TOP 10 THINGS I’M GRATEFUL FOR THIS HOLIDAY SEASON -
2024 VIDEO GAME EDITION
2024 has been an amazing year for games. I’ve played some incredible new titles, finally played some oldies, met some fantastic people in the gaming space including some incredible up and coming indie game developers, and even had the pleasure of going to an epic retro games convention with my sons and their auntie.
It’s tough to pick my most excellent gaming moments or memories, but as the year comes to a close and the holidays are in full swing, I thought a nice retrospective list would be appropriate. With Thanksgiving here and the giving spirit of Christmas in the near future, it feels appropriate to reminisce on the things that made this year so great for a gaming nerd like me.
With much trimming, here’s my top ten.
10. The Announcement of Civilization 7 - June 2024. When the trailer first came out, I was pumped that they were bringing in yet another stellar voice actor for the narrator role, this time Gwendoline Christie, who is most famous for her role as Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones. The Civilization games have knocked it out of the park with their choice of narrators, including Sean Bean and Leonard Nemoy. Civilization 7 also seems to be addressing some of my criticisms of the series thus far, including experimenting with ways to make the long end game more bearable and less inevitable. I am cautiously optimistic that this might be the best game in the series yet.
9. Getting to Playtest Tailside - June 2024. I wrote about this opportunity previously, but I cannot stress enough how I think that this game is going places. It was an amazing opportunity to be involved in the playtesting and connect with the developer. I started communicating with the developer–Coffee Beans Dev– in June, and now this game has had a wildly successful fundraiser campaign which raised enough money to make this game something truly exceptional. This is going to be one of the coziest games I have ever played.
8. The Steam Winter Sale - December 2024. Is it cheating to put something on here that hasn’t happened yet? Maybe, but this sale never ceases to bring the good deals in droves, and since my excitement for it is present tense, it feels right to put it on here. Now to see if my Secret Santa has gotten my hints that I definitely maybe want a Steam gift card for Christmas…
7. Playing Vampire Therapist - September 24, 2024. This game came out earlier in the year, but I didn’t get around to playing until the fall. This game has been a highlight of my year. Having been to therapy myself and having (mostly) gotten through a Psych degree in college, this game is filled with fun content that is simultaneously goofy, sexy, and meaningful. I highly recommend this game for the blood-sucking enthusiast or really anyone who enjoys an emotionally intelligent immortal, ‘cuz who doesn’t.
6. Watching The Glorious Chaos of Cities: Skylines II Unfold - 2024 (the whole year). Since its release in late 2023, Cities: Skylines II will go down in history as one of the most controversial releases of all time. Even in early 2024, months after its release, it was so impossibly far from what it was advertised to be and there was so much hype around it from enthusiasts of the first title. The basic mechanics and flow of the game were not even there. It was basically an early access game without the label. I was very excited for this game, and conceptually I’m still anticipating what it could be, but it is not there yet and it has been over a year after release. Watching the flood of patch notes, promised updates, and press on this game has been quite entertaining. Will it ever get to where it needs to be? I don’t know, but I’m here to watch it happen.
5. Finally Playing Chrono Trigger - August 2024. Nearly every single “GOAT RPG” list has this game close to the top and I finally see why. It was ahead of its time in terms of story, time-hopping mechanics, and variable endings that the player can get based on taking different paths throughout the game. This year I finished the mobile port for Android and it was surprisingly fluid and fun to play on my phone. This was definitely a highlight of my year. I only wish I had played this when it came out. I can’t imagine how mind-blowing an RPG of this level of narrative complexity would have been in the 90’s when I was growing up.
4. Playing Baldur’s Gate 3 as the Dark Urge - February 2024. This game would be my top pick if it weren’t technically from 2023, but I’m putting it here because I have continued to play it this year and did my second playthrough as the character known as the Dark Urge (or “Durge” for short). One of the most compelling, dark, redemptive stories I have ever been immersed in. I have now eclipsed the hours I put in after its release last year. An incredible game that has allowed me to connect with some incredible people. I wrote previously about how it was not only my game of the year, but deserved its total sweep of the game of the year awards as well. I can’t not mention it on a 2024 top ten list as it only continues to get better as I play it. Now for my second attempt at making it through Honor Mode unscathed.
3. Attending Retro Games Con - October 2024. I previously wrote about my experience with this convention here, but this makes it so high on the list for many reasons. It was such an incredible experience full of nostalgia, fun, and great people. The highlight of my trip was running into Neil Newbon on his smoke break. He was so kind and willing to engage outside of his scheduled hours. He even talked with my son about his cool Spider-Man shirt. It made my year. Fun all around and a convention I will absolutely be going to again.
2. Finally Playing Disco Elysium - September 15, 2024. As a huge fan of RPGs, this one has been on my bucket list since it came out a few years ago. Let me just say, this one did not disappoint. It was strange, funny, political, meaningful, emotional, and felt like therapy. This game honestly changed me as a person and its layers are endless. One of my best memories of 2024 was that quirky Neck Tie. Play it and you’ll know what I mean.
1. Announcement of Anno 117 - Pax Romana - June 7, 2024. The Anno series has followed me since childhood. I remember the countless hours I spent playing Anno 1602 as a young child, and now in my 30’s, Anno 1800 has quietly become one of my all-time favorite non-RPG games. It is complex, flexible, relaxing, and flows beautifully. I have put so many hours into this series and I was content to let Anno 1800 be the end of the story. I was honestly not even expecting a new Anno title at all, but then in June, I was most pleasantly surprised to see the series break new ground in one of my favorite eras of history to explore, Greco-Roman times. The information I have seen, and the history this series has of making great games that I can easily get obsessed with, has me very excited. This is my top pick here for multiple reasons. The sheer excitement of a new game in a favorite series that you aren’t expecting (I was at work when it popped up on my phone), combined with the developer picking a personal favorite time period, made this my top gaming moment of 2024.
May 2025 be as good to you as 2024 was to me!
Sincerely
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