►► THANK YOU FOR ALL THE SUPPORT FOR THE YEAR!! Seriously. I couldn't keep doing this without you. Every single click, view, comment, share and subscribe does wonders for me and it means SO SO much. So from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU! ► All of the game footage came from either my Twitch Streams or from my Gameplay Channel. Links to those in the description! ►► I know I missed some games this year. As the comments have already pointed out, Tales of Arise, SMT V, No More Heroes 3, Deathloop. TONS I missed. Some of these I already own and just haven't opened them! Any other ones I should know about? ► If you want even more discussion and instant updates, be sure to join the OFFICIAL DISCORD! -- discord.gg/projared ►► I also have a merch store! -- plusonemerch.com ► I've already finished playing through Final Fantasy XII, so that'll be the next major video coming up. After that, only a couple of Final Fantasy games left! Can you believe it!?
I, by conplete coincidence, walked into my local game store the day Metroid Dread released. I'd completely forgotten it launched that day and I didn't even hesitate to buy it. Best purchase I've made this year.
nah, lots of good stuff missing here.... SMTV, Pathfinder wrath of Righteous, Deaths door, Trials of Fire to name a few. Still, better than quite a lot of other lists I've seen.
The way this man introduces me to new games is unreal. I bought Wildermyth right after watching this and I wouldn't have bought it without this video. Such an amazing game.
After 27+ years of playing videogames, I wouldn't have imagined I'd play some of my favorite video games of all time this year. Endwalker and Metroid Dread are fucking masterpieces.
Not going to lie the only reason I've been looking at the Switch is because the games on it, I don't do consoles anymore because everything else is either available on my computer and plays better there or is just not interesting. Nintendo really nailed it with this generation console though. Wii was kind of lackluster to me release wise but still fun and had some good games. Switch? That thing has nothing but bangers!
I feel similarly. Even beyond '21, I think some of the best games of all time have come out in the last few years. Stuff like Doom/Doom Eternal, Monster Hunter World, Dragon Quest XI, Hollow Knight--and those are just the ones in my own wheelhouse.
@@dragoneye6229 Well the Switch cheats since it have everything great on it... even many of the titles i played when i was a kid. I think i never had as fun playing games like when mom got sick earlier in the pandemic. Since she didn't have much energy she was laying in bed with the portable remote, while i used the TV... then we played trough all the old Mario games(She used to play such games with me when i was in grade school). Switch is more family fun then other consoles, even the old Wii and Wii-U targeted that demographic, but these days they got some really great singleplayer games aswell something both Wii and Wii-U lacked in my opinion... Which honestly makes my PS5 feel, well... lame in comparison. We also played trough cuphead and she actually finnished Zelda Breath of the wild. So yeah... she played alot of games those two weeks she wasn't really moving around alot.
Yeah, and then there's that one nerd who couldn't even find the most basic of intended progression paths and insulted the whole game as a result. Like, seriously, less than fifteen minutes into the game.
@@SkelvinKnight I think it was that guy who worked on God of War. He apparently got stuck because the game didn't have an arrow that said "shoot here". He said it was bad game design.
When a game is so popular the developers gotta pull it from the shelves for a while that’s usually a sign of a true masterpiece or disaster. Thankfully EndWalker was an absolutely perfect way to end the decade long odyssey of its story, and hopefully a beautiful beginning for what comes next.
They killed all the humour in Tales of Arise though. It doesn't feel like a Tales game. Tales games always had great doses of humour, and now the game is all srrrsssss
Sorry i don't agree on the "Tales just getting better and better" Xillia2,Zesteria and in an extent Berseria were really underwhelming/bad. I do have hopes for Arise.
@@bernardoheusi6146 You too, man. I didn't know I was gonna get a lot of thumbs up. Typicall, when I comment under a ProJared video, I don't get any thumbs downs. Weird.
Wouldn't be surprised if Jared's #1 for that list is "...Blizzard. As in, the whole company". He's done it before for Konami. EDIT: Surprised it wasn't any of the top 3 on the list after all (should've swapped places with Balan Wonderworld at least IMO), but totally called it.
I appreciate this list for having some interesting different choices. Some of these games I didn't even know about. That viking inspired game near the top of the list? Yeah, didn't know about it. It looks like a way more awesome take on the whole "survival/crafting" thing than a lot of other choices. And seeing Inscryption taking the number 2 spot is making me strongly reconsider checking it out.
If you plan on checking out Inscryption I'd recommend the first two entries of the series, Pony Island, and The Hex. The card game elements are just a tool to move the plot of the series forward.
@@KingVasuki Yeah! A lot of people don't know that since the third game got so much more popular. But it continues the storyline of the second game "The Hex" and you kinda need that context for the third game or it won't make a whole lot of sense after the card game facade breaks down.
I watched Jared play almost all of these games, and I know I can't be alone in thinking, "Bravely Default II was this year? Didn't Valheim come out in 2019? What, how was Pokemon Snap this year?" I feel like I aged 10 years in 2021. I'm glad I had Jared and this community to take the edge off during this slow motion apocalypse.
Shin Megami Tensei V was my top game of the year, the gameplay was super addictive. It just sucks that it has more of a minimalist Nocturne-like story, but I know a lot of people are into that. I just hope they go for a more IV style story with the next one.
The more minimal story is kind of what makes the game great. The game gives you a little more agency because of the looser narrative. Persona's more linear, more character focused. And that's fine, they're great too. Megaten's more about your story. Too weak for the challenges ahead? That's okay. Take your time and get stronger, the plot will wait for you.
Nocturne did a minimalist approach so much better though... So i kinda just treat SMT V as having a bad story. At least the gameplay wasn't bad, but it wasn't as good as 4A, so all in all, i kinda just found the game to be rough... Still in my top 5 this year though.
Monster Hunter Rise and Metroid Dread were games I thought I'd play for just a little while. But I keep comign back to them. I'm a very new Monster Hunter fan - I only really got into it with World (I made the mistake of starting out on Generations Ultimate), and now I am a Switch Axe main for life. Metroid Dread was another story - I've loved Metroid for a long time, but I've never been a speedruner. Dread was so fun to play that I actually broke the 4-hour mark completing a Metroid game for the first time. And Endwalker... Oh, poor Endwalker. A victim of it's own success. So popular now that the servers just can't keep up!
Shin Megami Tensei V was probably my favorite RPG of this year, which is one of my favorite genres, but No More Heroes III still ended up being my favorite regardless. Surprised SMT V didn’t appear on this list.
It kinda bombed writing and story wise, which if anyone tells you story and writing haven't ever been a big part of SMT, they need to get their head out of their ass.
