The John Linneman Collection: DF's Best Games of 2021

[@markwinap]

1:22 8 - Demons Of Asteborg 4:54 7 - Cyber Shadow 8:32 6 - Forza Horizon 5 10:34 5 - It Takes Two 13:39 4 - Returnal 17:39 3 - Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy 21:14 2 - Metroid Dread 24:42 Retro Game Of The Year - Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys 27:40 Point And Click Games Intro 30:17 1 - Psychonauts 2

[@oror3751]

Mentioned also 9.Resident Evil Village 10.Halo Infinite

[@markeldik7057]

I think you made a typo. It says 37:40 on the one before last, but the video isn't even that long ;-p

[@joesterling4299]

@@markeldik7057 You're right. It's actually 27:40. (Simple typo.)

[@SimplexPL]

Thank your for the timestamps. You da real MVP.

[@markwinap]

@@joesterling4299 updated thanks

[@HorseheadNebula85]

John, THANK YOU for making 2021 the year DF became my favorite channel on KZbin. It's all down to your fantastic tech coverage and relatability as a gamer. You, Alex, Rich, Audi, Tom, Will, and the DF Patreon contributors are really doing something special with this channel. KEEP IT UP!!!!

[@SimplexPL]

Hear, hear!

[@iamstartower]

Nahh can't stand richard, tom and audi... only really good is john... and alex only speaks crysis... so mostly overated...

[@mrmindset3249]

@@iamstartower pathetic comment, be constructive at least

[@M.W.H.]

John, my dearest life long friend passed away last year and it's still hard for me to game after him among many other things. you remind me of him, you're so genuine at what you do you make the most unlikely things happen, like becoming interested in a marvel game or bring back the beautiful memories of old with your passionate narration and deep love for this hobby. Good job man and thank you.

[@DroneCorpse]

Nothing but respect for you, John. Loved the personal touches to the picks. Hope you don’t overwork yourselves for 2022!

[@leviharris6944]

So happy to see Psychonauts 2 get the praise it deserves. Between it, It Takes Two, and Ratchet and Clank, 2021 was the year of platformers

[@Apoplectic_Spock]

A dad and son cooping a game together... if only I had that kind of opportunity growing up. Don't ever take your presence for granted, John. Your son will never forget your time spent together and it will shape his life... even the gaming moments you share ❤

[@M.W.H.]

True words.

[@thomasryhle1729]

John is such a great critic. His list is so personal and his taste is diverse and unique. I love these kind of videos man. Greetings from Germany :)

[@flyingplantwhale545]

He also thinks Ballan Wonderland is a great game. To each his own lol.

[@-aexc-]

@@flyingplantwhale545 one terrible opinion does mean the rest of his opinions are bad

[@TerraWare]

@@flyingplantwhale545 Really? That game was boring af but maybe it just wasnt for me.

[@dante19890]

John is also a great mentor to Alex who previously only liked walking around looking at nice graphics.. he is learning alot from john of what great game design is and starting to appreciate alot of games he didnt before.

[@richardtucker5938]

@@dante19890 i think he has broadened his horizons, but i think Alex has his games and he likes gameplay (He loves RTS and boomer shooters). It's just in his profession he has a lot to say about graphics tech.

[@zerocal76]

John! Your game reviews are superb 👌👌 I've been binge watching your annual top picks and I have to finally stop myself haha Thank you for all the variety in your picks too. I found a couple to play with my mom 😀😄

[@ACGreviews]

Legit the only DF video I need

[@XenogearsPS]

HI kakarot.

[@adammohrone]

Literally forgot you existed since I’ve unsubscribed.

[@TheNivektube]

Cry more

[@37654]

I suggest watching more regularly to improve some review points and go more in depth on the technical side of games

[@Hamuelin]

@@adammohrone who shit in your cornflakes? xD

[@fintangeraghty96]

One of Tim Schafer's ideas for a game studio name was Soul Patch Studios, before landing on Double Fine. I've always appreciated John's commitment to rocking a soul patch as a subtle ode to his retro taste, but to have the only two soul patch files in my brain finally connect so gloriously feels like the handiwork of Raz himself.

