My games of the year 2021 (GOTY 2021)

Best Shooter

Battlefield 2042 (PS5)

Battlefield might have thrown away nearly everything including the entire solo mode, the multiplayer experience stays unrivaled. Even more so in this PS5 version where 128 players can fight at the same time. With perfect sniping, non-stop action and armored warfare, Battlefield 2042 finally brings to console the promise of the perfect, PC-level Battlefield.

Runner-up : none

Best Action/Adventure game

Resident evil Village (PS5)

While Resident Evil Village was first in the series, I think I picked the right one. I tried Resident Evil VII soon after I liked it much less, so I do think Village is especially well directed. More focused on atmosphere, less linear and more spectacular, it’s undoubtedly a major installment of the series.

Runner-up : none

Best RPG

Tales of Arise (PS5)

It was a risky return but BandaiNamco made a flawless comeback with Tales of Arise. Advanced graphics, fantastic characters, epic fights, divine music… Every ingredient of the golden age of JRPG is there in a modern title that never forgets its roots.

Runner-up : The Legend of Heroes Kuro no Kiseki (PS4) & Scarlet Nexus (PS5)

Best design

The Legend of Heroes Kuro no Kiseki (PS4)

Falcom pulled its best for this new chapter of The Legend of Heroes. The world of the Calvard republic is incredibly rich and detailed, thanks to picturesque towns and remarkable secondary characters. The main characters are especially great, making a even finer casting than Sen no Kiseki in its time.

Runner-up : Scarlet Nexus (PS5)

Best graphics

Battlefield 2042 (PS5)

No real surprise here, DICE offers to PS5 players the best of technology in the FPS genre. Maps are splendid, and varied. The fight est more intense than evez thanks to more troops, more vehicles on the field. Weather effects bring an nice apocalyptic touch to the genre.

Runner-up : Resident Evil Village (PS5)

Best soundtrack

The Legend of Heroes Kuro no Kiseki (PS4)

New prize for Falcom Sound Team. From the splendid opening to great boss battle themes, not forgetting the town music, Kuro no Kiseki is a marvel for your ears. Dynamic, grandiose, Falcom’s new hit is the msucial journey of the year.

Runner-up : Tales of Arise (PS5)

Best atmosphere

Resident Evil Village (PS5)

Even though it’s more strictly the case in the first two chapters, Resident Evil Village serves delicious Japanese horror. The castle and especially the doll house are paragons of sinister. The fear is acute and the exploration thrilling.

Runner-up : Doki Doki Literature Club + (PS4)

Special Prize

Scarlet Nexus (PS5)

There aren’t studios capable of creating full new IPs as ambitious as Scarlet Nexus. I created this special prize in order to reward a high level of originality and quality. The gameplay in Scarlet Nexus is totally revolutionary, the challenge is intense and the character design vastly outstanding. This is the greatest new title in years. I hope the sequel comes quick…

Biggest letdown

Caligula 2 (PS4)

There’s always a risk when you release a stellar new IP : it’s hard to keep up in a sequel. Furyu fell right into this issue with Caligula 2, not even remotely as great as Caligula or Caligula Overdose. The publisher get into the market a underwhelming RPG plagued with short and lackluster writing, terrible gameplay balance and outdated graphics. Let’s point it out once more : using a big name is not enough.

Runner-up : Neptunia X Senran Kagura Ninja Wars (PS4)

Game of the Year

Tales of Arise (PS5)

As I said last year, we have to celebrate true JRPG when we see it. Like SquareEnix last year, BandaiNamco invested massively to deliver an purely traditional JRPG, but in modern standards. When many aren’t making their best because they target casuals, wokes or Nintendo subsidies, BandaiNamco’s effort in going forward with both Tales of Arise and Scarlet Nexus deserves our warmest praise. Long live the best publisher of 2021!

Scarlet Nexus (PS5)

The Legend of Heroes Kuro no Kiseki (PS4)

Resident Evil Village (PS5)

My games of the year 2020 (GOTY 2020)

Best Action game

The Last of Us Part II (PS4)

With Ellie as official heroine of The Last of Us II, a dream came true. So I took the time to go through the anticipated title between my usual Japanese games. Those were incredibly intense days, proportionally to the quality of this outstanding adventure. Even though I thought the story was very plain, the sequence of events, the action parts and especially the ending were really stellar.

