by Brandon Perkins
This was a rough year for me. Not only did I have to deal with being laid off from my job, but I also suffered from financial hardship, political chaos, and the death of a loved one and all that goes along with it. The industry had a rough year as well, including mountains of layoffs, the shutting down of studios, and the apparent bursting of the Live Service bubble causing a serious contraction in the industry.
That said, 2024 was still an amazing year for games. Genres were redefined, and some genres thought long dead have been resurrected in glorious modern graphics. We also got another sign that the indie scene has drastically democratized the industry in ways we haven’t seen since the early PC era.
With that, here’s my Top 10 Games of 2024 (number one will totally not surprise you).
10. Stellar Blade – PlayStation 5
In spite of all of the culture war garbage that surrounded it’s release, this turned out to be a genuinely entertaining action game. Could’ve done with a more original story, however.
9. Warhammer 40k Space Marine 2 – PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
You know what a lot of shooters lack? Scale. You know what this game has? A lot of scale.
8. Another Crab’s Treasure – Multiplatform
A goofy and light-hearted answer to the legion of dark and dreary Souls-likes, filled with both dry british humor and shockingly meaningful themes.
7. Balatro – Multiplatform
Ever played video poker? It’s kind of like that, but you feel like you’ve actually accomplished something afterwards.
6. Unicorn Overlord – Multiplatform
Vanillaware’s ode to Simulation RPGs pretty easily knocked it out of the park this year, with incredible gameplay, gorgeous graphics and fantastic characters that were easy to grow attached to.
5. Mouthwashing – PC
This surreal indie darling is one of the most disturbing experiences I’ve had in horror gaming. Even Event Horizon pales in comparison to this sci-fi horror title.
4. Helldivers 2 – PS5, PC
Coming out of nowhere to become this years major multiplayer hit, this hilariously chaotic shooter shows that sometimes, letting players make their own fun is the best course of action.
3. Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth – PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
Just like its predecessor, this dramatically wacky RPG combined everything I loved about the Yakuza formula with likable characters and tons of activities, from arcade games to beach fun.
2. Metaphor ReFantazio – PC, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
This JRPG, with its wonderfully creative fantasy world and Persona-like gameplay, managed to out-do every other game of its type this year both by force of its imagination, and by the sincerity of its message. It would have been my game of the year were it not for…
1. Astro Bot – PS5
At one of the most stressful and difficult times of my life, this chubby little robot came along to remind me why I fell in love with video games in the first place. Not only a heartfelt tribute to the history of Playstation, not only a game that manages to resurrect the mascot platformer as a genre, but also a wonderfully enjoyable and delightful experience from beginning to end.