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’re most looking forward to in 2024. What your suggestions show is that we’re 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’s a selection of your choices and I’ve added a few of my own at the end. Whatever else happens this year, we’ll have plenty to play …
“Most anticipated game of 2024 – Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth. Despite ho-humming over the Kingdom Hearts-y ending of Remake, the 1997 nostalgia still has a vice-like grip on my heart. Hades II is a close second, because of the magnificent moreishness of the first game.” Thomas Q
“Most anticipated games … two in particular. Like any Stardew Valley fan I’m keenly awaiting the arrival of Haunted Chocolatier. And the news coming from the Games Awards that Hello Games is producing Light No Fire has me very interested. Let’s hope it has a better birth than No Man’s Sky. The best gaming thing that happened to me this year was discovering your newsletter; I’ve really enjoyed it.” Geoff
“Looking forward to the most in 2024: a revamp of Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door.” Tara
“My most anticipated games aren’t very original: Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth, and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (the demo built up great expectations for me, it looks like they’re 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?)” Marie
“Most anticipated game of next year is probably Tekken 8. (Actually it’s Elden Ring, if we’re talking games I’ll finally get to, rather than games released.)” Kenny
“Still Wakes the Deep (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’m guessing you mean Rise of the Rōnin? – Keith]. And to pick the most obvious, Star Wars Outlaws, something that strangely looks quite like what we thought we were getting from Starfield. I can’t wait!” Tom
As for me, I’m excited about all of the above, but I’ll add Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, the sequel to one of the most moving, devastating gaming experiences I ever had. Also, I’m into survival adventures at the moment, so Pacific Drive is on my radar and obviously I want to see more of Slitterhead, the latest horror title from Silent Hill co-creator Keiichiro Toyama. On a lighter note, The Plucky Squire looks like a fun, cute romp and it has the best name of the year.
What to play
I came to this one late because of my vast must-play list for the end of 2023, but EA Sports WRC is a very deep and enjoyable rallying sim from genre expert, Codemasters. Recalling the glory days of the Colin McRae series it’s a serious drive, pitching you against a range of savagely winding courses that take in country lanes and snowy peaks. There’s 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: PC, PS5, Xbox
Estimated playtime: 30 hours +
What to read
We’re never short of retrospective features at this time of year but here’s a good one from Polygon. The best video essays of 2023 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’s piece on The best game music of 2023.
As for 2024, GamesIndustry.Biz asks: What is the games industry looking forward to in 2024? There are thoughts from lots of industry insiders. There’s 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 keen to explore their gender identities. Seattle Times has a great piece on the phenomenon, talking to developers, gamers and experts about how role-playing adventures allow experimentation.
What to click
Question Block
I like questions that are also compliments so here’s one from Matt Ombler:
“One of my favourite pieces you’ve ever written is about bands treating video game soundtracks as concept albums. I would love to hear your thoughts on what the current state of play is today: what’s changed or evolved since then?”
First of all, it’s lovely to know that a feature I wrote a decade ago is still recalled by someone. As for game music since then, it’s interesting that the pinnacle of video game score as concept album took place four years after my article was published: 65daysofstatic’s awesome, semi-procedural soundtrack for No Man’s Sky – a true prog-rock odyssey for the virtual era, which I’m not sure has been topped. (I own the vinyl box set, of course.) Since then, we’ve 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 – see Talisk and Fourth Moon’s work on A Highland Song, and Eric W Brown’s genre-mashing score for Sea of Stars. Τhe 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’re seeing hybrid solutions mixing chiptunes and chamber orchestras, we’re 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 – now we’re entering an era in which they’re doing both at the same time.
If you’ve got a question for Question Block – or anything else to say about the newsletter – hit reply or email us on pushingbuttons@theguardian.com.
