It's been a while since I've written anything like this. At first, I told myself it was because life got in the way. Work, kids and everything else meant I'd put it off just one more week. Weeks turned to months, months to years, and here we are. But, a new year means a chance for a new beginning, and so in 2025 it's time to refocus and push myself to write more, and there's no better place to start than looking back on 2024. These 10 games were the ones that I couldn't stop playing and couldn't forget. But first, let's tackle the biggest game that didn't make the cut.

Balatro is a well made game with easy to understand mechanics that belie the deep and complex decision making that go into each run. It's also a game that never grabbed me. I never felt compelled to play “one more run” the way I did with games like Slay the Spire or Dicey Dungeons. I can see the appeal, and understand why it's topping so many lists, but it just didn't click with me.

There were also a bunch of games that I didn't get a chance to check out, or didn't spend enough time with to feel like I could put them in my top 10. Apologies to Arco, Thank Goodness You're Here!, Wild Bastards, Metaphor: ReFantazio, Tales of Kenzera: Zau, Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, Star Wars Outlaws, Marvel Rivals, Ultros, Dragon's Dogma II, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree and any others I missed.

10. EA Sports College Football 25

Let's start with the bad. The AI pass defense is insane, with defenders instantly breaking for the ball the second it's thrown, linebackers jumping up to bat down passes with their back to the quarterback, and too many interceptions on superhuman plays. The offensive line struggles to pass protect, even with elite talent, and completely whiffs on blocks way too often. It can genuinely feel like the game has decided you are going to lose some games, creating turnovers and stalled drives even with great execution on your end.

But, this is probably at or near the top of my most played games in 2024. Dynasty mode has just been so much fun. Building up a program from a perennial loser into a playoff contender feels great. And when it's time to take a bigger, better job it can be agonizing to leave the players you recruited behind. As the Indiana Hoosiers battle for their sixth national title in eight years, I still want to keep playing, despite all its flaws. That's the highest praise I can give.

9. Helldivers II

Helldivers II doesn't do anything radically new or reinvent the wheel. It's a co-op extraction shooter dripping with Starship Troopers-esque satire, and it's a blast to play. Sometimes you just want to shoot some bugs or robots without worrying about other players sniping you. On top of that, the sense of community, even with random people, is strong because there is always some goal to strive for in the metagame. We are all defenders of Super Earth! I'm sure there is more depth to the game if you want it, but I'll just keep dropping in and taking out bugs.

8. Animal Well

I know what you're thinking, it's another indie Metroidvania, but it's more than just another entry in a crowded genre. While the map and progression are lifted from the genre, the moment to moment gameplay has more in common with puzzle platformers. There is no combat, at least not in the traditional sense. Instead the challenge comes from figuring out how to proceed. Along the way you'll pick up items and abilities that allow you to reach new areas.

These items always have multiple uses that the game doesn't teach you. When you discover a new way to use an existing item the game rewards you with new paths and collectibles. It's a game that wants you to experiment, even after “finishing” it, and it begs you to play it without strategy guides or videos. I still haven't discovered every secret and collectible in its beautiful world, and I may never find them all.

7. UFO 50

Arguably the most ambitious project of the year, UFO 50 isn’t just one game, it's 50. It presents itself as the complete catalogue of fictional 1980s game developer UFO Soft. Their games span genres from platformer to strategy to a full Final Fantasy-esque RPG.

The game, much like Animal Well , captures the thrill of discovery. As I shared new tactics in Bug Hunter or discovered a solution to a tricky section in Mortol I felt like I was a kid trading stories on the playground. The community has moved online to forums and subreddits but the feeling was the same. There's bound to be a few games in the collection you'll enjoy. In an alternate universe we'd all be talking about how great classic UFO Soft games were.

6. Destiny 2: The Final Shape

I have played Destiny since the beginning. It wouldn't surprise me if I've put more hours into Destiny than any other game I've ever played. So, to say I had high expectations for The Final Shape was an understatement. Despite all the turmoil within developer Bungie, it delivered everything I wanted and more.

Capping off a 10 year story is no easy feat, so Bungie smartly goes small, making it personal. With a focus on the core three of Ikora, Zavala, and Cayde-6 plus your Guardian, the game brings emotional stakes into the campaign in a way Destiny has only hinted at before. Everyone goes through something deeply disturbing while exploring the Pale Heart and it makes the ending all the more earned.

From a combat perspective, the game is in peak form. Destiny 2 has always been one of the best feeling shooters and some smart additions have taken it up another level. The new enemy faction introduces interesting opponents, including the first ever flying enemy. And the campaign incorporates puzzle mechanics and more complex boss encounters that introduce simple raid-like mechanics. It revitalizes the combat after most encounters came down to surviving wave after wave of spawning enemies. Destiny 2 may be in a bit of an odd place right now, but it finally delivered on all its promise with The Final Shape.

5. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door

20 years ago I played this game on a GameCube. I got somewhere around 80 percent complete before I put it down and never finished. Thankfully, after 20 years, Nintendo has finally made it easy to play this game on modern hardware. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door is the best Mario RPG ever made, and a game that stands the test of time better than all but a few games after two decades.

