Best games of 2024

What a year for game releases and the industry. Another year of mass layoffs but also some of the best games released in a while.

Perhaps the biggest move of the year and after a crazy merger with Activision last year, Microsoft made moves to publish more of their games on PlayStation this year. It's a bold move but given Microsoft's position in the games market, I could see why they would move from platform owner to publisher. Even then, this move ended up slowing whatever momentum Microsoft had continued to slow at a faster rate. Sony had warned that this would be a slow year for them, and while Helldivers 2 was a mega-hit it would be Sony themselves that slowed that momentum by implementing a PSN account requirement for PC owners. Concord also did nothing for Sony and only helped prove that Sony's push into live service games needed the slowdown it got. Sony also revealed the PS5 Pro, but most shockingly with that reveal is they talked how gamers generally run their games in Performance mode and not the graphical modes that have been so heavily pushed. Nintendo also had a relatively slow year but they still released a fair amount of experimental games like Princess Peach Showtime and The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom but all eyes are on the Switch successor which should be coming out in 2025.

Layoffs would also hit the industry along with slowing game sales. Layoffs were particularly bad, even eclipsing the previous year's total for talent lost. One of the most shocking was the closure of Tango Gameworks which Microsoft had lauded for their release of Hi-Fi Rush the year prior. Microsoft management sent mixed messages regarding their closure which didn't The economic climate turned rather bad this year and while it looked like the industry could shrug it off with mega hits Palworld and Helldivers 2, it became apparently by the second half of the year that even major established franchises struggled under the slowdown.

Game releases saw a lot of strong games that I loved. FF7 Rebirth removed the constrained nature of FF7 Remake and man did the developers go overboard with content. Coming from FF16 the game feels like the polar opposite in terms of design decisions. I had thought that Helldivers 2 would not do great since Helldivers was a niche game but was surprised when it sold like crazy. Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster was the most surprising as Capcom had sat on the series for years but I'm glad the remake managed to faithfully recreate the original. Thank Goodness You're Here shows that short and sweet comedy games can work without the feeling jokes stale or overly long.

2024 was a year of transformation, while it still feels we haven't reached the full potential of the PS5 or Xbox Series consoles layoffs show that we may not see the full potential unlocked for quite a while longer.

List items

• 1. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

  FF7 Rebirth removed the constrained nature of FF7 Remake and man did the developers go overboard with content. Everything feels expanded to the point of feeling bloated if you attempt to do everything in the first playthrough. As mentioned in my preabmle coming from FF16 the game feels like the polar opposite in terms of design decisions. FF16 was rather dull and a single locked character but in Rebirth everything feels responsive and colorful with a full party. The only negative is the developers continued to not show restraint with the ending sequence and it goes too far in making a simple story even more confusing than it needs to be.

• 2. Helldivers II

  Super Earth needs our help in ensuring peace and democracy across the galaxy. To do so would involve pretty much blowing everything up. The move from overhead to a third person perspective really changed how the game is viewed but Helldivers continues to be chaotic fun. On top of adding a new meta-narrative for the ongoing events of the players it helps keep me interested in Helldivers 2.

• 3. Thank Goodness You're Here!

  Thank Goodness You're Here! is the trip to a small English town you were never able to take. Filled with a hilarious cast of fun and odd characters, Thank Goodness You're Here is English humor at its best.

• 4. Astro Bot

  Astro Bot both delivered a lot of color, joy and fun that is generally missing from a lot of modern releases. Continuing from Astro's Playroom (the game installed on the PS5) Astro Bot is a loving tribute to everything PlayStation and platforming games.

• 5. Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster

  Dead Rising but more than remaster but not on the level of the Resident Evil remakes. As one of my favorite games ever, I'm super happy that Capcom absolutely nailed this remaster.

• 6. Destiny 2: The Final Shape

  Destiny 2 The Final Shape did a good job of wrapping up the main Destiny storyline. Although as an ongoing service the game now suffers from a lot of issues of trying to continue a game in a universe where the main conflict ended. Still for a few brief moments after launch, The Final Shape was Destiny at its finest.

• 7. Zenless Zone Zero

  I didn't expect to like Zenless Zone Zero as much as I did, but the game definitely has a vibe that reminds me a lot of Persona 4. A stylish and modern setting paired with good action and anachronistic technology (the main characters run a video store while also running an internet hacking service). For free to play there's a lot more to Zenless Zone Zero than I was expecting.

• 8. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom

  I need to play more Echoes of Wisdom but I liked what they were going for. A classic overhead style Zelda game actually starring Zelda.

• 9. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II

  Space Marine 2 really delivered the great sequel to a game released over 10 years ago. Space Marine 2 feels like a throwback to the old Gears of War/ shooters from the PS3/360 era. Mostly action and some superficial story to explain the action sometimes taking a simple but fun approach is the best.

• 10. Shadows of Doubt

  Shadows of Doubt nailed the detective mystery in a generated city, I always loved the ambition of what they were trying to accomplish.

• 11. Star Wars Outlaws

  Star Wars: Outlaws was rough but tried something different for a Star Wars game (and Ubisoft games in general). It didn't land the mark with everything it set out to do but in trying a smuggler's/heist tale it came close.

• 12. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

  Black Ops 6 should have been a bigger, badder, better version of Cold War and it comes close but in some areas I felt they overdid it with the campaign.

• 13. Crusader Kings III: Roads to Power

  Crusader Kings III: Roads to Power added so much to the game. From adventuring across the realm to managing an administrative region in the Byzantine Empire this expansion finally allowed the Crusader Kings team to show the real potential of the game as the ultimate grand strategy role playing simulator.