SuperPhillip Central Best of 2021 Awards - Top Five Biggest Surprises

Night three of the SuperPhillip Central Best of 2021 Awards brings with it two more awards categories. The first of these is the Top Five Biggest Surprises of 2021. These positive surprises in game form were either ones that knocked folks out with their unexpected quality--being better than they had any right to be--or just came from who-knows-where to absolutely delight players. Here is the list of winners.

5) Knockout City (Multi)

Our first game on this list of biggest surprises of 2021 features some good old fashioned dodgeball. Well, actually it's more dodge-BRAWL. I was amazed by how much I became addicted to Knockout City, whether it was the game's enjoyable easy-to-learn, hard-to-master matches, sensational style, copious amounts of cosmetics, and just all-around fun. I did not expect to enjoy Knockout City as much as I did, but you won't see me complaining about that fact at all. I'll be too busy to complain, sniping opponents with dodgeballs and rushing around the arenas of the game.

4) Cruis'n Blast (NSW)

I knew full well of the existence of Cruis'n Blast in arcades, but never got the opportunity to try it out, especially with the pandemic now. Thank the heavens--or rather, in this case, developer Raw Thrills, for porting this high-octane, insane, point-to-point arcade racer to the Nintendo Switch so I could finally get my hands on the game and have a... *ahem* blast. Racing as a car is fine and all, but when you take control of a triceratops, U.F.O., or even a unicorn, going 100+ miles per hour through dinosaur domains, chaotic cities, and even through a Midwestern twister, you are in for an absolutely wild ride. That's exactly what Cruis'n Blast delivered to me in spades with its September release, and I'm happy to have played it.

3) It Takes Two (Multi)

I didn't know exactly WHAT to expect with a wholly co-operative adventure with It Takes Two, but the end result ended up being one of my favorite gaming experiences of 2021. Playing multiplayer with my brother was a hilariously good time, having us use teamwork to get through the game, and the amount of variety on display in the gameplay was exhilarating. The fact that essentially every individual moment in the game, varying wildly from the last, worked so well is a testament to the developers. It Takes Two is a polished and pretty awesome co-op game, and it's certainly worthy of all of the Game of the Year nominations it has been bestowed with thus far.

2) Chicory: A Colorful Tale (Multi)

These last two games came out of nowhere to pleasantly surprise the gaming populace, including myself. Starting off as a console exclusive on PlayStation platforms, Chicory: A Colorful Tale allows you to journey through a whimsical world all the while painting the environments to solve puzzles and just make things pretty and vivid rather than the otherwise drab and dull black and white (though that is still pleasant to look at!). In some ways, Chicory reminds me of a Zelda game in its design, and that is one high compliment to receive! Chicory: A Colorful Tale ended up positively coloring my opinion of the game as one of my favorite experiences this year to partake in.

1) Death's Door (Multi)

Death's Door delivered a phenomenal Zelda-like adventure with tough-as-nails battles, awesome areas to explore, and a magnificent soundtrack to accentuate the action and more melancholy moments of the game's world. I absolutely adored Death's Door, so much so that I double-dipped on the game, purchasing it on the Nintendo Switch as well as the original Xbox release. That was a surprise to me all on its own, but the positively high quality of the game--the reason for double-dipping to begin with--was the biggest surprise of them all this year. And more surprising is that we're not done focusing on the game this year. Let's just say we haven't seen the last of Death's Door on the SuperPhillip Central Best of 2021 Awards and leave it at that! After all, why would spoil the surprise? 

SuperPhillip Central Best of 2019 Awards - Top Five Biggest Surprises

Let's rebound from last night's negative awards category of Most Disappointing Games of 2019 and return to what the SuperPhillip Central Best of Awards are all about--celebrating gaming! Today, there's just one category, but it returns us to a more positive place as we celebrate and count down the Top Five Biggest Surprises of 2019. These are the games that had unexpectedly great quality or just came out of nowhere and knocked people's figurative socks off. It's a colorful array of nominees and winners on the list, so it's time to begin counting them down!

5) New Super Lucky's Tale (NSW)

We start off with a game that is very much a surprise for being a quality platformer. Not only in a 3D sense, where we don't see a lot of games delve into this dimension as of late, but also in a 2D sense. It's New Super Lucky's Tale, a game that was originally an Oculus Rift exclusive turned Xbox exclusive turned Nintendo Switch exclusive, each time gaining new features a new word to the game's title. While far from perfect and adding a little too much variety to distract from the solid enough platforming hijinks, New Super Lucky's Tale wowed me with its charm, its personality, and its clever design.

4) Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair (PS4, XB1, NSW, PC)

We move from a mostly 3D platformer to a wholly 2D one with Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair. Despite enjoying the original Yooka-Laylee, which was modeled after Banjo-Kazooie and its ilk, I didn't quite expect to love Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair as much as I did. From the creative level designs, to the extremely ingenious 3D overworld and the means to alter levels, to the titular Impossible Lair, which demands platforming perfection to pass, Yooka and Laylee's second go of it was a phenomenal game, making it one of my favorites of the year. Truly unexpected, but perhaps that's on me for doubting the tremendous talent behind some of my favorite games of all time from various ex-Rare staffers!

3) Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled (PS4, XB1, NSW)

File this one like the other games thus far on this countdown of the Top Five Biggest Surprises of 2019 as a game that I didn't know I'd like as much as I did. While I knew of the original Crash Team Racing's quality, as I played the game back on the PS1, I did not expect how much of a masterful recreation and remake its Nitro-Fueled reincarnation would be. Packed with content in the form of characters, tracks, karts, and cosmetics, Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled keeps me playing to this day, and we're talking about a title released this past June. This is thanks to the Grand Prix mode and by virtue being a game that keeps on giving, but it's also because it's a game that one constantly improves at. You WANT to get better at the game because the game rewards you for doing so. Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled delivered so much unexpected joy from me this year, putting it a firm middle position on this countdown.

2) Ring Fit Adventure (NSW)

Now, we're going to talk about games that came from out of nowhere and surprised with their high quality. When one thinks of fitness games, they think of quote/unquote "non-games", but Nintendo pulled no punches with Ring Fit Adventure, a complete fitness RPG. The Pilates ring that comes with the game is the piece de resistance of Ring Fit Adventure (literally, too, in a way with its resistance training), allowing players to perform unique and legitimate exercise maneuvers to not only defeat enemies and venture the game world, but also to get a real workout in. Set the difficulty level of your workout and challenge of the game, and pick your set of exercise moves into battle, serving as your attacks. Ring Fit Adventure isn't just a surprise of how creative and innovative it is a game, but how excellent it is as a full-fledged workout!

1) Untitled Goose Game (NSW, PS4, XB1, PC)

HONK! Sneaking up on the gaming conversation and taking full control of it was Untitled Goose Game, whose name serves as a prime example of just how eccentric and off-the-wall the game truly is from developer House House. Meandering about levels causing mischief as a goose is a simple enough elevator pitch to convey--wacky, no doubt, but seeing the game in action and witnessing how the stealth gameplay and hilarious absurdity of it all work in tandem together really sells the game. Untitled Goose Game is a big surprise not only for being a sensational game, but also a big surprise for how it unexpectedly commandeered so much attention from the gaming world this past year in a viral way. ...HONK!

SuperPhillip Central Best of 2017 Awards - Top Five Biggest Surprises

This is always a fun category to do for the SuperPhillip Central Best Of yearly awards. So many hyped games can end up being disappointing, but what about those that folks didn't give much attention to that turned out awesome? Let's continue being positive here at the SuperPhillip Central Best of 2017 Awards with the nominees for the Biggest Surprises of the year. These are games that astonished me with their quality, almost coming out of nowhere to excite and fascinate. Some were more interesting than I originally gave them credit for, but after playing these games, my attitude shifting drastically. As always with the awards on SuperPhillip Central, I unfortunately can't play every game released in a given year, so don't be too hard on the award show for missing any of your picks. I might have simply not played them. Now, onto the Top Five Biggest Surprises of 2017!

5) Knack II (PS4)

We begin with a sequel to a successful launch game for the PlayStation 4. The original Knack may have sold well, but its critical reception from both fans and reviewers alike wasn't as notable as the game's sales. That notwithstanding, Knack II released and had the opposite outcome: the game was much improved and of a really good quality while the sales were less than spectacular, perhaps because the original Knack burned so many players by how repetitive it was. Adding more platforming, more worthwhile and varied combat, and lots more exploration allowing players to constantly go off the beaten path, Knack II was a delight to play and really did surprise those who tried out it (including yours truly) who didn't see it being a noteworthy game in the PS4's robust roster of software.

