It’s the Media Boat 2024 Year-End Wrap-Up! Today we’re taking a look back at the year in video games! First we’ll choose one news story that defined the year. Next, we’ll give our individual Top Five Games, followed by choice for Media Boat’s Game of the Year!

Matt’s Top Five games of 2024

I resisted Balatro for a very long time. Way back when the demo version was making waves during Steam NextFest, I hovered over the Install button, but didn’t commit. I love card games, and the effusive praise was certainly convincing, but something intangible kept me from trying it out. Perhaps my soul itself knew that if I took that first hit, I’d be addicted. When Balatro came to mobile, I decided to jump in, despite myself, and although it took much longer than I assumed to fall in love with it, I’m happy to say it finally has its teeth in me. Turns out that Balatro is indeed an incredible game; that roguelike “one more game” itch in its purest form. I love the seemingly endless possibilities offered by the joker cards, and every round feels completely different than the last.

It’s been a very long time since I’ve had a Call of Duty game on my year-end list, but Black Ops 6 is probably the best game in the series since Infinite Warfare, so it’s earned its spot. No multiplayer game this year has captured me more than this one; I’ve easily spent hours playing Team Deathmatch and leveling up guns like it’s 2007 all over again. It also helps that the campaign is good this time—it combines elements of Hitman, Battlefield, and even its own Zombies mode to keep things interesting. The characters are fun and the ‘90s setting is refreshing, even if most of the dialogue is still military thriller nonsense. I think the real key to the game’s success, though, is a return to simplicity. The menus make more sense, the weapon progression feels more straightforward, and I never found myself lost in the game’s minutiae as much as I did over the past few installments. A return to form, certainly, and a return to countless lost hours.

I have so much respect for Digital Eclipse and their dedication to game preservation. Atari 50 seemed like such an amazing idea and an even better package. So naturally, when Tetris Forever was announced, they had me right away. The best game of all time is getting the full Gold Series treatment? It felt like seeing God. Thankfully, Tetris Forever absolutely delivered. The documentary footage alone is priceless; I found myself fully invested in the ups and downs of a story I thought I already knew. All the wonderful trivia and details are like catnip for a Tetris fiend like me. On top of all that, of course, are the emulated versions of the games, and they’re more than worth the price of admission. Tetris Battle Gaiden alone is amazing—not only is it an incredible game, it’s also a miracle we finally get to own it in the US at all. Tetris Forever is a rare game the feels like an important piece of history as much as it does a fun thing to spend time with.

Not to sound dramatic, but I feel like within Infinity Nikki lies a debate for the soul of video games. On one hand, the game is a culmination of many great modern video game tropes, combining the coziness of Animal Crossing, the open world design of Breath of the Wild, the free-to-play mechanics of Genshin Impact, the collection and platforming of Super Mario Odyssey, the fantasy lore of Dark Souls, and the Nikki series’ own dress-up strategy. The result, alongside its commitment to accessibility and a non cis straight male gaze, creates a truly unique experience. On the other hand, it only exists thanks to one of the most draconian and dangerous developments in video game history: The gacha game. In a society inundated with gambling, both prevalent in games and in modern sports coverage, yet another machine designed to fleece people is unfortunate and disappointing. This is the industry, sadly, in a nutshell: To finance an innovative future, game companies must sometimes make deals with the devil. It doesn’t have to be like this! For now, though, it’s a bitter pill we have to swallow. All that said; Infinity Nikki is an incredibly deep piece of art that has surprised me around every corner. It’s beautiful to look at, fun to play, and never feels like it’s pandering to anyone. I love the dress-up mechanics just as much as I love exploring the world, which is honestly not what I expected. The combat is compelling despite the lack of challenge, suggesting that challenge may not be as important to game design as I once thought. The story, although often expository to a fault, contains fun, creative details. It’s also a rare online game that actually feels interested in building a community. I’ve had a blast taking pictures with other players and seeing their styling choices. This mechanic alone makes entire competing dress-up games, like last year’s Fashion Dreamer, feel obsolete. Honestly, despite releasing so late in the year, Infinity Nikki would likely be my game of the year if the gacha-ness of it all wasn’t stuck in the back of my mind. That’s capitalism, baby—sometimes we have to wrestle with the implications of the things we love. Thankfully, I still have hope for a better future, and am optimistic that someday we won’t have to compromise. But for now, we have Infinity Nikki.

