🏆 🎮 Games Freezer - Games Of the Year - Part IV - "Rich" 🎮 #GOTY21 #GOTY2021 #GameOfTheYear2021

Oh, my word I have played a LOT of video games this year and it has been an absolute pleasure to bring you my thoughts via the juggernaut that is Games Freezer.

I have worked with Britt and the gang tirelessly in 2021 to make Games Freezer a place that you can all call home as we attempt to deliver you great video games stuff directly from our frozen cavern of video gaming goodness into your noggins for consumption.

My love for everyone involved is strong and it's this time of year when we get to reflect on exactly what happened in the preceding 365 days. I love how many moments you get that are like "Oh my word I remember that game! I forgot how great it was!"

When it comes to end of year lists and Game Of the Year contenders I always use those lists as a method to pick out the games that I have maybe missed from that year so as I can pick them up in the following year.

With that in mind, I decided that I would pull together initially a TOP 10 List of the games that I have loved in 2021 and then give you an even longer list of the games that deserve their moment in the limelight.

So here goes nothing as I give you my top ten video games of 2021 according to how much I loved playing them.

🏆 🎮 Games Freezer - Games Of the Year - Part III - "@PixelHunted" 🎮 #GOTY21 #GOTY2021 #GameOfTheYear2021

Pixel Hunted steps up to the plate to fire off 3 amazing games from his 2021...

🏆 🎮 Games Freezer - Games Of the Year - Part II - "Britt" 🎮 #GOTY21 #GOTY2021 #GameOfTheYear2021

Britt’s Games (and other things) of The Year

Much love to all the GF readers and my colleagues, all of whom have been awesome, as always.

The biggest hug, however, goes to Rich, the evil puppeteer that keeps all of our strings from getting tangled, as he laughs maniacally down at the twisted landscape that he has created in his own icy image.

I’m taking a slightly different approach to my games of the year this time around, throwing in a few mentions for things that aren’t strictly ‘games’ as such, but nonetheless were highlights of 2021 for me.

Whilst the list is in no particular order, it’s fair to say that if it were ‘best to worst – at the top would still be:

🎮 WAVE Game Studio Interview 🎮 @WaveGameStudios #IndieGames #GameDev

WAVE Game Studios are the publishers behind Senile Team’s Intrepid Izzy, a brand new Dreamcast game that was very well received at GF HQ (https://www.gamesfreezer.co.uk/2021/07/intrepid-izzy-dreamcast-review-910-im.html?m=1) and they recently - and impressively - travelled the width and breadth of the UK in a bid to spread the word of Intrepid Izzy far and wide. 

Taking time out of their mile-crushing schedule to talk to us at Games Freezer, we took the opportunity to get to the heart of this extremely hands-on and quite frankly, impressively gruelling mission.

💺 GT Player Music Series Gaming Chair (GT890MF) | GF APPROVED 💺

https://uk.gtracing.com/collections/music-series/products/music-series-gt890mf?variant=40993041383588

GF APPROVED!

With a wide array of gaming chairs, the GT Racing / GT Player brand has been making an impact on their customers over the last couple of years; with prominent YouTubers and Esports teams using and promoting them (in November, GT Racing announced a partnership with the Manchester City Esports team).

When they came onto my radar, the look, design, and capabilities of the chairs seemed like they were perhaps overstated somewhat in comparison to their price bracket, which is extremely reasonable. I’m pleased to say, however – after using the GT890MF for at least ten hours a day for well over a week, they really do deliver the goods.

🎮 Games Freezer - Games Of the Year - Part I - "Transvaal" 🎮 #GOTY21 #GOTY2021 #GameOfTheYear2021

Here we go it's Games Freezer Game Of The Year Time and first up with his GOTY List is Transvaal!

Behold his flaming pen of truth!

⏰🤖 Clockwork Aquario | PS4 | Ten Minute Taster | "A Resurrected Work Of Art From Mr Wonder Boy!" ⏰🤖 @WonderBoyWild #IndieGames #IndieGame #GameDev

 

Travelling from the year1992, Clockwork Aquario now finally arrives on our Switch and PS4 screens!

https://www.iningames.com/games/clockwork-aquario

🚗💨🚁 Agent Intercept, the over-the-top arcade action game with a transforming spy vehicle 🚗💨🚁

We just came across this awesome looking game called Agent Intercept what do you think?