4) Ever Oasis (3DS)

This next game, Ever Oasis, was the winner of this year's Most Overlooked / Underrated Game here at the SuperPhillip Central Best of 2017 Awards. Developed in tandem by the mind behind the Secret of Mana as well Grezzo, the team who worked on both Legend of Zelda 3DS remakes, Ever Oasis was an action-RPG set in an expansive desert filled with a dark blight that has sucked every last bit of flora and water from oases around the land. Only one oasis was left, and that was of course yours. Through completing missions, conquering dungeons, solving puzzles, and battling enemies, your oasis would grow more and more prosperous, expanding and receiving newcomers to set up helpful shops. Materials from downed enemies could be used to upgrade the shops in order to make more money to craft new goods. Throughout my 30 hour playtime with the game, Ever Oasis brought me a feverish desire to keep playing, even when my 3DS's battery was running low. That's the mark of a compelling game. One that like an oasis in the desert was truly refreshing.

3) ARMS (NSW)

Like Splatoon for the Wii U, Nintendo introduced a heavy hitter as a new IP for its Switch console. This time around it was none other than the atypical fighting game ARMS. Players fought within arenas of varying sizes with different stage gimmicks inside to spice things up. Rather than attack with all extremities, ARMS, as you might expect from the name, was centered on its characters' upper limbs to unleash attacks of all directions, whether straight, curved, sliced, or what have you. While the goal in ARMS was similar to traditional fighting games, the gameplay was exponentially different when it came to strategy. Do you make the first advance with a punch? Which arm do you use? Do you dodge to left or evade to the right? Do you jump over a punch or send one of your own, careening around it to take your opponent out? Fights demanded the player to come up with these answers within milliseconds or else they'd be at the end of a vicious combo, or worse, be on the receiving end of a health bar-draining special attack. While ARMS didn't have the same level of popularity as Splatoon, ARMS did quite well for its freshman effort. Well enough to receive new, free updates as well as easily passing a million sales worldwide. Not bad for a first try!

2) Sonic Mania (PS4, XB1, NSW, PC)

Some games surprise and astonish from their quality. Some games do it because you didn't expect them to appear at all. Sonic Mania was a combination of both of these reasons with a classic-style Sonic game that was as good (and in many cases, better) as the games loved during the Genesis / Mega Drive era and was revealed from out of nowhere. Added to those facts was Christian Whitehead and company, makers of past Sonic fan-games and later assisted with the HD remasters of Sonic the Hedgehog 1, 2, and CD, who also had a full hand in creating a new 2D Sonic game which culminated exquisitely in Sonic Mania. You had a team of die-hard classic Sonic fans who knew what was good about the old games, something that even Sonic Team now clearly doesn't get, and with Whitehead and his team behind the game, Sonic Mania arrived with much hype, sales, and critical acclaim. A new 2D Sonic game in 2017 that sometimes surpasses the likes of the Genesis era? That is indeed a surprising opinion of mine and is all the reason why Sonic Mania is #2 on this countdown of this past year's biggest surprises.

1) Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle (NSW)

It was a crow buffet for all those folks who downplayed or worse, made fun of, the idea of Nintendo providing the Mario license to Ubisoft to make its own merging of the world of the Mushroom Kingdom with the insane antics of Rayman's Rabbids series with Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle. Some asked, "How would that even work?" Others didn't even believe it or could conceive how an idea was anything but ridiculous. When assets were leaked, the gaming community had a field day, hardly able to suppress their ire and "LMAOs" towards what they saw. But when E3 last year rolled around and Mario + Rabbids was properly unveiled, the entire gaming world (or at least those who were downplaying the game, which was many of us) was amazed and delighted by what they saw. Taking the gameplay of XCOM and throwing in Mario and Rabbids characters with high-powered weapons made for a game that was strategic, smart, and hilarious. The moment at E3 2017 where the creative director of Kingdom Battle, Davide Soliani broke down into tears at the warm regards, cheers, and applause for the game that he and his team worked so hard on, which was scrutinized for months before being given a fair chance... Well, it's an E3 moment I'll always treasure, much like the final product and biggest surprise of 2017, Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle.

SuperPhillip Central Best of 2016 Awards - Top Five Biggest Surprises

This category of the SuperPhillip Central Best of 2016 Awards delves into those games where I wasn't expecting to enjoy them as much I ended up doing so. It's always awesome to not have high expectations for a game, and then that same game ends up blowing you away. The five games on this top five countdown are those that did just that.

