Scott’s Personal Favorite Games of 2024
2024 has come and gone, and what a year it was. I truly don’t understand why so many critics and gamers out there called this year a downer in terms of great releases. Even some of my co-hosts complained about the “lack” of quality AAA games that released in the last twelve months. I personally reviewed thirty-one games, which is a personal record for me. And that’s only the games I was able to finish. If anything, I’m disappointed that I didn’t get to complete some of the bigger titles this year, simply because I didn’t make more time for them.
After quite a bit of reflection, I’ve compiled my personal favorite titles of 2024. I had several big surprises and others that were quite expected to be on my list. I hope you find this helpful and can discover some hidden gems you may have missed. Be sure to listen to our Game of the Year episode from January 9th, 2025 to hear more. Here we go.
Honorable Mentions
As I mentioned above, it was literally impossible to play through every game that I wanted to in 2024. There are just a few glaring omissions that I assume many will take umbrage for not appearing in my top ten. As a general rule, I don’t write reviews for games I didn’t see through to their conclusion, nor do I put them in my top spots. They still deserve mentioning as I enjoyed my limited time with them. Here they are in no particular order:
- Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
- The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
- Star Wars: Outlaws
Without further ado, here are my final selections for my personal favorites of 2024:
#10 – Kong: Survivor Instinct
The first time I saw the trailer for Kong: Survivor Instinct, I knew I had to play it. I love gear-gated games, and this one takes place during a Titan disaster. But unlike most games in the universe, you’re not fighting or even playing as Kong. You’re a regular guy simply looking for his daughter during a massive crisis. It’s a refreshing take on the genre and offers a 2D world that’s a ton of fun to explore.
It’s far from perfect. The voice acting is suspect, and the story truly has no surprises. But the city is incredibly detailed, even though it arguably didn’t need to be. I had a blast running through this game, and it’s worth taking a look if you haven’t already.
#9 – Shadows of the Damned: Hella Remastered
I was a huge fan of Shadows of the Damned when it released back in 2011. It’s an absurd concept that shouldn’t work, but it totally does. It’s ridiculously crude and over the top in bombastic ways. But man, if it isn’t a blast to play. If you’re a fan of Robert Rodriguez films and aren’t afraid of (almost too many) dick jokes, you owe it to yourself to try this. Especially give it a shot if you haven’t played this game originally. It’s so bizarre, you might believe it.
Even if you enjoyed this one back in the day, it’s well worth a revisit. The remake exceeded my expectations with both visuals and gameplay mechanics. It’s definitely an unforgettable experience.
#8 – Voidwrought
My second 2D gear-gated game of the year was another massive surprise for me. Voidwrought let me do something in the genre I don’t believe I’ve ever done before: choose my own path. You can literally travel through this dark world in any order that you like and collect each upgrade at your own speed. It’s brilliantly-designed because of this, and I worry that this one will fly under a lot of people’s radar.
On top of the that, the atmosphere is well worth the price of admission. I might not have a clue what’s going on with the plot, but the look and feel of each biome is different than any other Metroidvania I’ve played before. The soundtrack is probably my favorite of the year as well. If you’re a fan of the genre, you owe it to yourself to take a look at this one.
#7 – Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
It should come as no surprise that Rebirth would be in my top ten. It’s probably on a lot of people’s list for best of the year, despite its overabundance of overwhelming side quests. The second act of Cloud and company’s fight against Sephiroth continues the action/turn-based combat of RPG mechanics, and it’s stunningly beautiful to look at.
I have issues with the way the story ended, but my guess is that there’s a lot to be resolved in the final installment. This was one of the games I spent the most time playing in 2024, and there’s a good reason for it. It’s more than just a nostalgia trip, but a genuinely fun experience. There’s really not much of a need to sell you Final Fantasy VII at this point. You’ve probably already played it if you even had the slightest interest in it. If you haven’t, you won’t be disappointed.
#6 – Silent Hill 2
Silent Hill 2 was the last game I played this year. Yeah, I know, I should have played this one back when it released on October. But I’m glad that I made the point to complete it before the new year. It’s by far the most atmospheric game I experienced in 2024, and I haven’t been this freaked out in years while playing a game. James’ story is even darker than I expected, and I couldn’t put it down.
