a jukebox

to like a freaking RPG-styled LARP in the middle of the game. Like, there's so much to love about it. It also has DLC and the DLC is also fantastic. This game is just some of the most phenomenal depiction of trauma and just looking at it from just so many different facets. Like at one point you're in a hospital and it looks exactly like anyone that's lived out. Like it's so relatable. It's so impactful. This is just one of my favorite games of the year, one of the best games I've played in a long time.

It's funny because these lists, you know, it's all opinions. And obviously everyone has respect for people here. But like gut reaction. I'm like, six, I'm just happy it's on the list because this is better than it could have been. I would love to see it higher, but whatever. And then when it was tied with Halo, I'm like, I'm played Halo, but there's no way Halo's better than Life is Strange True colors. So it did bring up that moment of toxicity for me, just looking at the list, which I hope for y'all listening and watching at home, you too have that non-problematic toxic moment flash in the pan.

And you're like, okay, it's just a list of games people love, you know? But for a second, I'm like, ain't no way Halo better than Life is Strange True Colors. I'm like, I'll boot up Halo today and there's no way it's going to rock with it. But yeah, I'm just, I'm happy it's there, wish it would be higher. Everyone needs to go play this. It's a fantastic game. Yeah, I also had the same gut reaction of seeing it at number six and going, fuck, man, I wish this game was higher.

I wanted to be higher. It's actually number three on my list. And I think both you guys nailed it in terms of like what this game brings to the table. I think I want to shout out live strange true colors for is the fact that I think for what deck nine is bringing to the series, it feels so bold and so fresh. It feels aligned with Life Strange for what we know those stories to be, when we know the art style to be and all these things. But in terms of art style, I think it elevates the game. This is the prettiest Life's a Strange game game. It's not even close. In terms of the way the game's structured, I think it taking place

all in the same neighborhood, every single chapter, is such a smart move and does so much for what the themes of the game are because Life Strange Tree Colors is a game that's all about community and Alex Chen's relationship with the community and her trying to find community because she's a character that is coming from losing her community very early on in life. And so to have this game set in the same block, meeting the same characters,

re-meeting the same characters chapter after chapter and checking up on them and having those moments of like, oh yeah, where is this character two chapters later? Like what's your story still? Are you doing better? Are you doing worse? And having those check-ins with the characters, I think is so strong. Finding ways to re-contextualize the neighborhood

also with every single chapter is so strong, right? Like, Janet mentions the LARP chapter, which is the best chapter in the game, but then Greg also mentions the chapter after that, chapter four, which is the festival in the way that you're coming back to this community over and over again with different things to do and new ways to experience it. I think it's such a strong move. I think it's such a strong way to use the Life is Strange IP. And yeah, like I'm right there with you that it is one of, if not my favorite story of the

year for sure. It was battling out for my number one in terms of games of the year. with two other choices. But I have this right up there with like near Replicant, which is I know a random game for this audience, but like those are my two favorite stories

of the year right there because I don't think, I don't think any other game really came too close in terms of narrative, in terms of emotional resonance and twists and turns and what they're trying to say.

I think Life of Strange True Colors is very strong in that regard. Yeah, I had it at my number nine. I agree with what you're all saying. I thought this was fantastic. As someone who did not like the other Life of Strange games. I was pleasantly surprised how much I fell in love with this one.

Yeah, I really adored the characters. I really love Alex as a, you know, main characters, the driving force through the story, all the twists and turns with that. And I also, we talked about this more on the, the spoiler cast, I think. I love how much I kind of hated it at the end as well. Of like, you know, there's a lot of different paths. There's a lot of different endings.

And, you know, I had my toxic. gamer moment where I left that town in the most vitriolic way of like fuck you fuck this entire town but I think the writing is so well done in making you invested in specifically Alex as a character that I loved that that's for me that's where her journey left her so and I was going to say remember that's what made it I think again as such a feather in the cap is that your ending was so different than mine right I had different relationships of all the different people so I didn't leave the town in any kind of like dire straits of like being inferior to exactly i didn't have that motion to it right and so like i think you know i think if you're a long time

a greg miller listener right you remember me way back in the day talking about gta four and that final choice when that nico is given and me talking about that i drove one way and i'd stop and i drive the other way and i'd stop and i'd sit there and i was like what do i do here and to get to the end of life is strange and be presented with a different choice that i sat there and debated in a way i don't normally debate video game choices, right? Video game choices are you going to be the bad guy or the good guy, right? Are you going to do the good thing of the bad thing? And this one was such a shit, well, this is what I would do, but I'm a 38-year-old dude.

Like, this is a 20-year-old or 21-year-old girl. Like, what does she want to go do with her life? And, like, having that choice and that back and forth with myself and what does she learn? I was so impressed with the ending of it, let alone everything else. Yeah, Greg, you go back to GTA4. I go back to Life Strange 1 in terms of a choice that really made me sit and go, oh, man, what do I want to do? And I love Arcadia Bay.

That's what you do. You fucking take care of your boo. You take care of your friend. You stick with a man. I chose the Bay. I chose the Bay. I chose to strange one. Sorry,

re-mastered fans. But that's the thing is like, I think the thing that this game does so well is adapt. Like what were the things that made that, what are the things that make Life is strange great? And I think one of those things is giving people a different takeaway in terms of of what the themes of the game are and what the game is trying to teach you and using that to make the final choice.

Because I think, I lean it in between. Greg and Barrett in terms of how I felt about the town itself, right? It was a thing of, because the different ways things can play out, you know, I was kind of fucking with the town, but then also I kind of wasn't fucking with the town in terms of like the people that sided with me and people that didn't. But for what the game, what I felt like the game was trying to drive home in terms of Alex Chen and what she's been through and her trying to find community, I was like, okay, well, I got to make this choice because this is what the game is trying to

tell me. And the way that playing Life Strange won, I was like, I got to save the bay because the whole game is about how this character needs to go. Like this character, the world is trying to tell me something and I need to learn to let go. The game is about letting go. Life of Strange, True Color is me go through that same exact emotional journey of like, fuck, all right, what is the choice here? How do, like, what is the game teaching me? What is the game telling me?

And how do I react to what I'm presented? And I think very few games really go that far in terms of giving the, trusting the player to understand and make their own choices in terms of what the themes of the game are and what the, what the game is trying to say, but also what the game wants to let you express. I think it does such a good job of giving you that autonomy to like take it and run and take from it what you take from it. I think that's just such a strong thing that the game does. Did you all cry a lot in this game? Like me physically as a person? Were there any moments where you like got teary-eyed? Oh. If I was less toxic, I probably would have cried because there's like,

I played with my brother too. Like I always plays games with my brother and like a lot of the game is about like a sibling relationship. And I saw a lot of like our childhood and some of her like more introspective moments. And I was like, well, this is kind of intense. And we both, I think if I was more emotionally adjusted, I probably would have tried. I have to give you the problematic like manly missed. Like, oh, I got a little choked up, you know, like, but if I could cry, I probably would have. So I love, I love crying while watching video or while playing video games or watching movies

and shit. That's like my favorite thing to do. And Andy, you remember? remember in cyropunk when a certain character like you know essentially dies and then like there was a scene kind of like honoring that character. I had a similar kind of moment in Life Strange that fucked me up. I was like

damn dude. Damn like they did it. I'm having those same exact feelings. I would say that that is like the one moment where I can remember tearing up and I was like I don't say where it's at in the game but like after that like for the rest of the game I don't think I had that but I did have other like emotional moments of like surprise or anger.

They did play Dido during the game which I feel I'll probably send some people I want to thank you the vibe. Yeah. And I'm like, is this the M-V-Vision or the original version? Very different vibes. I'd say I'm very much, I'd say I'm very much like Greg where we both

cry a lot and I get very much and I'm sure if I played Life is Strange, it'd probably be up there for me because I love those emotionally impactful stories and I love getting a good crying whether it's sad or excited or whatever. But I'm the motherfucking Nitro rifle.

And Halo Infinite is back. Halo is back in a big way. 343 did it. Can you fucking believe it? Can you believe that an arena shooter could come back with so much past, so much history snow bike? I'm like, we're talking about one of the best first person shooters of all time. And they can come back and make it good again. Ghostbusters couldn't do that, Greg Miller.

We're talking about all these old franchises that try to come back and can't do shit. but Halo infinite fucking nailed it. Number six tied. I can't believe it, baby. Where did you have it on your list, Andy? Number six. Oh shit. Yeah, okay.

I ended up having it up at number two. And I was thinking about this. It was too late because I already said Barretted it. But I was going to switch my number two and three. And so Halo would have been bumped down, which I wonder how much would have affected the rankings overall. But either way, six feels kind of right for me with this group of people when it comes to Halo. I think that the game delivered everything Eddie just said.

I think both from a multiplayer and campaign standpoint, I haven't had this much fun with a Halo game in a decade for sure. And the campaign kind of wasn't necessarily the 10 out of 10 crazy revolutionary experience that some people I think might have wanted. But I can say it was the most fun I've had with a video game this year in terms of just gameplay fun. There's nothing more fun than a grappling hook. And this game really just makes use of it. Like it, that same feeling we always talk about with Insomniac Spider-Man, I feel that way in, uh, with Halo Infinite where it's just fun to move around.

