Just when you thought that the window for yearly retrospectives was over, here comes another one. Outrageous, right? Wrong! This is the right time for retrospectives. December deserves to be treated as an equal, did you hear Spotify? Probably not. Anyway, moving forward. In 2024 I finished a total of 20 games. That’s 7 more than last year! I’m not sure how I did it to be honest, but being able to squeeze many gameplay hours during the travels I did this year was a big help, justified by majority of games played in portable systems - if we count Nintendo Switch as one. Looking back at all I played, my year was heavily defined by two major trends:
- More Atlus RPGs: The two lengthiest games I played (Persona 3 Reload and Metaphor: ReFantazio) were precisely from this Japanese company specialized in developing the most engaging and aesthetically pleasing role-playing games ever seen. I’ll probably reduce the dose in 2025, as I don’t want to get tired of their formula. At the same time, I’m still missing the two volumes of Persona 2 to complete the series, excluding spin-offs. Let’s see how it goes.
- My awakening to the genius of Hideo Kojima: After finishing four Metal Gear Solid games, I’m completely converted to Kojima’s cult. His way of storytelling is quite unique and bizarre, in the best way possible. Not only that, but his games are also defined by an uncanny attention to detail in every aspect. He is a true Auteur in the world of videogames.
Unlike last year’s retrospective, when this blog was still in its first month, there will be a lot of games mentioned here that I already reviewed. For those, I will leave the links for the respective reviews. For the others, I’ll give my overall impressions. Here’s what I’ve played in 2024, ordered by finishing date:
January 7th
Final Fantasy VII Remake
RPG / PS4 / 39 hours
When I checked my Playstation Wrap-up I was reminded that this was the very first game that I played during this year, and what a way to start it! FF7 Remake is a remarkable reimagining of the opening act of the original game, set in Midgar, with fantastic graphics and soundtrack. The gameplay is very action oriented, although it still preserves some of the quirks of the old turn based system. While interesting, I felt it was also a bit convoluted. Other aspect that I didn’t enjoy was the ending of the game, as its narrative completely derailed into something beyond my comprehension. Probably that wasn’t the case for those who played the original game in its entirety, something that I didn’t.
Great ✦✦✦✦✧
January 30th
Pikmin 4
Real-time strategy / Nintendo Switch / 33 hours
Masterpiece ✦✦✦✦✦ - Read the review here
February 11th
No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle
Hack-and-slash / Nintendo Switch / 11 hours
Good ✦✦✦✧✧ - Read the review here
March 1st
Metal Gear Solid
Action-adventure / PS1 / 13 hours
My journey through Hideo Kojima’s work started here. MGS wasn’t the first game in the franchise, but it was the one who elevated it to a cult status, being the entry point for many people as it was for me. What this game does on a PS1 in terms of cinematography is nothing short of extraodrinary, being one of the most immersive titles of its era. Not every aspect of it aged gracefully, but even then, it’s quite enjoyable considering the modern standards.
Great ✦✦✦✦✧
April 13th
Phantasy Star
RPG / Nintendo Switch / 10 hours
Good ✦✦✦✧✧ - Read the review here
May 27th
Persona 3 Reload
RPG / PS4 / 90 hours
Great ✦✦✦✦✧ - Read the review here
June 24th
Mother 3
RPG / Gameboy Advance / 37 hours
This was without any doubt my favourite game of this year. To understand why I consider it a masterpiece, you can read the review I did for it back then.
June 24th
Sonic Adventure
Action-adventure / Sega Dreamcast / 11 hours
Okay ✦✦✧✧✧ - Read the review here
July 13th
Metal Gear Soild 2: Sons of Liberty
Action-adventure / PS3 / 16 hours
Great ✦✦✦✦✧ - Read the review here
July 26th
Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope
Turn-based strategy / Nintendo Switch / 37 hours
Good ✦✦✦✧✧ - Read the review here
September 11th
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Action-adventure / PS3 / 20 hours
Snake Eater is often considered the pinnacle of the Metal Gear series, with good reason. I won’t get into much detail about it right now, as it was my third favourite game of the year, thence it will recieve a full review soon.