[@Moravia90s]

Couple of things: 1- Thank you and all the DF team for the great work during this year. I truly believe that your effort has elevated the expectations (and in my case gave me back hope) for gaming journalism. Before DF I felt a lot of negativity coming from the videogame community but outlets like yours are a shiny example of professionalism that respects the audience while at the same type finding your own style. 2- I always enjoy your Best Of list at the end of the year. Good balance of indie and AAA games and in past years I even discovered some truly amazing games like Monster Boy in Monster World, Prodeus, Devil Engine, Blazing Chrome, Ion Fury and Amid Evil, among others.

[@3lH4ck3rC0mf0r7]

Psychonauts 2 even explores its themes with the increased emotional maturity and responsibility you'd expect of both a more mature studio, and of yourself as you've grown older from that time you would have first experienced the original game, all while still retaining the same joy of getting inside the wild minds of the cast and rooting out their deepest fears, and helping them heal until they're whole again. Instead of wearing out the original's childlike fun of exploring the weird areas and fighting tons of cool monsters, it brings new reasons and ideas to the table to make it work even better than it did before. This game reprises the feelings of playing the original, delivering on all that it promised and more.

[@carpetfluff35]

That game IS Tim Schafer - he wrote what he feels (always has to be honest) and he's an older guy just writing a game about stuff he finds interesting. I think it was probably my game of the year purely for the writing and art direction and general feeling of doing something different. The platforming and combat are servicable but that's not even really why you play these games.

[@anthonywyatt5133]

These are great because they introduce me to games I would otherwise ignore without just being a jerk off of the biggest games this year

[@manny655321]

John Linneman you are a jewel for the gaming community, we love you, happy new year

[@walidkiradesu]

Indeed we do

[@albert9525]

John is a treasure ❤

[@oakie007]

You guys are the best. You've kept a lot of people sane during these difficult couple of years❤️

[@fensoxx]

I’ll second that

[@ambg2129]

Psychonauts 2 NEEDS to be recognized for how incredible it is. From the absolutely mindblowing varied art design to fun and engaging characters and narrative, I urge each and every person to give this game a try and if you can, to purchase it. Double Fine deserves every cent they get

[@SimplexPL]

Psychonauts 2 was CRIMINALLY overlooked on The Game Awards 2021. Shame.

[@spenny2cents]

@@SimplexPL it’s also criminally overlooked by gamers judging from sales

[@-aexc-]

do I need to play pyschonauts 1 first?

[@BerryNice1996]

@@-aexc- Psychonauts 2 Takes place LITERALLY 3 days after the first game... Yeah, its kinda a must

[@SimplexPL]

@@BerryNice1996 there's also a VR game which start exactly after Psychonauts 1 and ends immediately before Psychonauts 2 - its called Psychonauts in the Rhombus of Ruin. Available on PCVR and PSVR.

[@mat967]

You have such a way with words and your passion fills your productions. You have my deepest respect!

[@ramp8536]

you know john loves his number 1 game when it's the only time in the video he says "bespoke"

[@Romeohardcash]

Definitely picking up a few of these! Thanks for highlighting some great games, John

[@oreed8]

Nice too see returnal and Guardian of the Galaxy getting some deserve love.

[@His0ka]

Undeserved

[@reach5589]

Returnal is a lot of fun but only 23% of players made it past 2nd biome and only 60% got past 1st boss. Thats a shame its so difficult to beat because it has great combat

[@Potato_n_Tomato]

@@reach5589 I beat the game in just 3 deaths (1 of which was due to being bugged and the other suicide). It isn't just the difficulty but the time sink. Until just recently the devs made it so the game had no save feature (to continue mid run), which was baffling/downright stupid especially considering other rogue like games like Hades had it. The game held your ps5 hostage, and considering you had to beat the game in essentially 1 sitting i'm not surprised many dropped the game and/or disliked it and I don't blame them. No saving in a gamein 2021 where my fucking snes had it is plain stupid. Granted they added it now but most players had already moved on.

[@CC42_]

Returnal is imo the best game this year but God damn wtf were the devs thinking by refusing to put a save feature in the game for so long?! Makes 0 sense to me to this day. They rightfully lost some sails and some praise for that.

[@DoritosBurger]

Thank you for sharing your opinion John, I appreciate it when somebody takes the time to carefully explain why they liked or disliked something.

