Whatkilledjeff's Top 10 Games of 2024
An Ouroboros Industry
Have you ever felt like you’re the one taking crazy pills? I’m talking about bonus level crazy pills.. on top of the good crazy pills.. Crazy pills that take you to a world where DLC is nominated for Game of the Year, a Korean mocap actress is deemed too sexy, and *checks notes* Pokemon with guns captured gamers’ hearts and imaginations worldwide. Yeah, I must have taken those pills. 2024 rocked my socks in so many ways but made me question everything.
I don’t consider myself a conspiracy theorist but last year left me scratching my head more than a couple times. From the death of Game Informer Magazine to “L” spam in chat during AAA game announcements, I have never felt more distant and foreign in my favorite hobby. While perception isn’t necessarily reality, it seems it can certainly decide the fate of games. Was a beloved developer's newest major title deserving of social execution? Does a bounty hunter’s hair warrant the cancellation of an IP? Your answer instinctively is more than likely “No, of course not”, but the internet screams “Yes!”. Don’t you dare bite the hand that feeds. The more I see millions of downvotes, the more I ponder, folding my arms over my chest. Realize I’m in over my head but continue to wonder, making up scenarios in my mind.
Jeff.. you’re too old, it doesn’t matter what you think. This isn’t your scene.
Jeff.. no one wants to play on hard mode.
Jeff.. no one wants to buy a game at the game store.
Jeff.. no one wants to look for a group in general chat.
Jeff.. no one wants..
JEFF!..
Jeff.. just stop. No one cares, just stop talking.
JEFF! SHUT. UP!
…
Jeff.. listen..
Gamepass isn’t the devil.
Journalists don’t impact sales.
Gamers aren’t self-sabotaging creativity.
Twitch is still about gaming.
And above all.. Mobile is the future. Embrace it.
…
Jeff.. you're tired. Give it a rest. Go to bed.
…
…
NAH, FUCK THAT!
Last year beat me down but it wasn’t all doom and gloom. Behind the smoke and mirrors of industry politics, hit pieces and trigger phrases, I found an oasis all my own. I discovered games that brought me childlike joy. Games that gave me courage to embrace my own mortality. Games that transported me to cultures unknown. Games that challenged my thumbs in all the best ways. Games that gave me the chance to group up with my friends one last time. These are those games that reminded me to never stop.. loving.. gaming.
10. Metaphor: ReFantazio
While I have been incredibly vocal about the shortcomings of Atlus’ newest JRPG, the addictive narrative, unpredictable characters and relatable fantasy world put Metaphor in a league of it’s own. Persona fans will find the iconic social link system more manageable and the day to day calendar game play loop less punishing. At its heart, Metaphor delivers number of smaller stories within a grandiose plot that buck the trend and keep you rooting for your roster of diverse personalities.
9. Animal Well
Boy oh boy do I hate puzzle games. They stat check me harder than a level 1 Trundle. Whatever area of the brain is necessarily for decryption God did not bestow upon me. So how the hell did an obtuse 2D Russian nesting doll of a game make my top 10? Great question! For the entirety of my time with Animal Well I felt the soft, subtle, invisible hand of Billy Basso guiding me through the world. Every joyous discovery felt like I bested the game! Every new function of an item was my own genius! Each time I outsmarted a foe, I felt empowered to dive deeper! Except that flute.. Fuck that flute..
8. Another Crab’s Treasure
So, hear me out. A Soulslike taking place under the sea with N-64 graphics where you play as a hermit crab whose shell was confiscated by a loan-shark that is actually a shark and you must expose the deep SEAded (I tried a pun) corruption of the sand castle cities below. Did that sell you? If not, I don’t have much more for you, but an interesting shell ability mechanic and a rather humorous take on the gothic souls formula offered me plenty of laughs. Difficult but rewarding bosses kept me building out my Krill until the briny end.
7. Wild Bastards
Sometimes I just wish a sentient spaceship would break me out of jail and quietly whisper to me my higher purpose. Luckily for me, Wild Bastards facilitates just that. This arcade arena PVE hero shooter/board game (yeah, I don’t know how to genre this thing) somehow made me fall in love with the ragtag anthropomorphic group of characters that were all on the run from the evil space enforcers. Billy the Squid armed with dual pistols named Lily Jane and The Missus? Check. Casino, a slot machine robot toting a shotgun? Check. If you’re looking for a game that keeps you wanting just one more round, Wild Bastards is super easy to pickup and play. Yeehaw!