Runner-up : none

Best Shooter

Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War (PS5)

I came back to Call of Duty after a downright horrible Black Ops 4, and I was pleasantly surprised. Black Ops Cold War reintegrates the solo campaign with great effort. Innovative, varied, non linear, it’s the best solo play since Black Ops II. The multiplayer mode being still enjoyable, I’d say the mission is accomplished for COD this year.

Runner-up : none

Best RPG

Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS4)

Obvious to say that Final Fantasy VII Remake was much awaited. FFVII is the reverse of FFXV. SquareEnix then had to choose if they wanted to release a JRPG, or a FFXV-like RPG. Fortunately, Final Fantasy VII Remake keeps the original spirit while adding very good hybrid gameplay and state of the art graphics.

Runner-up : Persona 5 Strikers (PS4)

Best Design

Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS4)

Final Fantasy VII Remake beautifully revives the original game, its locations and its characters. The charisma of the protagonists is incredible, this is Advent Children in real time! In terms of locations, you re-discover a Midgar of fresh and real look. In other words, the backgrounds have turned into a really immersive megalopolis. SquareEnix has further improved the greatness of the FFVII universe thanks to limitless efforts and creativity.

Runner-up : Atelier Ryza 2 (PS5)

Best graphics

The Last of Us Part II (PS4)

It’s hard to decide between The Last of Us Part II and Final Fantasy VII Remake, but the former seems slightly above in terms of graphics and animation. The extreme realism given to Ellie, the other characters or the places you go into are just mindblowing.

Runner-up : Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS4)

Most disappointing

Atelier Ryza 2 (PS5)

I will write a big review about this, but I now really think that the Ryza series is downright killing Atelier. Aside the pure alchemy system, everything just became horribly commonplace. Characters, story, dialog, artwork… all that has reached concerning levels of mediocrity. Gust now must choose either to restore former Atelier glory or pursue the content breakage to seduce mainstream audience, in which case the Atelier we know will just disappear.

Runner-up : Death end re;Quest 2 (PS4)

Game of the Year

Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS4)

Like I said, discovering Final Fantasy VII Remake has been the most heartwarming moment of 2020. Yes, we got to experience a great JRPG again with great characters, great side content, great atmosphere… in even better thanks to stellar technics and direction! The return of FFVII is an astounding success and SquareEnix is officially great again.

Persona 5 Strikers (PS4)

The Last of Us Part II (PS4)

Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War (PS5)

2020 – A Year In Review

So eh… yeah, I skipped every possible article this year. COVID terror, lockdown, lot of work, (non-COVID) hospital stay and ultimately moving house made me eat lot of time this year. After all, it’s not so bad to review all of it at once, right?

Ys IX Monstrum Nox (PS4)

As it was my second favorite game of 2019, you’d suspect there’s a very high mark here. From storytelling to quest system, Ys IX is a truly enjoyable Action-RPG that also puts an admirable effort in its (very large) character cast. From Adol to the smallest NPC, everyone you meet in Ys IX has an incredible personality and all this together forms a colorful and memorable new Ys Universe.

Persona 5 Royal (PS4)

This needs no introduction. The very best JRPG of the PS4 generation comes back with added content, but late added content. Sadly enough, I need to wait until you’ve finished the Persona 5 part order to add Su… eh, Kasumi as permanent member. This is a hundred hours of doing it all over, but the other surprise guest in the Royal part might make it worth the trouble.

Sakura Wars (PS4)

Sega more or less ruined the comeback of Sakura Taisen here. It’s more difficult to make a great action game than a decent Strategy-RPG. Sakura Wars PS4 could easily have been a decent SRPG, but in the end became a terrible action game. Combat is horrendous and boring. The dating part was cool though, as well as music, graphics and Tokyo’s historic look. A partially fun game that can be interesting at a reduced price.

Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS4)

A ray of light in the heart of the COVID scare. SquareEnix did a near perfect job in reviving the most iconic Playstation JRPG. They kept everything that made the legend of FFVII over the years, and didn’t try to tone it down, westernize it or worse, make it look even a tiny bit like FFXV. There’s guenuine RPG gameplay, ridiculous mini-games, fuzzy sidequests, eccentric characters… In other words, Final Fantasy creators have not forgotten what a JRPG is. That alone, is the greatest thing in 2020 gaming.

Death end re;Quest 2 (PS4)

After clearing this game, I do believe it is the beginning of the end and Death of Compile Heart. Death end re;Quest 2 has been utterly tame in its horror aspect, that is to say its main aspect. Illustrations have been toned down and don’t look especially frightening anymore. Gameplay is a sub-version of the previous system, character development is pitifully wrong and story doesn’t even feel like it happens in the same universe as Death end re;Quest 1. I don’t think we can expect anything anymore from a company that wastes half of its time porting old games instead of putting real effort in the new ones.