Agent Intercept, the over-the-top arcade action game with a transforming spy vehicle from developer PikPok, decodes a message calling for a Q1 2022 launch for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, and Xbox One.

Hop behind the wheel of the Sceptre, a souped-up spy vehicle capable of swapping from a sports car to a sleek plane, speedboat, or snow-shredding sledge at the push of a button. 

Drift around cliffside corners, catch some waves, and do a barrel roll in the skies while facing off against the evil organization CLAW and its army of attack helicopters, submarines, and other assault vehicles.

https://pikpok.com/games/agent-intercept

💺🎮 Improve Your Comfort While Gaming With These Tips 💺🎮

Playstation Computer Console - Free photo on Pixabay

Being comfortable while gaming is not only important to improve your gameplay and not make you feel irritated after sitting still and focused for an hour or more. Comfort during gameplay will also work to maintain and improve your health while gaming. From protecting your eye health to your mental health, here are the best tips to improve your comfort while gaming. 

⏰🤖 Clockwork Aquario | PS4 | Review | 7/10 | "A Resurrected Work Of Art From Mr Wonder Boy!" ⏰🤖 @WonderBoyWild #IndieGames #GameDev #RetroGaming

Clockwork Aquario holds the Guinness World Record title for the longest time between a videogame project start and final release. With the development initially starting in 1991 and then completing in 2021, Clockwork Aquario takes over the mantle from Duke Nukem Forever that held the Guinness World Record title right up until December 2021.

🕹️ Nacon Revolution X Controller | GF Approved 🕹️ @Nacon @BrittRecluseuk

Here at GF HQ, several writers have covered Nacon’s products over the last year or so and all have been impressed with the build quality and design. I’m pleased to report that this high level continues with the Revolution X, a GF recommended way to take control of your game.

⚔️✴️ Shadow Tactics: Blades Of The Shogun - AIKOS CHOICE | PC | Gameplay | "Stealth Chess" ⚔️✴️ @MimimiProd #GameDev #IndieGames #IndieGame

Aiko's Choice is the anticipated standalone expansion to the acclaimed stealth strategy game Shadow Tactics. Set in Edo Japan, you take control of the skilful kunoichi adept Aiko and her deadly assassin friends to hunt down the ghosts of her past.

💽 Murder by Numbers: Original Game Soundtrack | Vinyl Review 💽 @m_sugimori @blackscreenrec #Vinyl #VideoGameVinyl #VGMVinyl

Artist - Masakazu Sugimori

Available at: https://blackscreenrecords.com

Released to celebrate the one-year anniversary of Mediatonic’s visual novel meets investigative puzzler Murder by Numbers, this catchy and energetic soundtrack features all of Masakazu Sugimori’s compositions on a double vinyl release, created by and available from Black Screen Records.

The album really covers a lot of sonic ground and dances between genres; but always has a sense of cohesion caused not only by the warm production but the sense of melody and a musical approach that feels intrinsically Japanese. 

Presented on two 180g vinyl – one purple and the other a vibrant yellow – held in a gatefold style cover and contained within anti-static sleeves (always a bonus), the cover itself shows Honor and Scout (the main protagonists) as well as a handful of other characters from the game against a background that echoes the purple colour of the vinyl within.

This is all framed as if in a section of film stock, furthering the sense that this is a narrative-driven game. I’d also like to point out the very ‘Phoenix Wright-esque’ pose sported by Honor on the cover, you KNOW that is a pose that will be familiar to players of Murder by Numbers!

Opening up the gatefold, the inside rocks a very ‘90s vibe with that shade of purple again making a reappearance as well as some shapes and styles that wouldn’t look out of place if used as a background in the Mega Drive classic Toejam and Earl. Overlaying the patterns are cut-out sketches of scenes and characters from the game.

The back of the record continues the film cell styling and lists the tracks on each side – 29 in all.

⚔️ Grim Dawn: Definitive Edition | Xbox Series X | Review | 7.5/10 | "Grim Me Up Buttercup" ⚔️ @GrimDawn #GameDev #IndieGames #IndieGame #IndieGameDev

ARPG hack ‘n slashers are usually games that I play in booze-fuelled co-op sessions as the mindless, button-tapping violence combined with natural drink-pouring breaks as each player fumbles around with their loot is a genuine match made in heaven. In a charity event a couple of years ago, however - whereby myself and two friends completed Diablo 3 in under twelve hours  - I felt like I had overloaded on the genre and moved away from it for a while.

