#gameoftheyear

B3ivtusu3veiywkem fauwme?!?!?!?!

It's that time of year again where I write about my favorite games I played in 2024!

Normally, I keep track of all this stuff on a Notepad app on my PC, but sadly, during the last bit of 2024, I had to hard reset my PC, and all of the old notes from previous years were lost.

Broke my heart a bit to lose a part of me to remember the games I played in previous years. It was like a personal journal entry of where I was in life. I do have the previous year's blog posts of SOME of the games that were highlights which is better than NOTHING, but man... (Rest in peace little file: 2018-2024)

Thankfully I could tally up all of the games I finished this year despite the loss.

I finished about 26 games in 2024 (two games were back-to-back replays so technically I finished 28 games but to keep it simple... 26). This is far LESS than last year, but far MORE than 2022.

I will keep most of these thoughts short since I did a stream on Radio PSI with Nightshade about my "favorite games in 2024." Here's a brief write-up.

Pikmin 4- (Nintendo Switch)

I'm sad I didn't get to play this at launch. I never finished 1, 2, or, 3 but once I was told that this game could be played as is without needing to play the other games, I decided to dive in, and I finally understood the appeal of the series. It's a comforting game to play and it's beginner-friendly so I don't have to feel too bad if I'm messing up.

From collecting the ship parts, exploring dungeons, collecting glow Pikmin, and upgrading myself and Oatchi... it was a treat and much more (especially with the post-game content). This is a game I'm glad I 100%'d. I hope to play the other Pikmin games in the future. It won't be the same as 4, but I love these little guys so much. The purple Pikmin are my favorite.

Incredible Crisis- (Playstation 1)

I was suggested to play this because a friend told me that my comic/ game idea had the same vibe as this game so I decided to try it out and... wow. They got me...

Take the wacky antics of Wario Ware and Bishi Bashi and slam them into a blender... you get Incredible Crisis. Some mini-games can be hard, but once you get the rhythm down it's not THAT bad. This game has SO many ideas and goofy things it tries to do that it is a personal gold mine of goofy ideas and things I want to try in my own projects so if you want something fun and unserious please check out this insane concoction of stuff that made me laugh and smile.

Also that OST by Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. Perfection.

Chulip- (Playstation 2)

I played a LOT of Chulip-like games this year. Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland, Dropsy, Starstruck, and even For Whom The Frog Bell Tolls. Out of all of them... I loved them all equally. I couldn't rank them so technically they are all here in this spot. This is my list I do whatever the heck I want. Chulip is an insane game to pitch and market for a US audience, but I love games that break the norm. Simple premise, but you are thrown into so many moments, characters, and situations JUST to be able to kiss the girl of your dreams. It's stupid and obtuse, but that's the kind of game I want to play. It's all about the journey rather than the destination and Chulip makes sure that you remember this experience (especially at the end where the game THROWS a whole quiz on you to see if you remember everything you experienced). I want more games like this (Stray Children just came out in Japan and I am STOKED for a US release in 2025).

Splatoon 2- Octo Expansion- (Nintendo Switch)

I have NEVER finished a single-player campaign in Splatoon until 2024. Everyone told me that if there was ONE single-player mode to play it was Octo Expansion. I got around to it and I feel the best way to explain this campaign without saying much is that this is Nintendo's Portal 2.

Octo Expansion was awesome! The OST, the art, and the characters were a HUGE highlight personally. It's another game that inspired me creatively and that finale really put my skills to the test and left me VERY satisfied that I got to experience something like Portal 2 again. Good job, Nintendo.

Metroid Dread- (Nintendo Switch)

Before I could REALLY dive into this game I played all of Zero Mission and Fusion just to get myself ready and MAN. This game rules. I loved Super Metroid and I am SO GLAD I got to play this. I don't have much to say other than if you want to play a GOOD Metroid game and you haven't played Dread yet? PLEASE play Dread. Samus is the coolest lady in the galaxy... (this game prompted me to read the Metroid manga and now I am all about playing Metroid Prime 2 and 3 before Prime 4 is released so I am like on a huge Metroid fixation atm).