September 17th
Persona
RPG / PSP
Okay ✦✦✧✧✧ - Read the review here
September 22th
Lego City Undercover
Action-adventure / Nintendo Switch / 20 hours
Lego City Undercover was one of the first games I got for the Nintendo Switch back in 2019, when the system library wasn’t as jam packed as it is today. I played it for a while but for some reason I left it unfinished during all this years. In order to fill a time gap before all the October releases I was anticipating, I decided to finally get back to Lego City and finish this once and for all. What I have to say about the game? It’s good, but nothing special. It has a great sense of humor though.
Good ✦✦✦✧✧
October 6th
The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
Action-adventure / Nintendo Switch / 20 hours
Great ✦✦✦✦✧ - Read the review here
October 30th
Sonic x Shadow Generations
Action-adventure / Xbox Series X / 10 hours
Great ✦✦✦✦✧ - Read the review here
October 31th
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City
Action-adventure / Xbox 360 / 17 hours
Episodes from Liberty City is a compilation of the two GTA IV expansions, The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony. Each expansion functions pratically as a separate game with its own protagonist, plot and missions. What makes them more interesting is that they are interconnected with the main game, as each campaign events happens during the same timeframe, but from different points of view. I enjoyed playing both expansions, mostly for its really well writen characters, because everything else was just more GTA IV with a different flavour.
Good ✦✦✦✧✧
November 30th
Sonic R
Racing / Sega Saturn
Sonic games outside the 2D side-scrolling rarely are consensual and Sonic R is the epitome of that. I was one of those who bashed this game for its unconventional gameplay, but now that I gave it a second chance, I admit that I was unfair in my judgment. Sonic R is a really good, albeit quirky, racing game with one of the best soundtracks in the series. The first minutes with it will be quite terrible, but if you take some time to learn how it works, eventually you’ll have fun with it.
Good ✦✦✦✧✧
December 1st
Undertale
RPG / Nintendo Switch / 5 hours
Undertale is a game that need no introduction, being probably one of the best known indie games ever. A game that constantly deceives your expectations by throwing unexpected moments or gameplay mechanics at all the time. I went completely blind to it and I’m glad for that, because it was a memorable ride even if a bit short. The game highly incentivizes multiple playthroughs to see the alternate endings, which with a short game is a reasonable proposition. However, I haven’t done that yet.
Great ✦✦✦✦✧
December 22nd
Metaphor: ReFantazio
RPG / Xbox Series X / 89 hours
Metaphor was the game I was most anticipating this year. Since I saw the first trailer I knew this was something I would love, as it was made by the people behind Persona 3, 4 and 5. I will definetly do a full review for it soon, as this was my second favourite game of the year.
December 31st
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Action-adventure / PS3 / 20 hours
I decided to close the year with another Metal Gear Solid game. I went for Guns of the Patriots one with some reservations, as I read and heard many people saying not so positive things about it, particularly regarding the extreme amount and lenght of its cutscenes. Now that I played it, I understand where those opinions come from, nonetheless, I enjoyed every second of said cutscenes. It helped that Kojima Productions pushed the envelope on what was possible on a then recent PS3, with visuals far beyond most of its contemporaries. Narrative wise, MGS4 is a fan-service festival, bringing together almost all key characters from the previous games and even a particular well known location. It also marks the end of Solid Snake’s arch with another emotional ending, almost as powerful as the one of Snake Eater.
Masterpiece ✦✦✦✦✦
And that’s all for 2024! Hope you enjoyed this retrospective and consider playing some of the games I mentioned here, at least the ones who deserved a “Great” or “Masterpiece” rating. You are in for a treat with those, believe me. Lastly, as I promised before, reviews for my second and third favourite games of this year, Metaphor: Re-Fantazio and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater will be released in the following month, hopefully. See you next time!
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