Deathloop
Since many of Deathloop’s ideas are about research, navigation, and discovery, it’s easy to imagine that Deathloop’s strengths aren’t in its shootout. But shooting connects all those components together, and holy smoke is fun to shoot things in Deathloop. You are armed with an array of small but purposeful guns that are incredibly loud and powerful. The rifle’s headshot feeds the body with a pinwheel, and the shotgun easily breaks the rank. The vintage nature of those 60’s gives Deathloop a unique feel to shooting. It’s chunky, full of recoil, and is backed by the PS5 by the excellent use of adaptive triggers. You can design a personalized loadout that feels like a supernatural John Wick, in conjunction with a range of powers and trinkets (healing grenades, who?) That can accurately adjust the movement of the weapon. -Matt Purthrow
See IGN’s Deathloop review for more information.
Far Cry 6
The colorful explosion of Far Cry 6 once again proves that when combined with open-ended mission design and chaotic action, few games can rival Ubisoft’s open-world shooter franchise. The fascinating process of planning a stealth infiltration, or the turmoil of fast-paced shootouts when that plan inevitably goes to hell, continues from the first beachside shootout to the enormous battle of a full-scale revolution. I am satisfied with it.Sure, it may stumble upon some of its new inventory mechanics and menus, but a huge roster of weapons, armor, gear, perks, and almost super-powerful stuff. Best It offers almost as many weapons as options for destroying the next checkpoint or outpost. Add a new roster of enemy abilities to add layers of strategy-medics will revive their friends, or captains can summon air strikes on your sniper’s perch-and jointly game An option-op partner that doubles the overall turmoil, Far Cry 6 easily gains its place as one of the best shooters of the year. -John Ryan
For more information, see IGN’s Far Cry 6 review.
Halo Infinite
Halo’s best-in-class shooter qualifications derive from its ability to meaningfully combine environmental design with enemy actions and weapon options. 343 Industries takes it to the next level in the open world of Halo Infinite. The Grunts, Elites, Jackals, and Brutes groups return with classic hierarchical responsibilities, but the extra space and layered heights of the world divide their ranks into Master Chiefs. It offers more possibilities for conquering. It could use a rock outcrop that becomes a sniper’s perch, a fusion coil thrown into the face of a charging enemy, or a grapple shot to grab a new weapon when ammo runs out. This is the most energetic and free-form combat Halo has ever felt. This continues for multiplayer. There, good map design is combined with good weapon balance to create a fair but desperate combat arena that always begs for another match. -Matt Purthrow
For more information, see IGN’s Halo Infinite Multiplayer review.
All IGN Best of 2021 Game Categories
IGN’s Best of 2021 Awards was designed by:
Lead Design + Art Direction: Julia Lago
Motion graphics: Bacherer