When I watched the Fallout TV show back in April, I never could have predicted what it would kickstart. In the series' wake, I had an overwhelming desire to return to the Wasteland, which was a side effect that so many others experienced – Fallout 4 briefly rivalled the player count of Helldivers 2 as a result. Feeling inspired to jump back in, I decided to hold out for Fallout 4's next-gen update that came some weeks later, but before I knew it, I was once again leaving Vault 111 on yet another rad-filled adventure. Having first experienced Bethesda's RPG at launch almost 10 years ago, stepping back into it always makes me think back to where I was and what I was doing when it initially released. And oddly, it's that particular kind of nostalgia that's been following me around throughout the year.
As the months went on, surprise updates to older releases and new game launches alike had one big thing in common: each and every one took me back to 2015. Through some weird coincidental magic, 2024 saw the return of characters and series that defined a rather strange, unsettled time in my life. But it's also a year that I look back on fondly because of what I played.