There are lots of remakes out there, but Bloober Team outdid itself with this one. It somehow manages to update the core design and graphics in a way that works in today’s industry without taking away the nostalgic feel of the PS2 era. Whether you wait till next Halloween season or not, you need to make sure you play this one.
#5 – Galactic Glitch
It’s almost a rule at this point that I have to have at least one roguelike on my list each year. Believe me when I say that Galactic Glitch isn’t here just to fulfill any unwritten requirement. It has a very unique art style and some of the tightest controls that work perfectly for this style of game.
Couple that with a bangin’ soundtrack and constant updates from the developer, and you’ve got a recipe for a “Scott Clark game”. I actually expected this one to be higher on my list, but some other titles came out this year that simply blew me away a little bit more.
#4 – Minishoot’ Adventures
Usually if a game smells at all like a Zelda game, I’m going to pay attention. Minishoot’ Adventures came out of nowhere for me and instantly hooked me. It’s like a mashup of Link to the Past dungeon exploring with a twin-stick shooter. It’s quite literally the combo I never knew I wanted, but was so happy to have played.
This feels like the most underrated game of the year for me. It simply clicks on so many levels and offers a level of charm and progression that is immensely satisfying. I want more games like this. I liked it so much that I plan to play it again if it comes to other platforms. It’s utterly fantastic.
#3 – Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown might be the saddest entry on my list. That’s not because it doesn’t deserve the praise it gets. On the contrary, I was convinced at the beginning of the year that this would be my #1 pick by the end of 2024. The bummer here is that we won’t get another of these games. It simply wasn’t well-received in terms of sales, and that’s an absolute shame.
As far as I’m concerned, this is near-perfect execution of the gear-gated genre. Its progression is beyond satisfying, the exploration is non-stop fun, and it’s a massive game by genre standards. It even offers accessibility options so you can tailor-make your level of difficulty. There’s even an option to take screen shots to place on your map for future reference. It’s an absolute gem of a game that I wish more people would have played.
#2 – Astro Bot
I don’t give a lot of perfect scores to games, but Astro Bot deserved an 11, if you ask me. I said in my review that it’s better than any 3D Mario game, and a lot of people scoffed at that remark. Then they played it and finally understood. You’d be hard-pressed to find a game this year that will put a bigger smile on your face than this one.
Not only is the game stunningly gorgeous to look at, but it has perfect controls and is filled with nostalgic goodness that’s sure to please newbies and seasoned veterans alike. It’s also the first game I’ve achieved a platinum trophy on in quite some time, and that’s saying something. If you’ve somehow missed this game, I highly recommend remedying that as soon as possible.
#1 – Balatro
You might ask me why a game that got a 10/10 from me didn’t take my #1 spot in 2024. Yes, Astro Bot was an astounding accomplishment, but I’m not still playing it. Balatro, on the other hand, is not only still installed on my Xbox, but has also been acquired on both Steam and my iPhone. I can’t get enough of this game, and I still play it nearly every day. The sheer amount of content the game keeps throwing at me keeps me coming back, and it’s a brilliant addition to video games.
If you’re not familiar with Balatro, it’s a roguelike where you must acquire an increasing number of chips to progress by making poker hands. The fun comes at the hands of joker cards that allow you to adjust the rules in order to achieve higher scores. Rogues are beautiful when you get those perfect runs where the stars align and you feel unstoppable. This game delivers that in spades (see what I did there?).
The fact that Balatro was developed by just one guy is impressive as hell. It’s become a cultural phenomenon and a game that first-timers say, “Oh, I get it now”. If you’ve somehow avoided this one because of its massive hype, I can’t recommend it enough. In a world of genres repeating and recycling ideas, this is a fresh one that more than deserves all the praise it receives.
And there you have it: my top ten personal favorite video games from 2024. I hope you enjoyed the year as much as I did. If you get a chance to check out any of these titles after reading this article, please let me know. I would love to hear if you enjoyed them as much as I did. Here’s to hoping for another banger year in 2025. Happy New Year to you all, and game on!
