Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth – one great game amongst many (Square Enix)
GameCentral offers a half-year report for video games, in what has been an exceptional six months, filled with great titles like Animal Well and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
We don’t want to alarm you but we’re now halfway through the year. Time flies when you’re fretting over the future of the video games industry but 2024 is now 50% complete and while the news has been a non-stop parade of misery the best way to cheer yourself up about the current state of gaming is simply to play some of the new releases.
At first, we weren’t even sure there were 20 games worthy of such praise but once the list below started to take shape we realised we were going to have to leave out a lot of notable games, including the still very good Dragon’s Dogma 2 and Rise Of The Rōnin, as well as innumerable indie titles such as Dicefolk, Paper Trail, Hauntii, V Rising, Ultrawings 2, Freedom Planet 2, and Little Kitty, Big City.
We’ve used the same rules as our yearly Top 20, in that we don’t include remasters, remakes, and DLC (although we do count Final Fantasy 7 as a new game) so that leaves out the superb Elden Ring: Shadow Of The Erdtree and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, not to mention Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance, Braid Anniversary Edition, Tomb Raider I-III Remastered, and Persona 3 Reload.
Clearly, it has been an excellent year for quality games and while a few weeks ago the second half of 2024 was looking a little barren it’s now filled with an encouragingly diverse range of promising titles, from Astro Bot and Star Wars Outlaws to Zelda: Echoes Of Wisdom and Life Is Strange: Double Exposure.
If the disconnect between the games and news seems hard to credit the answer is simple and related to one of the key problems in the industry at the moment: games take too long to make. All of those listed below would’ve been started long before the layoffs and uncertainty began. What happens after is difficult to tell but for now this is looking like one of the best years for gaming in the modern era. Which is a very welcome surprise.
20. F1 24 (XO/PS4/XSX/PS5/PC)
We never know what to do about yearly sports sequels in these sorts of lists, as even when they’re good they’re usually not very different from the last one. F1 24 literally cannot reinvent the wheel but it is the best Formula One game Codemasters has made so far and a sign that their purchase by EA isn’t having an adverse effect.
19. WWE 2K24 (XO/PS4/XSX/PS5/PC)
Likewise, Visual Concepts has been making WWE games for years now and not only is the best wresting game in at least two generations but they’ve now fully atoned for the disaster that was WWE 2K20, in what is comeback story worthy of the real WWE.
18. Granblue Fantasy: Relink (PS4/PS5/PC)
An old school Japanese role-player with gorgeous art, excellent combat, and some very welcome co-op options – even if you’ve probably never heard of it. If only it had a better script, it would’ve been significantly higher up this list, instead of having to take the role of one of the year’s hidden gems.
17. Duck Detective: The Secret Salami (XO/NS/XSX/PC)
The name makes it sound like some sort of shiftless children’s game, but this is a surprisingly funny detective game that is considerably more complex than the cute visuals suggest. The fact that it does bare comparison with Return Of The Obra Dinn is the highest praise you can give it, with its engaging puzzles and characters.
16. RKGK / Rakugaki (PC)
There’s been a lot of talk about Jet Set Radio recently, with a reboot, rumours of a remake, and last year’s Bomb Rush Cyberfunk. RKGK borrows more sparingly from Sega’s old classic, but its graffiti-themed platforming is the most successful homage so far, and an excellent debut for new developer Wabisabi Games.
15. Crow Country (XSX/PS5/PC)
Survival horror games are always looking to the past for inspiration, and this throwback to PS1 era classics like Resident Evil and Silent Hill really tickles the nostalgia glands. The gameplay and visuals are spot on for the period and while it’s not actually that scary the weird atmosphere is captivating even if you’ve never played the original inspirations.
14. Prince Of Persia: The Lost Crown (XO/PS4/NS/XSX/PS5/PC)
You wait for one new Prince Of Persia game and two come along at once, but while The Rogue Prince Of Persia is off to a relatively promising start in early access this is currently the most enjoyable of the two titles: an inventive Metroidvania with excellent combat and platforming, even if it has very little to do with the rest of the series.
