Top Five: Video Games of 2024

• When I wrote about how 2023 was an interesting year, I didn't realize that I was cursing 2024. At least there were some very good games to enjoy.


• Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Any new release from RGG Studios is a contender for this list, and this game was no exception. The follow-up to Yakuza: Like A Dragon, Infinite Wealth is both a continuation of the story of Ichiban Kasuga, the Hero of Yokohama, but also a(nother) sendoff for the original protagonist, Kazuma Kiryu. Like the prequel game, this is again a turn-based RPG. The four years since the prior installment have meant a number of improvements to its systems. Where is lacks is in the story's heart. Much like the different in Judgment and Lost Judgement, we have received a better game with a story that does not hit the same. Serialized fiction is just like that, I guess. Nonetheless, everything about this game plastered it to this list from the jump and I enjoyed every madcap minute of it.


• Elden Ring - Just when you think you're out, they pull you back in. The "they" in this case is my daughter who likes to hang out with me while I play video games. I had banged my head on Elden Ring before, giving up on my sorceror in frustration even though the received wisdom is that sorcery builds were the good kind of broken. Instead I felt constantly annoyed by FromSoftware's particular brand of systematic petulance. But she wanted to see me adventure (and struggle) in that fantasy world and so I answered the call. Favoring a greatsword build this time (a favorite choice of the likes of Vinny Caravella and Patrick Klepek), I found myself having a much more satisfying time of it. So much so, in fact, that I promised that if I beat the prerequiste boss, I would purchase the DLC expansion. And so I did. Much like prior FromSoft games, I love everything about them except the bosses. But I was able to persevere and became Elden Lord. I just had to promise my daughter that if I finish the game with my sorcerer, I show her the Ranni ending.


• UFO 50 - I've had my eye on this game for some time. The concept is fascinating: a collection of games hailing from a bygone time for a fictional console. As with any collection, not every game is going to hit. But it was fascinating to play through the history of this fantasy developer and see how ideas and themes would expand over time. My absolute favorites of the collection were Warptank and Chameleon, both more thinky games than action. There are some that I haven't devoted enough time to, like the strategy and RPGs. But the shear audacity of UFO 50 has me entralled for days, earning its rightful place on this list.


• Hitman: World of Assassination - In many ways, Hitman is an intimidating game. As it exists now, there are the three primary campaigns, several DLC missions, as well as the live-service missions. It is almost overwhelming to come to the game to be faced with all of that. Though I've tried a time or two before, I still haven't completed all three campaigns. Instead what brought me back to the game was addition of the run based mode, Freelancer, from back in 2023. Of course, I'm slow at discovering these things so I picked it up this year and had a blast. Now make no mistake: I am very bad at the Freelancer mode, but I love getting dropped into a mission where the target(s) could be anyone, anywhere. Adding an endless mode like this is a stroke of genius on IO Interactive's part.


• Indiana Jones and the Great Circle - One of the benefits of writing this list so late is allowing end-of-the-year releases like this a proper chance to be noticed. And notice I did. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle get so many things right. On one hand, it could very well be a lost film in the franchise, slotted between Raiders and Last Crusade. On another, it is an amazing adventure around the globe. Each environment, though built around the precepts required of the game, feels unique, such as the claustrophobic warrens of the Vatican or the open desert of Egypt. Finally, it is an effective Indiana Jones simulation, letting you inhabit the well-known character so thoroughly. It is hard to be effusive enough about the decisions MachineGames made in bringing this game to life. I'm going to be thinking about my time with Great Circle for some time. And I can't wait for the forthcoming DLC to give me an excuse to put on the leather jacket and fedora again.


• Honorable Mentions: Marvel's Midnight Suns, XDefiant, Cyberpunk 2077 - I spent quite a lot of time with and each held a spot on this list until they were finally forced off. But being able to list so many almost games says a lot about how this year went.


• And that's it for 2024. I think I'll actually get this out at a resonable time. I guess 2025 is looking up already, right? Right?


• Oh, shit.

Top Five: Video Games of 2023

• 2023 was certainly an interesting year, with all of that connotes. It would be weird to write about all of the great video games I got to play without mentioning the thousands of people laid off by the games industry due to terribly short sighted corporations as they try to extract every last dollar of profit, even at the expense of the people who count on them. Games don't spontaneously emerge, they are the hard work of people who genuinely love them and those people deserve to be treated better. By celebrating these games, I celebrate the people behind them and hope everyone can find stability in the new year.


• Monster Hunter World - Some five years after its release, I finally saw the ending of Monster Hunter World. That it took a foray into Monster Hunter Rise to remind me that I never completed the earlier game feels a little silly, but I'm glad my appetite for fighting those gargantuan beasts brought me back. MHW let you explore the world, learn how to navigate it, and discover how the monsters act there. It was neat to get to know those environments and really explore those fantastic ecosytems.


• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - It feels a little strange to put a game on this list that I played thrugh to completion previously, but BOTW really earned its return trip to the top five. And the reason for that is that I played through the game for my daughter. It wasn't hard to convince me since I wanted to warm up for the impending Tears of the Kingdom. In a way, it reminded me of my childhood when my brother and I would game together, with one of us at the controls and the other navigating. We had a great time, laughing our way through the game. I'll never be able to say the words "spirit orb" without a funny voice again.


• The Making of Karateka - I received the Criterion Collection DVD of >Citizen Kane as a gift one year and was immediately taken with all of the extras included that help explain why the film is held in such high esteem. Without all of the work, the film might have come off as terribly boring because decades of movies have learned so heavily from it. I suspect the same would have occured if I attempted to play Karateka outside of this amazing package. More documentary and archive than game, The Making of Karateka walks you through its creation and the discusses the advances Jordan Mechnar made in bringing his vision to the computer. It is an exciting start to Digital Extreme's Gold Master Series, and I'm fascinated to see when they go in the future.


• Vampire Survivors - When Vampire Survivors first came out, I was perplexed as to why anyone find it fun. "You just run around and try not to die?" I asked myself. Thanks to Game Pass, I was able to try it for myself and discovered that there is a lot more to it. The "trying-not-to-die" part is greatly assisted by the upgrades you choose and your thoughtful positioning to get the most use out of them. It is a very strightforward game, but the simplicity of execution allows for an easy on-ramp to the layers that it adds. For a while there, it became a ritual to run a level before work every day. I don't know if there is any way to finish the game, but I quite enjoyed my time with it.


• Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name - When this game was first announced, I had trouble understanding why it was necessary. Having finished it, I still have the same thought. But it doesn't have to be necessary to have been a joyful addition to the Like A Dragon series. Just running around Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios' Sotenbori again was enough to remind me how much it is to just exist in this world. Of the two combat styles, I far preferred the Yakuza style to the new Agent style, but the game did not suffer due to that preference. If anything, the game was very welcoming to just going out and having a great time. So much so in fact that it was the first AAA game that I ever completed all Xbox achievements on. For it to grab ahold of me that thoroughly is quite the compliment.


• Honorable Mentions: Hi-Fi Rush, Saints Row, Starfield, and Borderlands all flirted with space on this list, but didn't end up making the cut. I still liked them all for various reasons.


• Um, I'd better get started on the 2024 list if I want any chance of releasing it before the end of 2025.