And whenever, whatever a game could just be fun to move, that's kind of like what I'm, what I'm really into. And, uh, that game delivered for me with, with all of that stuff. And I think that the campaign was just open enough to keep me wanting to go explore and I kind of do all the things and like find all the outposts and all that stuff. But not being this crazy open world experience where, you know, it's kind of just open for open sake. I don't think it necessarily did everything perfectly, but in terms of achieving fun, it did that. And that's not even talking about the multiplayer, which I think they really did it. I had this at number five, and then I beat a game recently and then said, Barrett, nudged down a spot.

Pop that shit down a little spot. But go ahead. I think Paris is going to start talking about Halo Infinite. Yeah, I was just going to say, I actually had it at number seven. So six does seem about right in the rankings, in my opinion. It's by no means perfect, either on the multiplayer or the campaign side. But I think the importance of this, and we've talked about it a lot over the past year on Xcast is 343 made me care about Halo again. And I think that's the most important thing to where I do want to see what comes next in the campaign.

I do want to see new maps and new modes in the multiplayer. When I actually have the sticks in my hand and I'm playing, be a multiplayer or campaign, I'm having fun from moment to moment. And that's the most important thing. I mean, is the progression system perfect in multiplayer? No. Are there a lot of things they could improve, you know, even in the open world of the campaign? Absolutely, they could.

Did I care about the story and what happened in it? Absolutely, I did. Am I having that quote unquote 30 seconds of fun when I'm playing Halo Infinite? Yes, I am. And I think that's the most. important thing about this. So yeah, is this, you know, greatest Halo ever made? No. But I think the direction that 343 is taking this in is one that I'm intrigued by and one that I care about. And I do want to see more of this, more of the story. Like I said, more modes and things that

they can do in campaign. I mean, it sucks that we didn't get co-op right away because, you know, we talked about this during our view of Halo Infinite. As I'm playing, I'm going into the these various encounters going, man, I wish I was doing this on Legendary with three of my buddies. Like how would we, you know, take this encounter? How would we switch it up? And the fact that those kind of things are in my head, I do want to have that. But I absolutely had to ding it because they didn't have all the modes there at launch that people were expecting. It's disappointing.

We're in a current world right now. We're COVID and everything where nothing's going to be perfect. I get it. But I see the potential of Halo Infinite. And I personally think they saved the franchise with this game because I think if they didn't nail this as much as they did, is anyone going to care about the next Halo when it comes out? I don't think so. So I think 343 under circumstances did a great job, both with the campaign and the multiplayer. And yeah, I'm excited for the future Halo.

Before Mike steps in, I just want to say something super fast. this game could have been delayed to 2022 and the preview flights that we did for multiplayer still would have been enough to put it in my top 10 because the multiplayer is just so much fun for me and I again, Paris nailed it. They made me care about Halo again and I haven't cared about Halo

since maybe the reach days when I play that campaign but multiplayer is like I thought I was done with arena shooters I thought it was like battle royals, the wave, you know, that's obviously where we're going. And I just can't believe that, like, I'm still playing multiplayer to this day. I have 118 hours in it. And I played some last night as well. And I just, I will continue to keep playing because it's that damn good.

I think what you just said is kind of the most important thing is even starting with those technical previews, they gave us such a polished product day one, you know, both on the campaign and especially in the multiplayer side to where, yeah, look, progression stuff, cheating and all that. all warranted issues that they need to clean up and fix. But again, the actual, when I'm playing with my friends, I'm having fun. And I don't feel like I'm fighting the game to try and have fun with it. Whereas I feel like it's playing as it's intended to play. The weapons feel good.

The movements feel good. The vehicles feel good. And that's Halo. They nailed that sandbox, absolutely. Yeah, Halo is my number one. Halo Infinite was my favorite game of the year to play. And my favorite part about this is joining all of you. and Andy really touched on it earlier in the week of like,

it's really cool to be in such an awesome spot where all of us are going to bring our different personal opinions to this. And I was very much like Janet, like, oh, my gosh, the disrespect to Halo, this is unbelievable. But I loved Halo Infant. I loved the campaign. I loved where the story went. I think they did a great job blending both the linear mission design

that we all know Halo to be alongside this new open world and what that's going to look like, how that's going to play. And Perez brings it up like the most. moment to moment gameplay is awesome. And on the flip side, the multiplayer is incredible. It made us all put down battle royals and finally go back to this arena shooter that is so storied and so beloved, right? And they did everything that I want from a multiplayer game in 2022 and beyond.

And that's cross play, cross progression, custom games, ready to go out the map. I mean, you couldn't have asked for a better situation, especially with a game that now promotes bigger team battle, which is 12 v12. you can get 24 of your friends plus five spectators in a game going whenever you want at any moment. And that is a big ask in the multiplayer world when we look around the landscape. And out of the big three, we've touched on it during the Xcast all the time of like, here's the big three. The first person shooters are coming and Call a Duty and Battlefield did not rise above Halo.

Halo did it. And 343 really stuck the landing. And I'm so happy with what it was. I loved every moment of it. and truly and honestly, when you look at Halo, nothing beats the Halo score. That music, when it hits during certain gameplay moments, nobody in the video game world can beat Halo

and that music when it kicks on. It's just so good. Greg, I don't know why I took a shot at Ghostbusters. I was in a flow state. I was feeling it. He also kind of came in there. You know, Life is Strange. Me and Janet were like,

we're happy to share the stage, and you kind of came in there and rolled over that Barrett show. I made a piece of digital art here, all right? This is what I like to call a non- Wow, right? Wow. I made that. I'm not as good as you, Andy, but I think we can both agree.

We can be happy. Digital art. He's going to sell it as an F, NFT, and you say it's $3. If anybody wants to right now, you're on the YouTube, feel free to take a screenshot of this, and then you can Venmo me $20. You own that NFT. That's a lot nicer than the art I was thinking about making,

which is just Alex Chen holding, like, one of the guns from Halo to shoot her chief in that. Because literally, like, I was like on the side of my monitor. I'm like, how. How quickly can I throw us together on Canva? Then I'm like, you know what? We'll look and we'll edit it in post. But anyway.

Matt, so here we are halfway through the list. We have five remaining. And I have no idea where we're going from here. Barrett, roll the clip. Number five, Death's Door. Andy Cortez, I love seeing that smile on your face. Tell me all about Death Store. That store was my number two.

Acid Nerve made one of my absolute favorite games ever. characters level design, combat, dialogue. I love the story it's telling. I love the story of kind of the worker's plight and dealing just with terrible

bosses because we kind of know something about terrible bosses. You know what I mean? It's just a great game. It's something I was looking forward to when we first saw that preview and it lived up to every expectation. I legitimately think it might

be the only game I have 100% it ever. The only game that I wanted to keep on playing once I was done with the main story and keep seeking out all of the secrets that are scattered around. It's got a really cool deep end game as well, which I was not expecting at all. Boss fights,

again, the boss fights are fantastic. I just had such a fun time with this. Once you kind of get your fully kidded out little crow and you're dealing with your combat kit. in really cool, interesting ways.

And the soundtrack in this game just absolutely pops off. There are moments near the end that are just pure goosebumps. Like they are hitting on all levels right now, not only with what I'm doing on the screen, but with I'm feeling and seeing. And they just, they totally nailed it. Acid Nerve knocked it out of the park. Paris.

So everything Andy said. I mean, it's funny when they first showed this at Day of the Devs, And then again, during Devolver Digital E3 showcase, I looked at it and I was like, this game's going to be freaking great. And I immediately reached out to PR and I was like, we got to get them on Xcast. I got to talk to Asset Nerve. I want to talk to him about this game. So we had Asset Nerve come on and talk about the game.

And just from that conversation to the second I got my hands on it, this was almost my number one. I wanted to be my number two. I just absolutely loved it. Like Andy said, had to 100. percent it absolutely just I just loved the the old school kind of Zelda linked to the past feel to it but it felt modern for today. The boss battles were fantastic, being the crow, like you said, once you get everything upgraded and you have your full kit of weapons and everything, kind of the passive exploration that you can have and find all these little secrets along the way and just little things to collect, you know, as you're going along. and the music. Music was just phenomenal. I absolutely adored this game. Like I said, it was almost my game of the year. For most of this year, I was thinking it was my game of the year. But I recommend everyone go play it. Again, two people made this game. 20 bucks on Xbox and PlayStation. Believe it's on the Switch now as well. Anyone that follows me on social media knows I have had the pom-poms out all summer until now cheerleading this game because I want everyone to experience it and play it. It's phenomenal.

anyone else on death store? Yeah, I had it at my number two as well. Yeah, I repeat what everything Andy Parris said. I think it's fantastic. The world and the lore I really got into so much so that I went back and played Titan Souls, which was their first game, I think, just because of some of the, you know, some of the story beats that made me interested to, like, go back to that game. And also to, like, kind of see where they're at on a design level.

back then and to see how much they nailed like boss fight gameplay in that first game and to see that like kind of grown up in this game and to add all of the Metroidvania link to the past type of stuff to it. I absolutely love it. The soundtrack is the most underrated soundtrack of the year. It should have been nominated for Game Awards best soundtrack. And yeah, like Andy said, like I really adored the story of like workers' play and them kind of like rising up to tear down a system that works for nobody but the person at the top. It's such a fucking rad game. I also really dug the, I also want to point out that the, a lot of this is just sort

of genre, right? Like, I don't think this game does anything magnificently better than what other games in these genres would be, but this game has such a charm to it. Yeah. And if you can nail charm where you're, like what Mike was mentioning with Psychonauts, where you're just smiling the whole time playing it. That was me with this game when it comes to all the cute characters are meeting and the funny dialogue. And it's got such a good self-awareness in its writing.

