For reasons I won’t get into yet, I’ve played ninety-nine video games released in 2024. I haven’t fully put my opinions together but here’s my current top five.
5: Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
Not my favorite Yakuza, but it’s somewhere in the top three. Held back a bit by the main story, which clearly had more Kiryu shoehorned in at some point in development in a way that overshadows Ichiban. You know this is a 2024 game because a major character streams regularly as a VTuber.
4: Tactical Breach Wizards
I’ve accepted that I’m not a big fan of tactics games in general, but I’m obsessed with whatever the heck this is. Cool action plot in a very unique world, and great character writing with probably my favorite RPG party this year (although Infinite Wealth is a close second). Pretty much every scene got a sensible chuckle out of me.
3: Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
Had a big smile on my face the entire game. Lots of fun new toys, a very impressive world map, and I loved all of the bosses except whichever one you’re thinking of. I have some minor complaints about the fragment system but overall it’s a great way to handle leveling in a game’s expansion.
2: Helldivers 2
People are still iterating on Left 4 Dead, and adding a bit of MGS5-like stealth action was the perfect choice. Equally good at horde combat and infiltration gameplay, with the multiplayer nonsense of Deep Rock Galactic.
1: Nine Sols
Hollow Knight but with Sekiro’s parry-based combat system. This is like mathematically the perfect video game. Some of the best boss designs I’ve ever seen, beautiful and creative environment art, a large cast of characters with interesting writing, and a huge metroidvania world to explore. My only complaint is that it starts off a little slow, because the game doesn’t really come alive until you unlock some of the movement/combat techs.
The rest of my top thirty in rough order from favorite to least favorite: Another Crab’s Treasure,
Rise of the Golden Idol, Age of Mythology: Retold, UFO 50, Indika, I Am Your Beast, Dread Delusion, Hades 2, Silent Hill 2 Remake, Animal Well, Crow Country, Frogmonster, Cataclismo, Coven, Balatro, Penny’s Big Breakaway, Abiotic Factor, Minishoot Adventures, Pacific Drive, Anthology of the Killer, 1000xRESIST, Judero, Ultros, Arctic Eggs, Thank Goodness You’re Here, Manor Lords.