@@Zance21 Difference between story and writing being minimalistic, and being shit. Nocturne was minimalistic, but Nocturne is a piece of art that had a clear concise direction, with an impactful story with well thought out themes and purpose behind every scene. V feels like it's trying to be Nocturne but only understanding the surface level traits, and ending up feeling like a soulless rehash.
For me, Psychonauts 2 is my game of the year. Truly one of the most creative and charming games I've played. It doesn't help that I love Tim Schafer and everything he's done.
The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is worth a mention. Great characters who were developed very well, an intriguing story, and each mystery is fun to solve.
I’m with Yahtzee on SMT, when told to play a “real” SMT game I just hear “play this game that has everything you liked about Persona removed, it’s a REAL game”
@@kingcaesar3693 just because the games never had many cutscenes doesn’t mean they had bad stories. Smt 5 writing/narrative just sucks ass especially compared to smt 4, it’s like they didn’t improve from smt4:A at all.
@@pillarsofsnow7940 Persona has really bad gameplay, except 5 which is alright but also the easiest of the series, but it has a good story. SMT has a flawed story in basically all of the games, but it's gameplay is fantastic.
@@cvetomirgeorgiev9106 I don’t really care for rpgs when it comes to gameplay, 9 times out of 10 I only really care for the story and play on lowest difficulty
BD2 is pretty good, but Bravely Second is still better in literally every aspect. Better story, better overall cast, better job system, better gameplay, better plot twists, much more bonus content, etc. Seth is one of the most boring protagonists of all time and we STILL know nothing about his backstory. Gloria isn't much better and is just "generic princess who wants to save her ruined kingdom." Gloria is just 10x less interesting Ashe from FFXII and that game isn't really known for having that great of a main story or cast to begin with. (though the world building, level design, and gameplay is the best in the series IMO) At least Elvis and Adelle are amazing, but the story mainly doesn't focus on them and everything past Chapter 3 in BD2 feels extremely rushed unlike BS which was paced perfectly. Yew is also the best written character in the series with a very well written backstory, good motivations, and an excellent character arc. The romance also feels perfectly natural and not forced like in BD2. Also BD2 has basically no side content while BS has 3 bonus post game dungeons all with superbosses, the Baals, the Super Baals, AND the Nemesis. BD2 didn't even have a single major 4th wall breaking moment outside of the "deleting the main villains save file" thing near the end compared to BD1 and BD2 which went crazy with the plot twists and 4th wall breaks which both subtitles having hidden meanings and at the end of BS the final boss directly addresses the player and his ultimate attack is attempting to delete your save file and it's a crazy mind screw about the nature of free will and it's SO GOOD. Meanwhile all the final boss of BD2 does is make the screen go all grainy and visually rips off Anima from FFX. (they literally have the same design) Also BD2 is filled with plotholes and unanswered questions while BS had no plotholes and only one unanswered question about the purpose of the Sword of the Brave and the three keys. Also BS has a far superior OST IMO since it reuses the majority of the best tracks of BD1 and adds in some bangers along with them. I firmly believe Battle of Providence is the best final boss theme of all time (Serpent Eating at the Ground, The One they Call the Witch/Daughter of the Dark God, and The Nexus Gazes into Darkness being #2, #3, and #4 respectively, and they're all made by the same guys)
I've heard quite a few youtubers praise it. I played a lot of the big jrpgs in 2021 but didn't really like any of them. I'm keen to check out bravely default 2 though.
I forgot about Bravely default 2! Glad to hear you speak so lovingly about it. You said exactly what I liked about the previous games, so I think I'm gonna have a blast again!!
Metroid Dread is by far my favorite of the year. Not only was it an amazing Metroid game, a Metroid game in 2021, and a 2D Metroid at that, but this game came completely out of nowhere at E3, ready to release this year. This is one of the most pleasant surprises I've had in a long time from Nintendo.
This year was actually stacked with great games. The people who say the year completely sucked (and typically say most years completely suck) are too focused on the "AAA" big-budget games, which do tend do disappoint more often than not. I found plenty of fantastic titles looking at the middleware and indie scene.
Yeah seriously, I bought (or was gifted in a few cases) over 20 new 2021 releases. That is actually way more than I usually buy in a year. Was a pretty crazy amount of niche games this year. Made me feel like we were back in the PS2 days again.
I entirely agree. Whenever I see someone say a year sucks in terms of gaming, I feel as if their interest in gaming as a whole is very limited. Of course a year would suck for you if you were only interested in the same few vidoegame series and didn’t bother to broaden your horizons.
I've been saying for a while to anybody who would (and wouldn't) listen that I believe middleware and indie games to be the future of gaming in general. Comparatively small teams working under FAR more reasonable deadlines seem to result in far more interesting/innovative/polished experiences... and AAA games really seem to be approaching a bubble, what with the amount of time and money and bigwig demands that's needed for their development. Of course, I'm a massive indie game whore, so I'm extremely biased ^^;
Seeing Bravely Default 2 on this list is so cathartic for me. Not just because I was afraid it would get eaten alive by Jared, but because it's come full circle now. Jared's review of the original Bravely Default is what ultimately led me to buying the game, and ending up finding my favorite 3ds game and one of my favorite series of all time. When Bravely Default 2 and yes, even Bravely Second were announced, I counted down the days till their release, bought collectors editions when they DID come out. And god I loved every single minute of all 3 titles. To any RPG fans out there, I highly recommend checking them out if you haven't already. And Jared, I thank you for introducing me to games that ended up being so influential on me as a whole. Happy New Year y'all! Let's hope 2022 is chock full with as many amazing games as 2021 was.
I already know this one won't be on the list, but it's one of my new favorite games of all time, right next to its predecessor. Neo: The World Ends With You was the perfect follow up to a game that changed me for the better as a person, and will always be in my heart from now on.
@@Last_Resort991 I agree that it being EGS exclusive on PC is pretty shit, but other than that I actually cannot possibly comprehend how you think the sequel is flawed.
@@Last_Resort991 ... Bro, seriously? That's your only reason? Dude, just get it on another platform or wait until it comes to Steam. Square is clearly planning on pushing any port they have on EGS the moment the exclusivity contract runs out of time.
Never heard if Wildermyth before. Had to check it out and find out it will eventually be released on Switch in a year (my only way of playing games). Will certainly be picking this up.
Its excellent, but Idk if console port would be as good. The base game is easily an 8/10, but its built for modding, and the mods easily take it to a 10/10. Hopefully the devs include at least the most popular mods.
For me, XIV's plot has always been woefully poorly written to the point that I'm shocked whenever anyone says it resonated with them, and this is coming from someone who's beaten everything up to the end of SHB. Uninteresting plot, undeveloped characters, 9 million fetch quests, it just pales in comparison to any actual single player JRPG story.
