Can you believe that 2024 has come to an end? It feels like just yesterday was Christmas 2023 and I was gearing up for the onslaught of games that would release in 2024. I know it’s cliché to comment on the passing of time, especially as I am becoming ever-so-comfortable as an “aging gamer” (or rather, an “aged gamer” – pronounced age-ed). Yet, as I sit here reviewing the litany of Spotify-Wrapped clones that are now present in every single service, gaming or not, I cannot help but reflect on what I have played this year.
Keyboards, Keyboards, Keyboards!
Let’s discuss the relatively big elephant in my office: my new obsession with mechanical keyboards. When my father was in his 30s, he had me; I’ve often joked that I am the product of his midlife crisis. Now that I am in my thirties and have no interest in having progeny, it looks like mechanical keyboards have become my midlife crisis. This year, I have reviewed 22 mechanical keyboards on top of games and gaming peripherals. Yes – 22 keyboards have made their way across my desk as I’ve put them through their paces in my day-to-day office work and long nights playing games on my PC. I put several of them together from scratch! I have an entire cupboard full of keyboards in my office that allows me to quickly swap out a keyboard in case I want to change up my desk and try something new.
Where did this obsession with keyboards come from? Why are they so important? Why do I love them so? What gives, Will? I’ve tried answering these questions when they were posed by two separate aunts, and I’ve struggled with a consistent explanation. A mechanical keyboard is more than a utilitarian device for data entry on a computer. It’s more than something to use to reply to emails and write reviews. A good keyboard is one that feels, sounds, and looks unique, especially when one’s life is spent using a keyboard for work and gaming.
Those who build custom computers are probably familiar with the path of wanting the “best” parts to make a gaming station look like something out of this world, be it a neon-clad amalgamation of LEDs and glass panels or a minimalist centerpiece made up of aluminum (i.e., the Apple aesthetic). My mechanical keyboard journey this year has been spent finding the “thockiest” (i.e., a deep sound made by a keyboard) that features premium sturdiness with a splash of customization to truly make a keyboard match my office’s aesthetic.
I digress, I’ve tested quite a bit of keyboards this year. Switches, USB cables, and keycaps, too. I haven’t yet found the perfect keyboard – perhaps I never will, but I’ve come to appreciate the process of testing keyboards and getting the most of a product that is often dismissed as something solely utilitarian.
If there’s one thing 2024 has taught me about mechanical keyboards, it’s that a full-size keyboard isn’t always the best kind of keyboard. It isn’t a requirement for playing video games, folks. I use a full-size keyboard for my office work, sure, but I can comfortably use (and have been using!) a 75% keyboard on a regular basis when gaming. The 75% keyboard might not have the number pad on the right-hand side, but the Function Keys and number row are just enough for the harsh majority of PC games. In some rare cases, I was able to succeed just fine with a 60% keyboard – one that lacked the Function row (F1-F12) of keys.
If you’re on the fence about getting a “smaller” mechanical keyboard for your PC, consider this for a moment: If you’ve used a regular-sized laptop in the past few years (think of a 13-15in laptop that lacks a number pad) and have been able to accomplish your gaming and workplace needs, you can definitely settle for a 75% keyboard without issue. Trust me – you can do it.
Enough about keyboards. You didn’t come here to read about my midlife crisis that is endless mechanical keyboards. Feel free to reach out if you want/need recommendations, though.
2024: Remasters, Roguelikes, and RPGs. Oh, my!
If I could sum up this year into a single sentence, it would be as such: 2024 was a year for remakes, roguelikes, and RPGs.
Last week, The Verge put out an excellent article on how 2024 has been an “amazing year for roguelikes.” Jay Peters’ editorial went so far as to argue that the roguelike genre has become amorphous thanks to how notable games released this year have spanned addicting card-based high-score chasing to flashy action gameplay with friends. This year has been about more than roguelikes, though. It’s featured its fair share of remakes, roguelikes, and RPGs amidst indie gems, AAA hits, live service freemiums (e.g., Fortnite, League of Legends), and the annual installments (e.g., Call of Duty, Destiny, EA Sports, & NBA 2K).
Remasters: Start Asking How. Stop Asking Why.
