Top 10 Games of 2024

 It's that time of year again and although we had some good releases this year, 2024 just didn't feel all that exciting compared to last year. While I was hyped for some of the releases, but they either just met my expectations or came up short. Still, I managed to play a bunch of high-profile games to warrant a Top 10 list, so without further ado, here are my Top 10 Games of 2024:

10

Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth (Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio/Sega)

A chaotic-but-emotional adventure.

 Like A Dragon's second RPG outing goes big with a whole new city to explore in Hawaii, more playable characters to meet, and a wider selection of cool side-activities to indulge in. Ichiban and Kiryu's stories intertwine to deliver an exciting story that can get a bit silly when you look at it more closely. Still, the game delivered a more refined turn-based combat and fantastic production-values. It just sucks that Sega decided to stupidly lock the New Game Plus mode behind a paywall, though.

9

Crow Country (SFB Games)

Indie survival-horror.

  I was craving a PS1-era Resident Evil experience and I happened to stumble on a demo of Crow Country, an indie that takes heavy inspirations from Capcom's iconic survival-horror series. Upon beating the demo, I was super excited for the final game and it delivered an eerie experience as you're exploring a haunted theme park while piecing-out the narrative and surviving the park's dangers. I'm hoping that there's a sequel because I enjoyed the time I had in Crow Country.

8

Mario & Luigi: Brothership (Acquire/Nintendo) 

The bros return on a sea-bound adventure.

 Mario & Luigi made their long-awaited return with Brothership this year and while I did have some criticisms with the game, it was a fun RPG. Funny characters, entertaining gameplay, and a grand story, the game was a wild adventure. I'm hoping that the latest installment signals to Nintendo that the series still has a lot of life in it and I'm looking forward to the bros' next adventure.

7

Dragon's Dogma 2 (Capcom)

Slay the world-ending dragon.

 Dragon's Dogma 2 was among my most anticipated games of the year and despite its plenitude of flaws, I looked back on my time with the game fondly. Yeah, I did call it a disappointment and rightfully so, but it remained an engaging game thanks to its exploration and fantastic action set-pieces. The new vocations were a blast to play and the story was decent enough to warrant another playthrough so I can delve into the character-quests and alternate ending. With the recent departure of the game's director, I wonder how future of the Dragon's Dogma series will fare. I only hope it won't be the end.

6

Metaphor: ReFantazio (Studio Zero/Atlus/Sega)

A captivating fantasy.

  

 Metaphor: ReFantazio was another thrilling RPG from Atlus and its new development studio, Zero. It's a fantasy epic that feels like genuine fantasy with a varied cast, flying magic swords, interesting themes, and spectacular turn-based gameplay. While I wished that it offered something new in the gamelay department than just relying on the Persona template, I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent in Metaphor.

5

Tekken 8 (Tekken Project/Bandai Namco Entertainment)

Get ready for a chaotic battle.

 Tekken 8 was a smashing fun time with deeply engaging fighting, stunning production values, and some cool characters to play as. I was hyped for it ever since its release and I'm happy that it exceeded my expectations. While I wished it had more game modes, Tekken 8 was still a blast to play locally and online. It's one of the few fighting games that I can see myself regularly playing in the future.

4

Super Mario Party Jamboree (NDCube/Nintendo)

One big party.

 While I didn't have the chance to write a review for Super Mario Party Jamboree, I've been playing it with friends and family ever since its release and I've been having fun. I haven't played a Mario Party game since the Wii/DS days, but Jamboree was the perfect game to get me back. Featuring larger game boards, 23 characters to play as, and over 100 mini-games, it's the biggest Mario Party game yet. Yeah, some mini-games were annoying and the new Jamboree mechanic can be overpowered, but it was still a blast with a group. I highly recommend it for those looking for a crowd-pleaser on Switch.

3

Astro Bot (Team Asobi/Sony Interactive Entertainment) 

The year's most impressive platformer.

 Astro Bot was a pleasant surprise this year as it delivered a fantastic platforming game that pays tribute to the PlayStation brand the icons that graced its consoles. Full of clever levels, neat platforming, and lots of secrets to unpack, I've had a fun time playing Astro Bot. It's a must-play for fans of platformers and PlayStation alike.

2

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (Grezzo/Nintendo) 

Zelda's debut adventure.

 Echoes of Wisdom was a fun little adventure that had you playing the titular Princess Zelda for the first time as she's out to save Hyrule. It combined the best aspects of the old and new Zelda games as well as offering a rewarding open-world to explore. While I dismissed it as just a spin-off, it instantly grew on me and it became one of my favorite experiences of the year.  

1

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (Creative Business Unit I/Square Enix) 

The journey reaches its climax.

 Part two of Square Enix's Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy continues the story with a big open-world to explore, new faces that join your party, and jaw-dropping moments to boot. I was initially against putting a remake as my Game of the Year, but looking back, I've had the most fun playing Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. It shattered my expectations with how grand Cloud and company's journey was and the world's scope was fully-realized. Sure, it took a bunch of creative liberties with the narrative and the multitude of mini-games got annoying, but Rebirth was a phenomenal game from start to finish. So like it's predecessor, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is my Game of the Year for 2024!