🤜💥🤛 Fights In Tight Spaces | PC | Ten Minute Taster | "AKA Knights In White Satin" 🤜💥🤛 @Fightsgame #IndieGame #IndieGames #GameDev

Fights in Tight Spaces is a stylish blend of deck-building, turn-based tactics, and thrilling animated fight sequences in classic action-movie settings. Learn to balance your hand, momentum, and positioning to overcome the odds to defeat your adversaries. Build your deck, control the space and live to fight another day.

Watch me as I jump kick some baddies badly!

🔥🔥 “Rising Hell” - This Indie gem has you headbanging on a highway from hell! - Limited Boxed Versions Available For Pre-Order 🔥🔥 @risinghellgame #IndieGame #IndieGameDev #IndieGames #GameDev

Strictly Limited Games, in partnership with Chorus Worldwide Games & Toge Productions, are proud to announce that Tahoe Games’ indie-gem “Rising Hell” will receive an exclusive, limited physical release.

This 2D action rogue-lite with a stylish pixel-look offers tons of adrenaline-pumping action, underlined by bone-shredding heavy-metal riffs, as you fight your way through the ghoulish gatekeepers of hell.

Rising Hell will be available for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4, as a boxed Limited Edition and Special Limited Edition, with pre-orders kicking off on Sunday, December 12th, at 12 AM CET (midnight), only at Strictly Limited Games.

😼 Astro Aqua Kitty | Nintendo Switch | Review | 6.5/10 | "Is it the cat's meow?" 😼 @TIKIPODltd #IndieGames #IndieGame #GameDev

Astro Aqua Kitty is the action RPG shmup follow-up to the well-received, Aqua Kitty!

As adorable as the kitties are in Astro Aqua Kitty, the hidden difficulty is very much not adorable. Not that difficult shmups are anything new or different. But kitties in an aquatic-space shmup, with RPG elements, do separate them from the pack.

🔥👼 Gynoug | Nintendo Switch | Review | 8/10 | "Mash. And mash I did!" 🔥👼 @RatalaikaGames #GameDev #IndieGame #IndieGames #Retrogaming #SHMUP

DEMONS ARE ATTACKING THE HEAVENS! You, the Angel of Wor is the only thing that stands in the way of THE DESTROYER and the Demons of Iccus, in this shmup classic.

I love the Sega Genesis or the Mega Drive to my good non-NA friends. I also like shmups a great deal, despite not being the best at them. I was reminded of just how not good I was when I was struggling with the 1st level of Gynoug for over an hour – only to be brutalized once I made it to the 2nd stage, immediately. I wasn’t getting frustrated with the game, but more myself and my lack of understanding of the game. 

I was collecting orbs and power-ups, some would do things passively like make my rate of fire more spread out, shoot behind me etc. But I had no idea what was going on for the most part - I was just using my basic attack, and sheer instinct to get me through. I knew this wouldn’t last, so I knew exactly what I had to do. Mash. And mash I did. I eventually figured out how to properly use my power-ups, spells, and speed boosts. 

🔠 Word Forward | Nintendo Switch | Review | 8.5/10 | "Word Up" 🔠 @thalamusdigital #IndieGame #IndieGames #GameDev

Amidst all the 100+ hours of RPG-ing, shooting, adventuring and racing, sometimes it’s nice to take things slow and get casual. Word-based games have always held an allure for me and I’m pleased to say that Word Forward is the newest title to suck me in.

👨‍🍳 Epic Chef | Nintendo Switch | Ten Minute Taster | "Chef Raekwon" 👨‍🍳 @EpicChefGame #IndieGame #IndieGames #GameDev

Get ready to embark on a comedic culinary quest unlike any other as you take on the role of Zest in this story-driven adventure game; from humble beginnings, you will build a farm, grow delectable ingredients, craft machinery and cook your way to becoming the most Epic Chef in Ambrosia!

Watch Me Take On My First Jobs in Ambrosia as we take a ten-minute taster of this cool indie game!

