What a fucking year huh? And I don’t mean that in a good way. It was a fucking trainwreck of a year, and the only reason I didn’t go insane was because of my time playing video games. My Nintendo Switch yearly wrapup came a few days ago, and I ended up playing 56 games and 674 hours in total, holy shit that’s a lot of gaming! So I want to end this year on a positive note, going over the most notable games I played this year. I’m going to try my best to do this in order as best I can as the year went by from January to now.
Metroid Dread
Let’s start with the very first game I played this year of all games, Metroid Dread. I’m not the biggest Metroid fan, I’ve only played Super, Fusion, and Prime at this point so this being the first game I played in 2024 was unexpected. This game truly brings the dread, as I had to keep myself from having heart attacks throughout the Emmi sections, besides that the game is arguably the best 2D Metroid I’ve ever played with good puzzles, decent difficulty, and a damn good final boss that’s challenging and rewarding. Well worth the long wait for Metroid fans.
Mario Vs Donkey Kong
When I first saw this I was so excited because I loved the original Game Boy Advance version years ago, happy to say that it’s just as good as the original with brand new challenging levels to test your skills. My only hope is that they make another Mario Vs Donkey Kong like this and stop doing the Mini Marios.
Mario Tennis Aces
In my opinion Mario Tennis Aces is the best Mario sports game on the Switch, probably the closest we’ve gotten to Mario Power Tennis on the Gamecube. While it doesn’t have as many crazy modes as that game, Aces excels at giving you a lot of different courts and items to keep the game entertaining. The single player does a good job with training you to play the game and a good way to have replayability. Not much else to say except it’s a really good game.
Streets of Rage 4
I don’t think it’s an exaggeration when I say this game was worth the wait. For so many years Streets of Rage 2 was the gold standard of the series and one of the best beat em ups of all time, we finally got the game not only we’ve been waiting for, but surpasses it. Looks gorgeous, plays amazing, oh and did I mention that Yuzo Koshiro came back to do some music for this game. Streets of Rage is Beat Em Up royalty and Streets of Rage 4 is another classic in the making.
I will say when I played this game I wasn’t expecting much, I understood that this was basically a placeholder until Kirby and the Forgotten Land came out. What I ended up getting was easily the most lore heavy game of the entire series, it’s as if they just decided to drop all of the big time lore into this game. I remember hearing how bare bones this game was at first, but playing it this year this game was loaded with tons of content that gave me plenty to do. Now the only question I have is how they’ll handle 2D Kirby after this and Forgotten Land.
Princess Peach Showtime
Yooka-Laylee
What happens when you take a 90’s 3D Platformer, put it in a time capsule, and send it to 2017? You get one of the more divisive 3D Platformers out there in Yooka-Laylee. It really feels like it came straight from the 90’s in all the good and bad ways, overall though I think this a solid enough 3D Platformer that does its job well enough.
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair
Obviously the superior sequel to the original, and I’m not just saying that because I like 2D more than 3D. This is just easily much better than the first Yooka-Laylee game in every way possible, I would tell someone who wants to try either game to play this first, no questions asked. If you’re looking to scratch that Banjo-Kazooie itch, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair will do that and more.
Penny's Big Breakaway
I knew that before I finished this game I would be talking about it at the end of the year. One of the first standout games of the year, I hold this game in high regard for just how good this game feels, it has the soul of a 90’s Sega Saturn with none of the drawbacks. There’s a bit of a learning curve with this game, but the moment everything clicked I knew this game was going to stick around for me, not to mention I’m still listening to this soundtrack today. This is an indie game that’s definitely worth your time.
Splatoon 2
The original Splatoon was a breath of fresh air for Nintendo, I would know, I played it a lot when it first came out. With a very solid foundation Splatoon 2 just had to improve on it while giving us more, we ended up getting that plus bonus dlc content in Octo Expansion which was awesome. Just never make me fight Agent 3 again, you hear me?!
Sonic Origins Plus
One of the most divisive collections I’ve ever seen, I saw so many people love and hate this collection due to a number of factors. For me, this is probably the best way to play classic Sonic games right now, arguably the best versions of these classic games with some additional bonus content like playable Amy, museum, and achievements give plenty of reason to keep coming back to this collection. The changed music in Sonic 3 is a small price to pay for the best available versions of the original Sonic adventures.
AVGN 1 & 2 Deluxe
As a fan of the nerd these games really embody the bullshit the nerd goes through on a daily basis, the hard as balls gameplay, crazy bullshit that’ll make you rage, and the history of the nerd as you fight against the nerd’s greatest enemies. It’s not a shitload of fuck, it’s actually a pair of good, yet hard games.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury
Going back to Mario 3D World I found the game to still be as good as when I first played it, but this is mainly about Bowser’s Fury, the additional content we got with the Switch port. All I can say is that this was awesome and itch scratched that Odyssey itch I’ve had since beating Super Mario Odyssey. Now where’s Odyssey 2?
River City Girls 1 & 2
I didn’t know what to expect when I bought these two games, just that they were good and they were made by Way Forward and that was enough for me. What you get are two really good beat em up games for modern consoles, with some RPG elements that make these two the longest beat em ups I’ve ever played so fair warning about that. Both games have the charm that’s to be expected from Way Forward at this point and are worth your time.
Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
I’m still having a hard time believing this remake exists. How many times have I had to hear so many rumors of a remake of this game while still clinging on to the original Gamecube classic? It makes sense that we eventually get a remake 20 years after the original game came out. I loved the original to death, and I love this remake and the things that it fixed, if it wasn’t obvious this is not only the game I’ve been waiting for, but this is without a doubt the game of the year for me.
Shantae and the Seven Sirens
This year I played every Shantae game which means I played the GBC original and Seven Sirens for the very first time. I have to say that Seven Sirens greatly improves from Half-Genie Hero in every way, Way Forward’s flagship franchise still goes strong. I still find it funny that even though this game was good, the best game in the series, Pirate’s Curse, is the one that deviates from the core mechanic that Shantae’s known for.
TMNT: Shredder's Revenge
The gold standard of modern Beat Em Ups, oh my God how did I only start playing this game in July?! It’s as close to perfect as you can get, the true successor to Turtles In Time in every damn way possible, plus the load of dlc that helped make the game way more replayable, there’s a reason why so many modern beat em ups have been trying to replicate Shredder’s Revenge. Even if you’re not a TMNT fan, you owe it to yourself to play this instant classic.
New Pokemon Snap
Another game that I’ve been waiting for years ever since the original Pokemon Snap. Now I’m not a Pokemon fan, I’ve only watched the anime but don’t care for the games, Pokemon Snap on the N64 was a fun exception. Another game that’s easy and relaxing, it was fun to sit back, relax, and just take my time taking pictures of Pokemon I know nothing about.
Marvel Vs Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics
You don’t know how much you missed something until you get it back. Playing these legendary classic arcade games once again just unleashed a ton of nostalgia for me and made it hard to stop playing, even if I suck at fighting games. The games speak for themselves at this point, they are fighting game royalty and I can’t wait for the second collection to come out.
TMNT Cowabunga Collection
One of the best collections on the Switch, over 10 games to celebrate the turtles’s video game history with a crapload of additional content to make this so worth it. Like seriously, this collection has manuals, art, concept art, cartoon art, the developers did their homework with this collection.
Kirby's Return to Dreamland Deluxe
The first game of the modern Kirby era was bound to get a remake at some point, it’s still a good game but with more now with Magolor’s Epilogue and Merry Magoland. Both give the game more replayability than it originally had, and the game was already full of content. I honestly didn’t think they would give Magolor any more story than he had but hey it’s pretty good.
Luigi's Mansion 3
Not only is this the best Luigi’s Mansion game, it’s easily the best animated Mario game, you can tell they were preparing to do the Mario movie by the time this game came out. It’s so satisfying beating the shit out of ghosts, not to mention finding gems is much easier here than it was in Luigi’s Mansion 2. I just fear how crazy King Boo will get in Luigi’s Mansion 4 because he was out for blood here.
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
If you can tell, I’m not a Zelda fan at all, only playing Link to the Past and Link Between Worlds. However, this was one of the standout games I was very excited to play even if I’m not a Zelda fan. I’m happy to say this is a fantastic game from beginning to end, nothing really negative to say about this other than the artstyle might put some people off.
Super Mario Party Jamboree
After Mario Party Superstars, we were waiting for Nintendo to drop the next Mario Party game in hopes that they’d get back on track. What we got is possibly the best Mario Party game alongside the N64 games. All the boards are great, most minigames are fun, and it hits that perfect balance of fun and rage inducing. Oh what’s that? I can get 2 stars but I can risk losing 2 stars in one turn? Yeah, I’m thinking Mario Party is back.
Splatoon 3
I don’t have much to say about this sequel, it’s the best in the series, does everything right and advances the story, lore, and weapons. Single player campaign and dlc is very well done, if you liked the first two games then this one will be no different.
Sonic X Shadow Generations
To this day I’m kicking myself for not playing Sonic Generations years ago. I honestly didn’t pay attention to this until I learned that the original game was going to be with the Shadow content. Let’s not bullshit, Sonic Generations is a Top 3 Sonic game with very little bad besides that dumbass Time Eater boss. And then to give us more with Shadow’s content is pure joy. See Sega, this is what happens when you stick with a game mechanic and refine it!
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Kirby and the Forgotten Land
Kirby’s first 3D adventure is finally here after years of being teased and yeah, this is a Top 3 Kirby game for sure. While there aren’t that many copy abilities, being able to upgrade your abilities makes up for that. Plus I really like the Waddle Dees making a hometown for shits and giggles which is a cute touch. Of course this being Kirby you have your bonus content, eldritch abominations and extra things that are genuine surprises from what is one of Kirby’s best outings.
Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp
I’m so sad this game didn’t do as well as it could, being delayed for a year will do that to a game. Turn based tactics is not the type of game I usually play, but I did like playing the original and this remake does a spectacular job, from design to music. Maybe someday we might get an Advance Wars 3 but that’s wishful thinking.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita's Rewind
The final game of my video game year, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind has been something I was waiting for ever since I saw the announcement. Given my love for the original team, this was a no brainer for me because this game is fucking awesome. Is it up there with Shredder’s Revenge? Not quite, some dlc would help with that, but like Shredder’s Revenge it’s a love letter to the fans of the original Power Rangers and a good modern beat em up to stand alongside Streets of Rage 4 and Shredder’s Revenge.
And that's all the games I wanted to highlight this year, there were plenty more games but I wanted to talk about the ones that made the most impact for me this year. Now please let this fucking year end and hopefully next year is much better!