The long-awaited Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition remaster is launching very soon, but fans are already celebrating the franchise for a different reason. 20 years ago, Grand Theft Auto 3 was released, and fans and developers alike are sharing their memories of the game.
As part of a PlayStation Blog post sharing memories about GTA 3, Koshi Nakanishi, a director at Capcom, explained how the vast scope of the game was an unlikely source of inspiration for one of Resident Evil's most terrifying and well-received entries, Resident Evil 7.
"I remember thinking ‘how did they make this kind of game on PS2?’ Not only from a gameplay point of view but also from a technical point of view," Nakanishi-san recalls.
"In response to the subsequent development of open-world games, I decided to do the exact opposite and make a small, narrow, dense horror game, and Resident Evil 7 was born. In a way, Resident Evil 7 may have been born because of GTA III."
GTA 3's incredible scale and freedom also inspired other video game creatives to pursue new creative endeavors, giving players much more control over how they wanted to play than ever before.
Brian Hastings, Head of Creative Strategy at Insomniac Games, said that GTA 3 completely changed his perspective about what made up a fun game, proving you don't just need to follow the designer's well-laid-out path.
"GTA III was the first game where you really made your own fun. That led me to reimagine how exploration and open-ended gadget and weapon usage in Ratchet & Clank could allow players to find their own fun and approach the gameplay in their own creative ways.”
You'll often hear gaming fans and critics bemoan the release of successive sequels and remakes because they don't bring anything new to the table – that the release allows developers to creatively stagnate. When you read comments like the ones above, you can start to see that they may have a point.
If GTA 3 hadn't been this huge push forward in terms of what video games can achieve then the creatives behind our favorite games (from Resident Evil to Control and Deathloop) might never have been inspired to create what we have today.
Sequels and remakes aren't inherently a bad thing. GTA 3 and God of War (2018) showed that with the right mindset you can teach an old dog new tricks and create a masterpiece – but an over-reliance on the familiar can limit what video games can achieve.
Hopefully, these GTA 3 celebrations can remind some developers and publishers that innovation doesn't just have to come from smaller indie studios – that AAA games can lead from the front and help inspire the next generation of video game creators.
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In a year where more people than ever seemed to be enjoying video games, truly great new releases were few and far between.
Between delays and disappointments and the effects of the pandemic being more widely felt in the industry and beyond, it simply wasn't a vintage year for video games.
With that said, we've managed to compile our picks for the 10 best games of 2021; let the debates begin!
10) It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios/EA)In the rush to facilitate massive player counts and an always-online style of game, the hallowed art of the couch co-op game has been lost.
'A Way Out' was a noble, but failed attempt at bringing back the game you play with a mate on the couch, but the developers took all the lessons from that experiment and made one of the year's most satisfying games in the process with 'It Takes Two'.
Like a mash-up of 'Marriage Story' and a 'Mario' game, 'It Takes Two' is a winning and charming game that offers players something new to do every 10 minutes.
If you're in possession of an extra controller this Christmas, you could do a lot worse than a few hours of 'It Takes Two' with a family member or friend.
9) Psychonauts 2 (Double Fine/Xbox Game Studios)Much like the film sphere, the role of the auteur is to be cherished and championed.
Tim Schafer is one of gaming's most unique voices, and when such a talented individual like Schafer gets the financial backing to realise their visions, the result is sheer brilliance.
Over 15 years in the making, 'Psychonauts 2' is every bit as irreverent and fresh as the original.
The gameplay does what it needs to, but the story builds upon the 2005 game to tell one of the most engaging and deep, yet funny, stories in any form of media this year.
Having 15 years of personal growth behind him and numerous failures as a creative, 'Psychonauts 2' is a fascinating and rewarding dive into the human condition, while still being fun to play.
In a year when some of the biggest disappointments were from the triple-AAA side of the industry, it becomes even more important that brilliantly creative games like 'Psychonauts 2' are supported.
8) Hitman 3 (IO Interactive)2021 saw us wave goodbye to Agent 47 as he carried out his last mission, but he saved the best for last.
Agent 47 taking time out of his busy assassin schedule to solve a 'Knives Out' style mystery in a cosy English mansion was one of the most inspired moments in gaming this year.
