How do you follow up a year like 2023 that featured multiple all-time great games in Baldur’s Gate 3, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and Alan Wake 2? From the get go, 2024 had quite the uphill battle, and while I don’t think it produced any clear cut all-timers, it was still filled with a steady stream of amazing AAA and indie games.

What I will remember most about the year, is how I came ever so much closer to being able to play any game my heart desired by adding a Steam Deck and Meta Quest 3 to my gaming stable. With so many possibilities available to me, I played over 90 games, completing 62 and Platinum-ing 9.

Keep reading to find out more about everything ranging from 90’s JRPGs I somehow missed out on during my childhood to VR mini-golf, or feel free to skip ahead to the sections for Games from 2024 or My Top 15 Games. For a look back, be sure to check out my recaps for 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, and 2017.

Note: a + designates I beat a game, while a ++ indicates obtaining the Platinum Trophy or unlocking all achievements

Games Released Prior to This Year

Lies of P (Xbox Series S)+

At 12:10 am on January 1st, I got my first game completion of 2024. Was I a little mad that I didn’t manage to defeat the final quite difficult boss before the ball dropped – yes. Was I glad to have a little more time with this wonderful Pinocchio themed Bloodborne-esque game – also an emphatic yes!

Moonlighter (Xbox Series S)+

It’s a good thing I did not have work the first few days of 2024, because the highly addictive merchant gameplay loop of dungeon crawling and shop running consumed my thoughts. With roguelikes that mix and match very different genres, you would expect one to suffer, but the team nailed the fun in exploration, combat, and management. I cannot wait to see how they top it all with the recently announced sequel.

Hollow Knight (Xbox Series S)+

One of the major themes of 2024 in my gaming was trying to Platinum or collect all the Achievements in as many games as possible. Overall, it was a fairly successful quest, but it started inauspiciously with my replay of Hollow Knight. Coming back for the first time in 6 years was an absolute thrill, and I more thoroughly explored the game than ever before including completing the Path of Pain. While my skills definitely got gud, I realized the dedication required to conquer all of the Pantheons would have inevitably sullied my love of the game, and I gave up after completing the first 4, which still felt like a monumental accomplishment.

Jusant (Xbox Series S)+

This indie game dedicated to climbing really hit the spot during my Game Pass phase. The game itself is gorgeous, and the climbing is incredibly rewarding in terms of discovery and entering tranquil little flow states. Unfortunately, the game was a commercial flop despite being a critical darling, and the innovative studio was disbanded shortly after release.

The Untouchables (SNES)

Who didn’t dream of enforcing prohibition as a child? At last, those dreams can become a reality thanks to the strange, ahead of its time cover shooter – The Untouchables! The idea is cool, and the mob war in Chicago looks nice on the Super Nintendo, but controlling it with a regular controller is too difficult and not worth it for the amount of fun it provides taking down Al Capone and his gang.

Titanfall 2 (Xbox Series S)+

For years, I have heard about how Titanfall 2 has the best single player FPS campaign ever, and it 100% lived up to the massive hype. Everything about the combat is highly kinetic, and hopping in to your mech-like Titan is an absolute blast that still looks like a technical wonder 8 years post release. It’s rare that a game makes you retroactively like another game less, but the brilliant quantum entanglement mission featured within far outshined the similarly inspired mission in 2023’s Starfield and genuinely made me wonder how with all that extra time and a generation leap in technology they only managed something half as spectacular.

Tetris (NES)

35 years later, this remains the definitive version of Tetris. It might not be as fancy as some of the newer offerings, but there is nothing like the dopamine hit of clearing lines once you pass Level 9.

Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!! (NES)

Similar to how the soothing rhythm of dropping blocks in to place afforded by Tetris can be a nice way to blow off steam, using 30+ years of muscle memory and pattern recognition to knock out the world’s most fearsome 8-bit boxers is an equally enjoyable way to spend the day. At some point in the future, I do need to fully dedicate myself to beating the legendary Mike Tyson, but even for a few less championship filled rounds, it is always nice to revisit one of my all-time favorites.

Wolverine (NES)

One of LJN’s infamous licensed games of the 8-bit era, Wolverine actually was surprisingly fun if a bit of a mess. I’m not quite sure why the world’s most renowned healer Wolverine loses health every time his claws are out, but I managed to enjoy spending an hour or so with Logan.

Cult of the Lamb (PS5)+

Part management sim, part dungeon crawler, all utter insanity, Cult of the Lamb was one of the more memorable gaming experiences of the year as I guided my flock through ritual sacrifices and more as an adorable little satanic lamb.

Twisted Metal 2 (PSOne)

I got my nostalgia fix of blowing up the Hollywood sign then promptly proceeded to get my butt handed to me repeatedly in the second level of the game before I could even blow up the even more iconic Eiffel Tower. The game definitely looks and plays its age, but I would love to try to reach my teenage skill level at it again one lazy afternoon.

Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii U)+

3D Mario’s are quite possibly the best sub-genre in gaming, and this year I finally checked out this highly regarded Wii sequel. While I do not extol its virtues as much as the original Galaxy, there are tons of phenomenal levels and power-ups to explore while messing with gravity to still make it an A-tier entry for the mustachioed plumber.

Yars Recharged (Switch)

If there is a game based on Yars Revenge, I will play it (more on that later). While, this game has a fairly nice aesthetic to it, the gameplay just feels off. It was not nearly fast enough to catch my attention, and I quickly bounced off of it. Thankfully, I had waited until it went on sale to finally check it out.

Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration (Switch)

After attempting to play Yars Recharged, I needed a palate cleanser, so I booted up the original Yars Revenge in the excellently curated Atari 50. Nailing the Qotile with your Zorlon cannon still feels insanely good 40 years after the game made its mark.

Celeste (Xbox Series S)++

One of the greatest games ever made just keeps getting better every time I play it. This playthrough, I was determined to get all the achievements and complete the Farewell DLC for the first time ever. It tested me to my limits, but the catharsis received by finally overcoming the biggest summit was amazing, and I plan to continue my annual tradition of replaying this gem.

Coffee Talk Episode 2: Hibiscus & Butterfly (Switch)+

While on vacation, this soothing sequel provided the exact chill vibes I wanted to help me relax. The story may be a tad less tight than the original game, but they need to make these an annual thing like Madden. Give me more latte options and let me bob my head to some coffee shop music while helping an elf fall in love.

Kirby’s Dream Land 2 (Switch Online)+

My nostalgia filled heart will always be with the original Kirby’s Dream Land, but it was fun to check out its sequel for the first time this year. It is very much a technological leap up from the original akin to how Super Mario Land and Super Mario Land 2 evolved on the Game Boy.

Donkey Kong Country 3 (Switch Online)+

I adore the first two Donkey Kong Country games, but I can never get all that into the third. Perhaps I just miss Diddy Kong, but it comes across like a lot more of the same. As a result, I always drop off after 10 levels or so.

Donkey Kong (Game Boy)

The Game Boy version of the great big ape’s inaugural arcade game is far more puzzle game than straight arcade port with over 100 well-crafted levels to get through that extend far beyond the barrel jumping that made the series famous.

A Little to the Left (Xbox Series S)

I had immensely high hopes that this would be my Unpacking-level soothing game of the year, but the game just never really grabbed me. The puzzles were fun and having things occasionally disrupted by the swiping paw of a mischievous cat was a nice touch, but things never quite got where I needed them to.

Madden 24 (Xbox Series S)+

Playing the latest entry in the Madden series used to be a yearly tradition for me, then I noticed I would only play for a weekend or so and quickly abandon it. It turns out if you ignore the series for 2-3 years and come back, it is a much better way to go since, let’s be honest, not a whole lot changes from year to year. Even better, I was able to download this on Game Pass and guide the Cincinnati Bengals to a Super Bowl title without having to drop any cold hard cash or suffer from buyer’s remorse when I inevitably dropped off.

Pokemon Blue (Game Boy)

I have played through the various incarnations of the first Pokemon game several times in Blue and Yellow. While recovering from minor surgery, I thought I might hop back in for some simple nostalgia but found things to be a little too slow, and I lost interest by the time I reached the second town. Maybe I have attempted to catch them all one too many times, but I do hope to revisit it once my kids are ready for an RPG.

Mega Man Soccer (SNES)

This year’s entry in my ever expanding collection of strange sports collaboration video games, Mega Man Soccer is actually a fair bit better than others like Bill Lambier’s Combat Basketball, but, let’s be honest, I only bought it for the sweet cover art of Mega Man absolutely crushing a soccer ball.

Inscryption (Switch)+

The less I say about the enigmatic deck-builder Inscryption the better. This game has been in my backlog for years, and I finally used some time off post-surgery to burn through it over the course of a couple of days. The card games are highly addictive and challenging, but the central mystery at its core is an all-timer.

Ico (PS5)+

When this game first came out in 2001, I quickly grew bored with it and put it to the side since it did not feature all that much action. Now, 23 years later and with a significant appreciation for the developer’s other titles like Shadow of the Colossus, I was at long last able to enjoy this platformer. It’s one giant escort mission that works surprisingly well as your horned boy must help the evil queen’s daughter escape from a castle filled with puzzles and deadly enemies far more powerful than the two children on the run.

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (Xbox Series S)+

This is not just a saga, it is a full on sensory experience. The combat and voices in your head both feel oddly visceral, and the tale of Senua trying to save her lost love through her mental health struggles is undoubtedly a wholly unique and worthwhile spectacle.

Plumbers Don’t Wear Ties (PS5)++

I remember seeing ads for this game on 3DO in my GamePros as a kid and attributing a mythical quality to this seemingly naughty full motion video game. Finally, 30 years later, I could experience what my adolescent brain had built up and be both throughly disappointed yet glad to have played it at the same time. The game is actually just still photos with voice acting, and the story is weirdly misogynistic and homophobic making it only worth a look as an interesting time capsule of what the video game industry used to be especially with the help of some well curated retrospectives from Limited Run Games. Thankfully, the fairly short ride through a more infamous part of gaming history will also serve as the strangest platinum trophy I have ever unlocked.

