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the 5 best games i played in 2024
this is not a "top games of 2024" list, because, as always, i failed to play more than a handful of games that were released this year. instead, these are my favorites of the... 14 or so? games i beat for the first time this year. enjoy!
i tried to limit myself to putting one game per franchise on here. sorry, dark souls 3.
1. Dark Souls (2011)
a game about being one little undead warrior in a big mean world <3
dark souls! what a game! though i technically started playing this in december 2023, i think i'm allowed to count it among my 2024 games.
moreover, this is definitely going on the "favorite games of all time" list. i adore dark souls. it's rare that i start playing a game and instantly feel like we're speaking the same language. i love the weirdness and awkwardness of it, i love the grungy medieval fantasy atmosphere, the great characters, the difficult but satisfying combat, the incredibly memorable environments... the list goes on. there's a reason this is a classic. it's a very silly game and also a very clever game. i am incredibly glad that i decided to give it a try.
2. Silent Hill 2 (2001)
a game about a man who travels to a strange, empty town in search of his dead wife.
there was this one night in october in which i played through a frankly ridiculous chunk of this game in one sitting, and afterwards i felt completely insane in a way that i have very rarely experienced!!! what did they put in silent hill 2 to make it one of the most emotionally arresting game stories i've ever seen? i'm still trying to answer this one. add to that some top-notch atmosphere, excellent scares, and an environmental design philosophy that makes the world seem simultaneously more real and more surreal... and you get an incredibly tight, smart game where every part of it contributes to crafting the experience.
3. Inscryption (2021)
a game about playing a life-or-death game of cards in a spooky cabin with an old man who likes to cheat.
speaking of very clever video game stories!! inscryption is a fantastic addition to the metafictional games canon. of all of the games here, i think this one surprised me the most - it plays with your expectations so deftly, and all in service of a deliciously simple meta premise. helps that the core gameplay is extremely addictive, too. this was my balatro
4. The Beginner's Guide (2015)
a game about a guy showing you a few short games his friend made.
can i put a game on this list that i haven't played myself? though i watched courtesy play it, it's more or less a "walking simulator" sort of a game, so i got more or less the same experience. anyway, this is another metafictional game that subverts expectations in a major way that i am still thinking about nearly a year later. unfortunately, this is another one i shouldn't talk too much about - it's short, you should just play it yourself.
5. Lil Gator Game (2022)
a game about a lil gator trying to build the best playground game ever with their friends!
not only is this a very cute game about a cute gator exploring a big island, it is also a beautifully written game about games. not in the same way as inscryption or beginner's guide - it's about playground games! as someone who played a lot of those as a kid, this one struck a chord with me. it's also very creative, consistently laugh-out-loud funny, and all around charming.
honorable mentions:
Sable (2021) - what a cool world. what a cool way (and cool reason) to explore a world. this one majorly scratched my "exploring and collecting things" itch.
Dark Souls 3 (2016) - dark souls 3 is just really good, guys.
and if you want to see a list of all the games i played/experienced this year, here it is!
