The Rllmuk Game of the Year Awards 2021 - THE RESULTS! Now playing: Game of the Year 2021 - #5 thru #1! A new champion is crowned!

[Wiper]

Sega woz robbed

 

Aside from the obvious SMT V (and III remaster), they put out Lost Judgment, Persona 5: Strikers, Humankind and the remastered VF5. And also the next-gen/rereleases of Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Binary Domain. No other publisher came close! 

[Down by Law]

I voted Sega too. Bit daft Publisher/Developer is the same category really seeing as Housemarque didn't actually publish anything  

[Treble]

2 minutes ago, Down by Law said:

I voted Sega too. Bit daft Publisher/Developer is the same category really seeing as Housemarque didn't actually publish anything  

 

Yeah, I nearly commented on this myself. One to split out next year maybe? Personally, I'd say just eliminate the Publisher side of the vote. Booooorrrriiing.

[Sarlaccfood]

25 minutes ago, Treble said:

Alternatively, you could argue that Returnal’s probable 1:1 attach rate with PS5s on this forum polarised owners of the unicorn that is Sony's machine, to justify their purchase. But who here would be that cynical?!

Fuck’s all this shit? Just let them have a win jesus, they were a massive underdog for years and almost went out of business. 

 

[Treble]

Quote

I'm kidding, I promise.

 

[BadgerFarmer]

So we can expect Microsoft to win this every year from now on, since they basically own everything.

[Vemsie]

It's cool to see all the Returnal and Housemarque love. It's a bit of an underdog story and while the game reviewed well, I think it's mostly word of mouth that is carrying the game. That it's still on the first page without hardly ever leaving it is testament to that. To go from page 1 when there was hardly any interest in it to where we are now is super cool.

[Treble]

Pardon? Sorry, can you speak up...? Oh, SOUND design you say! Yes indeed, let's do this.

 

Best Sound Design 

 

3. Halo Infinite

 

 

 

 

With more ‘Worts’ than you can reasonably shake a stick at, the Marmitey latest in Microsoft’s flagship series does, indeed, sound flippin’ great. 

There’s a solid base of FX and tunes giving it a helping hand out of the gate, sure, but there are enough cone-rattling epics and tribal drum beats here to satiate the most ardent fan of the Bungie era.

 

And hey, that shield recharge effect never gets old, does it?

 

@pinholestar: Pretty much solely for the weapons which sound fucking phenomenal and whose instantly recognisable refrains play a huge part in the pretty much perfect readability and situational awareness of the multiplayer [...] Although musically it probably leans a little too hard on past glories, 343i's sound team did a fantastic job overall. The wealth of new Grunt voice lines (especially the hilarious propaganda towers) were the funniest they've ever been.

 

@Boothjan : wonderful crunching guns, grenades, melee attacks etc.  Perfect.

 

2. Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy

 

 

 

 

I get the distinct impression that needle drops and pop culture-baiting choonage is the order of the day here, just like in the MCU films. A well-placed burst of jukebox juice - creating a surge of acknowledgement and joy - is tougher to accomplish than you’d think, so plaudits to Eidos for getting it right. And for getting Squeenix to stump up the cash for the song rights too, I guess!

 

@womblingfree : Giving a successful pep-talk to your gang and then going nuts as some classic rock-anthem kicks in is hard to beat.

 

@BabelRich : Wonderful soundtrack mixed perfectly with set pieces. The best acting since Witcher 3. Some wonderful atmospherics.

 

@Mortis: some of the best voice work in a video game and that soundtrack. Being Rick Rolled while shooting aliens never gets old. 

 

1. Returnal

 

 

 

 

Youtube informs me that the composer of the Returnal soundtrack, Bobby Krlic, also composed the soundtrack to Misommer. That’s no surprise, listening through: it has that same unsettling vibe evoking the alien (both the concept and the xenomorph) whilst counterbalancing that with delicate, hauntingly lovely sections.

I can’t speak to the FX, but thankfully these guys did:

 

@Sarlaccfood: I’ve never played a game with sound so good I don’t need to move the camera round to know something is coming my way and I need to dodge. The way you can use what you’re hearing around you to plan what to do next is essential to progress in the game. Amazing. 