A good chunk of my year was spent playing classic titles that were remastered to shine on 2024’s hardware. I began this year enthralled by The Last of Us II Remastered and Persona 3 Reload. Later in the year, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth blew players away with its masterful retelling of Cloud Strife’s journey. By December, Yakuza Kiwami had made its way to my Nintendo Switch while Sonic X Shadow Generations and Silent Hill 2 became must-plays on my PS5. Taking a quick glance at players’ responses to these games, it’s becoming clearer to me that players old-and-new are finding the time to play and replay modernized titles that have been (hopefully) given graphical facelifts and gameplay implants. Err…improvements. Let’s say improvements.
Of course, there’s always a question about “how old is old enough to remaster/remake” a game. The Last of Us II originally released in June 2020 – barely more than four years ago, yet it was given a massive set of improvements to utilize the PS5’s hardware, additional content originally left on the cutting room floor, and a roguelike mode to test the best players’ survival skills against the Infected. None of these things would individually blow players away, sure, but the “everything-and-the-kitchen-sink” approach to packing a “last-gen” game with deeper cuts of content is worth the replay.
This year has shown us that the best remasters are those that go beyond faithful reimagination. Persona 3 Reload (along with its DLC) is top of mind in how it exists as a remaster done very well. It took an old game (nearly 20 years old, yeesh), overhauled the grindy RPG frustration and difficulty spikes, and added graphical flair to bring it up to the standards that Persona players have come to expect from the ATLUS team. And, they remastered the DLC to a similarly stellar extent. It was worthy of the hours I spent playing it (twice).
I want us, as players, to stop asking questions about “how soon is too soon” and “if a game is worth remastering at all.” Both questions divide players before they get their hands on a potential remaster, regardless of their familiarity with that game. Instead, a better question we should all ask ourselves is what value is being added to a remaster. It’s one thing to pick up a game and replay it, faults and all, and be sorely reminded of what we loved AND hated about it all these years later. It’s another thing for that remaster to be stripped of the original gameplay design and potentially art styles that held it back from its potential. As critics, we should focus on the added value of the remaster to signal to game developers what we truly love the most about the games of yore.
I know that 2025 has a smaller selection of remasters slated to release compared to the number of remasters that were released in ’24 and ’23. I don’t want to go so far as to say that the era of remasters is over, because I sure as hell hope that other titles can be given some love so newer players can be just as delighted by these games as you and I were.
Roguelikes: Keep on Innovating
Roguelikes have become increasingly popular over the past several years. I’ve played over 20 roguelikes since 2023 alone, and I’m still reminded of Ryan K. Rigney’s 16th edition of Push to Talk where he jokes that 8million PC games in the past week were roguelikes/roguelites. This genre truly has become the flavor of the month for many players and it makes sense as to why. In a world where our attention spans are shortened, our gaming libraries expand faster than we can play them, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to sit down and play a game in its entirety, many of us want to sit down and play a bite-sized game that’s easy to pick up. We also want something that is relatively predictable while still being presented with variables that change things up as we play. If we’re up late because we’re so dang addicted to it, that’s fine, but it’s the ease of picking up and starting fresh that makes roguelikes appealing for players.
Aside from Balatro (which I’ll discuss in a moment), I started 2024 off with BlazBlue Entropy Effect – a roguelike platformer that got me hooked when it originally entered early access in 2023. By the end of the year, I had played Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate, DLC for Cult of the Lamb and Batterystaple Games’ 30XX, Realm of Ink (in Early Access), and so many more. 2024 also saw the official Early Access release of Hades II, Supergiant Games’ first-ever sequel to a game in their catalogue of beautifully-designed and highly-replayable action titles. I haven’t started Hades II yet, but I’m already aware of players’ love for the sequel.
Heck, we also saw roguelike modes added to AAA titles this year, most notably God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla and The Last of Us II Remastered’s No Return. Santa Monica Studio and Naughty Dog (respectively) got many players, myself included, interested in returning to AAA titles that we most likely would have played all the way through and set down once we had the games “platinumed” (completed the games in their entirety, main and side missions and all).
I saw Valhalla and No Return to be strange, but welcome, additions. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine the opportunity to play as anyone other than Ellie/Abby in The Last of Us II, yet the implementation worked. I love it when developers experiment with something new, if only for these modes to contribute to game development learnings for teams to carry with them as they’re making something new.
I just hope that 2025 features a new wave of roguelikes. Nintendo tends to operate within the framework of breathing new life into an older series so long as they innovate in some capacity (which is supposedly why F-Zero has yet to see a new mainline title in decades). If developers can continue to innovate in the roguelike space, even if it ends up being a roguelike mode in, say, Final Fantasy XVI or Pokémon, it would push the genre further beyond games of smaller-form variance.
