One of the highlights of my year is Play Expo – a weekend away in Blackpool that has a bunch of retro and modern video games. It’s pretty much the same every year: arcade machines as you walk in, trading hall to the left, pinball machines to the right, home consoles towards the back along with the main stage. Play Expo has a familiarity to it, which makes it a must attend every year for me. If only to see the same faces every year.
The traders hall is often a place I go for a wander. Not straight away, as it’s hectic, but towards the middle afternoon on Saturday it dies down a bit and you get to check out the trading hall, have a bit of a chat and just generally have a better buying experience. You feel less pressured as you check through the boxes on the floor (which – as somebody who has dropped 3 stone in the past year – is a lot more easier experience on the knees).
One such place is The Gaming Newsagent – a long time attendee that started as SegaMags, but branched out into all such other magazines. It was in one of these boxes and a bit of time for exploring I found this magazine. St Format issue 70, from May 1995. An immediate buy. When I said immediate, I meant immediate. I never bothered looking through the rest.
So what was so special? This small PD Game on the cover disk, Chain Reaction. A simple addictive game I played so much and stuck with me for a while. Here whas what was written about it.
Chain Reaction from ST Format Issue 70 (image taken from Atari Mania)
If you followed me online for a while, you’d know that this sounds a lot like a game I made. Gone Fission! was inspired by Chain Reaction (and a thousand other PD games, I’ve got an article in my drafts where I talk about all different versions of the game and everything cool that has happened post launch. This is another of those things to add to that post, in a fun coincidence.
Anyway, weird kind of full circle on a side project that dominated this year.
Last night I’ve just finished a game that will feature very highly in my “Game of the Year” blog post – The Roottrees Are Dead. It’s a wonderfully charming romp to map a family tree to see who stands to gain a large inheritance. It’s a classic detective game in the style of The Return of the Obra Dinn (my game of the decade) and, whilst it doesn’t quite stick the landing – it suffers the same fate as most of these games do in that once you get close to the end it becomes guessable – it’s well worth your time.
As with all of these games, once completed (there’s a nice little twist towards the end), I dived into the read more about the game. Whilst The Roottrees are Dead was released earlier this year, it is a “remaster” of a game released a few years back, and the previous version did use generative AI. Only when the original game was released completed and got a bit of traction did the original developer switch to use proper assets – which saw the game become a success.
Good AI in Gaming? Maybe?
It gave me a bit of an uneasy feeling when I read that, and I think I wanted to try and justify it. The game right now that is on Steam is guilt free – beautifully drawn images, great soundtracks, voice acting, it’s a wonderful game. The AI version? Well, it’s still in essence the same game (deciphering photography is a key part of the game), but I doubt I would have played it.
I then thought about would the game have seen the light of day with the AI version? Sadly, doubtful. But once the proof of concept was there, the author did the right thing by seeing it’s potential and investing in artists to see their vision cross the line. So I think I’m happy about it.
Rubbish AI in Content Creation
I awoke this morning to find a video on my feed from YouTuber icklenellierose, that helped crystalise my thoughts on Generative AI and why it’s bad. You should watch it all below. Grab a brew, it’s good.
The basic gist of some of the elements was the fact she was tricked (from an “Inspiration” tab) to get a few video ideas. Generative AI – particularly for artists and creators – can be a touchy subject. Some folks really don’t want to use it for their well optimised creation process, and I must say I can’t blame them. I was a relative late comer to AI within my code, and even then I use it sparingly, and I curse Copilot for auto”correcting” code I write at times. Just stop it.
I’m reminded of a quote from Homer Simpson where he talks about the obnoxious character – Poochie – being added to the Itchy and Scratchy Show:-
One, Poochie needs to be louder, angrier, and have access to a time machine. Two, whenever Poochie’s not on screen, all the other characters should be asking “Where’s Poochie”?
Homer Simpson – “The Itchy & Scracthy & Poochie Show”
I feel AI is being Poochiefied. There are some genuinely cool things out there, I use it in my job at times (I used it yesterday to come up with a small idea to extend a blog post as I was under a word count and was struggling). In fields such as medicine it could be genuinely useful.
