2024 was a year of massive, irreversible change for the gaming industry. The games media field that has employed me for over 10 years has gone through some of the most difficult times I have ever witnessed.
You can’t exist in or out of the industry without layoffs, studio closures, website closures, game cancellations, etc. affecting your mentality or gaming habits. And while I know I’ve played fewer games in 2024 than I have in recent memory, I’ve still found enjoyment in many of them, and I’d like to highlight a few of my favorites here.
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I hope you’re familiar with the VG247 format by now, but if this is the only GOTY piece you’re reading on the site (or the first?), I’ll talk about the three games I think are the best. 2024 points. For whatever it’s worth, there’s only one of them, the ultimate game of the year.
There is no rest for the wicked
I’m really surprised that I haven’t seen much talk about no rest for the wicked in year-end talks. It hasn’t been nominated for anything at Keighley and it feels like many of us don’t know it exists. In terms of studio pedigree, that It’s pretty amazing.
No Rest for the Wicked is a new release from Ori Games Moon Studios and is the team’s most ambitious project yet. The game covers a variety of genres and tries to make each genre work within the context of its world. It’s part ARPG, isometric action game with Soulslike elements, light town management sim, survival/crafting game, and even had room for loot elements. It could somehow also easily provide some of the most compelling character work of 2024.
Things have since improved, but the initial release had a variety of ideas, many of which failed to harmonize in the (admittedly difficult) genre medley that Moon was pursuing. This is an early access release, so some of that is expected. But no matter how some of these ideas fail, you can still appreciate No Rest for the Wicked’s gloriously grim art, feel the weight of one of the most satisfying combat systems in all of gaming, and become immersed in the proceedings. I am a resident of a small town between dungeon explorations.
No Rest for the Wicked is a difficult game to quickly introduce to someone, regardless of how long they take the elevator. If you haven’t heard or seen much about it, it’s best to just jump right into it. Because you will be amazed by the depth and ingenious mix of genres. I can tell you this, but it’s probably not what you think.
Dragon’s Dogma 2
If I were a pretentious gaming media idiot, I would grandiosely declare that the feeling Dragon’s Dogma 2 is going for is, above all else, a reflection of the inexplicable frustrations of the real world. I’ve already written that one of the most fascinating things about this game is that it has little interest in creating a “video game-like” experience in the traditional sense. So I can say that I have already experienced that!
Dragon’s Dogma 2 isn’t a game that tries to meet you halfway. This is a game that aims to deliver a special kind of unforgiving experience, not only through challenging combat, but also through tons of missable content hidden within the game world. It wants to abandon many standard video game conventions in pursuit of new goals. really Concrete experience.
If you played the first game, the sequel is pretty much the same. In fact, the ‘2’ in the title doesn’t appear until after the end of the game. It’s almost an admission on Capcom’s part that there may be nowhere else to go and no other limits to push. I hope I’m not disappointed by the other 2024 releases and the actual BS, but I’ll always love how it made me feel playing it and how good it made me feel long after I met my big friends. To chip away at that huge health bar.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
In a year filled with layoffs and unprecedented uncertainty about job security, is it any wonder that simple games from a bygone era will stand out to me the most in 2024? Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is an uncomplicated game that can be summed up in one sentence, so everyone who reads it knows exactly what they’re getting into. There’s a reason this game is called the best Xbox 360 game of 2024.
Space Marine 2 is clearly more than a lost record of a bygone era. It’s a confident and incredibly capable game that doesn’t promise much, but delivers on its premise as often as you’d expect and like. There’s a really good balance between standard shooting and melee combat. It’s so well made, in fact, that more games should be thinking about following suit. The campaign is short enough that you won’t notice any shortcomings the first time you play. There’s enough panache and production value to distract you. It recreates the simplicity of a multiplayer mode that was missing from many Xbox 360 games that didn’t require multiplayer but had it anyway. And co-op exists as a pretty compelling reason to explore aspects of the story that the main campaign doesn’t cover.
But like many games of that era, there’s a lot to criticize here. The narrative is completely straightforward and has absolutely no interest in challenging the novel’s fascist underpinnings in any way. In fact, anyone unfamiliar with the source material would naturally assume that the Space Marines are the heroes of this story because of the way they are portrayed. Narrative difficulties aside, Space Marine 2’s gameplay sequences are often safe, with no design or mechanical innovations. There are quite a few different types, but you might wish there were more. only A little more.
This leaves a lot of room for experimentation while still retaining its “old” nature. More than anything, it makes us look forward to the inevitable sequel even more. Think of all the growth! I just hope it doesn’t take 13 years to come out!
