We are coming to the end of 2024. This complicated year has produced some great games, but I fully expect it to be remembered as “troubled” across the industry. There were over 14,000 layoffs, a shrinking market for three aging consoles, ballooning subscription costs, and the (partial) collapse of the live services genre. But in the first few weeks of January 2025, we have time to celebrate the year’s events. Instead, it’s time to talk about your favorite games that you’ve enjoyed the most this year.
Dean has already revealed his favorite games of the year…now it’s my turn. Just to be clear, these are the games I personally enjoyed the most and found to be the most sublime experiences overall. We hope to be able to create a longer list at some point in 2025. The list of games I’ve played in 2024 isn’t as long as last year (though, in related news, I’ve been better off than I was in 2024), but for now, here are my top 5 games of the year. Masu.
5. Lorelai and Laser Eyes
I like to include at least one game in the top five on these lists each year that qualifies as a dark horse. This is a small title that only I can be happy with. Lorelai and the Laser Eyes was released quite early in the year, so it may have been overshadowed since then, but I never forgot it. Its surreal, stylized art design alone is enough to stick in my memory, but Lorelai is ultimately much more than that.
Lorelai is a game that challenges players. The game feels like it’s locked into a mental battle the entire time you play. You have everything you need to solve numerous puzzles, but you can’t hold hands. Even the game’s diegetic interface and so-called “clue” system seem designed more to put you at a disadvantage than to help you. And while putting your wits to the game may not be for everyone, and it’s not always for me, sometimes it’s what I need, and it’s what I need from Lorelai and the Lasers. Eyes does that very well.
2024 was a great year for RPGs, all things considered. Baldur’s Gate 3 is a difficult piece to follow. However, we had a surprisingly fulfilling year. And one RPG that came out on top with its unique, serious story and fun, fast gameplay is Atlus’ Metaphor: ReFantazio. For me, RPGs are all about how much they make me feel like I’m truly part of the world around me. The metaphorical world was full of unpleasant, disgusting, and unfair social systems, but it felt real. I felt the struggle of the people. important.
Trope: ReFantazio takes a lot of the pacing that has befallen other RPGs this year (I won’t name names, but IYKYK) by locking you into a ticking in-game calendar towards major world events. somehow avoids the pitfalls of This is an improved version of the classic Atlas game. Time management system. In fact, almost everything in Metaphor feels like a more convincing version of what Atlus has done before, from the art design to the turn-based combat. The story is a little more low-key and serious, but it’s told with so much conviction and a strong message that you’ll never get bored.
3. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
Well, look who is here. The MachineGames-licensed adventure game starring everyone’s favorite whip-wielding archaeologist arrived in the last month of the year and rose to almost the top of the list. Indiana Jones: The Great Circle is one of the best adventure games I’ve played, not just in 2024, but in the past five years, and surprisingly, one of the best stealth games. Troy Baker’s performance as Dr. Jones goes far beyond mere imitation, pushing the entire game into my top three.
Great Circle is a near-perfect imitation of the charm of the original indiana jones It pays homage to both the movie (note I say “original” with specific intent) and the classic point-and-click adventure games that came before it. MachineGames does a great job of capturing the series’ humor and adventurous fun, its sense of not taking itself too seriously, and the satisfaction of defeating Nazis (a theme that should be familiar after the Wolfenstein series titles). did. Also, one of the villains is played by the late Tony Todd, and it’s really nice to see him again.
2. Atom Robot
As someone who plays games professionally, it can be tempting to overexplain or overcomplicate your opinions. I could go on and on about why platforming Astro Bot feels so rewarding, or how compelling the story is despite its simple nature, but in a few more words. Let’s summarize. Astro Bot is on this list because: fun. It’s fun, interesting, well-made, and gives players exactly what they expect.
Now, to add a little more complexity to my opinion, Astro Bot is a platformer polished to a diamond shine with heart and a sense of humor. The variety of gameplay keeps it fresh, and expanding levels and overplaying gimmicks never wears out the game’s welcome. It’s also just the right length to keep the PlayStation-ness from looking too much like an ad (though admittedly it comes close a time or two). Many of the games I play and love as an adult gamer are ones I have played, and very few that I would have loved as a child.
1. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
To be honest, I was surprised by this year’s top games. Until the last moment of writing this, I was going to give this to Astro Bot. But then I seriously looked back at the dozens of games I’ve played so far this year and wondered which ones actually brought me the most happiness while playing them. Perhaps it’s been almost a year now and my memories are rosier, but I remember my playthrough of Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown with a warmth I’ve rarely felt this year. are.
The Lost Crown has everything I want in a game. It features solid gameplay that evolves as the game progresses, great pacing, platform diversity, a story and art design that blends fantasy while paying homage to history and real-world mythology, and a variety of elements. . Interesting cast of characters etc. beauty Sometimes I find it hard to breathe just by playing. So many games have been released since its launch in January, but it still stuck with me until the end of the year.
