It occurs to me that we never did a "Best Of 2024" list. That's sort
of a traditional requirement that you have to do when a new year
begins. Well, as it remains January so I guess we can sneak it in
still.

So... Best Game of 2024? No, that won't work... at least not for me.
I've played so few newly released games this year that I wouldn't have
much of a selection to choose from. So instead, I'll diversify and
expand the list to include, "Best Game WE PLAYED in 2024"... and then
immediately contract it to "Best NEW Games We Played in 2024." Because
otherwise it'll just be 1994's "Doom" all over again...

Here's my list. Feel free to make your own categories.

Best Of 2024: Cyberpunk 2077
---------------------------------------------------------------
What really needs be said. Is it the /best/ game ever?
No, I don't think so. But it is a solidly made game,
visually gorgeous, wonderfully true to the source material.
Its buggy launch notwithstanding, "Cyberpunk 2077" has
redeemed itself over the years, and fans of the open-world
shooter genre (GTA clones) do themselves a disservice if
they don't play this one.

Most Impressive Visuals: Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020)
---------------------------------------------------------------
This game really earns its 250GB footprint on my HDD.
My fascination with realistic flight sim mechanics is
long gone, but I love buzzing low across the countryside,
just at tree level, and seeing the gorgeous landscapes...
and being able to do so nearly anywhere in the world. I'm
not crazy about being tethered to the Microsoft
mothership to enable these visuals, but I have to admit...
the end result is well worth it.

Most Fun: God of War (2018)
---------------------------------------------------------------
A contender for 'best game', "God of War" lost out only
because it's middle acts dragged on a bit longer than
needed, and it was a half-step behind "Cyberpunk" in
the visuals department. But "God of War" had a much
more memorable story and - even with a slow-paced third
act - didn't overstay its welcome (there's something to
be said for games that you can finish in twenty hours).
Its combat was quick and satisfying, and was
interspersed with fun exploration and platforming. Is
it really more 'fun' than "Cyberpunk 2077"? They're
really too different types of games to easily say,
but "God of War" deserved some recognition, so I'm
giving it this award.

Most Surprising: Ghostwire Tokyo
---------------------------------------------------------------
I honestly didn't expect much from this game; it looked
a weird open-world game from some no-name developer,
but "Ghostwire" was a lot more enjoyable than I expected.
Mechanically, it took few chances but its haunted Tokyo
was a blast to explore, the powers you wielded were fun
to use, and the monsters were unique and interesting. A
great game? Probably not; as I said, it's a bit too
derivative in its style to qualify. But a lot more fun
than I expected.

Most Disappointing: Last Call BBS
---------------------------------------------------------------
This is an unfair category, because it really says less
about the quality of the game than my expectations of
what the game should have been. And "Last Call BBS"
isn't a terrible game. Sure, it reflects the tiny
budget of its Indie developer, but that's not necessarily
a sin. My issue with "Last Call" is that, ultimately,
all it is a series of - admittedly clever and unique -
logic puzzles, and I was expecting a something with
more story and exploration of BBS culture. If you like
banging your head against tough puzzles, "Last Call" is
definitely worth a look... but it was very much not
what I was expecting, and I couldn't help but be
disappointed.

Because I Have To: American Truck Simulator: Kansas
---------------------------------------------------------------
C'mon, you knew I just had to toss in a mention of
these stupid games. But I play them so often, it would
be criminal not to give them an award of some sort. And
- after the disappointing Texas and Oklahoma DLC expansions -
Kansas was a welcome return to form. The state it represents
isn't particularly exciting, but it made for some enjoyable
drives and it helped to remind me why I loved the Truck
Simulator games so much.

Well, that's my list. How about you?
What were The Best New (to you) Games You Played In 2024?

On 1/24/2024 9:01 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
>
> It occurs to me that we never did a "Best Of 2024" list. That's sort
> of a traditional requirement that you have to do when a new year
> begins. Well, as it remains January so I guess we can sneak it in
> still.
>
Well, that might be because we've only just started 2024....

--
I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky
dirty old man.

Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
> On 1/24/2024 9:01 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
> >
> > It occurs to me that we never did a "Best Of 2024" list. That's sort
> > of a traditional requirement that you have to do when a new year
> > begins. Well, as it remains January so I guess we can sneak it in
> > still.
> >
> Well, that might be because we've only just started 2024....

2023 would be better. :P
--
"To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy ??? to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen." --Jude 1:24-25
Note: A fixed width font (Courier, Monospace, etc.) is required to see this signature correctly.
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/ /\ /\ \ Please nuke ANT if replying by e-mail.
| |o o| |
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None. Way too busy!

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

> It occurs to me that we never did a "Best Of 2024" list. That's sort
> of a traditional requirement that you have to do when a new year
> begins. Well, as it remains January so I guess we can sneak it in
> still.

> So... Best Game of 2024? No, that won't work... at least not for me.
> I've played so few newly released games this year that I wouldn't have
> much of a selection to choose from. So instead, I'll diversify and
> expand the list to include, "Best Game WE PLAYED in 2024"... and then
> immediately contract it to "Best NEW Games We Played in 2024." Because
> otherwise it'll just be 1994's "Doom" all over again...

> Here's my list. Feel free to make your own categories.

> Best Of 2024: Cyberpunk 2077
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
> What really needs be said. Is it the /best/ game ever?
> No, I don't think so. But it is a solidly made game,
> visually gorgeous, wonderfully true to the source material.
> Its buggy launch notwithstanding, "Cyberpunk 2077" has
> redeemed itself over the years, and fans of the open-world
> shooter genre (GTA clones) do themselves a disservice if
> they don't play this one.

> Most Impressive Visuals: Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020)
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
> This game really earns its 250GB footprint on my HDD.
> My fascination with realistic flight sim mechanics is
> long gone, but I love buzzing low across the countryside,
> just at tree level, and seeing the gorgeous landscapes...
> and being able to do so nearly anywhere in the world. I'm
> not crazy about being tethered to the Microsoft
> mothership to enable these visuals, but I have to admit...
> the end result is well worth it.

> Most Fun: God of War (2018)
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
> A contender for 'best game', "God of War" lost out only
> because it's middle acts dragged on a bit longer than
> needed, and it was a half-step behind "Cyberpunk" in
> the visuals department. But "God of War" had a much
> more memorable story and - even with a slow-paced third
> act - didn't overstay its welcome (there's something to
> be said for games that you can finish in twenty hours).
> Its combat was quick and satisfying, and was
> interspersed with fun exploration and platforming. Is
> it really more 'fun' than "Cyberpunk 2077"? They're
> really too different types of games to easily say,
> but "God of War" deserved some recognition, so I'm
> giving it this award.

> Most Surprising: Ghostwire Tokyo
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
> I honestly didn't expect much from this game; it looked
> a weird open-world game from some no-name developer,
> but "Ghostwire" was a lot more enjoyable than I expected.
> Mechanically, it took few chances but its haunted Tokyo
> was a blast to explore, the powers you wielded were fun
> to use, and the monsters were unique and interesting. A
> great game? Probably not; as I said, it's a bit too
> derivative in its style to qualify. But a lot more fun
> than I expected.

> Most Disappointing: Last Call BBS
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
> This is an unfair category, because it really says less
> about the quality of the game than my expectations of
> what the game should have been. And "Last Call BBS"
> isn't a terrible game. Sure, it reflects the tiny
> budget of its Indie developer, but that's not necessarily
> a sin. My issue with "Last Call" is that, ultimately,
> all it is a series of - admittedly clever and unique -
> logic puzzles, and I was expecting a something with
> more story and exploration of BBS culture. If you like
> banging your head against tough puzzles, "Last Call" is
> definitely worth a look... but it was very much not
> what I was expecting, and I couldn't help but be
> disappointed.

> Because I Have To: American Truck Simulator: Kansas
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
> C'mon, you knew I just had to toss in a mention of
> these stupid games. But I play them so often, it would
> be criminal not to give them an award of some sort. And
> - after the disappointing Texas and Oklahoma DLC expansions -
> Kansas was a welcome return to form. The state it represents
> isn't particularly exciting, but it made for some enjoyable
> drives and it helped to remind me why I loved the Truck
> Simulator games so much.