But it's just, it's really smart and it's got a lot of awesome. I would say, you know, the moments in Bloodbourne, when that one character you didn't think you were going to fight suddenly says, let's fucking do this. And you go, oh, my God, I didn't know. this was going to be a boss fight, but here we are, and the music's incredible, and it's got such a good art style and presentation that, again, but Tim, the font, the font is the only reason it was number two. The Fernick is an issue for me.

It would have been number one blessing if they nailed the kerning and the font. I'm right there with you. It was going to be my top ten because of the kerning. Inexcusable. It was terrible. But I will say that, like, this is a game that I think you're spot on in terms of the style. Like, if we're having like a best style category, I think this is for sure easily, easily, easily in the conversation, both from a soundtrack music perspective, and then also from an art

visual perspective. It is such a stunning game. And this is a game that frustrated me a lot. It's not on my top 10, mainly because I did not enjoy the combat as much. But for what it is, right, Andy talking about how it does so much well, even if there's not like a specific thing that it does that like blows shit out the water, it is such a phenomenally made game. I think from just a world building, you know, establishing setting, uh, uh, Zelda dungeon creating level. It does so much, so phenomenally. But like I, even, even as I was like getting frustrated at times, I couldn't help but

to keep playing and to keep enjoying myself because I think the game is just so good. Yeah, I think for me, it's my number seven. Um, I echo a lot of what's already been said. I do think like to Andy's point, it's not that someone said it's doing something new, but to me it's the sum of its parts. Um, not just in the charm with like the art design, but also in what they do with I think good art direction will get people in the door, but I think what really helps me stay is the attention to detail. I think the way they had enemies' bodies sort of just flop onto the ground and the sound design that matched with that was really appealing.

And then I think there was like a lot of fun to be had in what was inherently a dark world. Like there's a squid pretending to be a person making you soup in this game. Like that's awesome. I adored that element of the world building. And I think too, it's so. and difficulty is always so subjective like different games will like click with different people or be harder to different people

but for me I think it really landed at a great spot in terms of difficulty because of how generous it was with its checkpointing and the way it brought in that RPG element that made you feel like you were still making progress my only grab of this game is just that it needed a map because I got lost as hell many a time but even with that like I just think the tool set

was so fantastic I think it makes sense for it to be at this spot on our list because I feel like it's one of the games that collectively some of us really liked and some of us weren't that hot on. It feels like a middle kind of area list for the group. So excited to see what's next and afraid also. Really quickly. Oh, sorry, sorry, Perth.

No, please go ahead. I was just going to mention Bear talking about his favorite sequence near the end of Metroid Dread and that being one of his favorite gaming moments of the year. For me, it's absolutely the final kind of levels leading up to the final boss. And it hit in a way that we talk about the ashtray maize in control and how the ashtray maze was such a cool gaming moment. One of my favorite most memorable moments in gaming ever. The lead up to the final boss, including the final boss fight, again, with not only visuals, but the music. And everything just sort of culminates in such a really cool way.

And it's kind of one of those stunning like, damn, this is this is video games, man. And it's fucking awesome. Yeah, I would agree where you're saying. All I was going to say to, I guess, to kind of wrap it up is this reminded me why I love gaming. Because it's not about the big AAA, you know, 500 people making it, $500 million budget, you know, with all the visuals. And it's doing this unique thing that's never been done before. I mean, death's door, the gameplay elements we've all done before. you know, in some game at some point in time, right?

It's kind of like you had already said, Andy. It puts it together in a way that I just smiled the entire time. I love the fact that you would see certain things as you're going through various levels. And you're like, well, how in the hell am I going to get to that? And then you would get a certain weapon or gear, piece of gear, that allows you to now go back and get that thing. You're like, ah, that's how I go get it. Oh, that's cool. Or you discover the secret passage through something to find.

this collectible. I just loved it. I just absolutely loved it. And again, I can't stress it enough. Go play this game. I'm telling you, if you do, you will have a grin on your face the entire time. Last thing I'll say, the way the death screen, you know, when you die, the way that pays off is like one of the best death screen payoffs in any game. It's so fucking good. But the kerning, though, you know. Let's move on. Number four It Takes 2 It takes 2

Coming in at number 4 What a year for video games What do you really think about this Like the fact that it takes 2 Game of the Year For Game of the Year for Game Awards, right? Forza Horizon 5 Game of the Year for IGM

That was way lower on our list This is just the most varied Wild list I have ever seen Who wants to start talking about It Takes 2 first? I'll come in if you want Go for it, Greg first off this is exactly where I put it

I had at number four on my list and I like it because I feel like we're finally the fog of war is lifting and you know there's multiple titles you expect somebody's getting the shaft but like we know where a lot of the names are going to start coming and where they're going to start falling. It takes two right like I think

there's another game I'm sure coming up it's one of maybe I think it's probably number two pound for pound the best moment to moment gameplay and I mean that in the way that they have all these different environments levels that they drop you into. They give you a new gimmick every time. That could be annoying.

But I think Joseph Ferris and Hayslight make it interesting and compelling. And, you know, Paris just talked about for Death's Door playing and having a grin on your face. That was me with every new It Takes Two Level. Where you drop in like, all right, cool, hammer and nails. Oh, oh, oh. And then you keep having those aha moments or the, oh, that's such a cool way of doing that as you play through this.

And, of course, having a co-op partner there on the couch with you, that's what it's all about. You have that together. You have these moments where, you know, even, you know, I played it mainly with Jen and playing through with her, right, you'd have those, I'd have those moments where I'm steaming ahead knowing, okay, come do this, come to that direct the thing, but then there'd be those moments where the, it's, the seesaw goes the other way. And she's on her side, and she sees the solution because she's thinking of it through the lens of her, you know, a gimmick that she has in, you know, our two-part thing. And that plays into, you know, what they're doing with the story of communication and obviously so on and so forth there in terms

of this couple that's going through such a rocky patch in their marriage, if not the divorce. And so, like, the environments are beautiful. They're handcrafted. It's one of those things that there's so much love put into all that, these worlds, that I remember when we were talking about it at, I think maybe an EA play, maybe just afterwards when Joseph Ferris was giving more information. One of the messages he was putting out was, hey, like, everything made for this game is made for that part of the game, meaning that they're not reusing assets over and over again.

They're not reusing stuff. And this isn't a game that is, you know, meant to be played. What can you see? He wasn't putting collectibles in. Remember, that was one of his thing. You're not running off into the corner to get collectibles. I want you to look at the world and see what's going on. And that sounded not like PR speak in the beginning, but it sounded like it's not something you hear often from developers.

And playing through that game, it was like, oh, I get it. Like this is meant to be like a Disney line. This must be like an experience. It's meant to be that like it's supposed to feel special moment to moment, even the most mundane things. And I think that's one of the reasons it's impressive, but it's really the gameplay. Yeah, this is also number four on my list. And I would say that it is all of us. It's all of our number fours.

It's such a fun game. And in terms of the actual design, it as a 3D platformer, if you want to call it, even though I know there's a lot of action in there as well because the game does so many things. It as a 3D platformer, I think does so much, especially this last year when you look at it compared to the other platformers that came out. Because we know, we talked about Sakonauts too and how creative that. game is, right? And I think Barry was the one that mentioned the like, you know, it's not necessarily everybody's company in terms of how it controls and all these things. And the other platform I think of last year, 3D platform I think of last year is Ratchet and Clink, which I'll put on the other side of the spectrum in terms of, hey, this is a polished, like, linear, straightforward experience

that feels so good to play and it's so good to look at. Eight Takes Two, I think, meets in the middle in such a strong way of not only is it polished, not only does it look beautiful, not only is it this fun story from beginning to end that really flows so well, but it's also one of the most creative games I'd say I've ever played, both on a level environment perspective, but then also just on a gameplay design perspective. The fact that level to level, you're doing something entirely differently, you know, Greg mentioning that you're not reusing mechanics level to level, right? Like any mechanic they introduced is being used that level and then it's onto the next thing. It feels like such a Nintendo way of thinking in terms of how Nintendo designs their games.

You know, this game, this platformer feels like it is a successor to both a Mario and or a Astrovat Rescue Mission in terms of just how many different ways they give you to interact with the world and how they are flowing into the next thing and the pacing is so good. And so I love that so much. I love how much variety there is in terms of what you're doing in terms of camera perspective. Hey, we're changing genres to this now. Hey, you're, you were going through this, all these platforming obstacles. Now we're going to put you in like an open environment, just hang out a little bit.

go through, explore, you know, throw snowballs at each other, do whatever. Okay, no, now here is a random PVP thing that will throw in. Now you can play chess against each other, right? It feels like every single moment there is something fresh and new to do. And it is relentless. It is nonstop in terms of throwing that shit at you. And I had fun the whole way through. I think my only gripe is that the game is a bit too long.

But even with how long the game is, I still had fun the whole way through. By the end, me and my co-op partner, we're both like, yo, this has been a blast. Like, it is the most fun I've had with a co-op game. And, yeah, like, it is just an amazingly crafted game from beginning to end. So shout to it takes two. I mean, that's the thing is, like, it's an amazing co-op game. Like, that I love that it is a co-op game designed through and through. It's only a co-op game.