@@MisterFister612 I played WOW when I was a kid and played XIV more recently, and I like XIV more. You need to learn that just because someone criticizes something, that doesn't mean you should just write their criticism off as "well they dislike it out of unfairness, not for legitimate reasons, so I don't have to actually think about what they're saying".
Endwalker has me sobbing at points, and even remembering some scenes gets me teary-eyed. I've been following your Final Fantasy reviews, waiting eagerly for the day you talk in-depth about 14.
Personally, I played the game blind on hardmode (got the save data for the unlock from someone). The hard mode is a bit shallow, that's my biggest complaint. 2x damage taken and 2x enemy health I believe. Hard modes in other metroidvanias are usually done better and not just 2x basic values. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia for example made certain enemies move faster among other things. Heck, even Metroid: Fusion, a 20 year old game has a slightly better hardmode. It lowered the resource gain on pickups (from 50-60% depending) on top of doing what Dread did.
Metroid Dread was seriously robbed. It takes two? Seriously? You know the game awards are rigged when some no name multiplayer title with zero hype wins every category its in. EA must have paid a lot of money for ITT to win over Metroid Dread. Heck, BD2 didn't even get nominated for best RPG! Cyberpunk did, and that piece of crap released in 2020 and no one liked it!
@@krimsonkatt to be fair it takes two was one of the highest reviewed games of the year. I haven't heard anything bad about it. Cyberpunk getting nominated makes sense since most of the jury probably didn't play bravely default 2.
My personal favorite has been Psychonauts 2. While there is a bit of repetitiveness and the hub world while open doesn't quite have that same charm; each level reminded me just how unique and creative video games can be and why I loved the original to begin with.
My game of the year is Psychonauts 2, I definitely recommend checking it out. Also, your video made me want to try Inscryption, so thanks for that! Great list!
Man, I could not agree more for #1. After seeing your recent playthrough of it, I was so excited to see how well it stayed true to the traditions of the series. Recently picked it up, and looking forward to playing it when I eventually pick up a Switch.
FF14 has got to be one of the greatest redemption stories in gaming history. From an absolutely disastrous initial launch, to being shut down and the developers literally having to publicly apologize for it, to being completely overhauled and relaunched, to becoming arguably one of the best MMOs ever made. The madlads, they actually did it.
It's successful to the point that they had to stop selling it so that the servers wouldn't be overly cluttered. Absurdly popular doesn't even begin to describe FFXIV. The player base has become a parody of itself with all the Free Trials memes that have now circled back to the original joke, that you shouldn't buy the game. I can't think of another game with a similar story.
Psychonauts 2 snubbed again. But Endwalker has taken over my life since its release, and the emotions i went through closing out a story and adventure I have been on for a decade was a powerful experience.
For me, something super interesting about Metroid Dread is that it was developed by MercurySteam, who at this point has such an eclectic mix of titles under their belt that I cannot help but find them fascinating.
Great list. Been a pretty good year for gaming actually. And so many other great indie games released on Steam as well! Take a look at 'Loop Hero' and 'Lucah' and 'Tales of Arise' and 'Shovel Knight - Pocket Dungeon'
I thought the game was ok, a couple spots were confusing to progress through and i was scouring the entire world to find the one breakable block that allows you to progress. The game was also very short and does not have a lot of variety in its bosses. The story was also ok, it doesn't really ever explain why Kraid is there, and some other details. Hollow Knight is still the reigning champ of metroidvanias in my book, and that was made by only a 3 people i think.
@@Zadamanim The map in Metroid Dread may be one of the best things about it thanks to the search feature that highlights the selected block/upgrade/door/etc. type, helping you find those breakable blocks to help you progress. For all of Super Metroid's strengths, I've always felt its map was somewhat barebones, especially in regards to its lack of door markers, which threw me off big time having started with Fusion, Prime, and Zero Mission back in the day. I would disagree with the boss variety, each one is very unique; the minibosses like the Mecha-Chozo and Chozo-X Soldiers are what you're likely thinking of. It helps that many of them have quick-kill methods that require clever use of the Shinespark or even sequence breaking. I will concede that Kraid's appearance is out of left field, but it was welcome, especially given Samus's non-reaction to him being back to life. As for Hollow Knight, I really need to play it. I bought it on a Steam sale a long time ago but have never gotten around to it.
@@DeltaSpark8 What I mean about boss variety being sorta low is that Dread has about a dozen bosses (not counting repeating ones) while Hollow Knight has about 40, and also includes many boss-like challenges where you are locked in a room and need to defeat groups of weaker enemies with environmental hazards. There's also a final boss rush challenge mode. There's also a "hunter's challenge" for killing every enemy type in the game, and some are rather elusive. Hollow Knight also has DLC that provides a less linear progression, because they are optional side stories. That's all to say, an indie game made by 3 people sold for $20 has far more content than Dread. What's in Dread is good, and I'm glad I bought and played it, but it's a bit short compared to other metroidvanias like Cave Story, Bloodstained, or Hollow Knight. I didn't use the search feature in Metroid Dread, but I don't think it displays the hidden blocks you can shoot, only doorways and the general location of hidden items.
@@jaretco6423 Eh they are both high quality but Hollow Knight is a way longer and bigger game. It's like comparing Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (a good but short movie) vs The Lord of the Rings trilogy extended edition (a good but long movie). Depends on how much free time you have and if u prefer speedrunning a short game vs making slow progress in a long game.
I admittedly haven't played a lot of games that came out this year, but damn did I play some really good ones, from Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart to Psychonauts 2 to Scarlet Nexus to even Halo Infinite (further proving how delays can usually be beneficial to a games overall quality), this year had plenty of greats, many of which I still need to get to such as It Takes Two, Tales of Arise, and Kena: Bridge of Spirits! All I can say is that 2022 has some big shoes to fill!
I bought Wildermyth last weekend, and I'm kinda addicted to it. I'm already partially through the third campaign. Thanks so much for the recommendation!
Man I remember seeing wildermyth on my steam queue and playing it for the first time last 2020. I was initially saddened by the fact that since it was unpopular it had little mods. Looking forward to how the community grows
Good list there, some games i didnt look at this year, but i will now.....Hope 2022 continues to improve for you Jared. Thanks for all the videos this year.
Re Age of Empires and the tree line being inspired by MOBAs: It's a Relic thing. They've been veeeery much into involving environments in RTS games. It's one of the biggest reasons why Company of Heroes has been so interesting. Your units need to take cover, hide, and exploit the terrain in any way they can. It's something that almost all of their games have done, so it's a nice surprise that they found a place for it even in Age of Empires.