Agent 47 takes in his surroundings in 'Hitman 3'On a fundamental level, 'Hitman 3' is identical to the other two games in the reboot trilogy, but when the core gameplay loop is as deep, fascinating and endlessly replayable as the other 'Hitman' games, it shouldn't come as a surprise the final chapter makes an appearance on this list.
The joy of toying with targets, gawking at the attention to detail in the levels or listening in to NPC chatter makes the 'Hitman' games a class apart in the world of gaming, and Agent 47's final outing (for now) is the perfect cap to one of the great trilogies in modern gaming.
7) Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games/Sony)Every console needs an icon for the kids to look up to, and this dynamic duo are still flying that flag for Sony all these years later.
'A Rift Apart' is like a Pixar film in motion, and takes full advantage of what the PS5 has to offer.
Not just merely impressive as a tech demo game, the core chaotic 'Ratchet and Clank' gameplay is back and better than ever, making this a blast to play for fans who go back to the PS2 era with Ratchet and Clank or are new to the franchise.
The gameplay is off to a fine art, and the gameplay functions like a well-oiled machine.
The Pixar comparison is apt; there is something for everyone with 'A Rift Apart' and by bringing the fun back from the PS2 era with PS5 graphics, it bridges 3 generations of consoles beautifully.
6) Resident Evil: Village (Capcom)After 'Resident Evil 7' successfully revived the 'Resident Evil' franchise, the big question was "how will Capcom mess it up this time?"
2017's 'Resident Evil 7' brought the series back from the brink, creating a more unsettling, tense first-person perspective that worked wonders for the atmosphere and put the colour back in the series' cheeks.
Long-term fans of the 'Resident Evil' series had every right to be nervous; after 4 turned out to redefine the series and action genre as a whole, 5 and 6 became episodes of '24' that were about as scary as an episode of 'Scooby-Doo'.
Players face off against Lady Dimirescu in 'Resident Evil: Village''Village' builds upon what made '7' so unsettling and manages to tell a gripping story full of memorable characters such as 2021's breakout character, Lady Dimitrescu.
Poor Jake Winters goes through such punishment in 'Village' that you'll want to keep playing just to see what happens next, and the game boasts what may well be the series' scariest moment yet - yes, even scarier than the dogs going through the windows.
5) Mass Effect: Legendary Edition (Bioware/EA)The 'Mass Effect' games may be over a decade old, but when they're remastered to such a mirror shine with modern graphics, they're worthy of a slot on this list.
The original 2007 'Mass Effect' is the game in the collection to have received the most substantial upgrade, with its graphics overhauled and those infinite lift rides eliminated and the Mako handling less like a shopping trolley.
The jewel in the crown is 2010's exquisite 'Mass Effect 2' which received some subtle tweaks in the animation and graphics department but still remains the masterpiece it was over 10 years ago, and 2012's divisive 'Mass Effect 3' has aged pretty well.
With 'Mass Effect 3' including the Director's Cut DLC and the other story DLC added in, what was a game that was missing a few elements to become truly great has become just that.
From start to finish, 'Mass Effect: Legendary Edition is a game of dizzying depth and complexity,
For fans old or new, the games are still as good as ever, and now they're available in one package; hundreds of hours of sci-fi excellence in one place? You'd have to be as evil as a Reaper to turn that offer down.
4) Metroid Dread (MercurySteam/Nintendo)Samus Aran made a comeback in 2021 to show the gaming industry at large what they've been missing.
A glorious throwback to the side-scrolling era full of the innovative gameplay we've come to expect from the 'Metroid' series, 'Metroid Dread' is a pleasing throwback with a fresh coat of paint.
Originally a Nintendo DS game and regularly appearing on "best games to never be released" lists, Samus showed she was still able to compete in the 2021 gaming landscape, and the throwback feel created by the game was a breath of fresh air in the murky-brown triple AAA video game field.
The moral of the story? Always respect your elders.
3) Returnal (Housemarque/Sony)Finnish developer Housemarque have been in the Sony stable for well over a decade now ('Resogun' was the very first free PS Plus game on PS4) but 2021 saw the talented team break into the big time with 'Returnal'.
