VOTE: Noclip's Community GOTY 2024

Metaphor Refantazio, Atlus at the top of their game. Style out of the wazoo, impressive story and tackles some very modern feeling social issues.

I would like to nominate Super South Tower (SNES) for the 2024 game of the year.

Tales Of Kenzera: ZAU After careful consideration, I've decided to throw my hat in with Abubakar Salim's incredible indie gem. I was very close to choosing Echoes of Wisdom, but felt supporting indies was more important.

Star Wars: Outlaws ~ the world feels so authentic that I just like to slow-walk around in it... Also because this was given to me as a gift a week ago, and I'm so excited that I have an actually really good star wars game to play around Christmas time!

My personal GOTYS are Tormenture and Master Key. both adventure games in an NES Legend of Zelda tradition. They both boil down exploration to its most basic and keeps it very engaging. They also both use a very simple set of mechanics and keep them fresh by placing the trust in the player to figure them out. They both display great understanding of how zelda worked before 3D.

Silent Hill 2 was the best overall new game, but I also liked Mouthwashing a lot

I Am Your Beast I'm tied between 1000xRESIST and I Am Your Beast as my personal GOTY and as much as I love 1000xRESIST, I just think the style, the flare, the gameplay, the voice acting (god the voice acting is incredible) make I Am Your Beast a better whole.

Stunt Derby

I posted Balatro earlier, but I need to jump in here and shout out Indiana Jones before it’s too late. I’m about halfway through and the game is incredible.

Indiana Jones! Best Escape from Butcher Bay-like in years!!

I have cast my vote for another game on this list, but I want to call out Neva. It’s a beautiful game that I think will go under the radar for most, with some great environmental storytelling and straight-forward gameplay (with a dedicated ‘call the dog’ button).

Nine Sols! First time a game that difficult really grabbed me and I feel as if every gaming outlet I listen to hasn’t talked about it. Great music, cool Tao-Punk vibes, and very fun to play.

My game of the year is easily Balatro. And of course many Noclippers have Jesse and his diligent Next Fest investigative skills to thank for hours and hours of ooo-number-go-up fun. But I also have Jesse to thank for being part of my Group Chat of the Year on Discord entitled "Bala-Bros." This collection of friends from various parts of my life who all rallied behind Balatro and its many intricacies and synergies led to a ton of fun and "wow!" moments as each of us found new combos and reached for higher scores or more achievements. It's so rare to see a game shared by so many of my pals at once that we all want to keep talking about for the better part of a year. Balatro is more to me than a slick and refined deck builder. It was part of the foundation of some of the best conversations I've had with friends all year. ❤️

Satisfactory in my opinion needs to be on the list somewhere. Amazing game.

Also shout out to ultros.

I’ve struggled with many aspects of the game itself and I totality i didn’t really enjoy the game but I do think Star Wars outlaws has the best typography of any game this year.

Astro Bot

Rivals of Aether 2 is the best platform fighter since Super Smash Bros. Melee over 20 years ago. GOTY for me.

Dynowarz: The Destruction of Spondylus

Anthology of the Killer

Tactical Breach Wizards Extremely funny and compelling writing, great cast of characters, lots of cool world building and banger tactical gameplay.

Stalker 2 and Balatro have both completely ruined my life.

Factorio: Space age - This game has consumed my entire being. I can't stop thinking about it even when I'm away from my computer. I've not felt like that about a video game for a LONG time. The original Factorio was already an insanely deep and beautiful automation/factory game, easily one of the giants in it's genre (arguably the best!). This expansion has added a huge amount of content. The feeling of leaving the planet for the first time and landing on a brand new fresh world to exploit relentlessly is just unforgettable.

Echo Point Nova, an outstanding small indie fast-paced FPS that went under the radar but deserves more visibility for sure. Played it during a game dev hiatus, and had to install and fire up Unreal Engine (it's made in UE) as soon as I finished it. Just when I thought I was out...

GOTY this, GOTY that. I like to shout out the overlooked bangers that are forgotten, if even acknowledged. Last year it was Gravity Circuit. This year? Victory Heat Rally!

Balatro, Animal well

I know I already have a comment in here somewhere, but I don't think I included two of the very very best, which are Neva and 1000xRESIST. Neva is by Nomada Studio, and so is a no-brainer, easy win. 1000xRESIST is just so extremely well done. I put this one as my Steam Awards GOTY, so, like, yeah.

