2024 Ranked: Video Games

Welcome to my 2024 Ranked list for Video Games!

Rules for my rankings are simple, the page contains my ranking from worst to best of all the video games I've experienced over the course of the past year. 

Replays of games I've already experienced prior won't be considered in the official ranking but will be ranked within their own Honorable Mentions sections. 

Please be aware these rankings are purely subjective and are based on my own personal opinion.

Honorable Mentions

5. Pokémon HeartGold

There was a time where I would have said Pokémon HeartGold was one of the best entries in the franchise.  I think the years have made me far less receptive of the titles clearly dated issues though. As a remake, it plays everything way too safe in remaking the original Gold and Silver games with little to no thought to improving the clear flaws of the original titles. It's charming visual and audio style and improved battle style save the game from being a total dismissal, but I wouldn't rate this title high anymore when it comes to recounting my favorite Pokémon games.

4. Animal Crossing New Horizons

Animal Crossing New Horizons was a game that came out at the right time and right place.  It was a game that allowed all of us to connect and lose ourselves in a reality that wasn't bogged own with COVID-19 or mandatory lockdowns.  It's creative functionality serves as it's biggest feature, allowing players to fully customize their islands to their hearts content.  While I cannot fault the creative portion of the game, it's hard not to feel the game slightly loses some of the series charm because of it.  What is here is enjoyable and offers plenty of hours of content regardless, but I do feel New Horizons could have made more of an effort to keep some series traditions going as apposed to leaving them behind.

3. Dragon Age: Origins

There aren't many western RPG's which are really capable of capturing the pure essence of dark fantasy quite like Dragon Age Origins did back in 2009. Despite fifteen years passing by, I still find time to go back and revisit this legendary title every couple of years. While time has clearly not been kind to the games visual and gameplay elements, the games writing and RPG offerings make it well worth experiencing time and time again due to the sheer freedom of choice you have in defining your character and their story through the games grand narrative.

2. Grand Theft Auto V

Rockstar Games are known for being one of the very best game development studios in the business and despite being nearly 11 years old, Grand Theft Auto V is a timeless reflection of that reputation.  While its core narrative feels lost in the scope of the games larger than life satirical theme, it's impossible to let that detractor peg the game down in any capacity. This is because on every other fundamental level, Grand Theft Auto V exceeds in delivering a comprehensive experience which fully realizes the possibilities of it's open world sandbox.

1. The Walking Dead Season 1

Season 1 of Telltale Games' The Walking Dead is a timeless masterpiece when it comes to narrative driven experiences.  The episodic format helps emulate the famous style of it's televised predecessor all the while delivering an incredibly written story that utilizes choice-based mechanics to uniquely define your own story.  I may have a lot of personal bias towards this game, but frankly I don't care; this game is an amazing experience and stands tall in my top games of all time.

Official Ranking

19. Multiversus

I hate having to rank Multiversus so low on this list. The main gameplay and fighting mechanics behind this game are tight and responsive, and with a whole array of characters from the wider WB portfolio to choose from, there's a breadth of competitive potential to tap here.  What weighs this game so heavily however is it's abhorrent monetization and progression systems.  The game is designed in such a way that it's hard to progress or earn currency gradually, with every single aspect of the game attempting to force you to put money down on it.

18.  Gears of War: Definitive Edition

Despite knowing the legacy it established, it's hard to find much of the core quality that Gears of War is touted for within the first game in the series.  While I appreciate the remastered enhancements, the Ultimate edition of Gears of War can't stamp out the fundamental flaws baked into this first entry.  While the game retains some of it's finer elements like combat and visual design; the game is somewhat let down by delivering a rather underwhelming and generic soldier story, despite having one of the most intriguing worlds to serve as it's backdrop.

17. Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery

The humorous core of Frog Detective helps give the game a long lasting impression. The three case detective adventure does a wonderful job disguising it's technical limitations by banking on a distinct visual style. While the strong writing and quirky art is a great positive point behind the game, it's hard not to feel the game is let down notably by it's lack of fundamental gameplay.  It's a short experience so it's not a major issue, but it feels like the game could have put in more of an effort to make the gameplay a little more functional.