5) Dragon Quest Builders (PS4, Vita)

Minecraft is a massive beast of a game. It was so much one that Microsoft purchased the property for an extravagant chunk of change, and even that's underselling it. Many clones of Minecraft have since come out, but none have the pomp and circumstance of the Dragon Quest name. Combining the similar gameplay of Minecraft to the world of Dragon Quest with Dragon Quest Builders paid off enormously for Square Enix and for gamers in general, as Builders is a fantastic cross between Minecraft and Dragon Quest. Building a fortified town or castle, scrounging around the land for materials, and besting big bad enemies make for a supremely good time. Whether you play on a portable or sit down at home and play on the PS4, you're going to get a satisfying gaming experience with Dragon Quest Builders.

4) Aqua Moto Racing Utopia (PS4, PC)

The sole indie game on this list (though the amount of surprisingly good indie games could take up 10 lists!), Aqua Moto Racing Utopia feels like a fantastic unofficial successor to Nintendo's Wave Race series, sporting smooth and tight handling of the various watercraft, ten venues featuring multiple buoy-to-buoy courses, a wide variety of modes, and plenty of things to do, such as local or online multiplayer. It seems like sacrilege to say that a game from a lesser known indie developer could shine just as brightly as Nintendo's Wave Race, particularly Wave Race 64, but it, in fact, is very much true, making Aqua Moto Racing Utopia perfect for this list of biggest surprises of 2016.

3) Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (Wii U)

While I've enjoyed previous Olympic outings by Mario and Sonic, two of the most revered icons in gaming, I was quite surprised by how much I enjoyed the latest game on Wii U, Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. No longer did players have to waggle a Wii Remote (and I mean actual random shaking of the Wii Remote and not actual gesture controls) to race, run, or whatnot. Instead, the game was wholly controlled with analog and button inputs. The amount of content and enjoyable events made for some very pleasant solo and local multiplayer gaming sessions, and the presentation was superb as ever. The Summer Olympic might be over, but it's never too late to check out Mario and Sonic's Rio exploits on Wii U.

2) Titanfall 2 (PS4, XB1, PC)

I'm a fan of older first-person shooters due to many having expansive levels and maps with plenty of places to show off my shooting prowess (or lack thereof). Titanfall 2's single player campaign possesses such a campaign, plus it features a lot of awesome mobility measures like running along walls and sliding across the ground. Then, there's the ability to pilot a massive mech, bringing the pain to both infantry and fellow mechs alike. Couple the insanely exciting single player campaign with the craziness of combat online across a series of well designed maps, and you have SuperPhillip Central's runner-up pick for biggest surprise of 2016.

1) DOOM (PS4, XB1, PC)

As I mentioned, I'm not the biggest modern FPS fan out there, as many campaigns nowadays are extremely linear with very little exploration involved. DOOM's resurgence into the gaming this past year not only surprised with its insanely fun and fast paced combat, but its level design housed a plethora of interesting secrets that stood out for being fun to find and worthwhile too. I am amazed by how much I really enjoyed DOOM. It feels like a modernized version of old school FPS games, and that is a concept that really resonated with me as a player, making it my biggest surprise of 2016.

SuperPhillip Central Best of 2015 Awards - Top Five Biggest Surprises

The second of two lists being posted today as part of the SuperPhillip Central Best of 2015 Awards is here! Some games come out of nowhere and floor you with their quality. You go in not expecting anything or expect something negative, and you're blown away by how good the game is. That is the modus operandi of these next five games, the biggest surprises in 2015.

5) Adventures of Pip (Multi)

We start this list of five games with Adventures of Pip, a downloadable delight for a myriad of home consoles as well as PC. The game is a standard 2D platformer, but the real fun comes from interacting with different objects that turn the titular character into different pixel forms, such as 8-bit and 16-bit. The latter is great for breaking big blocks, though it lacks the maneuverability and is quite heavy. Many rooms of the game's levels require switching between multiple forms at once to solve environmental and platforming puzzles. I didn't doubt that Adventures of Pip might be good. I did doubt that it'd be one of my favorite releases this year.

4) Freedom Planet (Wii U eShop)

Another digital game, Freedom Planet started out as a fan project before turning into a serious indie game, somewhat similar in gameplay to the Genesis Sonic the Hedgehog games in some regards. I knew I would probably enjoy the game because of its influences, but I never would have dared to hazard the guess that I would like the game as much as I did. Yes, the levels drag on a bit too long, and they should have been split up into more bite-sized chunks. Other than that, I have no real complaints about this terrific and charming 2D platformer.