Not sure this will be a popular one but 7 Days To Die released into 1.0 this year and is by far my favourite zombie thing I've played.

Tetrachroma : a falling block pizzler with a colour-matching mechanic where you can only clear rows if they are all the same colour. Atmosphere and music is on par with the best of Tetris (CDi, Effect, that one with the monkey?)

I'll throw a curve ball / slap here, watch this trailer first https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCH58e5sMVc It's Rose and Camellia Collection, a switch game that uses motion control to slap your opponent, there's a hilarious / insane story behind every fight, and every character is weird / absurd. It will not win any GOTY, but I want to bring your attention to it. It's one of the few games (collection) released this year that's actually funny, the writing is out there. The gameplay? It's tiring and I almost dislocated my shoulder while trying to slap frantically.

Yakuza Infinite Wealth Frankly speaking the previous part (Yakuza Like a Dragon) , was my introduction to the series - this was like old jRPGs (You know the top-down Gameboy pokemon-like), but all of this in 3D it felt so fresh having this kind of combat, on top of it with wholesome story, funny side quests, plenty of mini-games, and even some game mechanics baked into the story - spoiler alert: Ichiban, the main protagonist have this problem of seeing enemies in the fight as different much crazier opponents - and then Inifinite Wealth elevated it even higher I was and still am surprised how great this game ended up. On top of it this game is so long, and it is able to swing from very serious tones all the way to being hilarious and over the top, with pretty fun RPG gameplay and interesting job mechanics. I also loved the locations, so nice to come back to:) And another spoiler alert you fight freaking enormous blood-thirsty animals, not mention huge list of enemies and pokemons mini-game parody:D This game is huge win in my book.

Mouthwashing for the “Best Short Story” or the “Play it in One Day” award. These are easily the two things I loved most about the game. No excessive padding. The story lasts as long as it makes sense, and then it’s over. And you can reflect.

UFO 50. Tbh the only game that really blew me away this year was Inscryption, which I played for the first time but doesn't count. There were a lot of good current ones but none that still stick with me that way. That said, UFO 50 is an incredibly smart and creative achievement and holds plenty of surprises and a few of the games I really want more of.

Stalker 2, it's like DayZ and Fallout had a baby.. I know that doesn't make sense in a game dev timeline, but it's got the vibes! Absolutely loving the jank of it. It feels like a GAME in the way a lot of releases don't in the modern day!

Persona 3 Reload, Objectively Metaphor has refined gameplay however I didn’t emotionally resonate with any game this year like I did with P3R. The way the story dissects death and the empty space left by its wake absolutely floored me. 10/10.

Echo Point Nova

Star Wars Outlaws just gets better the more you play it.

Nine Sols

If there had to be one game I've played that was released this year it would be Selaco. This game is truly amazing and I really love the retro graphics. And the fact that it runs on a open source fork of the Doom engine is even more amazing.

Astro Bot for me. Pretty much the only new game from this year that I really clicked with. Can't remember the last time a game made me smile this much or surprised me with its game design quite like Astro Bot did. Others: Played the System Shock remake when it came to consoles this year, but it grew kinda tedious and I fell off it. Hated Hellblade II, which sucked caused I loved the first one. Never finished Still Wakes the Deep, the yellow paint sign posting bored me to death. Sparking Zero had too much going on for me, I just went back to DBFZ. The Black Ops 6 campaign was surprisingly good, tho I won't touch the MP. And I guess The Finals came out last December, but my friends and I fell off that pretty quick. So yea, pretty much just Astro Bot lol. And a whole bunch of backlog stuff. Excited for Indiana Jones and the remaster of The Thing tho.

Balatro. They manage to distribute Crack through Steam, what else is needed to say.

I would put in a serious argument for Dragon Age: The Veilguard. Combat is enjoyable, the companions are fantastic, and Veilguard refreshed and reinvigorated the Dragon Age IP.

Beyond Galaxyland is my pick. It's a great turn based side scrolling RPG about bouncing around the galaxy with your gun toting guinea pig sidekick Boom Boom. It's got a nice style and it's short, at around 12 hours. Solid game.

This year Stalker 2 looks really exciting to me!

Reus 2, one of the most enjoyable puzzle game I've ever played, and I don't like puzzle games. Also incredible on the Steam Deck.

Dungeons of Hinterberg is my pick. Brilliant game with amazing dungeons, brilliant Persona-style social time style RPGing, and fun combat and upgrades, and built into a really cool concept of a monster hunting style questing as a tourist in a modern day world. Looks great, sounds even better, and plays great. Certainly worth checking out. Nice 20 hour RPG.

