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Essays 07 July 2021, 16:40

author: Michael Pajda

The Most Popular Classic Single-Player Games 2021

There are some games that we just keep playing. Never mind the fact that these are titles that are already a few good years old. Many of them have even lived to see remasters, many have become very outdated – so what? We can't seem to stop playing.

Table of Contents

Wolfenstein: The New Order

  1. Age: almost 6 years
  2. Genre: FPS
  3. Peak number of concurrent players last month: 1093

Do you still remember the Blazkowicz sisters? Probably every player who had the misfortune to "have fun" with Wolfenstein: Youngblood, is perfectly familiar with these characters. And it's a shame that the iconic series – which rose like a phoenix from the ashes with the efforts of the talented developers at MachineGames – lived to see such a monstrosity as well. It's a shame, all the more so when we recall the "epic" adventures of the two previous installments in the series – Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus , and above all, Wolfenstein: The New Order.

Nowadays, there's a huge shortage of good, old-school single-player shooters on the market. While Doom: Eternal was an excellent production and exactly this kind of game, it's not likely to spur a new tendency in shooters.

Wolfenstein: The New Order is both a sentimental return to the roots of what was best in the video game industry – but with the graphics, story and gameplay of our times. Thanks to this, the first new Wolf is a pleasant play for both old (those who still remember the era of dinosaurs and the first Wolfenstein played on a Commodore 64) and slightly younger users of PCs and consoles.

  1. Wolfenstein: The New Order in our encyclopedia

BioShock Infinite

  1. Age: almost 7 years
  2. Genre: FPS
  3. Peak number of concurrent players last month: 1042

The BioShock series is a phenomenon - and it's not even about the visuals (although the games in the series have always been of high quality by any standards). BioShock games, however, should be considered primarily as dystopian stories about the society we learn about from notes and recordings. BioShock Infinite is no different - the only thing that has changed compared to the first and second installments is the setting: instead of the underwater city of Rapture, we're dealing with the airborne metropolis of Columbia.

BioShock Infinite is a bit like Wolfenstein: The New Order - this title has no competition. There's an overall lack of productions that allow players to experience not only a metaphysical mystery, but also a virtual catharsis (which is not only cleansing, but also... warning?). So they reach for the old BioShocks (including the remastered ones) - at one point recently, Infinite was played by over 1000 people. And the popularity of BioShock - including Infinite - increased even more, because in February 2020 the entire collection of games from the series was available via PS Plus subscription.

  1. BioShock: Infinite in our encyclopedia

Dishonored

  1. Age: over 7 years
  2. Genre: stealth FPP
  3. Peak number of concurrent players last month: 1042

It's no different with Dishonored, a game whose equivalent is hard to find among the competition, as it places a huge emphasis on stealth. Unless you don't want to sneak around - then you can smash every enemy in sight - and in an unusual way. The protagonist's abilities (in the first game it's a man, Corvo Attano, but in the second part it's also possible to play as a woman) - such as slowing down time, hitting enemies with a wave or... summoning hungry rats. The game can be played without a single murder, as it allows you not only to plan your kills tactically, but also to avoid eliminating your opponents altogether.

Dishonored's rare mechanic of creating combos from successive skills - and combining them into a string of impressive and effective attacks (and thus combining the most intriguing combos) - made it extremely fun to play. As a result, it is a pleasure to return to it, even despite the fact that part one from 2012 has already aged noticeably in relation to its continuation from four years ago.

Another highlight is the fantastic world created by Viktor Antonov, the man who previously designed City 17 in Half-Life 2. Trane-powered industry, dark alleys, bizarre machinery, and the plague. All this creates a unique and inimitable atmosphere of the first Dishonored that cannot be experienced anywhere else.

  1. Dishonored in our encyclopedia
Fallout: New Vegas

Fallout: New Vegas

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag

BioShock Infinite

BioShock Infinite

Dishonored

Dishonored

Mafia II

Mafia II

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition

Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition

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