Wonderful list Jared, I look forward to it every year. I had been debating picking of AoE4 so I am glad to hear you enjoyed it. Keep up the great work.
Solid list Jared. The only 2021 game I played this year was "RE8", a fantastic follow-up to the surprisingly great "RE7". Hopefully in 2022, I'll play some more newer games so I can do list here in the comments. Hope you had a awesome Christmas and have an even more awesome New Year.
Though I am a bit bummed out that Lost Judgement wasn't on the list (my personal game of the year), there's still some really strong choices on this list!
It's been on my wishlist, thanks for reminding me and confirming that it's worth the play! I think Jared would really enjoy the Yakuza-type universe, since he likes beat-em-ups and would enjoy the games' sense of humor (but still appreciate the fantastic balance of drama). Though I'm sure Lost Judgement takes the tone in a completely different direction, based on what I've seen, and I hope people don't disregard it because they haven't played a Yakuza title
Thanks for making these every year, Jared! I hadn't heard of Wyldermyth yet, but it looks really interesting. One game that came out last year that I've been quite fond of is Monster Hunter Stories 2. I don't know if you've played it yet, but it's basically and RPG set in the Monster Hunter universe, where you can befriend a whole slew of monsters and fight alongside them.
Endwalker wasn't just a video game. It was an experience. An experience that was the culmination of 10 years worth of story telling that we've been waiting to see coming to a close. And what a triumphant closing it was. And yet, somehow, when I turned in that final quest, I didn't want my journey to end. I was already missing my adventures... And that really is when you realize how special it is.
One of the best/most interesting lists I've found, not only because we have similar taste in videogames, but because all your explanations said a lot more than the ones from other lists. Great summaries that made me play almost every single game you talked about. Hope I can get them soon =).
Thank you for the excellent recommendation of wildermyth. This is why I love these lists. Games that are in that 10-5 range that are super solid and for some could be a 1-5. Like how inscription took 2. Great list
►► THANK YOU FOR ALL THE SUPPORT FOR THE YEAR!! Seriously. I couldn't keep doing this without you. Every single click, view, comment, share and subscribe does wonders for me and it means SO SO much. So from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU!
► All of the game footage came from either my Twitch Streams or from my Gameplay Channel. Links to those in the description!
►► I know I missed some games this year. As the comments have already pointed out, Tales of Arise, SMT V, No More Heroes 3, Deathloop. TONS I missed. Some of these I already own and just haven't opened them! Any other ones I should know about?
► If you want even more discussion and instant updates, be sure to join the OFFICIAL DISCORD! -- discord.gg/projared
►► I also have a merch store! -- plusonemerch.com
► I've already finished playing through Final Fantasy XII, so that'll be the next major video coming up. After that, only a couple of Final Fantasy games left! Can you believe it!?
You have to play SMT V it’s great and I can’t wait for your ff12 video!
Please review Xenoblade please and thank you
You make great content ! Thank you for all the smiles you brought to me in 2021 !
You completed 12?
…you know what that means right jared? Go rip 13 apart like it deserves!!!!
Hope you're doing well Jared. Happy new year big dawg
I, by conplete coincidence, walked into my local game store the day Metroid Dread released. I'd completely forgotten it launched that day and I didn't even hesitate to buy it. Best purchase I've made this year.
I preordered that shit the day it was announced
I bought a whole switch just to get this game. Worth every dollar.
I bought it the moment it was released
This feels both like a r/thathappened moment and a genuine moment at the same time.
@@joshrivet4011 yeah it does. Ha, never noticed that.
Consistently the best "Best of the year" lists on youtube.
Gotta agree with that one, I look forward to these pretty much every year
There's no such thing, it all depends on your own personal preference, just like the subject of the video itself.
Final Fantasy XIV? Meh
@@redheat465 think he meant projareds lists
nah, lots of good stuff missing here.... SMTV, Pathfinder wrath of Righteous, Deaths door, Trials of Fire to name a few. Still, better than quite a lot of other lists I've seen.
“Bravely Default II” is the only new game I’ve played this year, so I guess it’s my pick for game of the year by _default._
Same I've only played Shin Megami Tensei V
Not a very brave pick, huh?
You absolute mad lad.
Same, but with Ys 9 Monstrum Nox
Ha
The way this man introduces me to new games is unreal. I bought Wildermyth right after watching this and I wouldn't have bought it without this video. Such an amazing game.
After 27+ years of playing videogames, I wouldn't have imagined I'd play some of my favorite video games of all time this year. Endwalker and Metroid Dread are fucking masterpieces.
Not going to lie the only reason I've been looking at the Switch is because the games on it, I don't do consoles anymore because everything else is either available on my computer and plays better there or is just not interesting. Nintendo really nailed it with this generation console though. Wii was kind of lackluster to me release wise but still fun and had some good games. Switch? That thing has nothing but bangers!
I feel similarly. Even beyond '21, I think some of the best games of all time have come out in the last few years. Stuff like Doom/Doom Eternal, Monster Hunter World, Dragon Quest XI, Hollow Knight--and those are just the ones in my own wheelhouse.
@@dragoneye6229 Well the Switch cheats since it have everything great on it... even many of the titles i played when i was a kid. I think i never had as fun playing games like when mom got sick earlier in the pandemic. Since she didn't have much energy she was laying in bed with the portable remote, while i used the TV... then we played trough all the old Mario games(She used to play such games with me when i was in grade school). Switch is more family fun then other consoles, even the old Wii and Wii-U targeted that demographic, but these days they got some really great singleplayer games aswell something both Wii and Wii-U lacked in my opinion... Which honestly makes my PS5 feel, well... lame in comparison.
We also played trough cuphead and she actually finnished Zelda Breath of the wild. So yeah... she played alot of games those two weeks she wasn't really moving around alot.
There's only one major issue I have with Dread- WHY IS THERE NO RIDLEY X(?!?!?!
I loved dread. Put over 40 hours in over three playthroughs. 100% completion and all the speedrunning challenges too :)
Metroid does such a good job of making you feel like you've outsmarted the game even if everything is very intentional
Dunkey reference?
@@cangrejopendejo4909 No clue, but I remember the general sentiment being said about Half Life 2 back in the day as well.
Yeah, and then there's that one nerd who couldn't even find the most basic of intended progression paths and insulted the whole game as a result. Like, seriously, less than fifteen minutes into the game.
@@hauntedshadowslegacy2826 Name that nerd!!!
@@SkelvinKnight I think it was that guy who worked on God of War. He apparently got stuck because the game didn't have an arrow that said "shoot here". He said it was bad game design.
When a game is so popular the developers gotta pull it from the shelves for a while that’s usually a sign of a true masterpiece or disaster. Thankfully EndWalker was an absolutely perfect way to end the decade long odyssey of its story, and hopefully a beautiful beginning for what comes next.