[@retrosoul8770]

Jon I've been following this channel for yrs now and you're most of the reason why. You and I have more or less the same gaming taste. I always find great stuff to check out on your videos. Thank you for all the great content. And to the team as well!

[@Pedro_The_Neco]

Thanks for everything John! Here's to a fantastic 2022! Amazing job!

[@freehugzhere865]

Psychonauts 2 was absolutely fantastic. Definitely my favorite game this year.

[@gurkiratsingh8747]

I like it when youtubers put in the effort to equalise the loudness in their video. And IF John personally did that, then I tip my hat to that. I also felt your feelings about Psychonauts and would definitely give it a try. The audio got desynced here btw 14:15

[@joeperez6451]

“Thirst for the plastic platter of pleasure” killed me! Great video, as always Sir!

[@GhostFrequency2]

Loved Returnal, worked out just like you said, you keep coming back and just get better through your understanding of the biomes and enemies. Very addictive and rewarding.

[@Aggnog]

I gotta say John, you have good taste. I dread the idea of a future where these older games stop being appreciated.

[@d3fl3tch4r]

Couldn't agree more on Psychonauts 2. Well worth the Fig and wait!! Best game this year and a reminder that games can be fun, colourful, exciting, insightful and at times passionate, thought provoking and make you seriously think about mental health. Amazing!

[@johnbishop2536]

@Michael Please... you platinumed it and never touched it again, even your daddy Jaytech fell asleep playing Rift Apart.

[@eliaxxz5360]

Psychonauts 2 is so we'll deserved, the amount of maturity they had handling the amount of subjects they had in the game while also making something unique and fun to play, it's honestly admirable. Hats off to double fine.

[@nafisishtiaque]

Do you need to play first psychonuts 1

[@virenrana6459]

@@nafisishtiaque definitely play 1st game It's still holds extremely well even after all these years

[@Rapunzel879]

You don't need to play the first one.

[@joesterling4299]

@@nafisishtiaque You don't need to, but you may want to. It's still a great experience, and of course, an intro to the current game.

[@spdmaniac2]

Thank you John, your input is a necessity in these strange times! You are great!

[@boneyjensen]

Fantastic presentation, man!

[@TheCoolDave]

Wow, nice list, a bunch I have not played but, a bunch I WILL be playing. Some I saw but, didn't know enough about them, so I kind of over looked them. No more. Thanks ! And Happy New year !

[@charoleawood]

play Cyber Shadow!

[@denisgehlhaar8902]

Bought an series just for psychonauts 2. Hope it will life up to my Expectations. Great List dear John! See you again 2022!

[@TilSkywalker]

The Linneman collection is an awesome start! Cannot wait for the Battaglia Batch and the Morgan mountain! Wishing everyone a good slide into the new year!

[@msg4672]

The Leadbetter List

[@smarthousetech8593]

This is why I love DF. Each member recommends unique and beautiful games with reasons why they like that game and why you should try it. This is a Top Tier Channel 👏 I will definitely be checking out some of these game John thanks.

[@pixelatedpigeon4617]

I feel the same way about Psychonauts 2, achieves things that very few video-games even try these days. A fantastic and memorable game, very worthy of being number one.

[@雪鷹魚英語培訓的領航]

Nice video presentation / quality of yourself John! That lighting contributes a lot.

[@DarkReturns1]

I love this, a lot of these went under my radar but are right up my alley. Great work John!

[@gerardo4104]

Wow!! What a fantastic list!

[@strzxgvnuvwvfld3597]

I've really enjoyed your content this year John, especially the DF Retro stuff. Great list that's given me a few tips of games to try. Always good to see AAA titles alongside indie games and retro releases. Very much mirrors my preferences! Looking forward to more in 2022!

[@Puppet_masterUK]

Psychonauts 2 was exceptional but I think it was overshadowed by the graphical superiority of Ratchet & Clank on the PS5.... then though the former was a much better game with a much more creative graphical and gameplay style. Psychonauts 2 was also my GOTY

[@burningtoys5519]

Thanks, Jon. Yourself and Audi really get this gaming thing.