Frostpunk 2! everything I didn't even know I wanted from a frostpunk sequel

Balatro and UFO50 for me!

Kunitsu Gami: Path of the Goddess Find me another game that’s as unique, stylish and fun to play this year. It’s dedication to Japanese folklore is just the strawberry on top of what is unarguably a deliciously stressful game.

Crow Country for me. Amazing RE2 style gameplay and vibes with a very nicely done story and puzzles, made even more fascinating for being made by only two brothers, the same duo that made Snipperclips

Pacific Drive. Extraction driving game.. Sign me up.

Ultros is the game I haven't been able to stop thinking about since I beat it earlier this year. Gorgeous art with a novel bite-sizing of search action and a wonderfully affecting story. It has the biggest "oohhhhhhh" moment for me in a game this year and the farming/platforming challenges on the back end is a fantastic way to reuse and transform a map. Astounding game that I hope gets more attention over time.

Thank Goodness You're Here - hands down the funniest, most demented game I've played in years. The love for Northern England with which it was crafted is obvious, and the characters are all exceptionally drawn and voiced. "It's not a watering can, it's a watering can't" makes me cackle to this day.

Okay hear me out: Chroma Zero. Yeah it's only out Dec. 12 but even just the demo (which was still 5h) was probably the best game I've played this year. If you've ever wanted a mechanically similar game to Outer Wilds (the metroidbrainia stuff), this is it.

Balatro ♠️♥️♣️♦️

Diceomancer - Great deckbuilder that allows for some really innovative gameplay and all handdrawn looking graphics! https://store.steampowered.com/app/2501600/DICEOMANCER/

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth babyy

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2❤️

I'm just glad Void Crew and Abiotic Factor got releases pushed back to next year. This year is stacked.

Balatro

Animal Well!! It's everything I look forward to in a game. I don't even have to gush about it's game design and sense of mistery/wonder since it's a given when talking about it, but every aspect of it, from it's visuals, to music, sound effects, atmosphere, etc, are all top tier, wholly unique and deeply captivating. It's the sort of game that engraves deeply within your mind (even more with all it's secrets and the way it's made to actively engage a community), and I'm sure it will become a recurring point of reference for games to come, just like people talk about Outer Wilds when discussing Animal Well.

Metaphor: ReFantazio - It's really up there for one of the best jrpg of our time.

American Truck Simulator. A handful of my friends picked this one up earlier this year on sale. We played it for a few silly sessions but I never really stopped. I became hooked on the simple premise of trucking across the US and have been impressed by how quickly they have added states. My local state is coming early next year and I can't wait!

Another Crab's Treasure, and Dread Delusion. Another Crab's Treasure because it is both a surprisingly competent souls-like, and actually does something interesting/touching with its narrative. Danny, not sure if you'll see this, but based on how you've talked about your experiences with depression in the past, I playing this game through to the end will be worthwhile for you. Dread Delusion, because I haven't seen writing that compelling/well done in a while. The short stories/books around the world are actual pieces of art, not just some extra flavor text to deliver some exposition. Truly scratches an old school Bethesda itch. Just an incredible world to learn about, so carefully and thoughtfully constructed that just learning about it is a worthwhile experience on its own.

Mullet Mad Jack and it's not even close.

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess or Dragons Dogma 2

Arco

Balatro, hands down 👌🏻 Simplistic, addictive and fun. It's eaten up the most of my video game hours this year so far at least, that's for sure 😂

Selaco — a game Danny wasn't too hot on but I think it's the best FPS since Half-Life 2. The A.I. and sheer feedback from shooting surpasses F.E.A.R. and whether it's putting a metal chair into an MRI machine or shooting a ceiling fan so it decapitates a passing enemy, there's a seldom peered fastidiousness to interactivity and the environment.

Nova Drift (please check it out), Animal Well, Satisfactory

Not sure if it's my *favorite* game of the year but it is one that doesn't have enough love so I want to shout out Steamworld Heist 2. A really clever evolution of the first game and the only game besides Xcom to really capture that xcom feel. I do think it wears out its welcome a bit toward the end but still an incredibly captivating tactics game.

Definitely Animal Well. It had the sense of mystery, wonder and awe that Outer Wilds and Tunic had, with even more creative mechanics and many many secrets hidden beneath the surface.

