The Top Ten (and a Half) Best Games of 2021
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- Опубліковано 14 гру 2021
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Visual Media Used: Mundaun, It Takes Two, Before Your Eyes, Metroid Dread, Resident Evil 4 VR, Returnal, UnearthU, Inscryption, Pistol Whip, Sable, Slay the Spire, Bowser’s Fury, Dark Souls 3, Ghost of Tsushima, Nex Machina, Fortnite, Genesis Noir, Halo Infinite
Music Used (Chronologically): Plessie (Bowser’s Fury), The Price is Right theme, Radio (Mundaun), The Drive, Theme of Ada (Resident Evil 4), The Ewer- Day, Exploration- Ruins (Sable), Lake Lapcat (Bowser’s Fury), Leshy’s Theme (Inscryption), Heatseeker (Pistol Whip), Clockworks (It Takes Two), Lonely Petals (Super Metroid OCRemix), Main Theme (UnearthU), Hyperion Theme (Returnal), Mesh- Instrumental, Finale (Before Your Eyes), Better the Mask (Sable)
Thumbnail Credit: The incomparable / hotcyder
Description Credit: “Better the Mask” by Japanese Breakfast
Additional music courtesy of Epidemic Sound - Ігри
Happy end of the year! I'll also be releasing a more casual talkthrough of honorable mentions and other highlights to all patrons, right here: www.patreon.com/JacobGeller
Inscryption is such an amazing game, been awhile since a game captured my attention like Inscyption did, I highly recommend it to anyone
jacob, with all you can do in terms of varying mood when standing in front of that fireplace, i think theres definitely something to be done with a 360 camera in that room. thing about the vibes you could emit through scenery with that.
Hey Jacob, I’ve watched your stuff for a long time. You should check out oneshot if you haven’t yet. It’s not much mechanically, but in terms of story it’s without question the cream of the crop. On several occasions while playing I found myself an inconsolable sobbing mess. It has some fantastic theming to it too.
This guys face looks like a car bumper...
Man, your videos are unbelievably good, and it's really nice seeing every new video you upload
Beardless Geller's party energy is very intimidating.
I must concur with you good commenter, I was indeed quite intimidated.
(I also cried a little because Jacob's Beard was incredibly impressive and I was sad to see it go)
Wait, nevermind, he regrows his beard halfway through the vid. Not only is it impressively shaped, it also seems to grow at unprecedented speeds.
@@paula194 Truly his levels of power are unfathomable.
Like Nick Cave in a good mood.
@@paula194 like who has a beard line that defined while it's growing is Jacob going in with a straight razor before every vid
thats one word for it
I have a theory Jacob's beard literally grew in the space of about half an hour, and we just witnessed that miracle.
A beard that thick don't grow slow; I know that much.
To us, it was a miracle. To Jacob, it was a Tuesday.
No he's just the next Santa Claus.
He (allegedly) killed Santa.
He's like Homer Simpson, every time he shaves it it just springs right back
Definitely a nod to Before your Eyes
These videos are the reason I read the entirety of house of leaves, why I bought disco elysium the second it came out on playstation, why I gifted before your eyes to all my siblings and told them the camera MUST be on. Almost every video peaks my interest in something.
Thank you for all your recommendations Jacob
Can I ask which video you're referencing with house of leaves?
@@typo691 "Control, Anatomy, and the Legacy of the Haunted House" has reference to house of leaves.
@@xerveeon thanks!
@@xerveeon probably my favourite video essay he's ever done
My grandma tracked it down for me for Christmas. Not to mention countless people I know sending the recommendation because I love that kind of story (my first tattoo is from Annihilation after all)
The growth and character development of Jacob's beard alone is one of the highlights of 2021
As a romansch speaker, I would definitely like to confirm that the folktale references used in this game are real and yes, we have a straw boogeyman
You're in the top 1%!!!
hey sali! Vo wo in Graubünde chumsch her?
grüessi us züri
I see what you did there. Every time the video ‘blinked’, we jumped forward in time to experience more of your beard growth. 10/10
As one of the devs of Before Your Eyes, this comment made me very happy. Did not connect blinking with beard growth lol
@@SuperBrainzilla Wait...you actually are one of the programmers!!
You guys have had one of the best ideas i've seen implemented in a videogame in..ever pretty much!