Last Ninja 2 | Reformation Vinyl | Review | "I just enjoyed wandering around, being a ninja" @mattgrayc64 #VideoGameVinyl #Vinyl #VGVinyl #LastNinja2

https://6581records.com/products/reformation-last-ninja-2-double-picture-disc-vinyl-downloads-matt-gray

It’s always a pleasure to be blindsided by pure joy and, when this Last Ninja 2 vinyl arrived, I couldn’t believe how quickly I became completely infatuated with it. Over two weeks on from arrival, it is still getting daily spins in my record player with no signs of slowing up. For the record, the A-side of this album consist of three songs that are so strong that they rank up there at the top of the genre in terms of album kick-offs, it’s unbelievably good stuff.

📚📒 The Art of Creaks | Book | Review 📚📒 @Amanita_Design #IndieGames #IndieGame #GameDev

Purchase Link - https://merch.amanita-design.net/products/the-art-of-creaks

Creaks is a game that is very much adored by its fanbase for the care and craft that was clearly put into it, resulting in a title whereby the visuals and music are just as important as the fundamental gameplay.

It therefore makes sense - following the ‘making of’ documentary focusing on the music of Creaks (https://youtu.be/67S-rAyku3U) - that a book dedicated to the art is released. As was made clear in my review of Creaks a few months ago - https://www.gamesfreezer.co.uk/2021/06/creaks-review-xbox-series-x-910.html – it is a game that really made an impact on me and I often find myself discussing it or listening to the soundtrack, and now – I can get lost again in those wonderfully detailed visuals thanks to The Art of Creaks.

🐦🦃 Beyond A steel Sky | Nintendo Switch | Gameplay | "Big Steve Is A Right Pain!" 🐦🦃 @RevSoftGames #IndieGames #IndieGame #GameDev

From Charles Cecil, creator of the Broken Sword series, with art direction by Dave Gibbons, legendary comic book artist behind ‘Watchmen’, comes ‘Beyond a Steel Sky’, the long awaited sequel to the cult classic ‘Beneath a Steel Sky’.

You are Robert Foster. A child has been abducted in a brutal attack. You have vowed to bring him home. But the trail has led you from your community of desert wasteland dwellers, to Union City, one of the last remaining mega-cities in a world ravaged by shattering wars, and political meltdown.

Fortified and impenetrable, it is a utopia in which people live happily under the surveillance and control of a benign AI. But all is far from what it seems...

‘Beyond a Steel Sky’ is a dramatic, humorous, cyberpunk thriller in which engaging puzzles drive a fast-paced narrative set in a dynamic game world that responds to – and is subverted by – the player’s actions.

🚜 Farming Simulator 2022 | PC | Ten minute Taster | "We Plough The Fields & Scatter" 🚜 @farmingsim #GameDev #IndieGames #IndieGame

In Farming Simulator 22 you get to create your farm and let the good times grow! 

Harvest crops, tend to animals, manage productions, and take on seasonal challenges.

I manage to do none of this in my ten-minute taster but I'm ready for more by the end!

 

🚀🐟 G Darius HD | Nintendo Switch HD | Review | 7.5/10 | "Laser Duels With Hulking End Level Bosses .... YES PLEASE!" 🚀🐟 @ININ_Games #Retrogaming #SHMUP

G-Darius HD comes in all guns blazing on my Nintendo Switch and once again we have another absolute classic SHMUP gunning its way through new audiences on the Switch as the list of legendary Shoot Em Ups on the console grows longer and longer.

Flying through a level on this beautiful conversion of the arcade game on your switch is a joy to behold as you pivot and swivel through enemy waves with pinpoint accurate controls and classic arcade visuals. 

📓Hermitage: Strange Case Files | Xbox Series X | Review | 5/10 | "One is The Loneliest Number" 📔 @ArrowizStudios #GameDev #IndieGames #IndieGame

I recently had a conversation with my brother - I explained to him how I've grown tired of games using HP Lovecraft as inspiration, how there seems to be a plethora of them and most of them aren't very good, Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth being the biggest exception. 

I had major reservations for this game from the start as more Lovecraftian horror is not what I particularly wanted, but I'm always happy to be proven wrong and so hoped this game would ease my tiredness of Lovecraft and bring my list of good games inspired by his bibliography to a whopping two.