> Well, that's my list. How about you?
> What were The Best New (to you) Games You Played In 2024?

--
"To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy ??? to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen." --Jude 1:24-25
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/ /\ /\ \ Please nuke ANT if replying by e-mail.
| |o o| |
\ _ /
( )

On Wed, 24 Jan 2024 10:47:00 -0800, Dimensional Traveler
<dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:

>Well, that might be because we've only just started 2024....

Hey, who said a lifetime of full-time gaming was good for preserving
one's sense of time? ;)

On Thu, 25 Jan 2024 01:41:26 +0000, ant@zimage.comANT (Ant) wrote:

>Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
>> On 1/24/2024 9:01 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
>> >
>> > It occurs to me that we never did a "Best Of 2024" list. That's sort
>> > of a traditional requirement that you have to do when a new year
>> > begins. Well, as it remains January so I guess we can sneak it in
>> > still.
>> >
>> Well, that might be because we've only just started 2024....
>
>2023 would be better. :P

Gaddurnit.

I'd just finished training myself to write "2024" instead of "2023"
and now it comes around to bite me in the ass.

Y'all knew what I meant anyway. Best games of 2023. C'mon. Where's
your list? I gotta know what good games did I miss out on?

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Thu, 25 Jan 2024 01:41:26 +0000, ant@zimage.comANT (Ant) wrote:

> >Dimensional Traveler <dtravel@sonic.net> wrote:
> >> On 1/24/2024 9:01 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
> >> >
> >> > It occurs to me that we never did a "Best Of 2024" list. That's sort
> >> > of a traditional requirement that you have to do when a new year
> >> > begins. Well, as it remains January so I guess we can sneak it in
> >> > still.
> >> >
> >> Well, that might be because we've only just started 2024....
> >
> >2023 would be better. :P

> Gaddurnit.

> I'd just finished training myself to write "2024" instead of "2023"
> and now it comes around to bite me in the ass.

ROFL! Yeah, I wrote 2023 recently too. Argh.

> Y'all knew what I meant anyway. Best games of 2023. C'mon. Where's
> your list? I gotta know what good games did I miss out on?

Diablo 4 for me.
--
"To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy ??? to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen." --Jude 1:24-25
Note: A fixed width font (Courier, Monospace, etc.) is required to see this signature correctly.
/\___/\ Ant(Dude) @ http://aqfl.net & http://antfarm.home.dhs.org.
/ /\ /\ \ Please nuke ANT if replying by e-mail.
| |o o| |
\ _ /
( )

On 1/24/2024 9:01 AM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
>
> It occurs to me that we never did a "Best Of 2024" list. That's sort
> of a traditional requirement that you have to do when a new year
> begins. Well, as it remains January so I guess we can sneak it in
> still.

I'm going to assume you meant 2023 and have changed the subject to such.

These are always so tough to figure.

> Here's my list. Feel free to make your own categories.
>
> Best Of 2024: Cyberpunk 2077
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
> What really needs be said. Is it the /best/ game ever?
> No, I don't think so. But it is a solidly made game,
> visually gorgeous, wonderfully true to the source material.
> Its buggy launch notwithstanding, "Cyberpunk 2077" has
> redeemed itself over the years, and fans of the open-world
> shooter genre (GTA clones) do themselves a disservice if
> they don't play this one.

I played it before but it's really Cyberpunk 2077 2.0, however it's
still got bugs that were while not game breaking, one sort of breaks
your character, still waiting for them to fix the 'cyberware slot
upgrades stop dropping before they should' bug, which stops progress of
your character which hurts real bad. I do have one character affected
by that, which is of course the one I wanted to play. Yes you can cheat
your way past it but that way lies ruining the game by making yourself
powerful with no effort.

If they had fixed that, I would give it to them. But really it was much
the same game I played in a previous year. Maybe they'll fix it and it
will be the best 'new' game of 2024 for real. But I will give it.

