Favorite Computer Games of 2021

January 10, 2022 Filed in: Video Games

It's been a while since I listed my favorite computer games of the year. I generally play most games years after they were released. Here were my favorite games I played in 2021.

Dragon Age: Origins - Ultimate Edition - This was definitely my favorite game of the year and now an all-time favorite as well. I love RPGs and this one ranks right up there with the Baldur's Gate series. Because I own the Ultimate Edition, there was a lot of content. I played Origins, the Awakening expansion, and four DLC campaigns.
Battle for Wesnoth - Until I played Dragon Age, this was the front runner for my favorite game of 2021. It's free, open source, and still in active development. It has a fantasy setting but is a turn-based strategy war game at its core. It brought back memories of how much I enjoyed playing Fantasy General.
Batman: Arkham Asylum - This was a game with high production values. I broke out my gamepad to embrace its console video game roots. They really captured a lot of the spirit of Batman in this game. The professional voice acting added to its appeal as well.
Out of the Park Baseball 22 - OOTP powers my yearly NALB simulations. Although they don't usually change much, the annual releases are almost always top notch. Version 22 was no exception. It's a shame that my Brooklyn Knights missed the playoffs in 2021, however.
King’s Bounty: The Legend - One of my all-time favorite computer game series is Heroes of Might and Magic. King's Bounty was very comparable to HoMM. It featured real-time movement on the game map but familiar turn-based combat.
Empire: Total War - From what I've played, the Total War series is always a winner. It feels a little like playing Risk on a world map with the option to control the battles in real-time. I led the Dutch Republic to a campaign victory. As far as Total War games go, I enjoyed Empire more than Medieval II but not as much as Rome.
Trine: Enchanted Edition - Trine is a really nice indie game. It is a side-scrolling action game with puzzle elements. Thankfully, the puzzles were enjoyable and rarely frustrating. It has a nice concept of controlling three separate characters, which you could switch between freely within levels.
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare - Yay—a first person shooter that didn't give me motion sickness. As a break from previous World War II entries, CoD 4 gave us a modern setting. It was a quality FPS that immersed you into the action even with computer controlled squad mates. As with Trine, this game's shorter length was not a detriment but a plus in my eyes.
Tropico 3 - El Presidente returned! I had played Tropico, skipped Tropico 2, and returned for Tropico 3. From what I could remember, version 3 was every bit as good as the original. The background music is still great and the graphics were improved.
LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga - LEGO Star Wars would probably have placed higher on the list if I hadn't taken on the Complete Saga. It represented six films, episodes one through six, spread across 36 chapters. It was fun but I was a little burned out by the end.
Overlord II - The Overlord series is a lot of fun. Unfortunately, I experienced too many crashes with Overlord II just as I did with Overlord. If the game had been stable enough to finish, it would have easily made my top ten.
Titan Quest - I love RPGs but action-RPGs aren't my favorites. I greatly prefer story driven RPGs. Even so, I was enjoying this one quite a bit. Unfortunately, the repetitive combat grind combat wore thin, just as it did with Diablo II. I wasn't compelled to finish it but I enjoyed the time I spent with Titan Quest.