Robert Scarpinito's Top 8 Games of 2024

Robert Scarpinito's Top 8 Games of 2024

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Published: January 17, 2025 12:00 PM

While there were a ton of great games in 2024, this was the year I found myself playing less than previous years. In my personal life, I've gotten far more invested in live music and found less time to play games. And long JRPGs don't exactly help with that.

Nonetheless, I feel lucky to have been able to experience some of the best of the year, though the biggest glaring holes in my list are indie games. Titles like 1000xRESIST and UFO 50 got away from me, and I never got to try other big AAAs like Dragon's Dogma 2 or Stellar Blade. Regardless, here's my eight favorite games from 2024.

Super Saiyan Blue Goku punches Goku Black in Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero

Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero

Dragon Ball: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 and 3 were both consequential parts of my childhood, and they put countless miles on my PlayStation 2. I never would have thought that as an adult, I'd be able to experience that nostalgia in a renewed way -- until Bandai Namco revealed Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero.

This is the most personal pick on my list, in that the only folks who'd really get it are fellow Budokai Tenkaichi fans. Sparking! Zero takes the incredibly dynamic Dragon Ball world and puts it in the most exciting sandbox the IP has ever seen.

The electric action from the anime is perfectly captured by the game's art style and gameplay, and the only thing more satisfying than typing out "Super Saiyan Blue Kaioken x20 Super Kamehameha" is landing one for the win.

It's a love letter to Dragon Ball fans and a celebration of one the greatest shonens in the past 50 years, and it looks like the pinnacle of anime action games to boot.

Astro platforms over flames in Astro Bot

Astro Bot

I really underestimated just how great Astro Bot could be. I liked Astro's Playroom, which was a fantastic way to showcase just how cool the DualSense really could be. But a whole game of that? I wasn't so sure.

Here I am, laughing at how wrong I was. Astro Bot charms from frame one, and it continues with beautiful worlds peppered with mascots from PlayStation past, cutely reimagined as little bots. Some of them star in their own special levels, which vary up the gameplay just enough to keep things interesting throughout.

Each stage is thoughtfully designed around a unique mechanic, keeping things simple enough to appreciate just how cleverly the levels are designed. The one that still stands out to me the most is the one where you can shrink to the size of a mouse, and there are so many playful ways to use that mechanic. And of course, the God of War homage stage is so silly, especially with the music.

It's easy to dismiss Astro Bot as a lengthy, feel-good PlayStation commercial or "just another basic platformer," but doing so would be missing out on some of the best in gaming this year.

Cloud blocks a sword swing from Sephiroth in Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Does Final Fantasy VII Rebirth have its faults? Absolutely. It's far too bloated, is stilted with occasionally forced mini games and detours -- and the story is unraveling into a mess.

However, it's still some of the most fun I've had with a JRPG this year. The combat is the apex version of Kingdom Hearts, genuinely funny moments punctuate the game -- and the story is unraveling into a beautiful mess.

While playing it, I felt the pacing drag down my opinion of it. But in retrospect, the memories that come first are all the weird, silly moments and the action-packed boss fights. 

I'm not a big fan of how the game ends -- it's a noncommittal answer to one of the biggest fan questions for this trilogy. Nonetheless, it still sparked big conversations with friends within and outside the industry, and I know I'll be there day one whenever the final remake drops.

Sargon does a special attack in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown was the first of many big surprises for me this year. An early frontrunner for my game of the year, this AA experience comes from the house of Ubisoft, which makes it all the more surprising, doesn't it?

The Lost Crown goes back to the series' roots with modern gaming sensibilities, creating one of the best metroidvanias of the year. The combat is satisfying. giving players plenty of options to dodge, parry, and unleash slick anime-inspired moves.

That shonen influence was a pleasant surprise, making boss fights stylish and full of flair. But even outside of fights, the environments all brought their own distinct beauty. There's even a level in the last act that looks and feels novel, from an aesthetic perspective.