Sword Art Online Alicization Lycoris (PS4)

What went wrong there, seriously? It was the chosen one in the long saga of SAO games and just miserably failed to offer a entertaining experience. SAOAL has a really big and fascinating Xenoblade-like world, but full of tedious mandatory quests, boring combat full of duplicate characters when they absolutely HAD to translate the uniqueness of SAO Underworld. I hear there’s still tons of DLC planned but, seriously, who will even care now? Fairy Tail was so massively superior that they could as well rethink their way of doing stuff and get to something else.

13 Sentinels Aegis Rim (PS4)

I’m very glad the consensus went so positive about it. 13 Sentinels Aegis Rim is the best and most clever storytelling I’ve seen in quite some time. True, it’s not very difficult and the battle graphics are unimpressive, but the gameplay had something deeply fun into it. The aesthetitics of 80’s Tokyo are as as charming as the characters. A great exclusive I recommend to anyone who’s into Japanese gaming.

Persona 5 Strikers (PS4)

A year with double ration of Persona 5 can’t be that bad. Atlus knew that people wanted more Persona 5 and they gave it : the true and marvelous Persona 5 sequel which brillantly extends the pleasure. OK, you won’t have the stellar turn-based system, but instead you have a stellar Action-RPG system. So there zero reason to complain about the “Warriorization” of P5S. It’s an absolutely fantastic continuation of Persona 5, true the Persona spirit.

Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War (PS5)

I had been very curious about Black Ops Cold War from the very first teaser. It turned out that Activision delivered exactly what was promised : a fascinating historic experience and a deep dive into the Cold War era. It definitely has one of the greatest (best or second-best I’d say) COD campaign. It’s very innovative including puzzles, infiltration, choices and… sidequests! The multiplayer is enjoyable as well, even though far still from the Battlefield level of awesomeness.

My games of the year 2019 (GoTY 2019)

Best Action game

Devil May Cry 5 (PS4)

After leaving the series for many years, Devil May Cry 5 has been a great pleasure because it is modern and quite nostalgic at the same time. Graphics and animation are splendid, it revives good old memories while improving the gameplay with three fantastic characters and tons of great boss fights.

Runner-up : none

Best Racing game

Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled (PS4)

True gem of the first Playstation, Crash Team Racing is back to teach a lesson to Mario Kart on how karting is to be made for core gamers. Modern graphics don’t mean the gameplay is changed : it’s as technical, intense and fun as it was 20 years ago.

Runner-up : none

Best Fighting game

Dead or Alive 6 (PS4)

Dead or Alive 6 doesn’t revolutionize anything but by simply keeping unmatched qualities (fair-play, high-precision gameplay, lots of counters), it stays the best one and brings an enjoyable story mode.

Runner-up : none

Best RPG

Ys IX Monstrum Nox (PS4)

With Ys IX Monstrum Nox, Falcom proves once more that they know the true spirit of JRPG. Delightful by its tremendous wealth of characters, Ys IX also conducts is narrative in an efficient way, and eventually concludes on a beautiful epilogue. The action-RPG gameplay is still one of the best in the field, and you can enjoy it through countless boss battles.

Runner-up : Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku o! Kibô no Meikyu to Tsudoishi Bôkenshatachi (PSVita)

Best Strategy/Puzzle game

Fire Emblem 3 Houses (Switch)

With Fire Emblem Three Houses, the series proves again its mastery in building a enjoyable gameplay architecture and an intense challenge. The changes made to “help” the mainstream audience don’t negatively affect the game, but rather make the though missions even more delighting. Fire Emblem Three Houses takes the genre to new heights.

Runner-up : Nelke & the Legendary Alchemists

Best music

Shin Sakura Taisen (PS4)

While Shin Sakura Taisen kinda fails as an action-RPG, such is not the case of its lovely soundtrack. Character themes are so remarkable that I can never have enough of it. The rest of the tracklist is very good too, especially the few songs by top Japanese idols.

Runner-up : 13 Sentinels Aegis Rim (PS4) & Ys IX Monstrum Nox (PS4)

Best narrative

13 Sentinels Aegis Rim (PS4)

13 Sentinels Aegis Rim has by far the most complex story I’ve seen this year (and I’m not even done with it). The mix between time travel, alien invasion, conspiracy and betrayal make it a truly fascinating and enjoyable narrative. The way it is told is also innovative since you can choose the order in which you see it.

