I think the most common answer is going to be Tears of the Kingdom, and that is one for me that stands out for sure, but I will try to add some more unique inputs as well. Many are games that came out longer than a year ago, but i didnt get around to playing until more recently.
-Escape From Tarkov, Single Player. Okay look, I have 3000 hours in EFT Live/regular. There is nothing that competes with it, nothing like the experience. But there are so many excessive and unlikely to be changed negatives to the experience that I simply cant put more time into it anymore, much less recommend it to others. LUCKILY the SPT version exists, and it is so fucking fun and refreshing. No cheater, no long load times, no disgusting server desync. No busted ass rogue and boss AI. Hate the stupid base exp rates? change them. Hate the ridiculous hideout install times that only exist to keep people from bullrushing high tier ammo in week 1? change them. I have mods installed that vastly improve the enemy AI, that fix the truly deranged shooting/recoil physics, that show you more data on different ammunition in game so you dont need a wiki open constantly, sell you gunsmith compatible guns so i dont have to build that shit for the 1000th time. Shit I even turned off fall damage so i could yeet myself off cliffs and chase down gun shots. It is simply much much much more fun. Its really the only Tarkov experience i can recommend these days.
-Mechabellum. This game is what ive wanted from the auto battle genre since it first popped up. Its got the perfect blend of conceptual strategy (think chess, the first game in the genre was auto-chess after all), randomness (the starting loadouts and perks on each round work as a very effective randomizing seed) and LACK of high APM micro bullshit that makes traditional multiplayer RTS a nightmare to pick up and learn. Its wonderful and im going to be playing so much of it as they are adding more coop modes and maps. 150 hours already.
-Monster Hunter Rise. This last year was the year that monster hunter really clicked for me, after like 5 years of on and off trying and failing to get into it. I think what changed was finally understanding that the game is just pushing you to improve on a purely mechanical perspective, constantly. In the same way that dark souls combat rewards you for ‘getting good’ (learning the movesets, knowing when to push and pull back, etc) Monster Hunter just wants you to be a goddamn badass, but youll have to work for it. Go slap that dragon with a big fish. 250 hours (yeesh)
-Hades. This is one of maybe 3 games ever that i could actually describe as ‘perfect’. Im sure a lot of people have read this sentiment online, but here’s the thing; I tried Hades 3 times previously and, while i did enjoy the experience and got like 2-5 successful patricides, it never really clicked into place. Until this time. The entire reason i got back into it was getting a steam deck, which i cannot recommend enough (if the price is right, be wary that a steam deck 2 in late 2024 is quite possible). but that was just a trigger. What actually made the difference was me slowing down a bit to appreciate the absolutely unparalleled and breathtaking attention to detail that the game constantly fulfills. 21000 voicelines, and ive never heard a repeat in 80 hours. Still unlocking new things like 30 or 40 successful runs in. Even the most supremely minor things: There is a decoration you can buy for your room, a big harp. you can run up to it and pluck some gross discordant notes. Neat, this kind of thing is in a lot of games, but still neat. EXCEPT plucking this thing enough gives you unique dialogues with a certain character. plucking it enough in between different runs shows you actually improving, making some less gross notes, then gross chords, then less gross chords, all with unique dialogue unlocks as you go. and eventually you pluck it and produce some real music. I cannot emphasize enough, this is a silly little decoration in your room that is totally optional and it wouldnt shock me if 95% of players completely miss it. THIS is the level of detail the game is constantly operating on. Super rare niche legendary boon from Demeter that kills stuff with a certain condition when its at 10% hp? bam, unique demeter voiceline for using it to beat the final boss. shit like that, is why this game is special, and what makes it next-level.
-Project Wingman VR. I love PW, i put like 30-40 hours in the regular game and it stands out to me as the best arcade flying game(ily AC7 but AC8 has to step up). But I recently got my VR headset working properly and tried PW in VR using my modest T.16000M throttle and stick, and oh my sweet lord there is something so transcendent about the experience. So rarely do i feel goosebumps when i play a game anymore (getting old) but this was like 2 straight hours of goosebumps. I also literally, actually, shit my pants a little when i collided with another plane, so thats nice.
Hades really is a banger. I cannot wait for Hades 2, my goodness.
Another perfect game for me is Outer Wilds. It’s hard to really get across the emotional impact it has on you.
Unfortunately due to the nature of the game, you can only really ever play it once. You are able to complete the game immediately, but the whole point is you discover clues as you explore that eventually build up to a point where it all clicks together, and suddenly you know what you must do.
Go in completely blind. Play on your own with your headphones on and get truly immersed. Try not to look up any guides. If you can get there on your own it’s truly satisfying.
When people say videogames are stupid I think of this game and feel sorry for what these people miss out on!
Edit: Oh mechabellum too - great shout. It’s criminal how small the player base is for such an addictive and fun game.
Outer Wilds is top of my list for most profound video game experiences. I have never went from joy to thinking “Oh. Oh…” so fast in one game. Plus, the music and graphics are so well done and support the narrative themes and mood. Just a masterpiece game.
I started playing Factorio about a month ago and I’m completely addicted. I love it so much. I guess there’s not much more I can say about it, given how everybody but me has heard of and played this game. But it’s definitely my #1 gaming highlight of the year.
