SuperPhillip Central Best of 2021 Awards - Top Five Remakes & Remasters

What's old is new again with this awards category as part of the SuperPhillip Central Best of 2021 Awards. These games brought back classics in a great way with updated visuals, quality improvements, and even some new features to make these remakes and remasters some of 2021's absolute bests. Here's the list of winners.

5) Sonic Colors: Ultimate (Multi)

Although its launch was a bit of a rocky one, perhaps one sabotaged by Dr. Eggman (that dastardly doc!), Sonic Colors: Ultimate shaped up to be a stellar HD remaster of the Wii original Sonic Colors, one of the Blue Blur's best 3D outings bar-none. It's not just a good Sonic game, it's a great game in general. The upgraded visuals look stunning, the remixed music alongside the originals are true bops, and the added features like Metal Sonic races and the ability to customize Sonic made for an HD remaster that rolled around at the speed of awesome.

4) Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139... (PS4, XB1, PC)

The original Nier was an oft overlooked game, so it was a blessing that Square Enix gave the game a second chance to shine--and boy, did it ever shine! Not only did the sales top over a million copies, blasting past projections, but the improvements and upgrades to this remaster made a great game even better. The most obvious of these upgrades are within the visuals, which delight and captivate with a fresh coat of paint. However, there is also that of the combat improvements, which made Nier a far less frustrating game than the original title. Nier Replicant ver.1.22474487139... is a stellar remaster overall.

3) Pokémon Brilliant Diamond & Pokémon Shining Pearl (NSW)

Despite not really digging the chibi art style of this duo of Sinnoh region remakes, the visuals eventually grew on me and dare I say I managed to discover somewhat of a fond appreciation for them. Sometimes a remake doesn't really need to really reinvent the wheel, and that's what makes Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl such great remakes. This pair of titles doesn't deviate too far from the blueprint laid out by the Nintendo DS originals, which may disappoint some, but new features such as character and Poké Ball customization, The Grand Underground, and Super Contest shows add to the value of these remakes. If you wanted the fun and challenge of the Nintendo DS Pokemon games with some added features and in a fresh coat of paint, you got them with Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl. 

2) The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD (NSW)

SuperPhillip Central's Game of the Year way back in 2011 shined brightly ten years later with a glorious HD remaster of one of Link's lesser liked 3D adventures. The development team added a slew of new features and quality of life improvements to Skyward Sword to make it a more welcoming, less tedious journey for both players and Link. The most prevalent of these was that of traditional analog controls for sword slashing, using the right stick to maneuver Link's blade. The standard motion controls were also included, offering similar swordplay and gyro-fueled goodness to the Wii game, albeit with more syncing needed. All in all, it was a pleasure to be able to revisit Skyloft, the Sacred Grounds, and all parts of Skyward Sword's world all over again with this HD remaster, and being able to experience the game once more was an absolute privilege to do.

1) Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania (Multi)

Essentially remaking the levels of Super Monkey Ball 1, 2, and Deluxe, and packaging them together in one forty dollar, content-rich game, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania served as the series' 20th anniversary title. And, goodness gracious, what a way to celebrate 20 years of Monkey Ball madness. Banana Mania was a return to form for the Super Monkey Ball series, offering oodles of delightful and exhilarating gameplay, countless in-game challenges to complete, cosmetics to unlock, levels to overcome, and mini-games to enjoy. While not a 1:1 perfect recreation of the original Super Monkey Ball games' physics (so purists may be disappointed here), what is present is one of, if not the best Super Monkey Ball game to date. The value is extraordinary and the game itself is a banana-fueled blast.

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 2021 Awards - Top Five Most Overlooked Games

This is always a fun awards category and list to do at the end of the year at each SPC Best of Awards, and it's of course back this year with a new batch of five games! These are those games that didn't get the credit they deserve, that fell through the proverbial cracks, and quickly slipped out of the limelight, if they were ever in it to begin with. Make no mistake: There are so many worthy games to be on this list, so no worries if your favorites aren't featured. Now, onto the list of winners!