 

@Jamie John: The ambient, droning music. The chilling, alien noises the enemies make. The delicious THUD THUD THUD THUD THUD of the assault rifle (as well as all the other guns). Wonderfully horrible.

 

@Vemsie : This isn't even close. From Bobby Krlic's unnerving score to the incredible sound effects and best implementation of 3D audio yet and an incredibly creative use of a certain licensed song, this is one of the best sounding games ever made.

 

 

[Vemsie]

Good year for sci-fi games eh?

As for Returnal's soundtrack, I can definitely recommend listening to Citadel on your headphones in bed if you want a nice jolt of existential dread before going to sleep. One of my favourite pieces isn't on the OST and it's spoilery (Biome 4) but it's one of the best moments in the game.
 

Spoiler

https://blog.playstation.com/2021/05/28/returnal-the-making-of-that-unforgettable-hyperion-fight/

Great insight that shows how much thought went into this game.

 

[footle]

Not sure Sony needed to stump up the money for a Square Enix published game?

[Danster]

Should have mentioned it in my submission, but would like to make a little shout out to Aliens Fireteam for getting the Pulse Rifle, Radar Blips and Alien death screams exactly right. 

[Treble]

3 hours ago, footle said:

Not sure Sony needed to stump up the money for a Square Enix published game?

 

Oops, tweaked.

[Ry]

The sound design was the only thing I liked about Returnal. Game just wasn't for me.

[Treble]

And now we arrive at the leave voters' choice - game of the year that wasn't from this year but was from last year or something!

 

I'll be taking a break over the weekend (as this all takes up far more time than you'd imagine) but will come roaring back on Monday with the final two categories - worst and best

 

Game of the Year Pre-2021

 

5. Super Mario 3D World

 

 

Previous to this, a gem that was buried on the Wii U. Today, a beautiful Nintendo classic reaching the widest possible audience. Not before time, either, as SM3W is a fabulous Mario experience that is just as enticing a playground as Galaxy before it, but using all new and box fresh concepts in that way only Miyamoto’s lot can.

 

The closest thing to a childlike squeal of joy distilled in video game form, possibly ever(?) 

 

@AlexM : I played SMW many times on the Wii U, great to have it again in portable mode. Bowser's Fury was a bonus I did not expect.

 

@Jolly : Is this secretly the best Mario game? Its hard to imagine a series with less bullshit than Mario, but 3D World truly is Mario with every last vestige of bullshit stripped away. This is pure as fuck Mario, fresh from the source. The platforming is proper mint and never better expressed than in the total fucker of a level that is Champion’s Road. A course that it feels like you’ve spent your entire life training towards. Seriously, cue a montage of me playing Mario through the key stages of my life. It’s all come down to this. The thing is, Champions Road isn’t even the best level in the game. That pleasure goes to The Great Tower of Bowser. If you were compiling epic crescendos and you really wanted the list to build and finish with an epic crescendo, then stick the last few minutes of this bugger at number one. Seriously, it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. So good. SO good.

 

4. Disco Elysium: The Final Cut

 

My options for this were to get it cheap on PC then have to, ya know, sit at my PC to play it, or pay the steep, steep Switch Tax to get it in portable form. If only there were some other handheld option on the horizon that could give me the best of both worlds…

 

My parsimony is always a barrier to experiencing the hotness, but lucky for me my ‘muk brethren got my back on this. Take it away, Swordguy:

 

@Sabreman: Like, all-time great good. Even in other RPGs through the years where I've been hugely invested in the story and characters, I've never considered anything as well-written as this, or felt like I was actively shaping a character's personality. It's not an epic, world-saving quest, but the density of interactions and depth of ideas presented in this tiny chunk of a city outstrips pretty much anything I've ever played. I'd read a novelisation of this game. 

 

@Cyhwuhx: Disco Elysium bends the notion of an RPG almost to its breaking point. It constantly threatens combat, violence even. But it never wants to give in. Until it does and then it becomes one of the most gut-wrenching clicks on text I have ever made. Looking back on it, it's simply a lush, luxurious, and elaborately designed conversation tree, but it really doesn't matter once you are enjoying the sturdiness of its branches as they hold up an abundance of characters. And that's not even touching upon the game's setting and world building. Or the narration that makes Bastion look like amateur hour. Or the politics. Oh god, the politics. It's the RPG for RPG nerds, and it clings to your mind for way too long, in the way a good book would do.