Star Wars Rebel Assault 2 (PS5)

Rebel Assault 2 seemed like the highest of tech back in the PSOne heyday as it allowed you to play some motion captured Star Wars with plenty of super cheesy acting and cheap special effects. It was an enjoyable relic to come back to while bored one Saturday night, but outside of an hour or so of treating storm troopers like a shooting gallery, there isn’t much more to be had.

Ender Lillies (Switch)

This comes across like an exceptionally cool Metroidvania where you take on powers from enemies you defeat. I saw promise in the hour or so I played this gothic saga, but I just was not in a headspace where I could come back and try to remember what areas needed revisiting or exploring at the time.

Bomb Rush Cyberfunk (Switch)+

The spiritual successor to Jet Set Radio does not quite reach the heights of the original, but it was still a fun time that I am honestly glad exists. With skateboarding, bike riding, and roller blading options, there are plenty of ways to groove to the funky soundtrack while pulling off tricks and tagging walls, but it definitely could benefit from a little more modernization to feel like it belongs in the 2020s and not 2000s.

Fallout: New Vegas (Xbox Series S)+

I was one of the many viewers who decided to jump back into the games after watching the Amazon Fallout series. I had previously only played Fallout 4, so I was excited to check out New Vegas, which is generally regarded as the best in the series. At first the game was a little underwhelming, but once you hit the titular New Vegas it undeniably picks up steam with some fun storylines and enduring characters like Veronica and Mr. House. By the time I reached the epic Hoover Dam conclusion, it had established itself as the ultimate Fallout in my opinion as well.

Fallout 3 (Xbox Series S)+

I wasn’t quite ready to leave the post-apocalyptic wasteland of Fallout after New Vegas, so I opted to check out the original First-Person entry in the series. While it is a little less advanced in terms of story, factions, and companions than the future games, it is a wild ride thanks to the batty opening where you play as a baby and the finale featuring Liberty Prime disintegrating fools.

Hades (PS5)++

I have been wanting to revisit my 2020 GOTY for quite some time, and the Early Access launch of Hades 2 was finally enough to push me to do so. The world felt just as vibrant and the runs just as exciting my second time through with the Twin Fists of Malphon remaining the most frenetic fun you can have. I decided that I genuinely did want to see it all, so I went for the platinum. This did require some grinding to finish out the last couple of stories (I am looking at you, Achilles), but it was well worth it to set the house of Hades fully in order while waiting for the 1.0 launch of its sequel.

Stardew Valley (Steam)

A large portion of the reason I wanted to get a Steam Deck was being able to play the 1.6 release of Stardew Valley without having to wait for it to drop on consoles many months later. Now, over 50 hours in to my third farm, I have had yet another moving and fulfilling journey with the residents of Pelican Town that has only further cemented my love of Concerned Ape’s opus.

Tiny Rogues (Steam)

One of the great things about Steam is being able to gift your friends games. Shortly after getting my Steam Deck, a friend of mine sent me this charming little roguelike dungeon crawler that is always fun with a quick run when nothing else is monopolizing my attention.

Into the Breach (Steam)+

Fortunately for my sleep schedule, just enough of my skills from my first time tactically blasting Kaiju in time traveling mechs carried over to my new playthrough, and I was able to get some quick and early wins and move on. Several months later, I have yet to uninstall it, and I know its siren’s call will bring me in once more.

Tomb Raider (Steam)+

Being able to play the sprawling 2013 reboot of Lara Croft on a handheld device feels like cheating. Tomb Raider and its sequel Rise of the Tomb Raider rival anything the Uncharted series has thrown out there with better combat and less frustrating exploration if maybe not quite as solid of storytelling.

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 (Steam)+

12 year old me would have squealed with glee if he knew he would one day play even prettier versions of the highly formative THPS games on the go. The gameplay holds up extraordinarily well, and it runs silky smooth on the Steam Deck. While I did occasionally wish I had a full fledged controller as lengthier combos were a little trickier to pull of on the deck, I was never too bothered by it as I was having too much fun pretending I’m a Superman for the 5 millionth time over the course of 25 years.

Trombone Champ (Steam)

The opposite of a rhythm game, Trombone Champ is all about sounding awful and just doing your darndest not to run out of breath while you hit notes on increasingly difficult and hilarious compositions. When I want to shut my brain off and just have a laugh after a long day, this is a reliable go to.

The Case of the Golden Idol (Steam)+

Part Mad Libs, part Return of the Obra Dinn, this sprawling mystery provides plenty of intrigue while solving the many decades-spanning murders that all came together in an incredibly satisfying way in the bonkers finale. It walks the fine line of being overly obtuse and making you feel smart impressively well. I have the sequel, Rise of the Golden Idol, downloaded, and I cannot wait to start it in the new year.

