Hi, this is my personal 'games of the year 2024'. I mean this in the sense that these are the best games I played in 2024, not necessarily games released in the year. I don't really follow the ongoing video game release zeitgeist because I am not really interested, and I can't afford how expensive they are now anyway. Most games I play are free, heavily discounted when I buy them, or on game pass.
Near the end will be a 'usuals' section; games I have had for years and regularly play, with little overviews of what the year was like for them and what I got up to. At the very end will be 'worst of the year'; again I am quite frugal and I know what I like in games, so I rarely play ones I don't enjoy, but I tried a few this year that were so awful I am compelled to rant a bit. Enjoy!
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Hell Let Loose
Holy hell (let loose), this is the best Battlefield-like game I've played since the first two (1942 & Vietnam). VERY grounded and 'hardcore' compared to it's micro-transaction laden, bullet sponge, slop shooter competitors. Extremely immersive, I really like the way it simulates shock when you are nearly hit by machine gunners or snipers. You can play in a variety of specific roles from a spotter/scout, tank driver or gunner, squad leader, engineer, and many more. It allows you to engage in very specific tasks like building fortifications, supply running, or even just sitting there reloading artillery for someone else to shoot, all while large scale combat is taking place across the map. Big focus on teamwork and voice chat which has ups and downs depending on who you get stuck with. Individual matches can last 30 - 150 minutes, and experience doesn't accrue unless you complete the match. I played it A LOT at the start of the year, but the time sink it requires to even play one match, and the expectation to take on squad lead/commander roles as your level increases, have put me off after a while. But again, THE BEST 'capture the point' style multiplayer shooter I have encountered in almost 2 decades.
Myst Online: Uru Live (again)
I think this is the greatest virtual world experience out there today. Like sure, you can create worlds in Second Life and related, but there's something to be said for visual and stylistic consistency. This is the full game of 'Uru: Ages Beyond Myst' but persistently online. Great story and gameplay, super atmospheric, with an amazing soundtrack, plus! the online world functionality with an extremely dedicated close-knit community. They host events almost every day in game, some of them (like weekly karaoke and a radio show) have been consistently held for over a decade. I found MOULa very immersive, but also very intimate, you are never made to feel 'on the outside'. The game has had a long history of beta testing, shutdowns, and transfers of ownership since 2002, but is now steadily maintained by the original Myst creators, Cyan Studios (hence the full name having 'again' at the end). They continue to add new content today, a lot of which was created by fans/players. So many beautiful and engaging 'ages' (kind of like 'worlds' or 'levels') to explore, I also really enjoyed the main Uru story; Yeesha's Journey.
Myst
Had to try the original after becoming obsessed with Myst Online. Such a stellar game, especially when you consider the context of it's 1993 release date. I understand why this was the best selling video game for a decade, so well crafted with groundbreaking visuals. Despite the controls, it is actually quite immersive, the way you have to read books for clues to puzzles in other ages. And I am a sucker for Full Motion Video in games, and the specific style of almost over-acting it usually employs.
Red Faction
All glory to Red Faction. This game needs to be revered as highly as Half-Life or Unreal. You are immediately thrust into a frenetic story with excellent gameplay. It does a very good job placing you into the main characters boots and making the game experience feel unique to you. Almost every section of every level has multiple approaches, allowing a mix of science/subterfuge/stealth as well as all out assault. A lot of intuitive emergent actions to take, like blowing through rock-wall around sealed security doors, or knocking out bridges to block enemy vehicular support. Fantastic character development with a fulfilling conclusion. Difficulty increases as the game goes on, to the point I had to use cheats to finish, just a lot of 1 shot kill weapons in the endgame. It has instantly become one of my all time top 10 single player games though.
