Here are your most anticipated games of the year, from long awaited heavyweights to cute 2D efforts. Plus, I pick my own
Happy New Year!
As we emerge blinking and bewildered into the new year, our thoughts naturally turn to what we will be playing in the coming 12 months. Recently we asked readers to tell us the games you\u2019re most looking forward to in 2024. What your suggestions show is that we\u2019re in for a varied year, taking us from classic fighting sims to oil rig horror (is that a genre? It is now), via plenty of role-playing fantasy adventures.
Anyway, here\u2019s a selection of your choices and I\u2019ve added a few of my own at the end. Whatever else happens this year, we\u2019ll have plenty to play \u2026
\u201cMost anticipated game of 2024 \u2013 Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth<\/a><\/strong>. Despite ho-humming over the Kingdom Hearts<\/a>-y ending of Remake, the 1997 nostalgia still has a vice-like grip on my heart. Hades II<\/strong> is a close second, because of the magnificent moreishness of the first game.\u201d Thomas Q<\/strong>
\u201cMost anticipated games \u2026 two in particular. Like any Stardew Valley fan I\u2019m keenly awaiting the arrival of Haunted Chocolatier<\/strong>. And the news coming from the Games<\/a> Awards that Hello Games is producing Light No Fire<\/strong> has me very interested. Let\u2019s hope it has a better birth than No Man\u2019s Sky. The best gaming thing that happened to me this year was discovering your newsletter; I\u2019ve really enjoyed it.\u201d Geoff<\/strong>
\u201cLooking forward to the most in 2024: a revamp of Paper Mario<\/strong>: The Thousand Year Door<\/strong>.\u201d Tara<\/strong>
\u201cMy most anticipated games aren\u2019t very original: Final Fantasy<\/a> VII: Rebirth, and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth<\/strong> (the demo built up great expectations for me, it looks like they\u2019re adding more women to the playable characters! Am I silly for hoping that one day there will be a yakuza game with a female lead?)\u201d Marie<\/strong>
\u201cMost anticipated game of next year is probably Tekken 8<\/strong>. (Actually it\u2019s Elden Ring<\/a>, if we\u2019re talking games I\u2019ll finally get to, rather than games released.)\u201d Kenny<\/strong>
\u201cStill Wakes the Deep<\/strong> (especially for its full power Scottish swearing). The latest instalment of the Team Ninja v Fromsoft back-and-forth to perfect the Japanese sword fighting game [I\u2019m guessing you mean Rise of the R\u014dnin<\/strong>? \u2013 Keith]. And to pick the most obvious, Star Wars Outlaws<\/strong>, something that strangely looks quite like what we thought we were getting from Starfield. I can\u2019t wait!\u201d Tom<\/strong>
As for me, I\u2019m excited about all of the above, but I\u2019ll add Senua\u2019s Saga: Hellblade II<\/strong>, the sequel to one of the most moving, devastating gaming experiences I ever had. Also, I\u2019m into survival adventures at the moment, so Pacific Drive<\/strong> is on my radar and obviously I want to see more of Slitterhead<\/strong>, the latest horror title from Silent Hill co-creator Keiichiro Toyama. On a lighter note, The Plucky Squire<\/strong> looks like a fun, cute romp and it has the best name of the year.
I came to this one late because of my vast must-play list for the end of 2023, but EA Sports WRC<\/strong> is a very deep and enjoyable rallying sim from genre expert, Codemasters. Recalling the glory days of the Colin McRae series it\u2019s a serious drive, pitching you against a range of savagely winding courses that take in country lanes and snowy peaks. There\u2019s a very good tutorial to teach you the handling basics, and a thrilling selection of vehicles to discover, drive and probably roll over into a ditch. Add in a range of modes including online multiplayer tournaments and you have an exhaustive sim, which forgoes extraneous glitz and glamour for the raw experience of you, a car and a co-driver against the elements.
Available on: <\/strong>PC, PS5, Xbox
Estimated playtime: <\/strong>30 hours +
We\u2019re never short of retrospective features at this time of year but here\u2019s a good one from Polygon<\/a>. The<\/strong> best video essays of 2023<\/strong> is a fascinating selection dealing with many aspects of digital culture, including video game design of course. If you want to be up on the discourse this year, these essays provide a useful primer. I also enjoyed VGC\u2019s piece<\/a> on The best game music of 2023<\/strong>.
As for 2024, GamesIndustry.Biz asks<\/a>: What is the games industry looking forward to in 2024?<\/strong> There are thoughts from lots of industry insiders. There\u2019s some talk of new tech and positive macroeconomics, but a lot of worries about further job cuts. A sobering read.
For years video games have offered a safe space for transgender people<\/strong> keen to explore their gender identities. Seattle Times has a great piece on the phenomenon<\/a>, talking to developers, gamers and experts about how role-playing adventures allow experimentation.
The games to look forward to in 2024<\/a>
Nintendo\u2019s design guru: \u2018I wanted to make something weird\u2019<\/a>
The 20 best video games of 2023<\/a>
The games you may have missed last year<\/a>
Chinese gaming sector in turmoil as regulators announce new proposals<\/a>
I like questions that are also compliments so here\u2019s one from Matt Ombler<\/strong>:
\u201cOne of my favourite pieces you\u2019ve ever written is about bands treating video game soundtracks as concept albums<\/a><\/em>. I would love to hear your thoughts on what the current state of play is today<\/em>: what\u2019s changed or evolved since then?\u201d<\/em>
First of all, it\u2019s lovely to know that a feature I wrote a decade ago is still recalled by someone. As for game music since then, it\u2019s interesting that the pinnacle of video game score as concept album took place four years after my article was published: 65daysofstatic\u2019s awesome, semi-procedural soundtrack for No Man\u2019s Sky<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 a true prog-rock odyssey for the virtual era, which I\u2019m not sure has been topped. (I own the vinyl box set, of course.) Since then, we\u2019ve heard wonderful experimentation from the likes of Austin Wintory, Lena Raine and Jesper Kyd, who have, in very different ways, explored the interplay between music, technology and interactive worlds.
There have also been plenty of innovative collaborations between musical artists and game-makers \u2013 see Talisk and Fourth Moon\u2019s work on A Highland Song<\/strong>, and Eric W Brown\u2019s genre-mashing score for Sea of Stars<\/a><\/strong>. \u03a4he major change is in the sheer variety of approaches: it used to be either a traditional orchestral score, a licensed soundtrack, or an electronic composition by a lone musician. Now, we\u2019re seeing hybrid solutions mixing chiptunes and chamber orchestras, we\u2019re seeing pop tunes, textural audio atmospherics and organic soundscapes. Composers are now close collaborators in the design process. In the 1970s, kids formed bands, in the 2000s, they made games \u2013 now we\u2019re entering an era in which they\u2019re doing both at the same time.
If you\u2019ve got a question for Question Block \u2013 or anything else to say about the newsletter \u2013 hit reply or email us on pushingbuttons@theguardian.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n