My Favorite Video Games Played in 2024

(So, confession: The overwhelming reason I wanted to make this website is because I didn’t want to make THIS VIDEO. It had been weighing me down for weeks and when I thought it would work better as an article I realized then that I had nowhere to put it. And so here we are. Enjoy!)

Hey everyone, I hope the holidays were good to you. It’s that time of year again where I look back on my favorite games I played during the previous year. And if you didn’t see or don’t remember last year’s video, you should know that I do this kind of thing a little differently.

So, this is not a list of the best games released in the calendar year of 2024. It’s a list of the best games that I played during the year. Now some will be 2024 releases, don’t worry. But I don’t play everything that comes out anymore, I’ve got so many other focuses that I’m now very selective about my new gaming purchases. And while I’ve got a top 3 of outstanding 2024 games, I don’t like filling out the list with games from the year I would recommend if you asked me about them, but are merely fine not great.

I would consider those particular games to be honorable mentions though, and since I think you should check them out, here’s a quick list of the decent to good 2024 games that I played.

• Top Racer Collection | QUByte Interactive (review video)
• NeoSprint | Atari (review video)
  
• EA Sports College Football 25 | Electronic Arts
  
• Yars Rising | Atari (review video)
  
• Puppet House | Gaming Factory (highlight video)
  
• Call of Duty Black Ops 6 | Activision
  
• Irem Collection Volume 2 | ININ Games (review video)
  
• Victory Heat Rally | Playtonic Games (review video)

I do stick to first time plays when I do these lists however, otherwise Pinball Arcade and Rock Band and Burnout Paradise would just be on my list each and every year. However…

Non-2024 Favorite: Mass Effect 2 | Electronic Arts

Now I know I just said I stick to first time plays when I do these lists. BUT, this was the first time I played through Mass Effect 2 as part of the Mass Effect Legendary Edition, which is technically not the same release as the one from years earlier. So it counts. And whatever, who cares, Mass Effect 2 is terrific. Is it as good as the first game? No. But there are so many terrific characters here and the way you can shape your interactions with all of them almost makes the whole crazy space invasion stuff seem like a secondary plot. I wanna spend time with my space friends and was thrilled to have an excuse to do that again as part of the Mass Effect Legendary Edition release. It’s such a good franchise, I love it so much.

Non-2024 Favorite: The Callisto Protocol | Krafton

After playing through the Dead Space remake I was craving some more outer space haunted house spooky stuff, and enough time had passed since The Callisto Protocol launched that I figured its bugs had all been worked out. And for the most part they had, and I enjoyed playing through it a great deal. It’s easily one of the most next gen looking games I’ve seen in this, uh, next gen. And I derived constant entertainment from watching an expensively rendered Josh Duhamel looking perpetually angry and irritated at the horrors surrounding him at all times. The other included game modes and DLC content didn’t do much for me, but the main story? Yes, that’s the good stuff.

Non-2024 Favorite: Alan Wake II | Remedy

Had I played this game when it was released it would have been at the top of my list last year, no doubt. And it had both of its major DLC releases this year, so technically I could place it on the official 2024 list but no I’ll keep it where it is for now. Anyway, another one of my favorite games I played this past year was Alan Wake II.

Continuing the story of not only Alan Wake but also Control, two games I will sing the praises of until the end of time, made this an easy pick. But it could have easily dropped the ball or gone off in some weird direction that wasn’t my cup of tea, or coffee as it were. Don’t get me wrong though, Alan Wake II DOES go off in a very strange direction, but I am here for every place this game goes. All of it.

If you’ve played it you know what I’m talking about, but there’s one particular segment about a third of the way through that I could not believe was happening. Absolute joy. I loved every second of that sequence as well as just about everything else in it. And those two DLC expansions are no slouch either. Remedy is out here making games for me, and I’m very appreciative of that.

Number 3 from 2024: Astro Bot | Team ASOBI

Now another thing I’m thankful for from that godforsaken year of 2024 is that it got me back in touch with my Playstation 5. My PS5 had been powered off since 2021 but after returning home from Southern Fried in Atlanta, I still had some intense desire to play some pinball, and my Pinball Arcade library was purchased on the Playstation 4. Anyway, long story short, my PS5 was now back in the rotation. And I knew I’d be using it for the number 3 game on my list, Astro Bot.

