My year 2024 has been full of more or less planned events, with a good dose of chaos on top! But that didn’t stop me from spending an absurd amount of time in front of my PC playing a whole bunch of stuff. And here is the list of those that stuck in my mind.
Fact’Or about the game that makes me play a genre that I usually hate
Pacific Drive
Video games are a bit like food for me: I like everything, with a few exceptions. JV level, it’s the sports, fighting and car games that I avoid a lot. Last year I fell in love with Sifu, and this year it was Pacific Drive that made me fall in love. Can’t wait to see what sports game I’ll play next year. So, Pacific Drive, a little post-apocalyptic survival game at the wheel of a customizable car, in an environment full of Stalker-style anomalies. The atmosphere is crazy, the gameplay fantastic, masterful music. In short, a good little game of which we would like to see a lot more.
Fact’Or about work after work
Satisfactory
Conveyor belts, humming factories, whistling trains, gurgling tubes. In short, the dream of all players who love the management and production of objects on an industrial scale. The final version of the game lived up to the promises made in early access and I have rarely been as satisfied this year as when I was finally able to say “I finished Satisfactory” (thanks to my friends at the EHPAD , they will recognize each other).
Fact’Or of nostalgia and rose-tinted glasses
Homeworld 3
Homeworld 1 and 2 are games that have a special place in my heart. I played it when I was young, I discovered Hard SF, and I always regretted not seeing other strategy games try to follow this path. So I was beyond excited to be able to play Homeworld 3 when it came out. Is it a good game? Not really. Did I love playing it? Completely.
Fact’Or of the multiplayer game that breaks relationships between friends
Helldivers 2
No need to present the game, it has caused quite a stir this year. It remains one of the best co-op experiences of recent years for me, and I would reinstall it to play an afternoon with friends without any worries.
Fact’Or from the studio that understood how to make DLC
Elden Ring – Shadow of the Erdtree
I think this is self-explanatory. Shadow of the Erdtree will join the pantheon of rare DLC that is practically essential once you have played the base game.
Fact’Or from the depth you don’t see coming
Tactical Breach Wizard
Tactical Breach Wizard sells itself as a game in the pure tradition of squad tacticalwith a fantastic twist. Level gameplaywe are on something solid, with replayability, difficulty, optional challenges. So the contract is already fulfilled. The surprise is the scenario and the characters, which are fantastically well written, and which are revealed in the best dialogues written this year. In short, a little surprise nugget just the way we like them.
Fact’Or of the game that does good
Hades II
I don’t know what I expected from Hades II, but I couldn’t wait for it to come out. And I found exactly what I was looking for: something familiar but different, which offers novelty in an already known universe. In short, I had a great time there, and it’s always the bomb
Fact’Or of stones and rocks
Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor
Nothing rocket science: now, when I want to listen to podcasts or watch videos that are more than three hours long, I play DRGS on the side. And I can’t wait to see more games in the Deep Rock Galactic expanded universe!
Fact’Or of the game I have been playing for over 15 years
EVE Online
I have a reputation to uphold, what do you want! So yes, I still play EVE Online and yes, I still have fun. The game continues to be updated regularly, and players are still actively bringing the world of New Eden to life. What more do you want?
Fact’Or for best game of the year
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 : Heart of Chornobyl
I was looking forward to it, but I didn’t see the slap in the face that Stalker 2 gave me coming. I could talk for hours gameplay without compromise which grabbed me by the guts, but it is really the atmosphere of the game which marked me. The decrepit dreaminess that emerges from the Zone is something hypnotizing, and I fully intend to return to explore it from top to bottom once a few patches and slightly hairy mods are released.