Before I talk about my personal GOTY I am gonna highlight some other games I enjoyed playing and finishing this year, but it will just be the titles (bringing the ones I already mentioned in passing here so it's not forgotten since I know not EVERYONE reads my silly ramblings):

Starstruck (PC)

Egg Squeeze (PC)

Corn Kidz 64 (PC)

P5 Strikers (PS4)

Metroid Zero Mission (GBA)

Metroid Fusion (GBA)

For Whom The Frog Bell Tolls (GB)

Tingle's Rosy Rupeeland (DS)

Dropsy (PC)

Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (Switch)

Ok it's time to talk about my favorite game I played this year that came out of nowhere and made me the happiest dude in the world...

Emio The Smiling Man: Famicom Detective Club- (Nintendo Switch)

This is one of Nintendo's most ambitious games to come out of the company in a LONG time. I NEVER thought I would see a new entry to this series EVER again. I had hope that MAYBE a remake of the Satellaview game would be in the works, but that was about it.

Nope!

When they first teased about "Emio" and left the internet stumped for about a week to figure out who the heck Emio is... I was like "ok this is a new approach of Nintendo that's cool". After the week passed and I woke up to see it was for Famicom Detective Club... I was probably one of the ONLY people who was VERY excited to see the news that Nintendo is giving me another entry to one of the most overlooked series in Nintendo's history.

I totally understand why a lot of people WOULD be disappointed when it wasn't a "real horror game", but I feel a lot of the promotion and pushing for this game means that Nintendo REALLY believed in this game and I was eager to see what the heck Yoshio Sakamoto wanted to share with this new entry.

To prepare myself I ended up replaying the older games and saw that they were doing chapter releases (sorta similar to Satallaview in a way hmmmm....) before the game was released. I basically sat down and marathoned it on Twitch.

I WISH I could talk about my ENTIRE thoughts of this game, but I feel that everyone should do themselves a favor and actually pick up and buy this game. There will NEVER be another Nintendo game like this again. Nintendo took a RISK to make this game and the story they wanted to tell is something I would never expect from Nintendo.

Never has a game broken my heart this much. There were many moments that caught me off guard that I will have a hard time forgetting about for the rest of my life. I can understand why Yoshio Sakamoto said that the ending will be very divisive. Even some reviews that came out afterward really showed who loved and who hated what this game was trying to do.

I feel this is the first time in a long time that Nintendo went out of its way to put so much money into telling a very human story that while not many people will see it for what it is, I'm putting Emio on my list as one of my favorite video games of all time. Unfortunately, the reception wasn't as big as it should have been and it may mean this series may be dormant once again, but there was a recent interview from Yoshio Sakamoto that FDC isn't QUITE done yet so I pray that means this IP has more moments to shine. This was a big surprise for me in 2024 and I truly believe that it's more important than ever going forward that people need to take time to enjoy something rather than trying to treat it like it's fast food or the flavor of the month. Emio proved that to me with its story, visuals, writing, and OST. I ended up playing this game TWICE and it's possible I may end up playing it a third time. The amount of new dialogue and new things you can find in Emio was surprising and it just made me love what Nintendo did for this game and I wish more people would give it a chance.

THANKFULLY you don't need to have played the other games in the series to play Emio. Yes, it DOES mention parts from the previous games in Emio, but they are more like little snippets that will lure you into wanting to play those games which I REALLY appreciate Nintendo doing. I'm happy that this new entry to the series is similar to how Pikmin 4 is a good intro game to the Pikmin series for newer players. I feel as time goes on that will be a game I gift to friends in hopes that everyone gives Famicom Detective Club another chance.

This year I kept a list of every game I played

Games I finished in 2023

Super Mario 64

This was the year I got back into speedrunning Super Mario 64. I went to a local brewery with some friends and saw they had a Nintendo 64 hooked up with a copy of Super Mario 64, so I told my friends I could beat it in under 30 minutes. With some beer in me, it took around 35. I decided to take some time this year to get that under 30, and I succeeded. It was fun to get back to playing on original hardware, and I even set up a whole streaming station using an old PVM.

Super Mario 64 CoOp

sm64ex-coop is a branched modification of the Super Mario 64 decompilation project that allows you to use online netplay to play Super Mario 64 with friends, cooperatively. It’s a blast, and every time I played it with a different group of friends, we’d play until we got to 16 stars, and then I’d inevitably try to beat the game there. Totally worth looking into as it’s real easy to get up and running.

Destiny 2: Lightfall

Lightfall’s campaign is a wild low point for the franchise. After last year’s Witch Queen campaign knocked it completely out of the park, and where Season of the Seraph left the world narratively, hopes and expectations for Lightfall were in the stratsophere.

