Before 2022 arrives, now is the perfect time to reflect on the 2021 gaming year for PlayStation players. The Playstation Blog asked the fans to vote on the Game of the Year (GOTY) for PS4 and PS5, and the results are in, highlighting two very strong games from this year.
This year saw the release of many long awaited games, as well as many that took players by surprise. Games like Resident Evil: Village, and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart were polished entries in two cherished video game franchises, while titles like The Game Awards GOTY winner It Takes Two, and Deathloop provided gamers with new characters, and new experiences unlike many games before had. Usually PlayStation Studios puts out a handful of titles that are in the GOTY discussion, but the discussion becomes interesting when the focus group is just titles that came out on PlayStation. Last year's PlayStation Blog vote saw The Last of Us: Part 2 win GOTY.
The results of the PlayStation Blog vote for 2021 are in, with Resident Evil: Village, and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart winning PS4 and PS5 GOTY respectively. Like in years past, PlayStation Blog shows the standings of every category through its Trophies, with Platinum being the highest, followed by Gold, Silver, then Bronze.
In addition to being the PS4 GOTY, Village also received Platinum Trophy honors in the Best Story, and Best New Character categories, the latter being for the iconic Lady Dimitrescu. Rift Apart was the big winner this year, though, bringing home the most Trophies with Platinum wins in Best Art Direction, Best Use of DualSense, and Best Graphical Showcase, on top of PS5 Game of the Year.
The only other title to receive multiple awards was Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut, winning the Platinum in both Best Accessibility Features, and Best Re-Release. Other notable wins include Kena: Bridge of Spirits as the Independent Game of the Year, Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy with the Best Soundtrack, and It Takes Two as the Best Multiplayer Experience.
Interestingly, PlayStation's other big console exclusive this year Deathloop did not make the finish in the top 4 of any voting category, despite its rave reviews from critics and players. Also worth pointing out, Resident Evil: Village got the Gold trophy in the PS5 GOTY voting as well.
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, and Resident Evil: Village taking home the most awards does not come as the largest surprise. Both games were adored by players and critics, each having massive player bases and making sizable waves upon release. The only PlayStation Studios game to finish in the top 4 for PS5 GOTY was Returnal, a great victory for the team at Housemarque and its challenging game. With Insomniac winning Studio of the Year, the question remains how it continues to put out hit after hit for PlayStation.
Source: PlayStation