In 2023, I rolled credits on sixteen different games. This year, I only made it to the end of ten (almost eleven). This year’s list was split pretty much in half between co-op and solo adventures. There’s no beating games like Fall Guys and Splatoon 3, but we spent so many hours in both of those games that if they did have an end we would have reached it by now. In fact, I am only one trophy away from the platinum in Fall Guys.

The one game we are on the cusp of beating (a game that began as a solo adventure, but became a cooperative second career at some point) was Cult of the Lamb. I played and enjoyed this game when it came out in 2022, but it wasn’t until they added local co-op that I got back into it with my girlfriend. She loves farming and taking care of the cult, while I was in it for the crusades (aka dungeon crawling). We have one final boss fight to beat, but because we won’t be back in town until next year, it will have to wait.

Now to the games I did beat this year.

Together Games

There were two 2D platformers we completed, Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Disney Illusion Island (although that is more of a beginner Metroidvania). We started Super Mario Bros. Wonder towards the end of 2023, but we didn’t wrap it up until early 2024. There are still plenty of hidden levels for us to complete, but we did see the end credits so it counts as a win. I have revisited the game to find all the seeds and items in levels we previously beat.

Disney Illusion Island was a special game because it’s a great introduction to the Metroidvania universe — one of my favorite game genres. It’s a stripped down combatless, world-exploration version. Plus, we got to play together as Mickey and Minnie Mouse. This is a great way to teach young gamers about the wonderful world of Metroidvanias.

There were two other games I beat with my girlfriend. In 2021, on my birthday weekend we started It Takes Two, a masterpiece in couch co-op adventure games. We cannot wait for the next game from Hazelight Studios and Josef Fares, Split Fiction.

I have always wanted to get into Josef Fares’s previous games, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons and A Way Out. We beat both of these games this year, and they were so much darker than It Takes Two. Still, I could see the DNA of these games in It Takes Two. 

Solo Adventures

For the solo games there were two short ones that I beat in about a week or so. Jusant was a beautiful game about climbing a mountain and uncovering a story of a mountain village from the past. The second short game was A Plucky Squire. This was one of my favorite gaming experiences from the mechanics, visuals, and overall technical achievements. I had also been waiting for this game for quite some time.

The other four games I beat on my own were longer story games. These took up much more time, and I loved enjoying these four completely different worlds throughout 2024.

I started Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 in 2023 after replaying both Marvel’s Spider-Man and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales — all achieving the platinum trophy. I started and ended 2024 with platinum trophies. I first got one in Spider-Man 2, and I ended the year with a platinum in Astro Bot.

The other two solo adventures were Final Fantasy VII Remake. I first played this game when it was FREE on PS Plus, but I restarted it this year and made it to the end — the end of part one of three. Before I continue the Final Fantasy VII journey with Rebirth (part two of three), I’m hoping to start 2025 off with Final Fantasy XVI. I’m ready to see a different world in this same universe.

I also spent a month or two exploring all edges of the galaxy in Star Wars Outlaws. This game wasn’t very well received (as many recent Ubisoft titles), but I really enjoyed it. I had so much fun exploring different planets (some familiar, others new). I’ve also talked a great deal about my love for Sabacc in other recent posts.

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Ten games isn’t ideal, but I have a few games from this year that I may revisit in 2025, and hopefully finish — Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Animal Well, Alan Wake: Remastered, and many others.

What will happen in 2025? I plan to beat more games, both old ones I’ve been saving and some new ones. Will I get past ten? Twenty? What was your total games beaten in 2024? Let us know below.

myVGBC.com will be off for the rest of 2024, so we’d like to wish you a Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! Thanks for reading and we’ll be back with more content in 2025!