The Best, Worst and Blandest of 2021 (Zero Punctuation) 

Watch this week's episode of Zero Punctuation on the games he didn't review in 2021. www.escapistmagazine.com/2021-roundup-of-games-i-didnt-review-zero-punctuation/ Watch it early via RU-vid Memberships.

They've done it. Ubisoft has finally gone from topping the Blandlist to becoming the background it's written on.

You know it was a bad year when a Ubisoft sandbox didn't even make it on the bland list.

I hope SWERY keeps making games just to keep making Yahtzee’s worst lists a little more colorful

I think it says a lot about how long this year feels like it's been that I didn't even remember Bellend Dunderhead was released in 2021.

Even the sound effects with which each entry is introduced is comparatively subdued compared to Yahtzee's previous end-of-year videos. He really wanted to nail his beginning point home.

The greatest takeaway from this video IMO is that liquid sound effects are surprisingly satisfying to my ears

I like that Yahtzee stealthily finally gave away the actual ending of Twelve Minutes (the one he covered up in the review by describing it as "the main character is a dog molester").

Now just need the every zp from 2021 and the year will finally be complete

Based on that little zinger at the end of the credits combined with the surprisingly positive review, I can't tell if Halo Infinite was an honourable mention for the best games list or the bland games list...

Every year I look forward to one thing and one thing only: the sound effects Yahtzee will use for the good, the bad and the bland.

That Champagne pop is the most satisfying thing I've heard all week.

The blandest category is growing exponentially each year

Holy shit. The first time Ubisoft didn't get one of their "games" into the Bland 5.

Bland-a Claus really did leave a turd in all of our stockings last year. It was hard to summon a great deal of enthusiasm even for Yahtzee's top 5 best.

I was a little surprised to see Balan at the top of the worst list, considering how surprisingly lenient he was in the actual review. Edit: how did this become so popular wtf

Glad he acknowledge Ender Lillies. I'm surprised it wasn't part of the best, he seem to think well of it.

Happy to see some more Psychonauts love. Resigned to see more of the same mistakes being made elsewhere in AAA.

Psychonauts 2 was legitimately how you make sequals. Sure it might not be the original but it also means after waiting for so long for it to come out a new generation gets to experience it. Man I love psychonauts.

I'm really surprised Cruelty Squad didn't win, or at least get special mention.

I was about to say this'll be an easy win for Hades until I remembered that no, that was 2020. Jeez, 2021 really failed to make any impression on me games-wise.

2:59 If there was a very specific change of hats we would've had a sneaky 'Waiting for Godot' visual gag here.

For those keeping trakc, this is the first year since its inception that the Blandest list has not featured a Ubisoft game.

Ah yes, when all other reviewers falter and even the independent ones, yahtzee is here to remind us, yes, yes we can have a high standard in videogames

“My therapist told me to cut down on Soulslikes,” huh? They’re gonna be stressed out come February, then

1:04 The Forgotten City was this year's Obra Dinn for me. I finished them both in almost one sitting in 1 day. It even got me interested in learning about Roman history.

Hey Yahtzee, your sound effects for the three award types are crisp, brief, and they never feel like they're taking up my time by the 5th go-around. I appreciate it. Best annual episode yet.

We might actually have hope this year everyone. Ubisoft didn't make the worst list or blandest

I suppose the fact that the very first game he reviewed went straight into the bland 5 should’ve been read as a bad omen for the year.

Time to build a really clever and unique game about lettuce to prove that slug right, and Yahtzee wrong

I’m so happy another book is out, I own all the audio books and a few of the print copies. Yahtzee is seriously a talented author and I look forward to each release

The Halo mention got a good laugh out of me at the end

I was low-key expecting Inscryption to crop up here. Great list as always. I still need to check out Psychonauts 2.

Finally, Psychonauts 2 gets some credit! I'm playing It Takes Two and enjoying it, but it just seems like the co-op version of that with a less developed story. Also very sneaky to spoil a game without specifying which game it is so it's not a spoiler lol

love how the font for blandness is calibri. very well chosen

Actually, Ballan Wonderworld is the Spiritual successor to a PS1 game most people wouldn't remember: Bubsy 3D.