Lightfall was fun but the narrative was a trash fire. I’ve spent 8 years up to this point playing Destiny, getting invested in the characters and world, and Destiny’s world is coming to a fever pitch in the opening of Lightfall, with the biggest bad knocking on our door. But Lightfall treats this situation, which has earned the severity of its weight and the right to be taken seriously over these last 8 years, as an 80’s action comedy with montages and quips all throughout. Couple this with the introduction of The Veil without any explanation of what it is or why it’s important with the ending that we have failed, and you get a recipe that makes your playerbase so soured that it’s no wonder they missed 45% of their projections.

All of this is sad to see, but at the same time, Destiny’s in the best state it’s ever been. The core loop is still a blast, grinding has been minimized, and they’ve streamlined a little more of the onboarding process for new players by bringing back some of the previously vaulted campaign missions with some slight tweaks to make them fresh.

All told, I’m still excited for The Final Shape next year. The future of Destiny has yet to be written.

Chaos;Head NoaH

Chaos;Head NoaH is another entry in the Science Adventure series, which I have a lot of love for since playing Steins;Gate. I wish I’d played Chaos;Head NoaH before playing Chaos;Child, but that’s not how they released in the west. I think that really soured my time with the game since I knew a lot of what was going on behind the scenes. I don’t have a lot to say about NoaH, but it was pretty alright.

myhouse.wad

I can’t say too much about myhouse.wad without spoiling myhouse.wad. It’s a small experience built off of Doom II that does some really creative things in that engine. If you haven’t heard about it, grab gzDoom and Doom II and go download the game from this forum thread.

There’s so many videos of the game and about the game out there, but I would really encourage you to play it for yourself first. I think the absolute best way to play myhouse.wad is over a Discord call while some friends who have already played it watch you experience it. It’s a really wonderful communal experience.

Vampire Survivors (100%)

Vampire Survivors kicks ass, y’all. I 100%’d it early in the year, and was excited to do so again when it released on Nintendo Switch. Not a lot more to say about the game than what has been said by many before, but it’s a wonderful way to make time disappear while the numbers get bigger.

Mother 3

I’ve talked a lot about Mother 3 this year, but more importantly, I finally finished it. It’s a very difficult game that has a story that is warm and sad, and is absolutely inspirational. Here’s my thoughts from when I finished it:

I finally finished my years-in-the-making playthrough of MOTHER 3 last night. I usually gush about the games that I love and have tons to say, but I don't really have much to talk about after having finished this one.

The game's a masterpiece, tells a great story, has so many wonderful moments, is wildly huge and varied, and has a hell of a surprise at the 11th hour. I'd recommend it to most anyone, though with the caveat that I think the game's incredibly challenging. Maybe throw on a cheat or two for a couple of the very hard encounters.

I started this attempted (and successful!) playthrough in the beginning of 2022, after finally having finished EarthBound. I got to the end of Chapter 3 and set it down. A few months later, I lost my mom to lung cancer. I'm still messed up from it, which I think is pretty normal. When I started up Chapter 4 earlier this month, I got hit like a sack of bricks. The game had a time skip between the chapters, where I'd taken a break. The main character for the chapter, Lucas, is reminded of his mother constantly, with occasional flashbacks to the times when she was alive. It hit me like a ton of bricks, and I almost put the game back down, but ultimately I'm really glad I didn't.

One last, unexpected thing. Finishing MOTHER 3 has given me a different context for other works I've enjoyed, almost like learning a new language for appreciating them. For example, Undertale and Deltarune have some references that completely flew over my head before, and now I fully get them, and get to appreciate them all over again.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Tears of the Kingdom might be the perfect adventure game. I’ve never had a game that has made me want to explore it so thoroughly, creating small quests for myself to go and climb this thing, go map that thing, go craft this ridiculous machine, etc etc. It is without question the best Zelda game ever made, and I loved it in its entirety. That story was so affecting, and the ending was incredibly satisfying. I only wish it ran at a smooth framerate at a higher resolution. Maybe on the next release of Nintendo Hardware.

OFF

Toby Fox asked me, “did you ever play OFF?” 

I said “No, should I?”

He said “Yeah probably.”

So over the course of the week, sketches scribbled across sticky notes and scratch paper, I played the 2008 French RPG Maker horror game, OFF. It was an incredibly satisfying experience to beat the game without guides. I’ve had the horrifying soundtrack on my phone ever since and listen to it any time I want to be put in a very weird mood. I’d recommend playing it, and there’s a free English translation, so grab that.

