Looking back at all things gaming that happened this year, games I finished, games on hold, games ongoing and other gaming related thoughts
Iāve started quite a lot of games this year, more than ever before if I do say so myself. I also managed to finish more videogames, buy more videogames, and own more consoles than ever before!
Gaming as a hobby has grown a lot more for me than I expected. I invested so much time and money into it this past year, and it has impacted me in a great manner, being exposed not only to fun mechanics and gameplay, but to stories and worlds that only this medium can explore.
So, in this post I share some of the events, thoughts and of course games, that I experienced throughout the year.
If you had told me that I got my Miyoo Mini Plus as a birthday gift last year, I would totally believe you. If you had told me my Anbernic RG35XX SP was a gift I got last Christmas, I would believe you as well!
Turns out I got both of these handhelds somewhere in the middle of 2024, and they completely shifted the landscape when it came to my game consumption. I have had my PSP for ages and written about it already, and it has been an amazing way to play lots of retro games and psp games.
I mean, thatās the system where I first bested Chrono Trigger! My favorite game ever! However, once I noticed the slightly slowed down performance in both SNES and GBA games, and the black bars on the sides due to the aspect ratioā¦
Who am I fooling? The PSP was totally fine, I just watched too much Retro Game Corps, and I could not resist the temptation to get a handheld that reminded me of my fake nostalgia.
Anbernic released like a dozen consoles this year, and other companies like PowKiddy and such did the same, providing lots of options and deals that I somehow managed to not fall for. The RG35XX SP really seemed like the ultimate way to enjoy my childhood and my fake nostalgia feeling games.
And then the RG34XX leaked and I may fall for that one before the year endsā¦
Despite everything, the Switch prevails! So many leaks and so many rumors, and there still no sight of the successor for the Switch at all, and I am not complaining.
The Switch has proven to be a fantastic handheld for me, that seamlessly became my favorite way to play every game I have wanted to play so far (except for Monster Hunter Wilds, but well) and I have loved it so far.
This was also the first full year Iāve had it. Even tho itās a 7 years old console, and it was never most powerful console at all, I have still enjoyed my time with it and I can see myself playing it much more in the future.
The backlog for this console has grown so much, I am actually kind of worried. Iāve grown my own collection of physical games at this point and I love it.
I was meaning to write a separate blog post about this, but it is now too late anyway, so to the recap it goes. I actually swapped my PSP shell! It was a long and painful process filled with flex cables and kinda broken connectors, but in the end I achieved success.
I still kept the original PSP black color and it ended up looking fantastic, I am very happy with the result. I kept some original parts like the dpad and the trigger buttons. Sadly, my original action buttons broke during the process, so I had to change them for the 3rd party ones that came with the shell, and they kinda suck, but get the job done.
Most of the games I finished I wrote reviews for, so I will just list them here and add a link if it exists, I am fairly happy with the games I beat this year, 2024 was dominated by the Metroidvania genre, with Ori, Metroid and Prince of Persia leading the charge throughout the year.
Short games were also huge, both Metroid games were rather short; Limbo, Inside, What Remains of Edit Finch, Kirby, Celeste Classic and A Short Shike too, very enjoyable adventures that I could beat in just a couple sittings.
The outlier and only JRPG I beat this time around would be Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga, a game I loved and finally managed to complete after so many years! It took a relatively short time compared to others games in the genre in total playtime, even less than Prince of Persia! but it had been in my backlog for almost half a decade!
On the Switch:
On my retro handhelds:
For one reason or another, I started a bunch of games this year, despite the already existing backlog that will be the next topic!
The list is ordered by urgency and recency, mostly what I feel is right for each game, meaning how much I want to beat it, and how long ago I started it.
Hollow Knight is the latest game Iām playing, I actually started it for the first time earlier than 2024 on my laptop, but since I moved to Switch, I counted it here. I played like 7 hours yesterday, and it was amazing. I hope to beat it before the year ends.
Dragon Quest XI plays pretty well so far, I am liking it, but since it is a long journey, I want to go at it at my own pace, like a bedtime story, as Brendon, from Into The Aether calls it.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowserās Fury is super recent as well, I will play it at whatever rythm my couch multiplayer friends want to play it. The few levels we already beat together were so chaotic and fun, I canāt wait to play it more.
