2024 has been an unusual year. While there have been some notable releases, many of my most engaging gaming experiences came from revisiting older titles.
Live Service Diversions
My time was often spent with live service games: Final Fantasy 14, Guild Wars 2, World of Warcraft, Star Wars: The Old Republic, DC Universe Online, and Warframe. Guild Wars 2 remains a favorite, with its exceptional quest and world design, and the best in genre fashion.
I also returned to Final Fantasy 14, enjoying the world of Eorzea despite its initial slog. Even the older content was made enjoyable with friends. And, as always, I found the fashion options compelling.
DC Universe Online, despite being graphically dated, was fun for experimenting with different builds and costumes. Similarly, while it shows its age, the compelling stories of Star Wars: The Old Republic kept me engaged.
Warframe is still a unique and exciting online action game, offering constant innovation. The recent "1999" update is a great example of its unique approach to live service content.
Single Player Adventures
I also spent significant time with some single-player games, particularly enjoying the adventure genre. I returned to Dave Gilbert's Blackwell series, finding its ghost stories and detective yarns as compelling as ever. These games are perfect for the Steam Deck and their unique storytelling holds up even now.
I also returned to Telltale's The Walking Dead, starting from the beginning and finally completing the series. Despite having experience with these stories, the decisions remain incredibly powerful.
Disco Elysium, a game I repeatedly return to, is a uniquely moving and profound gaming experience. Its combination of humor and tragedy always makes it worth replaying, which is why it was such a high rated game on this website for a long period.
And, of course, Baldur's Gate 3, which now sits atop the best game of all time lists, also received a good amount of play time. The level of depth and engagement was everything I hoped it would be. The steady and substantial updates and future content also make it one I'll return to.
Bittersweet Returns
My return to Marvel's Midnight Suns also highlighted its strengths, including fun combat and good RPG mechanics. But, ultimately, the knowledge of its poor sales and the departure of creator Jake Solomon made it a little bittersweet. It's a great creative and unique Superhero game that I felt deserved to be a huge success.
Endless Legend, Amplitude's asymmetric 4X sci-fi fantasy game, remains a favorite, combining strong storytelling with brilliant faction design. I've been playing this for a long time, and find new aspects each time I return to the game. It's a shame the studio moved away from this project.
Conclusion
This year, I spent a surprising amount of time with older games, maybe because the new titles failed to make that big a impact. While recent releases like Helldivers 2 and Balatro are fun, the overall picture of the games industry makes it hard to be excited about many new games. The layoffs and the emergence of AI makes the future feel uncertain. I've found solace in old favourites, and found comfort in games that I know and enjoy.