And we don't get that that often. And for it to be as high quality as it is and, like, playing with familiar genres that we've, like, 3D platformers, action games, like, we've done this before. But to do it this way, I think they really did something special. And that's why I'm excited to see it this high on the list because it definitely did something. You know, like, I feel like a way out was them kind of like, hey, we have something cool here. But this, I think it was like definitely a step up for them. And I can't wait to see what they do next even in a totally different genre.

And it is gorgeous as all hell. Oh, my gosh. Like the fidelity in this game when you were playing, I've been playing it on PC. And it is so sharp looking. And every, like Greg was mentioning all the art assets that Joseph Arras is mentioning. I think because it keeps on introducing new things to do, I was constantly saying while I was playing with Nick Scarpino, I was constantly saying,

damn, this is cool. Like, and that's, I mean, not the deepest level of analysis ever, but like, that's just what it is what it is.

You, you just, a new thing is introduced and you go, damn, this is cool and it doesn't feel laborious. It doesn't feel like I'm doing some stupid tasks to get to the next thing. I feel like each player was always giving something relatively either interesting to very fun

and I rarely ever felt like I was doing something that was a chore or I never felt bored or annoyed with the game story wise take her to leave it I don't really care much about what was happening in the story I think the voice acting kind of put me off a little bit as well but Andy can you do an impression of the lady character saying Cody because that was my favorite her saying Cody.

Cody. Exactly. Yeah. So you're right. I think that's what holds it back the most, honestly, is that the story and then, yeah, the acting, because that's what drove Jen to stop playing it. I was enjoying the gameplay so much. And she's like, I hate these people.

I need, in the side, we, we get going and she's like, I got to stop. And then we get going and she have to stop. You know who the main? It feels like it's always sunny, but not purpose in terms of the characters. Or it's like, you're shitty parents. You're bad parents. I was going to say the main, the male character,

her father reminds me a lot of like a PG rated Hank Schrader from Breaking Bad. Just think about that, Greg. Next time you hop in, you're like, this is Hank Schrader from breaking bad. Hey, whoa, we're going to do this now, right? Like he's just like trying to be really cool. Damn it, they're minerals. Anyway, yeah, they absolutely nailed it. Hayslite did a fantastic job and this game just stays fun.

And it's just, it's so consistent all the way through. Moving on. Nope. I have it takes two as my number seven. And I think one of my favorite parts about my list is I can make really strong arguments for all of them moving up or down. And I loved It Takes Two. I love the message of collaboration. You guys all touched on co-op.

And I'm such a big fan of every single moment was engaging for both people. And one of my favorite moments of walking away from this game is my partner, Michaela, who played it with me. Love not only playing with me and seeing both of us work together, but then her playing with her father and her friends, of going, oh man, I love seeing the other side, or I like knowing like, man, Mike, you play so many video games. It's cool to be that person who's like, I'm kind of waiting around or I'm instructing what to do. And I think Hayslite and Joseph Farris have really done a great job where not many other people can really dial in a co-op game like they do, where both players are engaged all the way through. And another big one, the Buddy Pass. You know, this is something in this day and age where we

play now with Game Pass and other titles now going $70. Nobody's talking about the Buddy Pass. and nobody's continuing to push it just like Joseph Farris has. So I loved it takes two in what they've done. Barrett, hit it. Number three, death. Whoa. Whoa. What?

Yeah. Did you all really play return? I am surprised but also very excited because this means a returnal. I'm like, you're really out here playing maternal like that? Maybe. I don't know. Some of y'all are like really. And the answer is yes.

No, we're going to talk about death loop in just one sec. But I just want everyone to wrap their heads around the fact that something didn't make the list. Like, is Ratchet and Clank really about to not make this list? I think so. So you all really didn't play chickery, huh? It's fine. Returnal and Ratch. I only talked about it every chance I got.

That's okay. It's fine. The question now is like, yeah, like Tim, to your point, like, I wonder if Ratchet clank is going to be this year's Final Fantasy, where it was just such. a solid game that we all put it on our lists at various levels, but then everybody's hot or cold about what their favorite game was, you know, throws their favorite games to all ends down to the list and then Ratch will be the ones that's able to. I didn't want to do honorable mentions because now y'all are speculating even with two games

left and that's what I want to wait. Wait, wait, wait, what's a fun show to do? I don't know when. What's number three? Death loop. Oh shit. Tim, is the other game you're thinking? of Resident Evil for what you think is. No, Resident Evil. I thought it was going to be on the top

10. It's not. Low key. That's the number one game. I imagine is. Only somebody, if only somebody during the Resident Evil review had said there was no chance this would be game of the year. Huh. Well, anyway, Eternal is number one. Let's fucking go, guys. Let's fucking go for you. Death loops really good. It should be higher. I wish it was higher. It's my game of the year by a mile. And I love Life of Strange, which was my second one. Yeah, I fell for this game and nothing ever surpassed it. Nothing even came close.

That's why my game of the year is locked in as soon as this game came out. Because I was waiting for something to change, but it never did. I think this is absolutely fantastic. I loved the abilities, the slabs. I think the thing I really love most about this game is both the world design, but also the way that the tool set allows for so much variety in the way you play. One of my favorite things is seeing other people play this game and how different it is than how I played it and how much they're still having just as much fun.

Like I went in very much with a stealth build meets, you know, maybe like some melee. Like it's tough for me to remember because it was so long ago. But seeing other people just like use, I forgot what the name of the slab is, but the one where you can kind of teleport quickly of distances, like just scale the side of a mountain. And I'm like, wow, this took you. Yeah, the shift, the shift slab. I'm like, oh, you just can shift through this level. Meanwhile, I'm out here.

Like, I'm in the brewery. Like, I'm avoiding buying. bombs like I'm doing a whole other game and and I think learning the characters as well like there's so much wonderful character design and writing in this I think it does that super brilliant thing of picking up notes and getting like the cliff notes version I enjoyed almost everything about this game I do think the overall plot is kind of fine you know where it ends I don't know anyone that was blown away by it it was kind of like this is an acceptable way to end this game I guess but I think just it's some of the most fun I had playing a game I think

year and it's just wonderfully crafted. And I have almost nothing but great things to say about this game. And the co-op was amazing too. Like the, I think the invasion system we've seen in a lot of games, but the way it was also just so integrated with what the story they were actually telling in a way that felt like this is a design choice that's fun, that changes the way you play. That's optional because you can just have the computer be Juliana. But that also just ties in so well with the story.

Like everything is just so thoughtful in this game. And that's why it's my game in the year. And I think that that's the variable. It was my one of being my number five. I dinged it a little bit because of the enemy AI, but then when I think overall of how it plays off, and this is basically like they say, this is a murder puzzle, makes sense. I think if the AI was a little too hard that would really screw things up because the Juliana aspect of it, that's that variable that always keeps you on your toes, no matter what you're doing. because the second she comes in, I had to learn to not panic just because she's there. Because every time she would come here, like, oh, shit, Julianna's here, not what I do.

And I'm completely thrown off of my game. But I absolutely adored it. I think, again, you talk about the way that the environments were laid out. It was great. Time of day, you'd have to go in. You pick up various clues. Like you said, using the various slabs and everything, I thought the voice acting. And it was great, the dialogue that you would have between Colt and Juliana, just always.

made me laugh. So yeah, it was a phenomenal game. And yeah, it wouldn't surprise me at all if it was people's game of the year because I thought it was fantastic. For me, it was number two on my list right behind Life is Strange. And I can't say enough nice things about Death Loop. I think what I didn't expect about it was twofold, right? Number one, how they could make such what I feel like is a complicated premise. I mean, time loops are one thing, but there's eight visionaries and this is happening. This is that. You got to know where this is and where you're going to go. The fact that they could put such a dense idea into such a digestible format, where I never felt like I was missing something or wasting my time in the game. There'd be times where it's like, well, I really just want to chase this one guy,

so I'll wait until morning and I would skip the morning and go get it. But the game is so good at signposting and telling you what's available at that time when you start getting the clues and discovering the world, let alone the way they lay out that quest slab structure and the menus to go through and see exactly visually where you are on any of these things to get it all back together. That's the one thing that's impressive to it. But then it's the fact that you look at it and I mean, it's arcane obviously, but you look at it, you're like, okay, it's a first person shooter. It's this kind of thing.

It's a little bit Bioshock. The fact that is really a puzzle. That is really a puzzle game. And it isn't about going in there in being the best at headshots or being ready for crazy combat. It's about going in there and knowing that when you turn this corner, there's going to be a guy there. There always is. And he'll talk to this guy and he's going to say that and he's going to go there.

And you start learning these levels in such a fast. way that it's awesome to go from your first few hours with that game to then double back and remember what it's like 12 hours later when you are going in there and they are afraid of you you know this place inside and out and again you know it inside out without i think being tortured i don't i never felt like i was having my face rubbed in it over and over and over again it was oh right he's gonna be oh wait and then you slowly start to assemble oh wait these are way easier to get this oh i can just pick up these things well if i'm using this power like you come you get so amped up in super power to come back into that world. And I'm not even talking about the upgrades, just how your own knowledge-based builds on it. It is fun to play, and it is then fun to, okay, cool, how do I work everything against it? And to what Paris was saying, right,

I really do feel like when you get to that point of being cocky, of like, okay, cool, I know what's going on. That's when the flying the ointment of Giuliana enters the thing. And, you know, if it is blessing enter in my game, and me just beating his ass, or it is just some random person that I don't, that maybe couldn't get the game. I did, no, no, I put up the screenshot.