🤖 Paco Rabanne Phantom - Connected Fragrance | "Stop Smelling Your Fists!" 🤖 @PacoRabanne #welcometothefuture #daretobedifferent

https://www.pacorabanne.com/uk/en/fragrance/c/frag-men-phantom--frag-men-phantom

I’ve been a fan of Paco Rabanne’s scents for quite a while now. From not being able to wear the divine Ultraviolet due to the age-old problem of too many people in my circle of friends also wearing it through to a moment about six years ago when I first came across their eau de toilette ‘Paco’ whilst waiting for a flight to Paris and was told off by my now-fiancée to ‘stop smelling my fists, it looks weird’ (I had tried a few scents out in the airport and my knuckles were the only free spot left on my hands/arms for Paco, and it was an addictive smell!).

🪙🗿🔱Treasures of the Aegean | Xbox Series X | Review | 8/10 | "Imagine a 2D Lara Croft, with Prince of Persia Moves..." 🪙🗿🔱 @NumskullGames #IndieGames #IndieGame #GameDev

Imagine a 2D Lara Croft, with Prince of Persia moves, graphics reminiscent of the great Another World, and you're getting close to Treasures of the Aegean.

Marie, the main character, is a puzzle-solving, treasure-grabbing force of nature, able to run, jump and slide around an absolutely massive map at high speed and without getting tired. 

🦝 Backbone | XBOX SERIES X | Review | 6/10 | "One small step for noir, one giant misstep from Backbone" 🦝 @backbonegame #IndieGames #IndieGame

The word noir conjures up so much joy for me, I absolutely adore it - if I see the word in a description of any piece of media, it's almost guaranteed I will consume it.

In theory, Backbone was so far up my street, I could have bought a three-bed terrace house there and lived a very happy life… or so I thought.

🗞️📰 Xbox Looks Towards A Grim Dawn | VIDEO GAME NEWS 🗞️📰 @GrimDawn #IndieGame #GameDev #IndieGames

Crate Entertainment’s critically acclaimed ARPG, is coming to Xbox on December 3rd!

Crate Entertainment's monster PC hit ARPG Grim Dawn heads to consoles this December 3^rd to be featured exclusively on Xbox. 

The Xbox definitive edition will wrap the base game, all DLC’s, and all the expansions into a single package for Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S players to enjoy.

For the first time ever on console, Xbox players are able to explore the darkest corners of Grim Dawn’s vast, immersive world, where secrets abound, and untold terrors lurk. 

Grim Dawn and DLCs have collectively sold nearly 7 million copies on PC, with Grim Dawn standing at a 94% positive rating on Steam.

 

Xbox Players can pre-order the game now in anticipation of the global Xbox launch on December 3^rd 2020.

 

💿📀 Kingdom Come: Deliverance Album Review 💿📀 @valtajan #VideoGameVinyl #Vinyl

by Jan Valta - @ValtaJan

Thank you to Warhorse Studios! - Warhorse Studios - Warhorse

Firstly, a huge thank you to Warhorse Studios for this opportunity. For the reasons I’ve written below, this game was a big part of a unique section of my life and, although it is sold out and not widely available at present, they kindly send over a copy that they had in their office specifically for this article, which is very cool of them and hugely appreciated, I definitely owe them a beer, Na Zdravi!

🍕 Pac-Man: Birth of an icon (by Arjan Terpstra & Tim Lapetino) | Book Review 🍕 @cookbeck #RetroGaming #PacMan

https://www.cookandbecker.com/en/artwork/3012/pac-man-birth-of-an-icon-pac-man-bandai-namco.html

Few games are as iconic as the occasionally ghost-devouring, yellow dot-muncher, Pac-Man. In this 300+ page, full-colour tome, you’ll find everything that you could possibly want to know about this timeless classic. From origins to impact, legacy and beyond – all accompanied with crisp, high-definition images, insider commentary, well-researched information and vibrant artwork all presented through accessible writing.

💿📀 Metal Slug X Original Soundtrack Record Label - Wayo Records Artist - SNK Sound Team 💿📀 @WayoRecords @WayoRecordsJP #Vinyl #VideoGameVinyl

PURCHASE LINK: https://www.wayorecords.com/en/vinyls/110-metal-slug-x-vinyl.html

‘The iconic soundtrack from the legendary game Metal Slug X for the first time as a stand-alone release in vinyl format, for the 25th Anniversary of the legendary SNK game series! Go Peregrine Falcon Squads!’

