DualShockers’ favorite games of 2021

Among the great games of 2021, I have found some incredible gems that have turned out to be the best experience of my year!

While 2021 is another year where we grapple with COVID-19, it’s been my best year of gaming in the past few years. The reason for this is the fact that I have spent more hours on indie games this year than in previous years, and the results have been quite impressive for me.

Indie is always easy to miss, but there are a lot of hidden gems in it, discovering this makes indie players even more interested in dig into games from small but creative teams who always want to be. supportive community.

• CHECK THIS POST: 10 Best Steam Sale Deals Winter 2021 That You Shouldn’t Miss

The story behind the development of The Forgotten City is something that many indie developers have gone through, but not many of them get the chance to share it with the world.

With that said, I’m happy that most of the indie games I’ve tried this year make my list of the top games of the year, which means I now even have a list. Longer the indies to play in 2022.

So without further ado, let me share my top experiences this year with you!

10. Battlefield 2042

Despite all the hate around Battlefield 2042 since its launch it is one of the best shooters i have played this year.

Similar to many Battlefield fans, I’ve been a fan of the franchise since Battlefield 3and I understand that the game has changed significantly from previous entries, but you can still find the heart of the series in 2042.

The innovation that Battlefield 2042 providing with Portal and 128 player map is extremely pleasant and enjoyable for me. Also, I’m a fan of the new Expert system not because of the experts themselves, but because it gives me the freedom to choose my payload regardless of my role in the team.

So I believe the core of Battlefield 2042 solid and innovative, and that’s why I always enjoy my time with this game. Of course, I am disappointed by the degraded destruction, low detail map design and possibly unreasonable reactions from the experts, but I think what the game brings is greater and has more valuable than those mentioned above.

Test Battlefield 2042 review here.

9. Age of Empires 4

Age of Empires 4 Truly a masterpiece among this year’s RTS games and a huge step forward in storytelling in the genre, successfully combining true historical events with superb gameplay that lets you experience Experiment them all according to your own rules.

Age of Empires 4 Not only is it faithful to its predecessors, but it also improves upon the series in areas such as the depth of combat and the variation of dynasties.

While the game still doesn’t include all of the empires available in the campaign mode, it does offer over 50 hours of gameplay in story mode alone, which is an eye-popping number for an RTS.

Test Age of Empires 4 review here.

8. Humans

When it comes to strategy games, I’m more of a manager than a war commander, and that’s why I prefer big and 4X strategy games over war-focused ones like Total War.

Human is a great new IP that I really enjoy every single turn I take in the game. It allows you to expand your dynasty however you want with the values ​​you most honor. However, you will live with the consequences of your decisions.

There are two things that I really love Human: First, the incredible original soundtrack for each dynasty faithfully reflects the traditional and long-standing musical culture of each kingdom.

Monday, Human features challenging AI of enemies who will never give up on expanding their kingdoms, which means you won’t have any real friends on your journey and that’s what create Human a difficult but realistic experience.

7. 12 minutes

Although I don’t like the visual representation of 12 minutes with all the clumsy and unpolished animations, the story and the exceptional performance of the voice actors made me an enjoyable experience.

The story of the game has a lot of twists and turns and the fact that you should put all the pieces together in the right order to find the next shocking truth is presented. 12 minutes a fascinating roller coaster ride for me.

Check out the 12 minute review here.

6. Chernobylite

As one of the most underrated games this year, Chernobylite could be my best game of the year if it weren’t for some gameplay design issues. That being said, Chernobylite Still a solidly story-driven experience with a strong storyline and multiple branches that can lead you to different thought-provoking endings.

Not many games can make you feel how important your choices are and they can make you a complete failure at the end of the day.

Chernobylite Totally a massive innovation in the way story-driven games with branching stories can work. And you never know about the depth of your selection until the last minute.

5. Hitman 3

What a finale to the modern adventures of Agent 47! Hitman 3 is a worthy conclusion to IO Interactive’s biggest new IP trilogy to date. If it weren’t for IOI’s tireless efforts, we might never have heard of Killer series after Square Enix decided to turn away from the franchise.

