A Year in Review - 2024

[kamikazekeeg]

Here's the roundup post for games played this year to send things out on...

Categories:

Favorite 2024 Release: What's your favorite game that you played released this year?

Least Favorite 2024 Release: On the opposite end, what's your least favorite game released this year?

Favorite Game Played in 2024: What game this year earns your spot for best game ever?

Least Favorite Game Played in 2024: What's your least favorite game that you played this year?

Sleeper Hit of 2024: If you have one, what's your personal sleeper hit for 2023?

Favorite Gaming Moment in 2024: What moment in a game you played this sticks in your head the strongest? Was it something awesome? Something tragic? Something completely over the top? Keep spoilers to a minimum or mark them if you can.

Proudest Collection Accomplishment of 2024: Share a story about a cool find from this year!

[marvelvscapcom2]

Favorite 2024 Release: - Released this year? Hmmm. Lets see if I even played any lol. I think that will have to go to astro bot. Its the only newer game I've thrown down with this year. Except plucky squire. Astro Bot is a flawless experience front to back.

Least Favorite 2024 Release: Silent Hill 2 remake Now here me out. I know its beloved. I just didnt click with it at all instantly. It didnt have the instant magnetism to me that RE2 had. But I know that's just my experience with it. The combat system is bogus and the art style is too mundane to me. Put an hour in and wanted to play other games.

Favorite Game Played in 2024:  If I had to give it to one. And just one.  Glorious, beautiful astro bot.  Followed very closely by the resident evil 2 remake.  Astro bot is everything a platformer should be in the modern age. An exquisite reimagining. It's Sony's Mario.  Maybe RE2 though. Plot wise it's basically the best horror book ever written somehow told through playable visual art.

Least Favorite Game Played in 2024:  - idk. Probably one of the newer sports games. Undisputed for example is really really broken.

Sleeper Hit of 2024: If you have one, what's your personal sleeper hit for 2023?  -  Resident Evil 2 only because I was under the idea that I didn't like it. Boy was I terribly misinformed. That game was phenomenal and top 10 all time for me.  But sleeper would have to be hogwarts legacy. Im not a harry potter fan yet. Never seen the movies. The game is gorgeous. The castle is booming witj life. Dave the diver is also fun.

Favorite Gaming Moment in 2024:  Turning on a PS5 for the first time and seeing the ray tracing and how gorgeous the planet zorkies looked in ratchet rift apart. It gives me goosebumps. I was blown away by the PS5 graphically.

Proudest Collection Accomplishment of 2024: -  I had sold a lot of my collection during pandemic. And I got a lot of those back. But I am most proud of getting each color of NA gameboy color.  And Gran Tursimo 7 which got me through a lot in life as a sort of crutch. 


Over 2024 was beautiful and 2025 will be 200x grander. I just know it  

[kamikazekeeg]

Favorite 2024 Release: This one is hard for me to choose as none of the new games this year blew me way, some great games for sure though.  It's a tough choice between Satisfactory, Astrobot, and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth.  I think I'll go with Satisfactory out of how utterly addicted I got with it, like that game to me was what Balatro has become to others, I'd get on and play for so many hours.  I didn't end up completely beating it, the last Phase burnt me out, but man, it was a really solid experience.  FF7 Rebirth only didn't win because I haven't beaten it yet, but it has a lot of good to it, and so did Astro Bot.

Least Favorite 2024 Release:  This is a weird one as I didn't play anything outright bad, but a few that were not great.  This one is going to go to Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree.  It is not a bad game, but after really enjoying the main game, the expansion just did so much wrong.  The artificially inflated difficulty, the absurd bosses, the map being so large and empty, lots of enemy re-use...I know people loved it, to me, it kinda just embraced the worst aspects of the main game and if you aren't one of the people that loves the most challenging things possible in these games, I don't think it's fun.  Delta Force, Sons of the Forest, and Star Was Outlaws might be worse or more problematic games, but Erdtree disappointed me a whole lot more.

Favorite Game Played in 2024: I think for new games that I haven't played before, but played first this year, I think it might be Dave the Diver, Dredge, or Alan Wake 2, some fun games in very different ways, but I'm gonna say Alan Wake 2.  The story, the characters, the music, such a great time.

Least Favorite Game Played in 2024: I think the only one that might count for this is Dying Light 2, as Silent Hill: A Short Message was a free demo basically and not bad, just a short demo mostly.  Dying Light 2 isn't terrible, I just felt like it kinda missed the mark coming off of really liking Dying Light 1 and ending up enjoying Dead Island 2.  Kinda lots of small annoyances that eventually add up.

