Game of the Year 2021 - Returnal wins - The Bear and Badger

AndCallMeCharlie

regmcfly wrote:

Horizon 5 would be like 7-8 on my list. Beatstar might be 10. Thinking about Unpacking this morning and how it has my moment of the year. So throughout the game one of the "puzzle" elements is when something is in the wrong box and needs to be moved to another room. You can't "complete" a flat if something is in the wrong room, and sometimes the 'story' of an item being in the wrong box kind of makes sense. So throughout the game (spoilers now)

Spoiler:

one constant is that you have this cuddly pig toy that you unpack every level, from 1997-2018, so obviously it is like a childhood toy that is a comforter for the main character. In the last level, as you unpack the baby's room, they have their own big cuddly toy you unpack. Shortly after, you find the pig toy in the boxes for the baby's room, and of course, the first instinct is to put it in the master bedroom. But, the nice plot point is that it is, of course, in the right box and you have passed it down to your child. How do you know that's right? You put the pig next to the other cuddly toy in the baby's room and a big fat achievement pops off.
Given flora did that last week when we were down at her Mum's house, it was nice and affecting.

See reading that I am thinking of swapping returnal (my number 1) and unpacking (number 2) round.
I put a huge amount of hours into returnal but in 5 years time it’s unpacking I will remember

acemuzzy

I'm glad Elf's nonsense is lost in the page turn

b0r1s

Thinking I need to play Unboxing before the end of the year.

regmcfly

You should play Unpacking instead

b0r1s

I’ve heard unboxing is better.

mistercrayon

Kofi Annan v Ban Ki Moon is a real highlight match.

Moot_Geeza

Tilly & I just finished Unpacking. I didn't particularly like the unpacking aspect (I mean, you're either going to click with something like that or you're not), but it really is a wonderful thing nonetheless, which in a roundabout way is pretty high praise for a game about unpacking things. It tells a simple story well - I know Florence was divisive but they share a similar niceness.

JonB

regmcfly wrote:

Horizon 5 would be like 7-8 on my list. Beatstar might be 10. Thinking about Unpacking this morning and how it has my moment of the year. So throughout the game one of the "puzzle" elements is when something is in the wrong box and needs to be moved to another room. You can't "complete" a flat if something is in the wrong room, and sometimes the 'story' of an item being in the wrong box kind of makes sense. So throughout the game (spoilers now)

Spoiler:

one constant is that you have this cuddly pig toy that you unpack every level, from 1997-2018, so obviously it is like a childhood toy that is a comforter for the main character. In the last level, as you unpack the baby's room, they have their own big cuddly toy you unpack. Shortly after, you find the pig toy in the boxes for the baby's room, and of course, the first instinct is to put it in the master bedroom. But, the nice plot point is that it is, of course, in the right box and you have passed it down to your child. How do you know that's right? You put the pig next to the other cuddly toy in the baby's room and a big fat achievement pops off.
Given flora did that last week when we were down at her Mum's house, it was nice and affecting.

Doesn't

Spoiler:

JonB

I did really like Unpacking anyway. More like top 10 than top 5 though probably.

Also, I'm playing something for review at the moment that should make my top 5 easily, although I'm sure it's releasing too late in the year to make any impact on GOTY lists.

hylian_elf

Curioser and curioser

AndCallMeCharlie

JonB wrote:

I did really like Unpacking anyway. More like top 10 than top 5 though probably. Also, I'm playing something for review at the moment that should make my top 5 easily, although I'm sure it's releasing too late in the year to make any impact on GOTY lists.

Thought Pepa pig game was this year?

Moot_Geeza

Jon's spoiler is the way I read it, also got that achievement.

Spoiler:

Moot_Geeza

I hope Jon's playing Pocket Dungeon or The Gunk.

regmcfly

Moot_Geeza wrote:

Jon's spoiler is the way I read it, also got that achievement.

Spoiler:

There's a third toy too, which only appears in the nursery afaik - a rabbit plushie

Apologies, yes it's linking then together

regmcfly

I should add that Unboxing is the only game this year I got 1000/1000 cheevos. Because I'm not a heathen and I flush the toilet.

Yossarian

I 1k/1ked Hades, then did a 32 heat run and beat Hades on Extremer Measures.

mistercrayon

hylian_elf wrote:

Curioser and curioser

It’s gotta be big brain academy.

MattyJ

I think Halo is going to end up at the number one spot, assuming the campaign is as it appears to be

Dark Soldier

It's Death's Door.

mistercrayon

Gnosia

Nier Root2

Returnal

No More Heroes 3

Chicory?

Mario Golf Super Rush

Doki Doki +

Deaths Door

Spelunky 2

WarioWare

DeathLoop

DeathStranding

Hot Wheels Unleashed

Metroid Dread.

Dungeon Encounters

Voice Of Cards

Here's what I remember playing this year. Out of them these are ones I think are Good ENOUGH for Me to Mention TWICE.
Returnal
Death Loop
Death Stranding
Metroid Dread
No More Heroes 3
and
Dungeon Encounters
Gnosia
Nier Root2

hylian_elf

Isn’t it NieR Root1.5 and not Root2?

mistercrayon

Fuck I’m gonna hand in my card.

Silke

Even the haziest remembrance of the less impressive scenes from Kentucky Route Zero trumps anything I've played this year.

I'm gonna live on the memory of that motherfucker for years to come, I feel.

But if I have to put my vote on something - and I probably do - let's make it Outer Wilds: Echoes of the Eye.

Moot_Geeza

Kentucky Route Zero and Outer Wilds are probably the top two experiences of the past decade in terms of rolling around the head long after completion. I should check out the DLC for the latter really.

Escape

mistercrayon wrote:

Chicory?

Looking for a tip?

mistercrayon

I played about 20mins of it.

Facewon

Turns out fights in tight spaces is out in 3 days.

So it'll be top 2 I reckon.

Need to think more.

regmcfly

I want to play that.

Facewon

Facewon wrote:

Well, I need to check release dates for things...

I think I went Hades last year, but this year it can be official. Actually have enough games released this year to do a proper list. Wow.

1. Hades
2. Ring of Pain

3. Dice Legacy
4.Dorf Romantic
5. Greak

Lego Builders Journey misses out.

After Hades and now Ring of Pain. it's a list of games I've given a bit of time to, some to completion, that are all fine, and excellent in some respects and meh in others.

With more time Banners of Ruin could easily slip in there.

And Fights in Tight Spaces would probably go ahead of all of them if it weren't EA. (Heck, Fights could go ahead of Hades potentially.)

EDIT: Because Ring of Pain isn't in EA any more.

OK, let's sort this.

1. Probably still hades..... Just.
2. Fights in tight spaces. But let's see what the new final level does. Could push it up.
3. Ring of pain.

Halo infinite and forza 5 with more play time easily could sneak into 3/4.

hylian_elf

Can’t vote for Hades if you played it (and voted for it) last year. Moot rules.

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