I love gaming. It's a true hobbie. While everyone else is posting their Spotify Wrapped, I'm attacking my backlog. And yes, I could afford to read a book more often. But gaming is a passion that's carried over since my childhood. Each year I get less time to play, but I enjoy every minute.
So with that, here's my 2024 year in gaming.
Super Mario RPG Remake (January)
Charming to say the least. I never got to play the original SNES version beyond Blockbuster demo stations. The story has children's tale written all over it. From a marshmallow cloud, to a puppet brought to life by wishing upon a star, it's easy to see why this game is revered. Extra points for not being too long.
Like a Dragon Gaiden: The man Who Erased His Name (February)
Here we are again, Kiryu-chan. Set between Yakuza 6 and Like a Dragon, we learn what Kiryu Kazuma has been up to. Of course it doesn't make sense in the most LAD/Yakuza way possible: floating gambling barge? Check. Secret Agent with some weird grappling hook? Sure, why not? Nothing makes sense in this wolrd. I love it.
Sea Of Stars / Kirby And The Forgotten Land (March)
The studio behind The Messenger's homage to Chrono Trigger. The combat was fluid and I love a brief RPG. The Messenger had interesting layers of world building and Sea of Stars weaved new threads with it's prequel tale. The story could get stuff at times, but dammit if I can't effuse about Garl. What a fantastic companion and character. An everyman who's friends with gods. His perspecitve was welcome and wholesome.
I kept the wholesome moemnts going with Kirby's latest Switch advenutre. The idea of a pink alien blob in a post-humanity Seattle (as someone who briefly lived there) made me chuckle. Kirby's animals seem all right without humans. Makes you wonder.
Final Fantasty 7 Rebirth (April / May)
109 of my 179 hours played on Playstation 5 was spent in Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth. I loved it. I love this remake. My only experience with the original game was a PC port that I barely recall. I think my brother played it more than I did.
This game is pure excess. It's a team that can do whatever they want with a near infinite budget. Could've done without all the Chadley missions and the million mini games. I'm still bitter about winning the frog competition and a game bug not giving me my reward.
But hey, Square confirmed team Tifa was the correct path and I cheered when they kissed on the ferris wheel. Let's go!
Little Kitty, Big City (June)
6 hours playing as a cat wreaking havoc in a small Japanese town. Sign me up.
Paper Mario / Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (August)
Another Mario RPG. One of the spiritual successors to Super Mario 64. The format was charming. The Nintendo 64-era controls were a challenge at times. I played a lot of Mario RPGs this year. Maybe too many. Still, glad I gave this a shot.
Ratchet and Clark: Rift Apart was a PS5 showcase piece. It put the SSD to work and seeing the worlds shift near-instant was a fabulous tech demo. If PC gaming pushes graphics, console gaming makes use of technology more standard. This game set a new standard for using an SSD. I hope more devs do the same.
Eiyuden Chronicles: One Hundred Heroes (September)
The spiritual successor to Suikoden continues the trend of Kickstarter-backed games not deliering fully on their promise. You can see the signs of potential in this game. It has that classic Suikoden combat combined with a wide variety of characters. But the villian is weak, and you never see the motivation for war. A cliche grand boss isn't enough to shake the cloud that is Suikoden. It's a shame that Muriyama passed before seeing his work published. I hope this series continues and finds it's footing. We need a Suikoden-like game.
Astro Bot / Labryinth City: Pierre the Maze Detectice (November)
Astro Bot was fantastic. Best game I played all year. Charming and wholesome. It went a little heavy on homaging PlayStation's history, but this game was near-perfect. Nintendo could learn from Team Asobi.
Labryinth City is a "Where's Waldo" game without enough Waldo charm. Wonderful art, but limited gameplay.
Mario & Luigi: Brothership (December)
I didn't plant to bookend 2024 with Mario RPG series. Where Super Mario RPG was a modernization of a timeless classic, Brothership was a surprising announcement that needs to shave 20 hours from it's playtime. This series is meant to be charming. It's always a great spotlight for Luigi, the underappreciated brother. There's a lot of good ideas, but this game runs so long you lose sight of any genuine goodness. I still cannot believe this took me 60 hours to complete. I literally finished it before the clock struck midnight.
2025
- Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake - whatever it's called, it's on the list for 2025. Add in 1&2 for good measure.
- Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - The journey of Kasuga Ichiban continues. Let's all go to Hawaii.
- Lost & Found Co. - I think this game has more Where's Waldo energy I was looking for in Labyrinth City. Checkout the demo on Steam.