Elden Ring (PS5)++

After completing the new DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree (more on that later), in my old save, I was not ready to let go of the Lands Between, and I decided to start a New Game+ run. Then that went so well, that I figured I might as well start a New Game++ and snag the Platinum Trophy. It’s kind of incredible how these games work. The first time through back in 2022 took me 85 hours to complete. My New Game+ run was about another 20 while I finished side quests and nabbed collectibles, and my New Game++ run was a mere 3.5 hours as I mainlined the critical path and ascended the throne in a single day.

Bloodborne (PS5)++

Fresh off my platinum in Elden Ring, I decided to accomplish the same feat in Bloodborne. Fortunately, I had already done a lot of the hard work years ago, and my New Game+ runs were more formality than brutal beatdown. Bloodborne remains the absolute coolest Soulsborne in terms of atmosphere and the one I would most want a sequel to.

Check out the best bosses in Bloodborne

Sekiro (PS5)

Sadly, my Soulsborne dominance came to a close with Sekiro. I thought I would go for a third platinum, but I definitely was experiencing Souls burnout and hopped off after the opening stage. I would love to actually make an attempt at this next year as the combat is so different that I do think it would be a fun and worthy challenge. Over the holidays I did play a little with my nephew as he experienced it for the first time, so I am hoping his journey through will get me motivated to pick it back up.

Sayonara Wild Hearts (PS5)+

Yes, I completed my annual replay of this absolutely mesmerizing visual album, but, more importantly, I finally scored a copy of the unbelievable soundtrack on vinyl without having to pay scalper up-charge. See you again next year. Wild hearts never die!

Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace (PS5)

I will never forget the profound disappointment I felt as a 13 year old when I went to Babbages to pick up my copy of The Phantom Menace for PSOne and discovered it had been delayed and would no longer be releasing with the movie. This game gets a bad rap, but I recall actually enjoying it. It was fun to revisit but definitely on the janky side. Still, the weirdly graphic animation of Obi Wan getting destroyed by a giant fan was worth it.

Gris (PS5)+

When Gris released, I was deep in my “Indie darling that contemplates a heavy topic” phase, but I still found myself a little underwhelmed by it. Replaying it 6 years later, however, I was able to truly embrace the game and found myself profoundly moved by it. This was likely aided by playing the PS5 version that turns the watercolor world into an even more striking one.

Blasphemous (PS5)

When I first tried to play Blasphemous, I found the whole affair to be too depressing, likely owing to being smack dab in the middle of some of the darkest parts of the pandemic. Since I was craving some difficult Metroidvania action and noticed it was included in Playstation Plus’s catalogue, I decided to give it another go. I was thoroughly enjoying it up until it got pulled from the catalogue and my access was lost.

Final Fantasy VI (Steam)+

I have made multiple attempts to play Final Fantasy VI in the past, and they just never stuck. Perhaps playing it on an iPad and the SNES Classic was not conducive to such a sprawling RPG. Emboldened by the power of the Steam Deck, this year I decided to grab the Pixel Remaster, and it more than stuck; it firmly etched itself in the all-time great games for me. The 20+ hours I put into the game felt like they gave me a full trilogy worth of triumph, loss, and redemption. Any quibbles I may have had about grinding in the past were gone thanks to some quality of life improvements allowing for faster progression. Square took some massive swings by giving each character their own unique combat mechanics that undoubtedly helped make them memorable. The dungeons, especially in the second half, were tight and fun, and a host of iconic moments like the Opera managed to exceed the hype. In the end, my only gripe was that I wish the evil mastermind Kefka had a little more involvement in the second half. I really wanted to see the full scope of his evil and maybe uncover some sort of second layer to him.

Chrono Trigger (Steam)+

Square’s other big mid 90’s masterpiece was another missing piece from my JRPG history. I made it to the prehistoric era on my phone once, but naturally I bounced off since I clearly had a hard time finding the right medium to play these types of games on. Finally, having the opportunity to right this wrong on my Steam Deck, I took a massive headfirst leap in. The time traveling hijinks were fantastic, and there were many stellar moments like the sham trial and campfire that will live in my brain forever. Being able to auto-battle was a nice quality of life improvement, and I actually did not miss the lack of progression boosts like those in FF6 as the game was incredibly well paced and the synthesis aspects of combat were so fun that it never felt like I was grinding. Plus it meant I got to spend more time with some of the best 90’s JRPG characters out there in Luca and Frog. While both games are clearly all-timers, I am struggling trying to decide if I like this or FF6 more, as I think the characters and combat get the edge here but the story and overall epic-ness may win out on FF6.

Metal Slug (Steam)+

If you need a mindless hour of blasting through hordes of enemies in bullet hell, there are worse ways to spend your time than the Metal Slug series. Having only played the game in arcades before, it was nice to not have to worry about chewing through my allowance in quarters.

