Intro
Here are my mini reviews of every video game that I beat in 2024 (or put a significant amount of time into if they are live service, multiplayer, etc. Not all of these games came out in 2024, but that’s when I finished them. They are ranked from least favorite to most. Hopefully you can find some that pique your interest, and maybe you can recommend what games I should play in 2025. Thanks for all of your support during 2024! I hope you have your best year yet!
Lethal Company
I won’t say I’ve beaten it, but I think I am finished with it. It’s not a bad game, but it just didn’t do anything for me. Mundane gameplay with a spicy dash of horror. I do like the world building. 1.5/5
Save Room
It’s the inventory system from RE:4… the game. An extremely slight, albeit surprisingly satisfying, experience. 2.5/5
Jackbox Survey Scramble
Jackbox and Family Feud! Two of my favorite things! How could it go wrong? It doesn’t… but it doesn’t exactly hit it out of the park either. The games are fun (except Bounce) but they all feel more like filler than a main course. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I can’t help but want at least one of the games to have a bit more going on in terms of mechanics and presentation. 2.5/5
Chained Together
Didn’t quite beat it, but just in case we never stream it again I’ll review it now. Deliciously infuriating four player coop. It scratches that Heave-Ho itch, but doesn’t quite reach those heights. 3/5
Shin-chan: Me and the Professor on Summer Vacation – The Endless Seven Day Journey
This was my first exposure to Shin Chan, based off the manga/anime Crayon Shin-chan. The game gets repetitive, and the slight story doesn’t fill the many hours it takes to grind everything you need to finish it. However, I was in a deep depressive episode when I started it – I needed a breezy, cheery game that felt like being a kid during summer break. This game gave me that. Thanks Shin-chan. 3.5/5
Gris
A resplendent piece of art that deals with depression and loss with beauty and grace. It’s a treat for the senses; an emotional journey that unfortunately falls short as a puzzle platformer. 3.5/5
Space Marine 2
I only played the campaign (coop), so I can’t speak to the other modes, but what we have here is a solid action romp, in a well-established setting, that feels like it might have emerged from a time capsule (and that’s not a detriment) if not for the incredible scale of some of the encounters. 3.5/5
RoboCop Rogue City
There’s another game farther down this list that nails the feel of playing as a beloved movie character even better, but RoboCop Rogue city managed to make me feel like I was in a (good) RoboCop movie. The experience certainly wasn’t a polished one: with several glitches and needlessly sprawling upgrade systems, but it nailed the tone and satire of the RoboCop universe. The combat was appropriately visceral, even if it did begin to slightly stale by the end. 3.5/5
Final Fantasy XVI
An eclectic mix of Game of Thrones, Attack on Titan, and Final Fantasy. A little light on the Final Fantasy for my tastes (no overworld, lacking customization for your party). The action combat is satisfying – if a bit repetitive. It could have used a bit more variety on how you deal with enemies; once you find a combo that works, you’ll hardly have to deviate from it (on normal difficulty at least). The Eikon sections while visually spectacular, even though they caused significant performance issues, were bland gameplay wise. Still, a fantastic soundtrack and vocal performances with an emotional, engaging story. 4/5
Satisfactory
I cannot stress to you how much this is not my type of game. Multiplayer simulation with survival elements… no thank you. But somehow Satisfactory manages to be very much a “yes please!” It gives me the same Dr. Stone level of excitement about exploration and science that Minecraft did way (for a few hours anyway) back when it was new. There always seems to be a new discovery waiting over the next hill and always a way to squeeze a little more efficiency out of homebase. I don’t see Satisfactory letting its hooks out of me anytime soon. 4/5
Hell Divers 2
The fight for freedom continues, but I can’t not talk about my most played multiplayer game of the year. I lost my interest for a bit due to some balance issues, but with those being fixed and with a new enemy to fight, I’m back in. The satire is spot on. There are few things sweeter than four friends dropping stratagems and hugging it out while the world burns. (Hard to rate a moving target). 4/5
Yakuza 4