I don’t think it’s the be-all and end all mind. Keeping up with developments is both tiring and nothing makes me want to switch off a podcast than saying “We’re going to talk about AI”. Nobody as of yet has come up with a cool reason why I should use it, beyond asking it for sorting arrays, working out where I’ve gone wrong with my code or finding a hook I can use within a plugin with code everywhere. As such, I’m not convinced yet it is the deserving of the amount of column inches it serves.
I especially don’t like it when AI is either front and centre (I had an “AI Summary” present itself in Slack yesterday without asking) or when people are tricked into using it with dark UX. I imagine situations like Ellen describes and experienced by us all during our days is used in board room presentations on how the adoption of AI has been a complete success and it’s what customers want. Using words like “uptake has been stellar”.
That then leads to situations like what was on before Google did put up their prices of business accounts that’s sold on “greater AI integration”.
Cheers for asking, dicks.
I think that’s the point I’m trying to make. I don’t necessarily mind AI if it is presented in such a way that it is an option to use, and there has been education on it and also it doesn’t lurch to “Yay Nazi’s are great!”.
However, I don’t want to work where my processes are having to change due to having AI forced on me.
I picked up Life is Strange earlier on this year to play it on streaming in conjunction with The Playthrough Podcast with the full intention to play it on stream. Alas, I never got around to playing it on stream, but opened it offline for a new game to play in the evening.
The problem with narrative games is me getting invested into the story. I try to set up my system to minimise distractions as I play, to stop my mind wandering when playing. I did the same with Life is Strange.
The game begins with a tutorial teach you basic controls of movement, framed as walking to a lighthouse in a thunderstorm to find shelter. After lightning destroys the tower causing it to collapse on you, the scene changes to a classroom: the protagonist – Max – wakes up. It was all a dream.
Another brief tutorial introduces you to Max’s camera and journal, and you’re thrusted into a chaotic sequence where you have to answer questions and you weren’t paying attention. Discussions and arguments take place, and then – the school bell rings. Max is free for a break, and walks out of the classroom, into an equally chaotic corridor where you’re asked to complete the first mission: go to the bathroom and freshen up.
At this point, the game really hit me, as the sound design is excellent.
As Max puts on her headphones, the outside world dies out, and Max – takes a deep breath – and walks to the bathroom. You can interact with everybody outside, or you can go straight to the bathroom. At this point the game hooked me. Here’s the scene in full.
I don’t know why. It’s something about the music that plays, to go from the chaotic school hall, to a calming introspective. It feels a bit Dawson’s Creek or The OC. I think the tune that plays – “To All of You (American Girls)” by Syd Matters – is from one of them. It just made me sit up and take notice, and had me hooked. Also the framing on the title screen and introducing the title and the development house is done in a non obtrusive way. It was wonderful, and – now on episode 2 at the time of writing – it made me want to see this game through to the end. (UPDATE: I’m now on episode three and I love it). Although the voice acting can be a bit janky at times and the way in which people speak can seem a bit disjointed, the ambient sound effects/music and the way it interacts with the dialogue is perfect.
I often think about the openings of games that stuck with me. I have the nostalgia of watching Super Mario World, Sonic the Hedgehog and Street Fighter 2 on demo mode in Tandy. The first notes of “Baba Yetu” (Civilization 4) and “Vigil” (Mass Effect) make my heart skips a beat. But I struggle to think of a better opening segment of a game. Batman: Arkham Ayslum is decent (but only becomes important later in the game). The best I can think is Final Fantasy 7. The close up shot of Aeris’ face, zooming out to Midgar, only to zoom back into AVALANCHE’s exploits as they smash into the reactor is the only thing that comes close.
Although that came out 18 years prior, it shares the same publisher: Square Enix. I wonder if somewhere in Dotnod they were aware of Final Fantasy 7 and wanted to create a similar opening. If so, they nailed it.
What is your favourite opening to a video game ever?
My latest game – Gone Fission! – has been released and is available to play on itch.io.
How To Play
⬅️⬆️⬇️➡️ – move cursor
❎ (mapped to X/C on browser) – place atom
🅾️ (mapped to Z/V on browser) – next player (2+ human players only).
The goal is to eliminate all other players from the game by causing chain reactions of 4 or more atoms. Probably the game is best explained in animated gif form.
You can play up to 4 players local multiplayer, or you can play with up to 3 computer opponents with 3 different difficulties.
