Jet Set Radio
Jet Set Radio (2000) is a simple game about skating around on rollerblades whilst painting the town in graffiti to cement your gang of colourful teenage rebels, The GG's, as one group not to mess with. From start to finish, you are immersed in a cartoonish world oozing with vibrance, style, and a lightning-in-a-bottle zeitgeist of late 90s Tokyo culture that still feels fresh all these years later - The game is carefully crafted to feel like an arcade experience turned into a work of art, something to really be experienced. As you skate around avoiding vengeful authorities and rival gangs aiming to curbstomp your spray-painting career, you are accompanied with an absolutely iconic soundtrack produced mostly by acclaimed DJ/Composer Hideki Naganuma, that, along with the timeless cel-shaded art style of which it pioneered, arguably acts as the heart and soul of the game that has forever left a niche but undeniably influential mark on gaming history. Whilst this game was released in 2000, that does not stop this masterpiece from being my personal favourite game of 2024.
-Raven Orteza
Fortnite: Battle Royale
Surprisingly, one of my favourite games this year was Fortnite. Specifically, while playing it with my friends on the call. Even though in recent years Fortnite has been dismissed as a ‘kids’ game or not serious enough, my friends and I spent countless hours throughout the year trying to dumb tactics to win the game or just simply having a laugh. This is because it’s a game you don’t need to take seriously unlike other co-op shooters such as Overwatch, Valorant, or Call of Duty. In addition to the ease of play Fortnite offers, the collaborations this year made the game so appealing such as the Avatar: the Last Airbender scrolls (allowing the player to master the four elements in game). The Marvel: Doomsday event also added iconic skins and weapons from the Marvel franchise making the game feel fresh and exciting. These factors cemented Fortnite as one of my favourite games this year.
-Keyon Snoek
Stardew Valley
A game which impacted me this year is Stardew Valley. My boyfriend works a lot and we have both been busy - but as soon as we get home we switch on the Xbox to our favourite game. It's cosy, light-hearted and full of surprises! I love our time spent together progressing our farm.
-Charlotte Baker
Mouthwashing
Mouthwashing is a wonderfully sadistic piece of art. Toying with the horrors of being expendable, this 2024 release highlights the harrowing truths of responsibility. "I hope this hurts" and "Take Responsibility" being the two slogans best representative of the game, the player is left to pick up the pieces. When the crew of the crashed spaceship Tulpar are left abandoned in space, an onslaught of nightmares begin to acrew, perfectly crafting the feeling of drowning in an ocean of mouth-wash. The game represents the true terrors of confinement and responsibility, all at a fiction-based distance, a perfect recipe for beautiful disaster. It's no question that Mouthwashing is one of the best game releases in 2024.
-Megan Grimston, Sports sub-editor
Fallout: New Vegas
The Fallout series is back on the rise again. After mixed reviews for Fallout 4 and the nuclear disaster that was the launch of Fallout 76, Prime's TV series has re-invigorated enthusiasm for the franchise. The next wave of Bethesda projects may even be in the works, but I will always find myself coming back to Fallout: New Vegas. The benchmark for good Role Playing Games, your character in New Vegas is a blank slate. You choose how to play, and as such choose your character's destiny. Each play-through is unique, and staggeringly brilliant - what a game.
-Dylan Seymour, Sports sub-editor
Hogwarts Legacy
As a gaming sub-editor, I probably shouldn't be bragging about how late I am to this one - but my game of 2024 was Hogwarts Legacy. I absolutely loved the gameplay, the 1800s feel and the never - ending quests. I'm ashamed to mention I played on my Nintendo Switch, unanimously agreed as the worst console to play the game on... please don't fire me! I can't wait to hear more news on the sequel next year...
-Milly Thompson, Gaming sub-editor