The best games of 2024

The Prince of Persia series seemed to have forgotten about its 2D roots after phasing into a long run of third-person action titles. Then along comes Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown. The 2D perspective returns but it’s so much more than just a throwback to its original perspective. There’s a heavy emphasis on combat and exploration. Plus, the combat flow feels great from the game’s opening as you unlock more powers. Those powers, too, are critical for exploration, tempting you off the main path for treasures and precious in-game currency for compelling unlocks. The Lost Crown’s plot is more engrossing than its storytelling execution, but the utterly addictive gameplay ensures that players will be counting down until the next time-bending entry in this spin-off series.

The Last of Us Part II was divisive when it launched in 2020. And that’s not likely to change, even after a few years have passed. For me, the only difference was I knew what was coming instead of experiencing the first-half heartbreak and second-half lack of connection to the new playable character. Even though I’m in the camp that lost a lot of love for the series after the structural missteps of Part II, the Remastered version is still worth playing. For starters, there’s the full campaign, and at least half of that should have you fully engaged. Then there’s the great No Return mode, which is an addictive roguelite addition that brings the game’s still-excellent core gameplay front and centre. Whatever you think of Naughty Dog’s sequel, the Remaster is absolutely the best way to play it (until the inevitable PC port).

Apparently I’m such a sucker for the original Starship Troopers movie that I’ll play any game linked to its ultra-satirical, ultra-gory tone. There were Starship Troopers games of old but, more recently, I mostly enjoyed my time with RTS Starship Troopers: Terran Command. And now there’s Starship Troopers: Extermination. In its early access launch state, there’s not a lot outside of a proof of concept for Extermination. You and up to 16 other players choose from one of three roles and battle your way through waves of Arachnid bugs. There was seemingly only one map and mode when I played, not to mention no Australian servers. Still, if Offworld Industries can build on the promise of incentivising randoms to work together while endlessly quoting the 1997 flick, this may end up being worth the price of admission.

Jumplight Odyssey is a stylish riff on the space opera subgenre that combines run-based strategy games like FTL with the likes of Evil Genius and Rimworld. You control a sole spaceship on the run from an evil galaxy-spanning empire, but your biggest concerns have less to do with that trope-laden premise and more to do with the day-to-day of manning your ship. How do you use the limited floor space at your disposal? How do you maintain morale amongst your crew? These more-grounded questions are usually overlooked by strategy games playing in the same lane, but there's plenty to like about the intricate yet intuitive answers that League of Geek's latest offers up. 

After my 60+ hours with Starfield, I thought my single-game addiction had been sated for the back half of the year. And then along came Witchfire. While still in early access state with limited content, that wasn’t enough to stop me from sinking around 30 hours into what’s available. That’s great dollar-to-gameplay value for a mid-tier asking price. And that gameplay is so, so well honed. While the meta game needs some work (and is actively being developed), the main gameplay is a mix of Bungie’s honed gunplay with From Software-like brutal difficulty. About half of my time with Witchfire was spent feeling powerless. And then all of the knowledge of my successive runs with some timely upgrades and a sprinkling of blessing from RNGesus took me to the other end of the scale. While I was powerful towards the end, you can never fully disrespect Witchfire as it always has a way of punishing mistakes, albeit never in a way that didn’t want me to come back for another round of fun-ishment.

While people were debating the value of The Last of Us Part II Remastered—spoilers: it’s great, you should buy it—Sony stealth dropped one of the best bits of expanded content I’ve ever played. For free! In loose terms, Valhalla is a free DLC download for God of War Ragnarök that adds a roguelite mode. Unlike The Last of Us Part II Remastered’s No Return mode, Valhalla has a story with returning fan-favourite characters and a genuinely compelling mystery at the heart of a mode that’s carried by the bone-crunching combat. This is a no-brainer for any fan of Ragnarök, and I love how it feels essential to those looking to take any extra morsel of Kratos’ Nordic adventures.

Sure, it’s been on PS5 since 2021 but Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart hit PC in 2023 and it’s a stunning way to revisit or play for the first time. Unlike The Last of Us Part I, Rift Apart didn’t have a rocky launch on PC, so there aren’t any patch disclaimers required to get lost in a great game world. In terms of the game, you don’t need to have played any earlier Ratchet & Clank entries to get the most out of this interdimensional romp. For those with high-end rigs, the eye candy potential adds another layer of enjoyment to epic set pieces, satisfying platforming and plenty of combat encounters to (space) boot.

Games that launch in December aren’t typically meant to have big-budget bells and whistles. Then along came Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. While it veers a little too hard into Far Cry space, there’s a lot of fun to be found in Frontiers of Pandora. It also helps that the game is one of the best-looking titles you can play today. Massive Entertainment has worked wonders with Snowdrop in a way that continues to show the versatility of the engine. Get through the opening hours to when the game properly opens up, then make your own fun in terms of a range of mission types designed to suit different players: explorers, platformers and warriors alike.

On paper, a first-person RoboCop game shouldn’t work: a shambling tank with one iconic weapon doesn’t scream “this needs a shooter!” But developer Teyon has dug deep to make it work in the same way it did with Terminator: Resistance. The scope for RoboCop: Rogue City feels both bigger and smaller than Resistance, though. Bigger, in terms of all-important gameplay features, and smaller because it’s less ‘end of the world’ and more ‘end of futuristic Detroit’-type stakes. Having Peter Weller reprise the titular role is more than just fan service and the story is surprisingly compelling for a sequel to the first two flicks. More importantly, the action is meaty and the satirical one-liners are more on than off.

The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria is a game that didn’t drop with a whole lot of ceremony but it’s absolutely worth considering if you like survival games. But first, disclaimers. While you can play alone, it’s really not the best way to play. Like the big-name survival games—The Forest, Rust and Valheim (to name a few)—Return to Moria is best enjoyed with others. In fairness, that’s more a genre-wide disclaimer for those who aren’t thrilled with resource gathering and want to share the load. The Lord of the Rings backdrop is a nice touch for fans but not essential to enjoyment. Dig into Return to Moria with mates and you’ll soon be caught up in the charming dwarven groove of exploration, brawling and crafting.

There’s no denying that Assassin’s Creed needed to change tack. And change it did with Origins, Odyssey and Valhalla. Now Mirage marks a return to an old-school approach to the Assassin’s Creed formula with some of its better modern trappings. Forget about the intimidating 60+ hours required to beat Valhalla. Mirage’s main story can be bested in a quarter of that time. Admittedly, the prologue is a slog but when the beautifully recreated ninth-century Baghdad opens up, there are plenty of shiny distractions to tempt you off the main path. The focus is firmly on stealth, which is a welcome amplification, but combat is challenging enough when you’re surrounded by guards.

Mirror’s Edge was a solid sci-fi first-person platformer with clunky combat. Ghostrunner 2, on the other hand, picks up where its predecessor left off: fast-paced sci-fi platforming and brutal combat. It may look like a Cyberpunk 2077-inspired game, but that look is about where it ends once you get into the gameplay. Platforming is fast and fluid with multiple approaches to movement puzzles as things start to open up. Take one hit from an enemy, though, and you’re back to the nearest checkpoint which are, mercifully, generously offered. This high lethality means even the regular peons aren’t always a cakewalk. Jump in for a quick sprint. Or stick around for an endurance run. Either way, you’ll be entertained.