Like other Mario RPGs, this game marries turn-based combat with timing based attack and defense and light adventure game elements. It’s also a genuinely funny game, full of great gags and quirky characters. It may not be the hardest game and the side quests may feature a lot of backtracking for little reward, but it’s still a game that any fan of Mario or turn-based RPGs should check out. I know after 20 years, I’m glad I finally finished it.

4. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

The last Call of Duty game I played was 2014’s Advanced Warfare and the last time I got seriously into multiplayer was 2009’s Modern Warfare 2. It was a series that I really thought I was finished with. Then I tried Black Ops 6 because it launched and Game Pass and I’ve been hooked since.

The best thing I can say about this game is that it feels like how I remember Call of Duty playing. The current levels are all good to great, with plenty of places to hide and clear hot spots to try and hold. Most of them do a great job of funneling you towards the action. Almost all the loadout options feel useful, even if you have favorites they don’t feel overwhelmingly better than others. Finally, the game uses a score streak system (which admittedly may only be new to me because I haven’t played in years) instead of a kill streak system. This means your best abilities and gadgets can be accessed even if you are focused on holding objectives and assisting your teammates. I haven’t even touched the campaign, which I’ve heard is quite good, because I keep coming back to multiplayer. I’m as surprised as anyone that I’d be loving a new Call of Duty game but this game nails what I want Call of Duty to be.

3. Astro Bot

Astro Bot is probably the purest distillation of joy on this entire list. I don’t think a smile left my face the entire time I played it, except for a few moments during the final challenge levels. The levels are inventive and encourage you to explore. The power-ups are unique and are used in interesting ways throughout the levels. It can also be challenging, with some of the optional levels and hidden bots being truly devious. Every platformer is going to be compared to the juggernaut that is Mario. While Astro Bot doesn’t quite hit the highs of the game it’s clearly aping (Super Mario Galaxy), the fact that I had to stop and think about it says all you need to know.

2. Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Dragon Age: The Veilguard is a game that I feel needs the biggest qualifier. It’s a great action RPG with exciting combat, a great cast of characters, and some truly spectacular set pieces. It’s also a Dragon Age game in name only, which has definitely turned some fans off from the experience.

As someone who has played the first three games in the series multiple times I can understand the disappointment. The series prided itself on creating a unique canon based on each player’s story. Characters and events in one game would be referenced and have their effects felt in subsequent games. In contrast, Veilguard only takes three decisions from Dragon Age: Inquisition and almost completely ignores the first two games, as it cannot make any real references to prior events since they could have turned out vastly different between players. It also abandons the plot thread and villain that had been built up as the next threat within the first 45 minutes of the game. It isn’t a great representation of what the Dragon Age name has come to mean.

But, taken for what it is, it's an extremely fun modern action RPG that borrows liberally from the studio’s excellent magnum opus Mass Effect 2, in fact calling it a fantasy version of that game wouldn’t be far off. Much like Mass Effect 2, you are tasked with gathering a team to take down the threat. Each of your companions has their own personal problems and baggage, and how well you solve their individual problems will determine if they survive to the end. Combat is fast paced, using a primer-detonator system that is lifted almost entirely from Mass Effect 3, with an assortment of attack types and dodge and parry abilities.

While the main plot is nothing special, the companions and their stories truly shine. Sometimes the dialogue can lean a little too much into the quippy, Marvel Cinematic Universe style, but overall it mostly works and often feels earnest. Combine these characters with the action packed combat and you’ve got a great game, even if it isn’t what Dragon Age fans may have hoped for.

1. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle

It’s rare for a licensed AAA game to come out of nowhere, but it really felt like Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was the biggest surprise of the year. Everything about this game seemed questionable, from having Troy Baker voicing Indiana Jones to making it a first-person game. To their credit, developer MachineGames knocked it out of the park, delivering the most authentic experience in a licensed game since Batman: Arkham Asylum.

The game itself is a blend of immersive sims like Dishonored and action-adventure games like Tomb Raider with a dash of Mirror's Edge platforming thrown in for good measure. The game takes place across three large open levels, each one stuffed with hidden treasures, puzzles, and missions. MachineGames has always been underrated at doing the “quiet parts” of a game between combat and those skills really shine here. In addition, the game absolutely nails the larger set pieces, and each one feels like it would fit right into an Indiana Jones film. The story is well done, with a final twist that had my jaw on the floor and also is the exact kind of crazy you want from an Indiana Jones finale.

All of this works because of how well they nailed the experience of being Indiana Jones. Troy Baker delivers a phenomenal performance, both vocally and through performance capture. He moves like Harrison Ford did in the films and, with a few small exceptions, sounds exactly like him too. Throwing a punch feels weighty in the same way it did in the films, cracking the whip is always satisfying, and solving ancient riddles inside of a forgotten tomb makes you feel like a genius archaeologist.

If you would have asked me at the beginning of the year, I wouldn’t have guessed Indiana Jones and the Great Circle would have even made my top 10. Now, I can’t wait to see what adventure I’ll get to go on next.