Retrospective 2021 - Part Three

Summary

Part 1

1. Hack'n'slash — by Parker
2. Independent games — by Grim

1. RPGs from participatory financing — by Zekkangel

Part 2

1. Highlights of 2021 — by Coastal
2. I will play again in 2022 — by Ranks

PART 3

1. MMO — by Gagnon
2. Management and Strategy Games — by main
3. Narrative games — by LANDING

MMO — by Gagnon

Regarding the MMO, the year 2021 illustrates once again that this particular kind can attract the crowds, without being able to remember if we make some odd. Like a Gloria Victim that finally comes out after years of anticipated access, you have to know how to focus and believe in its game.

If the new world is struggling to convince, it is in the old one that the great treasures of the genre is. The end walker extension of FINAL FANTASY XIV is in no way original, but it illustrates that a rigorous and solid monitoring of an MMORPG is only wearing fruit. That's why Albion Online continues to grow over the years, as long ago a certain Eve that is inspired. The reputation of a MMO is essential to ensure its future, while maintaining a dynamic to attract fresh blood, that of players wishing to discover a game without limit. The best known of them, the mythical World of Warcraft, must do well and find an ambition and an image worthy of its rank.

More withdrawal, but still persistent, Guild Wars 2 and Star Wars: The Old Republic refine their future extension for next year, while The Lord of the Ring Online S is already attacked at the country's country. RuneScape continues to grow in its two versions that evolve in parallel, while Doffs is trying to multiple combinations. I forget obviously, not counting the classic versions for nostalgic or private servers now alive some titles abandoned by their studios, but not by their players.

And in all this, I'm still posing on Eve Online. If it always declines with lack of ambition and new ideas, there is still no less a model of MMO without limit, unless you want to gather more than 8,000 players in the same spatial battle. A time attracted by the addition of the terrestrial part of elite dangerous: Odyssey, I quickly returned to the multiplicity of the interactions proposed on Eve, while continuing to dream that one day CCP Games finds the ambition to build a real multiverse.

Management and Strategy Games — by main

Well... 2021 ended... and I see that 2021 is hardly more harmful than 2020 at the level of the gender and strategy. Between reports and lack of risk taking, we are really in continuity. The past year already, I had a report a little negative with Warcraft 3 remaster stings failures, a year without real War, warmed games, although friendly, age3 or spinoffs of X -Com. There was only Crusader Kings 3 to raise the bar and save the year, in my eyes. I'm not saying that the other games were not good, but... from the warmers, a lack of ambition on the different outings.

2021 had to be a good year with Age of Empires 4, Humankind and Total War: Warhammer 3 to name the three big titles scheduled last year. Accompanied by some outsiders, like Stronghold, for example.

The first two came out, the third was postponed to February 2022. But we must admit that from my point of view, even if Age of Empires 4 and Humankind are not bad games, they are well below expectations that I had in their respects.

Age of Empires 4 is classic-classic in its very essence. No risk taking, we resumed AOE recipe and developed a new game. The problem is that a recipe that dates are not especially on the basis of the day. Why go play AOE4 if the remasters of previous versions offer the same thing with more content? I exaggerate a little, but AOE4 did not let me feel a come back for the moment and without the Pass Microsoft, I could not even have tried it.

Humankind, it's a bit the same observation. I had been packed by the ambition of developers during their development. Good ideas, guys who knew their job with experience in the field, they could tickle the undisputed leader who is CIV. But here too, I find that the sauce hurts. It's a good game, attention, but... I have no reason to abandon CIV6, which is clearly in the same register, for this one. The mixture of civilizations also left me marble, it makes lose the identity of its civilization and in the end, we always play the same combinations to optimize its part.

There is also the unexpected output of Jurassic World Evolution 2. I talk about it in my recent test, I will not see me on it. A good game, but not a management game or strategy.

Football Manager is a bit more returned in my esteem at the end of the year. It stays effective, with small pleasant changes, but there too, as shown at the beginning: 0 risk taking.

In the end, the year is saved by... sets of trays. Gloom haven and War hall, PC tray games, are the titles that told me the most of the year. Gloom haven is a magnificent retranscription of the game virtual, but to play several. It would have no solo meaning. War hall, well, not the choice, it's Warhammer Battle delivered in 3D, simply.

Ah if, I forgot: Imagine Earth. In novelty, it may be the one most this year. Nice little sympathetic small mechanics, good ideas, it deserves a detour, but it remains a niche game.

However... I plead guilty about the fact that I did not explore everything this year. Much less time IRL has made me miss a few titles like War tales for example and I think Coastal could complement my retrospective with other returns.

For next year, the arrival of Total War: Warhammer 3 should give a good big secure value to the genre. But not that, I'm also waiting for Home world who, I hope, will take a few risks and will not simplify too much to stick to the current market. I'm also waiting for TERRAFORMED with some impatience and keep an eye on what can go out of Paradox. And finally, expeditions: Rome, tour strategy game in turn in X-com mode that goes out shortly, and you will have my news very soon.

Comment

Overview of Total War Warhammer III Campaign Card

Narrative Games — by Landing

In comparison with previous years, 2021 was clearly a poor year in terms of narrative games, but that did not prevent the kind of proposing a memorable experience. I'm obviously thinking of Life is Strange: True Colors. Major success of the year 2015 (second of the votes of the Golden, behind the small independent game The Witcher 3 ), the franchise Life is Strange then struggled to renew oneself, Both Deck Nine ( Life Is Strange: Before The Storm ) that Name ( Life is Strange 2 ), the original developer, breaking the teeth.

Yet True Colors manages to do as well as the first opus released six years ago. In addition, this new game also marks the end of the episodic format, which is very appreciable.

The other most striking game of the year is Super Seder 3, but it's not for a good reason: rejected by Steam, the game could only come out on some independent shops, like Games planet. This refusal on the part of Valve has resulted in a big shortfall for the studio and provoked the cancellation of the next game provided by the team, Horror Seducer. It is obviously a pity, especially that even if Super Seder 3 showed that the license struggled to renew themselves, the three games offered great moments of laughter, whether alone, with friends or looking at a streamer.

Let's go quickly to I Saw Black Clouds, the new Wales Interactive, and on The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes, the new opus of Supermassive Games. The second is a little better released as the first, but his lack of evolution remains a shame: redo the game several times is long and unpleasant. Honorable mention also for the Portage Switch of DRY DROWNING, whose artistic direction does not save an unfortunately too classic and ob livable story.

Let's continue this horizon by evoking the surprise exit on Doki Literature Club Switch, in a more version that first includes a French translation. The opportunity to make this title more accessible, available for free on Steam and highly appreciated (it is up-to-date with more than 170,000 reviews, 96% of which are positive).

Finally, let's note that the game that got the price of Best Narration to Game Awards is Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy. It is an action-adventure game, but which gives an important place to the narration, with some contextual choices. It's been years since the narrative occupies more and more room in the AAA, but the border between traditional narrative and blockbusters could be more difficult to distinguish. Indeed, the Game Awards gave another indication to this effect: besides the announcement of a game The Expanse (by Telltale and Deck Nine), the ceremony also showed the first images of Star Wars Eclipse, The next game of Quantico Dream... who would have a more traditional gameplay than the previous studio games. Comment Game Awards 2021 — First trailer of Star Wars Eclipse