by themathlete
Another year, another late game of the year list. But, as with last year - it's better late then never.
2024 was a year that saw a lot of change in my life. That led to there not being as much room for gaming, but I did find time for a select few games. Games that, while not all coming out in 2024, definitely made a good impression on me in that year.
I did have less time for gaming in 2024; but when I did have time, I had an excellent time with each one of the games listed below.
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Unicorn Overlord is the game that I spent the vast majority of my time with (about 6 months, give or take). That time was very well spent. Unicorn Overlord is an amazing game. Like 13 Sentinels before it - UO looks sensational, with a gorgeous hand-drawn art style that really pops. It may be one of Vanillaware's best looking games, as far as I'm concerned. The gameplay is really engaging, as well. Recruiting your units, building your army and setting up your tactics exactly as you want them is very appealing and I really enjoyed every aspect of it. As the name suggests, Unicorn Overlord took over the year for me. It is easily my 2024 Game of the Year.
Astro Bot was a late arrival for me (it was a Christmas present from my girlfriend that I didn't start until just before New Year's). Even with that, it's placement on this list is well deserved. Astro Bot is really, really fun. It controls fantastically, looks absolutely stunning and is excellently paced. I had a great time from start to finish. Astro Bot is probably one of the best 3D platformers that I've ever played, running just a little under the Galaxy games and Odyssey. It definitely belongs as one of my 2024 Games of the Year.
It Takes Two is easily one of the best co-op game experiences that I've ever had. Playing this with my girlfriend was a treat, and we both had an amazing time. The gameplay is super fun, keeping it fresh with new mechanics from level to level. It never let us get bored. It also had a very heartfelt and funny story that we both enjoyed. It may not have come out in 2024, but It Takes Two is one of the best games that my girlfriend and I played that year.
I hadn't played a management sim in quite a long time. SimCity 3000 and Sim Theme Park are some of my favorite games from when I was a kid. I have really fond memories playing them on my parents old Windows computer. Two Point Hospital brought back a lot of those feelings that I had when I was a kid playing those games. Two Point Hospital is an excellent game. Building your hospital and managing it effectively is intuitive and compelling. It really reminded me of building my city in SimCity and theme park in Sim Theme Park, and put a modern spin on it. It's also pretty funny, with a dry British humor to it that I appreciated. I had an excellent time with Two Point Hospital and can't recommend it highly enough. PS: It also runs pretty well on Switch.
2023 was the year I finally found the time to mod my 3DS (and my Vita too). That allowed me to try out quite a few games that I hadn't gotten around to in the 3DS/Vita heyday. This and 2023's lists may have only 5 games in each of them but I put a bit of time into a number of games on my 3DS - Donkey Kong Country Returns, BoxBoy, Star Fox 64 3D and Super Metroid to name a few. One thing I was pretty interested in once it was available was Virtual Boy emulation on the 3DS. YouTube videos on it made it seem pretty compelling, so I decided to give it a try. Mario Clash and Tennis were pretty fun, but the best Virtual boy game that I played was Virtual Boy Wario Land. Virtual Boy Wario Land is an excellent 2D sidescroller. The gameplay is pretty inventive even now, with lots of secrets to find and environmental puzzles to solve. I had a great time with Virtual Boy Wario Land and I recommend anyone with a modded 3DS to take a look at Virtual boy emulation. It's pretty great and it'll allow you to play this gem.