Best of 2021: Finding a New Appreciation for Multiplayer Video Games

The pandemic has caused many of us to turn our attention toward more community-driven games in the past couple of years, but 2021 might be the year that co-op and online play excelled. Not only did It Takes Two win the Game of the Year award from Geoff Keighley’s yearly extravaganza, but many of the most popular titles this year had some sort of player-on-player component. I’m not traditionally a fan of multiplayer games personally, as people usually ruin most things – look at all the racist comments, hackers, and tryhards – but this is the crazy year I finally reconnected with online play.

There were several games that didn’t have a traditional multiplayer element or only allowed it in certain modes, but the time we did get with them is a blast. Far Cry 6 requires the player to get a couple of hours into the campaign (until a specific mission) before opening up the wild co-op play, and then we have something like Deathloop, a fantastic experience that allows other players to try their hand at super-powered assassination as Julianna Blake, but only in certain parts of the game. Aliens: Fireteam Elite is a bit mediocre and lacking in the eyes of some, but many out there are still putting a large number of hours into it, even if the game is only three players for some reason. This might leave one of the usual squad members out, or duos can go in with two and have trouble getting the AI to fill that last spot (like we did), but thankfully, there are a ton of other games to play if there are issues.

Everyone has been talking a lot about Halo Infinite these past few weeks and whoever decided to release the multiplayer for free and early deserves a raise. This got me grouped up with my second favorite Australian and an Uber-soldier for my first squad; first, because that’s how many people wanted to play, that I never lacked in friends to help me shoot at Spartans. In fact, we had a blast even when we were losing, even though the PC Game Pass version had some hiccups, this was nothing but familiar old-school fun while I waited on the real treat, the campaign.

Before that took over, we did Back 4 Blood. I had one group for the beta and another after the full game was released. It’s easy to see why people call it Left 4 Dead with better graphics and there’s nothing to really hook most people past that, but the gameplay is quite entertaining, even if we spent most of our time shooting each other in the camp and trying to strategize for that first mission with the boat and explosives. It’s easy to see how this game is made much better by playing with friends, but it is the one I wouldn’t suggest doing with random players. I was left to die twice and communication can be key here.

For those who might be looking for something that isn’t just shooting each other or random mindless hordes, I can also suggest Forza Horizon 5 to get competitive with some races or just cruise around and look at the sights. I also haven’t had a chance to try them myself yet, but many friends have been suggesting Knockout City, which looks extremely fun and eye-catching, but we have Chivalry II if someone wanted to go the swords and melee combat route.

Now for a couple of games that aren’t necessarily new, but received new multiplayer content, I feel the need to mention Phasmophobia. This supernatural house hunting simulator was a good time when it first came out, but many of my friends got bored with it or were too scared to really dive in. Luckily, this new update is adjusting some things, adding a bit more, and the prospects of new maps mean that we are jumping back into the ghost hunting business.

To make some real money though, we’re going back into crime with GTA Online. There’s a new DLC that puts the focus on GTAV’s most likable character, Franklin Clinton, and brings in the big guns with Dr. Dre, some new missions, a fresh story, and more toys to spend money on. Getting to all of this means buying a new business and tricking it out though, so I need to set up some heists to make that money back. The real crime is that I missed the Valheim train back when everyone I knew was playing it. I could be hunting and pillaging instead of doing these modern-day misdemeanors, and thanks to someone who gifted me a copy, now seems like a good time to install it and see how strong those servers are still going.

If that wasn’t enough new multiplayer games, there were also a bunch I just wasn’t interested in at first or didn’t have the time for. I’ve been playing so many games, spending so much time sitting and waiting on friends to log on, that I’ve started doing way more missions or matches with random players and it has honestly been a better experience than I thought it could be. My hatred of being forced to do things with others and interacting with additional living beings feels a bit harsh now.

I’ve even considered buying Battlefield 2042 or maybe Call of Duty: Vanguard for some more PVP gunplay, but I also heard a couple of good things about Outriders, and this one streamer keeps trying to get me to install Fortnite since it has a Spider-Man crossover now. There’s just so much to choose from and I’m not left wanting for people to play with. I decide to take the plunge myself more now, when the mood strikes. 2021 came hard with the online play and I owe this year for helping me get outside of my comfort zone a bit, so much to the point that now I’m hoping next year is just as loaded with more multiplayer madness.

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