This isn’t to say that I am tired of roguelikes – not at all. I am just as eager to play Hades II as many other folks. I’m also interested to see how games I’ve played in Early Access this year end up evolving once they hit full release in 2025 and beyond. What I don’t want is a reality of roguelike exhaustion.
RPGs: Some Games New, Some Games Gold
One of the only games that earned a 10/10 from me this year was Unicorn Overlord, a Vanillaware title that I played for many hours after I originally reviewed it. I won’t share the number, but I’ll say that it’s my most-played game on my Nintendo Switch this year. I won’t rehash my review here, but it’s worth praising how the game’s decisions skewed morally grey. As an RPG player, I want my decisions to have impact and force me to carefully decide my next steps. While Unicorn Overlord isn’t the first and only RPG to implement such decision-making procedures, it’s honestly what I love about this game the most.
This year brought many an RPG, be it turn-based (Keylocker, WitchSpring R, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth) or otherwise (Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, Black Myth Wukong, Dragon’s Dogma 2). Some even allowed me to create my own story (Athenian Rhapsody) while others layered in novel gameplay mechanics (like Tevi’s bullet hell platforming). I’m burying the lede as I list RPGs that come to the top of mind as I write this out: RPGs are just as amorphous as roguelikes, folks, and that’s okay.
Regardless of whether or not an RPG should be turn-based, I want to emphasize how well RPG players have been able to eat this year. Of the five games that were nominated for Game of the Year Geoff Keighley’s The Game Awards, four of them were RPGs. While the Game of the Year was won by Astro Bot (worthy of the praise and accolades, I might add), it’s hard to look past the quality of “good” titles that were worthy of the nomination to begin with.
As much as I’ve spent time playing and loving Unicorn Overlord and Persona 3: Reload, it’s harder for me to ignore the reality of me never being able to complete some of these stellar titles in their entirety. This doesn’t mean that I don’t want to play RPGs, I just need to come to terms with potentially watching these games’ endings just so I can say that I “know” what happens at the end of the grind.
I Have High Hopes for VR
I’ve slowly become more comfortable with playing games on my PSVR2 and Meta Quest 3 this year. I consider this a BIG personal feat, especially since well over 60% of VR owners in 2019 reported to playing less than 5 hours per month using their headsets. In 2024, I am sure that number is just as large, if not larger. Some folks might regret owning their headsets because of the lack of “good games” available for the VR platforms, but…I refuse to believe that interest in the gaming platform has cratered. In making the PSVR2’s price a more-reasonable $350 than its regular $550, Sony reportedly sold more units in one day at the lower price than all year at its original price.
We also saw several amazing VR games released. Camouflaj and Oculus Studios’ Batman: Arkham Shadow was announced in May and released but a few months later to critical acclaim. It earned a 9/10 from our Head Honcho, Nathan! Beyond Batman, I was fortunate to play and review Attack on Titan VR: Unbreakable, Umurangi Generation, Arcade Paradise VR, Not for Broadcast, Akka Arrh, and Spin Rhythm XD. These aforementioned titles earned scores between high 7s and low 9s, with the exception of Spin Rhythm XD. This should tell you that this year had some pretty good games released for VR.
Are these games enough for folks to embrace VR as a primary gaming platform? Not yet, but Rome was not built in a day. It took years for gaming on phones to take off, and now roughly one-third of all players only play mobile games. The reality of building an ecosystem that caters to players of many interests is becoming more real as additional games are released that push technological boundaries while keeping gaming fun.
On the topic of fun, I had an absolute blast playing Spin Rhythm XD. I know many VR headset owners know of Beat Saber off the top of their head because of its slick and rhythmic lightsaber gameplay, but Spin Rhythm XD blew me away because of how well it emulated the familiar inputs of rhythm arcade machines I would play back when I lived in Southern California. It made me miss for a DJ Hero VR game because of its library of licensed music and difficulty curve. I know rhythm games are niche for many of today’s players, but VR is the perfect place for a rhythm game that would otherwise require a unique controller that is only used for that game, and that game alone.
I know that VR is tough to get into, trust me, I do. The first few hours I spent wearing my PSVR2 caused me to feel sick (known as “VR Sickness” – yes, it’s a thing, folks). It’s overwhelming to have a giant piece of tech strapped to your head, too. But once I get past those issues and found my routine in playing a good game, I became more willing to do more in my headsets.