 

@imp: This is fully an apology vote since I didn’t play this the year of release. A truly magical experience.

 

3. Quake Remastered

 

I was one of those who not only owned a Saturn, but also owned a 3D pad and thus was stunned and delighted when it not only got a port but said port had excellent lighting, and a Turok-style control system that Lobotomy software had included on recommendation by Dan Jevons.

 

It was still pretty much a shadow of the PC version’s greatness, but was another in a long line of id Software’s demonstrations of superiority, hitting as many systems as possible, with thanks to Lobotomy on conversion duties.  Fast forward several decades and this remaster is not just a reminder of that technical brilliance, it showcases what a good game is still hidden within the mouldy old bones. 

 

The mod community’s desire to see a version on just about everything led to a highly enjoyable version on Wii - utilising the motion controls - and all sorts of hacks, conversions, upgrades and fan-made levels being produced, but this release is a cut above even by the high standards of its fanbase. Featuring all the bells and, indeed, whistles you would expect of a classy remaster, QR brings the Old Gods screaming into the present. 

 

Oh, and to qualify for, win and immediately hand myself the Broken Record Award 2021, it’s also available on Game Pass. Because of course it is.

 

@dreamylittledream : For a game that is now 25 years old, it's amazing what a little visual sparkle can do to remind us that some things never age.  It's still bloody brilliant and now I can actually play it with a controller.

 

@drkbfhmmr : I just want to state that after playing Quake again for the first time since, err, probably around 2000, I can conclude that it’s still one of the best first-person shooters on the market in 2021. Solid job on the remaster as well.

 

2. Hades

 

The game that caused all the referendum controversy in the first place… lands in second place. It was incredibly close, though, with this and the number one pick scoring the same number of votes. Hades, however, landed one fewer first place vote, so here we are. 

 

There’s not much more that can be said about Zagreus’s adventure, but such a rich and arcade-like experience such as this deserves its seat at the table. Again

 

@Sabreman : Yeah yeah. I started playing this last week. My main problem with Roguelites, as opposed to true Roguelikes, is the grind against successive gear/skill/stats checks. The genius of Hades is surrounding that with a hub world you kind of want to get bounced back to, and an intricate, naturally evolving story which makes it feel like you're always moving forward.

 

@Boothjan: won't argue with the forum consensus on this being a 'B' category as I played this on the switch early in 2021 before going through it again on the Series X.  It's a masterpiece.  Would have been my overall GOTY if it was released in 2021.  Probably sunk 200+ hours into this over 2 formats.

 

1. Microsoft Flight Simulator

 

 

I visited my sister before Christmas, and as my nephew was babbling on about games in such a fervid manner, I was simultaneously embarrassed and impressed at this new member of our tribe (he’s ten).

 

My family were interested in understanding how far games have progressed since the common cultural touchstones - Pac-Man, Sonic, Minecraft even - so to demonstrate what can be done today I put on a YouTube video of Microsoft Flight Simulator.

 

The two distinct reactions were, “I can’t believe that isn’t real” (Mum; sister) and, “What can I play this on, and when can I buy it?” (sister’s partner).

Who can blame them? Asobo studios have built something that I feel is a level of human achievement to rival many global successes of the last few years. Not only is it a jaw-dropping piece of software engineering, it is also informative and experiential.

 

It’s demanding enough on our current hardware to have room to grow and shine even further on more advanced systems down the line (just wait until you can play it on full settings in VR…) and it can both resonate on an emotional level (“You can see my house from here!”) whilst providing you a real-life education in aeronautics, mechanics, physics, geography, weather systems and much more. Simply amazing.

 

@pinholestar : This is my true number one but let's not go down that well-worn road...

Is this even a game? No, not really, as many of the borderline psychotically defensive middle-aged hardcore 'simmers' on dedicated forums will very angrily and vocally tell you, but I played it on my Xbox Series X, it was included in my Game Pass sub, and there's no question whatsoever that it was by far the most extraordinary, enchanting and incredible experience that I had all year on any format.

