2025 is here and it feels so good. I have it on reliable authority that the world didn't end and that this is not actually The Matrix so we're going to press on with that most prestigious of annual events. Why yes it's TGPLYA's and that still doesn't translate to a catchy slogan I should really have worked on that since last year's edition. Anyhow in brief we are all here to celebrate my entirely subjective opinion on the best and worst games I played last year as exhaustively catalogued in my end of year retrospective. With no further ado let's get to the awards...
The Most Surprisingly Bad Game 'Award’
Starting off on the wrong foot let's 'celebrate' a game that started badly with me and didn't get better. I consider myself a fairly patient, forgiving type when it comes to most games and it takes a fair bit for me to write something off as a bad time but Flashback definitely struck that chord with me. Yes I know it's an old game and you can't apply the modern lens too strictly here but still, this was a hard game to enjoy no matter what mindset you apply to it. Janky, imprecise controls coupled with unforgiving timing that really made me wonder why I bothered. Dishonourable mention to it's prequel Another World - 20th Anniversary Edition for many of the same reasons but at least that one got something of an update for a modern audience.
The Most Unexpectedly Good Game Award
On the flip side of the coin is the game I didn't have much hope for going in but which turned me around on it afterwards. Truthfully there are a couple of games that could have won this one but in the end it could only have been Dark Souls II: Scholar Of The First Sin. Based on my past struggles with the Souls games, I had very low expectations going into this one. Think I only gave it a chance because everyone was raving about the Elden Ring expansion at the time. Glad I did though because despite the overall difficulty and the sadistic streak being very much in line with the previous games I've played in this series, Dark Souls just seemed to flow so many better for me this time around. The progression felt a bit more tangible even if the setbacks were still sudden and brutal. It's a game good enough to make me want to check out the rest of this notoriously difficult series and that is no mild compliment let me tell you!
The Game That Eats Time 'Award’
Now this award can be a good or bad one depending on how it's used. Certainly when I awarded it to the last winner (Assassins Creed: Odyssey) it was not a compliment to that game and how it padded out its length. This year I feel the case is different as the winner took up a lot of my time but only because it was so much fun to play, that game being The Finals of course. I played a lot of free to play games in 2024 all designed to keep you coming back for more but this was the only game that successfully drew me back in time and then me again. It plays beautifully, looks and sounds great and allows for some really tactical use of destruction across its maps. Five seasons in now and I feel the core gameplay is as strong as it's ever been and that this is a game I will be playing for some time to come
The ‘Over Too Soon’ Award
Now to recognize the game that shined brightly but perhaps a little too briefly given everything that was going for it. Don't get me wrong games can be short and still be great but some games do perhaps end a little bit too soon, denying them the status of an all-time great. This year this goes to Chasing Static for its masterful recreation of a bygone aesthetic reborn for a new age. This game was a strong reminder of just how well those mid-to-late 90's 3D graphics channeled a sense of desolation and solitude. This was a large part of the appeal of games like the original Silent Hill and here it's been employed to great effect to achieve much the same effect. It does end a little too abruptly but what a great use of the aesthetic while it lasts!
Most Dysfunctional Protagonist 'Award'
How to untangle this.one? The less acclaimed of 2024's Silent Hill releases but not the least acclaimed? Haven't partaken of either of the other two releases anyway so let's consider Silent Hill: The Short Message and it's protagonist Anita. Weighed down by the untimely passing of her beet friend and the mysterious texts she is now getting from her, Anita certainly has a lot to contend with. Heavy themes of bullying, insecurity and the pervasive influence of social media also feature but more urgently there is the small matter of the inescapable flower monster pursuing here through the nightmare world of this small German town. Oh yes it's based in a small grey town in Germany with no direct ties to Silent Hill that I could see. Themetically Silent Hill with a main character beset by guilt and trauma, this 'award' goes to Anita and her haunted smartphone! Also despite being based in Germany she seems to be American I think? So it could have been based in Silent Hill all along? Best not to overthink it I guess
The Game Is Melting My Brain Award for Difficulty
Onto a different realm of mental exhaustion here with the award that recognises only the most difficult of the games I played last year. A few notable titles were in contention but in the end it could only go to one and by one I mean two and by two I mean the Azure Striker Gunvolt: Striker Pack that collected the first two games of this series. The games were for the most part a decent challenge even before the boss fights kick in but it's here where they distinguished themselves, especially with the final, final boss fights. These were punishing affairs reliant on exact timing and razor thin margins of error. In a year where I played a Dark Souls game of all things, I don't think I got as annoyed at that as I did playing the final bosses of Azure Striker Gunvolt. An award well deserved I think.
The Feast For The Senses Award
Next up we recognise the game that goes all in with exceptional aesthetics, graphics and art design. I know games aren't just all about the pretty graphics but modern high budget games do excel themselves visually, with the very best games using that edge to enhance the themes and stories within. This year there really can only be one winner and it's Cyberpunk 2077 for delivering a vividly realised world rich in detail and story. Few game worlds get the loving treatment that Night City does here. Whether it's the flickering neon lights, bombastic advertising or the fine level of detail on an augmented popstars metal skin, this was a game that consistently amazed me visually. Everything looks great and it plays a pivotal role in the story being told.
