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It’s the last Shack Chat of the year! We’ll soon start sharing the winners of the 2024 Shacknews Awards, but as always, it’s tradition that we’re closing out the year of Shack Chatting by sharing our picks for Game of the Year.
question: What is your personal game of 2024?
Balatro – Ozzie Mejia, Senior Poker Champion
I’m afraid that games like this will fascinate me. I know what I’m like with card games like Hearthstone and Marvel Snap, and with roguelikes like Hades. Balatro is definitely everything people said it was and more. I’m still amazed at how many jokers and how where they interact with different strategies The minutes fly by as I play this game the way they have with other games. Few games this year Balatro is a phenomenon. It’s a game that can stand the test of time. Which is a game I expect to see in different formats. For the rest of my life
The best part is Even though I’m addicted to it But I only had to pay the asking price. There’s no gambling here, you idiot. Can you imagine some fool who thought there was gambling in this game? That’s just bizarre.
Unicorn Overlord – TJ Denzer puts together an epic strategy.
Strategy and RPG are the two most important genres for me in games. And one game provided the perfect synergistic balance between the two this year: VanillaWare’s Unicorn Overlord. As soon as I looked at the game, I knew exactly what it was. It plays like a modern spiritual successor. But faithful to Ogre Battle: March of the Black Queen, which is one of my favorite games of all time.
Unicorn Overlord pulls a lot of things from that game. This includes creating your characters into teams and sending them out as a single unit. Timed tactical battles with semi-real-time strategy. and many different types of units to create your ideal troop. There have been some tasteful improvements such as character relationships. and the ability to cast spells on the overworld map in battle. But it’s also as close to the original game as it’s been in decades.
It also has great VanillaWare music and art. The game is beautiful. The characters look great. And the storytelling is engaging. Traveling around the world with them and entering battles amid the game’s always fun orchestral soundtrack is paramount. I had this game called early for my possible GOTY. It feels like a game made just for me. And nothing else can push this game to the top. I can get mine once the dust of 2024 clears.
Balatro – Asif Khan, CEO/EIC/EIEIO
Man holding a briefcase on Cortex
Although there are some amazing games released in 2024, none of them captured my heart like Balatro. The game has amazing and addictive gameplay with roguelike elements and card mechanics. Expertly designed It’s equal parts challenging and rewarding, with lots of replay value. The game has a Tetris-like quality to it that may remain in gamer discourse for years to come.
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl – Bill Lavoy, Sutherland’s Mini-O
No new game has resonated with me more than 2024’s Stalker 2 from the moment I stepped into that world. Built on Unreal Engine 5, Stalker 2 is one of the best looking games of the year. This makes the game world extremely satisfying to explore as you hunt down caches and find artifacts. Stalker 2 is a game I will spend thousands of hours playing over the years. Joining forces with games like The Long Dark, Red Dead Redemption 2, and Fallout 4, these are some of the best open worlds ever, and Stalker 2 is right up there with them.
Final – Sam Chandler, Nama Tama’s Best Friend
In fact, this may seem strange to some people. But the final had to be my GOTY, which dropped out at the end of 2023, which meant missing out on our award last year and making it eligible this year. It’s the game I play the most, with my Steam library claiming I’ve spent about 400 hours on it. It manages to accomplish everything I need in a shooter. Regardless, it’s a great shot. Emphasis on teamwork Destructible environment fluid movement and movement And some of the best decoration items for playing dress up.
However, if we were very strict and said it had to come out in 2024, then Black Myth: Wukong would be perfect for me. I loved my time with this game. It handles intense, almost Souls-like combat, with some light exploration between boss fights. It’s a really great game that has only gotten better with the latest updates. (Let’s talk about the new map feature)
Honorable mentions for Dragon’s Dogma 2, STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl, Helldivers 2, Animal Well, Isles of Sea and Sky, and Felvidek, what a great year for games.
Metaphor: ReFantazio – Donovan Erskine, King
I entered 2024 slightly curious to get into Metaphor: ReFantazio, having never played a Persona game before reviewing P3 Reload earlier this year. I have a lot of respect for ATLUS and the team at Studio Zero, but I don’t care much for their work. That being said, the turn-based RPG fan in me is very excited to step up to their next adventure.
From the opening hours of Metaphor: ReFantazio, I knew I was experiencing something special. I was immediately captivated by the world of Euchronia and found myself reading every piece of the game’s lore to learn more.
I’m a sucker for cute characters and found myself falling in love with Strohl, Hulkenberg, and a few other party members that I won’t spoil here. I love learning more about them and helping them achieve their personal goals as we work towards a common purpose.
In combat, Metaphor pushed me in a way that few RPGs do: it was brutal and unforgiving. But it’s never fair. Whenever I stumble into a boss fight with a half-baked plan, I would be beaten so badly that I would question whether I was below severe level. In every case, I was able to come back with a complete strategy and emerge victorious.
I’ve loved every second of Metaphor: ReFantazio. I’ve only earned 10 titles at Shacknews this year, and I’ve been recommending them to everyone I know since I finished playing. Not just my game of the year But it’s one of the best games of the decade.
Mario and Luigi: Brothership- Steve Tyminski, It’s Me, Stevetendo!
What is my game in 2024? There were a few games I played this year that I liked. There were some games I loved this year that no one was even paying attention to. This is a tough one because there were some indie games I liked this year. Just like big companies Many games released I think I’ll go with Mario and Luigi: Brotherhood for my personal game of the year award. I like role-playing games. And that surprised no one. I’m a huge Nintendo fan, so it’s great to see the Mario and Luigi series return, and this installment doesn’t disappoint. There are some great songs in this game and the story knows how to keep the player going. It can be a bit difficult towards the end of the game. But that doesn’t matter, because Mario and Luigi: Brotherhood is my Game of the Year this year! I have to give a shout out to Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore because that game is awesome too!
This is our game of the year. Let us know your favorite games of 2024 in Chatty and stay tuned for the official launch of the Shacknews Awards 2024!
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