Why I Made It
Been a real labour of love this game, working away on it – as it was the first game I largely developed in public. Working on it publicly when for many years a lot of my work has been behind NDA’s has been equal parts refreshing and terrifying: I’ve had a bit of an inferiority complex when it comes to showing off my work, but learning things like particle engines and programming my own difficulty curves has been rewarding. In the world where AI slop seems to be king, humanly crafting something with love for other people’s enjoyment does feel great.
Anyway, would love for you to play it and see what you think. You can play it in browser and made the PICO-8 cartridge free (which means you can play it on retro devices such as the Anbernic). Donations of $2 or more means you get the executable to play on devices such as your Steam Deck. If you do like it, please share my Itch.io page with details on the game on, and leave a review and a comment: it really helps the algorithm.
2024 in video games was…interesting. it felt like it was beginning to be a downturn. The AAA games are just not there and don’t interest me, and I feel like folks are waiting for Grand Theft Auto 6 and the Nintendo Switch 2, so much so this year hasn’t been quite as big as previous years.
With that said, there have been a lot of good games taking advantage of the gap that AAA developers have left. I’ve played a lot of games this year, I’ve also made a couple too. The majority of the games I’ve enjoyed this year have been smaller teams and indie games. I haven’t yet upgraded from the last generation of consoles, as outside of the Switch I haven’t played many modern games.
Here are my favourites for 2024 and these games are well worth your time. Same rules for last year: it must have been released in 2024.
Games I Enjoyed Playing in 2024
As always, this post highlights the games released in 2024. However there are a bunch more games that I first seriously played in 2024 Here are games from previous years I played this year.
Pac Man: Championship Edition (NES) is a fun little demake of the Championship Edition version of the classic pill munching game. A high score attack where you have to compete for 5 minutes to get the highest score you can. A great demake with a thumping 8 bit soundtrack and tense gameplay with slightly less assault of the senses than the arcade game, this is great fun.
I wish I enjoyedCastlevania: Symphony of the Night* (PSX) more. Oddly, despite the “Metroid” part of “Metroidvania” being one of my favourite games of all time, the “Vania” part I never explored and – I just struggled towards the end. I didn’t hate it, but I missed half the game because the amount of work to get it done was too long. If I played it a few years after Super Metroid it probably would have been one of my favourite games ever, but I just couldn’t get on board with it.
Spoiler alert, I have two games of the year this year. This is one of them. Lucy Dreaming(PC) – is a wonderful game. A point and click adventure where you have to find the cause of Lucy’s nightmares, this is a wonderfully British game with lovely nods to a lot of classic games, 80’s culture and Northern Britain. There is quite possibly the best subtle joke I’ve ever done experienced in a video game. I’ve contributed to the Kickstarter for the next game: Heir of the Dog. I played the demo at Play Expo and it’s more of the same. I cannot wait.
I finally got to playStreet Fighter 6 (PC) and I did enjoy it. Sadly my PC was slightly too weak to handle the game, so it ran pretty slow. Nevertheless I enjoyed what I played of it. When I finally get a PlayStation 5 I’m going to play this game more.
Another classic game that I finally managed to play and complete was the excellent Final Fantasy 6 (SNES*). Whilst 7 is one of my favourite games ever I never played the prequel. Wonder no more as I dedicated some time in the summer to play it. This was excellent. A wonderful story that had me crying at the end, this is well worth playing. You can see that the kinks in the game were ironed out in 7.
This was a joy. Aquaventure (Atari 2600) was a fun little game that wasn’t released in the lifetime of the Atari 2600, but it has since been found and put out into the wild. And it’s excellent. A game where you have to dive down and collect things from the seabed, this has great progression, a fun gameplay loop and pushes the limit of the 2600. Seriously, considering their issues in the early 1980s, the Atari of today knows their role and is an excellent publisher.
Although it contains a bunch of tropes I don’t like with 2D Zelda games, Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons (Game Boy Colour), was a good fun little game that I enjoyed playing through and completing. I think I prefer it to Link’s Awakening.
A Highland Song (PC) was an interesting story driven game, that kind of didn’t make much sense. Nevertheless it was a fun little game with a few teething problems that ticks along nicely with a great soundtrack and a beautiful look. Once you get the gameplay loop though it’s well worth checking out. You may have to complete this twice.