5) Dodgeball Academia (Multi)

We aren't any stranger to dodgeball on the SuperPhillip Central Best of 2021 Awards, at least not so far, but how about an RPG based on the gym class sport of choice? Dodgeball Academia is just the game for you, offering intense real-time dodgeball matches, special abilities, BALL-timate attacks, equipment to wear, items to use, and a fantastically funny and well-written story full of humorous dialogue and eccentric, quirky characters. The art style is drop-dead gorgeous too, bringing with it balls-to-the-wall beauty. If you're looking for an 8-10 indie adventure more than worthy of your time, hit the court with Dodgeball Academia. 

4) Game Builder Garage (NSW)

A budget release for the Nintendo Switch, Game Builder Garage is a piece of software that delivers the opportunity to make your own games. This is nowhere near as complex or decidedly convoluted as say, Dreams, but it does offer a lot of ability to push your creativity. The amount of tutorials, each centered on a different genre of game, comes packed with lessons that slowly and steadily teach prospective game builders how to use the lessons learned to design their own would-be masterpieces. Plus, challenges that put what you've learned to the test are sprinkled between games to make sure you can practice what's been preached and successfully do so. It's essentially coding for beginners with the cute and whimsical No-dons that connect to one another to perform functions in each project. All in all, Game Builder Garage didn't light the Switch world on fire, but it did give a lot of wannabe beginning game makers an entry point into the wonderful world of game design.

3) Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World (NSW, PS4, PC)

There has been no shortage of classic games getting remarkably well done remakes and touch-ups these past few years. The Wonder Boy series alone has seen three thus far, with Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World being one of those. While faithful to the original game perhaps to a fault with some obtuse design, super challenging gameplay at times, short length, and miss-able collectables along the way, there's no question that a lot of love was poured into this remake of Monster World IV. The game looks absolutely adorable with brilliant and vivid colors, detailed polygonal graphics, and it's all accentuated by some superb sound design. Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World definitely delighted this player of the game, and it's my wish more folks give the game a shot.

2) Kaze and the Wild Masks (Multi)

For those looking for an outstanding indie game that shows true appreciation to and takes inspiration from Rare's classic Donkey Kong Country trilogy, look no further than Kaze and the Wild Masks. This charming 2D platformer is far from just a clone, it's a highly competent adventure with exceptional level design housing myriad well-hidden secrets, tricky platform placement, and some fun obstacles and gameplay gimmicks inside them. The Wild Masks that Kaze wears at specific parts of the game are essentially DKC's animal transformations, offering unique gameplay hooks to each. Throw in a visually stunning art style and a well done soundtrack, and you have a real winner. Don't sleep on Kaze and the Wild Masks, people!

1) NEO: The World Ends With You (NSW, PS4, PC)

On one hand, it's quite fortunate of an event and we're lucky that a true sequel to The World Ends With You even exists. On the other, it's an absolute tragedy how many gamers and potential players passed on the game. I don't blame the gaming populace for this aforementioned tragedy either, as Square Enix did next to nothing to promote or even push the game, not even featuring it in its E3 2021 conference. All that notwithstanding, NEO: The World Ends With You stands as an excellent modern JRPG with terrific action, a masterful visual style and soundtrack, and a riveting story and cast of characters. It all gels well to make for one of the more engaging titles of 2021, and yes, sadly, also one of the most overlooked games of the year, as well.

SuperPhillip Central Best of 2021 Awards - Top Five Games That Kept On Giving

Our second award to be handed our via countdown as part of the SuperPhillip Central Best of 2021 Awards took a hiatus during last year's ceremony after debuting in 2019. Well, now it's back and in fantastic form in 2021! It's the Games That Kept on Giving. These games, whether released originally in 2021 or not, and whether free or paid DLC, continued to provide players with an abundance of outstanding content. This list presents just a sampling of some of the greatest games that persisted in pushing forth more bang for one's buck and more goodness out of their original game purchase.