I don’t know what 2025 will bring on the VR gaming side of things, but I have hopes. I have hopes that players who bought a PSVR2 or Meta Quest 3/3S this year will take a chance on the likes of 2024’s additions. I have hopes that developers see the potential audience for VR games and create something fun to keep folks wearing the headsets despite the bumpy few hours that impact new headset owners. I have hopes that the powers that be see the potential for how VR can shape gaming and use that as a catalyst to make VR just as fun as playing a game on one’s iPhone.
A boy can dream, right?
Brief Thoughts on the State of Starfield
Bethesda’s Starfield released its first major expansion, Shattered Space, in September 2024. While neither Nathan nor myself reviewed the expansion, we both have remained interested in and have continued playing Starfield since we originally reviewed the base game on its release one year earlier. I won’t go so far as to give you a formal review of Shattered Space at this time, but I’ll say this much: Starfield remains an RPG that is worth playing, and it’s inching toward Phil Spencer’s dream of it having a 10-year lifespan.
I remain consistent in my belief that many of Starfield’s loudest critics are those who were expecting Skyrim in space. It also wouldn’t surprise me that fans of Obsidian’s Outer Worlds (and eager for Outer Worlds 2 to make its way to our consoles/PCs) expected the same degree of exploration and handcrafted space narratives from Starfield and ended feeling disappointed. After playing Starfield for over 80 hours since its 2023 release, one thing is abundantly clear: Starfield is not, and will not ever be, Skyrim, and I am perfectly fine with that.
If there’s one thing that keeps me coming back to Starfield, even if it’s for an hour or two a month, it’s how it allows and pushes me to test the boundaries of its universe. Thanks to how it implemented its New Game Plus (no, I won’t spoil it even though it’s over a year old), I feel more inclined to just explore and muck about in Starfield’s endless procedurally generated planets. If I feel like I need to start fresh, New Game Plus I go!
Shattered Space added several hours of new content to Starfield, the harsh majority of which took place on a single new planet. This made it easier for me to feel like I could get the classic Bethesda experience of thoughtfully punny Easter Eggs carefully placed off the beaten path without compromising of Starfield’s gameplay freedom and emptiness associated with space exploration. The additional free patches that have continuously refined Starfield over the past year have added to Starfield’s appeal, too.
I’m curious to see what else Bethesda has in store for Starfield. It’s gone suspiciously quiet, a departure from its pre-Shattered Space habits of previewing what’s to come in the upcoming year.
Happy 10th Anniversary, LISA: The Painful!
A few weeks ago, Serenity Forge and Dingaling Productions celebrated LISA: The Painful’s 10th anniversary by announcing a physical release for the PS5 and Switch. If you have yet to read the DigitalChumps review of LISA, check out Nathan’s thoughts on it back when The Definitive Edition released in 2023!
At the start of the holidays, I was presented with an opportunity to sit down and play LISA on the Nintendo Switch. As of two nights ago, I am proud to say that I have completed LISA: The Painful in its entirety, leaving LISA: The Joyful as something to look forward playing in my free time once 2025 gets going.
I bring this up not just to celebrate LISA’s anniversary, but to also share some thoughts on LISA: The Painful in an unofficial fashion. I loved every second of the 12 hours I spent playing it, from start to finish. It was just as painful as its name. It did not bring me joy (despite the sequel being called The Joyful which I assume is for obvious lore reasons that I won’t spoil). Instead, it offered me a painfully grueling and depressing jaunt into a post-apocalyptic world where everything and everyone, including the protagonist and his party, are subject to being permanently eliminated.
I mentioned earlier that it’s becoming rare for me to completely finish a game, optional side quests and all, but LISA: The Painful was worth the 12 hours of RPG pain. I cried, I laughed, I cried again, and I gave up both of my arms just for some joy. I can’t wait to start The Joyful.
Teamfight Tactics: 2024’s King of Strategy Games?
This year, I covered several Teamfight Tactics releases in early previews, being Inkborn Fables and Magic n’ Mayhem. While I have also followed along with Riot Games’ news updates and have played TFT off-and-on for the past few years, some recent news caught my eye: TFT is one of the world’s biggest strategy games and has had 300 million players in its lifetime according to its gameplay director. That is huge.
Without starting a debate about TFT’s popularity and what it means to be “the biggest strategy game,” a better use of this space would be to share my thoughts on why TFT is so popular. The low hanging fruit answers could be that a.) the game is free and/or b.) the game is available on PC, mobile, and iOS. There’s more to it, though.