Astro Bot isn’t perfect, but it’s very, very close. Every second of this game feels like it was engineered to be fun. See a pile of sprinkles? Of course you can use the spin move to make them scatter all over the screen. See an icy surface? Of course your bot skates over it and does a cool trick when he jumps. Facing a huge boss? Of course you’re going to climb on top of it, grab a piece of it, and pull it until it snaps back. Astro Bot was clearly made by people who live for video games and know exactly what we want. It worships classics like Super Mario Galaxy and Ratchet and Clank and wears the inspiration on its sleeve. It does all of this while at the same time acting as a living museum to PlayStation, something that could feel gross in the wrong hands, but feels natural here. If you have any nostalgia for PlayStation over the last thirty years, at least one of the hidden bots will give you the warm and fuzzies. But it can’t be overstated just how fun everything feels. Each level is full of secrets and detail, and the very act of discovery is addictive. The sheer amount of things to find offers mountains of replayability, and as of this writing, they’re still adding more levels! In an era where game design is full of caveats and executive-level decision making (see above), it’s refreshing to see a game which is happy to be a game. I don’t think it’s a cynical choice or a mere coincidence that Astro Bot is a shrine to PlayStation games of the past; I think it emulates them because it wants to be them. Astro Bot is a game from 1997, from 2004, from 2013, and most importantly, from 2024. And it’s probably the best game in all of them.

Mike’s Top Five games of 2024

My mobile game of the year has me checking daily to pull new cards and expand my deck. Not all pokemon are represented but enough are here with creative artwork that you want to show off on competitive mode. There are new events constantly running that contribute to me spending more time on the app. While none of it is challenging with the right deck, it’s the thrill of opening packs that has got me wanting to take this high into the real world and buy some packs myself. Damn, this marketing is working.

4. *EA Sports college football 25* & *madden 25*

I’m pulling a two-fer as I bought these bundles together, and I must say an investment well spent. I sunk way too much time in the return of EA Sports College Football that Someone Awesome has 4 Heisman trophies and 4 graduate degrees from 10 different schools. But his story doesn’t stop there as he is also a prolific NFL player with a Super Bowl ring and franchise tagged to the Rams. I’ve also had fun building my Madden Ultimate Team by completing the monthly challenges. I guess you could chalk up this enthusiasm to having not played Madden in 4 years.

This recent free-to-play game caught me by surprise in a wonderful way that I did not see this coming. It's part dress up game, part crafting, part Animal Crossing, and part Genshin Impact that combines into a wildly cute adventure game with limitless boundaries on where to go and what to accomplish. The main story is something about wishes and helping people, but there’s so much more to do that I can’t fit it all in this short blurb. Your best bet is to try out the game yourself and see how far you can get before the smile on your face dissipates.

One of my most anticipated games of 2024 did not disappoint as Final Fantasy VII Rebirth had the task of continuing the new road forged by Remake but also dealing with that portion of the game. The open world exploration lends itself to the wide nature of the game as the scope expands largely throughout the world with each new chapter showing just how far you’ve come from the humble beginnings of the first game. Combat is cleaned up with the customized builds allowing for creative gameplay that makes the game feel like a fresh departure into new territory. Whenever the next installment comes out, I’ll be waiting with pre-order on standby for any deluxe edition Square Enix decides to bundle together.

When I Platinum a game, it’s because I enjoy the core mechanics and world that the game has brought me into. Astro Bot is more than just nostalgia bait as the platforming adventure makes every level feel unique with its own gimmick. The smooth controls combined with the abundance of secrets to explore help drive the home the fun times had while collecting all of Astros friends. Not once did I feel bored traversing each level to find all the hidden clues and details thrown into this game. It’s a love letter to classic gaming, but doesn’t fixate its entire structure around nostalgia. Even if there are characters you don’t immediately recognize, the core game mechanics are enough to warrant being a top game of the year.

2024 Year-End Wrap Up: Games

Matt’s Top Five games of 2024

Mike’s Top Five games of 2024