Helldivers 2. Through the ups and downs, it brought together so many people. It's a solid game that will have a good future.

Animal Well is my favorite game of this year. The retro art style is enchanting. The lack of any direction leading to open ended exploration led to at least five times where my mind was blown with “aha” moments. The lack of combat has great moments especially with the borderline horror elements for the dog boss and final boss. It’s genuinely such a tight and deceivingly complex game.

Persona 3 Reload is the best remake of any game I’ve played (and I’ve played my fair share). To delicately capture the essence of something old and very PS2 and repackage it for a modern audience that is used to the style and swagger of Persona 5 is sublimely done here.

Tactical Breach Wizards. Endlessly charming and inventive. This game pulls off 4-5 incredible narrative-gameplay moments when most games might have 1. I was constantly delighted by this game.

Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth for sure. It's probably the most impressive RPG I've ever played.

Hi, Starstruck: Hands of Time https://store.steampowered.com/app/1054950/Starstruck_Hands_of_Time/ I am copypasting this from the steam store page. But this is a game I have been championing since I have found it and think every member of the Noclip crew will find something to enjoy in it. Also it’s not too long. Starstruck is an interesting game that defies understanding. The beginning of the game makes you think it's a mind-bending, suspenseful, time-traveling sci-fi story. But only after playing through the whole game will you realize that Starstruck is a philosophical work that uses cross-dimensional rhetoric to explain the importance of maintaining your true identity, both in art and life.” indienova

1000 x Resist A high bar but for me this is the best story ever written in games. Its a heartfelt sci-fi roller-coaster that is wholly unique. Some of the best voice acting and character writing i have experienced in any medium. It is criminally underrated this year and I hope similar to Signalis and Inscryption its popularity grows over the next few years because it truly deserves higher recognition.

Astro Bot. The moment a platformer starts getting mentioned in the same quality level as a Mario title, you know theirs something special there.

I think there should be a category for Gamer dad's with newborns. Two games pulled me through this year with a baby who has trouble sleeping. Short rounds to clear your mind: Hades 2 Helldivers 2 #GamerDadsUnite

Everspace 2. Diablo in Space with a dash of Freelancer, but much more detailed worlds and interactivity. Technically not a 2024 game (came out on consoles this year though), but my most played by far. 100 hours and they're still adding content.

Also have to shout out the Riven remake. It's the perfect way to remake this narrative puzzle adventure classic. They expanded on the game in ways that deepen the lore and fit in perfectly and it's a treat for long time players and newcomers!

Metaphor ReFantazio! It takes everyone that makes Persona games great, moves it out of high school, and tells a story that is really impactful!

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

Star Wars Outlaws by far. I loved spending time in that world so much.

Indika is the most evocative and most wonderfully-weird-ass game of the year. The artistic oscillation between orthodox and trippy deserves its own "Tarkovsky feat. Jodorwski" award.

Another Crab's Treasure! Such a joy to play and a surprisingly solid souls like. Also a great introduction to the genre with all the difficulty options

Dragon's Dogma 2!!! It does everything the first Dragon's Dogma did better. The combat is expanded, and surprisingly works with how many interconnected systems there are. I will forever cherish my battle with a griffin that was way above my level that I encountered on top of a hill and fought tooth and nail down the hill like tales of old. The open world gracefully became an organic battlefield for this fight. Best open world in a long while, emergent and beautiful. A tough game to run on anything but when you do find the settings that work with RT, it looks gorgeous. The story is super barebones but hey, I'm just looking for that quest destination that will be my excuse to travel to the other side of the continent and have adventures on the way :)

I want to shout out Echo Point Nova, it's an incredibly fluid movement shooter with so many traversal options. It's become my go-to podcast game in a year that I really needed one. It's pure dopamine.

Arranger is my GOTY. It’s like solving puzzles on a deconstructed Rubik’s Cube. Perfectly tuned difficulty where no puzzle takes longer than 15 minutes . A gorgeous art style, lovely OST, charming and funny characters, and affecting story about how isolation destroys a community.

While Balatro is probably the real pick, since it’s already well represented I’ll go for: Persona 3 Reload. This is the first version of P3 I’ve played and it was excellent. A very impactful story for me after losing a friend over the last year

Helldivers 2, just absolutely brought me out of my shell and exploded with joy.