@@Diskhate yep! Lead designer and programmer.
@@SuperBrainzilla I love your game so much! Sat down to play it with my family, who is not too familiar with videogames. They all had an absolute emotional blast, same as I. Thank you so much for such a unique experience.
@@meridiasbeacon7669 "Make sure our moms could play" was one of our design goals, so it's great to hear that your whole family enjoyed it together
You say you love engagement? Here's engagement.
My best friend, while we were talking about something, directed me to your Golem video. We watched it together and paused halfway through to have a lengthy discussion about how the alt-right repackages hate language used by the nazi party in ways people don't realize. Since then, we keep coming back to your videos and watching them together as a pastime whenever we have a moment. It's made me feel much happier during these times when the world is pretty lonely.
My personal favorite video of yours is the one about Anatomy.
My friend's favorite video is "there's so many. Can I give like five videos? I really like ape out. And who's afraid of modern art. And I like the one about outer wilds. I'm just listing videos! I can't pick a favorite. Oh I also really like uncanny reality. And- oh- which one is it. And I like the golem- the jewish one. Because jew. And the Simpsons one because it's like comics. And then I saw the dark souls one AFTER watching thinking about ending things, and only then I got it. And then the one about shadow of the collosus' last secret. It just seems really cool to love a game that much you know?" And then I cut them off because I got tired of typing. They really love all your stuff. Me too :)
Ape Out video is poetry
This is such a sweet respond. I think such responds give creators a lot of motivation!
You had me except that “alt-right” stuff. Oh, and ALSO a Jew. Very much a Jew. Went to an orthodox Jewish school for 8 years and a conservative/reform one for another 4 years. Voluntarily served in the IDF. Trust me, 70% of the things/people you think are alt-right, aren’t.
They exist for sure, but the term is applied wildly loosely now.
10. Mundaun 1:44 , Resident evil vr 4:11
9.
8. Sable 6:21
7. Bowser's Fury 9:21
6. Inscryption 11:15
5.. and half. Pistol whip : smoke and thunder. 12:35
4. Metroid dread 16:34
3. UnearthU 18:56
2. Returnal 21:03
1. Before your eyes 24:04
33:16 the most important result in the video
you kinda forgot 5
Oh hot damn. You’re da best. Thank you for this one.
Ever since Jacob Geller's "Control, Anatomy, and the Legacy of the Haunted House" video showed up on my recommended videos a couple months back I've loved his videos. They're some of my favorite, and dare I say, the best I've ever seen. I know it sounds like I'm just being a suck up but his videos honestly feel like a painting, you can see the amount of work and love he puts into everything he makes. I know he'll probably never see this but, Mr. Jacob, your videos are such a big inspiration for me, and I hope you continue doing what you love.
It was the Outer Wilds video that got me sucked into this guy like holy f these are some of the best video essays I've ever listened to
He captures the feeling of playing a fun game while just watching a video, only UA-camr I’ve found that does that
My first one was Fear of Depths, probably the youtube video that has most deeply unsettled me. I don't think it's his best video but it's still probably my favorite
Oh gosh it was two-three years ago when I watched the capitalism video, dang this has been a wild ride
Hey my dude. Yea, it's a great time, that period when you initially discovered Geller videos. Suffice it to say that each video is a journey that I haven't regretted a one, took several many times.
My favorite game of the year is Jacob's beard. Dude can squeeze it out like a Play-Doh extruder.
Sable is actually incredibly. After 10 minutes of it I remember thinking "this scratches every itch I didn't know I had". Easily one of the best games I've ever played
Choosing a mask was the easiest thing for me in Sable, because the game scratched my "become a skyrim horse" itch I didn't know I had. If it could be climbed, I was gonna climb it, dang it!
@@thomaspinkerton3450 went for the beetle mask myself.I loved the beetle quests
Jacob Geller is easily the best creative writer on UA-cam. One of the few that actually get me to go out and play or watch or read whatever it is that your videos are about so that I can watch them with the full context of the work (and to avoid spoilers, of course). Keep up the fantastic work. 👍
I will never forget when my siblings sat me down and showed me "Control, Anatomy, and the Language of the Haunted House", and then when they could see how much I loved it, showed me a few other of your videos. I've been an avid fan ever since, and even as I've up and left my home town to go to college, whenever I find that you've uploaded a new video I get this rush of excitement and comfort knowing that you're still out there making your amazing videos. So thank you for that, if you do end up seeing this comment.