Final Fantasy XVI

Final Fantasy XVI is the only game in memory that I’ve played a demo, then went to the store and immediately picked up the game. I was so blown away by the game’s bombastic visuals and presentation that I just wanted to see more and more of it. The combat was so much fun, Ben Starr’s voice for Clive was so sonically soothing, and the story had just enough curiosity to it to drive me to buy my first $70 video game at retail price.

The joy of that game continued for the first 2/3rds, then the sheen fell all the way off. The fetch quests became boring, the story became convoluted, and at some point I just wished it would be over. And when it was, I was so throroughly unsatisfied with its conclusion that it soured the previous 60 hours.

I’ll revisit FFXVI some day if they put out some satisfying story DLC with a PC port, but for now I’m going to look at it as the game that almost had something to say.

If you have played the game, I’d really recommend listing to this episode of Abnormal Mapping with Austin Walker, as he put into words all the feelings I had and so much more.

Sonic Origins Plus

For years I’ve asked for Sonic 1/2/3K/CD on modern platforms in the Retro Engine, and finally we have that. After the Plus expansion and the last round of bug fixes, I think Sonic Origins Plus is now the best Official way to play these games. I played through all four games 100% while on my trip to Japan in July this year, halfway through picking up a 6-Button Sega Mega Drive controller from the Nintendo Store (weird times we live in). I’d never gotten all the time stones in Sonic CD, but thanks to the retry function they added and the removal of lives, that game became a delight to wander and explore. It’s a shame they don’t give you an option to disable the timer, which is the only problem left with Sonic CD’s focus on discovery.

If you can pick up Sonic Origins Plus for less than $30, I can’t recommend it enough. If you’re on PC or have modified hardware, maybe check out the decompilation projects of Sonic 1 & 2, and Sonic CD, and download Sonic 3 AIR.

Super Mario RPG

Weirdly enough, I’ve never finished Super Mario RPG. I’ve been trying to take more time to fill out my video game lexicon and play games that I’d never gotten around to, and this was the year for Super Mario RPG for the Super Nintendo. 

I love how much this game did to tell a warm story with such expressive characters with the hardware of the era. It’s amazing just how many sprites they used and the way they made them act. Keeping Mario as a silent protagonist who has to tell stories to people through miming it out is so charming.

The battle system is fun and satisfying, the characters are hilarious, the music is wonderful, and best of all, it’s short. I’m excited to give the Nintendo Switch version a run through next year.

Anonymous;Code

Anonymous;Code is, as the semicolon gives it away, another game in the SciAdv series, this one being the latest at the time of publication. It follows a hacker who discovers they have the ability to literally save and load the world, enabling an incredibly fascinating method of time travel. There’s not a ton I can say about the game without giving too much away, but it’s a real 10/10 and the shortest visual novel I think I’ve ever played, clocking in my 100% playthrough at about 17 hours. It’s also a visual treat with their implementation of Live2D. If you’ve never played a SciAdv game I’d certainly recommend the original Steins;Gate first, but this game stands on its own beautifully.

The Police Mystery

The Police Mystery is a thinly veiled fetish game about giant women. It’s not good but it sure was fun to play with Xalavier Nelson Jr on stream. Wouldn’t recommend playing it or watching it. I probably shouldn’t even bring it up.

Also there’s no mystery.

Muv-Luv Extra, Muv-Luv Unlimited, & Muv-Luv Alternative

I started playing Muv-Luv on a whim and fell down a rabbit hole and I think I want out.

Muv-Luv Extra is a pretty rout Dating Sim about a jerk of a main character who has a bunch of girls fawning over him for some reason. I got multiple endings at the recommendation of various forums before continuing, and at the time I was confused as to why anyone would ever recommend this game.

Muv-Luv Unlimited starts on the same day that Extra starts, but when the player leaves their bedroom, they discover the world has been ravaged by Aliens that invaded the Earth 28 years prior, while retaining all memories of their previous life. Almost all of the same characters are there, but now they’re soldiers at a UN base that was formerly the school Extra took place. It’s a hell of a twist and I liked it. I have to spoil it to talk about Unlimited, so suffice to say that at the end of the game, Humanity loses.

