My Top Ten Games of 2024
Is it too late to write this? It’s still January, right? It’s my own blog and I’m my own boss, so I’m going to be fashionably (or not so fashionably) late to the party. 2024 was a great year for gaming, wasn’t it? Did you have some must-play games you’d love to recommend?
Here are the ten that made the cut for me, but it was a difficult pruning!
Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth
I don’t know what to tell you. I see Aerith, I fall in love. That’s all there is to it. I don’t even know if I remember the game outside of when Aerith was on screen. I think there was some really annoying robot mini-game? Maybe some ab-crunching? Maybe playing as a LEGO block and fighting off a condor? All washed away in my love for Aerith.
For real, though, what a phenomenal game. So much to do, absolutely breathtaking, and I love what they’ve done to expand and grow on the original story. Not actually knowing what was going to happen had me on tenterhooks, and it was so exciting! Just talking about it makes me want to play it again. Not going for Platinum though, like I did with the first game. Some of those mini-games are hell.
Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth is published and developed by Square Enix, and is available on PlayStation 5, PC.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth
What a banger of a game. There’s so much to do, and so much of it is inherently fun. It feels like being with good friends. Whether it’s hanging out with our colourful gang, playing a large variety of mini-games, or crying through the intense drama of the story, this is a game I cannot recommend enough. I do wish Ichiban’s story was nearly as engrossing as Kiryu’s, especially the latter half of the game, but I’m very excited to see where the series goes in its next mainline title. Otherwise, it’s full sails ahead of Like a Dragon: Pirate in Hawaii!
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth is published by SEGA, developed by RGG Studios, and is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC.
Ace Attorney: Investigations Collection
Part remaster, part brand new unless you pirated it, Ace Attorney: Investigations Collection is something I waited years and years for. Being able to play it with all-new visuals, or in its original pixelated glory, is a joy, and dang they’re both just incredible games. Ace Attorney never misses, and it’s one of my all-time favourite series, so I’m ecstatic to see it getting so much love these part few years. This easily would’ve been GOTY in most years, but top 3 is pretty dang great, isn’t it?
Ace Attorney: Investigations Collection is published and developed by Capcom, and is available on PlayStation 4/5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PC.
Astro Bot
In some years, this too would be my GOTY. Thrilling and joyful from beginning to end, leaving a smile on my face as I tackled each new colourful level with its snappy platforming, loveable protagonist, and exciting set pieces. My only issue with it is that I wish there was more of it, even with the fantastic post-launch updates. Genuinely not got a bad thing to say about Astro Bot. More of this please, Sony.
Astro Bot is published by Sony, developed by Team Asobi, and is available on PlayStation 5.
Metaphor: ReFantazio
I listen to Human by Name regularly. In fact, my biggest complaint with this game is that this theme, played for Human bosses, rarely plays for Human bosses at all! What’s up with that, ATLUS? The tune slaps and it feels like it plays about five times during the game’s nearly three-digit playtime.
It was great to see ATLUS try something with a more adult-orientated cast, and without the romance options, and I think they excelled. It’s a great fantasy game where the combat kept me on my toes, the world was engaging, and boss fights were intense. Like with Catherine, ATLUS sometimes shine their brightest when tackling something new.
Metaphor: ReFantazio is published by SEGA, developed by Studio Zero, and is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC.
Rise of the Ronin
Reviews weren’t super glowing for this one, but I love Team Ninja in their soulslikes Nioh/Ronin/Stranger of Paradise era. I think they have a great understanding of what makes difficult games fun, and I had a blast with this, all the way through to earning the Platinum trophy. I’d buy DLC for this in a heartbeat.
The storytelling is fairly messy, though. Not sure I’d recommend it for story, although some plot points were impactful and I loved some of the side-stories. Just a delightful game to play all in all, would happily do it all again.
Rise of the Ronin is published by Sony and Koei Tecmo, developed by Team Ninja, and is available on PlayStation 5, PC.
Star Wars: Outlaws
Another game that got quite the slating from critics, but I fell in love with. I’m a huge Star Wars fan, which of course helps, and I thought it felt like a truly lived in world. I relished seeing these worlds come to life, taking part in space fights, escaping stormtroopers on my speeder, and playing Sabacc. I loved Kay, Nyx and ND-5 and wouold happily join them on another journey. Thankfully, it felt quite open-and-shut, so if we don’t get another (which is unlikely based on its sales) then I’m happy to leave it where it is.
Star Wars: Outlaws is published by Ubisoft, developed by Massive Entertainment, and is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
Finally, Zelda gets to lead her own game in her series namesake! Echoes of Wisdom is a bundle of fun, and it’s cute to boot. I loved how they made Zelda such a different character in playstyle to Link, utilising her wisdom in both combat and puzzling. I really had to think about how to progress sometimes, but it never felt out of reach. Just an utter joy to play, and I hope it’s not the last one we see from Nintendo.
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is published by Nintendo, co-developed by Nintendo and Grezzo, and is available on Nintendo Switch.