An overnight success that took 25 years to get a mainstream hit, 'Returnal' is one of the most thrilling experiences on the market today.
'Returnal' is like when the band you love is given a big record label deal, and with the full backing of Sony behind it, the talented team behind 'Returnal' finally put out a game worthy of their boundless imagination.
Telling the story of Celeste, 'Returnal' is best described as a mix between 'Edge Of Tomorrow' and 'Dark Souls', where players must die over and over again to figure out what's going on.
Celeste from 'Returnal' is one of this years most striking protagonists'Returnal' is a demanding game and will probably lead to many smashed controllers in frustration, but 'Returnal' does such a tremendous job of hooking players in you want to beat it.
Add in a gripping story, a riveting lead performance from Jane Perry as Celeste, and gorgeous visual and sound design, 'Returnal' is a statement of intent for the PS5, and other exclusives for the console will be doing well to match up to Housemarque's opus.
2) Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games/Xbox Game Studios)A racing game being one of the best games of the year might sound absurd, but trust us - 'Forza Horizon 5' really is that good.
Similar to how 'Pro Evolution Soccer 4' is a tremendous game that a non-football fan can enjoy, 'Forza Horizon 5' is a capital F Fun game first and a racing game second.
'Forza Horizon 5' does the impossible and makes a game that can be enjoyed by anyone from someone who's never picked up a controller in their life to a veteran gamer who goes back to the Atari 2600 era.
'Forza Horizon 5' is always pushing players to do just one more race, beat one more challenge, break one more record, but if you just want to switch off and enjoy the lush graphics and vast game world, you can do just that.
The concept of a sandbox game has become muddled over the last decade, with some developers thinking ticking off objectives one by one on a map counts as a sandbox experience, 'Forza Horizon 5' is a breath of fresh air and is a game that a player can enjoy on their own terms, at their own pace.
A true miracle of modern gaming, 'Forza Horizon 5' is one of the years absolute best games, racing or otherwise.
1) Deathloop (Arkane/Bethesda)The best game of a year should entertain, thrill, dazzle and do everything better than every other game out there.
On top of that, it needs to do something truly unique and special.
'Deathloop' does just that, with style to spare.
Arkane's other series 'Dishonored' tasked players with navigating a series of sandbox enviroments to knock off their targets, and have honed that formula into something truly special.
Invoking the 60's aesthetic of early 'James Bond' films and the TV show 'Archer', 'Deathloop' makes the old seem new again.
The games main hook - an assassin is trapped in a never-ending time loop and must assassinate 8 targets to end the cycle - makes the most out of the premise, and is consistently fresh and dynamic as a result.
Julianna and Colt are chasing different goals in our Game Of The Year 'Deathloop'The razor-sharp Tarantino style dialogue is a joy to listen to, and the main voice performances from Jason E. Kelley and Ozioma Akagha are among the most biting, yet hilarious voice performances in a game this year.
Of course, a game is only as good as its setting and design, and the gameplay in 'Deathloop' always remains kinetic and exciting.
Arkane has built upon the combat system from 'Dishonored' and 2017's underrated 'Prey' and turned it into the most swashbuckling fun this side of 'Bioshock Infinite'.
Whether players are breaking the loop as Colt or protecting it as Julianna, there is always a new element to find and mess around with, which is the telltale sign of a well-designed game.
A game of the year should still be fresh and exciting in the years to come, but still act as a reminder of the year that was.
'Deathloop' is a game where time has lost all meaning, every day is the same but slightly different and players must fight against a force they don't really understand.
'Deathloop' is the game that tells the story of 2021 and is our Game Of The Year.
11 Best Co-op PS4 Horror Games
Horror games typically follow a storyline that forces a solo experience. While there are certainly a ton of great single-player video game titles out there for the horror genre, sometimes you want to enjoy a horror game with a friend. In this list, we’re going to be highlighting some of the best cooperative horror games available right now for the PlayStation 4 platform.
