Red Pages Podcast
Red Pages Podcast Games of the Year 2024
Last year's industry contractions continued through this year, and things on the industry side look dire. That said, there are plenty of amazing works to celebrate this year. I was surprised about how light my choices were in 2024 on traditional indie games, but I realized that many of the indie games I want to talk about are likely to win next year when they release in full, so... look out for that. Though who knows, given that last year I said maybe Baldur's Gate III would have an award here and it didn't. Anyway, here are the winners of this year's GOTYs:
1000xRESIST
What if you took a teenage girl, a first-generation Canadian whose parents arrived as part of the Hong Kong diaspora, and put her in charge of the world? 1000xRESIST is a science fiction story that isn't about that, but isn't NOT about that either. What is the value of society? How do we handle ourselves and our relationships when we feel doubt, uncertainty, and anxiety? What is an identity? This debut title from Sunset Survivor asks, and maybe even has answers. It's a game that's hard to write about without long explanation, so I highly recommend folks just play it themselves. Top shelf stuff.
Astro Bot
Super Mario Galaxy is back, and this time Sony is in charge. The full-length follow-up to the freebie PS5 pack-in title Astro's Playroom, this game has one mission: to do everything bigger, better and with more charm. As somebody who was completely turned off by Super Mario Odyssey, this is the first 3D platformer I've enjoyed since the Galaxy era. Astro's simple controls and limited moveset mean that everything is slimmed down and polished (much like Astro's body) until you can see yourself in it. The game walks the line of being a nostaliga-fest celebrating 30 years of the PlayStation brand while also establishing Astro's identity as a premere franchise. Team Asobi carries on the legacy of Sony's sadly departed Japan Studio. The music is excellent, and the game is enjoyable across basically all age categories. In many ways it's the most mainstream AAA game imaginable, but it's the kind of AAA game I want to play so... that makes it good.
Runners-Up & Miscellaneous Awards
Don't Call It A Comeback Award: Nine Sols
- After the international brouhaha that accompanied their prior (excellent) game Devotion, Red Candle Games moved away from the horror genre to try something new. They threw Metroid and Sekiro into a pot and produced Nine Sols, a game which deserves to be played. Challenging with an interesting narrative and unique aesthetic. It's not innovative but it is very good and it's heartening to see a studio grow their repetoire with such a dramatic shift in style.
Best Worst Best Worst Award: Stellar Blade
- There are so many bad things about Stellar Blade. The weird fetishy dress-up doll nature of the protagonist, EVE; the aggressively derivative nature of the story; the flatness of nearly every character you meet. Yet I found it more compelling than a number of the games that it apes, and certainly more enjoyable to play moment-to-moment than many other games I tried this year. If developer Shift Up can get their house in order in their studio (no small task) then a sequel could be an all-timer. Also probably soundtrack of the year.
Most Aesthetic Award: Slitterhead
- A serious contender for Game of the Year outright, Keiichiro Toyama's tribute to Won Kar-wai's Hong Kong cinema of the 90s infused with his own body horror touch is one of those games that I played and said "oh, it's art." The game was clearly made on a relatively modest budget and you can see how Bokeh Game Studio took the financial constraints and made savvy choices about where to put their efforts, often turning what might be perceived as a weakness (for example, very limited voice acting) into strengths by incorporating them into a minimalist aesthetic where the only things that matter are you and the brain-eating monsters roaming the streets of Kowlong. Seems destined to be a cult classic, the sort of game that you'll see on eBay for $300 in four or five years because nobody bought it and now everybody wants it.
Best Remake Award: Another Code: Recollection
- You thought it was Silent Hill 2, but it was me, Another Code! While Silent Hill 2 was a truly excellent game, it was still the same game as the original in the most important ways that mattered. Another Code: Recollection is a much more dramatic and worthy reimagining of the original two games that it adapts, as most things have been completely rebuilt. The original DS release Another Code was a top-down 2D puzzle game built around the hardware gimmicks of the console, and the entire world in the remake is rebuilt in full 3D as an openly explorable space. The story has been rewritten, such that even those who are familiar can have a new experience. Original developer CiNG may be sadly shuttered, but for their game to receive such love so many years later, introducing it to a new generation, felt like a miracle. Now do Hotel Dusk remake.
Best Multiplayer Award: Helldivers 2
- Sweet liberty! This game is funny and even if you fail it feels great. The core is a horde-based third person shooter, but the special sauce is in the ever-evolving story that alters the game permanently week to week based on player actions. One of the few live service games that really justifies its nature as such.
Best Ears Award: Hulkenberg (Metaphor: ReFantazio)
- Seems obvious.
Not From 2024 Award: 428: Shibyua Scrable
- It's a Sound Novel! I think! A visual novel made from photographs and real people acting out the wackiest scenes imaginable. I've been hearing good things for years, and those good things were deserved. This series is very obscure in the West, but this one is easily accessible. Check it out!
Audience Choice Award: Satisfactory
- People love these factory games. I am not a programmer, I never messed with redstone in Minecraft, I haven't gotten into Zachtronics' ouvre, so I can't say I get it - but clearly others do.