The Best Game I played in 2024 (Spoilers Ahead on All games listed)

14. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

  • Status: Did Not Finish
  • Progress: Dropped after completing Zora’s Domain.
  • Notes: While the world was expansive and visually stunning, I couldn't stay engaged enough to finish the game.


13. One Piece Odyssey

  • Highlights: Good game mechanics.
  • Critiques: The story took too long to provide emotional impact, making it hard for me to stay invested. I struggled to return to this game after taking breaks.

12. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

  • Highlights: Impressive visuals and gameplay potential.
  • Critiques:
    • Overloaded with unnecessary mini-games, making the experience feel unfocused.
    • Aerith’s death lacked the emotional weight of the original game's storytelling.
  • Comparison: The story-driven focus of Final Fantasy VII Remake was much better executed.

11. Final Fantasy I (2nd Run, First Time Since 1998)

  • Context: I factored in the game’s 1980s origin when ranking.
  • Critiques:
    • Protagonists lack personality, which limited emotional engagement.
  • Nostalgia: Still a classic but doesn’t hold up as well as later entries.

10. Final Fantasy II (2nd Run, First Time Since 1998)

  • Highlights:
    • Protagonists have personalities, a step up from Final Fantasy I.
    • Unique stat-building system that rewards skill usage (I enjoyed this, even though it’s often criticized).
  • Context: Its age shows, but it offers some interesting mechanics.

9. Final Fantasy III

  • Progress: With this, only Final Fantasy VIII and Final Fantasy XV remain unfinished in the mainline series (excluding MMOs).
  • Highlights:
    • Return to traditional leveling systems.
    • The final dungeon provided an excellent challenge.
    • Cloud of Darkness stands out as one of the best Final Fantasy bosses.

8. Final Fantasy IV (2nd Run, First Time Since 1998)

  • Significance: Marked the beginning of narrative-driven storytelling in the franchise.
  • Legacy: Without this game, masterpieces like Final Fantasy VI, VIII, and IX might not exist.

7. Honkai: Star Rail

  • Highlights:
    • Turn-based combat system is engaging.
    • Gacha mechanics appeal to me.
  • Critiques: The story feels convoluted and hard to follow at times.
  • Note: Despite this, I play it daily and enjoy the core gameplay.
Note: I'm not Playing this Edition but it the closed I could find to a Game box.

6. Zenless Zone Zero

  • Highlights:
    • More action-oriented mechanics than Honkai.
    • Gacha mechanics are a plus.
    • A more engaging story compared to Honkai.

5. Tales of Arise

  • Highlights:
    • Hard to put down due to its fantastic story and battle system.
    • Strong character cast, despite Alphen’s overly perfect moral compass.
  • Critiques: Alphen’s character would have been more compelling with morally gray traits.

4. Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age

  • Status: Still Playing (currently struggling with the battle against Calasmos).
  • Highlights:
    • Amazing cast with varied personalities, encouraging experimentation with party setups.
    • A fantastic first experience with the Dragon Quest series.
  • Critiques:
    • The Hero’s silent protagonist role doesn’t fit the narrative.

3. Genshin Impact

  • Highlights:
    • Best cast of characters and story among Hoyo’s games.
    • Text dialogue for the Traveler adds personality, but more voice acting would elevate it further.
  • Critiques: The leveling system can be frustrating compared to Honkai and Zenless.
  • Note: Silent characters work well in series like The Legend of Zelda and Pokémon but fall flat here.

2. Final Fantasy VII Remake (2nd Run, First Time Since 2020)

  • Highlights:
    • Emotional moments, like Biggs, Wedge, and Jessie’s deaths, were even more impactful than in the original.
    • Exemplifies what a modern Final Fantasy VII could and should be.
  • Critiques: Makes Rebirth’s handling of Aerith’s death even more disappointing.

1. Final Fantasy XVI

  • Highlights:
    • Darker tone enhances immersion in themes of loss, revenge, redemption, slavery, and free will.
    • Memorable characters: Jill and Cid were standouts.
    • Villains: Barnabas was more iconic than the main antagonist, Ultima, and Clive’s mother, Anabella, added unexpected stakes.
  • Critiques: Clive isn’t the strongest protagonist, but the supporting cast elevates the game.
  • Note: This game left a lasting impact on me—I even named my Genshin Impact character after Jill.

Looking forward for a great 2025 year in gaming, just like 2024 was.

Happy New Year!!!



















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