16.  Immortals of Aveum

Despite a considerably underwhelming story, delivered by equally uninspired dialogue; Immortals of Aveum is not completely devoid of genuine value. The main attraction comes in the form of it's mixture of first person shooter mechanics and magical abilities. The combat is fun and remarkably versatile and it all exists within a world which feels realized and distinct, despite it's poor ability reflect that.  It's a shame this Ascendant Studio's may never make another video game again after this, as I feel despite it's glaring flaws; the potential showcased here was something worth keeping an eye on.

15. Ratchet and Clank

Despite being the entry that started the legendary series, it's hard not to see mostly the flaws in Ratchet and Clank for the PS2.  I think the ideas and concepts presented in this game are solid and you can tell Insomniac Studios took their creative vision and really wanted to run with it. However, whether it's the limitations of the hardware or the lack of scope to the initial ideas, Ratchet and Clank's core quality within it's narrative and gameplay feels sadly half-baked.  By the end of my time with the game it was clear this was more of a blueprint to what Ratchet and Clank eventually would come to be.

14. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion

What Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion lacks in expansive gameplay, it more than makes up for with it's narrative. Despite being a remaster of a 16 year old game, Square Enix appeared to have lazily imported a lot of the dated limitations of the games core functionality over from the PSP.  Repetitive mission cycles, uninspired level design, these are some of the games most criminal aspects. It's a notable conciliation in this case that the main narrative comes off as majorly compelling and the overall presentation benefits from a major upgrade with it's graphical presentation.

13. LEGO The Lord of the Rings

When it comes to adapting the legendary movie trilogy, LEGO The Lord of the Rings does an incredible job in transcribing the very best of Peter Jackson's work into the cute and charming world of LEGO adventure games. It's presentation and scope are the biggest feats the game has to tout with the world of Tolkien being faithfully recreated in the levels and open-world.  In the wake of it's ambition however, it does feel that Traveller's Tales trademark humour is somewhat limited by the format in which they choose to portray the story.  What also holds the game back slightly is it's poor implementation of an equipment feature which ultimately feels redundant. 

12. Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Knowing all the struggle Bioware went through to make Dragon Age: The Veilguard, it's a miracle I even had the chance to play and experience this game at all. Despite that however, I can't help but feel this is not the Dragon Age I know and love. Veilguard is an amateur imitation of a Dragon Age game, with little heart or drive to hone in on the strengths of the series. It's a game gutted of a lot of the core quality you would expect and in it's place is a painfully average RPG experience, which is not something I ever wanted to say about a mainline Dragon Age title.

11. WWE 2K24

WWE 2K24 continues the strong trend that was established back in 2022 when the series came back from a notable downfall in 2020.  This years entry shares similar flaws with the 2K23 entry with a showcase mode which is more archive footage than actual gameplay and a MyRise mode which feels unbalanced in terms of quality. Despite it's shortfalls, the remainder of the game continues to deliver on the exceptional level of quality and content that makes this game a well recognized investment for any wrestling fan to spend time playing.

10. DARK SOULS™ II: Scholar of the First Sin

While I don't necessarily agree with the general negativity surrounding Dark Souls II, I won't sit here and pretend it's a flawless masterpiece. I think it's design philosophy is what lets the game down for me. Some of the games core components like map design, enemy placement and boss variety stick out as poor implementations.  These to me though fail to sour the general experience too much as I still found myself enjoying this game's narrative scope and general encounters.  It took a few shots and it missed a few key ones, but I don't feel this makes Darks Souls II  a write off personally, it more than earns it's place among the rest of the FromSoftware titles.

9. Alan Wake: Remastered

Alan Wake Remastered is a clear love letter to the worlds of Stephen King and David Lynch through it's core objective to tell a episodic mystery through it's third person gameplay.  I love the style and tone embedded in Alan Wake and there a really unique appeal layered across all of the games core components.  I do feel what slightly lets the game down however is it's cumbersome control scheme which I fought with more than the enemies.  It's flaws are minor in comparison to it's achievements however and I really enjoyed the creative experience Remedy Entertainment provided here.