Runner-up : Ys IX Monstrum Nox (PS4) & Fire Emblem 3 Houses (Switch)

Best design

GRIS (PS4)

GRIS is my indy gem of the year. The use of geometrical form is groundbreaking, the symetry is harmonious, the zooming in/zooming is clever and the quest for primary colors give the impression of an interactive art gallery.

Runner-up : 13 Sentinels Aegis Rim (PS4) & Ys IX Monstrum Nox (PS4)

Best graphics

Devil May Cry 5 (PS4)

Devil May Cry 5 is a technical prowess in its intense fighting (especially with V) and in its greater universe : Capcom has given is breathtaking sceneries and a great post-apocalyptic world. Shin Sakura Taisen deserves praise as well, Sega having delivered a truly modern visual novel full of adorable character reactions and impressive mecha scenes.

Runner-up : Shin Sakura Taisen (PS4)

Most disappointing

Atelier Lulua (PS4)

To be honest, Atelier Lulua feels like the con of the year. The “return to Arland” was nothing but a smokescreen. Beloved characters were left out or transformed into late DLC, the Arland lore turned into a few anecdotes while a soporific tale was taking place among shallow protagonists. Let’s hope that Gust has learned all the lesson from this disgrace.

Runner-up : Crystar (PS4)

Game of the Year

Fire Emblem 3 Houses (Switch)

The greatest series take the time before delivering their latest installment, in order to maximize the game experience. Fire Emblem is one of those series and it is no coincidence if Fire Emblem Three Houses becomes my GOTY 2019 after Fire Emblem Fates in 2015. Great and rich narrative, wild maps, tons of lovable characters, relevant gameplay tweaks… this new game brings JRPG players to nirvana level of enjoyment.

Nelke and the Legendary Alchemists

Ys IX Monstrum Nox

13 Sentinels Aegis Rim

Press Round-up – Spring 2019

Reviews posted on VGchartz from April to June 2019. Click on the titles to access the reviews.

Nelke and the Legendary Alchemists (PSVita)

When Atelier goes the Sim City route, it gives the best installment in the series since Atelier Firis. Very long, gifted with deep management gameplay and hella lot of possibilities, it’s a straight hit for those who like to use their head. Countless characters from the present and the past are part of the adventure and voice-acting is pretty cool. One of the absolute best titles of the year already.

Super Neptunia RPG (PS4)

Long after the disastrous Cyberdimension Neptune, Compile Heart seeks a new deal for the series. For that, the publisher asked Canadian developer Artisan to make a 2D RPG focused on the main goddesses. The narrative was cool as it recaptures the initial spirit of the series : event and jokes were fun and entertaining. It was much less so in terms of gameplay, as it’s crippled by shoddy controls, awkward balance and uninspired level design.

Atelier Lulua (PS4)

With so much hyped built around it, Atelier Lulua was some hard disappointment. The whole “return to Arland” story faded quickly in this “sequel” which takes very little from the original trilogy. Glorious characters are left out and replaced by shallow protagonists, and former heroines Totori and Meruru were locked behind a DLC that took two months to be released. That’s the exact sort of development policy and direction that mustn’t be conducted again if Gust wants fans to stay.

Sony’s censorship is neither rational nor legitimate

My first big opinion piece on VGChartz. I wanted to think seriously the right and the wrong from what surfaced about Sony’s obnoxious policy. My conclusion is that it doesn’t need to happen, and ultimately will damage the niche market beyond repair if pushed too far. I think Sony and devs realized that what has been happening since October 2018 makes no sense, and that they can even out the situation together.

Observation (PS4)

Random indy title released on PS4 during a calm Spring, Observation was actually a lot more fascinating than your average indy game. Thriller taking place in outer space, it puts you in control of SAM, a artificial intelligence that has to solve the problems of a ailing station. Great writing and great puzzle parts in this original game. We definitely need more of that and less generic shooters/platformers/strategy.

My games of the year 2018 (GoTY 2018)

Best Action game

Senran Kagura Burst Renewal (PS4)

Although it could certainly have delivered more, the remake of Senran Kagura Burst on PS4 keeps the good gameplay basis of Estival Versus. DLC was rather good and some new stuff like the reworked ending make it an enjoyable installment for series fans.

Runner-up : none

Best Shooter

Battlefield V (PS4)

Since Battlefield 3, DICE has constantly put efforts in fine-tuning the console experience. With the new generation, console versions have been closing the gap with the PC version and now PS4 offers the promised all-out war showdown. Gifted with a brilliant solo campaign while others reject this game mode, EA’s game also stays the best for multiplayer.