UFO – Swamp Odyssey (Pico-8) was a fun discovery! A fun micro Metroidvania that you can complete in an hour. Would highly recommend you play this game as it won’t take long. Far more atmospheric than it has any right to be.
Outer Wilds (Xbox) is the final game I played in 2024 and, it’s okay? I went from enjoying the gameplay loop to getting to the point where I resented it. It remains uncompleted. Will get around to finishing it soon.
Honorable Mentions
There are games that every year just miss out that I play. Here are some games that I enjoyed and played but aren’t in the top 3.
Probably the first game I completed in 2024 Mario vs Donkey Kong(Nintendo Switch*) was a remake of a sequel of a game I really enjoyed: Donkey Kong 94 for the Game Boy. This was more of the same, puzzles in a Donkey Kong style. It does have some extra levels where you have to rescue toys in a “a bit like Lemmings but not” gameplay loop. Fun enough. Pick it up for cheap if you can.
Nintendo World Championship: NES Edition (Nintendo Switch*) again another little game from Nintendo that feels like the Switch is at the end of the console’s life, Nintendo World Championship: NES Edition is a collection of mini games from the classic Nintendo games from the 80s. Fun short speedruns that can see you getting the sword in Zelda, through to completing the entire of Super Mario Bros. Appeals to crusty old fuddy duddies that watch speedruns on YouTube (AGDQ is in a few weeks!). Some baffling games missing though from this collection though: where is Punch-Out!?!
A surprising release was that Marvel vs Capcom Fighting Collection(Nintendo Switch*) came out. Some excellent fighting games from the mid 90’s to the early 00’s featuring characters from Marvel and Capcom franchises, it ended up in licensing hell with Marvel losing the X-Men. A series that formed the majority of the character roster. This meant weaker or less well known characters got featured, which affected the quality of the games. This is the classic games in one collection, and with rollback netcode, it became rather fun to play online for a bit. Furthermore, the etiquette surrounding online play was there. Not original, but a great way to own some fantastic games, as the original games cost a fortune now.
Finally, my most anticipated game of the year comes here. Thank Goodness You’re Here!(PC) was a fun romp through a Yorkshire town, and it is well worth playing as it has a Python-esque northern humour. Sadly, I played Lucy Dreaming before, whose humour landed more with me, and was a better game. This doesn’t really have much of a challenge, being a slightly more complex walking simulator. But it’s fun enough.
A dark and brooding Metroidvania. Animal Well is my third favourite game of the year. You play a character who has to get eventually home. How you do it is not immediately clear. Short-ish, but incredibly deep, this game is wonderful innovative, as in effect there are multiple levels of depths and you could end up missing loads. Playing it multiple times (and in one case with multiple players) could reveal so much. You get out as much as you put into it, but an average playthrough reveals a beautiful puzzle game. You won’t complete it 100% mind until haseverythinginanimalwellbeenfoundyet.com turns to “yes”, so not one for completionists.
Another wonderfully deep game (or games), UFO 50 was a late surge into my game of the year, and would be the one game I’d ask you to pick up to fill in the Crimbo Limbo, as it could be a great local multiplayer game with family. It takes the love and duty of care that “Atari 50 Anniversary” did a few years back and say “what if we did similar, but the company didn’t exist?”. Fifty games crafted with love by indie developers, UFO 50 has some of the most innovative games I’ve played in years. From “What if somebody crossed Bubble Bobble with football” Kick Club, to Mortal: an innovative platform puzzler game, some of these games alone could be game of the year. It’s part of a collection though, and whilst not all games land (just like Atari 50 Anniversary), UFO 50 will keep you busy for a very, very long time.
Balatro is a Rougelike deckbuilder that takes the hands of poker and throws them on their heads. Building a deck with jokers, tarot cards & planet cards, the goal is to beat 8 rounds of blinds. You do this by using your deck and building it to your advantage: soon you will be having two pairs scoring more than royal flushes, you need to use the jokers to your advantage to maximize the value of every hand. Over time, you’ll learn by sight on what each card does, but there’s a handy explainer and tutorial.
A super simple gameplay loop with the actual games taking about 20 minutes, it’s incredibly in depth: I’ve not unlocked everything yet and nowhere near. No other game has had me addicted for a while, and everybody I know is addicted. With a video poker machine graphics and a lounge style music, Balatro is a genuinely original game and has deserved all the plaudits it’s received. Well worth checking out.