This one was a surprise for me too, got LOTS of gameplay out of the demo and looking forward to the full game!
Outer Wilds. Will probably stick with me for the rest of my life.
Death Stranding also had some moments that I remember fondly.
Slay the Spire still got an immense amount of attention from me, even though I started playing it longer ago than 365 days. I discovered how fun this game can be with a friend / a group. Building the deck together and making decisions really amplifies the emotions :D.
Demon Souls, first souls like I finished, on PS5. Just an incredibly polished experience.
If you love slay the spire check out the actually multi-player across the obelisk
hi fi rush hands down. particularly one cut scene which has the literally coolest transformation I’ve experienced in a game : https://youtu.be/cU5utimmtkg?t=96
Satisfactory.
I do software development for work, so the game resonates with me intensely. Doing math to optimize input/output and refactor systems to obtain best capacity compared to the available technology. It’s great.
And yes, I have played through Factorio too.
This one is on my list too! How does it compare to Factorio?
Deep Rock Galactic:
“Mushroom.”
“Mushroom.”
“Mushroom.”
“Mushroom.”
“Mushroom.”
“Mushroom.”
“Mushroom.”
“Mushroom.”
“Mushroom.”
“Mushroom.”
Deep Rock Galactic (DRG) will always have a special place in my heart for the role it played for me over the pandemic. My late best friend made a discord server for a bunch of his sad and lonely friends over lockdown, and DRG is probably the game we’ve played the most of.
I tend to play the hell out of a game and then get sick of it for a while, and that would’ve happened a couple hundred hours ago at least, but it’s more than a game, it’s a means to connect with my friends. We try to find time each week to do the Elite Deep Dive and having that checkpoint has saved my sanity.
It’s such a well designed game that I don’t just like it, I respect it. I’ve played a lot of co-op games like it, but I love the synergy of the classes and how each class has a wide variety in their potential loadout and how they fit into the team, but also a very clear identity
I can’t hype The Outer Wilds enough. It’s such a fun exploration game that evolves into a big mystery.
I also just finished Ixion for the second time. It’s a city builder but with stress. I enjoyed it a lot because it scratched my particular brain itch, but I can see it not being for everyone though. IXION soundtrack is a banger though.
I was a big fan of Frostpunk but Ixion is damn hard, I think I failed around the 3rd or 4th level 3 times before giving up? It’s really easy to get into a cascade failures in that game and the space you have to build in is much smaller than it looks at first. That was before they added the easy mode though so maybe I’ll try it again at some point.
As others have mentioned: Outer Wilds.
It’s a game I can never experience in the same way ever again, and I am jealous of everyone who has yet to play it.
I haven’t seen it mentioned, so I’ll say The Last Campfire. Cozy, cute, a bit challenging, and the story was worth it.
The Last Campfire was a moving experience that I’m not likely to forget any time soon. And a pretty good little puzzler, while we’re at it.
The Blaster Master Zero series is a trip down memory lane and a fun romp. Excellent nostalgia feels if you ever played the original.
The horizon games have been good for both storytelling and gameplay.
Firewatch, while much too short, tells a moving story about the isolation that loss brings.
The Stanley Parable is one giant Easter egg with I finite replayability.
I’m a huge fan of “sky children of light” when I’m stressed out.
The free just cause games on PlayStation are kinda meditative in their own way, allowing you to fly across the countryside in a wingsuit.
I’ve also played BOTW, but am fairly disappointed in the lack of challenge. TOTK however, I am looking forward to.
Finally, Control. It has sweet gameplay, a cool story, a creepy as hell atmosphere, and links all the Remedy games together, all of which is love for the same reasons as I love Control. Of all the games I am looking forward to, Remedy is giving me the most antici…
pation.
spoiler
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Dave the diver. This is such a fun game, it’s hard to explain. Simple concept dive for fish and run a sushi joint. Somehow it’s managed to become all games in one and every angle of play is well thought out. The diving part is part shooter/adventure/exploration/rpg. The Sushi joint aspect is collector/rts/management simulator. The animations are top notch as well. I can’t recommend it enough.
For a game that somehow missed my radar entirely, Anno: Mutationem is almost everything I want in a game: compelling story, fun characters, simple but engaging gameplay, and the visual style is just… I don’t know if it gets any better than that.
Minecraft and Civilization VI.
Sounds bland? Somewhat. It’s more the fact that I started playing them with the kid and the wife for the first time effectively. The kid got a Minecraft account when it was three days old, both the wife and I played it heavily during the (horrible/stressful) pregnancy as she got sick from other games for some reason. Now playing it together was fucking wholesome and easily one of the most memorable experiences. We now run a small private server for us and some friends and it is an absolutely fantastic bonding experience - even more so as I can easily join when I am on one of my rather frequent business trips.
Civ6 is a bit similar experience wise but it also started a absolute transformation in the kid - it has read all (literally ALL) the childrens and adolescent history books in our rather well equipped local library and we now have to very carefully have to choose which adult books are appropriate - and therefore are learning a lot about history we never figured we would need to read about. (Scythian history? Really,kiddo?)