If remakes count then I would say Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door is my GOTY. This game has kept the same sense of joy and wonder that it possessed 20 years ago when I first played it. I haven't been able to play all the newest releases this year, but of what I have played this was my choice game 100%

1-42 UFO 50 (except for those golf games it has, also the first one, and idk feel free to leave out some of the ones you don't dig as well) 43 Animal Well 44 Balatro

Tactical Breach Wizards

Balatro

Balatro. 500 hours, all thanks to watching Jesse and Danny play it in February. Thanks gents.

Nine Sols has been completely overlooked IMO and it deserves way more attention.

Abiotic Factor - "It feels like half-life." This one might be cheating as it's currently in early access, although to me it feels like a complete game already. Feature shootouts include a 6-player coop, powerpoint/cable crafting systems, fascinating facility to explore and secrets to uncover + it is set in the Australian Outback with horribly good voice acting of New Zealanders attempting Aussie slang.

Kvark, HollowBody, Dread Delusion. I reckon Animal Well's going to be just fine without my representation. But the streak of so-dry-it's-basically-powder humour running straight through the middle of Kvark, the distilled dread of HollowBody and the demented inventiveness and extraordinary ambition of Dread Delusion really deserve some appreciation.

UFO50, Metaphor ReFantazio, Balatro

I really rather enjoyed Space Trucker. It's simple, chill, and relaxing, but you still have to pay attention to what's going on. Also, Hades 2, because, you know, Hades 2.

Metaphor

Dragon Age is good

UFO 50. Derek Yu, Jon Perry, Eirik Suhrke, Paul Hubans, Tyriq Plummer, Ojiro Fumoto. Each of these guys deserve a standing ovation. A masterclass in game design and wow, what a soundtrack! I yearn to one day grasp even just a shred of their individual skillsets. I hope they all never stop making games, because I'll play each and every single one of them.

Animal Well

Helldivers 2, Satisfactory

It pleases me to see how much of the noclip audience loves UFO 50. I already liked all the UFO votes, but just for fun here’s my Top 5:

UFO50, that's the only right answer

The Crimson Diamond

Minishoot' Adventures because it was just pure joy the entire time.

Satisfactory. Not once in my life have I found a game so effective at removing time from a day. You sit down on a Sunday morning, play for an hour or two, and now you're late for work on Monday.

Snufkin: Melody of Moominvalley Does it offer masterfully innovative systems? Does it make you reconsider what a game can be? Well, no, but it is, imo, the perfect kid's game, and maybe the perfect "cozy" game, as much as those tend to be uncompelling. I played through it all in one sitting, and that's pretty rare for me these days. Wonderful presentation on every front as it walks you through a delightful world filled with delightful characters with great politics. Can't beat telling cops to fuck off as you tear down their imaginary borders.

Pacific Drive I generally don't enjoy survival-crafting games, driving games or roguelikes. But I really REALLY enjoyed this game.

Satisfactory

Enshrouded

Shogun Showdown

1000xResist is my GOTY. It is one of the most compelling, emotionally provocative, and profound narratives that I have ever experienced in a video game and is likewise one of the greatest science fiction tales ever told - across any medium. The deeper you get to know its characters and let yourself become immersed in this world, the more gut-wrenching, intriguing, and understandable the experience will be. It is not just a GOTY contender for 2024, but a game that could easily end up on my all-time indie game Mount Rushmore. Hekki Grace

So the only game I've played from 2024 is Banishers : Ghosts Of New Eden so that's mine. Love the main characters, love the side quests as like seeing the impact of my actions on small communities. It is my second favourite GOTY though as my first is Disco Elysium. I somehow avoided/forgot spoilers too (the irony) so that wins my 'Better late than never award'

Helldivers 2. The first game I've ever seen where griefing is entertaining for everybody.

Children of the Sun -- I don't have a lot of games that qualify for GoTY, but it was a fun experience and I wanted to give it a small shout out. - Short puzzle shooter, about connecting the dots. Semi-unique idea, and didn't overstay it's welcome

Like a dragon infinite wealth

Black myth wukong

I think Metaphor Refantazio is GOTY, it feels like the culmination of everything the devs from Studio P and Studio 0 learned from Persona 3 onward. The gameplay feels better than ever with a really great combat system and exploration that feels well scaled and beautiful environments. The story has a-lot of depth with really fleshed out characters and overarching themes which hit especially hard during the election cycle. The art direction is beautiful between the painted character portraits, huge landscapes, and all of the art in the UX (which is similarly stunning). Was just a fantastic experience from beginning to end.

