The year 2021 was both exciting and interesting for gamers as we saw a list of titles coming to keep us engaged. Many of us got the chance to play some of the latest titles this year – thanks to the culture of staying indoors and avoiding physical activity. From Epic Games to Sony Interactive Entertainment, all the major publishers released new games this year. But the growth of titles launching in the year has also made it quite difficult to name the best games of 2021.
On this week’s episode of Gadgets 360 podcast Orbital, host Akhil Arora joins Chief Sub Editor and in-house gaming enthusiast Shayak Majumder and veteran Indian game journalist and our former Gaming Editor Rishi Alwanic. The trio talk about all things gaming and what were the best of 2021.
Rishi calls Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart his favorite game of the year, Shayak thinks Ghost of Tsushima: Iki Island Expansion is his favorite and Akhil calls It Takes Two his best choice.
One of the main reasons gamers found 2021 an exciting year was the launch of several new games for the next generation of consoles: the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S | X. It was also the year the PlayStation 5 debuted in India, although many are still struggling to get their hands on one.
The difficulties of buying the next-gen console are not limited to the Sony model, as people do not have enough amount of Xbox Series S | X also on the market.
While the supply-side constraint is indeed present, the availability problem in the market has also increased significantly due to the high demand for both consoles. COVID-19 restrictions also played a role in demand as people stay indoors and have more free time to spend on games.
In 2021 we also saw a large number of reports on various cases of gender discrimination and sexual harassment at various game publishers. The #MeToo moment in the video game industry itself came about last year. However, the number of complaints increased this year. It affected not only developers and other people involved in building new games, but also manufacturers, including Microsoft, who began to evaluate their relationships with game publishers named in these complaints.
Best Games of 2021: Gadgets 360’s Favorite PC, PS4, PS5 and Xbox Games
The growth of serious reports from different parts of the industry also reflects that game journalism is maturing and moving beyond just new launches and reviews.
We also talk about what we can expect in 2022 in terms of new titles. Games such as Horizon Forbidden West, Destiny 2: The Witch Queen Expansion, and the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of Weird West are slated for release next year. Remastered games is a category that is likely to grow in the near future. Life is Strange Remastered Collection will be one of the major launches coming next year.
You can listen to our full discussion by hitting the play button on the embedded Spotify player above.
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