I know it’s February, and these lists are well and truly over at this point. I’ve been very busy moving into a new place and this has kind of fallen to the wayside. I am sorry. We’re getting back into it now, though!

Welcome to last year in gaming, folks! And what a year. Just about every aspect of the industry is in the bin. Layoffs have hit development, publishing, journalism; you name it, people were unemployed in it. And yet, despite every single challenge, the output was incredible. Bangers from day one.

I find the best way to walk into the new year is arse first, staring squarely at the previous. So, let’s talk about those bangers. Here are my top 5 games of 2024.

5.

I’d successfully managed to avoid Balatro until the middle of December. Having seen it claim the lives of everyone on my timeline, I thought it best to steer clear. Then I learned I had a load of PlayStation Stars coins that had to be used, and I could use them to get it for free. So I did.

20 hours later, I’ve managed to complete a single run. It took me ages, too. Go after go after go. But I just couldn’t get over the hump. So I went again. And again. I played it for 8 hours straight one day between Christmas and New Year. It almost ruined my life. But I got there! Just one complete run. That’s all I needed. Honest.

I’m not a roguelike man. Hades is about as far as I’ve stretched into the genre without packing in completely. Balatro has it. A really, really great game.

4.

My most played game of the year. As stressful as it is hilarious. Arrowhead’s co-op PVE intergalactic shooter is a triumph.

You don’t need me to recap this. Helldivers II was a phenomenon when it was released in February. If it weren’t for the PSN account misstep, there’s a very good chance it will have continued its ridiculous momentum through the year. Even so, Arrowhead have pumped out two major content updated, and kept new major orders coming in between.

You’ve got to have the right people to play with. If you’re jumping in solo, there’s not much here for you. Helldivers II shines as a social space. 2 or 3 hours on headset with guys you’ve not seen in months. That’s its greatest achievement, I think. It doesn’t fully justify Sony’s headfirst plunge into live services, but certainly makes a convincing argument for them to not abandon the model completely.

3.

If you only pay attention to one game on this list, make it Thank Goodness You’re Here!. An utterly amazing achievement. The funniest video game of all time, bar none. The new standard for how comedy in games will be held. Coal Supper aren’t a studio I’ve come across previously, but they’re firmly on my radar now.

You play as a little yellow man who’s carted off to the Northern town of Barnsworth to help its residents. From there, you just kind of get on with it. Self-described as a “slapformer”, it’s difficult to really box in what this is. Part walking simulator, part point and click (point and slap?), given the platforming isn’t overly strong, I guess. 

Strangely, that isn’t where the games strengths lie. It’s the package, and the experience. And having both Matt Berry and Jon Blyth voicing characters. I played through in one evening, and was in stitches. And, since then, I’ve gone to find clips of people playing it, to see others enjoy that glee. Very little by the way of replayability, but I can fully see myself going back to it every year or so, like I would my favourite films.

I’m not sure how well this is going to translate outside of the UK. It’s very Fast Show, Monty Python-y. Irreverent, barmy, brilliant. Coal Supper. Bravo.

And now for a massive cop-out…

1a.

I said in my review that this would be a top 2 game. And, to the surprise of absolutely no one, it is. Astro Bot has become something of an obsession of mine. Since beating it, I’ve received plushies, shirts, stickers, all depicting Sony’s new face. The free levels have been a delight. Astro Bot is getting all the acclaim it deserves. Outstanding.

Team Asobi’s latest is, as you well know, a love letter to the PlayStation in its 30th year. Astro Bot is crammed full of nods and winks to the platform’s history, be that through bots dressed as characters from notable titles, or entire levels crafted around certain games themselves. If these references didn’t exist, though, the game would still be great. Because the foundations it’s built on are just fabulous.

Astro Bot is pure digital joy. It picks up mechanics and ideas and just lob them out the window within a level. And it knows how to leave you wanting more. There’s almost certainly another in the works, and the only concern I have is how they go about one-upping the references aspect. Like, you can’t have a whole game of finding the same Bots again. And there aren’t that many franchises missed to flesh out another 25 hours, surely?

Either way, Astro Bot is outstanding. It gave me a grin that only escaped my face during those challenge levels. Well deserving of every accolade it’s awarded. A triumph.

1b.

There was a moment, pre-release, that I considered waiting until later in the year before picking up Rebirth. While I enjoyed Remake enough, it didn’t really leave the lasting impression I’d hoped. PlayStation’s February State of Play managed to get me on the hype train. And I didn’t get off it. We played this for 3 or 4 hours a day, every day, for about a month. Rebirth is incredible. I love it so much.

Picking up where Remake left off, Rebirth has the unenviable task of continuing the original Final Fantasy VII’s first disc, while also building on the strange meta-narrative Remake set up. Rebirth chooses to do so by slowing things down and shifting the focus onto its (growing) cast of characters. Each member of your party is given equal weighting. If you have a favourite character, they’re getting plenty of the spotlight. 

That same focus extends to set pieces. Literally every aspect of Final Fantasy VII is given so much attention that whatever you love will have its moment. Nothing is left to the side. Nothing feels undercooked. This is full fat Final Fantasy VII, for better or for worse. 

There is bloat. Undeniably so. The final stretch of the game is just that; a stretch. But, having spent literally 12 hours seeing it off on Good Friday, I’m genuinely not sure I’d have it any other way. I’ve not gone back. Not yet. I will, before Part 3 comes out. But, as an experience, Rebirth gave me absolutely everything I wanted. A stunning achievement. 

Oh, and Queen’s Blood is amazing.

Oh, and the music.

Oh, and…