I Was a Teenage Exocolonist is a game I started early in the year, I actually bought it alongside Hollow Knight during a sale. I have played and I am almost done with a first run, but it feels like I could play it again later on, kind of like Citizen Sleeper.
Super Mario Bros Wonder is also a game I mostly play with friends, but I want to beat levels by myself too just to get it over with, it is a really enjoyable experience, and the online multiplayer features are helpful during my solo adventure.
I was really gripped by Triangle Strategy at first, playing like 8 hours in a single day, but the battles are so long and the turn based style of it does not feel right to me (I prefer player phase and enemy phase over every character having a turn), despite everything I want to continue this at some point.
Balatro is Balatro and one day Iāll finally win a game, Risk of Rain 2 was interesting case, I got it physical a while back, but returned it because I didnāt like the performance on Switch, I have it on PC though, so I may try it there one day.
Now, for the retro games. Pokemon Unbound is maybe the one I want to continue the most, it was so hyped up on Into The Aether and I really want to give it a fair shot. Advance Wars was one of the first games I tried on my Miyoo Mini Plus and then the SP. They are both long games that I really want to complete one day! Not 100% of course, but rolling credits would be nice.
Drill Dozer feels like a game I can beat before the year ends, hopefully thatās the case. It has been so fun to go through, just a great platformer full of unique mechanics, and it plays fantastic on the SP.
I played a lot of random games just to try out, some with the same purpose of beating in a couple of sittings, like Astro Boy or Super Mario Bros 3, and others were played just to switch things up, like Metal Gear Solid or Streets of Rage 2.
Finally, on my laptop , Webfishing and FTL are two games where I am just in immersed in a bubble in completely different ways.
Playing Webfishing with friends or strangers always leads to interesting moments and chill conversations, as well as the addictive fishing mechanics. It is a very interesting and cozy experience that I want to return to later on.
Trying to get good at Faster Than Light, getting in the zone, trying to survive and manage everything going on in my ship has been an experience difficult to replicate in other games, I still donāt win a run, but I have been close, and I can try as much as I want.
On the Switch:
On my retro handhelds:
On PC
The real meat of the backlog begins here. I have started many games long before 2024, some of them even before the covid pandemic. I have made constant progress in some of them, and some others Iāve only played once or twice in the whole year. Once again the games are ordered by how much I want to finish them.
Stuff like Hades is probably, definitely, getting a complete run before the year ends. I think I will still play it long before I roll credits on it, itās a roguelike, and I can tell I still have lots of runs and combinations to try out, and more story and dialogue to experience.
Hyper Light Drifter is one of those I rarely play, but when I play it, I just get kind of immersed on it for 40 minutes and then stop. I think I should focus on it and finally beat it soon.
Breath of The Wildā¦ what can I say? I know some people just like to experience the game and call it a day once they donāt feel like playing anymore, but I really want to play it more, I just havenāt booted the game in a while. The worst thing is that playing other games completely ruins my muscle memory of the controls here. One day.
Ember Knights is the multiplayer roguelike of choice by my friend group, we just play it at least once a month to see how far we can go, over and over again, and it is always fun.
Dicey Dungeons, Into The Breach, Lumines and Spelunky arenāt really games I have to beat, they donāt have a story to follow or such, just fun arcade challenges to mix things up. Iāll pick them up from time to time depending on my mood and I want to finish a run of ITB sometime soon.
Monster Hunter is Monster Hunter, Iāll beat Rise + Sunbreak eventually and Iāll play it when I want, I love it.
Iām currently playing The Skywalker Saga with my sister, when we feel like playing together, some day we may finish it, if the Force Wills.
There are some games for the PSP that I played constantly for a while, even making significant progress on them, and yet, I did not continue for one reason or another.
Final Fantasy IV is such a game, like, the most basic definition of a JRPG, ticking all the boxes. However, thereās a problem, and itās me. It keeps grabbing me, I keep grinding, but then I stop, and I stop! I only have to take one step to be in the final dungeon and be done with it, but alas, it remains incomplete for now.
Trails in the Sky FC is so good, I like it, but I have the same problem, I finish an arc or a side quest and then I lose momentum, I have like 12 hours of progress, and thatās nothing compared to the full game yet I still donāt continue on it.