Metal Slug X (Steam)+

Metal Slug X is possibly the ultimate form of the Metal Slug series as it remixes the improved world of Metal Slug 2 inside of the Metal Slug 3 engine. The end result is utter chaos in the best way possible as you alternate taking down nazis, zombies, mummies, and more. Perhaps the most bonkers thing was that if you eat too much food you would get fat and then can get a power-up simply called “diet” to go back to normal. It’s a little bit longer and definitely more difficult than the original, so it is probably the way to go if you find the series on deep discount.

OlliOlli World (PS5)+

This funky (in a good way) skateboarding adventure is a far cry from my typical Tony Hawk fare as it’s more about twitchy reflexes navigating tricky obstacles in 2.5D. Just overcoming these challenges was more than thrilling and rewarding enough for myself, and I know in a previous life with more free time I would have gone full sicko mode trying to reel off bigger and bigger tricks and working my way up the high score leaderboards.

Dino Crisis (PS5)

Despite having a lifelong love of the Resident Evil franchise, I have never played its dino-filled counterpart until now. Without the necessary nostalgia, it was facing an uphill battle and I quickly bounced off. However, there is enough weird 90’s campiness to hopefully bring me back during a dry spell in the old backlog.

Cuphead (PS5)+

Oddly enough, Cuphead has become somewhat of a comfort game for me over the years. I weirdly enjoy taking on the bruisingly difficult levels and seeing how few deaths I can make it through the game with, setting fewer than 100 deaths as my bar for a successful campaign. One lazy Sunday, I managed the feat yet again, and I will surely return to the 1930s inspired animation in the future.

Walkabout Golf (Quest)

I finally entered the world of virtual reality this Christmas, and I was excited to discover it doesn’t give me crippling motion sickness. While there are some cooler games (more on that later), my favorite game by far has been this mini-golf simulator. It’s lovely to start the day off with a quick round of mini-golf or escape in between meetings to the land of windmills. The courses that come with the game are all a blast, and I will almost assuredly download some of the DLC ones to keep experiencing more of the super fun mini-golf physics. (Editor’s Note: I did indeed buy all 20+ DLC courses, and I regret nothing)

Games From This Year

Ace Attorney: Apollo Justice Trilogy (Switch)

Objection!!! The Ace Attorney series is a fun mix of graphic novel/trial simulations that I like to come back to from time to time. Similar to my experience with the original trilogy, I am in no rush to solve all the cases, and I will likely pop in and out over the next several years trying to unravel the mystery of what happened to the once unstoppable Phoenix Wright.

Tomb Raider Remastered (PS5)+

Back in the PSOne days, no series felt more epic than Tomb Raider. The adventures of Lara Croft were a constant source of brain-teasing puzzles and difficult platforming whether solving a death trap based on the sword of Damocles or running from a giant T-rex. I was incredibly excited to jump back in to things with the remaster, and, for the most part, I was not disappointed. A modern control scheme and quality of life save improvements made it a really fun 11 hours or so chasing artifacts as the premiere British archeologist. Plus, it had the number one feature every remaster needs – the ability to switch between new and original graphics with the push of a button.

Helldivers 2 (PS5)

For about two weeks, sacrificing grunt after grunt for the glory of Super-Earth in the Starship Troopers-esque world of Helldivers was an awesome escape. Blasting bugs and robots while frantically entering launch codes was an exceptional way to spend an evening while laughing at the propaganda elements. But, the community seemed intent on lessening the fun. Half of the time I loaded up for a match, my teammates would sabotage things or kick me if I wasn’t running the current meta or knew exactly the optimal way through a set of objectives forcing me to quit.

Princess Peach: Showtime (Switch)+

There may be nothing revolutionary about Showtime‘s theater and costume based gameplay, but it sure is a delight. Whether pretending to be an ice skater, baker, detective, or much more, Princess Peach provides a fun and colorful escape that finds new ways to make you smile every few levels. While the difficulty may turn off some older gamers, this is the perfect game to play with your kids.

Pepper Grinder (Switch)+

It’s a cute indie game where you star as a treasure hunter with a drill. That central conceit serves the game well in its brief 4 hour run time, but it can definitely be a bit of a one trick pony especially when its attempts at branching out with things like a grappling hook feel far worse in comparison. Still, it’s a fun platformer with several enjoyable set pieces that is worth checking out on sale for a solid 7/10 pixelated jaunt.

Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II (Xbox Series S)

After how memorable of an experience I had with the original Hellblade, I couldn’t wait for an even more technologically impressive outing this time around. Unfortunately, it all felt like more of the same, and I was not far enough removed from the original to really enjoy it.

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (Switch)

On paper (I’m sorry. I will see myself out), the Paper Mario series should be precisely my jam as they are RPGs featuring funny writing and Mario all-stars, but I have never been able to commit to one of the games. I put about 8 hours in, but it never quite clicked despite some lovable new characters in Koops and Madam Flurrie. Still, I did appreciate the theatrical aspects of the battles even if it didn’t work exactly like the superior Super Mario RPG.

Nintendo World Championships (Switch)

The idea behind Nintendo World Championships is compelling with a ton of speed-running challenges that range from less than 1 second to 10+ minutes. You can even compete in weekly challenges for a spot on the leaderboards. This was rewarding for about three weekends, but it quickly grew stale. What it honestly needs is deeper multi-player to set up challenges against your own friends online instead of just random strangers.