3) Chibi-Robo!: Zip Lash (3DS)

After hearing and reading complaint after complaint about Chibi-Robo!: Zip Lash's level select system, I didn't think I would find myself so attracted to the game. I was wrong with my thought process, as not only can the level roulette be cheesed with coins or proper timing, but the actual gameplay is quite remarkable. Using Chibi-Robo's plug to whip enemies into shape, grab onto ledges, and pull himself across chasms was innovative for this storied genre of gaming, and while the vehicle stages left something to be desired overall, ultimately I found much joy playing Zip Lash. Don't think of it merely as a game to sell an amiibo. It's a rather good 2D platformer.

2) Until Dawn (PS4)

A choose-your-own-adventure-type game for fans of horror movies, filled with the typical tropes one would expect, along with some curve balls that many would not, Until Dawn was one of the biggest sleeper hits of the year. It proved to be an excellent title to add to the exclusives of the PlayStation 4, and became a popular game to stream for many players. Every choice, no matter how simple, leads to the conclusion and affects the eight characters placed together in the game.

1) Splatoon (Wii U)

Between being a new IP, being on a struggling system, and having countless folks saying that the game would bomb, Splatoon managed to be a success. Not just that, but it also managed to be way more fun than it had any right to be. While the launch offered a handful of maps, the post-release content-- all free, by the way-- has added a seemingly endless amount of gear and weapons options, as well as a total of 15 maps thus far. Splatoon is as addicting and original a third-person shooter can get, and it's a total blast to dive into the mechanics and the hidden depth. No doubt the success of Splatoon has surprised many, including Nintendo itself.

SuperPhillip Central Best of 2014 Awards - Top Five Biggest Surprises

Plenty of times I've hyped myself up on a game in dramatic, frenzied fashion only to have a cloud of disappointment blow up in my face. Then there are the times that are much better-- when I don't think much about a game (if I think about it at all) and when I finally play, I'm floored by how good it is. These five games on this list were games that either weren't looking so hot initially, were completely overlooked by me until I played them, or had quality that was so much higher than what I was expecting. Here are my top five biggest surprises of 2014.

5) Armillo (Wii U eShop)

I'm a lover of 3D platformers, so Armillo seems like it would be an easy game to see coming, right? However, Fuzzy Wuzzy Games was a studio I hadn't heard of or knew of their past work. What Armillo ended up being was not just a fantastic game in its own right, but one of my favorite indie games of the year on any platform. It plays so well, is full of wonderful ideas, and it made me smile on a number of occasions. Definitely a title I'm glad I tried despite not thinking much of the developer at first.

4) Fantasy Life (3DS)

I had loosely followed this next game on my list prior to its release, and this was back when the game had more of a cel-shaded art style. Fantasy Life managed to blow me away with its immense amount of content, things to do, places to go, creatures to defeat, materials to acquire, crafts to make, and a story that brought with it lots of humor and well-written dialogue. It's not hard to be astonished when you go into a game not knowing much about it, but it's hard to be as impressed with Fantasy Life as I ended up being.

3) Hyrule Warriors (Wii U)

The only Dynasty Warriors-styled game I enjoyed (and that was just a little bit) was Dynasty Warriors Gundam. That game was mighty repetitive, despite the premise of thousands of mobile suit mechs fighting one another on one battlefield. Thus, I didn't think I'd like Hyrule Warriors as much, even as a fan of the source material. It wasn't as repetitive as I thought it would be. It was, dare I say, actually fun to grind in, whether it be character experience levels, rupees, or materials. Hyrule Warriors became one of my favorite games of 2014, and here I thought it'd be just another rote Dynasty Warriors experience.

2) Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2 (Wii U, PS3, 360)

Here comes a game that I had low expectations set, and they were more than met and exceeded! While Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2 doesn't do a lot that is new, it's a massively well made, cleverly designed, and polished game. After the original last year, I wasn't too sure how a sequel would pan out, but the more streamlined approach, better level design, and just plain greater amount of fun overall. It's for these reasons that Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures 2 is one of the games that surprised me most this past year.

1) Shovel Knight (Wii U and 3DS eShop)

Coming to PlayStation platforms next year, Shovel Knight dug his way onto the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS this past year with critical acclaim and great sales to boot. I expected some Mega Man wannabe whose only merit was tugging on the nostalgia heartstrings of 8-bit gamers of old. Boy, did my ignorance blind me! Shovel Knight isn't a marvelous Mega Man wannabe-- it's its own beast, and it's quite a mighty one, too. One that I've played through more times than I care to admit just because the game is so polished, well put together, and hits all the right notes throughout its campaign.