Balatro I can't believe they made a video game adaptation of fentanyl

Animal Well. The consistent introduction of game changing gameplay elements, brilliant sound design, depth to the lore and mysteries within the world, and general beauty packed into every nook and cranny are overwhelming.

Still Wakes the Deep, its a great story, wonderful accents, beautifully designed, and manages to invoke John Carpenter, Lifeforce, Alien at times, and a bunch of other great sci-fi horror films that scared me to death as a kid. I don't think its just a walking simulator that managed to almost bring me to tears a few times.

Balatro. Never since hearthstone has a card game gotten me so hooked. Its easy fun at home or on the go.

Tsukihime - A Piece of Blue Glass Moon It's a visual novel that has the best writing I've ever encountered in a video game, interesting characters, great graphics - it's just fantastic from start to finish.

stellar blade. I freakin loved the combat and did all the side quests. it was non-trivial to figure out how to get ol' girl some pants though. would be nice to have that as an option from the start

Gonna shout out Rise of the Golden Idol, amazing puzzle mystery game that tells its story and sets up its solutions in such brilliant hilarious ways. This series is as close to a spiritual successor to Obra Dinn as we can get so far. This new one I think tops the first one, is too bad it released so late in the year because it probably won’t hit a lot of indie GOTY lists being created already.

UFO 50. Heard you guys raving about it on the podcast and had to see for myself. I'm floored at how tightly designed each game is and the broad array of genres represented. Plus, it's such a love letter to retro gaming!

metaphor refantazio best jrpg in years, and best rpg of the year, as well as my goty.

Arctic Eggs. Easily the most unique and interesting game I've played this year. Also has the perfect run-time and amount of content

Drova: Forsaken Kin is one of the best games of 2024, the balance of scope combined with the sense of personality, individuality and craft is trouser-removingly saucy, and the fact that is around twenty quid on Switch at the moment means that you simply HAVE to play this game, if you don’t? Well..may the Deathfog take you!

Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth. Not just to make Frank nod along but it is excellent. I really like the turn based combat so much I find it hard to go back to the older style.

Shadow of the Erdtree. Its sprawling, spiralling, lived-in environment was the most connected I've felt to a game world since Dark Souls. Weirdly, I basically understood the characters' stories all the way through. Oh and the gameplay is flawless.

Silent Hill 2

Hades II is very awesome, but I guess that will be a contender for 2025 :)

This doesn't count, but The Quarry. Awesome playthrough with my wife and I just find those co-op experiences end up overwhelming anything I played solo.

Astro Bot! An extremely well made & joyous game. When I was a kid playing Super Mario 64 and Crash Bandicoot this is what I thought games would be like in the future.

Nova Drift deserves a mention even if probably hardly anyone played it.

Whichever version of Skyrim Todd released this year!

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown Incredible combat that lets you style on your enemies in the same way you would in a Devil May Cry Game. This way whether you're fighting a boss battle or a fodder enemy it is always a blast to fight some baddies. Also the art style is incredible, especially the way they mix-in 2D VFX with their 3D animations to create a cohesive whole. Traversal is also super fun. Sargon controls very well especially once you unlock the double jump and there are plenty of challenging platforming segments as well if that's your thing. Would highly recommend it if you like action games and/or metroidvanias!

Neva, for best art game. Stunningly, beautiful visual design, compelling story, and Souls like boss experiences that don’t require tearing your hair out.

Animal Well

Unicorn Overlord, admittedly a niche genre, but a wonderful revitalization of the classic SNES game systems of Ogre Battle, mixed with some Fire Emblem and FF 12

Factorio: Space Age More than quintuple the variety of challenges/puzzles while remaining true to its roots AND improve on the basics and QOL features. Its a marvel of a game that birthed the factory genre and drastically improved on it once again. Best Virtual Crack Award