Like TFT’s older MOBA sibling, League of Legends, TFT is built around non-persistent game states. Think of a TFT match like a game of chess, but far shorter and no disqualifications for wearing jeans. A single game of TFT can run from anywhere between 10-20 minutes, making it a perfect game to play on one’s break, on the train, or even while waiting for food to bake in the oven. Even more, TFT is constantly evolving, with gameplay updates just about every week alongside major overhauls (sets) every three months that dramatically change how the game is played without changing the core gameplay elements. It’s short, sweet, and constantly keeps players on its toes.
Regardless of the number of players and its accolades, let’s think back to a statement I made earlier about roguelikes. It makes sense that they’re popular: Players want something they can pick up, play, and then put down. Players want bite-sized fun that keeps them on their toes.
By definition, TFT does both of these things quite well. Since I began playing TFT back in 2020, I appreciated its short match times and its constant evolutions every few months. I was constantly surprised by how much was changed with each new set while still being able to quickly catch up without feeling like I was too far behind. This year, I would return to TFT at the start of each new set just to play its Hyper Roll mode, playing off and on until I reached Hyper Rank (top 300 or so players). It wasn’t my most-played game by any means, but it was something that I constantly returned to when I needed a break between game reviews.
At the Macao Open (one of TFT’s in-person championships), the developers shared their roadmap for 2025. While I’m curious to see how TFT holds up with the release of Civilization VII in February, I’m more interested to see how TFT continues to innovate in the strategy game space.
Final Thoughts: Looking Forward into 2025
Truth be told, I’m not eagerly excited for 2025, but that isn’t a bad thing. I’ve spent far too much of my life caught up in the hype for games that were announced far too early and/or hyped to a degree that created levels of unsustainable expectations. I am doing my best to avoid feeling excited for this upcoming year’s games because…it’s better to be surprised.
One of my major personal learnings this year is about the joy of being surprised by a new game, regardless of how much I know about it. I never got the chance to try Pepper Grinder’s demo before its March 2024 release. Instead, my review period was my first time playing it…and I dug it. Likewise for Balatro, 2024’s indie sensation that simply involves making the highest-scoring poker hand. I didn’t read through DigitalChumps’ Balatro review until I had spent my own time playing it without anyone else’s opinion or guidance.
Perhaps this is the joy of playing indie games and trying something new every so often, or perhaps this is just the state of the industry. Amidst the big game announcements seen at The Game Awards and other conferences are independent developers with amazing ideas. If Balatro, a game made by a solo developer in Canada, can make it big with a simple gameplay loop and minimal hype, we should all consider going in blind as much as we can just so we can experience a game as the developer(s) intended.
It’s worth it, folks. In being pleasantly surprised, I was able to form my own opinions when playing a game and assessing its quality. I also didn’t bring as many expectations as I would if I had been patiently waiting for weeks, months, or years by gorgeous reveal trailers and teasers that reminded me that a game is coming. I know that teasers and reveals have a purpose, folks, but setting aside that hype will make gaming more enjoyable…at least for me.
I know that 2025 will have big games, like Borderlands 4, Civilization VII, the next Legend of Heroes installment, Death Stranding 2, and Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii. Oh, lest I forget Grand Theft Auto VI, Rockstar’s newest GTA in over 10 years and slated to surpass over $1B in pre-orders. There is little doubt in my mind that 2025 will be full of much-discussed games. Hopefully, they’re just as fun as they’re hyped up to be.
Before I go, I have one last wish. I know Christmas is over and the next meteor shower isn’t for a few more days. I want the gaming industry to change for the better, starting at the top. Over the past two years, we’ve seen studios shut down and amazingly talented developers let go from passion projects. I no longer want to hear about why these layoffs and closures occurred. Instead, I want those who lead the way in gaming to support their developers, uplifting them and encouraging them to continue to make games fun for you and me. The games we play are only as strong as those who put the blood, sweat, and tears into the development, and now more than ever do we need industry leadership to bring gaming back to its roots of being fun and worth sharing with others.
I am not excited for 2025. Instead, I am hopeful. I am hopeful that 2025 will bring forth positive change in the gaming industry. I am hopeful that 2025 will continue to be full of fun and innovation in the games you and I play. Most importantly, I hope that you have a safe and happy New Year.
Happy New Year, folks! Go play some games!
Will
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