My 2024 Games of the Year

My 2024 Top 5 Games of the Year list!

It’s going to be 2025 tomorrow and I am not ready. Not only do I have to worry about the threat of Mother Nature again, but there were so many games I wanted to play that came out this year. Why oh why did three games I was really looking forward have to release towards the end of the year? And why did the end of this year have to be so busy for me? Well, I guess they might show up on next years favorite games I’ve played list. Anyway, like last year, there were three games that easily made the list while it was really tough picking for the last two spots.

I do have a couple rules for my list:

1. It had to be games I completed (though endless games do get a pass if I played any)
2. It had to be released in 2024
3. The release date for the version I played counted as its release date for my list (if I played the console port that came out this year, it counts as releasing this year even if it released on PC last year)
4. This is a strict Top 5 list (no runner ups or ties!).

Anyway, let’s get into my personal Top 5 Games of the Year in no particular order:

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door

After years of hearing how great The Thousand Year Door was, knowing I’ll have to figure out emulation to play it, and somehow avoiding spoilers all this time; you have no idea how happy I was that a Switch remake of Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door was announced. Finally, I get to play the Paper Mario game everyone props up as the best one and I don’t have to figure out emulation (while also possibly needing to get a better computer to emulate it which would set my possible playthrough back even more). Well, the game did not disappoint and it really does deserve all the love it got. The story is great, I couldn’t help but smile all throughout the game, the humor was on point, I loved the engaging combat and exploring each area, and the game looks amazing.

Plus, we got some quality of life additions that does help the spots that were common complaints of the original. Granted, I never played the original, but everyone will know how annoying backtracking is.

Tengoku Struggle -Strayside-

Tengoku Struggle -Strayside- was the otome visual novel I was looking forward the most this year (yep even made it on my list last year) and I’m so happy to say that it’s my favorite 2024 otome game! It’s such a wonderful otome game that succeeded in everything I hope for in an otome game and the one worry I had turned out to not be a big deal. The lore for the world here was interesting, the story and writing style made reading it really enjoyable, all the characters were wonderful, and I enjoyed most of the love interest routes here. Not to mention how great the artwork and voice acting was.

Also, this game gets extra points for the wonderful Ono No Takamura (Aka Nono)

Pacific Drive

I was so into Pacific Drive when I saw the trailers, but for some reason I did hesitate when the release date came. I thought I wouldn’t enjoy it and, since there was no console demo, I couldn’t see whether I’d like it or not. Good thing the game invaded my thoughts and my bad habit of hyping games up happened before the end of the year as I actually really enjoyed Pacific Drive. I had a rocky start with Pacific Drive and almost dropped the game, but I’m glad I stuck with it as I love it so much that it’s one of my GOTY games. I had a lot of fun with the game’s gameplay loop, I liked finding myself slowly getting better and getting more upgrades as time went on, and it had more depth than I was expecting. The game also felt really good to play whether it’s driving your trusty station wagon or walking on foot. The story also turned out to be interesting, even though it is really easy to tune out, and made a great choice in having the game’s peak be the entire end game. It also definitely helped that the lore was interesting as well, and it was such a smart idea to have your car be a remnant that you got bonded to.

The Bridge Curse 2: The Extrication

This one was such a surprise for me. The only reason I played The Bridge Curse 2 was because I was offered the game and I accepted since I had no reason not to and I didn’t have a horror game planned for Halloween. I was expecting having to slog my way through, but little did I know that I was walking into a great horror game that would keep me engaged all throughout. While the game does have a slow start, the story does a great job in getting you hooked to its story and keeping you interested. I really liked how the story and the ghosts were handled here, how the game kept you on your toes, and how it made a really bold move to leave some story aspects up to the player to connect the dots. There are some really subtle aspects, but this game really rewards those that pay attention and read everything (and talking about that, all the documetns were surprisingly interesting to read). The gameplay was also pretty good, with stealth being done well, and the game achieves its tense, chilling atmosphere with ease. And it didn’t even use any jumpscares! The ghost encounters were all so good as well, with each of them being different, and the game has some really cool moments that you have to experience.

Still Wakes the Deep

*Looks at last three entries* I see that the horror games I played this year really impressed me. Maybe this one is due to recency bias, but Still Wakes the Deep grabbed a seat as one of my GOTY. I almost didn’t play this one in time, but funnily enough I might have played it around the time the game’s events take place. I played this a couple days before Christmas and the game takes place a couple days before Christmas. Anyway, Still Wakes the Deep turned out to be an amazing, unique horror game. It was really interesting having a horror game take place on an oil rig and even more so with the horror coming from some unknown otherworldly thing that is not only wrecking the rig but transforming your coworkers. It’s a tragic struggle of trying to stay alive that easily grabs your attention and doesn’t let go. Plus, the horror was so well done I even needed breaks and the stealth segments here were well done. Still Wakes the Deep also manages to make its ending work. If you happen to get spoiled on it, trust me when I saw that it’s better when you have the context of the whole rest of the game with it than when you’re hearing about it by itself.