That’s so nice, I have my own comfort creators but I can see how he can be one of them!
That feeling of excitement when I see Gellar is real
that video changed the way i think about haunted houses forever tbh
I discovered the channel through the Colossus video, then discovered it as a channel a year or so later and went “Wait, this is the same guy from that one!”
omg we twins
I've been an avid viewer since I first watched Who's Afraid of Modern Art. That video made me interested in art, and subsequent videos sparked my interest in literary analysis. Jacob, thank you for producing quality content and showing that analysis of art doesn't need to take the form of a soulless paper identical to every other one; it can be art in and of itself. Here's to another year of fantastic videos.
"Analysis of art as art unto itself" really hits the nail on the head. Well said, king. 👑
Your videos helped me through a really hard year! My dad passed in late November last year, and last month and all of this current month have been full of the low energy days I'm bitterly used to. But I've kept productive somehow, and again, your videos are just so thoughtful and interesting to watch, and inject more energy and motivation into my brain so that I can get back to writing. So thank you Jacob! Happy holidays from Canada.
The Sable love is much appreciated, and I’m so glad you brought up the soundtrack. Japanese Breakfast did such a good job
OH MY GOD UNEARTHU! I met the developer at a conference and attended their talk and haven’t been able to remember the name of it until now 😂
I remember them saying that all the asset reuse was part an attempt to make an unsettling aesthetic, but also part their attempt to make a ‘sustainable’ game made entirely of recycled materials. Wild game.
Ah yes, the growing digital asset scarcity crisis, I'm so glad someone is finally doing something about it.
@@excrubulent if NFTs take off then your comment will become unironic. gross.
@@GreebusBleeb but they won't, thankfully.
@@bb010g as a Blockchain Dev, you're mistaken :^)
@@placeholder6811 as a sane human it wont
I'm so used to seeing Jacob with his powerful beard, but I didn't expect clean shaven Jacob to also have great power. Man has a jawline that will give BJ a run for his money.
I was surprised to hear Mesh in the background as you started the last list item. It seems like so long ago that Before Your Eyes came out. It was the fist game I ever cried at, and I still recite the storyteller’s last plea to the Gatekeeper. “He began to worry that he hadn’t lived enough-, which only made him forget the great life he already had.” The directing in that scene is brilliant, I think it can only be fully experienced when crying, blocking tears away and flashing between the afterlife and your childhood bedroom. I paused the video before I heard the reason you love this game so I’ll go back to that now.
Sable is the first game that I literally havent been able to put down for two days. I find it hard following a solid storyline when it comes to rpgs etc, and sable just really hit exactly what I was looking for. The no combat, the fact you are able to do everything at your own pace. The bloody beautiful writing and story lines. Everything about Sable is beautiful (apart from yaknow the numerous bugs as of so far )
I love how Jacob can go from serious, intelligent, and philosophical to goofy little boy who loves talking about video games
That energy just really can't be feigned. LOVE IT SO MUCH!
10. Mundaun 1:35
9. Resident Evil 4 VR 3:56 (Title card says 10 lol)
8. Sable 6:00
7. Bowser's fury 8:50
6. Inscryption 10:29
5.5. Pistol Whip: Smoke and Thunder 12:32
5. It Takes Two 13:38
4. Metroid Dread 16:30
3. UnearthU 18:47
2. Returnal 20:59
1. Before your eyes 23:56
Much obliged. I can’t grow a beard anyway.
I watch your videos with my younger sibling- we don’t have a lot of games in common that we both like playing, but appreciating the craft together has been great for our relationship
I couldn't think of a more poetic reality than to have someone who values and admires so much the artistic discussion of games as you to become such an amazingly talented writer and content creator. It's... Inspiring.
can't wait to hear about Before Your Eyes Ten (and a Half) times
Outer Wilds' dlc is my game of the year, because it managed to add something to what I considered an already perfect game, and managed to make me feel like the game could only be called complete with it's new mechanics and stories.
Same for me! While not quite on the base game's level imo, it still gave me the exact same increadible sense of exploration and curiosity and had me very teary eyed by the end.
