Quick Links
Over the next eight days, Hardcore Gamer will be revealing its Best of 2021 Awards leading up to our Game of the Year. Today we present you with the Best Sports, Strategy/Puzzle, Fighting and Racing Game.
FIFA 22 is the first sports title to truly embrace the technology of the latest hardware generation. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S have allowed FIFA 22 to open the book on how sports games should be done. While there was a release last year for the game, this is one of the few sports titles that propelled its technology forward to greatly improve how the game is played. The new adaptive AI and ball physics along with a ton of new animations help to make FIFA 22 a brand new experience. While there are the yearly sports titles that got an increase in either graphics or gameplay, FIFA 22 made the biggest strides to put itself ahead of the other games in the genre. Whether you prefer VOLTA or traditional soccer matches, FIFA 22 offers multitude of ways to play. It’s the on-the-field experience and changes to how the game plays, however, that provides the award to this game for the category.
Runner-Ups
Knockout City
Madden NFL 22
Riders Republic
MLB The Show 21
Age of Empires IV
With the resurgence of strategy games in recent years, fans of the Age of Empires series were pining for an updated release. When Microsoft tasked Relic with creating the latest Age of Empires, strategy game fans grew eager as Relic had seen success in the market. It took time, but Age of Empires IV finally released and left the competition in the dusk. The team basically erased Age of Empires III from existence by providing a modern take on the original two games. The single player campaign was masterfully designed with offering proper pacing on missions, revisiting the events of specific encounters between factions and even including a narrated video documentary that included recent on-site locations. User-created content will also be on the way to add endless options to Age of Empires IV as the game caters to the original design of base-building and research. With awesome empires to choose from, Age of Empires IV tickles the nostalgia bone of every strategy game player out there.
Inscryption
Guilty Gear Strive
2021 wasn’t a big year for fighting games, but it did see the release of one heavy hitter. Guilty Gear Strive is the latest entry in the long-running heavy metal themed franchise and does not disappoint. When any series has been around as long as Guilty Gear every new games becomes a balancing act between changing things enough so they don’t become stale but not changing them too much for fear of alienating long-time fans. This a tightrope act Guilty Gear Strive flawlessly pulls off. The essence of what makes a Guilty Gear game great remains untarnished, but tweaks to the mechanics and new features such as the Wall Break help keep things interesting. The frenetic battles are a gorgeous sight to behold with incredible animation for the fighters over the fantastic and creatively-designed battle arenas. The package is completed with an original heavy metal soundtrack that perfectly complements this game. There may not have been many worthy opponents, but Guilty Gear Strive is a must play for fans of 2D fighters.
Melty Blood: Type Lumina
Demon Slayer Kimetsu No Yaiba
Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl
Virtua Fighter 5 Ultimate Showdown
Forza Horizon 5
While smaller studios provided competition for best racing game this year, there weren’t that many major AAA releases, but Forza’s presence was more than enough. The experience of linking up with other players online in an open-world environment is unrivaled. Adding in the most beautiful cars on a video game to date with the set piece of Mexico makes Forza Horizon 5 a technical marvel. While this may not be a simulation, the handling physics remain stellar and the game is approachable for all players. While it’s worth noting the technology and research that games like MotoGP 21 and RiMS brought to the table, Forza Horizon 5 offers mass appeal with a focus on cars.
RiMS Racing
Hot Wheels Unleashed
Circuit Superstars
← Back to Day Two
Continue to Day Four →