Muv-Luv Alternative starts on the same day in the same war torn world, but the player character remembers most of what took place in both Extra and Unlimited. While events all start the same, things start to go very differently. It’s a pretty good twist with some really great moments but there are two unforgiveable things the game does to characters that make it impossible to recommend to anyone.

I’m now watching the Anime Adaptation of Alternative and I hate this ride and I want off. But also to detox, I’m playing Muv-Luv Photon Melodies, which is a happy ending to all of it. Again, can’t recommend it. Don’t go down this rabbit hole.

Sonic Superstars

Sonic Superstars is the game I’ve wanted forever by the people who I wanted to make it, but half baked. It’s a classic style 2D Sonic game with absolutely phenomenal 3D graphics, treating the original Sonic designs with love and respect, and the gameplay feels almost exactly like the Sega Genesis games I grew up with. Unfortunately, half of the music is atrocious, some of the levels are frustrating and boring, some have mechanics that make them terribly unfun, and some of the bosses are infuriating. The final boss of the main game sapped away almost all good will I had for the game. Some day I’ll finish it and see the true ending, but I might wait for more fan mods to fix some of the odds and ends to make it more enjoyable.

I think that if Naoto Oshima and his team at Arzest got a chance to make another game in this vein, it could be a huge success. This really felt like it was most of the way there.

Risk of Rain Returns 

The Bancast’s game of the year all years returns with a gorgeous coat of new paint, all sorts of lessons learned from Risk of Rain 2, and functional netcode. Risk of Rain is my favorite roguelike in which you defeat enemies, get gold and xp, find chests to get augmenting items, and then loop the game over and over again while it gets more and more challening.

Lethal Company

Lethal Company has become the new favorite game to play with all sorts of friend groups, taking the spot that something like Among Us was in 2020/2021. It’s a simple scavenging and resource management game that you play with friends, but the fun lies in proximity voice chat for communications, and the horrible realization that you’re not alone. The hilarity and fear that comes out of this game every session is some of the most fun I’ve had with video games.

Like a Dragon Gaiden

Like a Dragon Gaiden is Yakuza 7b. While I technically didn’t finish the game until January 3rd of 2024, I’m including it on this list.

Yakuza 6 ended with (spoilers) Kazuma Kiryu sacrificing himself for his loved ones. But of course, he didn’t die, because no one in Yakuza games are ever truly dead. Instead, Kiryu has gone into hiding, working for a big mysterious government organization to keep their secret safe, and to keep his loved ones safer. I initially thought it was time to give Kiryu the rest he deserved and let Ichiban and other new characters carry this series forward, but after finishing Gaiden I am relieved and surprised with how much I agree with the move to bring Kiryu back. Upon finishing the game I very excitedly started trying to figure out where to pre-order Like a Dragon 8: Infinite Wealth.

Games I Played in 2023

Bujingai The Forsaken City

A weird and enjoyable 3D Action game for the PlayStation 2 featuring Gackt. It’s worth emulating.

Crab Champions

It’s risk of rain with crabs and really fast movement. I’ll come back to it sometime.

The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog

I wish I finished this game, but them deciding to make a murder mystery game about Sonic the Hedgehog and giving it to a team with a lot of love and respect for the genre was such a cool move.

Like a Dragon: Ishin

I can’t believe they gave Yakuza Ishin, a 2014 PS3 Yakuza spin-off game about feudal Japan, a full remake in 2023. I have not finished the game solely because other things grabbed my attention, but everything about the game was great and I look forward to going back to it.

Lost Judgment

The Judgment series got PC ports last year, and I finally got around to finishing Judgment and had an unsurprisingly fantastic time with it. Lost Judgment’s story dragged a bit too much, and I put it down for a bit. I’ve heard that it gets to be pretty amazing, so I’ll pick it back up very soon.

Picross E9

Picross E9 is a Picross game for the 3DS that never got released in the west, and thank goodness someone made a fan translation. I love Picross.

Celeste

I only touched Celeste on a live stream for a bit, but it was an incredibly valuable experience. That game has such great fluidity to it, and I learned that it wasn’t just a single screen platformer like I thought it was. I’ll probably go back to it sometime.

Lies of P

Lies of P, or Piss Fibs as one of my friends called it, is too fucking hard and I’m never going back. I’m a fake gamer and I don’t care what anyone says about me.

Titanfall 2 Northstar

I only played a few nights of Titanfall 2 Northstar with some friends, but man, Titanfall 2 is good as hell. They should make another one of those.