Astro’s Playroom had been my game of the year in whatever year that was, 2020? Good lord. Anyway, it was a no-brainer that I was going to get this one the second it came out, and it did not disappoint. This fully fleshed out version of that terrific PS5 demonstration might be my favorite platformer ever. Yep, that’s how strong this is.

And the weird thing about the main crux of Astro Bot is that it’s built entirely around Playstation nostalgia, of which I don’t really have any. Not in the endearing way this game treats Playstation nostalgia anyway. I recognize some of it, had to look up others, but none of it bothered me in ways that it seemed to irk some reviewers out there, including some very favorable Playstation reviewers. It’s nice for people who want that stuff. Me? I was here for the charming gameplay, and it’s just so damn good in that regard.

Number 2 from 2024: Thank Goodness You’re Here | Panic

And then a little indie gem called Thank Goodness You’re Here was the other game I used my PS5 for this past year. I watched Jeff Gerstmann play this on a livestream at launch but didn’t get very far into his video before shutting it off and buying the game for myself, as I quickly realized it was something I would play immediately and didn’t want any more of it spoiled. It’s the kind of game I’ve been craving recently, a nice bite-sized little adventure with some terrific comedy writing. I don’t want to say too much more about it, but if you like British humor and games that can be completed in only a couple of sessions, please go get this one.

Once I’d completed those last two games I then spent months internally debating which was going to be number one and which was going to be number two on my list. And I eventually settled on the order they’re now in because of one very specific me thing. The majority of Astro Bot is very accessible and a joy to play. But there are a handful of bonus stages that I will never, ever see the end of, and as such I will never be able to 100% the game. I don’t have a problem with these levels being included for hardcore platforming nerds, make your game however you want to make it. But since this list is entirely subjective, I enjoyed the entirety of Thank Goodness You’re Here more than Astro Bot. But if I was putting a number on it, we’d be talking hundredths of a point difference. It’s statistically nearly a tie.

Number 1: Indiana Jones and the Great Circle | MachineGames

So yeah I had my top two games all set and ready to go, but then Bethesda went and released a game in early December that very quickly became my favorite thing of the year. Come to think of it, I’ve gone with a Bethesda game at the top of the list the last two years, and if you asked me I wouldn’t even say I’m a huge Bethesda fan. Anyway, my favorite game of 2024 is Indiana Jones and the Great Circle from Machine Games.

Now unlike Astro Bot, nostalgia definitely has an influence here. I adore Raiders of the Lost Ark and really like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. This game is right at home with those two films. It honestly might be my third favorite Indiana Jones thing that exists. It gets so many little things right when it comes to that universe, even down to having something supremely silly happening in the middle of a major action sequence. The story is great, Troy Baker’s performance as Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones is incredible as you may have heard already, and melee combat has dare I say never been as satisfying as it is here. You have access to guns in the game but I very rarely used one. Punching fascists to death or kabonging them with the world’s most generous supply of guitars never gets old.

I have only one real complaint about the game, and it’s just a minor quibble with the writing, is that the character of Gina up until a certain point is written like a modern day Doctor Who companion, just running into dangerous situations without a care in the world. You, the player, will constantly be saying “Gina, no. Gina, stop. Gina, please stop talking for just a second. No Gina, don’t go in there just yet.” Poor Gina.

I think that’s a very solid lineup of games, even with my alternative rules. And there were games in 2024 that would have made this list had I had the time to get to them. For example, it’s probably a fairly safe bet that the new Dragon Age and the remaster of The Thing would have made this list had I only had more free time. Perhaps that’s a sneak peak at next year’s video because those are the next games to get to on my list. Who knows what’ll happen in 2025. This industry is nuts right now, in some good ways but mostly not. But that’s another video for another day… also for another YouTuber I’m not a commentary guy.

Anyway, that’s my list, I’d love to hear your thoughts about these choices in the comments, especially if you agree. But let me hear from you either way, comments are good. Take care folks I appreciate you taking the time to read this and hey, it’s a new year out there, let’s go play some games!