Star Wars Outlaws (PS5)

For the longest time, this game was not on my radar as something I was going to play, but extreme FOMO right before launch caused me temporary insanity and resulted in a pre-order. The first mission is shockingly fun as you navigate the world of Star Wars as a wise-cracking scoundrel with a cool pet. Unfortunately, the game then devolves into forced stealth missions with instant fail modes that had me banish it to my shelf after an hour or so of repeatedly trying and failing. Supposedly updates have made this better, but in a year full of outstanding video games, it did not do enough to stand out and make me want to play more.

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster (PS5)

Dead Rising was one of the most fun games when the Xbox 360 first came out. Mowing down hordes of the undead with everything from lawnmowers to golf clubs never got old. Unfortunately, the remaster was a massive letdown. Weird sound mixing issues meant the game was oddly silent and boring in a way that even creatively killing zombies could not overcome.

Retro Realms: Halloween (PS5)+

I was super excited to see the retro platformers based on older horror properties, and Retro Realms delivered. The Halloween entry, provided plenty of laughs with an incredibly fun take on Michael Myers’ iconic franchise and all the murdering while also providing some decent platforming challenges while shifting between the nightmare and “real” world.

Retro Realms: Ash vs. the Evil Dead (PS5)+

Taking on hordes of deadites spawned from the Necronomicon yields an even faster and more fun platformer than its Halloween counterpart. The difference in weaponry (chainsaw and shotgun) and a somewhat more agile character in Ash Williams are the main reasons that I would recommend playing this one among the two. The only downside is that the script is not nearly as funny as the one in Halloween.

Nine Sols

The final new game I started in 2024 gets an incomplete thus far. I have heard nothing but effusive praise for this Hollow Knight meets Sekiro adventure, but my brain was just not a in a place for something with very timing specific combat to close out the holiday season.

Honorable Mentions

Mars After Midnight (Playdate)+

Yet another incomparable experience from Return of the Obra Dinn‘s Lucas Pope, this community center simulator was well worth charging up and dusting off my Playdate for. In it, you play as an alien trying to help out the local community by hosting support events like Cyclops Anger Management or Gnat Knife Handling. This requires marketing to the right areas, letting in the proper participants, selecting the right snacks, and cleaning up afterwards. It’s an addictive loop that is more Papers Please than Obra Dinn but highlights the story-driven appeal of the crank based system.

Tales of Kenzera: ZAU (PS5)++

As a Metroidvania, Tales of Kenzera is slightly above average, but as a reflection on grief, it is a fantastic game. Being the first game from the studio, it definitely made a strong opening impression for a fledgling studio that can hopefully find a way to rise above the deluge of AAA games in its path.

Nightmare Kart (Steam)+

Originally titled Bloodborne Kart, this PSOne-looking kart racer understood the assignment even if a last minute cease and desist sent by From Software required some name/skin changing. As absurd as it sounds, setting a 32-bit kart racer in the world of Bloodborne is hilariously realized here as the 2 or so hour campaign utilizes a variety of level types ranging from straight racers to combat missions and more to bring the legally distinct from Bloodborne story to life. The fact that this was free remains the greatest steal of the year.

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree (PS5)+

If this were a fully fledged sequel and not just DLC, Shadow of the Erdtree would have landed in the Top 10 easily. At first glance, it’s more Elden Ring, and that is a wonderful thing. But, as you venture deeper into the Shadow Realm, you notice the ways it has changed (mostly for the better). There’s an increased sense of verticality making navigating a bit more of a puzzle but also decidedly more fun, and the new level scaling ensures that even the most seasoned veterans will have a fresh challenge awaiting them. Perhaps the two most significant contributions the DLC provides are the Lady Maria-esque battle with the serpentine Messmer the Impaler and the screams of the vengeance seeking Igon as you ground Bayle the Dread.

EA Sports College Football 25 (PS5)+

If the Madden series is best enjoyed waiting 2-3 years in between, can you imagine how great it felt to play a new College Football game after 11 years? In a rare move by EA, they actually delivered on the hype with a fantastically fun and fast take on football at the collegiate level. I had an awesome time taking my alma mater the Rice Owls to 4 straight National Titles and winning the Heisman Trophy as a quarterback for LSU over 90 or so hours before ultimately bouncing off to return in another couple of years to do the same.

Yars Rising (Steam)+

Like I mentioned when discussing Yars Recharged, I will play any spin-off of Yars Revenge. Unlike with Recharged, I was pleasantly surprised by Rising, even if the writing tries a little too hard to lean into Gen Z slang to the point of being grating. The game itself is a pretty fun Metroidvania that gets a lot of miles out of building abilities off the limited moves of the original game, but the real highlights are all the fun variations of the Atari classic used as the hacking mechanic.

