The beginning of 2021 was full of game delays and in some cases game cancellations. This was heartbreaking for the player base of many franchises. But, to much surprise, 2021 turned out to be a great year for gaming.

 The year started out slow but there were a few great new releases, such as “Super Mario 3d World + Bowser’s Fury” and “Hitman 3.” These games both received great reviews and were great additions to their franchises.  

New Ratchet & Clank and Monster Hunter games were released during the summer. “Monster Hunter Rise” has an 8/10 and “Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart” has a 9/10 on Imagine Games Network (IGN), which is a notable review site.

The year may have started slow, but few years have ended with more great hits. From shooters to RPGs and party games to fighting games, this year had it all. 

The year ended with great hits like “Mario Party Superstars,” “Halo Infinite” and a new Pokemon Generation.  These games all have great reviews. The new Pokemon and Mario Party Games each have an 8/10 on IGN. Halo Infinite earned surprisingly great reviews, easily living up to the hype it has built over the last three year.

“Halo is one of the best video games,” an IGN reporter said.

2021 was especially great for the fighting game genre. “Smash Bros” received its final update around its 3-year anniversary. “Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl” was released in October and Warner Bros announced an upcoming fighting game of their own. 

It’s impossible to give a thorough review of every game released this year but it’s important to understand how surprising this year turned out. So many great games were released it has given me hope that Covid-19 hasn’t hurt so many companies as much as it could have. With many great franchises getting new games next year, I am incredibly excited and hopeful heading into 2022. You can find a list of planned releases for 2022 here at Game Informer.