The jaw-dropping moment when you first enter the Stranger, followed 10 minutes later by another equally jaw-dropping moment, will forever have a place in my memories.
@@parchmentengineer8169 if you got to the second moment in 10 minutes after entering the stranger you're either a god gamer or you looked up a walkthrough
@@acblook I don't know what moment you're talking about, but I assume parchment Engineer was talking about (you know what) breaking
@@parchmentengineer8169 when I first entered the stranger in that beautiful moment, I actually cried because of how beautiful it is. This has never happened to me before. I've cried because games were very sad or emotional or shocking, but I was so overwhelmed and in awe I didn't know where to put it
Always amazed at how Jacob makes thing sound so interesting, genuine and deep without seemingly trying.
seeing a new video from you for real always turns my day around. the intimacy of everyday objects showed up randomly in my recommended videos one day and i was hooked immediately. your last guardian video made me ugly sob alone in my room and trying to describe to someone why a youtube video about some random game i'd never heard of made me feel more like things might be ok someday than anything had in a long time is like. i mean, it maybe comes off as a bit intense. but like, i'd show up for basically anything you want to throw at us at this point because i know it'll be an absolute blast. happy Best Games of 2021, yall
a bit intense pal
@@TheLastStand001 thanks i practiced for weeks
I'm so glad A Short Hike had a little mention in this video, just shared my account with that game on it with a bunch of my buds and one of them said that they haven't enjoyed a game like it in such a long time, i hope as many people as possible get to experience it.
I just came to comment something very similar! A short hike is a pocket breath of the wild, with speedboat instead of horse. I love it so.
Not only are your video essays incredible, but you are an endless gold mine of incredible recommendations. Thank you.
Lovely list. I appreciate your passion for games and the angles you take when talking about them. Here’s to an even better 2022! 😃
The golem video is one of my favorite videos of yours, I love learning about other cultures and religions and how that influences games and media especially.
I’ve been a fan of yours since someone shared your video “Anatomy, Control, and the Legacy of the Haunted House.” Jacob Geller videos are drop-everything-and-watch events for me! There’s no one else like you on this site and I can’t believe I get this content for free. Hope the next year treats you well!
I have myself thought of ending things this year, for a whole lot of reasons, and yes 2021 has been rough for me.
Still, you were, at each of your realeases, a source of inspiration. You made me cry, you made me cry a lot, actually. You made me laugh too. You made me laugh even more. In a way, you were one of the small lanterns that, without changing my life, made it brighter, made it worth it. And I can't stress enough how much I feel grateful toward you.
Thanks Mr Geller. May I be still alive all of next year to witness your next video essay.
With much love,
Happy New Year ! :)
Keep on keeping on. It’s worth it :)
I hope to see you here again one day in the future. I can relate much with your comment, so let's cry and laugh with Geller's work together for the next month, year, decade, ...
I know those feelings. Just want to say you're not alone and I'm glad you're here.
No pressure at all on him
27:39 nothing gets me better than a good Inside joke. Esoteric comedy is my favorite comedy
This channel is by far my favorite on UA-cam. Such high quality and always so interesting.
I got Time Loop Nihilism on my UA-cam home page, watched it, and fell into the rabbit hole that is Jacob Geller's existential video essays. Did I cry a couple times? Yeah, yeah I did. I also downloaded Outer Wilds and Disco Elysium- I'd already bought them before watching his essays and then thought 'dang I guess I should actually play those if Jacob Geller thinks they're amazing' (I haven't, but I'll get around to it eventually).
There really is just Something about watching Jacob Geller's essays. Something more personal, and personable. It's nice.
Love that you pointed to the writing in Sable. It's so good and regular conversations didn't feel like they would happen in real life, but they felt so human in a surreal way and made me tear up frequently.
Your videos really mean a lot to me. When I watch one, I feel like I'm listening to somebody who's able to see sharper colors and deeper hues, and that, in a weird way, helps my eyes to see those vivid colors in the stories I experience and in my life. Thank you for all that you do, and especially thank you for repeatedly making me cry during your videos.
Before Your Eyes was a source of great comfort during a rough patch this year, and I wouldn’t have found that game if it wasn’t for your video on it.