Splitting the focus between four protagonists was a bold move, and resulted in an uneven narrative. Saejima and Tanimura felt overshadowed by the new standout Akiyama. Saving Kiryu for last was the right choice, as he’s clearly a step above and even the other protagonists know it. It’s still Yakuza: a fine sake, just a little watered down. 4/5
Yakuza 3
I was so thrilled for Kiryu to be able to live the peaceful life… and so unreasonably upset when the world keeps taking that peaceful life away. Combat was probably my least favorite of the series so far, but character, story, and world carry the day again. 4.3/5
Balatro
I’ve only just begun my decent into this addictive madness, but the design and presentation is sublime. A few rogue-lites have gotten there hooks into me over the years… adding that genre to my love of poker just feels unfair. 4.5/5
Astrobot
Haven’t finished this one yet, but close. Evie and I are playing through it together. Fantastic, if breezy, 3D platformer filled with charm and creativity. The Sony nostalgia is bittersweet – loved revisiting these classic franchises, but sad that we’re unlikely to get any proper follow-ups to most of them. 4.5/5
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
I was craving a big budget, expansive, action adventure rpg, and much like an ancient treasure – I found it in the unlikeliest of places. I had no expectations for this game before seeing Jeff Gerstmann’s Quick Look of it. His high praise led me to take a leap of faith, and I’m glad I did. A globetrotting adventure that as expertly matches the tone of Raiders as Troy Baker expertly matches Harrison’s performance. It’s not the greatest adventure game of all time, but it’s an extremely satisfying one (in every respect). Even the wonky (immersion breaking) ai, and plentiful bugs were more endearing than frustrating. 4.5/5
The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles
I’m a big fan of the original Ace Attorney trilogy and this takes everything I love about those games back to the Meji/Victorian era. Several of the cases and characters stand among the best of the series. A fantastic visual novel. Recommended for lovers of mystery and memorable characters. The pacing can be a little slow, but the payoff is worth it. 4.5
Signalis
So good it caused my depression to rebound. 5/5
Journey
Yeah… I’ve beaten it before, (more than once) but I played it again for Role With the Punches and I just have to talk about it again. Years will pass from a playthrough and I’ll begin to doubt myself… was it as good as I remember? Before, if you had asked me what’s the best game of all time, it wouldn’t have come immediately to mind. I’ll never doubt again. Journey is the best game I played this year. One of the best ever. Maybe the best. A playable, masterful poem that fills my heart with awe. The multiplayer continues to be my favorite implementation of online multiplayer in gaming. The level of (wordless) connection to another person Journey provides is incredible. To think that an anonymous online gaming experience could rekindle my faith in humanity. 5/5
Hi, great list! Did you ever play Dishonored games? It’s a stealth-action type games set in a Victorian era fantasy world. I loved it for the versatile combat and numerous possible ways to beat levels.
I tried the first one and didn’t like it. I’m usually not a fan of stealth in first person games, and Dishonored seemed at odds with itself in terms of design. It seemed like it wanted to push stealth, but stealth also felt like a less effective option most of the time.
I love the list Rick, I too have fallen under the spell known as Balatro recently haha. I was wondering though, have you played Baldur’s gate 3 yet because that game has unequivocally become my favorite game of all time after starting it last January and i feel like you would find it interesting at the very least.
Not yet, but Maggie and I both own it and will play it together.
Great list! You definitely should play Metaphor and FFVII: Rebirth in 2025!
That’s for current, modern games, but I’d also heavily recommend playing Earthbound for the SNES. If I remember correctly, you have never played it. It’s a unique experience. It is my brother’s favorite JRPG. He told me it helped him as a kid when he was dealing with stress and anxiety (he is also on the spectrum). He’s the one who got me into the game and kickstarted my love of JRPGs. 🙂
Have a good year, Rick!
Yeah, Metaphor is probably next on my list after I beat Tales of Vesperia (I’m in the final act!). I do need to play Earthbound one of these days.
If you enjoyed the Persona games, you’re most likely going to love Metaphor!
As for Earthbound, it is quite quirky and funny, I could see that being amusing to play/stream along with your wife. 😉
Short, sweet, and straight to the point. Love reviews like this. Definitely helped add some new games onto my watchlist!