For me, Tales of Arise was the game of the year. I love that however many franchises get worse, Tales just getting better and better :D
Arise is a great game! But i kinda wished they step up their story a bit
I liked it but it felt too dialogue heavy, especially in part 2
They killed all the humour in Tales of Arise though. It doesn't feel like a Tales game. Tales games always had great doses of humour, and now the game is all srrrsssss
Well the last tales game was pretty bad. Tales of berseria
Sorry i don't agree on the "Tales just getting better and better" Xillia2,Zesteria and in an extent Berseria were really underwhelming/bad. I do have hopes for Arise.
Jared, I am just rubbing my hands with an evil smile for your upcoming "Top 10 Worst Games of 2021" video. :)
Me too! Happy New year
@@bernardoheusi6146 You too, man. I didn't know I was gonna get a lot of thumbs up.
Typicall, when I comment under a ProJared video, I don't get any thumbs downs. Weird.
We all know he's gonna start by saying: "Every single game this year SUCKED!"
I know... We got the sweet out of the way. Now, it is time for the salt!!
Wouldn't be surprised if Jared's #1 for that list is "...Blizzard. As in, the whole company". He's done it before for Konami.
EDIT: Surprised it wasn't any of the top 3 on the list after all (should've swapped places with Balan Wonderworld at least IMO), but totally called it.
I appreciate this list for having some interesting different choices. Some of these games I didn't even know about. That viking inspired game near the top of the list? Yeah, didn't know about it. It looks like a way more awesome take on the whole "survival/crafting" thing than a lot of other choices. And seeing Inscryption taking the number 2 spot is making me strongly reconsider checking it out.
If you plan on checking out Inscryption I'd recommend the first two entries of the series, Pony Island, and The Hex. The card game elements are just a tool to move the plot of the series forward.
@@annabunni64 Wait, it's by the Pony Island developers? That's awesome! I had no idea...
@@KingVasuki Yeah! A lot of people don't know that since the third game got so much more popular. But it continues the storyline of the second game "The Hex" and you kinda need that context for the third game or it won't make a whole lot of sense after the card game facade breaks down.
I watched Jared play almost all of these games, and I know I can't be alone in thinking, "Bravely Default II was this year? Didn't Valheim come out in 2019? What, how was Pokemon Snap this year?" I feel like I aged 10 years in 2021. I'm glad I had Jared and this community to take the edge off during this slow motion apocalypse.
I had the same feeling. This year just went by so flippin' fast that everything that happened just feels like it was 2 or 3 years ago.
Shin Megami Tensei V was my top game of the year, the gameplay was super addictive. It just sucks that it has more of a minimalist Nocturne-like story, but I know a lot of people are into that. I just hope they go for a more IV style story with the next one.
I liked it overall but the story wasn't great and it got really grindy towards the end.
The more minimal story is kind of what makes the game great. The game gives you a little more agency because of the looser narrative. Persona's more linear, more character focused. And that's fine, they're great too. Megaten's more about your story. Too weak for the challenges ahead? That's okay. Take your time and get stronger, the plot will wait for you.
I think my problem wasn't the minimalist approach, but the lack of build up IN that minimalist approach.
Nocturne did a minimalist approach so much better though... So i kinda just treat SMT V as having a bad story. At least the gameplay wasn't bad, but it wasn't as good as 4A, so all in all, i kinda just found the game to be rough... Still in my top 5 this year though.
Monster Hunter Rise and Metroid Dread were games I thought I'd play for just a little while. But I keep comign back to them. I'm a very new Monster Hunter fan - I only really got into it with World (I made the mistake of starting out on Generations Ultimate), and now I am a Switch Axe main for life.
Metroid Dread was another story - I've loved Metroid for a long time, but I've never been a speedruner. Dread was so fun to play that I actually broke the 4-hour mark completing a Metroid game for the first time.
And Endwalker... Oh, poor Endwalker. A victim of it's own success. So popular now that the servers just can't keep up!
Shin Megami Tensei V was probably my favorite RPG of this year, which is one of my favorite genres, but No More Heroes III still ended up being my favorite regardless. Surprised SMT V didn’t appear on this list.
It kinda bombed writing and story wise, which if anyone tells you story and writing haven't ever been a big part of SMT, they need to get their head out of their ass.
@@Pie_The_Man But it's kind of true, even going back to Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei. Most of the stories in SMT are very simplistic
@@Pie_The_Man i agree. SMT V really did drop the ball when it came to writing, but the gameplay was honestly so good i hardly cared.
@@Zance21 Difference between story and writing being minimalistic, and being shit. Nocturne was minimalistic, but Nocturne is a piece of art that had a clear concise direction, with an impactful story with well thought out themes and purpose behind every scene. V feels like it's trying to be Nocturne but only understanding the surface level traits, and ending up feeling like a soulless rehash.
@@Pie_The_Man But it's literally true, every numbered SMT game besides IV doesn't focus on those things.
My big three are personally SMT V, Deathloop and Metroid Dread. All really addicting and finely put together
SMT V gameplay is fantastic. Really wish RUclipsr wasn't sleeping on it :)
But it's understandable since it came out this late.
and Loop Hero
Deathloop was pretty meh for me, but the other 2 are tired for my GOTY
For me, Psychonauts 2 is my game of the year. Truly one of the most creative and charming games I've played. It doesn't help that I love Tim Schafer and everything he's done.
The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is worth a mention. Great characters who were developed very well, an intriguing story, and each mystery is fun to solve.
It's announcement almost made me cry of joy
For me, Shin Megami Tensei V is definitely around the top. It's lacking in story and characters but the gameplay is amazing
IDK SMT has never had a ton of cutscenes like it's cousin Persona. Also I feel like you went neutral.
I’m with Yahtzee on SMT, when told to play a “real” SMT game I just hear “play this game that has everything you liked about Persona removed, it’s a REAL game”
@@kingcaesar3693 just because the games never had many cutscenes doesn’t mean they had bad stories. Smt 5 writing/narrative just sucks ass especially compared to smt 4, it’s like they didn’t improve from smt4:A at all.
@@pillarsofsnow7940 Persona has really bad gameplay, except 5 which is alright but also the easiest of the series, but it has a good story. SMT has a flawed story in basically all of the games, but it's gameplay is fantastic.
@@cvetomirgeorgiev9106 I don’t really care for rpgs when it comes to gameplay, 9 times out of 10 I only really care for the story and play on lowest difficulty
Im really glad bravely default 2 made the list, it’s such a fantastic game!