I found you channel by chance, around March, and I’ve been an admirer since. The depth with which you treat ideas, the intertextuality you find between games, books, art and your own experiences, the excitement and fun that you radiate….
I guess just, thank you Jacob, commenting for the engagement
I'm so glad you recommended Before Your Eyes, It's a game that means so much to me. The themes of the game are just a beautiful expression of some of my most deeply held principles. not to mention that multiple mechanical twists left me in awe. just, wow, heck, it's so good
Yeah, the best game(if you call it so) i have ever played. I was bawling when the wolf stared explaining my life at the end.
It's nice to see Sable get the rep it deserves, I haven't really seen anyone talking about it. The writing is so solid that when I encountered MULTIPLE game breaking bugs I powered through because I was so determined to see where Sable go, how she'd grow, who'd she meet.
idk but it seems like its not really that spectecular outside the unique style.
@@Exel3nce Fair, the art is a major plus of the game. But like I said the writing for me is the big thing that makes the game good. Like the video says, it feels really intimate.
@@Exel3nce To me the best feature of this game is its naturalistic tone. For a game set in a post apocalyptic alien whatever world, it was so personal and humane and melancholic and mundane in its coming of age tale. It created a pretty refreshing lens for us to see the BOTW-style exploration through.
idk, i didnt feel the writing nor the world. i was turned off by the style and animation, while i couldnt care about the gameplay or text boxes :/
unfortunately it's only available on Xbox or PC, so those of us with PS4/5 or Switch can't play.
I just had my first kid 3 day ago, and I can already tell that Before you Eyes is gonna hit me in the face with an emotional brick. I'm ready for it. It's on my list with 3 underlines.
if i were to make a list of my favourite discoveries this year, your channel would undoubtedly be there. your video a thousand ways of seeing the forest inspired me more than i can express. thank you so much, looking forward to what you are bringing us next ❤️
Jacob just casually dropping a Mary Oliver reference in the first minute and a half is really peak Jacob content
What about that Welcome To The Internet reference
For the hours of content and insightful dialogue, I wanna say thank you! Your channel has become one of favorites over the past year and has joined my very own top ten for content creators in 2021. You’ve made me think more about the work that goes into story telling, the messages that can be found in art, and how much impact people can have on the world. You’ve also made me reflect on what actions I’ve taken, what kind of person I’ve been, and how I can move on to confront the future. You’ve helped me grown as a person, so I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for me!
Thank you so much, Jacob Geller! I hope the next year and all the ones to come treat you well until we cross paths again.
Like Before Your Eyes, Jacob Geller is a once in a generation type thing. He will also color my perception of all games/videos/art I engage with in the future.
I love your videos man. My favorite is the one you made about the fear of the deep. All of your videos are incredibly well researched and wonderfully atmospheric. I actually celebrate every video that you release, because I know it‘s going to be a journey. Thank you.
That is an excellent point about climbing. I love running, jumping, and climbing in games like Borderlands but they took a little shine off that fun by putting colored ledges in almost any game with a climbing mechanic.
"There's a scene [...] that was so audacious [...] that I started cackling" is such a Jacob Geller thing to say
I appreciate that you included Sable which is my personal game of the year 2021. I wouldn't have gotten angry if you didn't include it, but I would've strongly recommended you to play it because it's possibly one of my favorite games of all times.
The beginning where you left the Iibexi camp and said farewell to your family actually made me cry.
i've been watching your videos for probably two and a half years now and have been a patron since the beginning of 2020 and have loved every moment of it. your videos have totally changed the way i look at video games and art and basically everything there is to look at in the world. i never miss a chance to recommend your channel to anyone and everyone. thank you for all the amazing work, here's to another year of it!
(also, wish i had remembered to update my info on patreon before this - yay to getting your name at the end of a jacob geller video, less yay that it's your retired name that you haven't changed on everything yet LMAO)
”I could wake up tomorrow and completely reshuffle this list, but it’s not tomorrow it’s today.”
*proceedes to grow beard*
It was a very long day.
Alternatively, since he was standing still for the whole taping, he diverted all non-seeing, speaking, and thinking skill points into the Bread Growth trait.
Hadn’t managed to hear about Mundaun, and the textures all being hand-drawn is kind of gorgeous??