Tiny Terry’s Turbo Trip (Steam)+

Listen, there aren’t a lot of truly great video game characters named Terry out there. Sure there are Terry Bogard from Fatal Fury and Strong Terry who never skips leg day from Katana Zero, but my namesake has not had the most prestigious run in video games outside of me with a character creator. Now, the world of Terry has a new video game champion thanks to the 64-bit inspired sandbox antics of Tiny Terry’s Turbo Trip. The game features surreal and absurd humor as you navigate Terry through a series of minor crimes and tasks while attempting to upgrade your car so you can fly it into outer space.

Thank Goodness You’re Here (PS5)+

Perhaps the funniest game I played this year, Thank Goodness You’re Here takes you on a 3 hour journey of slapping things that is absolutely dripping with British humor. I may return to this in 2025 to try to polish off the platinum and enjoy a few more hearty laughs.

I Am Your Beast (Steam)+

If the first person speedrunning platforming of Neon White had a baby with Rambo, the result would be I Am Your Beast. The game features your special unit military commander sending wave after wave of soldiers after you trying to recruit you for one final mission. Dispatching those invading your forest home with everything from knife throws to beehives remained exhilarating throughout, but the lack of leaderboards really took away from the replayability that should have kept me striving to find the perfect lines like in 2022’s Neon White.

My Top 15

15) UFO 50 (Steam)

The idea behind UFO 50 is brilliant – you are dusting off an old console from the 80s and trying out the 50 games you have for it, and the execution is impeccable. This truly does feel like a smattering of 50 games from the era for both good and bad. The aesthetics and gameplay are absolutely spot on, but it also means many of the games are overly obtuse or difficult and not that much fun to play. Still, there are some true standouts like Cyber Owls, Mortol, Party House, and Bushido Ball, and it is well worth your time to try out all the titles and see what peaks your interest because there really is something for everyone.

14) Crow Country (Steam)+

I am not sure what it says about my age that the PSOne aesthetic of my middle school years is now in fashion, but Crow Country uses it tremendously well as it strikes all the right notes emulating Resident Evil. Set inside a dilapidated amusement park, Crow Country features an intriguing monster mystery, some welcome 90s nostalgia, and just enough quality of life improvements to make it a joy to play 30 years after its inspiration.

13) Unicorn Overlord (PS5)++

If you take away most of the social aspects of a Fire Emblem game and add more medieval fantasy elements, you come up with something akin to Unicorn Overlord. The latest from the studio behind the wonderful 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim features compelling squad building tactics gameplay and a fairly standard story of trying to ascend to the throne that is rightfully yours. What makes the game great, though, is how well it is paced and how each area seemingly propels you to keep moving forward in your quest.

12) Silent Hill 2 Remake (PS5)+

The Resident Evil remakes walked, so the Silent Hill 2 Remake could run. Taking heavily from the lessons learned by those and similar recent survival horror games like Alan Wake 2, the Bloober Team managed the seemingly impossible task of doing justice to one of the best horror games ever made while making it far more playable and modern. This is accomplished by a truly horrific atmosphere that can only be described as “squishy” but in a really, truly unsettling way. My attempts to play the game in the dark with headphones on lasted only an hour or so, as it was just too much for my heart to handle, and you end up actually feeling bad doing some of the violence emphatically driving home the character of James. Even the minor changes to the story pay off as it hints at a far more disturbing and helpless event happening in the town of Silent Hill.

11) Neva (PS5)+

While not quite as touching and thought provoking of an experience as its predecessor Gris, this tale of a woman and her dog is a better and more complete game. This is mainly due to some surprisingly good combat and the touchingly effective growth of your companion Neva as the seasons change and she matures and becomes even more capable and helpful.

10) Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (PS5)++

The best traditional Metroidvania of the year, Prince of Persia combines impressive combat with challenging acrobatic platforming that is incredibly rewarding and demands every inch of the map to be explored. Each new power feels wonderfully earned and brilliantly useful, but the real innovation here comes in the form of being able to take pictures of places where you are stuck and paste them on your map enabling you to easily return later.

9) Black Myth Wukong (PS5)+

It is hard to decide whether this game is more traditional action game or Soulslike. While there are plenty of challenging bosses and deaths and retries to be had, there are no penalties for dying, making it a far less stressful affair. Even though combat is clearly at the forefront, sparsely populated worlds can get a bit mundane at times, but the phenomenal story built on Chinese folklore’s Journey to the West provides a wonderful tapestry to get drawn into.

8) Animal Well (PS5)++

And now for the best non-traditional Metroidvania of the year. Animal Well may not feature any true combat, but the mystery at its heart will consume you for weeks. In all, there are three main layers of the game. The first is your standard open the final area by beating some bosses. If it ended here, you’d think you had a pretty good game on your hands, but then things get interesting with two more layers, one of which will require you to go full community help mode if you want to unravel the deepest secrets. Really what makes Animal Well work so well are the secrets and the joy of solving them either alone or as a community. From little things like discovering secondary uses for each item on accident to a music code that can only be solved by 20+ players coming together to share unique data, there is always something to make you think and be amazed.