Justisaur's
Best DLC I played: Cyberpunk 2077 2.0: Phantom Liberty
---------------------------------------------------------------

Where do I start with this. It takes dystopia to eleven, Escape from
New York, meets ocean's eleven meets GTA, meets Cyberpunk. It's insane
how much is packed in this little tiny area. I love it! Perhaps also
best DLC I've ever played. It deserves a couple more play-throughs at
least, after patches or mods fix the issues I was having.

And then on to your category:

Justisaur's
Best Game I played in 2023: The Witcher 3
---------------------------------------------------------------

The characters were great, it was fun, and it basically had no flaws
that annoyed me like others did. It felt like a perfect game, just
lacking a little je ne sais quoi that would put it over the top to sweep
the categories. I can't seem to bring myself to replay it though, and I
really want to play that one farie or whatever DLC (I started NG+ so I
have to get through the game with either that or a new play and get back
to where I can go to the DLC... I think)

> Most Fun: God of War (2018)
> ---------------------------------------------------------------

Alright, alright, I still have a few days of PS+ left and it's on there.
Tried it last night, it's awesome so far! It appears pretty cheap, so
I'll probably pick it up on PC as playing it on PS+ likely looks worse,
though I might keep on with the PS+ to play the spider man game since
it's far more expensive and supposedly short.

This is a difficult category, because it covers games that won in other
categories. I'm going to take a left turn here though. This could
easily go to Baldur's Gate 3 or The Witcher 3. A lot of 3's this year.
I'll instead make a left turn:

Justisaur's
Most Fun: Void Scrappers
---------------------------------------------------------------

Short, left me wanting more, cheap, fun, indy. Basically asteroids meets
Vampire Survivors (reverse bullet hell.) Not really anything more to say
about it.

Speaking of Indy

Justisaur's
Best Indy game: Ring Runners: Flight of the Sages
---------------------------------------------------------------

Similar to the above, but a lot meatier than the above, not like vampire
survivors. It's a more complete game, including multiplayer. It
includes a good bit of weird funny humor. There's lots more to do even
after the main campaign in the old 'see how far I can get' way of
asteroids. Also wins most bang for your buck.

Justisaur's
Best feel good 'cute' indy game: Wandersong
---------------------------------------------------------------

A feel good simple side scrolling game where you sing to do 'combat' A
fun little story.

> Most Surprising: Ghostwire Tokyo

Also need to try that.

Justisaur's
Most Surprising: Balder's Gate 3
---------------------------------------------------------------

How did a turn based isometric actual D&D* RPG in this day and age get
to be this good? I thought I was done with those (other than the odd
very old school like Zorbus and Dungeon Robber.) With online
multiplayer capabilities?!?! This game is better than the best live DM
I've ever played with as far as NPC characters, quest, adventures and
set-piece combats. Truly unbelievable!

Yes it's so annoying with path-finding bugs, an insane amount of junk
inventory, bad UI to deal with that junk, horribly unbalanced combat, a
couple of slog areas, and so far so frequent updates that break the mods
that fix some of that. The game wears on after the first third, though
they're working on that as well. I didn't even finish it. I can't wait
for the mod breaking patches to cool off, or them to fix those issues,
so I can really sink my teeth into it.

I think this may turn into my game of the decade eventually. I can only
imagine it if it gets to the point of NWN where you have people making
their own campaigns for it. It's not quite at best game I played this
year yet due to the glaring flaws though, but it's by far the most
surprising game I've played perhaps ever.

It might be 'best game that came out in 2023 that I played though.

* D&D - Modern D&D which is IMHO is deeply mechanically flawed, but
perhaps serviceable with a really good DM.

>
> Most Disappointing: Last Call BBS
> ---------------------------------------------------------------

Justisaur's
Most Disappointing: Everspace 2.
---------------------------------------------------------------

Too many annoying bad cartoon cut-scenes. It feels too... I don't
know... gamified. They added a bunch of dumb puzzle garbage to do. The
space battles didn't feel at all challenging. It just feels like 1/10th
the game Everspace was by adding a bunch of extraneous junk.