BD2 is pretty good, but Bravely Second is still better in literally every aspect. Better story, better overall cast, better job system, better gameplay, better plot twists, much more bonus content, etc. Seth is one of the most boring protagonists of all time and we STILL know nothing about his backstory. Gloria isn't much better and is just "generic princess who wants to save her ruined kingdom." Gloria is just 10x less interesting Ashe from FFXII and that game isn't really known for having that great of a main story or cast to begin with. (though the world building, level design, and gameplay is the best in the series IMO) At least Elvis and Adelle are amazing, but the story mainly doesn't focus on them and everything past Chapter 3 in BD2 feels extremely rushed unlike BS which was paced perfectly. Yew is also the best written character in the series with a very well written backstory, good motivations, and an excellent character arc. The romance also feels perfectly natural and not forced like in BD2. Also BD2 has basically no side content while BS has 3 bonus post game dungeons all with superbosses, the Baals, the Super Baals, AND the Nemesis. BD2 didn't even have a single major 4th wall breaking moment outside of the "deleting the main villains save file" thing near the end compared to BD1 and BD2 which went crazy with the plot twists and 4th wall breaks which both subtitles having hidden meanings and at the end of BS the final boss directly addresses the player and his ultimate attack is attempting to delete your save file and it's a crazy mind screw about the nature of free will and it's SO GOOD. Meanwhile all the final boss of BD2 does is make the screen go all grainy and visually rips off Anima from FFX. (they literally have the same design) Also BD2 is filled with plotholes and unanswered questions while BS had no plotholes and only one unanswered question about the purpose of the Sword of the Brave and the three keys. Also BS has a far superior OST IMO since it reuses the majority of the best tracks of BD1 and adds in some bangers along with them. I firmly believe Battle of Providence is the best final boss theme of all time (Serpent Eating at the Ground, The One they Call the Witch/Daughter of the Dark God, and The Nexus Gazes into Darkness being #2, #3, and #4 respectively, and they're all made by the same guys)
@@krimsonkatt agreed.
@@krimsonkatt false
Jared's is the only list I've seen it on. And I'm glad it's getting some recognition
I've heard quite a few youtubers praise it. I played a lot of the big jrpgs in 2021 but didn't really like any of them. I'm keen to check out bravely default 2 though.
I forgot about Bravely default 2! Glad to hear you speak so lovingly about it. You said exactly what I liked about the previous games, so I think I'm gonna have a blast again!!
My favorite games this year are No More Heroes 3, Metroid Dread, Resident Evil Village, Bowsers Fury, and Cruise'N Blast
Cruis'n Blast is amazing!
Metroid Dread is by far my favorite of the year. Not only was it an amazing Metroid game, a Metroid game in 2021, and a 2D Metroid at that, but this game came completely out of nowhere at E3, ready to release this year. This is one of the most pleasant surprises I've had in a long time from Nintendo.
This year was actually stacked with great games. The people who say the year completely sucked (and typically say most years completely suck) are too focused on the "AAA" big-budget games, which do tend do disappoint more often than not. I found plenty of fantastic titles looking at the middleware and indie scene.
Yeah seriously, I bought (or was gifted in a few cases) over 20 new 2021 releases. That is actually way more than I usually buy in a year. Was a pretty crazy amount of niche games this year. Made me feel like we were back in the PS2 days again.
I entirely agree. Whenever I see someone say a year sucks in terms of gaming, I feel as if their interest in gaming as a whole is very limited. Of course a year would suck for you if you were only interested in the same few vidoegame series and didn’t bother to broaden your horizons.
I've been saying for a while to anybody who would (and wouldn't) listen that I believe middleware and indie games to be the future of gaming in general. Comparatively small teams working under FAR more reasonable deadlines seem to result in far more interesting/innovative/polished experiences... and AAA games really seem to be approaching a bubble, what with the amount of time and money and bigwig demands that's needed for their development.
Of course, I'm a massive indie game whore, so I'm extremely biased ^^;
Bravely Default 2 was my 2021 GOTY so it was cool to see Jared also rank it as his Best RPG of the year. I often feel alone in that assessment.
This list is so accurate. I admit, I wished we could see your reactions to Endwalker, especially the last few cutscenes. Honestly the best thing.
The way Jared said "snom" is the only correct way to say it.
Whoo finally a ProJared upload!
Seeing Bravely Default 2 on this list is so cathartic for me. Not just because I was afraid it would get eaten alive by Jared, but because it's come full circle now. Jared's review of the original Bravely Default is what ultimately led me to buying the game, and ending up finding my favorite 3ds game and one of my favorite series of all time. When Bravely Default 2 and yes, even Bravely Second were announced, I counted down the days till their release, bought collectors editions when they DID come out. And god I loved every single minute of all 3 titles. To any RPG fans out there, I highly recommend checking them out if you haven't already. And Jared, I thank you for introducing me to games that ended up being so influential on me as a whole.
Happy New Year y'all! Let's hope 2022 is chock full with as many amazing games as 2021 was.
I already know this one won't be on the list, but it's one of my new favorite games of all time, right next to its predecessor. Neo: The World Ends With You was the perfect follow up to a game that changed me for the better as a person, and will always be in my heart from now on.
I love twewy, obe of the best games ever. The sequel is very flawed though. On PC it is Epic games store exclusive, which i can't support.
@@Last_Resort991 I agree that it being EGS exclusive on PC is pretty shit, but other than that I actually cannot possibly comprehend how you think the sequel is flawed.
Neo is the only new release I played this year (not counting Great Ace Attorney Chronicles), and I'm kind of shocked it wasn't on this list
@@KashKey- Are you that bad in reading comprehension? You just stated, in your first sentence, my reasoning why it is flawed.
@@Last_Resort991 ... Bro, seriously? That's your only reason? Dude, just get it on another platform or wait until it comes to Steam. Square is clearly planning on pushing any port they have on EGS the moment the exclusivity contract runs out of time.
Never heard if Wildermyth before. Had to check it out and find out it will eventually be released on Switch in a year (my only way of playing games). Will certainly be picking this up.
Its excellent, but Idk if console port would be as good. The base game is easily an 8/10, but its built for modding, and the mods easily take it to a 10/10. Hopefully the devs include at least the most popular mods.
My personal GOTY was Inscryption for sure, but I can't argue with Dread being the number 1 either.
I dont think I could ever grow tired of FFXIV, it had me crying way too much and its my personally favorite game of 2021
For me, XIV's plot has always been woefully poorly written to the point that I'm shocked whenever anyone says it resonated with them, and this is coming from someone who's beaten everything up to the end of SHB. Uninteresting plot, undeveloped characters, 9 million fetch quests, it just pales in comparison to any actual single player JRPG story.
