3 Up, 3 Down – November 2021
November ended up being a very good month for video games. The top reviewed games of the month were all highly anticipated major releases, and even the worst games were still pretty good. There was only one major disappointment. Our bottom releases were all either remakes or remasters, so everything new rightfully earned it pre-holiday season release time. Here are the three best and worst games released in November 2021:
The Good
Forza Horizon 5
***click here for our review***
Forza Horizon 5 is a contender for best-reviewed game of the entire year, let alone month. It looks phenomenal, and has a perfect highspeed feel. This could be the game that finally unites arcade and sim fans into one big racing love fest. The map is huge, diverse, beautiful, and packed with so much content, that some might find it overwhelming. Our reviewer called Forza Horizon 5 one of “the most grin-inducing racing games out there, and arguably one of the largest feathers in Xbox Game Studios’ cap.” High praise indeed!
Shin Megami Tensei V
***click here for our review***
Shin Megami Tensei V was one of the titles announced with the launch of the Nintendo Switch, and for many, it was an immediate system seller. This R-rated Pokemon predecessor has more of a sci-fi feel than its squarely horror-based predecessors. The game map is huge, and gives more of an open world vibe than the somewhat linear maps of series past. Our reviewer proclaimed that “gaming technology has finally reached the point that it’s able to convey the tone and feel that Shin Megami Tensei has been trying to capture since the 80s.” If you’ve ever been looking for a JRPG with creepy Metroid vibes, Shin Megami Tensei V is the game for you.
Battlefield 2042
***click here for our review***
Okay, we get it. It has some bugs and things that need to be fixed. Many of those fixes are incoming. If you are patient and can ride out the storm, we are pretty convinced you’ll be rewarded. Much like Call of Duty, big shooters never start strong, but by Christmas time, things are rockin’. Battlefield 2042 took the olde-timey war series into the future. While this series entry didn’t re-invent the wheel, the few positive changes far outweighed the lack of a single-player campaign. Chief among them was Hazard Mode, a 4-player team-based extraction mode. Our reviewer wrote “the game manages to strike an awesome balance of interesting and comfortable”, and while many feel the game released with much content missing, there was plenty upon launch to keep players busy for hours.