Runner-up : none

Best Fighting game

BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle (PS4)

Quite a few nice fighting games this year, but none that could claim victory on the generation. BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle was the most surprising, the best balanced and the most enjoyable of those overall. The tag system offers deep gameplay and instant fun at the same time, not to mention the game itself is splendid.

Runner-up : SoulCalibur VI (PS4) & Dissidia Final Fantasy NT (PS4)

Best RPG

Caligula Overdose (PS4)

Caligula Overdose shows how remakes and remasters should be done. Improved in animation but no so in graphics, Furyu’s title however boasts twice more scenario content and lots more characters. The charismatic bad guys are playable and fully inegrated in the new storyline.

Runner-up : Zanki Zero (PSVita)

Best Strategy/Puzzle game

Valkyria Chronicles 4 (PS4)

The return of the king. What else could be said when Valkyria Chronicles comes back in its former glory? The unmatched game system still gives the tactical ecstasy thanks to a formidable challenge and great variety in the gameplay.

Runner-up : The Liar Princess and the Blind Prince (PSVita)

Best music

Fate Extella Link (PS4)

I had first chosen Caligula Overdose for this award, but at listening to the music of the Fate Extella Link, the magnificient symphonies of the latter made me change my mind. Ultimately, Fate Extella Link is a game that failed on pretty much everything except its soundtrack

Runner-up : Valkyria Chronicles 4 (PS4) & Caligula Overdose (PS4)

Best narrative

Zanki Zero (PSVita)

I haven’t had the time to clear Zanki Zero yet, but the narrative style had been extremely good so far. Each chapter focuses on one character through some sort of quite fascinating animated storyboard. Progressive reveals within the story made it very hooking, especially towards the end.

Runner-up : Caligula Overdose (PS4) & Death End re;Quest (PS4)

Best atmosphere

NG (PSVita)

Experience knows that they did Something great with Death Mark. Logically, NG sticks to the same formula, sometimes a bit too much, but keeps the terrifying atmosphere that made its predecessor so fantastic. Crimes are onimous, pressure is high and fear is everywhere.

Runner-up : Transference (PSVR) & Zanki Zero (PSVita)

Best design

Valkyria Chronicles 4 (PS4)

One great thing about Valkyria Chronicles is its lovable characters. The 4^th game of the series is no different as party members are as diverse and charming as before. The player has no problem in making its own dream team. Depiction of Europe at war and the unique technology were once more remarkable.

Runner-up : Persona 3 Dancing Moon Night (PSVita), Persona 5 Dancing Star Night (PSVita) & Death End re;Quest (PS4)

Best game you might never play

Idol Death Game TV (PSVita)

Gaming UFO without a specific genre, I had a rather enjoyable time with Idol Death Game TV on Vita. The gameplay was quite simple but the story turned out to be surprising in such a good way that I couldn’t put down the system before the end. The animated «death sentences» of the heroines were also very amusing.

Runner-up : Sakura Sakura (PSVita)

Best graphics

Battlefield V (PS4)

Little suspense here since Battlefield 1 was already a technical prowess. DICE merely had to re-apply the same super realistic rendering to the following war, and they just did that. Battlefield V offers breathtaking conflict in massive and complex environments where up to 64 soldiers, tanks and planes clash at the same time.

Runner-up : Persona 3 Dancing Moon Night (PSVita), Persona 5 Dancing Star Night (PSVita)

Most disappointing

Mary Skelter Nightmares 2 (PS4)

Collapse. It’s the only word that comes to mind to define this 2018/2019 transition regarding Compile Heart. The people of that company are traitors, liars and now swindlers. By calling Mary Skelter Nightmares 2 a sequel, they deceived their fans and produced their most pitiful product to date. It does nothing but destroy the original and ruin the gameplay balance.

Runner-up : Gal Gun 2 (PS4)

Game of the Year

Valkyria Chronicles 4 (PS4)

The Valkyria Chronicles series comes back from deeper than hell : years into oblivion and then an unanimously rejected action-RPG spin-off. Against all the odds, Valkyria Chronicles 4 brought back the thrilling challenge, the tactical mastery, the lovable characters, the compelling story that had made its initial glory. Its perfectly executed return to its roots is one of the beautiful stories of 2018.

Battlefield V (PS4)

NG (PSVita)

Caligula Overdose (PS4)