Stellar Blade Not (just) because of perverted reasons

Satisfactory 1.0, several hundred hours in and still so much or efficiency to drive.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Disclosure: The original FF VII is my favorite game of all time, so I inherently have heavy bias and recognize that. As such, I can go on about many of the elements that blew me away, from the music to the characters, from the combat system to the bonkers saga that is the Protorelic quest line, from having many iconic towns and locations fleshed out to the various regions of the world, this has catapulted to being my 2nd favorite game of all time, behind the original and ahead of Remake. Now I recognize some of the issues it has from the overwhelming amount of mini-games that vary in quality (but let's be honest, Queens Blood is the best game within a game Square-Enix has created in decades, and they did that with the Fort Condor mini-game from the Intergrade DLC), to the fact the ending pisses off many people when there's still another game to go (and highlights Rebirths biggest problem is the exact same as Remake: It's not overally welcoming to those who are not VII die-hards). And while I didn't mind all the open-world checklist stuff, I concede it's not for everyone and there's a LOT of it. However, no game since Remake has hit me with such strong emotions for such a length of time. I took off the first week of March and put 95 hours into it that week and still wasn't finished. By April 5th, I put in just shy of 200 hours total which included my first playthrough doing every possible in 125 hours, some post-game cleanup across 10 hours, and a 60 hour Hard Mode playthrough. The only thing I have yet to do is the final 10 hardest combat challenges but they beat me down too much. Overall, if it hasn't been apparent, there's no game I've loved more in the last nearly three decades.

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess - a modern PS2 era type game in the best way possible.

UFO 50 for sure!

Factorio: Space Age (if Geoff can have a DLC, so can I, and this one's basically an entire game)

Balatro. I have it on Steam, Xbox and my phone. It's like digital crack.

Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor perfectly marries the gameplay of Vampire Survivors and Deep Rock Galactic for an addicting time

UFO 50 is a masterclass in quantity and quality. A triumph of game design

Prince of Persia: the Lost Crown Some of the best and most in-depth side-scroller combat I've ever played, where every tool used for traversal and puzzle solving is also a tool that can be used in combat. And it's very pretty with gorgeous animations.

Astro Bot & Balatro - has to be the best duo this year. One for adults, one for the kids. One for addicts of best-in-class platformers looking for the next hit, one for, well, addicts. One from a mega-corp Sony, and one from a basically single-dev studio. The Pepsi and the Cola of the year!

Lorelei and the Laser Eyes is so far my GOTY. When games require you to pull out the notepad to take notes, draw diagrams and try to make sense out of arcane messages, and most importantly actually take breaks for your mind to snap puzzle pieces together, it's magical

I'm here to give Unicorn Overlord some love. More tactics, please!

Honestly, I think Helldivers is my Game of the Year. Between that, Space Marine 2, and Phasmophobia 'the boys' have been gaming good in 2024. Seriously, that's been one of the best thing in the last several years is having tons of great co-op experiences to have with my gaming group. SM2 was stellar but Helldivers keeps us coming back every single week. Helldiver 2, no doubt.

Hades 2, even unfinished it's the most fun I've had with a game this year and am still experiencing new things over 80 hours in.

Haven't played many 2024 games, but my pick HAS to be Mouthwashing, as it opened my eyes on what 'walking sims' can do with their narratives. Absolutely phenomenal writing and visuals

Pacific Drive

Balatro. Because Balatro.

Flock! Beautifully zen interpretation of Hohokum in 3D, some of the most chill vibes you will see in a game this year.

Felvidek! It’s such a masterclass in game design - a small jrpg with no filler that you can finish in a few hours and enjoy every second of the journey. Unusual setting of medieval Slovakia, tons of charm and a banger soundtrack (seriously listen to the main theme)!

Nine Sols

Thank Goodness You’re Here!

Factorio Space Age! Incredible expansion to the base game that adds at least a full games worth of content. Lots of fresh ideas and new logistics problems as well as adding fun new toys that can reshape how you play the base game. Incredibly well designed for how in depth it can be.

Thank Goodness You're Here! Nice and short; didn't feel like work. Just a couple of hours of pure joy.

I feel like a lot of the big tentpole games this year were really good but just short of great. The one big one that exceeded expectations for me was Destiny 2: The Final Shape.

PS I haven't played UFO 50 but this seems to be getting criminally over looked in GOTY conversation!

Utopia Must Fall - sublime retro vector arcade game

Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth. I haven't had as many memorable moments in gaming this year like I have in this game. And also haven taken the journey through all of the previous games returning me back to even the more memorable moments of the games I didn't enjoy (looking at Yakuza 3) I loved every minute of my 113+ hours with it.

This is so hard. My heart says balatro but my head says animal well.... Fuck it BALATRO!!!!

Tactical Breach Wizards Impeccably witty and compelling dialogue, surprising depth to the world building, and great characters each with their own arc (the anxiety dreams are a great touch). Visually stunning, great gameplay, loads of additional puzzles.

Balatro. Super clever. Hooked me and most played game on my Deck to date I think!