Unfortunately, Ubisoft's reputation undermined it, as the game didn't hit certain sales marks and led to the studio being disbanded and dispersed through the company at large. Nonetheless, this game easily stands out to me as one of the best of the year.

The party goes over a plan in the gauntlet runner in Metaphor: ReFantazio

Metaphor: ReFantazio

Metaphor: ReFantazio feels like an important game amid the civil and social discourse that has dominated America (and other parts of the world) in the past few years. It pointedly comments on the rise in authoritarian tendencies, both understanding it and critiquing it.

These thought-provoking moments aren't subtle (the game is a literal "Metaphor"), but that doesn't take away from how much it rewards players for critically thinking beyond the words on the screen. By being so obvious, it fantastically points out "both sides" of an argument with nuance, without any cowardly fence sitting on conclusions that really matter.

Wrap all that up in satisfying turn-based combat and the ever-successful daily calendar system popularized by Persona, and you've got a modern JRPG absolutely worth your time. Additionally, Studio Zero has opted to make it even easier to complete all bonds and social skills in one playthrough, taking away from the pressure that the social calendar brought in previous games.

A squad faces against a giant enemy in Helldivers 2

Helldivers 2

There's a beautiful chaos within Helldivers 2. The basic goals are simple on paper, but the relentless waves of Terminids and Automatons create a frantic frenzy that's as fun as it is frustrating. Nonetheless, I kept coming back for more this year.

The strategems elevate everything to an 11, giving you incredible firepower that will kill your team as much as it will the enemy -- and trust me, that's where the fun is. It sounds like a punishing experience, but there's an addictive joy hiding beneath it all.

Every time that loading screen comes up with the triumphant music, my blood starts pumping. Every time I land a 500 kilo bomb on a titan, the dopamine goes straight to my brain. Even after failing a mission, I always found myself excited to dive into another one.

The score and multiplier gets set on fire in Balatro

Balatro

At first, I didn't believe in the Balatro hype for myself. I don't like poker, and I thought Balatro would be too poker-y for me to like it.

Then I finished my first Ante 8, and I got it.

Balatro uses poker rules, but they're more like a suggestion. It's all about breaking those well-known rules and rigging your own deck in your favor. Want to go for flushes? Just focus your deck on one or two suits. Four of a kind is a pretty powerful hand, but five of a kind? It's unbeatable.

I know there's a way to count cards in a real game of poker, but I never really understood that until Balatro. You can really simplify the deck to give yourself the edge, and with the seemingly endless variety of Jokers affecting your playstyle, the number of strategies here feel endless.

Don't make the same mistake I did. Believe in the Balatro hype, even if you don't like poker.

Ichiban brandishes a surfboard in Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth

For me, there are two different kinds of games out there: Like a Dragon games, and literally everything else. Nothing hits quite like a Ryu ga Gotoku game. Their uncanny balancing of hypermasculine melodrama, sheer insanity, and playful innocence is unrivaled in this industry.

The open worlds are perfectly sized, and they're densely populated with interesting side stories, silly activities, and fun challenges. The way it takes JRPG tropes and tongue-in-cheekily applies them to the modern day is nothing short of brilliant.

The cast of characters is huge, with some returning faces and brand new ones that are all charming with their own backstories. They contribute to the overall vibe of Infinite Wealth, perfectly playing off Ichiban's optimism and Kiryu's stoicism.

There are so many memorable moments here, like the surprise homage to Animal Crossing, an entire Pokemon League parody, and fighting a sentient UFO-Rumba hybrid. You don't have to 100% the pervert-picture-snapping Pokemon-Snap minigame, but the fact that it's there and you can play it is more than enough.

With so many rewarding rabbit holes to explore, Infinite Wealth is a JRPG that respects your time and keeps things interesting, even across its lengthy play time. I know Like a Dragon is one of those series that seems like it has a rabid but small fanbase (relative to others), but I've yet to find someone bounce off the series after giving it a real try.

Robert Scarpinito TechRaptor
| Features Editor

Robert Scarpinito is the Features Editor of TechRaptor. With a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the Ohio State University, sharing compelling stories is… More about Robert