And thank you for a year of interesting & thought-provoking videos. I started watching your stuff this year while idly browsing & they really hit with me. I’m a very depressive person, even outside of COVID, and they’ve been a spot of good as I’ve fought through some life-junk and worked to make changes for the better.
Here’s to hoping for a better, or at least warmer, year ahead for all of us.
the power move of "idk any other holidays where you give gifts but--" SO true king
Thank you for all the videos, more than any other video game essayist (and I watch a lot) your videos manage to stay with me. I'll often find myself thinking of the ds3 video, or the Simpsons one, and especially the time loop one. You put so much effort into every video and every musing that I can't help but be so interested even if I occasionally disagree. So thanks again, and Merry Christmas! (Happy Hanukkah?)
Honestly, I'd buy a real Inscryption deck to play with friends. It's that well thought out.
The fact there's so much more to it than a card game is an amazing bonus.
"Knife not included"
@@aragonnetje *"(sadly)"*
Dark Souls 3 is thinking of ending things is genuinely one of my favorite pieces of game writing ever, thank you so much for that video.
that and his before your eyes video are top tier video game essays
I have greatly enjoyed watching all your videos this year and I look forward to a whole new year of great content from you. I don’t always catch the videos as they come out, but I get to them eventually and almost always go back to watch them a second or third time.
You have been my first introduction to video essays as a whole. Before I would try and watch a video essay and I would just feel dumb because I didn't understand any of it and what they were trying to say and I guess it was because it was on topics I didn't understand. I love video games and the videos you make always brings an amazing new perspective to some of my favourite games. And the videos you do on other topics still feel relatable and I can understand them and enjoy them. You've opened a new world for me since I found your videos and I've found many more creators to enjoy because of that. Thank you for always creating such interesting videos on games and other topics.
Lastly I was wondering if you could tell us the creators that you personally will always watch or read the moment they upload?
I absolutely love the fact that you're a real person and that you say things. The ending got me so emotional.
thank you for your videos this year, your writing never ceases to amaze me! 💗 i started playing video games mostly because of you - i didn't grow up playing them, so my interest in starting as an adult was very limited, but you made me realise that i'm missing out!! also your book recommendations are so good, i think both my last year's and this year's top books came from them 😀 thanks!
Thank you Jacob!! I just finished my dissertation and I’m left with a strange hunger for detailed, creative arguments on niche topics. I love video games, so your channel has really hit the spot for me, every single video. Happy New Year!
Congrats on finishing!!
Your Golem video was my first one of yours that I saw, and I loved it. It's quickly become my favorite gaming related channel. Looking forward to your 2022 videos!
Psychonauts 2 is my game of the year. Just an amazingly creative platformer with charming characters and writing, good combat, and no frustrating sequences. Just a joy to play the whole way through.
YES! I was hoping someone would mention that! (I’m a fan if you couldn’t tell by my pic)
Double you on that. Just love it. A long waited sequel to a beloved game. I wonder if there is a reason why mr. Geller didn't play it.
same
What a great list, man. Such cool games to check in on, especially when you break down towards the end exactly why they belong on the list and what the list is exactly for. There's no metric that tallies the difference between favorite or best or most fun, and that's because those in no way fit into the same columns. I love that you've made the list in exactly this way. Your opinion is always rife with recognition of innovation and I appreciate that so much. -- As for the heartfelt conclusion, I think I speak for all of the subscribers, all of the followers, all of us who check these videos out regularly... thank YOU for sharing them. Glad to be a part of the team. Glad to know you're out there.
Thank you for making some of the most interesting stuff on this platform and giving hints to other amazing stuff like that audiobook, or that amazing story about sentient sattelites. :3
An incredible year of videos -here's to another! I started watching with "Control, anatomy, and the legacy of the haunted house" and have devoured every video since. I too am sitting in post hanukkah purgatory and am happy to have a few more excellent recommendations to occupy myself with :)
Thank you SO much for loving Metroid Dread. As one whose favorite thing in the world is Metroid, my heart is so full to hear how many people are finally helping put it in the spotlight.
I'm not really sure why Dread is the one that makes the series big-time... I thought it was one of the worst Metroid games. As far as the original series goes, Dread is better than only 1 and 2... And the remakes of each are still better than Dread.