Natsu-mon!! (technically 2023 but outside of Japan in 2024), just an unbelievably cozy and grounded game about being a kid, kind of like Totoro but in the medium of games. It's so bright and vibrant but also understated and sincere. It's pretty miraculously been able to momentarily disarm all the stress of life lately and just bring me into this peaceful place. Really recommend it

Lonely Mountains: Downhill - not new, but still the one I play the most and an amazing 'just one more go' game. Takes a bit to master, but incredibly satisfying once you get the hang of it. Loads of content, beautful low poly style, leaderboards to drive you nuts.

Pacific Drive. The vibes are amazing.

**Animal Well**, rarely have I ever abandoned myself to a game world so completely

As of this moment, my game of the year is Alone In The Dark. The combat definitely isn't great, but the absolutely stunning surrealist horror on display here is absolutely worth the price of admission. There's all kinds of time and space bending shenanigans going on, and the way the devs have made it work so seamlessly is just a treat to experience. This is one of those games where I can't recommend it to someone who is strictly interested in mechanics, but I strongly recommend it to people that are interested in story and atmosphere. Play it on an easier difficulty and just let the game take you on a wild ride. This is easily the best game in the series, and it's a goddamn shame that the developer was closed after the gaming media really did this game dirty. That being said though, I still have a few heavy hitters that have yet to release this year, and The Thaumaturge sticks out as one that I really think has the potential to take the top spot. The physical release is due for December 19th.

Lorelei and the Laser Eyes - I loved everything about it, clever puzzle design, beautiful visual aesthetic and soundtrack, great surreal narrative. Kind of a perfect game for me

Shadows of Doubt! SciFi Noir Detective ImSim, made by a tiny team, with some of the most in-depth yet free-form detective crime-solving mechanics I've ever encountered. Plus, you can buy and customize apartments, or just sit around in dingy old bars and diners, drinking whiskey and listening to moody old jazz records, what more could you want?

Satisfactory took 180 hours from me, that must have been good ;)

Elden Ring : Shadows of the Erdtree. I hope it counts <3 The best of Elden Ring's flavor, with a denser and more vertical level design as the cherry on top. It gave me vibes from the Original Dark Souls. Though I could not finish it, because the last boss was way too hard for me. Life is too short to die 150 times on the same boss, especially when you have two kids. Apart from that, absolutly amazing stuff. I'm very curious about what From Software can do after that.

Animal Well. A joy to play. I love a "notebook game" and this one was just slightly less obtuse than something like Fez

Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree More content than most of the games I played this year and amazing to boot. This was definitely my favorite.

Indika

Tekken 8

Silent Hill 2 (Remake)

WoW: War Within :-)

Tactical Breach Wizards

Shady Knight - fast-paced first-person melee combat/platformer with a ton of creative movement options and a DMC style meter. You can kick and jump off just about anything, there's a grapple hook, and momentum-based slide-hopping.

Maybe don't comment a game that has already been proposed ? Sorry We're Closed, because it's queer af silent hill, richer than it seemed in the demo.

Astro Bot, 20 hours of delightful platforming and nostalgia, 20 hours and counting of easy to finish hard to master speed running shenanigans

slay the princess, not what I was expecting, but extensive and in depth, fully voiced with hand drawn art.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Balatro

UFO 50 - So much creativity and originality that it has enough GOTYs in it for years to come

Astro Bot - not only an immensly fun platformer which is an absolute joy to play, but also a celebration of decades of Playstation gaming.

Black Myth Wukong. It's better GoW than Ragnarok, it's better story than any souls, it's just a BEAUTIFUL game. Bosses, music, environments - stunning. And most important - first ever codex in any game that I actually read and enjoy. I even bought Journey to the West to dive deeper into lore, like a child that just learned to read and now ready to read it all

UFO50! The culmination of years of work from Mossmoth resulted in a masterclass of design with something that everyone can enjoy. The art, music, game design and little consistent details made this game a huge standout for me this year.

UFO 50, Ultimate value

1000xResist respect zone

Dragon Age Veilguard for being polished and a delightful return to form for Bioware

Metaphor: ReFantazio!! I found it absolutely captivating and loved the world, the style, the characters, the music, the combat, the mechanics, the _menus_, everything. absolutely one of my favorite experiences this year!

Balatro - simple premise, clever design, addictive gameplay, immaculate vibes. That is was done by mostly a single dev makes it that much more remarkable.

Helldivers 2, because managed democracy is the only way

Metaphor: ReFantazio

Satisfactory

It’s going to be Infinite Wealth for me!