If you have not already listened to the podcast of this category, this is the final results, so this will spoil the course of the discussion on that podcast! Be warned!
I really encourage y’all to listen to the pod for this category in particular- I edit in the music as we discuss it, and if you haven’t heard these tracks I don’t know how much you’ll get out of this! But that’s our call. Let’s talk about the jams of 2021.
The Winner
Smell of the Game (Guilty Gear Strive)
This sort of feels like the easy answer, but often an answer is easy because it’s correct. Daisuke Ishiwatari manages to make bangers game after game, and wouldn’t you know it, Guilty Gear Strive is no exception. And despite all that Kyrie said, I actually think it’s better than Heavy Day.
I am sad to see this list without Disaster of Passion, but it was the right thing to do.
The Runners-Up
Watch Me Shine [Star Lord] (Guardians of the Galaxy)
Asking developers to invent fake bands to make music for their game specifically for the Streamer Friendly Music setting is a ridiculous ask. That’s not fair. But Eidos-Montreal did it, and it really worked. This song is just a perfect Generic 80s Metal song in such a dorky, charming way. It’s as Kyrie said on the pod: this is the band that you know isn’t very good but you just have a special place in your heart for.
On The Edge (Mahjong Soul)
Part of the Gimmick Awards being about OUR experiences in 2021 is that sometimes we settle on things that don’t seem as obvious to others. You listen to On The Edge, and it’s good, yeah? It’s solid. But is it really top three material? Well. Play mahjong with me for six months and you’ll get something of an association. I am not the best player in our group, but when On The Edge comes on and Kyrie declares “ah shit” simultaneously with Nick sighing “god dammit” I develop quite the fondness for it.
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I’m gonna level with y’all: this wasn’t the strongest category. But when we add in anime ops? This shit is gonna get lit. 2022, the year of the anime op. Let’s go.
Next up is the Best Moment category, with some great individual parts of games that were truly amazing!
A big thank you to daanboii (@daanboii on Twitter) for our Game of the Year art!