5) Forza Horizon 5 (XBS, XB1, PC)

The most recent game released on this list, Forza Horizon 5 is a phenomenal open-world racing game, and one of the ways the game puts the pedal to the metal and its hooks into players is through seasonal events. These weekly events present new racing challenges for players to participate in to earn points that subsequently unlock new vehicles for players' garages. There is a whole slew of events, such as races, Forza Arcade challenges, PR stunts to perform and complete, and so much more. There is certainly a sense of FOMO to be found here, especially as I mentioned, these seasons last four weeks each with each week presenting a new set of challenges to take on. Still, it keeps me jumping right back into the driver's seat for some Forza fun in Mexico.

4) Knockout City (Multi)

This won't be our last time seeing Knockout City tonight, but for the meantime, we're celebrating the game for going above and beyond with its seasonal events. From the Hollywood movie-focused season to its extraterrestrial escapade, Knockout City not only continued to push forward new ideas for its seasons, but also a robust repertoire of cosmetics to unlock, modes to engage in, and new maps to learn. It's a big reason why I occasionally see myself returning time and time again to the dodgeball brawls of Knockout City long after its spring release this year.

3) Animal Crossing: New Horizons (NSW)

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is no stranger to the SPC Best of Awards--in fact, the title won Game of the Year honors last year at the SPC Best of 2020 Awards. As the culmination of all things New Horizons, Nintendo decided to end the game's content with a bang with Animal Crossing: New Horizons - Happy Home Paradise. This paid DLC offers the ability to design homes--both indoor and outdoor--for a list of clients based on a usually simple theme. That's just one part of the additional content brought to New Horizons by Nintendo. There was also free content in the form of Brewster's Café, a host of new Nook Miles rewards, new furniture, ceiling décor, and so much more. Even if you didn't invest in Happy Home Paradise, what you get with just the base free content more than makes a worthy and welcomed batch of new content for Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

2) Mario Golf: Super Rush (NSW)

Who doesn't love free? That's exactly what Nintendo and Camelot gave players with Mario Golf: Super Rush, which recently concluded its free series of downloadable content. All in all, Nintendo added five new characters (including Toadette, Wiggler, and never-before-playable Ninji), five new courses (a pair of which possessing two versions each: an Amateur and a Pro version), a multitude of modes like Target Golf and One-On, One-Off, and plenty of additional quality of life improvements to make what was a near-bogey of a golf game into a bona fide albatross of a time on the links. That makes for one outstanding offering with Mario Golf: Super Rush, and while the game may not have been worth its price at launch, it's very much worth picking up now.

1) Fortnite (Multi)

Fortnite is certainly a megahit, and "megahit" might be understating things quite a bit. This free-to-play battle royale game sees 100 players competing against one another, facing off, running and gunning down each other in hopes of being the last player remaining. The recent brand-new chapter and season brought a whole host of changes and alterations to the game, with the most prevalent of which being an entirely new island to explore. Like the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air's life, the island got flipped and turned upside-down, revealing a wholly fresh battleground. New characters like Spider-Man, Gears of War's Marcus Fenix and Kait Diaz, and even Star Wars' Boba Fett made their debut in the Battle Pass, and an item shop known as The Foundation opened for business. The way that Fortnite continues to innovate on itself despite being around for seemingly ages now, as well as how much substantial new content was added, make Fortnite SuperPhillip Central's choice for the best Game That Kept on Giving in 2021.

SuperPhillip Central Best of 2021 Awards - Top Five Best Original Soundtracks

Welcome, one and all, to the annual tradition that concludes each and every year here at SPC: It's the SuperPhillip Central Best of Awards! This time around we're looking back at the gaming year that was 2021. Like we've done in previous years, we'll be providing you, dear readers, with eight unique countdowns in list form, celebrating the best and brightest in gaming this past year. From the year's biggest surprises to the most overlooked games, and of course the crowning of SPC's Game of the Year on New Year's Eve to say goodbye to 2021 in style, there will be a wide assortment of lists to get through together. With that, let us get to the very first list of this year's awards!

And we're doing so with a bang, and a boom... and some stellar notes, too! Subjectivity is always a thing with video games, but perhaps that is no truer than with this first top five list and awards category: Best Original Soundtracks of 2021. After all, one gamer's great soundtrack is another's passable one. It's all up to the listener! While there has been no shortage of excellent tunes to trance out and vibe to, the truly fantastic soundtracks of the year have left a memorable mark with stirring sounds, magical melodies, and a robust repertoire of tunes. 