Super Mario Wonder

Super Mario Wonder came out the same week as Sonic Superstars, and I seem to have maybe focused on the wrong game that week. Wonder is a hell of a game filled with creativity and originality. I’ll go back to it at some point.

Cocoon

Cocoon is good as hell and is probably a game of the year contender, but I didn’t have the time for it when it droppped. I will go back this year. Jeppe Carlsen made THOTH. Dude doesn’t know how to make a bad video game.

Baldur's Gate 3

Baldur’s Gate 3 is easily one of the most impressive video games ever made. I put about 18 hours into the game and enjoyed getting to know other characters, do some particularly ridiculous Tabletop RPG shenanigans, and had a pretty good time. But the world didn’t grab me and I just wasn’t that into the story. Maybe I’ll try again sometime.

Logiart Grimoire

Logiart Grimoire is an early access Picross game from Jupiter, the folks who have made all of the good Picross games. There’s an overarching storyline that is mostly uninteresting and a little bit of light puzzle work before you get to do a Picross puzzle, but it’s a Steam release of Picross from the folks who made Picross. You can’t go wrong with it.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 (Steam)

The kind folks at Activision Blizard King Xbox sent me a review code for Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 on Steam, and I’m delighted to share that 2020’s game of the year is still just as good in 2023 on a platform that everyone uses.

Call of Duty MW3 2023

The kind folks at Activision Blizard King Xbox sent me a review code for 2023’s Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 on PC and it wasn’t very fun. I really liked the part of the game that everyone else hated where you’re in big open area places taken from Warzone where you do a couple of nonsense missions. The game looks as expensive as always.

Street Fighter VI

I excitedly purchased Street Fighter VI the same way I pick up every hot new fighting game: with the knowledge that I’m not gonna spend that much time with it. I really enjoyed creating a character and the World Warrior mode as it was the right amount of silly for me. I never got around to playing any multiplayer, but maybe when a character pack goes on sale I’ll grab that and play with some friends.

Armored Core VI

Armored Core VI sure is good, huh? I had a real good time customizing the hell out of a gorgeous looking mech. I played a bunch of levels, beat a few bosses, and had a blast. Not enough to finish the game, but enough to say “Yeah this game sure is good, huh.” 

Live Service Games of 2023

Halo MCC

2023 was the year that Halo The Master Chief Collection was finally completed. Only took 9 years, but now there’s a masterpiece collection of Halo games available on XBox and PC with a huge collection of improvements and mod tools for a thriving community to build new and exciting experiences to be played over Steam. 

Halo Infinite

I played a lot of Halo Infinite in 2023. Forge really saved this game in a big way, from new levels for matchmaking, new mini games for custom games, and into Forgeable AI allowing for unique Firefight experiences and fully custom campaign style levels. The seasonal model finally works, and the mini seasons they started doing at the end of the year have been super fun too. I find that it’s never hard to get into a game, and I frequently see my friends still playing. Halo’s back, baby.

Fortnite

I’m still so surprised by how much fun I’ve been having with Fortnite. I’ve been buying and completing most of the season passes, buying characters like John Cena and dances like Gangnam Style, and playing both incredibly sweatily and equally ridiculously. Fornite’s become a great space to jump in, find a thing to do for a bit, either alone or with some of my friends, and just have a good time.

Lego Fortnite

Lego Fortnite kinda came out of nowhere, but I’ve really enjoyed this very pretty free to play Valheim knock off. It’s still pretty early days, but I’m having fun with it.

Team Fortress 2

I played Team Fortress 2 with a bunch of friends when Valve put out the surprise update, and I was really struck by how good TF2 still is in 2023. There’s some rough edges, but that game has aged like wine.

Counter-Strike 2

Speaking of surprise Valve updates, Counter-Strike 2 has been a delight. I’ve had a small group of friends who like to play a few matches a week, and having to take my gameplay seriously in CS2 has actually demonstrably made me better at other First Person Shooters. Sure half of the games we play are ruined by an absolute idiot of a rando or devastated by cheaters on the other team, but the half of games that aren’t feel fantastic. It’s wild how good CS2 is.

And now, my ranking of 2023's games:

10.) Sonic Superstars

9.) Final Fantasy XVI

8.) Sonic Origins Plus

7.) Anonymous;Code

6.) Like a Dragon Gaiden

5.) Lethal Company

4.) Counter-Strike 2

3.) myhouse.wad

2.) Risk of Rain Returns