Stellar Blade
First things first. I don’t think NieR: Automata is all that good. I would have sworn up and down that I adored the original NieR game, but Replicant managed to change my mind after the brand new Ending E and the repetition in routes, so unfortunately I think I’ve fallen out of love for NieR. But Stellar Blade? What an incredible character action game. I’m not sure why people force the two IP together, they have very little in common, especially in terms of themes and gameplay. If you’re not a fan of NieR and that put you off Stellar Blade, I’d urge you to give it a go.
It’s not winning any awards in terms of characters and story, but it’s got that great game feel that kept me glued until I’d gotten the Platinum trophy. The best outfits are Daily Knitted Dress, Orca Exploration Suit, and Photogenic, btw.
Stellar Blade is published by Sony, developed by Shift Up, and is available on PlayStation, and soon to be PC.
Penny’s Big Breakaway
What a cutie game. After loving Sonic Mania, and seeing the character designs, world, music and yo-yo mechanics of Penny’s Big Breakaway, I was counting down the days until its release. It has become one of my favourite platformers, that I now own physically on PlayStation 5, and again I pushed myself to earn the Platinum trophy on this one because I simply wanted more of it.
The yo-yo mechanics are wonderfully realised, and it feels so fantastic when you gain and keep momentum. Swinging through each level was such a delight. I know this one didn’t do so hot, so give it a go if it’s ever interested you. It has a banging OST, too, by Tee Lopes.
Penny’s Big Breakaway is published by Private Division, developed by Evening Star, and is available on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, PC.
Honourary Mentions
I don’t usually care to do these (just extend your list, innit), but there were a few games that I loved that I didn’t include because they were either remasters, expansions that didn’t quite do enough for me to justify as a new entry, games I loved to bits but wouldn’t make my top ten, or games I wish I had more time with but haven’t yet.
Marvel Rivals
This one snuck in right at the end of the year. I wasn’t all that interested until just days before launch, and since then I’ve been glued to Marvel Rivals. I used to love Overwatch, but fell off with the launch of Overwatch 2 and the many changes it made (not to my liking) and Marvel Rivals has settled in its absence nicely. I still miss Overwatch a bit, but I had a great time, for a long time, with it, and hope to do the same with Marvel Rivals.
It’s also helped reinvigorate my love for Marvel as a whole, outside of just Spider-Man, so it’s been great marketing. I’ve actively returned to Marvel Snap and re-subscribed to Marvel Unlimited. Just a great hero shooter all round, and I love its art style. I main Peni Parker, Cloak & Dagger, and Squirrel Girl. I have my issues with it, and sometimes it doesn’t make me feel very good about myself, but I’m still going to continue playing and loving it.
Marvel Rivals is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC.
Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail
I loved Dawntrail. In my ranking, I actually place it as my second favourite. I love the story and characters of it, and I’m excited for the game’s future, but I do think it’s losing steam in the gameplay department. I don’t care to do the weekly grind for gear, nor do I care for Extreme, but I wish the story dungeons and trials were a bit more difficult. I also wish for bigger changes to each class, instead of them all becoming homogenised. As a lover of Final Fantasy IX (my favourite game), I loved seeing it so deeply ingrained in Dawntrail. The team clearly knows the best FF game, too!
Dawntrail is published and developed by Square Enix, and is available on PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S, PC.
Tombi! Special Edition
Tombi! is phenomenal, but this one had seemingly minor work done to bring it back. I’m just glad it’s back. Can’t wait for Tombi! 2!
Tombi! Special Edition is published by Limited Run Games, developed by Whoopee Camp, and is available on PlayStation 4/5, Nintendo Switch, PC.
The Quintessential Quintuplets: Five Memories Spent With You
This game slapped a big smile on my face. I love The Quintessential Quintuplets, much more than I ever thought I would, but fan-service aside, it’s such a great story about family, found family, and coming of age. I loved every second with this game, but it narrowly missed out. It’s quite brief for a visual novel, but if you’re a fan of the IP, you have to play this.
I’m a fan of the series’ canonical ending, even though my favourite didn’t “win”, and this is a nice way to see what an ending with each girl could’ve been like. There’s even a route where Fuutaro refrains from picking anyone, which is quite a devastating route.
The Quintessential Quintuplets: Five Memories Spent With You is published by Spike Chunsoft, developed by MAGES, and is available on PlayStation 4/5, Nintendo Switch, PC.
Infinity Nikki
I haven’t spent as much time with Infinity Nikki as I’d have liked just yet, but I’ve been enjoying my time with it. I do think the gacha system is a bit mad, meaning you really need to save your gems for your very favourite pulls, because some outfits have tenindividual pieces you need to pull. This can easily turn into two-hundred rolls for one outfit, which is a bit much for me. I don’t judge people for spending on gacha (I’ve spent a fair bit on Fortnite and some other games, myself, even if they aren’t gacha), but I don’t think I’ll be spending anything on Nikki outside of the monthly gem membership.
Otherwise, it’s a colourful, joyful game with fantastic fashion sense, Momo is a little cutie, and the world of Miraland feels great to explore. I’ve been enjoying the story, and the events have been wonderful, especially the Chinese New Year one. It’s great to see Chinese culture represented so well here, especially as many people in the West may not be familiar with it. Will definitely be putting more time into it.
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So, that’s my top ten and then some. What were your favourite games from last year? Thanks for reading, and take care of yourselves.