@@NikosiaMateas It's probably because of a bunch of factors, really. It was on the Switch (many of Nintendo's series sell better here than on their previous consoles), what seems to be smooth and fluid combat and movement (wouldn't know for sure, have not played the game), it might've had better/stronger marketing, and there has been a recent growth in popularity experienced by Metroidvanias.
@@NikosiaMateas I’d place it somewhere around the middle myself. I had some pretty big issues with the controls (no remapping, complicated inputs for some of the abilities, the return of those awful shinespark puzzles) but other than that, I enjoyed it a lot.
I totaly agree. Metroid is incredibly special to me. I've played other Metroidvanias, but nothing quite has the same feel and emotion of this series. That same intoxicating flirtation with horror, that same sense of loneliness and isolation, all that jazz. I loved, loved, loved Hollow Knight, got 112 percent and sank more hours into it than I do most triple A games. But it wasn't Metroid.
Dread though, I wouldn't call it perfect. But that game. Was. METROID.
I dunno what you guys are talking about- all the new controls and shinespark puzzles made it my new favorite game in the series. Difference in preferences, I guess? It definitely had weaknesses, but first and foremost, it's a game, and I think the gameplay is the strongest in the entirety of the series. It just... feels so good.
Your style is inimitable and I absolutely adore it. Combining pop culture (usually a video game), fine art, and scholarship the way that you do makes every video a delight.
Really do love your video essays. Hope you have a fantastic 2022!
Much as I sometimes turn on one of your videos just to let the words roll over me, I have gotten so much insight from your work. I cannot know how things would have gone without your work, perhaps much the same, but I remember looking at a comment I made on the first video of yours I ever watched: who's afraid of modern art, and finding that in the year or so between my perspective on art had changed. I have come to appreciate art which doesnt make me happy but brings out all sorts of emotions i never thought could or should be reached by an art piece of any kind. I started to appreciate theme and imagery and vibes in a way english class could never teach me to. Maybe it is just me growing up a bit but i think to think your work was part of that.
When you were talking about climbing, I had a similar thought as I was first playing Half Life about four years ago. I was stacking boxes to get over lasers and I just went “Is this what I’m supposed to be doing or is it just working?”
This is the first channel in all the time I’ve spent on UA-cam that has actually made me, a being afflicted by severe ADHD, pay full attention to a sponsorship ad. Jacob, you have my absolute thankfulness and respect, I wish you, and all the other amazing people who help make this possible the absolute best of luck, and a happy new year
Thanks for the list Jacob, gonna get on it soon. Glad to see you growing and thriving, absolutely love your work and look forward to more!
I truly love your work, Jacob. So few people can tell stories like you do.
Also, commenting for the engagement.
Responding for engagement, and this fantastic youtuber
Gotta love that the 10th spot is held by a game from my homeland and im so glad to see that region of the country get attention.
Also im glad to see Sable here cause its been on my radar for awhile now. Great list. Also thanks for showing some games that arent triple A. It's refreshing.
Jacob, your content is the Outer Wilds of UA-cam channels.
Thanks for making some of the best videos on this platform.
I just finished Before Your Eyes yesterday after it's been on my backlog for a while. Such an amazing game with how the mechanic and storytelling blends in nicely.
Just commenting for engagement and to say thanks for recommending Piranesi. I finished it recently and it was a really great read. I honestly didn’t expect it to be that engaging for what it’s message was but it really wrapped me up in its marble world and made me really feel for a character that is so unique and so human despite everything he’s been put through. Thanks for the great year!
"The Long Dark and Existential Dread" is a video I will patiently wait, for as long as it takes
A Jacob Geller video is always a treat :)
Watching your stuff inspires me to get back into doing youtube videos (I did that on other channels but they suck, don't watch em) and trying off some more esoteric and interesting thoughts about games. And , I mean, I am also a Jacob G. so it feels like if one Jacob G. can do it, then why the hell can't both?!
unearth u is like the first season of within the wires! it’s in the form of meditation casettes that slowly reveal that you are imprisoned somewhere and the voice is someone trying to help you escape. it’s really cool!
I'm doing pretty good. It's always interesting to watch these kinds of videos because I never manage to play more than maybe 8 games in a year, if that. I love seeing what games other people found and loved that I never even heard of. Thanks for the video, and I hope you have a happy holiday.
