Our Favorite Games - First Half of 2024

What a year 2024 has been, right? The weird weather, numerous layoffs in the gaming industry, and the losses of Richard Simmons and many more celebrities have all been such a bummer. On the optimistic side of things, the new games have been absolutely stellar! Right off the bat, in January, we had some insanely cool releases to keep us on the edges of our seats this year.

Let's hop in, and take a look at what game each member of SuperPod Network has crowned the king of the first half of 2024 (both new and old).

Balatro

Once you really start to understand the mechanics and layers of Balatro, it's ridiculously hard to stop playing. It's "Crack: The Video Game".

It lures you in with the cool pixel art and poker mechanics. But then you start to unlock cool new cards, new combos, and ways to break the game, and then before you know it you're 14 runs deep, you haven't eaten for hours, and you need a new place to live. The really chilled-out music also helps to keep you stuck in this loop playing cards, earning chips, and racking-up a multiplier that touches the sky.

What's great about the game is that you don't need to know poker, deck-builders, or roguelikes to enjoy it! It's so beginner-friendly, with the various tutorials and hints that the game gives you.

Whether you're a veteran or a greenhorn to deck-building roguelikes, I'd highly recommend this game. Just as long as you've assured your family that you aren't addicted and that you can stop whenever you want.

~ Aaron

Crow Country

Crow Country is a fantastic experience that pays tribute to classic survival horror games that many of us grew up playing.

The developer, SFB Games, put a lot of effort into making the world feel very much alive with detailed environments, unique puzzles and an interesting story that while reminiscent of the games that inspired it, still remains very much its own thing. They also did a great job capturing the look and feel of games from the era using a unique blur filter, giving the game that warm and fuzzy look of playing on an old CRT TV.

Although it has a short runtime clocking in around 6 hours and is fairly easy on its default difficulty, it has a lot to offer for both longtime survival horror fans and those who might not be too familiar with the genre. I had an absolute blast during my time spent in Crow Country and it’s easily the best game I’ve played so far this year.

~ Tony

Fallout 4

I haven't played many recent releases lately, but I did finally tackle Fallout 4 from my backlog. After about 220 hours, which is most time I've ever dumped into a single playthrough of any game, Fallout 4 has dethroned Oblivion as my favorite game of all time.

It's by no means a perfect game. Even in spite of the extensive work of the modding community, I still encountered loads of bugs (this was before the Fallout 4 Next Gen patch from Bethesda, which may not actually be recommended for PC gamers). Bugs and flaws aside, this is the best Fallout experience yet. I've always been a massive fanboy of the Bethesda RPG formula – huge open worlds with something interesting to discover around every turn, loads of great quests, fantastic writing, deeply immersive environments, memorable characters, an epic moody soundtrack. I could go on and on.

Fallout 4 just sucked me in with that "can't wait to get home from work and play this game" appeal. When I finally finished everything that I wanted to do (virtually every available quest), I retired my character and his pals at Kingsport Lighthouse. When I shut down the game for the last time, I experienced that odd sense of "homesickness", that sadness you experience when you're not ready to move on from a game world.

If you're a fan of Bethesda RPGs, Fallout 4 is a must play game. Get to it.

~ Retro Mo

Alan Wake 2

Alan Wake 2 is one of the best video games ever made. Remedy's work of art flawlessly combines narrative, gameplay, music, humor, fear, multimedia, and so much more in a way that no other game has ever done before. If other horror games are a one-trick pony, Alan Wake 2 is a 665-trick pony.

~ Tommy

Once Human

I am kind of cheating since it came out in July. But hey, first game I played that came out in 2024.

This game offers a solid experience, especially considering it's free-to-play. The gunplay is well-executed, making every encounter with the game's monsters—who are impressively detailed—a thrilling experience. The creatures not only look great, but they also provide just the right amount of challenge to keep things interesting.

The building mechanics are a mixed bag. On one hand, they can be engaging and rewarding; on the other, they can sometimes feel frustrating and tedious. It's a system that works well, but not without its moments of annoyance.

The story is captivating and well-written, though it does leave you wanting more, as it feels a bit too short. You might find yourself finishing the narrative quicker than you'd like, but it does manage to keep your attention throughout.

The environments are where the game falls a bit short. They're rough around the edges and tend to repeat themselves, which can break the immersion and make exploration feel somewhat monotonous.

The upgrade system, however, is a highlight. It’s satisfying to improve your gear, and the unique upgrades add a nice touch of variety to the gameplay. That said, some of these upgrades are so powerful that they can tip the balance of the game, making it a bit too easy at times.

Overall, this game is a solid offering in the free-to-play space. While it has its flaws, the engaging combat, detailed monsters, and rewarding upgrade systems make it worth your time.

~ Anubis Hero

Immortality

My favorite game of 2024 so far has been Immortality.

Released in 2022 by Sam Barlow, this is the third game of his since going independent where you must solve the mystery of a missing Marissa Marcel. She was a model turned actress who appeared in three films that went unreleased between 1968-1999. The player must use clips taken from those movies and other footage surrounding it (press footage, interviews, behind the scenes etc) to find out what happened to Marissa.

This game takes what made Her Story and Telling Lies so compelling and crafts an engrossing narrative with the best gameplay he's made to date. Here you watch the clips and then have total control over them for rewinding, pausing and such to click on specific things in the clips, be it a person or object, to unlock more clips and slowly unravel what is going on. Along the way, you learn there are secret clips and to avoid spoilers, they show more of what's going on beneath the surface.

I fell in love with this game and ended up getting every achievement. I can't recommend this game enough.

~ Thrak

Chrono Trigger

In my ever expanding quest to play the wide variety of games I've missed over the years, this is one that has always been on my radar and always delegated to "another time". Akira Toriyama, the man who practically single-handedly shaped the man I am today with nothing more than his lucky pen and his imagination, passed away in March. I had just finished playing Bully for the first time (which was almost my pick) when this happened and I needed to immerse myself in this legend's work. I had then remembered I had downloaded Chrono Trigger on my Vita years earlier.

What can I say about this game that hasn't been said a thousand times? Catchy music that never got old, a classic battle system with some original twists, sprite and background art that still holds up decades later, and an immersive world to explore. The story is fun and exciting, the characters are interesting and unique, plus the late 90s toei animations are absolute fire. The dozen or so possible endings keep me intrigued and once I clear a few more games in my backlog I will most certainly be jumping back in looking for a new one.

All told I can't recommend this game enough to anyone who, like me, missed it when it was current. Especially if you are an RPG fan.

~ Matt

Ghost of Tsushima

I've played a lot of games in 2024, mostly shorter form like the Arkham Series or Nintendo titles. While Hades on PS5 has been a strong contender, I have to settle on Ghost of Tsushima as the best game I played in 2024.

In a time when most open world games are a slog, Ghost somehow makes everything relevant. No side quest or reflection pool is wasted. You even get a healthy dose of man ass. The main story is gripping and loosely based on history. The combat is simple to learn but difficult to master on higher difficulties. The icing on the cake is you can play the game in black and white similar to those old samurai films George Lucas loved.

Ghost is to the PS4 what The Last of Us was to the PS3, or God of War 2 to the PS2 - the ultimate swan song that perfectly represents the type of game Sony was trying to push on their platform. I highly recommend it to everyone on Steam or play for "free" with a PS+ subscription.

~ Will