7) The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (Switch)+

For the first 3 dungeons or so, Zelda’s initial foray as a protagonist feels like a bit of a letdown. Once the game finally gets its bearings, though, it is well worth the decades we had to wait to play as Zelda. It is a pitch perfect mix of traditional isometric Zelda dungeons and the sandbox creativity of Breath of the Wild/Tears of the Kingdom that bridges the gap between two very distinct types of games.

6) Tactical Breach Wizards (Steam)+

Tactical Breach Wizards attempts to answer the question “What would SOCOM be like if you replaced the guns with magical spells and spliced in some Into the Breach for good measure”. The result is unbelievably entertaining and will add “defenestration” (the act of throwing someone out a window) to your every day vocabulary. The levels are ingeniously set up to get the most out of the highly varied powers of your teams like a healer who has to kill a person before she can provide aid, but the real magical ingredients are the banter and interactions between your squad mates featuring perhaps the sharpest and most hilarious writing I came across in a game this year.

5) Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (Xbox Series S)+

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the year was a new Indiana Jones game dropping in December and being so much better than we had any right to expect. The Nazi punching pedigree is strong coming from Wolfenstein developer Machine Games, but interestingly enough, the game is more about puzzle solving and exploration than it is action. As a game, it’s one of the most fun things I played this year, but it’s an even better Indiana Jones movie featuring an unbelievable performance by Troy Baker doing an uncanny Harrison Ford.

4) Balatro (Switch/Steam)+

Of all the games in this year’s Top 10, I have a feeling Balatro will be the one that stands the test of time and transcends to all-timer status (see also: Celeste, my #5 game of 2018). At first glance, this appears to be a simple poker rogue-like, but as you dive deeper into it and unlock more gameplay altering Jokers it becomes anything but that. The true glory of Balatro comes in experimentation and going through stages until you see the numbers go up astronomically high. Initially, you’re likely to focus on two pair or three of a kind until you realize the power of straights and flushes with the right Joker support. By the end, you’ll be exploding exponential scores thanks to going full sicko mode with re-trigger abilities. What genuinely makes me think Balatro will be the game we all remember from this year, though, comes from how easy it is to hop back in and lose another 10+ hours to it after being away for months, as I learned when I double dipped back in on my Steam Deck at year’s end.

3) Astro Bot (PS5)+

Pure joy in a cutesy platforming package is the best way to describe certified smile inducer Astro Bot. This game will unlock Sony nostalgia you didn’t even realize you had and then make you come to the painful realization that PlayStation has been in your life for 30 years. Astro Bot has now firmly established himself as the PlayStation mascot we have been missing since the PS2 days thanks to incredible levels that aren’t afraid to introduce unbelievable power-ups only to never have them appear again. The game is nothing but massive swings at quirky gameplay mechanics, and they all work beautifully while proving that every other developer is seriously dropping the ball when it comes to getting the full potential out of the DualSense controller.

Check out my review of Astro Bot

2) Metaphor ReFantazio (PS5)+

Another game that did not seem to be on many people’s radars and ended up being a prime GOTY contender is the latest from Persona developer Atlus. Metaphor ReFantazio succeeds by taking the formula that works so well for the aforementioned Persona series and translating it from high school to a high fantasy race for the throne setting. This does cause the game to lose some of the cool factor Persona fans are used to, but it allows for some deeper storytelling centered around democracy and racism. While the social aspects of building up bonds remain an addictive proposition, the game distinguishes itself with perhaps the most well-honed turn-based combat I have ever seen in an RPG (highlighted by deft use of weakness exploitation and skill synergies) and a truly amazing job system that really rewards experimentation. Plus, that battle theme featuring Gregorian Chants is a new high bar in JRPG music.

1) Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth (PS5)+

Deciding this year’s GOTY was not quite as simple as it has been in the past. In all honesty, any of the Top 5 titles could have landed here, but in the end, Part 2 of the remake of the best RPG ever takes home the crown. While its predecessor, Final Fantasy VII: Remake, felt like a stellar blueprint, Rebirth truly comes into its own with a massive 100+ hour adventure taking you from once you leave Midgar until essentially the end of Disc 1 in the original’s terms. Every aspect feels fully realized and brought to life in ways my 12 year old self could have never imagined. The action-heavy combat is even better this time around thanks to an increased reliance on synergy skills, and exploration never gets old because your ever-growing party is a joy to hang out with. The game also understands how much the original relied on weird mini-games, and it has plenty of noteworthy ones here including an impressively redone Gold Saucer and the most enthralling card game this side of Triple Triad in Queen’s Blood. Now we just have to hope the third and final part of the remake trilogy gives Cloud and company a proper remade sendoff.

That’s a wrap on my year in gaming for 2024. I am excited to see what 2025 has to bring with the release of the Nintendo Switch 2 and from me diving deeper into my Steam Deck and the world of VR (which, let’s be honest probably just means a lot more mini-golf). Let me know in the comments if I missed any of your favorites from the year, so I can ensure my backlog never rests.