The Most Random Game I Played Last Year Award
Recognizing now the sheer randomness in my game playing choices, I give this award to none other than Zool Redimensioned. Why did I play this game? I couldn't tell you. Id like to say it was some kind of nostalgia but really the only kind of nostalgia I was interested in here was the kind that was stripped out of this re-releaae for what I presume were legal reasons. It's not a bad game as such but it's more useful as a reminder of a different era where all the major platforming franchises were still relatively new and companies seriously thought they could release the next Mario or Sonic. History would ultimately prove them wrong and here we are decades later and Mario is still pretty much the foremost franchise in platforming. At least they tried once upon a time
The Death Metal Award
Next up is recognition for sheer hardcore metal as #$@! video gaming. Last year's winner was Doom Eternal and this set a pretty high bar for this award. Nothing I played in 2024 would quite measure up in the same way but I will recognize the effort where I see it. This one goes to Cyberbots - Full Metal Madness, the mexha themed beat em up I played as part of the Capcom Arcade Stadium collection. This was a fun if brief portion of nostalgia from days gone by and again a reminder of an age where things were done very differently and the game industry could afford to take a few more risks with it's output. The look and feel of the whole thing screams of a very literal kind of heavy metal so well done to those game decs of long ago, you rock!
The Deja Vu 'Award’
Another quote unquote award here, one that recognizes the game I played in 2024 that wasn't necessarily bad or brilloant. Rather we recognize where something is overly familiar even when it's otherwise a fun game. This year I award Ultratron for its efforts on delivering a fun game that didn't really do much to otherwise shake things up. A fun game to be sure but a very familiar experience all the same. Perhaps a touch unfair I know, the twin stick shooter is a well worn format and no doubt one that's hard to innovate in. The core game is solid but it's lack of anything that really sticks out will perhaps consign it to the oft-forgotten realm of videogame nostalgia.
Best Backstory Award
The story behind the story. It's not always what you turn up for when you load up a new game but sometimes game developers do a rather good job of making you wonder about the world behind what's presented on-screen. So is the case with this years winner Citizen Sleeper! A corporate dystopia on board a run-down space station at the bleak end of the galaxy. All the current issues with the world we know but magnified many times over. Far as I know we don't get a detailed rundown of what's happening elsewhere in known space but we do get tantalizing glimpses of how everything has gone to hell and set up shop there. Honourable mention here for Death Stranding: Director's Cut for similar reasons although that game info dumps way more information on the player in a somewhat less elegant way.
The 'Music To My Ears' Award
If you've briefly scanned through my post history you may already be aware of my fondness for quality video game music. Long before I considered the more worthier aspects of video gaming as an art form, I was well on board with the idea that music and sound design were a vital part of the experience. This year one game in particular stood out above the crowd in this regard, that game being Cyberpunk 2077. From the moment it loads you into the main menu to entering Night City itself, the sound work in this game is superb. Whether it's the sound of distant voices on the street, shots of gunfire in the night or the seni-threatening tone of the in-game advertising, it evokes a sense of a larger time and place beyond your immediate surroundings. A few tracks from the original soundtrack have made it into my regular rotation so a shout out to the eclectic music selection on the in-game car radio as well. A job well done!
The 'No Idea What's Going On Here' Award
In some ways this is he flip side of the Best Backstory Award but they aren't mutually exclusive I think. Great back stories don't have to be spelled out in perfect clarity necessarily but a good backstory isn't a guarantee that your main story is going to be entirely comprehensible either. There is certainly an expansive and intriguing back story to the winner of this years award but I don't think it makes the story any less baffling for most of its playtime. This is all to say that Death Stranding: Director's Cut takes the prize this year for its foremost efforts in confusing the hell out of me for most of its duration. The story of a post-apocalyptic delivery man navigating the finer points of life, death, time and space made for a compelling story even if it was highly obtuse about it.
The 'Don't Get Too Attached' Award
This award recognizes those games that don't place a high value on the long term survival of your main characters. I could call this the XCOM award but I will stick with what we have for now. Indeed this years winner sends literal Grim Reapers to take you down permanently should you survive beyond the requirements of 30 minutes playtime in any given level. This happens right after the game has besieged you with a vast host of opponents assailing you from all sides in an almighty struggle for survival. The winner here is if course Vampire Survivors for its foremost ability to cut you down mercilessly yet leave you still wanting to get back up for more. Some well earned recognition here I think.