If you'd told me 6 months ago that I'd be able to look at this:

 

 

...and understand and interpret every single number, abbreviation and annotation I'd have thought you were mad and yet here we are.

 

There’s literally years of ‘game’ to be had in learning the intricacies and subtleties of all the different planes and Flight Sim was responsible for teaching me the fundamentals of aviation concepts, nomenclature, procedures and practices, and all of a sudden I found this vast new landscape opened up before me in more ways than one. 

 

Most of all though, and where I find it hard to even begin to do justice to the experience it provided [...] and that's before you even get to having literally the entire world that you haven't yet seen to explore and discover. We're blessed to live on an extraordinarily diverse and beautiful planet and it's all there contained in a black plastic box of electronics being driven by some very clever AI trickery that is indistinguishable from magic to my eyes.

 

Even after many hours of flight time I still find it a uniquely beguiling, enchanting and at times almost transcendentally moving and beautiful experience to play. It's one of the most extraordinary pieces of software ever created and to have squeezed that experience onto a mere games console is a thing of technical wonder.    

 

@Boozy The Clown : It's got the whole world in its hands. It's got the whole wide world..... Yes it's boring, yes it's not a game, but it's the most impressive piece of software possibly ever released. Everyone is mesmerised by flying over their house. then switches it off. However I discovered the real secret to MFS is to not look down but to go up. It's all about the clouds, the horizon, the weather, the sunrises, the sunsets, the lightning, the rain and the sheer spectacle of planet earth below you. Slap a relaxing soundtrack on, take a wee sightseeing plane up experience the ultimate chill out session of gaming I think you can have these days. 

 

[Thor]

Loved the write-up on Flight sim @Treble , might actually install it on PC (it's on Gamepass) and have a look.

[Stanley]

Great comments from @Boozy The Clownthere, I absolutely adore Flight Sim, it’s mind bending to me that it’s even possible. 

[Calashnikov]

On 20/01/2022 at 16:42, Down by Law said:

I voted Sega too. 

I for one am shocked 😮 

[Down by Law]

Just now, Calashnikov said:

I for one am shocked 😮 

 

Haha well it's not just pulled from my arse, the hours don't lie

 

 

[Gambit]

On 20/01/2022 at 16:39, Wiper said:

Sega woz robbed

 

Aside from the obvious SMT IV (and III remaster), they put out Lost Judgment, Persona 5: Strikers, Humankind and the remastered VF5. And also the next-gen/rereleases of Yakuza: Like a Dragon and Binary Domain. No other publisher came close! 

 

Only just noticed the awards had begun! I echo this sentiment.

 

Sega have had a fucking amazing year. Two games in my Top 5 of the year. And currently playing SMTV which may have made it in if I'd played it earlier. And they didn't poison it all by releasing a mainline Sonic game in 2021 which is a bonus!

[Treble]

[Treble]

Hopefully not a disappointment itself (which would create some sort of massive irony-spiral I don't want to be accountable for), here come...

 

 

Biggest Disappointment of the Year

 

Special Mention: 12 Minutes

 

Numbers one and two in this list should technically be merged but, in my opinion, really needed separation for reasons you'll come to see. That meant the ignoble 12 Minutes fell off the list., though, so I decided to give it a special dishonorable mention as a great many of you were laughing in disbelief at what a great big pile of gank it turned out to be.

 

@Unofficial Who :  was really looking forward to this but within an hour found a clumsy and repulsive game that just repelled me in a way that I don’t think any other game has. And when I read up about the end game, wow. Just wow. No wonder the actors sound like they’re trying to disguise their voices.

 

@Thor: Fuck me! What a load of shite. I haven't been this disappointed in a game since Men in Black on PC over 20 years ago. I remember reading Ultimate PC mag's "review"* of MiB and thinking this is gonna be amazing; then I got the game and ... oh. my. god. I had that same feeling playing 12 Minutes.

 

5. Deathloop

 

 

I’ve said a few times before - and it bears repeating - that players primarily want to be entertained. You’d think this was a ‘well, duh’ statement, but if you compare this focus on entertainment to the focus of many (not all, but many) critics, there can be a disconnect from their audience: their primary desire is to experience something new.