#11 Friday the 13th The GameFriday the 13th The Game was a breakout hit and it was also a game that you couldn’t escape from. With so many players enjoying the title it was quickly flooded on streaming services like Twitch along with a slew of YouTube videos being uploaded daily. Those that played the game were in love with it as it took the iconic movie horror franchise and put it into a multiplayer video game. Players would either become camp councilors or the antagonist undead monster that lives within the campgrounds, Jason. The selected players that were put into the game round as survivors were split up on this large map with no means of direct communication. Instead, all the players could do is rely on getting close enough in proximity to communicate or locate a radio device that would connect to other players that have found a radio. From there, it’s a game of trying to find all the necessary items to make a successful escape.
However, on the map is also Jason who must track down and kill the remaining survivors. With a few powers such as quickly moving around different points on the map, Jason can attempt to cut players off or foil their plans of escape. Meanwhile, survivors are a bit more nimble as they can quickly dive into buildings, barricade themselves and attempt to hide from Jason in hopes that he moves on to another player. While this game had a massive following there was a major halt for the development studio. Due to some licensing issues, the studio was forced to shut the game servers down. Despite the servers being shut down, this game was still available for players to enjoy with friends thanks to the peer-to-peer matchmaking and the developers have continued to support the title.
#10 Dead by DaylightWhile Friday The 13th The Game failed to continue because of the licensing issues, Dead by Daylight offered an alternative that is still very much supported and active today. The game released around the same time as Friday the 13th The Game, but rather than being solely dedicated to any one particular IP, it was aimed to deliver a variety of IPs which would give players a bit more bang for their buck. Overall, the gameplay is pretty much the same here as again you have a group of survivor players that are tasked with escaping the area from a deadly hostile enemy, while the enemy player is set out to take the survivors out. As the game starts, players are actively working to complete certain objectives on the map before they rush out towards safety. For instance, to power the gates for the exits, players are forced to repair and get several different generators scattered around the map running.
Players can bring the generators up again but they’ll also need to keep an eye out for the hostile enemy player. Fortunately, survivors can be downed a few times before getting ultimately killed off, but to ensure that they are freed, healed, or escape confinements from within the map, it’s best to rely on teamwork. Enemy types have a few different attacks at their disposal, but survivors are also able to use different methods to keep the monster at bay such as knocking down pallets or environmental debris. As mentioned, unlike Friday the 13th The Game which only had a variety of Jason models to pick from, Dead by Daylight has several hostile enemy characters and maps. In the past, we’ve seen the likes of Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Stranger Things, and Silent Hill get featured on the game which adds a bit more replay value to see how the title switches things up with the new characters and maps.
#9 Aliens: Fireteam EliteIf you enjoy some cooperative games like Back 4 Blood, you may want to check in on Aliens: Fireteam Elite. This third-person shooter puts players into the role of an elite task force. Aiding those in need, the group is forced into fighting off some horrifying enemies like Xenomorphs. Players will find different classes to pick from while the game throws different waves of enemies their way. Meanwhile, the game puts players into a long believed destroyed refinery that has been infested with Xenomorphs. To figure out what happened, you’ll have to deal with the infestation and explore the refinery.
#8 Resident Evil 5Speaking of Resident Evil we have another video game to throw in on this list. While the Resident Evil franchise is known for its survival horror and creepy atmosphere, Capcom changed things up for Resident Evil 4. With a new assortment of mechanics that were popular with fans, the development studio continued with these mechanics but upped the action element with Resident Evil 5. Now Resident Evil 5 to a lot of fans is one of the black sheep installments for the franchise. It’s a title that was played but most were ready for the drastic change of tone to be transitioned back to the older video game installments. While eventually, that happened with the start of Resident Evil 7, fans look back at Resident Evil 5 as a rather solid action-horror cooperative game.
Within the narrative, players were once again stepping back into the role of Chris Redfield, a staple protagonist character from the franchise. A new sign of BOW was found in Africa leading Chris along with a new partner from the BSAA region, Sheva Alomar, to track down the source and stop another bio-terrorism attack. As mentioned, the game is very action-packed based but with horror elements throughout. Players are working together in this third-person shooter as they battle against infected hostiles, boss fights, along with completing a series of puzzles to progress through the campaign. You’ll be surprised by just how fun this game can be despite the installment lacking on some of the survival horror elements.