Surprised to see Guardians of the Galaxy wasn’t on the bland list. I guess Kickstart my heart must be Yahtzees one weakness.

Love how Yahtzee thinks he can steal jokes from classic British comedy, in this case Red Dwarf. Not sneaking that past me, sir.

I came expecting Persona 5 Strikers. Thanks Yahtzee. That Persona 5 explanation stream was amazing.

Definitely a lot of bland games this last year, though I'm surprised Far Cry didn't make the list given how he basically said it was like the game was trying to fall asleep the entire time.

While I may be new to Yahtzee, I've been binging him all day and couldn't help but squeal like the the excited man-child I am when I saw he effectively praised Ender Lilies by saying the only real bad thing about it was the strain on the eyes. Which is appropriate because I'm pretty sure the game is colorblind except for the occasional bit of red.

Man it was a pretty bland year. I had to keep pausing after every single pick because I struggled to remember pretty much any of these games and had to go look them up. That's a bad sign.

This video came out just after I finished Spec ops the line, was awesome to see it pop up almost immediately.

Glad to see love for ender lilies n metroid dread at the end

Congrats to House of Ashes for breaking the Dark Pictures Anthology's "winning" streak by not ending up on the Blandest List

*waits with anticipation for the full 2021 compilation to fall asleep to throughout 2022*

Nice little touch throwing in a Fez again when talking about the Good Life.

The list I've been waiting for

Not a single mention of Returnal, even in the honorable mentions. Genuinely shocked by that.

I legitimately made me happy that Persona 5 strikers was on the best list; solid combat and story and amazing music.

I remember when my lucky underpants also finally kicked the bucket. I kept the torn remains in a drawer because I wanted to frame it one day; figured the glow in the dark snowflakes would make it look cool on the wall at night.

Okay but seriously that bit about miswriting the date on all our papers for the next couple weeks is sooooo true.

Honestly, I was surprised by some his choices based on his original reviews of them, like The Good Life.

Metroid Dread definitely made my top 5 this year, even as Yahtzee points and stares with the face again.

5:53 That quadrupal row of Outsiders when listing possible negatives in games got me good.

Great video. Took a while to finish since the transitions sent me to the bathroom twice.

Hang on, I just got the joke about the extra punctuation about Dark Souls talking about the decline of gaming...Unstoppable decline from a golden age is literally what dark souls is about. Yahtzee you fucking genius.

Will we ever see omori covered 😔

Happy 2020 part 3!

I really enjoy the liquid pouring sound.

Wow, I didn't think that Yahtzee could somehow get even *more* exhausted and depressed with the games industry, but somehow, he managed it.

Inscryption also deserves a mention, that game slapped harder than any alcoholic step mother could.

Im very excited for your next Will Destroy the Galaxy for book. The differently morphous book was wonderful and The jam too. But those space books are your best by far.

Brilliant! Properly enjoyed that 😀

The most important question in the intro was about the hat

This is my favorite year in review again. I may agree more with others, but this one just does it right.

4:03 Oh my God! I have the same hope I have!....well except for the sink making lager thing

I've been waiting for this

At least Q1 of this year looks more interesting than pretty much all of 2021 combined. Let's just hope they deliver.

I got a bad feeling that 2022 will give Yahtzee a whole lot of mad starey face, at least we'll get Elden Ring

This video brought back some child memories big time since you showed Sooty! I have forgotten all about sooty and sweep

I wasn't expecting a cork pop jump scare this early in the morning

I think I heard yahtzee say he didn't think he'd get into a deck-building game like Inscryption and hasn't played it. It's too bad because it was a really creative and fun game.