The Longest Journey
Stumbled across this game while scrolling through GOG. Saw a few seconds of a gameplay clip, a renaissance era marketplace with a creepy magician looking dude shuffling about, and it clearly being a point and click adventure game, I bought it immediately. The game starts with you in a dream, on a clifftop with a large egg teetering on the edge, so you talk to a tree about it. Although it isn't actually the tree, trees don't talk, it's the nature spirit who has come to assist the dying tree in it's time of passing. You do point & click crap, combine this with that to redirect a water stream which regenerates the tree, the tree grabs the egg for you and the nature spirit shares it's gratitude. A white dragon, the mother, descends and speaks to you about things beyond your understanding, and how a new world will be ushered in by your actions. This intro piqued so many of my adventure gaming interests, I absolutely adore how fucking nonsense they feel at times. You are then thrust along an epic saga across a future hyper-capitalist dystopia, and magical realms with ancient beings. Every sentence describing this game sounds outrageous, and does not do the story any justice. I remember a few hours in thinking "why is this game so fucking good" and looking it up to see it is regarded as the best adventure game ever made by a lot of people and outlets, I am now one of them. It is helpful to use a guide from time to time (classic adventure game bullshit), and it is roughly a 20 hour play time. This has become an all time top 3 game for me.
The Elder Scrolls Online
While I have played before, I restarted with a new character this year. I've never really enjoyed ESO before, I mainly played it to hang out with friends, which usually meant building my character for a role in boring (to me) repetitive dungeons. I decided to take a more conventional role-playing approach, building a stealthy, critical forward, rogue and actually trying to live/play as them. The game doesn't really cater to this a whole lot, and I have bypassed a lot of XP by sneaking through dungeons and actually playing my role. I find it really pushes just doing mindless combat only, with that combat being so dull it may as well be automated. So I have identified what I don't like, to avoid it, what I do like is the world and most of the stories you come across. It is actually kind of wild how much story there is to play, and it is all voice acted really well, I have become genuinely invested in some of it. I worked my way through the storylines in Auridon, which I was familiar with and really liked already, then in December there was a free membership week where I played this thing like a 9-5. I absolutely adored the North Elsewyr story; helping the local militia overthrow their foreign occupiers, and the South Elsewyr story; becoming a Dragonguard and working with a Dragon and ancient Khajiiti spirits to fight a greater evil. I also liked the Thieves Guild storylines, there was a point where a twist was extremely obvious but the NPC who should see it acts oblivious to the last moment, but each member of the guild also had their own side quest stories with excellent character development. I have maintained my goal of playing to the character I made, spending a lot of time skulking around, lockpicking, pickpocketing, and improving related skills. I also came across an idea in a video that inspired me to refrain from teleporting everywhere, and instead use in world fast travel options like carts and ships for a more immersive journey. Anyway, it's a great game that I am finally actually enjoying!
The Usuals
DayZ
Overall good year in my favourite game
Highs: Had a decent and long run on Chernarus with friends, did a few bases, held a few cars, lots of fun. That run ended with a server wipe where we had some outrageous fights, including a mortar bombing of Kamyshovo. First few weeks of the Sakhal/Frostline DLC release was great, fun to explore, with scrappy people down to chat in every town. We also started a run on Livonia after the server wipe, with a bunch of fun moments.
Lows: Playing Sakhal after the first few weeks. Nobody interacting, strictly kill on sight or American wannabe actors on voice chat. Near immediate population drop off. I honestly haven't been back. Also while I did enjoy the first few weeks, the loot progression was wild, felt like everyone had plate carrier armour and automatic weapons near spawn towns.
GTA Online
Average year
Probably one of my lowest played years so far. I did have fun though!
Highs: The juggalo story missions were surprisingly charming and funny, really enjoyed them. They released some new clothes and my new favourite hairstyle in game (actually looks like mine). Still a good place to hang out or roleplay with friends online.
Lows: They removed the rockstar editor (video recorder/photo mode) from old gen versions of the game! No great dupes. Nothing else of interest to me, with regards to game updates.
Minecraft
Best year ever?
New players joined my friends server, lots of new builds and towns. Also moved the world from a realm to a self hosted server!
Conan Exiles
Rough year
Broken updates, new and exciting bugs. Didn't play much at all. Also got harassed on a public server by a no-lifer who got my friends and I briefly banned for basebuilding incorrectly. Still, I really think this game has the best implementation of melee action combat, every fight truly feels unique and high stakes.