@@Jordan3DS found the WoW player
@@Jordan3DS cope more copium andy
@@MisterFister612 I played WOW when I was a kid and played XIV more recently, and I like XIV more.
You need to learn that just because someone criticizes something, that doesn't mean you should just write their criticism off as "well they dislike it out of unfairness, not for legitimate reasons, so I don't have to actually think about what they're saying".
@@miner2119 Everything you just said was gibberish, I have no idea what you're even trying to get across
Bruh I miss your game reviews they were the best honestly
Do you mean of new game reviews? Or the "ProJared" videos like the Final Fantasy videos and Spiderman/Xmen?
@@projared I think he means regular reviews like games like Metroid Dread.The only game you reviewed this year was Bravely Default 2.
To me, the One Minute Review is still the best.
Happy New Year, Jared!
Endwalker has me sobbing at points, and even remembering some scenes gets me teary-eyed. I've been following your Final Fantasy reviews, waiting eagerly for the day you talk in-depth about 14.
Sobbing because you have to wait in a queue to play this shit?
@@gamesboy123able Dude have you ever played a mmo before?
I wish Metroid Dread won Game of the Year. It's one one of the most anticipated games of our time, and it's so great.
Personally, I played the game blind on hardmode (got the save data for the unlock from someone). The hard mode is a bit shallow, that's my biggest complaint. 2x damage taken and 2x enemy health I believe. Hard modes in other metroidvanias are usually done better and not just 2x basic values. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia for example made certain enemies move faster among other things. Heck, even Metroid: Fusion, a 20 year old game has a slightly better hardmode. It lowered the resource gain on pickups (from 50-60% depending) on top of doing what Dread did.
Metroid Dread was seriously robbed. It takes two? Seriously? You know the game awards are rigged when some no name multiplayer title with zero hype wins every category its in. EA must have paid a lot of money for ITT to win over Metroid Dread. Heck, BD2 didn't even get nominated for best RPG! Cyberpunk did, and that piece of crap released in 2020 and no one liked it!
@@BK201DarkerThanBlack Hard mode is fine, but the core game is great.
@@krimsonkatt I heard It Takes Two was good, but it's sad that Metroid Dread didn't win.
@@krimsonkatt to be fair it takes two was one of the highest reviewed games of the year. I haven't heard anything bad about it.
Cyberpunk getting nominated makes sense since most of the jury probably didn't play bravely default 2.
I laughed out loud when Pokemon Snap was number 10! That's why I love your channel Jared. You always make me laugh.
Happy to see Pokémon and AoE on your list. You are the first creator that I came across who included those.
Samus going full rage mode is GOTY material.
The way you talk about these games really makes me want to play them lol
My personal favorite has been Psychonauts 2. While there is a bit of repetitiveness and the hub world while open doesn't quite have that same charm; each level reminded me just how unique and creative video games can be and why I loved the original to begin with.
My game of the year is Psychonauts 2, I definitely recommend checking it out.
Also, your video made me want to try Inscryption, so thanks for that! Great list!
Im playing the first, gonna beat it and move on to the second
Just finished Inscryption. It's really that good. Thanks for only saying enough to get us interested while spoiling too much, it was totally worth it.
I love this guy! So knowledgeable about gaming..
Man, I could not agree more for #1. After seeing your recent playthrough of it, I was so excited to see how well it stayed true to the traditions of the series. Recently picked it up, and looking forward to playing it when I eventually pick up a Switch.
Happy new year, Jared! Have an amazing 2022!
FF14 has got to be one of the greatest redemption stories in gaming history. From an absolutely disastrous initial launch, to being shut down and the developers literally having to publicly apologize for it, to being completely overhauled and relaunched, to becoming arguably one of the best MMOs ever made. The madlads, they actually did it.
Remember when the original came out and was massively disappointing? Look at it right now. Gone from mediocre to it's absolute best.
It's successful to the point that they had to stop selling it so that the servers wouldn't be overly cluttered. Absurdly popular doesn't even begin to describe FFXIV. The player base has become a parody of itself with all the Free Trials memes that have now circled back to the original joke, that you shouldn't buy the game. I can't think of another game with a similar story.
Psychonauts 2 snubbed again. But Endwalker has taken over my life since its release, and the emotions i went through closing out a story and adventure I have been on for a decade was a powerful experience.
For me, something super interesting about Metroid Dread is that it was developed by MercurySteam, who at this point has such an eclectic mix of titles under their belt that I cannot help but find them fascinating.
Their Metroid stuff is their best for sure. I'm so glad them handling that didn't turn into the same shitshow their attempt at Castlevania did.
@@hollyfindlay4051 The first one was a competent enough GoW clone and they did a metroidvania spinoff game which was apparently decent.
@@cookieface80 Untrue. The first was much worse than God of War, and the metroidvania was far less than competent. I can say that from experience.
Love this channel bro. Thanks for all of it! I just want more! Lol
The curse of being so articulate that you talk about something you’re passionate about, and it comes across like an ad
I always look forward to these top 10s.
Much love Projared! Happy new year ole boy!
Great list.
Been a pretty good year for gaming actually.
And so many other great indie games released on Steam as well!
Take a look at 'Loop Hero' and 'Lucah' and 'Tales of Arise' and 'Shovel Knight - Pocket Dungeon'
Metroid dread. Best selling Metroid game ever. About time this masterpiece got recognition.
I'm so glad to see Endwalker on a top 10. It deserved love before this dlc but no one gives it the love you do!
My Top3 Games of the year:
3. Death's Door
2. The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel IV
1. Ys IX: Monstrum Nox
I think the most amazing thing about Metroid Dread is just how many expectations it had to live up to and how it shattered almost all of them.
I thought the game was ok, a couple spots were confusing to progress through and i was scouring the entire world to find the one breakable block that allows you to progress. The game was also very short and does not have a lot of variety in its bosses. The story was also ok, it doesn't really ever explain why Kraid is there, and some other details. Hollow Knight is still the reigning champ of metroidvanias in my book, and that was made by only a 3 people i think.
@@Zadamanim The map in Metroid Dread may be one of the best things about it thanks to the search feature that highlights the selected block/upgrade/door/etc. type, helping you find those breakable blocks to help you progress. For all of Super Metroid's strengths, I've always felt its map was somewhat barebones, especially in regards to its lack of door markers, which threw me off big time having started with Fusion, Prime, and Zero Mission back in the day. I would disagree with the boss variety, each one is very unique; the minibosses like the Mecha-Chozo and Chozo-X Soldiers are what you're likely thinking of. It helps that many of them have quick-kill methods that require clever use of the Shinespark or even sequence breaking. I will concede that Kraid's appearance is out of left field, but it was welcome, especially given Samus's non-reaction to him being back to life. As for Hollow Knight, I really need to play it. I bought it on a Steam sale a long time ago but have never gotten around to it.