👾 Super Life of Pixel - A Box of Gaming History (PS4/Switch) 👾 @RealStrictlyLTD #IndieGames #Retrogaming #IndieGame

Strictly Limited Games, together with Reset Games, are excited to give Super Life of Pixel a physical release, exclusively at the Strictly Limited Games Shop.

Super Life of Pixel is a 2D puzzle-platformer that lets you enter a living, playable museum of video game history.

A museum that spans across three decades and 19 historically inspired consoles, giving you a historic tour that is sure to put a smile on your face.

https://store.strictlylimitedgames.com/collections/super-life-of-pixel

🪱 ‘Earthworm Jim’ Set For Small Screen Revival 🪱 #EarthWormJim

Interplay Entertainment Corp., the software publisher and developer, has partnered with APA to bring its Earthworm Jim game series back to the small screen with an all-new creative team behind it.

Played by millions worldwide since it first launched on the Sega Genesis in 1994 and celebrated for its meta-humour, edgy art style and tight platform gameplay, Earthworm Jim is a cult classic.

Last seen on TV in 1996 after a successful run of 23 episodes on the WB Television Network, the new series follows the adventures of Jim, a worm in a robotic suit who fights a plethora of eccentric enemies. 

It will feature a host of new faces as they navigate an absurd, hostile and colorful galaxy, where each planet is home to a race of anthropomorphic animals. 

Jim's ultimate quest is to find his true home among the stars: a near-mythical planet called Earth.

Watch the interview with Earthworm Jim about the upcoming series at  www.beyondthegroovy.com. 

🚀🪨 Gleylancer | Advanced Busterhawk | Nintendo Switch | Review | 7/10 | "A No Nonsense Scrolling Shmup!" 🚀🪨 @RatalaikaGames #GameDev #IndieGame #IndieGames #RetroGaming

The Nintendo Switch has become a system choc full of classic shmups oer the years and now it has another cracking release in the form of Gleylancer. 

This was a title that I had never come across before and now I have had the chance to play it I'm smitten for its rock hard gameplay and lovely pixel graphics.

🤓💻 The Benefits of Hiring Unity Video Game Developer 🤓💻

What is it with Unity that makes it so unique?

Of course, it's the technology! While many C++ programmers exist, working with Unity necessitated the usage of C# programming abilities. C# is a higher-level programming language that is easier to learn and utilize. It comes at the cost of being unable to deal directly with memory, which is often why C++ is used by many developers.

🕹️ Atari - 50 Not Out? 🕹️ #Atari #RetroGaming

So Atari has nearly hit the big 5-0! Here's an insight into what the legendary Atari brand has in store for its 50th year of birth...

⚔️ Xuan Yuan Sword 7 | Xbox Series X | Review | 7/10 | "An Enjoyable Experience, Let Down by Some Inconsistencies" ⚔️ @XuanYuan_Sword #IndieGame #GameDev #IndieGames

I had never heard of this series - which is not surprising as it’s the first of the series to be released in the west. 

An ARPG with a heavy focus on story, the game is linear, which to my mind isn't a bad thing, it follows Taishi Zhao, an orphaned mercenary who is trying to earn money to pay for his sick sister's medicine -  this is the basic plot but fairly quickly it takes a turn.

🐶 To The Rescue! | Dog Shelter Simulator | PC | Ten minute Taster | "Who Let The Dogs Out?!!" 🐶 @ToTheRescueGame #IndieGames #GameDev #IndieGame

To The Rescue! is a charming dog shelter simulator where you are responsible for taking care of dozens of cute dogs in need of a home. It’s not all cuddles and snoot boops though: running a shelter can be a lot of work. You have to manage all of the dogs’ needs in order to maximize their chances of finding the right forever home. Each day brings new challenges and rewards. Dogs have specific preferences, can get infectious diseases, and can have negative traits. But you can also have fundraisers, get random donations, and help someone find their new best friend. Unfortunately, there’s never enough room and always more dogs. Some dogs are more desirable than others, but maybe if you can afford to wait long enough, just maybe, every dog will have their day.