Some parts of the list really surprised me. I didn't think psychonauts 2 would get #1 best, as yahtzee didn't like the writing as much as the first one and the gameplay didn't change much. I also didn't expect artful escape to get a spot on the best ones, with how the gameplay is on that one. Expected ender lilies to get a spot instead, but I get why yahtzee's trying to limit the soulslikes for the list. Lastly blimey, I didn't remember that outriders was 2021, my god.

Ty for the more ear friendly sound effects this year. XD

7:53 having played through good ol' BLUDDBORNN again that little end message read pretty funny unspecified deity, or some say unspecified deitym

Forgotten City is a gem that made me actually care about other people's well being. Who cares if they were digital lol

Seeing Re Village on the blandest made my heart weak, but I forgive you for having Psychonauts 2 as best game of the year.

Am I alone in feeling my skin crawl uncontrollably every time the Champagne pop and bubble ASMR sound came up?

New Year Yahtzee!!

Glad to see someone actually puts Persona 5 Strikes on a top 5 list, it's a great game :)

Glad to see the forgotten city made the best list, I really liked that game

I love that the medal of honor box art could only be more beige if it were a simple beige rectangle, fitting for blandest of the year.

I am here for the lager tap!

Unfortunately, I have to agree with Yatzee about the whole "2000-2010 was best era for gaming". The PS2/Xbox generation had all the classics we pine for current games to be like yet they can never live up to, while the PS3/XB360 generation was where online gaming fully came into stride. When those games get a remaster or sequel, they sell in droves and everyone loves them again, but only as long as corporate meddling doesn't break the game and they add excessive bullshit to the remasters, like microtransactions *angry stares as ActiBliz*.

That was an impeccable description of how I felt playing RE8

“Oh ffs, why are you still even here?!” Glad I wasn’t drinking when that last one popped up, lmfao 🤣🤣🤣

The one video a year that I actually get excited for….now to wait 364 days till the next one…

I feel Yahtzee would have felt Inscryption to be a breath of fresh air if he’d tried it, if he could get past the card game portion.

_"Gaming may already have peaked ten to twenty years ago."_ - Well, he's not wrong, I'd say. I honestly can't even manage to work up the interest to look into buying a current gen console.

Yahtzees Games of 2021 Best Games: 1. Psychonauts 2 2. The Forgotten City 3. It Takes Two 4. Persona 5 : Strikers 5. The Artful Escape Blandest Games: 1. Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond 2. Outriders 3. Back 4(for?) Blood 4. Kena: Bridge of Spirits 5. Resident Evil: Village Worst Games: 1. Balan Wonderworld 2. Werewolf: The Apocalyspe: Earthblood 3. OddsWorld: Soulstorm 4. The Good Life 5. Twelve Minutes See you for next years list.

Wow I love the enthusiasm as you’re saying the number one best game

Did yahtzee not play inscryption? Amazing game which feels right up his alley

I feel like Yahtzee's gonna try to find some way to put Sonic Frontiers on either the Bland or Worst list in 2022 even if it's better than most purely out of disdain for the series. Be back in a year to find out if I'm wrong.

Kind of surprised that there was no mention of OMORI. Thought it would have been a sneaky last-second spot a la Undertale.

Feels like I only just watched the brand-new Best/Worst/Blandest of 2020 a few months ago

I thought Psychonauts 2 fell into a good-but-short-of-great category, where I was sad when it ended without expanding on the interns and Raz's Family in the same way the original's camp kids got resolution to their own stories in the end. It's way more polished than the original so it felt better to play throughout, but it didn't end up generating as many memorable moments for me. Metroid Dread had a similar problem where its gameplay elements were polished far beyond any prior 2D Metroid, but the story was silly nonsense that the devs obviously had to rush. Hell, I guess you can lump It Takes Two into the same boat. Maybe that's why Forgotten City especially stood out to me this year - it had by far the best writing of the new releases I played.

even if we think modern games peaked a round a decade ago, vr games have nowhere near reached their best. the amount of potential in vr titles is exciting to think about

and this is the simple reason why I still have a ps2 to this day, spot on yahtzee \o/

I just relistened to differently morphous and then to exitencially challanged and I want more. You're a very good author