Despite having the same core gameplay, Hitman 3 is a masterpiece of map design in the entire series. Still, I can’t forget the assassinations in Berlin or the sheer surprise the game’s final map brought.

Hitman 3 is the best stealth shooting game i’ve played this year and i know i won’t find anything like it until next time Killer arrive!

See Hitman 3 . review here.

4. Hell Let Loose

So this is my favorite multiplayer game of the year. If you like heavy shooter games and you are a fan of Battlefield You should definitely try this game.

Just put, Hell to loose It’s the most fun realistic multiplayer game I’ve ever played. Every kill you get in this game feels satisfying. And the atmosphere is so tense that you really feel like you are on a battlefield in World War 2.

If you play it with your friends and have voice chat enabled, you can simply triple the fun you get from this grand war simulator. Just keep in mind that there is no room for rush in this game!

See review Hell Let Loose here.

3. Hobo Tough Life

Rain is beautiful, but do you know what it means for the homeless? Hobo Tough Life made me think of things that I probably never thought of.

This is a game that makes you realize how some of the most beautiful things we know in our lives can turn into disasters when you can’t even afford a tent.

This is a game about yourself where everything you do is part of your story. Will you steal from others to survive or will you stand on your own until the very end? How many days can you survive without begging people for money?

Hobo Tough Life is a life lesson and a tough survival game. If you want my advice, play it with permadeath “on” on the highest difficulty level to enjoy the most.

1. War Mongrels

No, this is not a mistake! I have two games as my match of the year because it’s really hard for me to pick just one of the two.

War Mongrels is one of those games I’ve been following since it was announced, but honestly, I wouldn’t even imagine that this game could end up in my top 3 of the year.

What makes War Mongrels A great game for me is the fact that it does everything right to a high degree. Interested in the story? it has a well written story depicting World War 2 from a unique perspective.

Interested in gameplay? War Mongrels is a master level design where each chapter in the game is like a game of chess and you really have to plan your moves in your head before starting the action.

Complete every chapter in War Mongrels feels like a big achievement, and that’s what a good game will make you feel! Well done, Destructive Creation!

1. The Forgotten City

The only game side by side War Mongrels for me throughout this year is The Forgotten City. While the game’s pre-release trailers weren’t all that impressive to me – and I don’t know the story behind its development – the very high reviews for the game made me extremely curious. . The Forgotten City.

I think I was really lucky to play The Forgotten City as it is an easy gem to miss. It’s without a doubt the most engaging story I’ve experienced in a video game this year. It never stops to surprise you and never fails to make the story darker and deeper.

Each step forward reveals a shocking truth about the entire city, and each ending only makes you so curious to return to the game and to the next ending to discover more of the secrets of each. character.

If you’ve played and enjoyed it, I highly recommend you check out the documentary on the game’s development using noclip, and you’ll be even more captivated by this masterpiece.

Mention of Honor

Ready or not?

As the last new game I’ve experienced this year so far, Ready or not? It’s currently in Early Access on Steam, but it’s already among my top games this year.

If you want a heavy tactical shooter and if you want to experience the version of Rainbow Six Siege which we showed in 2015 during an E3 demo, Ready or not? offer it!

It’s a love letter to all SWAT 4 The fans have never received anything like it over the years. Ready or not? still 40% like what’s coming until next December, and even at this stage, it’s a lovely game for fans of tactical shooters.

If this is your favorite genre and you have a friend to play with, don’t hesitate to give it a try. VOID Interactive has delivered what I’ve dreamed of for years and I’m glad they’ll make it even better over time.

Check out the list of the remaining 10 DualShocker employees below and the winners of our Offical Game of the Year Award:

December 20: Jo Craig (Writer)

December 21: Natalie Schmidt (Freelance Writer)

December 22: Dean James (Freelance staff writer)

December 24: Kyle Knight (Writer)

December 25: Shivam Gulati (Senior Editor)

December 26: Mehrdad Khayyat (Senior Editor)

December 27: Md Armughanuddin (Head of Content- India)

December 28: Iyane Agossah (Head of Japanese Content)

December 30: Sam Woods (Editor-in-Chief and EIC)

December 31: Game of the Year 2021 Awards Officially Revealed