It's probably much more approachable for casual players, which will
probably net them better ratings and more sales. As a sequel it's the
worst I've seen in a over a decade if you don't count movies, maybe even
if you do.

>
> Because I Have To: American Truck Simulator: Kansas

I don't think I have a 'Because I Have To:' If I had to, I'd probably go
with

Justisaur's
Because I Have to: Dark Souls: Remastered (Now smoother and
goes down easier)
---------------------------------------------------------------

It holds up if anything better than Prepare to Die edition, other than
the lack of people to co-op with and the graphics actually look worse to
me than PtD. The added fully directional movement and smoother control
really help, though they do make the game feel (mostly) easier. Yes, I
didn't complete it, I could have, but I wanted to cut the tail off
Kalameet, and it seems impossible without co-op to distract it due to
changes in graphics engine and unlocking 60fps.

And lastly because you didn't have this:

Justisaur's
Best game released in 2023: Baldur's Gate 3
---------------------------------------------------------------

Sweeping away 2 awards! Of course there's no actual competition as it's
the only thing I can remember that I played that was released last year.

--
-Justisaur

ø-ø
(\_/)\
`-'\ `--.___,
¶¬'\( ,_.-'
\\
^'

>What were The Best New (to you) Games You Played In 2024?

Cocoon & Lies of P. Cocoon for its calming and attractive artstyle and
unhurried puzzle-solving; Lies of P for the darksouls gameplay in a
different world.

rms

On 1/25/2024 3:45 PM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

>
> Y'all knew what I meant anyway. Best games of 2023. C'mon. Where's
> your list? I gotta know what good games did I miss out on?
>
>

Dunno if you missed out. I posted about Ancestors. Which is not
everybody's cup of tea.

I also played Dragon's Dogma (the first one) last year around this time.
That one was quite nice, even if it was somewhat generic. I guess I
could have done a new game+ but after beating it I was fed up with it.

On Wed, 24 Jan 2024 12:01:00 -0500, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action,
Spalls Hurgenson wrote:

>
>It occurs to me that we never did a "Best Of 2024" list. That's sort
>of a traditional requirement that you have to do when a new year
>begins. Well, as it remains January so I guess we can sneak it in
>still.
>
OMFG. You upgraded to time travel? How do I get some of that?

--
Zag

No one ever said on their deathbed, 'Gee, I wish I had
spent more time alone with my computer.' ~Dan(i) Bunten

Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
>
> It occurs to me that we never did a "Best Of 2024" list. That's sort
> of a traditional requirement that you have to do when a new year
> begins. Well, as it remains January so I guess we can sneak it in
> still.
>
>
> So... Best Game of 2024? No, that won't work... at least not for me.
> I've played so few newly released games this year that I wouldn't
> have much of a selection to choose from. So instead, I'll diversify
> and expand the list to include, "Best Game WE PLAYED in 2024"... and
> then immediately contract it to "Best NEW Games We Played in 2024."
> Because otherwise it'll just be 1994's "Doom" all over again...
>

I'm still dealing with the January exams, so I barely have had any time
to play games. Does it count as the best new if you only have one New
(to you) game?

So I can only nominate Ufouria / Hebereke (1991-JP, 1992-EU)

It's pretty much the grandaddy of modern metroidvanias. Graphics and
music are insane, controls like a dream, and it's extremely forgivving
compared to other Nes Games.

Unreleased in the United States, and be careful if you try to play the
Virtual Console Release, as it is the PAL 50hz sped up to 60hz).

Am 24.01.24 um 18:01 schrieb Spalls Hurgenson:
> So... Best Game of 2024?
Marty Mc Fly, is it you?

On 1/30/2024 9:26 PM, Werner P. wrote:
> Am 24.01.24 um 18:01 schrieb Spalls Hurgenson:
>> So... Best Game of 2024?
> Marty Mc Fly, is it you?

Marty McFly is so 9 years ago.

I mean, he's best left in the 2010s together with flying cars and Jaws
19. Also microwave pizza.