God, it happened. No, I think you left. I think the thing is I got there, and like two seconds later, you got to piece out. Well, I mean, I won. That's it. I won. I heard Greg won. Thank you very much, Andy.

Thank you very much. You said you gave my ass, but you didn't see me is the thing. Well, I mean, beating your ass would just be winning the game, you know what I mean? Because I got the whole thing of me, my cult was cheering and your Juliana was like, oh, shucks. Yeah. I was just right there. I was as slow as Andy is in America. It's one of those things where I think that that that game just does so much.

What the fun? This is a game that I am really sad. I am really sad. I wasn't part of the review crew for because I didn't get to play it in such quick succession. And this game fell out of my top 10. And I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more had I been playing it nonstop over at least three days or so, three or four days. I ended up playing a bit at the beginning. And then I, my interest was pulled somewhere else.

And then I went back to it. And my interest will pull somewhere else. And I just played it in chunks that did, I think, a disservice of the game. I think the game is immaculately designed. And I think it's got a really cool world and a great sort of sci-fi concept. But I do think that, you know, playing it in chunks made me dislike the game a bit more than I likely would have. I think the story was a bit weak as well. And near the ending, I was just pretty dissatisfied with what was happening.

I do think the world offers a lot of really cool puzzles that don't result in a whole lot of cool results. Because there's a lot of puzzles around the world that are definitely not anything to do with the story. They might have some ties to different characters. And you're trying to figure out these things. It's like, I could do the main mission, but I really want to figure out this one thing because it seems really cool and badass. And you get the reward. And it's like, ah, I wasn't worth it. I'm less satisfied.

And I wish I didn't try this. I still think the game is great. I think it's maybe like my number 13 or so. And I would have said this was number 10, but again, I was telling Barrett, I feel like before I started making my top 10, I would have said there was about 20 games in my top 10. Yeah, totally, totally. Bless, you had your hand wrist? Yeah, bouncing off the Andy, right?

I had somebody who was part of the review crew. And big shout out to Beth as an arcane in the review process because we had our codes for a while. We really had time to sit down and digest it and play in a very natural. way. And as somebody who played it in a very natural way, I probably played it over the course of two weeks, I want to say, took me to beat the game. Even with playing it in that sense, by the end of the game, I was kind of suffering, just in terms of me being like, oh, man, okay, this is going long. I get it. Like, I've been here for a while, right? It was the thing of in the first few hours, it was me trying to wrap my head around. All right, how does this game work? All right,

how does residual work? How do I keep my weapons? You know, how does all this go? By hour four, I was like, fuck, I see how this works. Let's fucking go. This seems really cool. And then from hour four to let's say hour 11 I was having the time of my life and then from hour 11 to hour 15 I was like all right this is going to end I feel like I feel like I've done this now I feel like I've gotten what I've needed to out of this game and I think part of that is

the story doesn't stay as interesting and I think the other part of it is the ending doesn't hit the way I think it should even in that last sequence where you're doing the thing that the game sets up right where you are going through and you're taking out the visionaries it was cool but it wasn't like it wasn't

I don't I don't think it lived up to the big build of it when I finally did it. I got it over with and I was like, hell yeah, all right, I beat the game. I put it down and like I didn't really think about it too hard. Yeah, I was like, oh shit, I did it. It was like solving a puzzle and I'm right there with you, Andy, that I think, I think Deathloop does so much in terms of setting up such a magnificent idea and the way that it's structured, I think is so genius and so good. But in the way that you come down on the results, a lot of the times I don't think it hits as polished and that's perfectly. as it could in a lot of moments,

because so much of the heavy lifting in the game really is it putting together this magnificent puzzle that it doesn't often have the time to focus on what the results of that puzzle is when it comes to story, when it comes to like the little moments, when it comes to the discoverable things in the world. One of my critiques while on the review is that I wish the game had even more discoverable weapons

and shit. It has some that are really cool, but I wish it went even further because they build in this cool rarity system that is akin to a fortnight or any other, like RPG that you would play where it is purple, blues, and like that level of rarity where you can find better guns. And by hour seven, I'll say I felt like I had run the gamut in terms of, all right, I'm finding the same gun over and over and over again. And I don't care about weapons anymore, but I still have half this game left to continue to play and finish.

You know, I felt like it was kind of running out of steam in that way. That said, you know, Death Loop as a game is still a game I love and adore, right? It was in that juggle of my top three games, trying to figure out what I love more between that, Life is Strange and another game. And, you know, it's still up there because I think Deathloop does such a good job of finding the strength of Arcane and translating that in a way that really makes their design shine. Disordered One and two made me really dig Arcane as a studio. Deathloop, I'd say made me a fan so much so that I went back and I played Prey because I was like, fuck, man. After I played Deathloop, I was like, man, these guys know what they're doing. Let me go play this other game that they made.

And playing Prey made me fall in love with that game too because all their games have such good immersive sim design in terms of. how they implement stealth and how they allow you to choose the way you play. And talking to Greg and talking to whoever else about the ways they played versus the ways I played, I was surprised when somebody would be like, yeah, no, I didn't use shift or I didn't use this weapon or I used this weapon instead. That was always an interesting conversation for me to have. Yeah, I didn't use shift. I wasn't shifting. I was just walking around, like I was invisible. I was, I was stealthing the whole time.

Oh my God. And me and Greg played exactly the same and did the same thing at the end. Shifting around and linking fucking 10 enemies together and hitting one hand on. one either. I was just slowly walking through the world. I was like, you can't see me because I'm invisible. But before I move on, I do want to shot, you know, I know blessing for you, the mechanical ending wasn't as grandiose as you kind of hoped it would be.

For me, it was the opposite. I felt like that was, like, when I say I didn't like the ending, I mean like the actual plot point, what the end result is in the story. Mechanically, it was one of my favorite ways to end a game of all time. I felt like it was just so fitting for what, like everything against. back to my thing of it being so thoughtful, like it made so much sense to have that instead of like a typical like boss battle,

which you can argue the visionaries are forms of bosses, but they're not like spongy the way a boss normally is. Like I thought that was so smart. And what's awesome about Death Loop is it lets you have the perfect day. That's why it's game of the year. We've all dreamed of having that perfect day. And in Death Lib, you do that. And that perfect day involves playful violence

in fantastic 60s-inspired, like, aesthetic areas, which is like I just absolutely adore that element of it. And I did feel. the stress of, and maybe it depends on how, like, good and comfortable you got with the systems. Like, I felt the stress of like when Giuliana was going to interrupt that perfect run and whether or not I could do it. And I'm like, I don't want to do it all over again. And then, especially too, like, without spoiling it, after you do the main stuff you're doing, there is, you know, you know, before you even get there, that there's like another piece. And I'm like, what's going to happen now?

And I was so pressed and stressed going into that, like, very final chunk of not knowing what to expect. And even though to me, the payoff wasn't spectacular, I love. going through something I knew really well and then venturing into the unknown the same way the character was. Like I just absolutely adored the way that game mechanically ended. So yeah, shout the death loop.

Barrett? Yeah, I agree with the, like, Metroid was the game I replayed the most. The last day sequence is like number two just specifically, like going back to that sequence. Like even though it's the perfect day, you can still do it in a couple of different ways.

Like, yeah, there are some people that you're going to kill the same way over and over again, but just like perfecting of like, how do I do I do the perfect stealth run on the perfect day and stuff like that? And I absolutely love it. My last thing, it was number five for me. I really adored it. I love Arcane.

I've talked about them for years at this point. And I said this on the reviewer somewhere. It's their pop album. And like they were, you know, they've been going hard with the immersive sim. And immersive sims are so hard to sell that they haven't really been as prevalent since like Bioshock. And this was their pop album to. get more people into it.

And I really appreciate that, but I do think that they have works that are better than this. And that that's why it kind of, it's shifted down my list. But, uh, yeah, it's, I can't say anything really negative about it. It's a fucking rad game. Well, let's get into it. The penultimate kind of funny game of the year, 2021. Number two. Returnal.

Oh, yeah. What the hell is number one? Wow. Motherfrews. Wow. Wow, bless, kick it off. Oh my God. Actually, Paris, was this on your list?

I had it at number three. Okay, because I, Paris, I know you need to bounce in a couple minutes. So let's let's get your thoughts in here on Returnal. Oh, I absolutely love this. I mean, again, you know, I had Psychonauts 2 and Death's Door ahead of it, but I mean, it was very close. I love the roguelike aspect of it. I love the story that they were telling.

And the game is hard as hell. And I know it's not for everybody. And I hit the story. struggle bus, many a night trying to get through the various biomes of this and completing it, but it felt worth it to me. I love the environments. I love how it took advantage of the dual sense, as an example on the PlayStation 5. Like, you could literally feel the rain drops in your hand at certain points. It was very atmospheric, and I adored it. There was a lot of cussing that happened at various points where I wasn't getting that perfect role on a weapon to be able to

advance through whatever procedures. you know, environment room it put me in at the time and all of a sudden I got dropped in there with like this freaking mini boss

that just destroyed me but I loved every minute of it and I want more people to play this. This is House Mark's best game they've ever made. You're here. Yeah, and I want more of it.

