Fact’Or 2024 – Ricardo – PC, iOS, PS4, Switch, PS5, Xbox Series X, Steam Deck, Fact’Or 2024 – Article

It seems that the very heavy task of closing this Fact'Or advent calendar (while trying to distract you on December 23) falls to me this year. Well challenge acceptedthe hardest part being finding games in a complicated year when it comes to free time for me, a bit like almost all my editor friends in fact (so is that “getting older”? Frankly, it's really rotten ).

Without you raconter my life, but a little all the same, let's say that I found another passion (or obligation, it depends): DIY. And that's pretty good, considering the numerous jobs I've had to do (and still have to do) at home. Despite my new life as Valerie Damidot, I still found a few hours between brushes and saws to rest my arms and tire my eyes. The result was that I (un)consciously sought comfort in different levels of nostalgia and 2024 was ultimately a good gaming year for me. Without transition, here are the different prestigious prizes that I was able to award this year.

Fact’Or 2024 du backlog : A Plague Tale 2 – Requiem (PS5)

Let's start this awards ceremony with the biggest piece of my life gamer : mon backlog. And the best was this diptych on the plague and rats that I was only able to explore this year. If the first opus begins to be a little dated (in its gameplay as well as certain animations and modeling, but also in terms of rhythm, in the fact that it takes too long to be really interesting to end so a little quickly), it had the merit of captivating me enough to continue on with its sequel, classic certainly, but with a harsh and gripping story and a very well-crafted atmosphere (special mention for the soundtrack). In addition, it takes place around Marseille (baby), the pine forests and coves are larger than life, the game (and in particular its natural settings) is truly splendid. Finally, the ending scene is grandiose. I fell in love with Amicia and her mission to protect her little brother in this world that is completely hostile towards them. I hope Asobo can continue to tell us this kind of story in the future.

Fact’Or 2024 du remaster non-essential of an essential game: The Last of Us Part II Remastered (PS5)

Another series completely remade this year (relaunched on the occasion of the release of remasters on PS5) and it's always the same slap in the face. As for Part I, it's just as striking as it was then and even more magnificent. Moreover, this first opus has the best game introduction of all time (IFOP survey carried out on a panel of one person, representative of myself). It's realistic, mature, and only the gameplay is a bit dated with in particular this crafting excessively. But what a story, what emotions… A great jhad, who could stop there… but that was without counting on a second part which goes up a notch at all levels. It's still amazing, with a motion capture high-flying, animations and sequences of actions of a natural nature never seen before and most importantly, it made me go through a wide range of feelings. It's simple, no game has hurt my stomach like this, made me question so much about what I was “living” by proxy. One of my favorite titles across all media and eras. This remaster was it necessary? No, not really, the PS4 version still compares favorably with many PS5 games. What is necessary, however, is to play this game at least once in your life.

Fact'Or 2024 DLC: Splatoon 3 – Tower of Order (Switch)

Not missing any opportunity to talk about Splatoon, I'm taking advantage of the release of this year's DLC to add a layer: play Splatoon 3! It's the very definition of fun, possessing a gameplay nervous, ffresh and unique, a multitude of varied game modes, regular free updates for more than two years. In short, play it, come on, we're good. I now take off my red cap borrowed from Frostis to tell you about the DLC bringing a solo “adventure” to the game: The Tower of Order. Usually not very friendly with rogue-lites, I nevertheless tried the experiment and, in particular thanks to the little colorful touches of Splatoon sauce added here and there, I came away very satisfied. At the beginning, it is obviously impossible to climb all the floors of the tower in one go, but gradually runsyou will obtain weapons, upgrades and bonuses allowing you to get closer to the top. Each floor is a new demonstration of level design made in Nintendo and, despite the difficulty being quite difficult at times, we constantly want to go back to try to go higher, to go higher (sorry) than the time before. In short, a great success and a deserved Fact'Or.

Fact'Or 2024 of endless gaming: UniWar (iOS)

Fourteen years old. So I've been playing the same mobile game for fourteen years. Fourteen winters also separate me from my first “official” test sent to gamesvideo.com (from the time when readers could sometimes write in place of the site's editors and when it was still frequentable) and which is still online today. And so fourteen years later, I'm writing about UniWar again. The best way to describe it is this little comparison: take Advance Wars, change it setting for the StarCraft one, and you get UniWar. It's somewhat simplistic but it will give you a good idea of ​​the game. And I must admit to having spent (much) more time on this title this year than on all the others listed on this page. The fault of its asynchronous battles, fast, and twisting the brain like a game of chess, but more fun. If you are allergic to mobile (but why so much hatred?), know that the game has just been released on Steam. Be careful though, for the moment this is only a raw port of the mobile version, without the possibility of changing the resolution for example, but at least the Steam Deck is supported. I really hope that future updates will give this gem of mobile gaming the honor it deserves.

Fact’Or 2024 de l’ami des ophtalmos : Metal Slug Tactics (Xbox Series X)

I love tactical games, with their little cases and their relaxing turn-based. I also really like the Metal Slug license and its crazy games with sublime 2D. So I couldn't miss Metal Slug Tactics. But I was only able to play it for a handful of hours before moving on, because it's so painful to get into it. Dotemu's game has one of the worst user interfaces I've ever seen (and I played Death Stranding) but, like any interface, if the game is good, you inevitably end up getting used to it. On the other hand, the font of the (too) many panels in play got the better of what remained of my enthusiasm. This is the only title in my entire gaming life where I was forced to get closer to my TV. I can't even imagine what this might look like on Steam Deck or Switch. The game may be very good but, without an update giving at least the possibility of enlarging the texts, I will never know.

Fact’Or 2024 GOTY : Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes (Xbox Series X)

So here is my game of the year, my cuddly title. And we cannot say that it has long made the headlines of specialized sites. It was even moderately appreciated in general. Also, just to correct this infamy, I had to talk about it here. And in the end, it's the game that left the biggest impression on me this year, even if, with a clear mind, the reasons seem a little unclear to me. Maybe this was the kind of game I needed at that moment? Or that my last good old-fashioned J-RPG was too many years ago? Or simply because it's an excellent title? To tell the truth, I have no criticism to make of him. Everything is perfectly controlled and executed, but there is nothing innovative either. The mixture of 2D (characters) and 3D (settings) works very well, notably with the six orientations of each sprite allowing them to be positioned relatively well in a three-dimensional environment. Go to be honneat, some 3D modeling is crude and some applied textures are a bit “generic” but that's really just to nitpick because, generally speaking, it's still damn pretty (and those lighting effects!). The three sides of gameplay specific to the Suikoden series are still there, barely reworked; the story (even if a little lighter than usual) is gripping; the fights are interesting and even gain in flexibility and quality of life ; there are even more optional mini games, etc. In short, I loved it. This Hundred Heroes is an excellent follow-up to the first two Suikoden, and I felt like I was in nice old slippers for almost 90 hours. I even took the version Deluxe on Steam to have the OST (masterful) and the DLC in addition to the prequel to the game, subtitled Risingwhich I should launch, well.

Expectations 2025

It’s Christmas, my little ones!

I know that benevolence, altruism and greatness of soul characterize the readership of Factornews (…) but you will be very urbane to use the keys found only if the game interests you to give your friends a little chance to have fun at little cost. Oh yes and leave a little comment to let us know which keys are used.