Games with soundtrack comprised mostly of licensed songs, such as Forza Horizon 5, how ever much a super sampling of music that is, do not qualify for this list. Hence, the "original" adjective thrown in before "soundtracks", of course! Now, onto the list!

5) Ys IX: Monstrum Nox (PS4, NSW, PC)

To kick off this list in style, we have a game series that will always have a place on one of these types of lists in the year of its release: the Ys series! The ninth numbered installment in the series, Ys IX: Monstrum Nox, brought with it a more Gothic sound to it, in addition to the series's traditional hard rock and heavy metal goodness of more modern entries. It's all fitting for the darker and more intense approach that Ys IX delivers, giving the soundtrack an almost Castlevania-like quality to its music. That's a high compliment if I've ever written one, which I just did! 

Decision

Dreaming in the Grimwald

Welcome to Chaos

Heart Beat Shaker

Feel Force

4) Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania (Multi)

Bright and bouncy, much like the Monkey Balls that speed through the game's death trap courses, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania's soundtrack is one part original music and one part returning tracks from Super Monkey Ball 1 and 2. It IS a celebration of 20 years of Monkey Ball madness, after all! We'll be focusing on the former set of songs, as it doesn't seem that fair to set our sights merely on previously used music. Regardless, the new songs are absolute bops and amazingly fitting for the Super Monkey Ball series. Many rival or downright obliterate the original themes, if such a thing isn't sacrilegious of me to say as a Super Monkey Ball fan. Either way, these songs do not get grating even after your sixtieth time "falling out" on the same floor!

When a Person Dreams

Skip Forward with Me

Attack is the Best Form of Defense

Star on the Black 2021

Monkey's Highway

3) Monster Hunter Rise (NSW, PC)

Monster Hunter music with an especially Japanese flavor, Monster Hunter Rise brings a joyous reverie of sound with its stellar music. From the title screen and main camp's pleasant and pretty vocal tunes, to the riveting and rambunctious battle themes with monsters and beasts alike, listeners of Monster Hunter Rise's soundtrack receive an absolute treat in their ears. There's something for everyone and for every mood with Monster Hunter Rise's music, and the amazing melodies only further enhanced my opinion of this game's soundtrack.

Kamura's Song of Purification

Sanctuary Abandoned by the Gods

Where Wyverns Go to Die

Cold Blues and Flaming Reds

Quest Completed

2) Death's Door (Multi)

To say that I was floored by Death's Door would be quite the understatement. David Fenn's work on this excellent action-adventure game accentuates said action when it needs to, and is more subdued but still delightfully melodic, when needed when exploring the depressing yet beautiful world of the game. Battle themes like Avarice and Betty deliver thrills while Ceramic Manor and The Old Watchtowers offer a hauntingly gorgeous sound to them. The soundtrack fires on all cylinders, and it's very much worth a purchase. Check out the full soundtrack on David Fenn's Bandcamp page, along with other soundtracks of his.

Death's Door 

Ceramic Manor

Avarice

The Old Watchtowers

Betty

1) Bravely Default II (NSW, PC)

Speaking of being floored by a soundtrack, there's the grand return of prog rock maven Revo to the Bravely Default series with his Bravely Default II masterclass of music composition. Whether you're navigating the world, towns, or dungeons of the game, or facing a climactic confrontation with a boss, you're in for a wild musical ride. There are really no losers when it comes to this soundtrack, whether that be a song or the listener! The brilliance of this soundtrack culminates with the last boss theme, which seems to effortlessly weave leitmotifs throughout the game to create one sensational note (or notes) to go out on. All of these factors make Revo's Bravely Default II the top original soundtrack of 2021 here at SuperPhillip Central.

Halcyonia, Home of the Spring Breeze

The Horizon: Endless Plains

Wiswald, The Scholars' Haven

Battle Against the Ones We Inevitably Confront

Eyes That Gaze into the Nexus ~ The Ones Who Gather Stars in the Night