[@jessechounard]

You've convinced me to pick up It Takes Two to play with my daughter. This looks fantastic! :)

[@philth7587]

Better luck with your daughter than I had getting my girlfriend to play it. Didn't realise she was the video game rage sort 😂 Does seem a cool game though

[@SC0RPI0NFURY]

Be aware, might be a segemt that might be a bit traumatic. Depends on how old she is, i played it with my 11 year old, and she handled it fine. Just a heads up!

[@jessechounard]

@@SC0RPI0NFURY Thanks for that! She's 12 so I think we'll be fine, but I'll keep an eye out.

[@cedricvd]

Thank you for the list John, your love for video games really shines through all your picks

[@yanceyboyz]

Incredible list. Thanks for a great 2021.

[@josephjoe4180]

I always appreciate top ten lists that don't completely go for the obvious choices (as per popularity). This has allowed me to discover hidden gems that would have passed me by.

[@MrGhoulster]

Thank you guys for another year and really nice list John!

[@chasesmay7237]

Great video, great games. I haven’t gotten to Demons of Asterborg yet, but it’s on a short list:) I was also surprised to see a ys game on here, I played ys3 on the snes for the first time this year, and really liked it. Those games have always been just outside my radar and I’m really glad to be enjoying the ones I’ve played so far. I will check out ys4 now, for sure

[@teacherfromthejungles6671]

Your best games lists are always unique, and I discovered games that were never reviewed anywhere here.

[@Gehab]

Really sweet video! Excited to play It Takes Two myself, especially after hearing how much enjoyment you got playing it with your son. Metroid has to take the number 1 spot for me tbh. Been waiting since Fusion came out.

[@Mantenner]

Always love your picks due to their diversity, love your work John!

[@eduardor9390]

So glad you see Cyber Shadow here. Extremely polished. Definitely the one game I finished the most times this year. I will definitely check out Demon of Asteborg

[@charoleawood]

Yes! Cyber Shadow is my GotY. Sadly, the story wasn't praised by the press that reviewed it but it's my favorite part of the game, very well told, excellent characters and the music and world design work together to complete the package. Edit: and Demon of Asterborg has a demo on steam, it's fun

[@Dwoollam]

The good news here for Xbox owners is that a good chunk of the top games are available on game pass. Nice.

[@FrancescoVenturelli]

Being 33years old, my approach to gaming shifted quote a bit, from fast paced, driving/simulation, action packed games to more slow down, well crafted journeys. Hearing an experienced player talking of a game like you did about psyconaut made me wanted to play It.

[@david_alfonso1]

Psychonauts 2 is incredible! And to think that Franchise and the studio is now a part of Xbox games studios is crazy.

[@MrDahlbacken]

What a great list and your input was fantastic!:)

[@CyberDustCapsuled]

I played video games with my father, too. It started with Super Mario, Mario Card, Contra 3, Zelda, Donkey Kong, ... Command & Conquer. I was 6 years old when I got the SNES and 7 when I got my own PC. Now my son is 5 years old. At weekend he wakes me up with the PS4 controller in his hands and asks: "Papa, can you enter the password?" Today we finish Zelda Link to the past. 😌

[@charoleawood]

Do you work in tech today?

[@CyberDustCapsuled]

@@charoleawood I'm a maths teacher in middle school in germany.

[@charoleawood]

@@CyberDustCapsuled Well, it sounds like you had a good upbringing. I'm sure getting your own PC encouraged your interest in maths

[@CyberDustCapsuled]

@@charoleawood Not really. In 2. grade I got a B in mathematic and my mother wasn't pleased. Therefore I wasn't allowed to play video games until I solved some tasks almost every day. It was a great motivation and for a lot of years to come I easily got an A in maths. So ... I chose maths, because it was easy for me. And there are not enough teachers in germany --> job security, money

[@charoleawood]

@@CyberDustCapsuled Oh! Lol. Sadly, my own father died before I turned six, but he had a Coleco Vision and a bunch of DoS games and got us an NES before he passed away. I like to think that if he had lived there would have been more encouragement for me in my interests.

[@FairchlldMusic1]

Enjoy the holiday, you’ve earned it!

[@dtPlaythroughs]

Wish you guys did the retro pick-ups video for the year. Those videos are my favorite of the end-year videos you put out.

