Alright, how was the past year in your home? Was it truly wonderful as you pretended on online? Packed with A-grades for your offspring and riotous dress-up birthday parties for the parents? Or perhaps it was a sea of disappointment with only rare entertaining highlights? Could any part be authentic, or have we all become digitally altered virtual entities with perfect teeth?
I have gathered my thoughts for a chat, whether they wanted to or not, to debate the most important thing in any given year: which video games we played the most. Let's get started:
Just Dance 2024
"Can’t you pick just one?"
"You can't expect my definitive list."
On her phone, her go-to has been Cityscapes and "searching for reasonable healthcare."
"In the game?"
"In the actual world."
Overwatch
"I refuse to play games on my phone." He was offended that I even asked. Point taken.
Resident Evil Biohazard
Her goal is to get into acting, but when she wasn’t singing, she was playing Resident Evil. She also elaborated in great detail about her accomplishments on The Sims, where the Shark has a blooming utopia with far better healthcare than her big sister has in the real world.
Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time
She started the year at 60% completion and ended it at 82%. It’s a marathon not a sprint for her. On her phone: something called Woodle, where you have to extract pins.
Minecraft
Every time I see my 21-year-old son playing Minecraft, I rib him like a cross between a persistent critic. When he complains, I reply that I am doing this to prepare him so he can be a man and play games for mature audiences. It's a classic Scottish father/son relationship.
Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024
She was the clear winner for this one. She is incredible. More impressive than I was at my peak gaming days in my prime.
Marvel Snap
Nothing came close to the hours I spent on this exceptionally well-crafted card game competitive game, with its constantly evolving range of cards and game variations.
Marvel Snap
The downside about games that frequently update their range is you eventually realize and see it is all just an attempt to suck you into fear-of-missing-out driven microtransactions. So affection became resentment halfway through the year and it was deleted.
Doom: The Dark Ages
Excellent reinvention of a legendary franchise. Engrossing atmosphere from the off. I wish I could deal with my issues so effectively in real life.
Blue Prince
I'm unwilling to rush this gorgeous, distinctive game and I just was short on the mental bandwidth to give it what it needed earlier this year. With relatives staying over the festive period, I aim to experience this in the early morning after evening drinks.
Balatro
I'm aware Balatro was last year's sleeper hit, but I was a late adopter. And it is exceptional. It just gets every single thing right. Its gameplay loop is a fantastic concept, but the powers behind the different joker cards are so imaginative it has become a game I would happily play at any hour. Add in the cleverness of the card design, and this is an true peak of gaming. I fantasize about being stuck in a small space for hours just so I have nothing to do but play it.
Outer Worlds 2
I endured a wave of criticism when I critiqued how a specific bug in another game ruined the experience for me, but that other title is still a massive gaming achievement in terms of overall polish – which I appreciated even more after experiencing Outer Worlds 2. So my appreciation goes out to the reader who took the time to send a message to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "bitter, confused resentment". I present that as written, because I respect the passion, and she is obviously an excellent judge of character.
Hollow Knight: Silksong
Fine. Give me a brutally difficult exploration-focused thing and leave me without guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "explore". What a joy. I understand that it looks ace and is ideal if you are into the genre, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I desire less in my adulthood. I was around back when many games were like this, and I'm over it. It was acceptable when I was a kid, but the same could be said for many less comfortable things.
Close call between questionable alliances that raised eyebrows, and premium pricing. Both morally indefensible and concerning.
Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all sound good names bellowed from the doorstep at tea time.
Right Thumb Joint. Seriously. I don’t know if it’s because of video games or endless scrolling, but it burns like the mines of sulphur in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs insured back in the day.
Grand Theft Auto VI.
And it will come out in 2026, even if we have to make 2026 last until the cows come home.
The Witcher 4.
Mira is a seasoned gaming analyst with over a decade of experience in the online casino industry, specializing in slot mechanics and player strategies.
