A delayed happy new year to you all! Now that my list is complete (read all about it here) all that's left is to list my other Highlights of the Year as I have a tradition for. However since there were quite a few highlights this last year and I've already written whole articles about some of them as reviews or Late Looks, I'll list those ones with a link to the article and only cover new games here in the thread.
|
The Minish Cap
Another Zelda game that was on my to-play list for a long time before I finally got around to it, Minish Cap turned out even better than I expected, in fact I would put it close to A Link Between Worlds as the 2 best 2D Zeldas. It’s just well put together, well designed and has just a tad more of that Zelda magic than many other titles in my eyes. And I love the size change mechanic, being able to give the world an extra dimension in a way which gives a whole new perspective. |
Pokémon Snap So, this isn’t really the first time I’ve played Pokémon Snap, but this last year playing it on NSO was the first time I’ve “owned” it and played it for an extended period of time and I gotta say it’s just such a lovely game. So simple a concept and frankly with so little actual content, but it’s somehow still so enjoyable to sit through the same track again and again to get that one Pokémon you’ve been missing or some better-timed photos for higher points. And the fact that the point awarding is questionable at times is just a part of the fun. |
|
Dragon Age: Origins Dragon Age: Origins is different than any other Highlight of the Year I’ve ever listed because, unfortunately, it’s one that I didn’t finish. And that’s not for a lack of trying, it straight up came down to a technical issue with my PC crashing in the game which eventually became so bad that I couldn’t get past the loading screen. It’s frustrating because most of my time with this game was extremely enjoyable, but it also puts it in a bit of a unique situation since it was starting to fall off a little before I had to stop, maybe it was fatigue or maybe the section I had just gotten to was simply the weakest, but either way this means I get to retain a memory where 90 % of what I’ve played is still incredible. As for what happens next, I don’t know if I’ll try to transfer my save to a new PC or wait for an eventual remake/remaster, because with the right small tweaks I think this game could earn a very solid spot on my list in the future. No matter what they have to keep the voice acting though because that is on point. |
Astro’s Playroom
Like probably many others I used to think it was a bit silly when I saw people listing Astro’s Playroom on this list or among their favourite games in general as it was after all a demo game, how good could it be? But obviously it turned out I was wrong there because Astro’s Playroom is really not a demo game, it’s just an incredibly solid small little game packed with joy and fun ideas. It was even so fun that I spent a good number of hours trying to get some decent world ranking placements in the speedrun mode, which is very rarely my cup of tea, but Astro’s Playroom made it fun. A genius level move to include it as a “pack-in” title though because it really is the perfect game to get you hyped about your new machine and, thanks to the fun references galore, PlayStation as a whole. |
Oh and I've also played one more game recently stretching into 2025 that's all but guaranteed to make my list next year, but I'll save that suprise for later.
Last edited by UnderwaterFunktown - on 04 January 2025Try out my free game on Steam
Essay Pro