#7 The Dark Pictures AnthologySupermassive Games got a big following with Until Dawn and found some stable footing with the horror genre. While Until Dawn was a single-player experience for the PlayStation 4, the games that followed after it started to open up for multiplayer. In particular, The Dark Pictures Anthology is a collection of titles you’ll want to look into. This is not a single game but rather the various video games under the anthology collection although there are only two installments readily available at the time of writing this description. Despite that, the gameplay is set up in the same kind of style. Players can expect a narrative-driven adventure with lots of QTE and choice-based decisions.
Co-op gameplay is a bit different with these games as players will be controlling an assortment of characters and making decisions for them. Decisions made will alter how the storyline will adapt for the entire group. So making one decision could drastically affect another player’s character and it’s worth noting that this game can be played with multiple players locally or with a secondary player online. At any rate, there are two video games in this collection which is Man of Medan, a title that follows a group of friends searching for buried treasure, along with Little Hope, a game that’s based around a group of students trapped in a haunted town. With that said, there are another installment fans could look out for which is called House of Ashes that is slated to release later in 2021.
#6 Dying LightTechland has been around for several years at this point. After the developers opened up their doors in 1991 they have continued to bring out some great video game titles. However, they gained some worldwide attention when they delivered an action RPG survival-horror game called Dead Island in 2011. Players were battling against hordes of undead on a tropical paradise island. Since then, the studio has opted to work on another unique zombie-based IP called Dying Light. It was a game that dropped the tropical landscape for a more dark and ruined world atmosphere. Players were stepping into an undercover agent by the name of Kyle Crane that was seeking information from a quarantined city in the middle-east. One of the big components of this game was parkour which allowed players to quickly move around the city and escape when hostile hordes prove to be too much of a problem.
This game featured some cooperative multiplayer as well. With the ability to have up to four players total, the group could go through the game campaign and complete the missions. Meanwhile, there were additional challenges that allowed players to compete both in the cooperative game mode or through a separate PvP mode. Fortunately, this Dying Light has been around for a good while now if you’re just discovering it so you can pick up a copy at a pretty steep discount and it’s still a title that holds up well. However, there is a sequel in the works called Dying Light 2, but we’re still waiting for that game to find its way out into the marketplace. The same can be said for Dead Island, but Techland are not behind that particular video game sequel.
#5 Resident Evil Revelations 2Resident Evil makes the list again and this time for Resident Evil Revelations 2. Now you don’t necessarily have to go back and play Resident Evil Revelations to get this game, but there will be some slight references to the earlier installment but more so on the mainline Resident Evil games. I’m sure that if you’re interested in this title then you probably already have a grip of what Resident Evil is about for the mainline series. These games also had a pretty unique twist to the series IP as well since the Revelations series was launched as an episodic series. Of course, now with the games being out for a few years at this point, all those episodes are available so you’re just playing through the narrative from start to finish with no gaps. At any rate, Resident Evil Revelations 2 throws players into four characters, essentially two-character squads that are split up within the narrative. To avoid spoiling anything from the narrative we’re just going to stick with the main front runners in my opinion, Claire Redfield and Moira Burton.
Again, just scratching the surface for the game to avoid spoiling anything too much here, but Resident Evil Revelations 2 follows Claire Redfield who joins in on a new anti-bio-terrorism organization called TerraSave. However, things go crazy during their welcoming party when a group crashes in and ultimately kidnaps Claire and Moira. Now the duo wakes up in some abandoned facility overrun by undead hostile enemies. This is a cooperative gameplay experience so, in this situation, one player will be taking the reigns of Claire while the secondary player is controlling Moira. The tank leading protagonist here is Claire who can shoot enemies while Moira will have a flashlight to stun characters or can use a crowbar to deal some damage to fallen enemies. This is also a game that diverts back to a more survival horror aspect just a bit compared to the likes of Resident Evil 5 and Resident Evil 6.
#4 The ForestThe Forest was a bit of an indie hit when it launched into the marketplace and it’s still a game that’s recommended for players to check out either as a solo experience or with cooperative gameplay. To set the story up a bit, we’re following a father who is traveling with a son, but their trip comes to a sudden stop. During their airline travel, the plane goes down and crashes on an island. Surrounded by nothing but debris and woods, our protagonist discovers their son is missing and that they are not the only ones on this seemingly abandoned remote island. Instead, on this island are mutated cannibals who have a pretty unique AI system is placed.
