With each video game that I play, I am thinking about if it will be in my top ten at year end. I love playing video games, and it’s a great way for me to think about the games that I enjoyed the most in a given year.
In recent years, we have seen an unprecedented number of awesome video games release. We are seeing more games that average an 80 or higher on OpenCritic than ever before. Because of this, in the past two years in particular, I have had many games that would have been on my top ten in past years that didn’t make it this time around.
So now, being an “Honorable Mention” is dang near as good as being a top ten game in the past. Thus, despite the fact that these games are not in my coveted top ten, these are all still absolute bangers. If I rate a game an 8.5/10, that is me saying that this is a game truly worth remembering at year’s end. It happened to turn out that every game in my top ten is a 9/10 this year, and so all the games here are my 8.5s.
Because these games are not in the top ten, I did not expend the same level of energy ranking them. This is not a definitive ranking from 11 and on, but I did try to put them in order to some extent, though.
With that, let’s honor some games!
My Other Year End Content So Far
BigNerdGaming’s Top 10 Indie Games Of 2024
AndresPlays Top 10 Games of 2024
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth
It took me something like 9 months to beat Infinite Wealth. I took at least three breaks from it during my playthrough. On one hand, this shows some of the flaws that the game had for me. Infinite Wealth can be a bit of a slog at times. While the battle system has massive improvements from the first game, I still had some issues with it, and the story has some serious lulls at times.
Despite that, there is a whole lot of greatness here. The minigames are as fantastic as you’d expect, with the new additions of Sujimon and Dondoko Island being some of the best in series history. While I did have some issues with the story, it still reaches some incredibly high highs. The characters are awesome, and the battle system is solidly above average, at the very least.
The reality is that if I take three breaks from a game, usually that game is absolutely toast for me. There’s almost no way that I finish it. The fact that I still got to the end truly does speak to the quality here. I understand how this could be someone’s game of the year. Obviously, it fell short of my top 10, but I still have a ton of respect for this game.
Silent Hill 2 Remake
I wish I could put this game in my top 10, but this year was just too damn good. Silent Hill 2 Remake was my first experience with this franchise, and it is one that I won’t forget any time soon. Simply, this might be the best survival horror story I have ever experienced. Each cutscene has you fascinated with what will come next, and then the payoff to all those questions is fantastic. The ending I got was incredibly moving and had me close to tears. This game tackles some heavy themes in incredible ways. It meant something to me. If you know what it’s like to have a partner that you truly love, I think these themes will hit home for you.
The game also has surprisingly decent survival horror gameplay, despite how relatively barebones it is. The sound design and camera angles create some very visceral and intense combat. It’s just a shame how much of a slog navigating can be. Silent Hill 2 is filled with maze-like levels that have you backtracking constantly. The game also has several spots where you have to essentially replay an area you just finished, with slight variations. There also isn’t tons of variety with the enemies. As much as I loved this story, I was annoyed with the game just a bit too often for it to reach my prestigious top 10. But this might be in the top 5 for games that I will remember the most from this year. What a freaking story.
Harold Halibut
Harold Halibut is one of those perfect examples as to why I try my best not to walk away from a game until at least the halfway mark. I spent my first several hours with the game a bit frustrated with the pacing, as well as with all of the backtracking through the same few areas over and over.
A few things kept me engaged. The writing was sharp, and there were some fun and heartfelt moments that kept me at least a little interested. The claymation art design is unlike anything else I have played, and I couldn’t help but marvel at it, even several hours into the game. There were also just enough plot hooks to keep me going.
Finally, it all paid off. Harold Halibut reaches a point where the plot really gets interesting, and it never lets go from there. I was completely locked in for the entire second half of the game, all the way up to the fantastic ending. I still think about that ending, especially as I reflect on this past year. It was definitely one of the best moments of the year. The amount they were about to do with the claymation design was really incredible. If you decide to give this game a chance, give it some time to develop, and I do not think it will let you down.
Rise of the Golden Idol
I was so excited to jump into this one after finally playing Case of the Golden Idol earlier this year, and it did not disappoint. Rise of the Golden Idol is a point and click detective game with very minimal handholding. This is one of the best franchises in the world at making you feel smart. This entry does a lot of great things that make the gameplay experience even better. The UI is much cleaner feeling. There are end of chapter puzzles that put everything together, and the upgraded graphics make the visual clues a lot clearer.
Just like the first game, the story is also excellent. This studio has now put together two games that aren’t quite like anything else that I have greatly enjoyed. The Golden Idol series is now a must play for me with any new entry.
Nine Sols
Nine Sols is the only game on this list that I haven’t finished yet. I’m about halfway through it. I’m just astounded at how damn good the combat is here. This feels like the closest thing we have to a 2D Sekiro. The parrying is so fun here, and the platforming is increasingly getting better the more I play. The boss fights have all been tough but fair thus far. The spots in between boss fights are also a nice balance of tough but manageable.