I started Gladiator Begins on a whim one day and I played it for a whole afternoon, and then I forgot about it, it is fun, the combat is great, it has no story or anything to make it stand out, maybe one day Iāll return to it just to make more money and on the Arena.
I started God of War: Chains of Olympus to have something short and sweet to play on my work commute, it was actually really fun, but then I got stuck in a certain area and I kept dying, I got tired of trying over and over and havenāt returned since. I havenāt even mentioned the game in any monthly summary for some reason, but alas.
I started Burnout Legends because of Retro Game Time Machine, and it plays amazingly well, it is so smooth and feels so great to control, it is a fantastic game, I havenāt played the console games so I canāt compare, but this game rocks.
Monster Hunter is Monster Hunter, Iāll beat Freedom Unite eventually and Iāll play it when I want, I love it.
I think playing a total of three different Final Fantasy games is not my best idea ever, Iāll try to beat IV, then VI, and finally VII. I love them all, but as soon as I have to choose where to go, panic kicks in and I get stressed, I donāt want to miss anything, but I donāt want to look at a guide, and I also want to beat them without help, so, whatever. Iāll pretend the internet doesnāt exist and keep going.
Fire Emblem has been one of the most constant games Iāve been playing, it is fun! I may end up finishing it faster than the Final Fantasy games, we will see. I donāt like people dying so I keep saving and loading save states, I am happy emulation exists.
Suikoden II is great, I have like 9 hours of progress so I kind of want to keep going with it, I got a little lost and ended up abandoning it, but maybe Iāll beat it soon, or maybe Iāll play it from the start with the upcoming Switch remake.
I could keep going with Parasite Eve as it is, but I also want to make better decisions in my weapon upgrades and explore the combat system better, so I will probably start this one from the beginning.
Ninja Five-O, Cave Story and Klonoa are all games that I havenāt played in so long or I played them so little, that I will just begin from scratch if I get the itch to play them.
On Switch:
On PSP:
On retro handhelds:
These are games that are infinitely replayable with my friends and family. All of them are very fun to play from time to time. Dozens of hours have been lost here. Lots of incredibly epic moments and comebacks.
Ultimate Chicken Horse is just the best way to play for experts and noobs, it is so fun and easy to grasp, both adults and kids can understand it and enjoy it! Lots of extra maps and scenarios that get more and more complex, amazing game.
Worms took over our lives for multiple weekends, it is so good and such a fun time, and the turn based nature makes for great banter and fights between the player and whoever is going to fall victim to its attack.
Castle Crashers is a little weird on Switch, I donāt understand how the levelling of each character is saved, sometimes my character keeps its level, other times itās back to square one. We havenāt made much progress because we just donāt level up in a balanced way. One day we might finish it though.
Karmazoo is emptier than I thought when I bought it, but it is still fun sometimes, I wish the single player mode was available as multiplayer, but the party mode for multiplayer is OK.
I donāt think anything needs to be said about Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Smash Bros Ultimate or Mario Party 3.
On Switch:
The year is almost over, and a lot of stuff happened. There are games I finished, some I will finish, some I still donāt, and some I might start over.
Whatever the case, I have never had a year where gaming had such a focus in my life, I donāt know if that is good or bad, I always had other hobbies to focus on and gaming wasnāt really the spotlight as much as it is in 2024.
Also Minecraft is another game that is always lurking in the background, waiting for a moment to strike and take away my life as soon as I feel like mining some diamonds is fun again. It is an all-timer, what can I say?
I would have loved to have completed more games than I did, I think I can still do a couple more if I rush with I Was a Teenage Exocolonist and Hades, but, I am very happy with how the year went, and I still beat more games than ever before.
If you want, you can follow me on backloggd! if you want to see my backlog, playtimes and stuff.
So, how was your year in gaming?
This is day 98 of #100DaysToOffload
If you have something to say, leave a comment, or contact me āļø instead
You can reply on any Fediverse (Mastodon, Pleroma, etc.) client by pasting this URL into the search field of your client:
https://fosstodon.org/@joel/113632078429141920
Done exploring? Why not more? Here's some more great content only for those who reach the bottom of this page. Suit yourself!