 

It’s about volume of contact. When you’re exposing yourself to the same medium over and over and over again, day after day, your locus of praise can begin to centre on the unique, the different, the ground-breaking. Something flawed but fresh can start looking more enticing than a game that’s solid but staid.

 

And I think Deathloop is a good example of the oft-trotted-out opinion that reviewers can be disconnected from their audience; a ‘truism’ that is more often than not just a smokescreen for fans Stanning for something they love but now and again is on point.

 

Deathloop takes big swings but the ‘unique’ and ‘innovative’ qualities that wowed the critics - the loop itself, the approach to the assassinations, the plot - are where it is also at its weakest. I personally felt the biggest failing was the combat which felt mushy and without impact, but many voters mentioned the overall ‘meh’ feeling the game imparted. 

 

Not an awful game by any means although a disappointment for many. But Arkane is a great studio and let’s face it, Covid will NOT have aided development on this one. Let’s hope they come roaring back soon with another Prey or Dishonored.

 

@Jamie John :  played this for about sixteen hours and enjoyed myself sporadically throughout, but I also spent a lot of that time feeling confused and underwhelmed. I didn't feel challenged so much as I felt uncertain, and I experienced one bug too many. Ultimately, however, the straw that really broke the camel’s back was how much of a let down I found the ending to be: for a game which is completely focused on setting up ‘the perfect run’, getting to the end of the game, completing this run on my first attempt and finding it entirely unremarkable was hugely disappointing. And my disappointment has only been exacerbated by the number of people and publications who have heralded this as their game of the year. I just don’t get it, and the fact that I seem to be missing out I find very frustrating.

 

@Minion : Some nice graphic and art design can't make up for the really poor gameplay. I strongly regret buying this digitally on a whim because I was bored. Don't believe the hype, it's shit.

 

@Vemsie : I love Arkane - Prey was my 2017 GotY - but this was not what I wanted. I wanted the agency and tight level design of their former work, but I got a stripped down version of that at best. And while I do like the style, it's a pretty poor action game with dumb AI, no enemy variety and poor feedback.

 

@SuperCapes : Pants

 

4. Halo Infinite

 

 

Having the new Halo game next to Deathloop in the list is fascinating, as they disappointed gamers for totally different reasons: Arkane’s release was stuffed full of ideas, innovation and aesthetic excellence but with shoddy pacing and creaky gameplay under the hood, whereas 343i’s campaign release is technically sound with amazing physics powering the brilliant moment-to-moment gameplay, but visually dull and repetitive and with an underbaked concept/endgame thin enough to see daylight through.

 

Whilst Covid may, again, play a part in production woes, you get the distinct feeling this is far from the main cause. A full investigative piece will no doubt appear in future, but it’s obvious that lack of (or too much) oversight, 343’s (in)ability to tell exciting stories, dev reversals, cuts, missed deadlines, a poor game engine to develop on, and an iffy decision to develop Infinite with previous gen consoles in mind all contributed to the slightly hobbled game we ended up with.

 

It’s ironic that 343 have ended up in a similar situation to Bungie and their release of vanilla Destiny. Hopefully they can imitate their forebears' ascent, from a wonky starting point - via DLC and maybe even a new engine - to something more complete and satisfying for the fans. It’s still a good game, but it undoubtedly could have been so much more.

 

@Boothjan : Halo Infinite not being 'finished' - seems bizarre to list my #1 game in this category but it should have been considerably better.  I remain hopeful that in time, it WILL be a more polished product with further fleshed out content. 

 

@Benny : Despite being a GotY for me, I still can’t help but wonder at what could have been in a different universe. One where what was shown in those early trailers came to fruition and we really got our FPS Breath of the Wild. The core gameplay was there, but alas clearly cuts had to be made, and it’s maybe lucky we got some of the original vision salvaged… But still, what if?

 

@Sarlaccfood : Never seen a game go from a 10 to a 6 so quickly. Don’t get me wrong I had a good time overall, (and the multiplayer is Master Chef’s kiss) but once you start to see how basic the open world is and it starts taking you down endlessly repeating corridors where you can’t avoid the atrocious storytelling, the shine really comes off. First couple of hours I thought this was going to be my GOTY.

