The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom (2010) (PC) (Blue Byte Software)
9With the exception of a few quirky first-person shooters like Crysis 1 and Metro 2033, Blue Byte's Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom is the first of the relatively recent big budget games I've bought which has "PC" written all over it. This is a deliberately paced, mouse-dependent, menu-heavy, graphics-intense, old school realtime strategy game of the kind which can only really exist and find an audience on the personal computer. Better yet, it's an unexpectedly good sequel to one of my favorite strategy classics of all time (Settlers 2). Despite some notable innovations and streamlining attempts the fundamental gameplay of Settlers 7 sticks close enough to the time-honored conventions of the series that the nostalgia center of my brain gets activated.
The highly impressive new visuals only sweeten the deal, and given the sheer amount of detailed and advanced effects available on maxed settings this might just be the single best-looking strategy game I've ever seen. At least compared to other strategy series, graphics actually have some real gameplay implications here since the simple pleasure of passively watching your tiny little computerized people go about their business in an ever-growing settlement has always been such an important part of the Settlers experience.