Frank Cifaldi of the Video Game History Foundation, Ash Parrish of The Verge, and Brandon Sheffield of Necrosoft Games choose and rank the twenty-one best video games of the year 2024. Hosted by Alex Jaffe, with Frank Cifaldi, Ash Parrish, and Brandon Sheffield. Edited by Esper Quinn, original music by Kurt Feldman.

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SHOW NOTES:

Credit Report (03:42 )

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  Balatro
  


• 
  Cryptmaster
  


• 
  UFO 50
  


• 
  Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League
  

1: Frank’s first nomination (09:45 )

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  Neva
  


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  Gris
  


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  Nomada Studio
  


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  Fumito Ueda
  


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  Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
  


• 
  HowLongToBeat.com
  

2: Ash’s first nomination (14:06 )

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  Mouthwashing
  

3: Brandon’s first nomination (19:47 )

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  Astro Bot
  


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  Astro’s Playroom
  


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  Ape Escape
  


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  Super Mario series
  


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  Astro Bot is the game you buy a PS5 for
  


• 
  The Game Awards
  

4: Frank’s second nomination (24:26 )

• 
  Derek Yu
  


• 
  UFO 50
  


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  Steam Deck
  


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  GameMaker
  


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  Digital Eclipse Software, Inc.
  


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  MSX
  


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  PC Engine
  


• 
  Kaizo
  


• 
  Pixel
  

5: Ash’s second nomination (30:54 )

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  Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree
  


• 
  Elden Ring
  


• 
  Geoff Keighley
  


• 
  Hidetaka Miyazaki
  

6: Brandon’s second nomination (36:35 )

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  Fantasian: Neo Dimension
  


• 
  Hironobu Sakaguchi
  


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  Tokusatsu
  


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  Power Rangers
  


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  Godzilla
  


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  Nobuo Uematsu
  


• 
  Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes
  

7: Frank’s third nomination (42:18 )

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  Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown
  


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  Metroidvania
  


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  Celeste
  


• 
  Hades
  


• 
  forums.insertcredit.com
  


• 
  Super Metroid
  


• 
  Ubisoft ends future development on its best game in years
  

8: Ash’s third nomination (47:37 )

• 
  Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess
  


• 
  Capcom Co., Ltd.
  


• 
  Shinsekai: Into the Depths
  

9: Brandon’s third nomination (52:49 )

• 
  Crow Country
  


• 
  Resident Evil
  


• 
  Resident Evil 4
  

10: Frank’s fourth nomination (59:10 )

• 
  Indika
  


• 
  Amnesia series
  


• 
  Magical realism
  


• 
  Andrei Tarkovsky
  

11: Ash’s fourth nomination (01:09:29 )

• 
  Animal Well
  


• 
  Videogamedunkey
  


• 
  Arkanoid
  

12: Brandon’s fourth nomination (01:18:01 )

• 
  Stellar Blade
  


• 
  Bayonetta
  


• 
  Xbox 360
  


• 
  Bullet Witch
  


• 
  NieR
  


• 
  Hyung-tae Kim
  


• 
  Born Sexy Yesterday
  


• 
  Lightning
  


• 
  Final Fantasy XIII
  


• 
  NieR: Automata
  


• 
  Dark Souls
  


• 
  Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II
  


• 
  Roger Dean
  

13: Frank’s fifth nomination (01:24:33 )

• 
  Metaphor ReFantazio
  


• 
  Atlus Co., Ltd.
  


• 
  Final Fantasy XVI
  


• 
  Persona series
  


• 
  There’s a reason Metaphor: ReFantanzio’s battle music sounds as cool as it does
  


• 
  Sir Mix-A-Lot - I check my bank
  


• 
  Sir Mix-A-Lot - Baby Got Back
  


• 
  Dolly Parton
  


• 
  Henchman 24
  


• 
  Kermit
  

14: Ash’s fifth nomination (01:33:31 )

• 
  Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth
  


• 
  Queen’s Blood
  


• 
  Kingdom Hearts series
  


• 
  Triple Triad
  


• 
  Final Fantasy VII: Remake
  

15: Brandon’s fifth nomination (01:37:49 )

• 
  Zenless Zone Zero
  


• 
  Black Myth: Wuk