13. Another Crab’s Treasure (XO/NS/XSX/PS5/PC)
If there’s one thing that’s always baffled us about Soulslike games, it’s why they always copy the tone and visuals of FromSoftware’s games as well as the gameplay. This immediately proves that a different setting works wonders to make it feel like something more unique, but it has plenty of unique ideas too, for your hermit crab hero.
12. Helldivers 2 (PS5/PC)
Sony were no doubt delighted when their first live service game of the year became a runaway hit, although its popularity seems to have cooled in the last few months. It’s likely to bounce back though, as its love of friendly fire and constantly changing meta still feels fresh and significantly different to other co-op shooters.
11. Minishoot’ Adventures (PC)
It might not look like much, but this indie release is one of the few games brave enough to try and copy the (old) Zelda formula… and then mix it with a bullet hell shooter. It can seem a little clinical at times, in terms of the art style and lack of human characters, but otherwise this is one of the best indie games of the year.
10. Pepper Grinder (XO/PS4/NS/XSX/PS5/PC)
Inspired by forgotten Game Boy Advance title Drill Dozer, this is a fantastic little platformer that uses its drilling gimmick in wonderfully inventive ways, as both a weapon and a means of transportation. The graphics may seem a little spartan at times but there’s some great set pieces and excellent boss battles.
9. Lorelei And The Laser Eyes (NS/PC)
This year is going to have a lot of competition for the accolade of ‘weirdest game’ but this surreal puzzle adventure from Year Walk maker Simogo is the clear frontrunner. The story is arguably more difficult to understand than the puzzles, but both are equally rewarding once you work out what’s going on.
8. Shiren The Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon Of Serpentcoil Island (NS)
Roguelikes have never been more fashionable than now but if you want to experience one in its rawest form then the latest Shiren The Wanderer is as hardcore as it gets for a newly released game. It’s old school but there are enough modern elements to make it agreeably addictive, even for those that swear there’ll be no ‘one more go.’
7. Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth (XO/PS4/XSX/PS5/PC)
The franchise previously known as Yakuza has been on quite a roll lately and this is arguably the best entry of the whole series. Relocating to Hawaii helps keep things fresh but the turn-based combat is much better than the last game and the range of side activities the most fun they’ve ever been, especially the ones parodying modern gaming.
6. Stellar Blade (PS5)
One of the most surprising successes on this list, not so much because the developer is all but unknown, but because the overly sexualised female lead is really the only objectionable part of the game. The combat is absolutely top notch and while the exploration and survival horror elements can seem a bit random at times the overall experience is hugely enjoyable.
5. Tekken 8 (XSX/PS5/PC)
You wouldn’t expect the eighth entry in a fighting game franchise, that has its fair share of workmanlike entries, to be one of the best games of the year but this absolutely is, with excellent single-player and multiplayer options and a perfect balance of depth and accessibility. The only downside is the minimal number of new characters.
4. Unicorn Overlord (PS4/NS/XSX/PS5)
We’re not sure what most people would expect from a game with a name like this but it’s probably not a homage to 90s strategy games like Ogre Battle. The latest from the makers of 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, this is very much its own game, with Vanillaware’s typically gorgeous artwork matched with gameplay that is both nuanced and surprisingly original.
3. Balatro (XO/PS4/NS/XSX/PS5/PC)
Indie games had a fairly quiet 2023 but this year has been very different, with tons of interesting and varied games. Poker mixed with a deck-building roguelike sounds horribly unappealing, but you try telling yourself that when you’re trying to stop playing at 1am in the morning, in what is the most enjoyably addictive game of the year.
2. Animal Well (NS/PS5/PC)
Weird and unappealing names are de rigueur for most indie games but if you can ignore that this is a fantastically well designed Metroidvania-esque adventure, that’s packed with secrets and encourages you to use its various tools and weapons in endlessly inventive ways. Which makes it all the more impressive that it’s the work of just one single person.
1. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth (PS5)
The first part of the remake trilogy was already far better than we expected but this middle entry is even more extraordinary. You could call it overblown but the sheer amount of content is staggering, as are the visuals and the fact that the characters and their motivations remain likeable and understandable throughout, in what is possibly the best modern Final Fantasy game ever.
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