Your recap of videos you made this year really made it hit home just how much your vids have meant to me in this crazy year, thank you so much for the content you make! I’ll never stop supporting your Patreon and loving your vids!
I feel as though I owe you thanks in some way.
The first video I’d ever seen of yours was “Who’s afraid of modern art?” video, and that was honestly life changing. Not, specifically that video on it’s own, that video is phenomenal, but it only began my journey through your expansive and diverse array of videos.
The way you talk, and the way you structure your discussion of video games, an experience-based medium, around being an experience in themselves, is genuinely next level. I deeply admire your ability to not only propose questions that frame your argument coherently, but to ask questions and induce experiences that illicit the feeling of the argument is baffling. What you do on this website is immaculate, and I wouldn’t change a single thing. I ensure to watch all of your videos that won’t spoil me on contents of games or movies I haven’t already seen/played, and I think that my critical thinking skills have legitimately improved because of it.
If you see this comment, thank you.
Watching your videos regularly has inspired my to make a channel of my own, and I feel it’s only right to thank you for helping me awaken a passion for creating and writing.
I only found your channel this year and you've changed the way I think about stuff. You've said things I've thought in way I never thought someone else could. Thank you. Here's to many more.
In gauge mint.
(Seriously, that was surreal getting called out, even just as part of a group. Thank you and all those that support you, it's the highlight of my day to see a Patreon/UA-cam notification for "Jacob Geller". And thank you for letting us know commenting like that works, I don't always remember to comment, but I'll remember better knowing it helps.)
Hey Jacob, I just wanted to say you have really truly inspired me as a writer, your essays on architecture in games, as well as the emotional responses games provide have been hugely influential in what I write about as well as how I write it, so much so, that I'm actually using many of your essays as a sort of source for points on how to write good atmospheric horror, because knowing what you're trying to achieve is to me as important as knowing how to get there.
been on a big ole internet cleanse for a long while and coming back and seeing this makes me feel so safe and warm and fuzzy. love seeing u thrive! and knowing the discord is still going strong is a cherry on top. HAPPY HANUKKAH JACOB!!! and a happy new year :)
thank you for your amazing work and your amazing videos. In a time fraught with peril in these pandemic times your videos have always been a little light whenever I saw a new one pop up on my feed. So again, thank you for your amazing videos, I hope you'll be able to enjoy some great holidays
Jacob, you became one of my all time favorite content creators this year and I cannot wait to see what else you create. Im especially excited to play Sable, because who can resist open world Moebius art! Let's kick next year's ass together
There's few UA-cam channels where I'll watch every video, regardless of subject matter, but this has been one since I found it. I respect and trust both that the ideas presented will be interesting, and the delivery will be enthralling, and I have yet to be let down. Thank you for the great quality content.
Calling Mario a game about “being a little guy who runs around” is the best thing I’ve ever heard
How is this video not an exception to the "Jacob's videos will always give me chills at one point" rule?! Wonderful work, I love this channel.
For a game that has the same aethstetic of Sable check out Zineth, it's low-key one of the best games of all time. It's got jet set radio rollerblading mechanics but good and it's freeware made by the same people who made Bubsy 3D visits the James Turell Retrospective
I have been looking for the name of this game for like 7 years. I remember playing it as a kid and I always wanted to try it again. Thanks so much for helping me finally find it.
ay I remember zineth, I remember playing it twice years apart but has always felt like a bit of a dream
lol I just checked and I've never unstalled it since I downloaded it in 2012
did have a memory leak issue unfortunately, got super laggy right after the tutorial
REST IN PEACE ROOM OF 1000 SNAKES
Thanks for giving me a list of games to play in 2022 ;)
Happy new year/end of year, and thanks for the great videos! I'm glad that I don't have to rank your videos because I'd have a really hard time, but I'm just gonna say I really enjoyed the video on the golem and the one on describing a forest. Looking forward to what you come up with next year!
Your videos have such a way of making me feel pensive... the last few weeks have been weird for me and honestly it's nice to hear someone reflect on a year with something that made them happy. A happy and healthy holidays to you and anyone reading this comment, whether plans are upended or going full steam safely ahead!
No, thank you! You got me thinking about games in way I hadn't before. And I absolutely love the Golem video. You made this past year more bearable, despite everything.