So yeah, absolutely. Returnal was third on my list and again, highly recommend it. Greg? Returnal was number three on my list as well. Earlier I started to say

something about It Takes Two's game plan. I stop myself. I think Returnal is the best gameplay of the year. I think the gunplay, the way the systems in cross over with each other and mesh into what you actually do level by level is insane. I'm with Paris as somebody who's covered Housemark for a long, long time now. This is their best work. And I'm happy to see them get the praise they deserve for it. I think the game is gorgeous. I think the game feels great to play like you're saying with the dual sense. And I think it's just interesting to play it. I am not that try and die and try again.

kind of gamer. You know what I mean? It's very rare that I connect with the game that way. And that was a turnoff to me with Returnal for a long time. And to some extent, still this, because, I mean, my year was very different, obviously, having the child. And I had earlier been like, oh, Returnal's going to be the game I played during paternity leave. And it was not. It turned out. So I still haven't beaten Returnal. But the thing about Returnal of why I think I can sit here and talk about how much I love Returnal is the fact that, to me, Returnal has never been about beating it. It is about beating that next step. It is about getting a little bit further. It is about figuring out how to use that new thing, how to go to the item shop in the game, right, and get the new

thing to go do the different thing. What the tradeoff is in this. Every run is a run to itself where I've never felt the pressure, the gun to my head to go through and all right, now I have to beat it. I have to roll credits on it. I've just enjoyed my time with that game, which is a weird thing. And, you know, for me, the 15-year veteran of reviewing video games definitely doesn't feel right. It doesn't feel right that I haven't rolled on Rick credits on Returnal, but I love Returnal, but it also doesn't feel wrong for what that game is. For what I'm getting out of that game, just going

in there, getting a few runs is great. You know, turning over my phone to check on Benjamin's baby monitor, but seeing the update of somebody who's died in Returnal from my PSN friends that I still get to this day is great. Like, Returnal is something special. I love that you still have that on. I think it's really

cool. I like seeing Brian Keltner fail all the time. Paris, I know you have to leave. Thank you so much for joining us. This has been super awesome. I'm dying to know what number one's going to be, but please continue. I'll slack you. All right, see you guys. Peace out.

All right, bless. Go for it. Returnal for me is my number one. It's my game of the year. And the big reason for that is that ever since beating this game in spring, I've not stopped thinking about it. Like every time I think about, man, what's the game that I want to get my hands on and play right now?

It's usually Returnal is what comes to mind as a game that I don't think gets old as a game that feels so good to play. As a game that I think checks every single box in terms of what. what you could look for in a video game, or at least what I look for in a video game, right? If I'm talking, what's the game with a good soundtrack, right? For me, it's returnal. I think the way that game sounds is incredible.

Even, like, away from soundtrack, even just from pure sound design, of the ways that the creature sound, in the ways that the base comes in when you get into an enemy encounter. I think that is so strong. When you talk about presentation, I think it's a gorgeous game.

The enemy design is phenomenal. The way that the tentacles look coming out of enemies or the bullet hell sequences look, like as they as enemies fucking like throw hundreds of of bullets at you everything in that game i think looks so stunning and comes together in such a great way but then you get to gameplay and i think returnal has my favorite and i'd say the best gameplay loop of a game this year in terms of what that uh rogue light setup is and how in my struggle with that game and it took me 30 hours to beat this game and i think for a lot of people it takes way quicker or probably just as long depending on

your luck in certain cases my in my 30 hours of playing this game during the review period, which I want to say probably was a couple of weeks, I couldn't stop playing this game until I beat it. Like, I felt so motivated and dedicated to get to the ending of this game because not only did it always feel attainable at every moment, it just felt addicting as well

in terms of the different ways you can play this game, the different choices you can make. Do I want to take the risk and go to this optional room that I know might hold a super powerful boss in me that if I kill, I can get a really good gun or I can find the, what was called, the Electropylon driver, right, which is my favorite gun, or I can find whatever other gun I'm looking for. Sure, let me take the risk. And whether I die or whether I make it through, and it always felt like it was on me. I never felt like any moment.

I was like, ah, God damn, this game. Like, fuck this game. This game is making me, uh, or, you know, this game is bugged out. This game is imbalanced well. I always felt like every, every decision kind of fell on me to figure out, like, all right, what are the ways in which I need to get more powerful or I want to get more powerful so that I can prepare for the next room or the next boss. And I absolutely love that with the game. I love the weapons. I love the feel. Perors mentioned the dual sense.

I love the dual sense integration. I thought it was really clever and also felt very good, which can be hit or miss when it comes to finding ways to use the hardware like that. But I think they really nailed it. And yeah, there aren't enough good things I can say about the game. The house stuff with Celine and her story and the core elements that they built into the game. I thought were really strong and really well done. It did not get in the way of gameplay, which is. huge for me because when I'm playing a game like that, that is so focused on Vooop and

so focused on the gameplay, I do not want story and narrative to get in the way of that. And even though when you go to the house, that kind of stops you when you are in this first person, you're doing that stuff, it never lasts too long. And for me, it was always interesting. I was always curious about like, all right, where is this going? Where is this going? Or like, what is, what's up with the space man? Or like, what the fuck is happening in this house, right?

What is Celine's story? How did you get here? All of that stuff was super fascinating. The voice logs were super fascinating. The collectibles were super good. and yeah, I can't say enough good things about Returnal. I think it is the strongest game this year from when you when you just look at a across the board, what does a game do that is pushing it further?

I think Returnal checks pretty much every single box that you could. Anyone else have thoughts of Returnal? Andy Cortez. Yeah, it's just it's pure fun gameplay. I think the the shooting aspect of this video game far outweighs any of the story stuff. I still feel like I... was fairly interested in what happens with these story twists, but what kept me going was the difficulty.

I think I had so much fun with it because it was as difficult as it was. And this is a game that I am praying, and I know with Sony's track record, will likely come to PC because I want to replay it with keyboard mouse and continue to replay it and have a reason to come back to it because it is so much fun. There are some really kind of... stunning boss fight set pieces when it comes to music and stuff that they just really can show off not only what's happening visually but audibly as well and i think the game just absolutely knocks out of the park with the 3d audio as well uh it just sounds great and it feels really really fun to play

uh also shout out to the moment of going from the first biome to the second biome and it being kind of like the deserty kind of thing because like we're going to talk about visuals and how stunning a game looks i think the transition between different biomes is so good and so like it's so strong Well, you get used to it, right? That's another thing the game does so well is you get used to playing this thing over and over and over again. So then to have new monsters, new creatures, new area. Yeah, I was going to talk with like Andy bringing up the story. Like I just, I know there's not a lot. And I think the way that it delivers its story and narrative is probably one of the most unique out of all the games this year. But I really love the allegory of grief that's told in this story with the main character and how she is.

going through some shit and I really adored that and I was not expecting something like that in a house mark game you know Greg talking about like these arcade kind of games and to them come out with like kind of correct me if I'm wrong Greg but like I don't

know if story was ever like a focus in their past games right and for for this to kind of be like their first kind of shot at like let's let's think about this on a deeper level when it comes to you know like the level like the art style and design and enemy design sometimes and stuff like like i really thought the way that that was

all integrated was really impressive and yeah like the gameplay i absolutely adore you know i'm one of the many people who's like i don't like roguelites but you know what haides and returnal are pretty cool uh and like i would say like i like returnal more uh just uh purely on a gameplay standpoint um i just love how connectic it is and just how fast you're moving shooting everything clearing a room continuing on it's like mechanic spoilers but like you know when you get a grapple hook at at point and a sword it's just it is some of the the most badass uh gameplay for sure this year um it was personally my number four number three for me any closing words on returnal here we are number one battle feel and kind of funny game of the year for 2021 is ratchet and clank yes

rift apart ratchet and clank ripped apart number one game of the year. You love to see it. I love that. Cabob's is losing his mind somewhere. I've not seen many other outlets give Ratcheting and Clank Rift Apart. I don't think I've seen any other. I wonder why that is. Yeah. And it's a, I think it's a bummer because like it's such a strong game that like, I think deserves it at least from somebody. So the fact that we're giving it to Ratchet and Clank, I think it's so good. Yeah, man. This is, I liked how we did this because it really just shows, like how varied games could be and how different all these lists are. Like, at the end of the day, I think only three of my games even made it on this. And, uh, yeah,

Ratchet and Clank would not be my number one, but hey, it is our collective number one. Who wants to start talking about what they loved so much about Ratch and Clank Rift Apart? I can go. Go for it, Andy. This was my personal number one. This stayed number one with me throughout the whole year. Wow. I think this is Insomniac's best game.

I think it is, again, just pure fun gameplay personified. It is great combat, awesome movement. They took whatever worked in the PS4. remake of Ratchin and Clink and just improved upon it and said let's add more stuff to your kit let's make movement better let's add a dodge a kit very very nice um but just really cool i i don't think the story is anything phenomenally done by any means but like it still hit me pretty pretty big in certain moments um in the way that like you know a big budget popcorn movie might hit me emotionally. I think I had mentioned this during our Game Awards predictions, but the, to me,

this is like me giving a comedy movie, best movie of the year, like a comedy movie winning Oscar Best Picture because it, it probably shouldn't because other games are doing story better. Other games are more emotionally impactful and are more artsy, right? But I just think Ratchet and Clank is just so much fun and even when we talk about the moments that you're not doing big shooty shooty stuff, it's still like fun puzzles that I'm actually digging and I normally hate shit like that. And I just think that like I never didn't have fun in this game. I think visually it is just, this is a technical marvel.