[@Fabiankxx]

This psychonauts 2 review was so beautiful and emotional. Thx John

[@futureskeletons66669]

House Marque has an ego issue. They are a hit or miss studio. They blame their misses on the audience not getting it. Their hits are stellar. Returnal and Nex Machina are awesome 9/10 games. Dead Nation/Matterfall/Alienation are OK. I'd give them a 6/10. Super Stardust HD and Resogun are solid 8/10s.

[@NimbusTLD]

Just picked up (figuratively) Guardians of the Galaxy based on you and your team's repeated glowing praise for it. Plus gotta support that Deus Ex team until the hopefully inevitable threequel. Thanks John!

[@ps3inquisition441]

Great list. You sold me on Cyber Shadow the second you mentioned Shadow Of The Ninja, one of my favorite games ever.

[@charoleawood]

Cyber Shadow is superb, it's my GotY

[@onepiece190993]

I was waiting for this :)

[@ramc8638]

Forza Horizon 5 quite simply one of the greatest racing games ever.

[@funkyneto]

Nice picks! I'm looking forward to 2022.

[@GMAN-tc8vf]

EXCELLENT!!! I wish DF would have they own Video Game Award Show!

[@mihaianca8602]

Finally someone fully appreciating Psychonauts 2!

[@Somewhere_sometime_somehow]

Great to see it done in this way

[@mrcraggle]

Robbed at the Game Awards. From what I've heard though, if they were to announce runners up, Psychonauts 2 would've been in almost every single one.

[@niellbecker3364]

I always like the diversity on your lists John, and appreciate the thoughtful, old-school gamer style you have. Can’t wait to see your views on the 2022 batch of games. Merry Christmas!

[@quiet451]

So glad you included Cybershadow!! So overlooked!

[@charoleawood]

My GotY

[@ogto]

using Grim Fandango music at the end, mark of a true gentleman

[@Zeldus123]

Happy to see that John shares my GoTY !

[@Wladislav]

Happy holidays, Mr Linneman!

[@ronniewhitedx]

I can now say without a doubt that John is my kind of gamer! this list would be no different from a list I would make personally.

[@sean70729]

Spoken like the true gamer you are.

[@retrosoul8770]

Same, been following DF for yrs and that's mostly because of John tbh. Looking forward to my physical copy of Demons of Asteborg whenever that will arrive.

[@wasapdoc]

Never...never...never let anyone tell you which is a better game. It's a very personal choice at best. My favourite games include non of these for example. And I am adamant on my choices.

[@TerraWare]

That's common sense, or it should be common sense.

[@michaelsteffensen6844]

@@blitzwing1 I wouldn't say they are ridiculous, but their worth depends entirely on the person making the list and your opinion of them. When some random employee of IGN or Gamespot does a list I agree they are pretty useless.

[@samuraishuyin]

Delicious as always!

[@imadetheuniverse4fun]

Mannnn after all the Psychonauts 2 snubs from outlets, John Linneman himself nominating it as his number one is more than enough to make up for it! Fucking hell yes!!

[@ClassicGameSessions]

Fabulous list!

[@CoreyDWillis]

I love your perspective and completely agree on your number 1!

[@METR0lD]

I seriously look forward to your game of the year list more than any other each year. Our taste in games is so similar it's frightening!

[@flojd574]

Me too! 🤗

[@LuigiRaccoon]

John. I don't know if you read these comments or not, but I was wondering what the song was playing in the Forza section. It was amazing and it's exactly the type of music I've been looking for. Please help. Also I Love your list and I Love the digital foundry show. I can always count on you guys for the best analysis of games, graphics especially between platforms since I own all the next gen systems I can get a better idea of which version to pick. Long time viewer. I just Love the show. All these channels want to give their opinions which I appreciate, but you guys give way more facts. I also greatly appreciate your vocabulary and the fact you upload videos in 4K 60. It's definitely my favorite gaming channel. Thanks for all your effort and everything you've put into the channel. It's much appreciated. Please don't forget to let me know what song that is. Thanks. -Luigi

[@mrcrueslipants]

Hi, I'm looking for this song as well. Did you have any luck figuring it out?

[@hemangchauhan2864]

Happy New Year to DF Team!

