2024.
A fickle year where video games and the ever looming gap of the vacuum that is the consequences of overhiring and over-firing keeps on going. The video games are coming out, but the people making them are also going out as well, like a terrible version of Yin and Yang.
And really this year itself has been rather difficult for myself too, in all honesty. One’s journey from the start to end has dampened my spirits at times, but nothing a little old escape to the virtual world to help forget the troubles for a while wouldn’t fix, most of the time.
This year’s lineup has me enjoying video games that I usually don’t understand. Like finding a deeper connection to a new sport, or even getting to know how the house always wins, whether you like it or not. Along with the usual suspects that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Really, it’s just about broadening the horizon.
1000xResist ![]()
It’s fair to say that this game came to me a bit later than I would have wanted it. I would love to play this game back when it launched. Would it have changed my perspective earlier than I have.wanted. Its story just captivated me to be better and just let anything that was bogging you down go, you might not need it anymore.
“Be grateful you get to say goodbye”, the game says at the start and it still lingers with me.
My thoughts on the game back in 2024.
Balatro ![]()
The essences of “one more turn” and roguelite mushed together into one neat package that has consumed many hours for me and many others within this year. Balatro may look like a game that’s purely about playing poker, but the mechanics within this game will let you see the numbers go big to the point of it becoming like a calculator format you would get in a mathematics class.
This is one of my favourites for this year solely just for the endless replay value.
Winner of GM’s Best Indie Game
Helldivers 2 ![]()
What better way to celebrate teamwork than doing a god awful attempt of recreating the Warthog run from Halo but you forgot that you laid mines before hopping into your vehicle and exploding not only you, but your squadmates as well, much to their laughter. Helldivers 2 celebrates the stillness of having buddies together to mow down an unlimited amount of bugs,aliens and such, in a world parodied with democratic pride.
It’s just a shame that they had that issue with their playbase after its month of success, but looking at it right now, I’d say HD2 is going to battle the good fight in the long run.
Chaotically won best Meme Generation for GM’s 2024 GOTY list
Persona 3 Reload ![]()
I remember beating Persona 3 Portable with my sister watching me as we slayed Nyx during the holidays of 2014. The feeling of seeing us taking down Death, who was formerly our friend, on the final turn is one of the best experiences I had on the PSP.
Skipping through to present day, and my sister, now abroad, with her own copy of Persona 3 Reload and then calling me to let me know that she also had beaten it a decade later means so much to me when revisiting this title once more. Persona 3 Reload really is all about the memories we share together and I couldn’t wish for better ones. Just start up the game on your preferred platform and enjoy the ride.
MLB The Show 24 (Favorite of The Year)![]()
It’s not everyday that a sports game could change a life for the better but just the fact that I get to play something that takes the mind off things that were heavy, and it becomes my newest comfort game and perhaps even new sport series to start discovering. It might seem absurd to fall in love with something so weirdly foreign for someone like me, a Malaysian writer, but I did play some softball back in PE high school, so it kinda feels like being welcomed.
Just do the mechanics right,shoot for the rafters, slamming the homer-runs, and always get the cycle in your journey to beat the MLB’s version of the final boss, along with the numbers that come attached to the stickball culture. But really, I’m just happy to find a new sport to fall in love with.
My admiration article for MLB The Show 24 that came out earlier in 2024.
Honorable Top 5 Mentions![]()
Glitchpunk: I actually missed having the old-school vibes of Grand Theft Auto 2, before this came along. A bit rough around the edges, but it’s fun playing with the top-down perspective once again.
Call of Duty Black Ops 6: The return in the helms of Treyarch and Raven Software brings in a confidence boosting release for the COD franchise that keeps on trucking, two decades and counting. Solid campaign and a good zombies mode (that the publisher wants to sabotage but that’s another story…) ties it well.
Indiana Jones and The Golden Circle: A fantastic action-adventure title that fans of the Indy scene or even fans of MachineGames should give a good ‘ol try, like who doesn’t love getting to beat up Fascists without any repercussions?
STALKER 2: The Ukrainian spirit of keep on keeping on embodies the STALKER franchise. It’s all about the refinement of the original trilogy that sees this new installment being what I think is the essential mix of old and new that most newcomers and even old fans would enjoy.
Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth: The vacationing of the LAD series is quite a relaxing one, considering it is still a Yakuza story about the underworld influences within the systems of the island nation but with Ichiban and his new cast of merry seasoned folks, you’ll bet your top dollar it’s going to be a banger story still.
2025?
So there’s no denying that it’s going to be a record breaking year with video games coming out right from the get go, with that ever present looming open-world series by the folks whose Stars who will definitely rock coming, when it even reaches its finishing line sometime this year.
I just hope 2025 will be much kinder for not only me, but to all the folks who are in this weird industry that’s about electronic entertainment. I’m not just going to quit just because some weird folks can just AI prompt an article nowadays. Who else is going to gush about cars, baseball or tell you why Groza is the best girl in Girls Frontline 2: Exilum?
Not the bots who have no souls or the ones making them, I can assure you.
Anyway, have a nice 2025~!