In this game, players will find that the enemies will be more curious initially than anything. It makes sense, you’re different from them so it’s a wonder of what you are, how you will react, and where you’re living on the island. Sometimes they’ll stay at a distance but they can also charge and attack you if they get brave. There’s plenty of unsettling moments in the game as you never really know just what kind of AI enemy group you’ll be facing at any given moment. Fortunately, you won’t have to face the group and track down our protagonist’s son alone. This game features a cooperative game with up to eight players online and that should make the gameplay a bit easier to manage.
#3 Hunt ShowdownHunt: Showdown is one of those games that I think more people should look into. It’s a title that was in early access for a while but has since come out into the marketplace fully and it’s been getting some staple footing. Those that have tried the game out seem to like it and have continued recommending it to others. Also, the fact that there is crossplay support here does allow more players to connect on this game without having to specifically be on something like the PlayStation 4 platform. Before getting too far ahead of ourselves, let’s talk about what this game is about. Hunt: Showdown is an FPS game where players are taking the role of bounty hunters. However, in this world, there are all sorts of monsters that need to be dealt with. That’s where players step in and track down these big behemoth monsters, take them out, collect their bounty and get out of the area. It sounds easy, but there’s plenty more to this game that will offer quite a hefty challenge for players.
Players can go through the game in either team of two or three if you’re wanting to play with friends. From there, you’re dropped in this map with players gathering gear and taking out other monsters that are roaming around the area as well. It’s all about hunting around to find the big main monster in which case you’re battling that beast in hopes of taking it down for the bounty. However, there are other players in this game as well that are after the same bounty. It’s best to deal with other players when possible but again, everyone is after the bounty. As a result, when a monster is taken down and the bounty is collected, the map will ping the monster position on the map in which case everyone is charging the area to take you out, collect that bounty and reach the exit point. This can be quite the tense game as you never know how close other players might be when you slaughter the monster so having a team being mindful of the area and helping you reach the exit is key.
#2 BloodborneWe couldn’t have left this game off the list. Either you love it or hate it, but the Souls and Souls-like games have some massive fan bases. There’s a real challenge to them and with each game, the release comes to a flock of players eagerly diving into the title for the brutal battles and challenges that await them. Bloodborne is one of the video game exclusives that came out for the PlayStation 4 back in 2015 and since then, players have been waiting for a sequel to come out. Without diving too deep into the lore, the game follows a Hunter that discovers the city of Yharnam has been taken over by a blood-borne disease. This has left players to venture in and find the source of the plague which again is not a walk in the park.
The battles are challenging and you’ll need to rely on avoiding attacks from enemies and landing some critical blows. This means strafing and dodging enemies when possible but also delivering some fast offensive attacks. Fortunately, you don’t have to do this alone as there is a cooperative game mode available. Now there are some restrictions in place to make the game not too easy or difficult for players that joining together and there’s a process to even add a secondary player into the game. FromSoftware made this title a challenge, but if you go through the process of summoning a player, there is the ability to make a password so that only your friend will be able to join the game and not someone looking to potentially troll.
#1 Back 4 BloodLeft 4 Dead fans have been enjoying the two installments available. However, there’s been a long wait to see if Valve would bring out a Left 4 Dead 3. So far, there doesn’t appear to be any movement on that front, but we do have a spiritual successor. The original developers behind Left 4 Dead, Turtle Rock Studios, had delivered Back 4 Blood. This is a multiplayer game much like Left 4 Dead, where you’re working with a group of survivors dealing with a zombie-like pandemic.
Infected has taken over the world, and what few remaining survivors are left will be forced into fighting back these vile creatures. There’s a wide array of weapons to pick from, different characters that have unique attributes, and even a card mechanic system. With the card system, players can add buffs to their character, although the enemy AI system will have its card system to buff the infected. Like Left 4 Dead, players can work together as they fight off the different zombie-like creatures from popping up. If you’ve enjoyed Left 4 Dead, then this is a game well worth picking up.
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