[@alexanderulv3886]

Yes! I have been singing high praises for Psychonauts 2 ever since i first got it on Gamespass. It’s my GOTY as well. The original is just as good, and holds up reasonably well on XSX

[@AndreThompson925]

I'm so glad we were all wrong about Guardians of the Galaxy. Also, thanks to your glowing review AND because of Game Pass, I'll be trying Cyber Shadow as soon as I get home.

[@jonnyeh]

Fantastic video and list. John's the video game youtuber with the taste that most closely matches mine, but his taste is still better :D

[@abeidiot]

I've had psychonauts 2 installed for a while but you managed to push me to play it immediately.

[@bloomorte]

It's great to see Returnal getting some love

[@Exdeun]

Psychonauts 2 is the absolute GOTY for me too. Nice list.

[@mysoullovessoul558]

Swear to God every time the number animation popped up with that gong sound, I expected Paul Young to start singing... 'It's Christmas time, there's no need to be afraid.' :)

[@ARIXANDRE]

After giving Ace Combat 7 your GOTY a couple years ago, you are my only source for best games.

[@D.u.d.e.r]

Well made pick John, thx!

[@thatsrightyouheard4722]

DF: We scrutinise the bleeding edge of gaming Also DF: 8-bit games ftw

[@rorytaylor626]

Really enjoyed the breakdown of all these games and why you loved them. Psychonauts 2 in particular feels like the fully realized vision they had for the first one so many years ago. Also kinda crazy that you can play that game, Forza Horizon 5, and Halo Infinite all on GamePass. I have to say though, I was surprised to not see Ratchet & Clank on your list.

[@skykatchr_gaming]

That's why we love you John, Ys IV for the retro win.

[@a.s.cirillo6785]

I didn't like rogue-like, but I tried Returnal anyway. And damn Returnal is clearly my game of the year. A perfect audio, visual, gameplay, story symbiosis. Returnal cured my rogue-like phobia and I also played and loved deathloop. Thank you Housemarque. Psychonauts 2 first place? ... maybe I should give it a chance too.

[@Bhazor]

A new House Marque game was on of the main reasons I wanted to get a PS5 this year. Unfortunately they're still impossible to find here.

[@shreder75]

Great list. I've had cyber shadow on my series x via gamepass for a while, but haven't played it yet. Psychonauts 2 has a lot of good stuff in it. I didn't love the platforming or combat that much, but the story and production are top notch.

[@charoleawood]

Cyber Shadow is my GotY, I especially love the story and the characters, something that never gets talked about with this game. However, it's brutally difficult, but I was too into the music and the art style to quit on the game. Eventually I was able to get the achievement for beating it in under three hours but my first playthrough clocked in at 44 hours and 1800 deaths!!

[@ZeitGeist_TV]

I play it via X Cloud and it's very nostalgic having grown up with SNES and Genisis.

[@shreder75]

@@charoleawood 1800?? Jesus

[@charoleawood]

​@@shreder75 Yes! Enjoying the game music, the environment designs, and the story goes a long way. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder gets us over the finish line. I tend to advocate for games, including Souls, to have Easy modes because I prefer to dick around my first time through and I'm a slow learner --- I didn't learn to read until the fourth grade when a teacher had to sit down with me before and after school. But, as I said, I was eventually able to get the achievement for beating Cyber Shadow in under three hours and that took over a hundred hours of investment that I was happy to give the game. Just now in Forza Horizon 5 I was able to achieve a time of 3:30:062 in Rivals mode on the Wing and a Prayer showcase event without traction or stability control or antilock breaks and on manual with clutch. Originally getting under 3:55:00 seemed like an accomplishment. If I enjoy something I replay until I get good and sometimes this behavior will get me to enjoy a game that at first I don't like --- which is what happened for me with the Souls-like genre; I hated it at first, now I love it. I still think that more people would ease into the work of "getting gud" in Souls if only difficulty options and/or cheats were made available. The same goes for Cyber Shadow.

[@shreder75]

@Charlie Wood i avoid souls games like the plague. Having to replay over and over again isn't my idea of fun.

[@ZinhoMegaman]

I haven't played many releases (as usual since 2019), the best of which I've played are Metroid Dread, Forza Horizon 5 and Halo Infinite.

[@Alexander5R]

Great list, I love that you played It takes Two with you son.

[@Lorenzovonmatter]

Great list!