Like Insomniac is just on another level with this game when it comes to even the, and again, this is coming from somebody who had just beaten the PS4 remake. And a lot of people who played it were kind of who had grown tired of these sort of grinding set pieces. I loved that shit. I thought it was just like visually stunning and it's just a cool way to show off the tech. And as somebody who really digs visuals, I had an absolute blast with this game. I loved having new loadouts and leveling up weapons. It's just like, it's just fun as shit.

This game's great. I had this at number six personally. And I think the thing that does put it at in the number one, one conversation is the technical side of it. I think as the the the what insomniac has done using the PlayStation 5, I don't think we've really quite seen yet by anybody else. Like I think that a lot of the levels that we got that kind of used the dual kind of multiversity nexus points or whatever that I remember what they're called.

But that stuff was wild. And it was such a visual treat like Andy likes to say. The audio and it's incredible. And I think the performances from all of the voice actors were well written, fun. and like they're really really high quality. Like I think that's the type of stuff that puts that in the conversation. I don't necessarily think that it did anything new or fresh. I don't even think it's the best Ratchet and Clank game.

But I think it's a very high quality video game that I think everyone should play. So with that, I think that's one of the things you're talking about and what Andy's talking about, right? Whereas like, well, this game did story better. This game did something else better, right? Rashing Clank is an incredibly solid game, start to. finish across the board. And maybe it doesn't have the highs that some of these other games are talking about does, but I also think doesn't have necessarily the lows of some of those. Like I've had a great time playing Rashid and Clank. I thought I went through in Platinum did right and had

a great time all the way through platinum it. Like the mechanics are fun. The characters are cool. The story's good. It's gorgeous, obviously. It feels good with the, like it does everything right. And that's why I think in a year where the playing field is so open for game of the year, something like Rashid that is a, like if you were saying, hey, I'm going to give you a modern ration and clank on a system. This is what I would envision, right? And Insomniac nails that and gives you a incredibly fun few hours with these characters in this world and back in there, let alone the mechanics of using the riffs and jumping between them and, you know, having the introduction of Kit and having all these new characters and all these new experiences and having, you know, rationing clanks split up and how does that play out?

How does it go? Like, this is a great game. Yeah, I think when you look at it and you look at compared to so many of the other games on our list, I think the first, the first, fact that it's our number one speaks volumes because it is a game that I would assume is on all, if not almost all of our lists. I will give this fact for it now. It is the only game that made every single one of our lists. Yeah.

And I think that makes a lot of sense because when you, Greg mentioning that like some games may have higher highs, but like maybe other games have lower lows as well. I can look at every single one of these games and go, all right, Death Loop, I can see people not liking Death Loop as much because of certain things. Life is Strange isn't for everybody. Hit Me and 3 isn't necessarily for everybody. Forks of Horizon 5 isn't for everybody, right? Like, there's something about Ratched and Klank that I think speaks so broadly and also speaks

broadly in such a powerful and polished way where I don't think you can get more, like, good on the AAA level than Ration and Clank in terms of a game that has its shit together. Ration and Clank, Grip, Hart had it shit all the way together in terms of it looks good. It plays smoothly. The character is a level of and awesome. The moment's moment gameplay is fun. It didn't last too long. Right. I think it is such a strong game on so many levels. And it's a game that, you know, playing a modern rationing and clang game for me, I know it's super special because Ratchet and Clank, I think going back, and I know this is the case for multiple of us that going back, Ration and Clank is a game that means so much to us on a franchise level. It's a game that, it's a game that I remember so fondly on the PS2 and then playing it again with the remake on the PS4. It's a game that that brings back memories for me. And it's a game that I think has a lot of attachment in terms of that platform and those characters.

and what they mean to us. And playing, if you showed me Ratched and Clarenk Rift Apart when I was like 10 years old, I wouldn't believe it. I'd be like, no, there's no way that this game can look and play this good. But playing it in 2020, 2021, you know, felt like a dream. And yeah, like, I think it for sure is a game that is deserving number one. And again, I'm glad somebody is giving Ratchet. I'm glad that's honest.

I'm glad that we're giving Ratchet number one. Yeah, I just wanted to point out that, like, I don't, it's wild to me that a mascot platformer can be that great. all across the board. And I think Greg nailed it and blessing reiterated it. But yeah, there's no lows in this game to me. Unless you're going for the platinum, maybe you got annoyed with sort of the bears.

Yeah, if you got... That's it, no. I forgot about the platform. If you're going for the planet, and then you've got to start new game plus and buy one extra gun that's only available. That's easy to do. I know.

I know. I didn't do any of that stuff. I legitimately pretty much marathon this game over a 30 hour period 35 hour period with very little sleep in between and I had a fucking blast

man like it was just so much damn fun and yeah again I just want to reiterate like a PS2 mascot platformer game is that great all across gameplay sound music

dialogue cute characters like it's got fucking everything dude. Mike? Yeah, Ratch and Clink was my number three game of the year. It is simple. It is fun. It is an awesome time. It feels ripped right out of a awesome animated movie.

It has everything that I wanted. It had laughs. It had smiles. I loved the combat. And, you know, these guys have touched on why it's so great. Another one I'll add is the photo mode was top tier this year. One of the best photo modes of the year. And these are these things that, like, we're adding into games all across

the board. And this one's shined out of a lot of them. So I loved this game. My number three smiled all the way through. So with that, there you go. Number one, game of the year. Ratchit and plank, rift apart. Congrats to insomniac.

Janet. Jan is coming and swinging. Yeah, I just wanted to, you know, say my piece on Ratchet real quick. I kind of wish I went in the middle, so it'd be a little less negative. Because for me, it's my number eight. So it is on my list.

It stayed on my list from the moment it came out. I think on the good end, as everyone's mentioned, it is visually stunning. And it has the performance to back. it up, which is such a rarity and such a great example of the power of the PS5. When I first booed this up, I've been playing the game since it came out on the PS2 era. Like I had the physical guide for that game. It had the sealed secret section that had the perforation off to see where you can get the gold

bolts. So this franchise is definitely near and dear to my heart. And playing it in 2021, I was like, wow, this is what I thought and they thought it looked like when it first came out. Like it felt like they finally had the technology to fully realize the idea, like, the glimmering nanotech, the massive cityscapes. Like it felt like a fully realized version of this world in this universe. That being said, it was also of my top 10 games.

I only didn't roll credits on two of them. One was Bravely Default 2 because I felt like it was really long and I was intimidated. The other one was this one. And I think part of that was just the timing of the year for me where I just didn't, I couldn't really fit in the hours and I just never made time for it. And I kept putting it off. It's still one that I want to go back and finish. But for me, this game is kind of like pizza.

after I've had pizza a lot of days in a row, which I've pulled this analogy a few weeks ago, and I keep using it because it's the most apt thing I can think of where it's like, I know I love pizza, and I'm going to eat this, but I think for now I'm just going to leave it in the fridge because I've had pizza so many days in a row. Like it just kind of, for me,

I really am looking for a little bit more iteration in the franchise formula, but that being said, it is a fantastic game. And I think there's a reason it is on all of our list, and it's because it is almost impossible not to recognize how good of a game this is, even if there is that gripe of it not really pushing things forward in a big design way. It's kind of a guaranteed good time.

And I think a lot of people coming to this game had that. There you go. So Barrett, what fun do you have for us here? All right. So we've got some stats and breakdowns. I know people want to know honorable mentions things like that. First, I will break down the final scores of the top 10 list because I know people are probably interested in that. Hitman 3.

I'm going to go from 10 up. Hitman 3 came in at 15 points. Force Horizon 5 came in at 18 points. Metroid Dred came in at 21 points. Psychonauts 2 came in at 28 points. Halo Infinite and Life is Strange both came in at 29 points. Death Store at 31 points. It takes to 32 points.

Death Lute at 40 points. Returnal at 41 points. Ration and Clank Rift apart 42 points. God damn it. Damn it. And I quadrupled checked. I quadrupled check. all of the the numbers and stuff like that just in case because I knew I was like I don't hate Ratch and Clank ripped apart being number one I really loved my time with it but I know it's gonna be a spicy meatball take so I was just like let's just make sure it's a spicy meatball take only because it's not like all of our number ones right like only one of us I assume probably have it at number one if only I got good enough to play through Returnal I just couldn't do it I'm like I don't want to take the time it's too hard I don't I don't want to take the time it's too hard I I

I forget what podcast it was. I think it might have been during a post show where I think Barrett was like, hey, like, you know, don't try to play the game or whatever. And I was like, dude, I don't play the game, right? I just get my list as honest as it is. Man, if I played, if I played the game a little bit. I should have played the game a little. I could just notch down Ratchett, just one spot.

Did anyone play the game? Because I didn't. I totally made my list from the heart. I voted from the heart. Yeah, I did my top 10 list like on a stream like a month ago. So I just used that list. What was number 11, Barrett? So, yeah, hold on.

Let's get into, because I know there's questions of weighted scores. And, like, you know, one of the suggestions from last year in the comments, because I looked through the games cast comments of Game of the Year last year just to see, like, were there any, like, improvements or anything that, like, I can improve this experience and the process and all of that. And one of the comments was, like, first place should get 15 points, second place should get 11 points, and then from third down to get 9, 8, 7, 6, 4, 3, 2. and I did the weighted scores after I'd already calculated and made all the top 10 assets.