8. Sea of Stars

Sea of Stars sets out on an ambitious quest to not only emulate the very best aspects of the RPGs of our past, but to do so in a way that modernizes it for the present day.  This design philosophy is the core identity of  developers Sabotage Studios and Sea of Stars is another clear example of that principle. Ambition and quality is at the heart of everything this game presents, even if the depth of the story is undermined in the wake of the games scope; it's hard not to appreciate the overall impression this game will leave on you on all fronts by the time the credits roll. 

7. The Great Ace Attorney - Adventures

The Great Ace Attorney - Adventures continues to exemplify why I love the Ace Attorney franchise so much.  Adapting the core mainline formula while establishing a brand new period setting and inhabiting it with an all new cast of characters is a tall order for any game, but I'm happy to say this title pulls off the challenge almost flawlessly.  Despite some minor pacing issues with the first two cases, everything else about this title is successful in delivering a narrative driven experience filled with with great suspense and engaging gameplay. 

6. Hi-Fi Rush

Xbox dropped the ball with Tango Gameworks, there's no plainer way to say it.  Hi-Fi Rush showed everyone that this studio had a core quality that needed to be encouraged, not dismissed. Fun, rhythmic gameplay serves as the major foundation behind this colorfully fun musical ride.  With it's only flaws based on missed potential, it's a showcase that giving studios creative freedom to imagine new concepts can lead to really memorable experiences, shame on Xbox for not learning anything from the game's actual narrative!

5. Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door

Despite being twenty years late to it, Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door has provided an experience to me that I can only imagine many before me only know too well. With the added benefit of a swanky new remake for the Nintendo Switch, Thousand Year Door delivers everything you could ask for in a Mario RPG title.  Charming and bright visual design, tight and comedic writing and a simple yet layered gameplay component all complement this game in delivering an experience well-deserving of the legacy it has touted for so many years.

4. Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Super Mario Bros. Wonder utilizes every creative facet to deliver an uncompromised platforming experience well worth diving into. Filled with loads of heart and charm, the latest entry in the Mario Bros. series does a phenomenal job in redefining the franchise in some wonderfully imaginative ways.  With tight and robust controls, accompanied with some beautifully vivid level design, the main allure behind this game is the creative use of the Wonder Flower mechanics that change the scope of each level in so many interesting ways. 

3. Astro Bot

Team Asobi didn't need to cook this bloody well, but boy do I appreciate that they did! Astro Bot rules on every conceivable level! What started out as a simple tech demo for a PS4 peripheral has evolved into one of the best platforming video games of the modern generation.  Everything about Astro Bot is geared towards celebrating the rich history of PlayStation's 30 year history while also doing everything it can to stand on it's own merits.  Tight, varied gameplay complements a world brimming with charm and style with tons of large, engaging levels to get lost in.  Astro Bot proves there is room for the 3D platforming genre to compete in the modern gaming landscape.

2. Alan Wake II

Remedy Entertainment are just on a whole other level when it comes making video games; Alan Wake II is another key example of that.  The narrative scope of the game is smartly layered  through the lens of the two central characters and their parallel journeys.  On top of it's story elements, the game showcases it's creative vision through it's rewarding and creative formats of gameplay. To top it all off is a visually stunning design and soundtrack that all combine to form a truly memorable experience I won't soon be forgetting.

1. Hades

Hades is what I consider a perfect video game experience. Every single aspect of this video game feels fully realized to the peak of it's creative potential. It's world and narrative realize the Greek pantheon in all it's tragic majesty while delivering a storyline that feels relatable on so many fronts. Accompanying it's intricate narrative is an equally intricate gameplay loop that feels fully fleshed out with addictive combat and progression features. To top it all off is vivid style of presentation which gives the game a clearly unique impression that helps it stand out on a visual and audio perspective.