@@DeltaSpark8 What I mean about boss variety being sorta low is that Dread has about a dozen bosses (not counting repeating ones) while Hollow Knight has about 40, and also includes many boss-like challenges where you are locked in a room and need to defeat groups of weaker enemies with environmental hazards. There's also a final boss rush challenge mode. There's also a "hunter's challenge" for killing every enemy type in the game, and some are rather elusive. Hollow Knight also has DLC that provides a less linear progression, because they are optional side stories. That's all to say, an indie game made by 3 people sold for $20 has far more content than Dread. What's in Dread is good, and I'm glad I bought and played it, but it's a bit short compared to other metroidvanias like Cave Story, Bloodstained, or Hollow Knight.
I didn't use the search feature in Metroid Dread, but I don't think it displays the hidden blocks you can shoot, only doorways and the general location of hidden items.
Zada. Doesn't mean Hollow Knight is an better game. Even that game has problems too.
@@jaretco6423 Eh they are both high quality but Hollow Knight is a way longer and bigger game. It's like comparing Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (a good but short movie) vs The Lord of the Rings trilogy extended edition (a good but long movie). Depends on how much free time you have and if u prefer speedrunning a short game vs making slow progress in a long game.
Love you man, hope you have a great 2022!
I admittedly haven't played a lot of games that came out this year, but damn did I play some really good ones, from Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart to Psychonauts 2 to Scarlet Nexus to even Halo Infinite (further proving how delays can usually be beneficial to a games overall quality), this year had plenty of greats, many of which I still need to get to such as It Takes Two, Tales of Arise, and Kena: Bridge of Spirits! All I can say is that 2022 has some big shoes to fill!
Happy New Year ProJared
I feel like Tales of Arise didn't get nearly as much attention as it deserved. It's one of the best RPG's of the year hands down!
I completely agree. Unfortunately that’s what happens when you come out near the end of the year.
@@edwardmajewski434 That is true. I also think that Scarlet Nexus was woefully underrated as well.
happy new year
Yo I haven’t watched you for a few years but I’m happy to see you’re doing great!
I'd never heard of Wildermyth before, but it looks like it's right up my alley, so I'm definitely going to check it out. Thanks for including it here!
I bought Wildermyth last weekend, and I'm kinda addicted to it. I'm already partially through the third campaign. Thanks so much for the recommendation!
I still haven't gotten BD II,but it makes me really happy that you liked it that much
Happy new year,Jared
Man I remember seeing wildermyth on my steam queue and playing it for the first time last 2020. I was initially saddened by the fact that since it was unpopular it had little mods. Looking forward to how the community grows
Good list there, some games i didnt look at this year, but i will now.....Hope 2022 continues to improve for you Jared. Thanks for all the videos this year.
I look forward to these videos every year
Re Age of Empires and the tree line being inspired by MOBAs: It's a Relic thing. They've been veeeery much into involving environments in RTS games. It's one of the biggest reasons why Company of Heroes has been so interesting. Your units need to take cover, hide, and exploit the terrain in any way they can. It's something that almost all of their games have done, so it's a nice surprise that they found a place for it even in Age of Empires.
Very good review. Also love you used the clip of removing the eye. You reaction perfectly sets up the feel of the game.
thx for this
jared's interests in certain genres of video games is cool to see
Endwalker is my personal top of the year followed by Dread
12:23 Ah yes, never disappointed with these every year.
Happy 2022 Jared!
Wonderful list Jared, I look forward to it every year. I had been debating picking of AoE4 so I am glad to hear you enjoyed it. Keep up the great work.
Solid list Jared. The only 2021 game I played this year was "RE8", a fantastic follow-up to the surprisingly great "RE7". Hopefully in 2022, I'll play some more newer games so I can do list here in the comments. Hope you had a awesome Christmas and have an even more awesome New Year.
I always look forward to your lists!
Man, you truly are a videogames connoisseur. Fantastic list~
Your Inscryption tramp stamp that reads "enter here" with an arrow pointing down is MY biggest surprise of the year.
Every year I'm always shocked at how many new good games come out. It's overwhelming tbh
Metroid Dread is excellent
My favorite releases this year were Monster Hunter Rise and Metroid Dread.
Nice to see them on ProJared's list of praise as well.
Happy New Year!
Well PJ, because of your review ill get AoE4, looks pretty goodie. Wish me luck brutha!
Was looking forward to this! ^_^
You're a bright spot in 2021. I love your content!
Though I am a bit bummed out that Lost Judgement wasn't on the list (my personal game of the year), there's still some really strong choices on this list!
I don't think Jared has ever played a Yazuka game, sadly. I'm really looking forward to playing Lost Judgement myself!
It's been on my wishlist, thanks for reminding me and confirming that it's worth the play!
I think Jared would really enjoy the Yakuza-type universe, since he likes beat-em-ups and would enjoy the games' sense of humor (but still appreciate the fantastic balance of drama). Though I'm sure Lost Judgement takes the tone in a completely different direction, based on what I've seen, and I hope people don't disregard it because they haven't played a Yakuza title
Happy New Year, Jerd and Jerd Herd! Here’s to 2022. ♥️👏🥳🥂🎊🎉
Thanks for making these every year, Jared! I hadn't heard of Wyldermyth yet, but it looks really interesting. One game that came out last year that I've been quite fond of is Monster Hunter Stories 2. I don't know if you've played it yet, but it's basically and RPG set in the Monster Hunter universe, where you can befriend a whole slew of monsters and fight alongside them.
Happy new year
Great list and video!!
Endwalker wasn't just a video game. It was an experience. An experience that was the culmination of 10 years worth of story telling that we've been waiting to see coming to a close. And what a triumphant closing it was.
And yet, somehow, when I turned in that final quest, I didn't want my journey to end. I was already missing my adventures... And that really is when you realize how special it is.
Do you have a VOD channel of your twitch streams?
One of the best/most interesting lists I've found, not only because we have similar taste in videogames, but because all your explanations said a lot more than the ones from other lists. Great summaries that made me play almost every single game you talked about.
Hope I can get them soon =).
Jared! This is for the algo! Lets get this man to man to a milli!
What an interesting list! I've literally played zero of the games on here haha
Love ya bro, keep making content.
I honestly forgot Bravely 2 came out this year, so many good games.
Can confirn that Inscryption is damn phenomenal, along with all the other games on this list.
Jared have you played Diablo 2 Resurrected?
Just wondering your thoughts if you did.
Thank you for the excellent recommendation of wildermyth. This is why I love these lists. Games that are in that 10-5 range that are super solid and for some could be a 1-5. Like how inscription took 2. Great list