 

@Hewson : I’d assumed, even with the well-documented development issues, that this would be a meaty end-of-year treat. But the campaign spent two hours flattering to deceive, the open world was pointless, empty and uniform, the story was bad even by Halo standards and the linear levels and boss fights were genuinely awful. In a year of disappointments, this one stood out.

 

3. Nintendo

 

Although Metroid Dread doesn’t face the ignominy of landing in the Z list top 5, it did make the top ten and contributed to Nintendo getting a shout out as one of the most disappointing game…things of 2021.

 

Singled out more specifically, though, was the Kyoto giant’s double whammy of A) not releasing much content (which to be fair is ‘Ninty gonna Ninty’) but also B) some of the offerings they did put forward being overpriced and technically poor… something very un-Nintendo.

 

For gamers to wait an aeon for N64 titles to get the online store treatment, only to see them emulated so badly and costing so damn much, that felt like a kick in the teeth. The general value proposition of their online service is pretty shocking and - after the false scarcity of their Mario game re-releases in 2020 - this nickel-and-diming’s starting to look less like an anomaly and more like an consumer-unfriendly business plan.

 

Feedback from you lot shows Nintendo need to do a lot of positive PR work in 2022.

 

@CrichStand : Barely touched the Switch since getting a PS5 at launch. Metroid Dread was ok but nothing special. Can’t even be arsed to finish it......which speaks volumes.

 

@Orcitect : The quality of the N64 emulation in the Nintendo online subscription. At this point my hope is for a decompilation of additional N64 games or an FPGA solution and we can finally be done with waiting for Nintendo to provide a sensible solution for playing old games.

 

@Chindie :  Nintendo going into hibernation

 

@strawdonkey : Nintendo Switch first-party drought
 
@Fr Chewy Louie : Nintendo switch online. A cash grab with the N64 game additions. 

 

2. Activision/Blizzard

 

This and the number one choice could, maybe should, have been bundled into one. However, people singled-out ActiBlizz in a way that screamed ‘Bobby Kotick’ so I think he deserves special dishonourable mention.

 

Not only does he run the company in as hideous a way as all the industry’s worst by suppressing unions, underpaying staff and allowing abuse to be perpetuated systemically, but he’s also personally accountable for destroying his staff’s mental health (and sometimes their lives) by backing the abusers and bullying/paying-off victims to ensure their silence.

 

A monster of an individual who deserves serious jail time, let’s hope the Microsoft buyout of his company at least means his toxicity gets laid bear for all to see and, with prison sadly off the table, gets recorded in the history books as the poisonous, malevolent force for evil he really is.

 

@Unofficial Who : Activision / Blizzard but also pretty much continued mistreatment of employees in the game industry. It’s reached the point where my partner and I have stopped buying Activision / Blizzard and Ubisoft games (a big deal in this household given the Diablo 2 remake was our most anticipated game for the year.)

 

@The Bag : Activision Blizzard and all the associated shit

 

@MNFRMTMRRW : Activision Blizzard (borderline criminal conduct PLUS no creative output)

 

@teddymeow : Bobby Kotick is still running Activision

1. Games Industry feat. NFTs

 

Spoiler

 

The worst thing about games is the games industry.

 

By far.

 

Yes, the odd game hits the list but for years now - most acutely since Gamergate and #metoo - the grim practices of the late-stage capitalist enterprises run by  super-mega-oligarchs are more visible (and risible) than ever before.

 

Despite abuse, misogyny, rape, union busting, racism, underpayment, illegal firings, blacklisting, doxxing, promotion of underage gambling and many, many more things coming to light on the daily, publishers still get away with literal murder - driving staff to suicide on some occasions - whilst isolated by the fleecy blanket that is wealth and privilege.

 

On top of this, the shonkey pyramid and MLM scheme that is NFTs were immediately embraced by some gigantic publishers. Well, why not? They’re an even more effective way of parting the innocent and vulnerable from their meagre cash reserves, so of COURSE that was going to happen.