Best Non-Retro 'Retro' Game Award
A new category this year where we recognize the very best of those games that channel the best parts of retro gaming but without their rough edges. This year was a busy one for me playing old games and honestly not many of them impressed me. When it comes to modern games that look, play and feel like old games it was a much better year I think. As such we recognize the PS1 horror inspired stylings of Chasing Static for reminding us just how effective such aesthetics can be in creating horror. A desolate but memorable experience all around even if the game does end a touch too abruptly. Honourable mention to The Eternal Castle [REMASTERED] for making the old new again in a rather different way. Here the feels were more mid 80's than late 90's but no less effective for conveying the mood and tone of a different time.
The 'Neat' Award For Cool Game Concept
Sometimes a game just grabs you with the sheer excellence of its core idea even if it isn't necessarily the best or worst game you've ever played. In a world where it can sometimes feel like every new game is trying to be like every other successful game that came before it, we have to recognize the games that go for something different. This year the award goes to Rollerdrome for its nifty blend of roller skating and shooting in a cel-shaded vision of 1970's style science fiction cinema. As with most games from the now defunct Roll7, there is a core idea excellently executed at the heart of this game and I had a blast playing it even when it kicked my rear end, which was often. Nearly a year after playing it, it still sticks out in my memory for its unique look and feel. A fantastic game!
The Overall Worst Game I Played Last Year 'Award’
Tweaking the formula this year I will recognize the top three in both the overall worst and best categories. It was a hotly contested field because even when I try to avoid playing games I think I won't like I still somehow end up playing them...
In 3rd place we have Uncanny Valley, somewhere here was a good idea and a game I could have enjoyed far more than I did. In this timeline however it felt pretty uneven and just a little too under cooked for my liking. I like off-kilter weirdness touched with a hint of horror but something just wasn't connecting for me here.
In 2nd place we have Another World - 20th Anniversary Edition, an experience I really struggled to enjoy. I don't like dismissing something that's clearly held in high regard by a whole generation of gamers but the visuals aside, there was very little incentive here to overlook the essentially fiddly gameplay that was often punishing and rarely fun. A useful historical document of gaming in the early 90's given a modern coat of paint but not an experience I can recommend to anyone without a list of caveats attached
Finally in 1st place we have the worst game I played in 2024 and that game is Flashback, the side-scrolling platformer sequel to Another World that borrowed much of the style and frustration that came with that game. I just couldn't summon the energy and patience required to play this game without some serious sense of humor failure. Unlike the modern treatment given to the earlier games, this was presented very much as was. Again this is useful in the terms of historical game preservation but it made for a deflating, bothersome experience I will never play again.
The Unquestionably Best Game I Played Last Year Award
For the second year in a row we recognise the very best game I played this year accompanied by the two games that were almost there. It was a good year for good games, I cleared a bunch and had much to consider in these end of year deliberations. In the end though it came down to these...
In 3rd place we have what might be the most surprising game of the lot in Dark Souls II: Scholar Of The First Sin. This was not a game I thought I would like or enjoy. It's a brutally hard game not to mention a devious and unforgiving experience that asks much of the player. By all accounts it's not even universally beloved by Dark Souls fans for the changes it made to the formula. Yet something connected here for me where it did not in the original Demon's Souls and Dark Souls. The challenge was steep but the progress felt tangible. The impossible felt possible and for the first time I think I truly got the appeal of these games. Like a well crafted timepiece I could see how all the parts worked together and worked well. For a time this may have been the best game I played this year were it not for...
Our 2nd place winner, a game that snuck in there towards the end of the year and barely made the cut-off point for my end of year wrap up. But make it, it did and the Resident Evil 2 remake gets it's due here. What a game! Creeping around the Raccoon City police station, evading Mr X and delving into the horrors within have never played as well as this. Given the original Resident Evil waited no more than six years for a quality remake, it's somewhat mind-blowing that it's sequel didn't get one until twenty one years later. The wait was worth it though, as they delivered an atmospheric, visceral experience that respectfully updated the original game whilst keeping much of the original concept intact. This is the definitive version of this game and a case study in how to nail the perfect remake. Highly recommended but it narrowly missed out to...
Our 1st place winner and overall best game I played in 2024 is none other than Cyberpunk 2077! I had to muse awhile over this one as there really wasn't much between my top three this year. I tremendously enjoyed all three games but when it came down to it there was just that certain little extra something that pushed this game over the line. Cyberpunk 2077 is an excellent game and a surprisingly involving experience all at the same time. The world feels detailed, evocative and expansive without feeling padded and over-burdened with content. The characters are well rounded, the ambience and atmosphere are top notch and for a decently large RPG it flows really well with relatively few lulls to slow it down. Add the excellent Phantom Liberty DLC package on top of it and this game was a home run for yours truly.
...and that is that. My 2024 in gaming summed up, evaluated and recognized for the (mostly) excellent time it was. There was far more to love than hate these last twelve months with a few suspiciously modern games creeping into my game time. The standard list of issues with the gaming industry aside I feel like it's a really good time to be a gamer. A plethora of options and not enough time to play them all yes but exercise your due diligence in game selection and a fine time will be had. Put down your drinks and stagger home everyone, until next year!
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