Sleeper Hit of 2024: Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore is a goofy little game, an actually good version of the old Zelda CD-I games, keeping the style intact while having good gameplay, it's only low points being that most of the bosses are too easy, but I had a fun time with it.

Favorite Gaming Moment in 2024: Not sure I can think of one in particular.  Replaying Death Stranding for a third time only confirmed my hype for the sequel and solidified this game as being in my Top 20 of all time.  That might work for now unless I think of anything better.

[ignition365]

Ohhhh, yeah, gotta build up my stats for this too!

[Cartagia]

Favorite 2024 Release: So, turns out Shadow of the Erdtree is the only 2024 release I played this year.  I loved it.  I didn't play until it had been out for a couple of months, and honestly, other than the final boss, I don't see what all the fuss is about the difficultly.  Sure, it's not easy, but I never felt like I beating my head against a wall.  If something was difficult I would run off to find more Scadu Fragments or try a different weapon combo.

Least Favorite 2024 Release: Erdtree, by default.  That last boss is a freaking doozy, and while I think the world design is mostly solid there are a few places, like the Finger Ruins and Abyssal Woods that could have used a couple of more passes.

Favorite Game Played in 2024: Baldur's Gate 3, pretty easily.  The amount of options, content, and overall quality is just ridiculous.

Least Favorite Game Played in 2024: Silent Hill: The Short Message.  when your 2-3 hour game feels repetitive, you know you've made mistakes.

Sleeper Hit of 2024: I didn't play it yet, but Astro Bot.  I really liked Rescue Mission and Astro's Playroom, and can't wait to actually play this.

Favorite Gaming Moment in 2024: Finding out who both the Dream Visitor and the Absolute really are in Baldur's Gate 3.

Proudest Collection Accomplishment of 2024: I don't know about "proud," but my absolute best purchase this year was my Steam Deck.  Being able to finally chip away at my Steam titles without being chained to my desk has ben a godsend.

[stealthrush]

Favorite 2024 Release: Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics on Switch/PS4/PC.

Favorite Game Completed in 2024: The Legend of Xanadu II on TurboDuo (originally released in 1995).

Least Favorite Game Completed in 2024: Armageddon on 3DO Interactive Multiplayer (originally released in 1996).

Proudest Collection Accomplishment of 2024: I've completed 82 games this year - Year In Review.

[bikingjahuty]

Favorite 2024 Release: Tekken 8; there's a good chance I would have said Silent Hill 2, but unfortunately I didn't get around to playing it, but plan on doing so in 2025.

Least Favorite 2024 Release: This is more a reflection of how few 2024 releases I played than the actual quality of the game, but Final Fantasy VII Rebirth gets this one. I also didn't finish it, but a lot of that had to do with there being way, way too many mini games and the pacing of the story being noticeably worse than Remake.

Favorite Game Played in 2024: Donkey Kong Country Returns; it was on of the last games I played in 2024, and I absolutely loved it. I actually like it more than all the older DKC games except 2.

Least Favorite Game Played in 2024: Raiden V: Director's Cut; this game is utter trash and is an embarrassment to the Raiden franchise, which is otherwise great.

Sleeper Hit of 2024: It's not a game released in 2024, but one I played and felt it was very underrated was Extreme G on the N64. It's a futuristic motorcycle racing game similar to Kinetica or Wipeout, and it's truly amazing how fast and smooth the game plays despite being released on the N64. I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a great N64 racing game.

Favorite Gaming Moment in 2024: Completing the Smash Bros Ultimate Amiibo set with the release of Sora. It was absolutely surreal that I started collecting the Smash Amiibos all the way back in 2014 before the Switch or Smash Ultimate were even a thing. Especially in the early days, I spent countless hours worrying about getting the next wave of Amiibos, calling stores to get a preorder on exclusive, checking on r/amiibo daily for updates on restocks and preorders going live. It was certainly an adventure, and a decade later I finally can call that mini collection done.

Proudest Collection Accomplishment of 2024: I would say it's what I mentioned in my Favorite Gaming Moment, however I will say it's actually my willingness to continue to downsize my collection despite adding some stuff last year. I've become very comfortable letting games go if I try them out and think they're just alright or worse, or if it's a game I'm fairly certain I'll never play. I lost track of how many games I sold out of my collection in 2024, but it has to be around a 100, if not more. I have a feeling this will continue to be an accomplishment of mine for years to come as I don't have any intentions of adding anything major to my collection every again. I've owned almost everything I've ever wanted to in terms of video games, and I can't think of a single game or console that I'm desperately wanting to add to my collection at this point.

