2024, what a year, am I right? I’m sorry you experienced all that, or happy that it happened, whatever fits better. No, I don’t care, keep it to yourse-you know what, let’s just talk about games. No, not your games. I mean, can you imagine caring about anything but my games?
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Which GOTY Recipient At The Game Awards Has Surprised You The Most?
Some seemed obvious from the get-go. The Witcher 3, for instance. Others seemed to catch folks by surprise. It Takes Two kind of surprised me, personally!
Since I’m never wrong, I’m sure we’ll agree on them. What do you mean by ‘every editor at TheGamer does their own GOTY list’? I wasn’t told about that. There’s no other editor but me, I’m the only editor, don’t be ridiculous.
10
Zenless Zone Zero
Up until this release, it seemed like Mihoyo could do no wrong. And yet, Zenless Zone Zero didn’t launch in the most optimal state; any fun that you could find in it was buried under tons of boring exploration, and progression was not a bit of a slog.
Thankfully, Mihoyo paid attention to the player feedback and quickly started improving ZZZ by focusing more on combat, replacing the TV mode with a more traditional exploration, and overall working on the game’s strongest points. With more updates coming soon, ZZZ is becoming as popular as any other Hoyo game and claws its way onto my list from the jaws of defeat.
9
Persona 3 Reload
Wait, what? Persona is this low on the list? Yeah, that’s right; look, it’s my list and I do what I want with it, okay? Back in the day Persona 3 was my favorite game in the series, so imagine my excitement when the remake was announced. Ultimately, the simplified version of Tartarus’ exploration, no female MC, and the remade OST kind of killed that hype.
However, the game I loved can still be found under all those changes, and I’m glad this remake exists because I could find myself enjoying the wonderful story this masterpiece presents. Even though OG Persona 3 worked because of the sum of its parts, I had a better experience after accepting the result was never going to be the same.
8
Palworld
What seemed to be a meme game at first, was in turn a fun-to-play, creative, and engaging open-world game. Sure, the mechanics took a few updates to reach a playable level, the story still barely exists, and its designs are a bit… well, let’s not get into that.
But the comparisons with any other game are unfair; besides some aesthetic similarities to another popular series, Palworld offers a unique, vast, and colorful world to discover, with many hours to enjoy crafting, fighting, and capturing Pals across the Palpagos Islands.
7
Granblue Fantasy: Relink
Granblue Fantasy has always eluded me, either because of how inaccessible the main game is, or because other releases happened at the same time as any of its spinoffs. Color me surprised when I dipped into Relink and found it significantly more interesting than I expected.
While the story is just a heroic tale that borders and dances around the usual shonen manga tropes, that’s not a bad thing when it’s accompanied by such a good roster of characters and one of the best-action RPG combat systems I’ve experienced so far.
6
Vampire Survivors: Ode To Castlevania
I had never played Vampire Survivors before this year, but jumping right into this DLC was one of the best choices I made during 2024. God, even calling it a DLC feels unfair after experiencing all that it had to offer. Ode To Castlevania isn’t just a collaboration between two series; it’s significantly more than that. It marks the culmination of a game whose inception was inspired by one of the classics in gaming.
From exploring the infinite nooks and crannies of Dracula’s Castle to witnessing a fight where every previous protagonist aids Richter Belmont in fighting Death, this adventure brings a multitude of weapons and characters that will not only expand upon your usual roster, but also bring a level of immersion by revisiting beloved characters, locations, and even the music of a video game series that deserved a love letter like this.
5
Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail
After the conclusion of Endwalker, the biggest question for the players was ‘How the heck are they going to top this?’ There was no way for Square Enix to do it; fortunately, it didn’t resort to another cataclysmic event, and Dawntrail is better because of that.
The story of this expansion takes the Warrior Of Light to the never-before-seen continent of Tural, where the journey of your new ally Wuk Lamat keeps the stakes high enough without losing the sense of a newfound adventure that A Realm Reborn had. The new classes help you explore this new part of Eorzea with fresh eyes while you experience the new dungeons and raids in this new chapter, and the writing proves once again that no MMORPG does it like FFXIV.
4
Diablo 4: Vessel Of Hatred
As a long-time Diablo fan, I enjoyed my experience throughout the whole Diablo 4 campaign, which was unfortunately ruined by the comeback of the seasonal chapter model that was present in Diablo 3. Since that system prevents me from experiencing every season’s story with the same character, I completely abandoned the game shortly after.
Vessel of Hatred called me back to this wonderful game. From the fluidity of the combat and the novel Spiritborn class to a story that kept me on the edge of my seat for hours, this expansion proves that Diablo 4 is at its best when you can experience the bulk of a story well-told at once, and not in a disconnected fashion.
3
Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth
From the moment I entered the first open area and a remix of the Sector 7 theme played, I knew I was in for a treat. But I wasn’t expecting how thrilling of an experience it would be. FF7 Rebirth picks up shortly after Remake ends, opening a whole world for Cloud and his friends to explore.
With a story that gets even more messy and mysterious than the previous chapter, the game expands on everything that made Remake a hit, takes all the elements that made the OG FF7 great, and mixes them up into a wonderful concoction. Even though the ending fails to deliver after so much buildup, you can be sure you’ll have a good time along the way.
Metaphor: ReFantazio came into my life during a weird time, and the main story depicts situations that I can deeply relate to from a sociopolitical standpoint. It is a work of fiction, and since I cannot protect my real home of Argentina, the game offered a catharsis to fight for justice for all.
Atlus’ classic turn-based combat is now intertwined with a class system that doesn’t rely on a school schedule nor any other social mechanics, which in turn made this game a breath of fresh air. The new formula serves as the perfect middle ground between Shin Megami Tensei and Persona, and is one of the year’s best.
1
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
The jewel of the crown comes from the return of one of my favorite RPG series. Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a new entry that introduces Rook, who finds themselves in the role of leader and recruiter for a new team, The Veilguard. Every member of this found family has a story to tell, and they all share a mission; they must kill not one, but two elven gods.
While the game starts on slow footing, you’ll eventually jump into a fast-paced story, accompanied by an equally swift, action-based combat that marks a first in the series. The many classes for you to choose from are engaging and easy to grasp while still being distinctive from each other, and each companion shines on the battlefield as you try to redeem, or destroy, the Dread Wolf.
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Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty Fans Are Upset After Shadow Of The Erdtree GOTY Nomination
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree being nominated for GOTY at The Game Awards has annoyed fans of Phantom Liberty.