6. Dragon Age: The Veilguard
Emmrich, my dearest Emmrich. What have they done to you? They’ve twisted the narrative, distracted themselves from your passion. They’ve never found you, and for that I mourn.
Dragon Age: The Veilguard was shafted. There is nothing anyone can say to convince me otherwise. Publicly socially executed by the masses. Bioware delivered an Action-RPG that allowed me to customize a warrior like I’ve never seen before. If you love builds, you have no excuse not to play this game. Combine the crunchy combat with a serviceable doomsday scenario and a host of lovable side character who’s story you decide and you get my sleeper hit of 2024.
5. Conscript
When I was a young child I was babysat while my parent commuted to the city for work. I used to sit and watch the older kids play Resident Evil on OG Playstation. The 3rd person fixed camera shadowing the horrors of that house and sewers left me more often than not looking at the screen through a small hole in my fingers. I never played a game like that, until Conscript.
Catchweight Studios took the original Resident Evil formula down to the pixelated character models and threw it into the brutality of World War 1. You play as a French soldier, surviving the destruction of Verdun looking for your lost younger brother. You’ll fight through fire, disease, smoke and Nazis as your endure the constant blitzkrieg. Conscript’s realism depicted the atrocities of war history books never could and the lasting generational damage young men faced.
4. Black Myth Wukong
Admittedly, Black Myth Wukong was not what I wanted it to be. I was expecting a fresh take on the Soulslike formula Ala Lies of P with an Eastern twist. Instead, I got a beautifully Buddhist Action-Adventure boss rush that left me fascinated with Chinese mythology, art and religion. I never expected Son Wukong’s journey to leave a lasting impression on me, and then the ending hit me like a power pole to the sternum. Game Science has something special here. Wukong’s follow up is already on my most anticipated list.
3. Astro Bot
Do you remember the Nintendo kiosks at Toys'“R”Us that played Super Mario 64? The first time jumping into a cannon and flying around the Mushroom Kingdom with the wing cap was so magical; it was just fun. Astro Bot captures that feeling over and over and over again. You aren’t playing for the KDA. You aren’t playing for the perfect combo or finding all the collectibles. Hell, you aren’t even playing so you can tell people on the internet that you played! You’re playing because video games are meant to be FUN, and I didn’t even know I needed to be reminded of that until i played Astro Bot.
2. Stellar Blade
Did he do it? Did he ACTUALLY put Stellar Blade at number 2? You’re god damn right I did.
Stellar Blade is wildly flawed, but just like that fun crazy ex, sometimes flawed hits in all the right places. What Stellar Blade lacks in story, writing and characters it makes up for in spades with soundtrack, spectacle and emergent game play. I myself am one of those FromSoftware pricks who thinks the next Dark Souls release should constitute a national holiday, but Stellar Blade made me double take. Never before in a game has the dance of offense and defense blurred so much for me. As my friend would say, I could see the board! I could create my own counters if I trigger an ability at the right time. I could hold a transformation to negate a boss combo. I could interrupt a 1 hit mechanic with a rocket launcher to the face! I can respect that this game isn’t for everyone, but if you have a body pillow with a face on it maybe give it a try.
1. Nine Sols
Nine Sols healed me. Can I say that? Is that going to far? Red Candle’s parry focused Metroidvania brings to the table a narrative juxtaposing spirituality and humanity’s technological advancement. It tells the story of a brother and sister who are polar opposites but have the deepest love. It let’s you know that in your darkest days you can find hope where you least expect it. It shows you that your failures are tomorrow’s successes.
When talking about Nine Sols I want to be as vague as possible. This is a game that is truly best played going in blind. In it’s simplest form, you have a revenge story to correct injustices made against the player character Yi. As you peel back the layers, you find the purest form of humanity that transcends our own lives. This was an eye opening experience for me not unlike my first time playing Journey. It gave me perspective. It gave me peace. It gave me hope.
Wowee! What a ride! Thank you for taking this emotional retrospect with me. If you played any of these games last year please let me know what you thought, I know my friends didn’t. Be safe, have fun, and find your oasis.
You are most certainly seeing the board! Amazing list my friend!!!