 

There is a positive to all this, however: social media is a force for bad sometimes, but just as often it’s a source for good. The #antiwork movement shows Gen Z are pissed off and not going to take it any longer. It feels like the kind of venomous and predatory behaviour mega publishers traffik in may on the cusp of becoming history. In the meantime, keep your eyes open, defund the companies trying to behave like this, and keep voting them down in polls like ours. Good on you all.

 

@footle : I’m not so sure it’s a disappointment, because that would imply some level of surprise. Perhaps the disappointment would be the bit where California seem to have screwed up part of their case against blizzard in some federal horsetrading.

 

@dreamylittledream : The fact that basically every large publisher is full of exploitative ass holes - seems I literally can't have ethics now and enjoy my hobby

 

@Benny : NFTs. It’s not enough that they have to be the most boring tech bro nonsense on the rest of the internet, they are now making their way perhaps inevitably into games to continue to ruin them just a bit further, just as microtransations, loot boxes and pay to win mechanics have in previous years. 

 

@Let us measure : Look here! It's NFTs! With this new technology on the etherhiumium block chain, we will be able to engage with our consumers content, consumers, make them free to play, play to earn, consume, unprecedented opportunities for content creation in the hands of our consumers, content, play to engage zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... fuck off

 

@mikeyl : Not the creeps at the games companies, animals will always be animals. It’s the complete lack of consequences that’s disappointing. 

 

@BabelRich : C***s in the industry again, as it will be every year until they’re gone.

 

[LaveDisco]

@Treble's only post in this thread that it feels wrong to POS (still did - obvs)

 

Mods, can we bring back negs just for this post and the pile of awfulness it contains.

[Benny]

No, what it desperately needs back is the sympathy tear.

[Thor]

Nonsense. Pos is perfect for this!! 

[GaryC]

Aww I’m playing Deathloop at the moment and I understand people felt let down by it but we’ve put it in a list with NFTs, Activision bullying scandals and 15 minutes.  Ouch.

Maybe the disappointment should be in games reviews going overboard e.g. most people on the forum would agree that 10/10/GOTY for Deathloop is too much. Therefore giving us expectations that the game would be polished like you would expect a game of the year to be.

[Qazimod]

I haven’t played Deathloop but the vibe I get from looking around is that it’s decent, but not earth-shattering. And I think maybe the critics crying “GOTY!” were dealing with a pretty weak 2021 and thinking “well we’ve got to be hyped over something; what came out that was interesting enough to mention here, but isn’t too niche for our audience, but is different enough to avoid looking like we’re shilling?”

 

#NotAllCritics of course, but I feel like it fits a certain brief.

[BadgerFarmer]

1 hour ago, Qazimod said:

I haven’t played Deathloop but the vibe I get from looking around is that it’s decent, but not earth-shattering. And I think maybe the critics crying “GOTY!” were dealing with a pretty weak 2021 and thinking “well we’ve got to be hyped over something; what came out that was interesting enough to mention here, but isn’t too niche for our audience, but is different enough to avoid looking like we’re shilling?”

 

#NotAllCritics of course, but I feel like it fits a certain brief.

Yeah, I just really liked it.

[BadgerFarmer]

It is a mystery to me though that there is this disparity between the critical reception and a lot of players. Although I have seen it do reasonably well on player-voted GOTY lists as well, so perhaps it's not as wide as it seems.

[Benny]

We had the exact same disconnect in this category last year and it was also commented then that it is after all very broad.

 

"How dare RLLMUK suggest game X is worse than sex abuse in the industry!"

 

Which is depressing more because sex abuse in the industry is just as relevant now as it was then.

[Treble]

Yeah, I inherited the category and don't mind either way, but to put up a defense for the Z category being general criticism of the hobby, the results do illuminate how important these subjects are to Rllmuk.

 

By that I mean, the voting is weighted, right? Your Z1 pick is worth 3 points, Z2 is 2 and Z3 is 1. The overwhelming Z1 pick was the industry with 24 voters marking it as the biggest disappointment. By contrast, Halo Infinite only snagged TWO Z1 votes.

 

So when you see the result place the industry as the worst, and an individual game as only the fifth most disappointing thing about their year in gaming, it's a very cool way of finding out how this community responds to things.

 

Of course, I could make a great argument for splitting them out too but, as I keep saying, all rules are arbitrary, and any change will anger another section of the community