I was like, I'm interested. I'm interested. With the weighted scores, Ratchet and Clank still would have been a game of the year at 54 points. Death Loop at number two with 51 and Returnal at number three with 50. The biggest boost that would have gotten, like it was pretty much the same list, just like reorganized a little differently. The biggest boosts on that top 10 list would have been Cyclonauts 2, jumping from seventh place to fourth place

because both Paris and I had at our number one. A couple of other comments I think from last year were like, oh, it should be the popular vote. Whatever game gets the number one vote the most should be game of the year. If we went by that logic, it would have been Psychonauts 2, which again, I would have loved.

It was the only game that was voted on more than once at the number one spot. But again, I don't think that's the best way to do it. So if we get into honorable mentions here, Fun fact for y'all. Of the eight of us, there are a total of 34 different games. Hell yeah. That's awesome.

What great year. I know. As we saw, 11 of them made it into the top 10. And out of the 23 other games that didn't make it into the list, only four got 10 or more points. And those four are going to be the ones that we honorable mentioned. That doesn't mean that the other 19 only got voted on once. There were like a handful of games that got voted on twice,

but they were so low on both of the votes that they just didn't, they only got like six or seven points or something like that. So the honorable mentions at 13th place, we have Cana Bridge of Spirits with 10 points. Hell yeah. At 12th, tied for 12th place, we have the artful escape and chickery, a colorful tale.

Janet, what's up? There we go. We ended up together anyway. I put it in number one. I put artful escape at number one. number one and I was like, you know what? I know that this isn't going to do shit for this entire scale. I got to be true to my heart, man.

Yeah, and I was the only other person who voted for chickory, Janet. So you know what? Wow, really. Yeah. It's interesting. You know, I don't, I don't recall asking you anything blessing. But you're looking at me. I will say, though.

I was looking at you. How can you tell? You don't even know how the squares are laid out. I will say, though, Tim and Mike definitely have the most unique lists. Yeah. And then the, I would say the honorable mention. coming in at 11th place was Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy at 13 points. I am shocked that didn't make our top 10.

Guardianses got booted out of my top 10 because of a little game that is Polygons game of the year inscription. That got booted out of, uh, Guardians got booted out of the number 10 spot because of inscription. And you all need a fucking play. Yeah, that was the thing where I was like, okay, Guardians is here. Okay. And then Andy was like, hey, I need to change something. I was like, all right, good thing I didn't start making assets. What do you need to change?

and he sent it and I was like, oh, this, like, I think it was like, I think originally Life is Strange was tied with Psychonauts 2 and Halo Infinite was the only game at number 6.

And that, like, I think it was, uh, Hitman or, uh, yeah, Guardians was like above Hitman 3 by like a point or something like that.

And then when we got, when we revealed number two was a returnal, there was that moment where it's, I'm like, it's Ratchit. And I'm like, but if it's Guardians, I'm never going to hear the end of it.

I wanted it to be guardians. I wanted it to be guardians. I believe, man. Guardians is a better game than Ratchet. I'm going to say that. But no, you're insane. I like that game. That's crazy.

I love the story of that game. I hate playing that game. I don't want to finish either of them. I'd like to have them done because I know there's good things there. Two more stats I have, as I said earlier. Ratchet and Klank was the only game that was on every single one of our lists. Coming at tied at second place. We had returnal death loop.

It takes two. and Halo Infinite coming in second place with each five votes tied it. Third was Death Store, Life is Strange True Colors, Psychonauts 2, Metroid Dread, and Force Horizon 5, all coming in with four points. Death Store made it above Halo Infinite just because it was most, I think it was like three of our number two, so it was just like getting more average points than Halo Infinite did, even though Halo Infinite had more points. And then the last thing we need to talk about, because one of the most comments I saw

most frequently, while checking the last year's games cast, was Andy Cortez. And people being like, he is the biggest gamer, he needs to be a vote, why was Nea vote on this year? And it just so happens that Andy Cortez was the last vote of the year. And so, you know, I was tabulating, you know, everything that was going on as votes were coming in. And I did find it interesting that before Andy voted,

Death Loop was at that point the game of the year, Returnal was still number two, and Ratchet clank was number three. And so I just thought that was an interesting little tidbit. I don't think it's anybody's fault because again, it was on all of our lists. We can't be upset at it. But I just thought that was an interesting. I can't believe it was my fault. That's horrible to see.

I will say, I think the current point system I never expected it. The current point system I think is the most representative, just based on you telling us what game is. And that was like, that's why I wanted to argue against the weighted scores because I was like, yeah, I love Psychonauts 2 being at number four. But I think it's more representative of us as a whole, it being. down at number seven and stuff like that. So I'm glad that I did things like that just to see like the what ifs essentially. Also, Barrett, give it to me straight. Was that the only person that included the forgotten city in their list?

Yes. What are the anti-honorable mentions where it's like literally only one person thought this was? Well, definitely. I'm sorry to say inscription was the, Andy was the only person who voted for that. I don't have. It would be a fun one I put on my list. Boomerang X. Oh, yeah.

Wow. That is definitely a tip. of the cap for me. That's like some of the most fun I had playing. So that's like number. I think that was 16 for me. Yeah, I put it at number nine. But for me, it was just like it is just pure fun and it does not overstay. It's welcome. It's just to me that's a video game, man. Good for you. Uh, yeah, forgotten city. A lot of, uh, you know, forgotten city, I think was only voted on once and your replicant was only voted on once. Um, persona five strikers, uh, was tied for last place because I, I voted for it, but it was also my number 10. So it only got one point.

Avengers Marvel's Avengers was voted. I wonder by who. No. No. No. Greg, you got your number 10? Or you're at top of that?

Number 10, I know it was a waste of votes. I just put it there. And I have my slack pulled up. When I submitted it one minute later, Barrett just goes, God damn it, Lull.

And he goes, Avengers came out in 2020, Greg. I didn't get to make my giant bomb list this year. So I had a whole bunch of poison in me. I had to get it out. Some other shouts out. I love that.

Mike really was champion. Age of Empires 4. He also had Sea of Thieves. He put in Sea of Thieves and he was the only one who voted that because of Pirates Life

and I thought that was really unique and cool that you put that on there, Mikey. And yeah, I'll go through the other ones. Before Your Eyes, bravely default to Resident Evil Village, solar ash,

unpacking, Bowser's Fury, Mario Party Superstars, Tallum, Far Cry 6, House of Ashes, those were all the other games that were voted in but didn't have the stuff. Cana was my number eight. What I got Cana on there?

It was my number four. Yeah. Above Metroid Dredd. It's wild. It's such a strong year because, yeah, cana was not on my list. I had that, I had it above Psychonauts, even though I enjoyed Psychonauts much more everything else-wise, that I thought Cana was just a funner game to play. Yeah, it's funny.

Look at the R list and my list. It's like, they're so wildly. different, but, like, I had so much fun playing games this year. Like, so many games spoke to me, and I don't think any of these were on that, like, 10 out of 10 level of like, yo, holy shit. But, like, damn, there's so many high quality games that are 8.5 or above that, like, I went back and replayed and want to keep thinking about. Like, hell yeah, video games.

Pretty cool. I downloaded the G.G. app because of this. Like, I had to, like, kind of, like, list everything there and look through everything. Um, loop hero, very, very, very good. And also, I was talking about it on stream today, but my guilty pleasure of the year, Outwriters, I played about maybe 60% of it co-op. And then eventually people either stopped playing it or were lower level or too high levels. So I soloed the rest of it.

And goddamn, it was challenging, but it was fun as fuck. Like, that's a fun shooter. I don't know if it was just like the fact that I was on keyboard mouse and I had such a blast kind of figure. out the best way to take down enemies and which weapons were better. I had a freaking blast without riders, and it's terrible in a lot of other ways, but really, really good gameplay-wise. One that I'm surprised isn't even in the honorable mentions, and I guess it would have been me to carry the flag is Knockout City, because that's one that was.

Knockout City was on there as well, because I voted for that as well. I don't know. I had it number nine on my list. Yeah, and I had it, let's see, 10, 9, 8. I had it number 7. It was fighting for my number 10, but another game took it. Do you happen to have the Stato? Who had the most

On the list? Oh, I don't have that set I mean, let's think about it Everyone you just know I think it might be mine because if I look at my list I think I might have eight out of ten Maybe nine out of ten actually as I'm looking at it I have eight out of ten

Yeah, I have five out of ten Yeah, I have six Damn Yeah, bless had eight Let's see, just looking at Andy's stream game or bless over here Andy had Where's near Replicant, you know? Andy had eight.

Paris, had eight. Jamit. Mainstream or best taste, you know? That's how I'm saying. That's true. That's true. Me and you.

Janet has five. I had one. I think you'd like near replicant. I started earlier in the year. I just. I had seven. So, yeah. It's a beautiful story.

Also, shout out to Guilty Gear Strive, which also also made it on my list. But again, Halo Infinite. fought it out. Yeah, the two in my list that weren't there were inscription in Kana. Well, let us know in the comments below what your top 10 is

and what you think about Ratchet and Clank ripped apart winning Kind of Funnies game of the year 2021. Thank you all for joining us for this amazing star-studded Kind of Funny Games cast. It's been a great one. Can't wait to see what we do next year. But we're about to do a banger of a post show for the patreon.com

slash kind of funny game supporters. Until next time, I love you all. Goodbye.