[dhaabi]

Favorite 2024 Release: Please, Touch the Artwork 2
While largely considered to be a game within the hidden object puzzle genre, Please, Touch the Artwork 2 was much more of a rewarding experience than I expected it to offer considering that it's a free game. That players control a playable character to navigate through the environment and the game's attractive art and humorous animations and dark humor tones elevated the game far beyond what's typically seen in its contemporaries.

Least Favorite 2024 Release: Creature Packets
With some indie games—and especially ones which had short development time for a game jam—quality can be hit-or-miss, and that was definitely the case with Creature Packets. Despite its high public reception, I didn't find much to enjoy while completing my playthrough. Once the absurdity of the game's premise is introduced, nothing else ever is, and the game loop begins boring and stays the way throughout it all.

Favorite Game Played in 2024: OlliOlli World
I've known about the OlliOlli franchise for nearly a decade by this point, yet it was only in 2023 that I actually took the time to play one of the games. As the latest entry to the series, OlliOlli World is a lot more fun than I was anticipating. With its robust customization features, memorable environmental details, playful tone, and the optional objectives that test players' skills, there is a lot to love about the game. Only toward the end of the campaign does difficulty for simply clearing the stage at all become an issue, and it's a sharp difficulty spike at that. Nevertheless, I greatly enjoyed my time playing it, and I'm looking forward to revisiting previous titles.

Least Favorite Game Played in 2024: Blinx: The Time Sweeper
I had some intention to write my thoughts about my time playing Blinx: The Time Sweeper after abandoning it in some other topic, but I never got around it it. Regardless, I was overwhelmingly disappointed with Blinx: The Time Sweeper, and it's perhaps the most irritating game I've played in years. Quickly, it shows the potential to be exciting and fun (certainly far better than it actually is, anyway) with its unique premise and mechanics, but what little is done with those elements is executed poorly. Players shouldn't feel so cheated when executing basic game functions, but Blinx: The Time Sweeper manages to do just that.

Favorite Gaming Moment in 2024: Baths
Earlier this year, a friend of mine published a short visual novel named Baths for a game jam, and it was fun to be a little involved with its development since I gave feedback with early builds and provided writing feedback. Watching through some of the several let's play videos players uploaded to YouTube was enjoyable and unexpected to see. It's nice to be a part of others' successes, however big or small they may be.

Proudest Collection Accomplishment of 2024: Tomodachi Life
For the first time in probably close to fifteen years, I actually sold a game, and it was my first eBay sale at that. I remember buying it for a steep discount shortly after its release based on reading about its positive reviews as a social game, but I came to realize as time passed that I'm not looking for those kinds of experiences, really. So, when learning about how it's gone up in value far greater than I ever would have anticipated, I decided to take it down off its shelf one last time.

Of the games I played throughout 2024, here are some other personal categories:

Best Art Direction: OlliOlli World
Best Handheld: Papers, Please
Best Narrative: Rusty Lake: Roots
Best Score and Music: OlliOlli World
Best Storytelling: Passage
Best VR: Tetris Effect: Connected
Best World Design: Tinykin
Most Challenging: A Kappa's Trail
Most Comedic: Going Under
Most Original: Inventory Hero
Most Thought-Provoking: Papers, Please
Newest Game Played: The Children of Clay (October 21, 2024)
Oldest Game Played: Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars (March 9, 1996)

[axiomenterance]

Favorite 2024 Release: Legend of Zelda: Echo's of Wisdom

Least Favorite 2024 Release: Whatever call of duty game was released this year

Favorite Game Played in 2024:  World of Horror - Excellent art direction and music, creepy atmosphere. Way different game from what I played the rest of the year.

Least Favorite Game Played in 2024: Half-Life Blue Shift, I always do my summer of retro gaming and go back into my back catalogue. Blue Shift was boring as hell.

Sleeper Hit of 2024: No comment on this one

Favorite Gaming Moment in 2024: Played Alan Wake II for the first time (SPOILER ALERT DONT READ ANY FURTHER IF YOU HAVEN"T PLAYED IT YET) When Alan says "Its not a loop, it's a spiral" Gave me chills

Proudest Collection Accomplishment of 2024: Hit 821 games that I have beaten in my life time