I’ve also been surprisingly engaged with the story. The game does a great job of telling little stories about each of the bosses before and after you beat them, and it is developing Yi (the main character) more and more as the game goes. I really wish the Metroidvania map was worthwhile. Fast travel is also awkward (why do I have to fast travel back to the base to fast travel to other places?), but the core gameplay elements are so good that I am able to forgive some occasional annoyances. This is an absolute gem.
Helldivers 2
I have a complicated relationship with multiplayer games these days. While I do enjoy them in many ways, it’s just tough to make time for them. These games are much better with friends, and coordinating schedules isn’t always easy as a dad (not to mention, the possibility of being pulled away mid game is always there now). I also really like to hop around to different games as I play, but that can be difficult to do once you are locked in with a party in multiplater.
So I feel like it really says something that I ended up putting around 20 hours into Helldivers 2. The co-op focus leads to one of the most unique and fun multiplayer experiences I have had in a while. All of the core elements are so well made. The shooting feels great, the strategem mechanic is very cool, and levels are impeccably designed. The fantastic art direction and overall personality of the game also do a great job of drawing you in.
But most importantly, I’m not sure I had any other experience this year that was both this intense and this hilarious. Many times, while playing Helldivers 2, I’m on the edge of my seat and almost have to remember to breathe. Other times, I was laughing my ass off. It’s a shame that the game isn’t a bit more fun by yourself or with random people (I found it hard to find a fun/engaging party), but this is some top tier stuff with friends. If I had more of a multiplayer mindset, this would have likely been a top 10 game for me.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle
My journey with Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is really weird. I spent several days thinking it might be my #3 game of the year. During the middle section of the game, I thought it was more of a 7.5. Then, the home stretch made it a firm Honorable Mention, even if it was still several rungs below the top ten.
I think the last two “open zone” areas are just a bit too open. The Gizeh area has a lot of dead space, and the Sukhotai area has very dull boat navigation areas. The middle portion of the game also has a few awkward set pieces and boss fights. I also don’t really care for the hand to hand combat.
But when this game is clicking, it is absolutely unreal. The stealth is a lot of fun and has a great level of goofiness with the random objects you get to use to ambush foes with. The platforming feels clunky but in a weirdly good way. It feels clunky in the way that platforming probably should feel if you aren’t a superhero. It’s not as smooth and easy as a game like Uncharted, and I like that. There are also some amazing moments. Troy Baker is electric as Indiana Jones. This game did some cool stuff and actually made an Indiana Jones newbie like me a bit more interested in the franchise.
Animal Well
Animal Well is one of the most interesting Metroidvanias I have ever played. This is a Metroidvania purely about exploration and puzzle solving, and it mostly pulls that off incredibly well. I loved how intuitive the puzzles are, especially because the game doesn’t hold your hand one bit. There are too many “aha!” moments to count when you play this game. The visual style is also very cool. This was a breath of fresh air in so many ways.
I had a few minor complaints, especially with the fast travel system, but I still adored this experience overall.
Rise of the Ronin
This might be the game on the list that I have the most issues with. I could spend quite a while talking about the games flaws. It has such a lackluster open world, and the storytelling suffers from having way too many characters. The elements of choice are implemented in very clumsy ways with the story as well.
But man, this combat hits hard. Rise of the Ronin is in my top 5 for combat this year. This is some of the best sword combat I have experienced. Enemies have such a wide array of attack patterns. Parrying is fun as hell. There’s also a fluidity to it. I felt like I was making a lot of decisions in battle rather than just waiting for the next enemy attack to dodge or parry like some other action games I played this year.
And while the open world isn’t great, it still can be fun. It gives the game a bit of accessibility, as if you are having trouble with a section, it’s easy enough to do some side quests in order to get stronger. The glider that you can use is also pretty fun. If a game is flawed but executes incredibly well on one thing, sometimes that is all it needs. The combat in Rise of the Ronin is strong enough to warrant a mention from me here.
UFO 50
It’s always a big deal when an old developer re-releases a bunch of games into one package. Sega has had some releases like this over the years as an example. Well, take that concept, but make it fifty brand new games, and you have UFO 50. That alone is a tremendous accomplishment. All of these games are from a fictional developer in the 1980s that is advertised as being “ahead of their time.””
Sure enough, I enjoyed a lot of games in this package. I have played about 25 of the 50 so far before putting it down for now. There are so many unique and interesting experiences here. It would be easy to get lost for months in this if this is your jam.
However, it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. Heck, there are times it wasn’t even mine. The 1980s were a very different time for video games, and UFO 50 stays mostly true to that era. There are some frustrating learning curves, puzzle games that barely explain how the game works, etc. I felt like jumping into each new game took a fair bit of patience, as you really have to figure out a lot of game mechanics yourself. Once you do that, though, there are some absolute gems here. I think anyone who loves video games, even if they don’t like this era of games much, can find something to enjoy here. That is just a testament to how much freaking content is in this package.
Big Nerd Gaming 
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