SWAT 4
Restarted my decade+ long attempt to complete my self imposed 'all elite challenge' (completing the game on elite difficulty). Save games don't transfer, hence the restart, and elite difficulty requires a total non-lethal approach without losing personnel, which is why I haven't completed the challenge in over ten years playing on and off. Business as usual.
Fallout 76
Barely remember playing it last year, I think I hopped on once to check out the Skyline Valley region update, but I always get distracted doing base stuff.
Stardew Valley
Played out a fair bit of the Ginger Island stuff on my very old original save game. Lots of fun!
Red Dead Online
Played it more this year than any before, felt like I properly got a handle on the game and whats fun about it, mostly through friends who are big time players. Basically just old timey GTA Online, with some survival elements like fishing, but I actually find the grinding nature of missions less frustrating in Red Dead.
Saints Row (2022 reboot)
I got the DLCs on sale and played through them finally. More of the usual funny and charming gameplay that I loved about the base game, with a new skydiving mini game added too. They were kinda short though, I think I completed it all in a day or two. Also played a bit with a friend, it still has that multiplayer chaos fun that the old Saints Row games had, with a much nicer looking landscape & city.
Sea of Thieves
I only sailed a handful of times this year, it is still a really solid and fun game with friends, but I'm never really motivated to play it by myself anymore.
Worst of the Year
Normally I just avoid games I don't think I will like, or if I try something and it's not fun I will move on. These games produced such a visceral reaction in me though, I can not contain my rage
Red Faction 2
After playing the first, and being blown away by its quality, I decided to go through the whole series (eventually). Red Faction 2 is abysmal dogshit, it feels like when a franchise gets sold to another company who doesn't understand what made it a success and just guts it completely, expecting name recognition to do all the work. Which isn't what happened at all, it is made by Volition, the same as the first game, and released a year later. I did play the PC version which has the worst reviews, but everything about the game was worse than the original, I can't imagine how a different platform would change this. The only thing I see mentioned about the console editions is that the split screen multiplayer was fun, but the PC version has no multiplayer, in the era of Unreal Tournament and Counterstrike? Story and characters were dull, weapons felt awful to use, even player movement felt odd. To take the story of the first one; Regular miner accidentally sparks a worker revolution by defending himself with the stakes continuously increasing throughout, and invert that to; You are a genetic engineered super soldier in power armour, your first mission is to wipe out a Red Faction base, your second mission is working with Red Faction to assassinate the world government dictator, was SO jarring. Anyway, skip this game.
Ark: Survival Ascended
HOW IS THIS A GAME, HOW DOES THIS COST MONEY, WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON? IS THIS A 'TRUMAN SHOW' STYLE CONSPIRACY DESIGNED TO TRICK ONLY ME? WHY IS THIS GAME SO POPULAR? GENUINELY HOW DO THEY CHARGE $65 FOR THIS ON XBOX SERIES S? IT DOES NOT FUNCTION, FRAME RATES OF SINGLE DIGITS WHEN YOU ENCOUNTER A PLAYER BASE, ENVIRONMENT DOES NOT RENDER IN AT ALL SOMETIMES, AND WHEN IT DOES IT LOOKS LIKE I RUBBED VASELINE ALL OVER MY SCREEN. I'm sorry I just haven't been this shocked by how incredibly dogshit a game is for many years. This might be the worst game I have ever tried to play. The visual/functional issues apparently effect me worse because I have the cheaper system in the Series S, but I still don't understand how that is acceptable, to charge $65+ for a game on a system where it does not work as intended. I didn't enjoy the gameplay, especially compared to it's survival MMO competitors. It didn't seem like it does anything unique, apart from dinosaurs. ALSO WHY DOES YOUR CHARACTER SHIT ON THE GROUND RANDOMLY? WHO WANTS THIS? I did not pay money for this game thankfully, and deleted it after a week. It's like 150GB too, with massive system slowing updates every few days, so infuriating.
Thanks for reading XD
EDITED 20/05/2025: I forgot about putting Sea of Thieves in the 'usuals' section somehow, playing it in the past week reminded me.