You asked for it...

I have to admit I haven’t played that many games this year, I just don’t care about most of them. Final Fantasy, Stellar Blade, Refantazio, or whatever—it's all anime, and I’m not into anime, except for rare cases like Metal Gear Solid or Death Stranding (which pretends to be a film but isn’t, like The Prestige by Christopher Nolan). And Indiana Jones isn’t on PS5, so... :(

Dragon’s Dogma 2 was alright, but it’s too repetitive for its own good—and so is Zelda (BOTW and TOTK), which I think they really looked up to while making DD2. What DD2 does well, though, is make you feel like you’re not a complete fool following map markers around. At least when you find something, it feels rewarding—unlike most games, where they pinpoint the objective down to a single square inch. Zelda does this masterfully; DD2, not so much—but still better than most games, honestly. And yet I couldn't find it in me to beat it.

What I did beat was Silent Hill 2. Sure, it’s not an entirely new game, but it was great while it lasted, and it’s the only project this year that had me coming back day after day until I finished it. So, naturally it's my GOAT.

I’m a Silent Hill fan and own every game physically (except for SH1, because it’s just too bloody expensive — around 200 quid. It’s not worth it, honestly. (You could send it to me as a Christmas gift, though—I wouldn’t mind.))

The SH2 remake is a totally different experience. Compared to the original game, it actually feels rather cozy. Nothing beats the aesthetic of early-noughties games—it’s uncanny, photorealistic but nowhere near real. The original SH2 is liminal, with clumsy gameplay, tank controls, and a soundtrack that’s uncomfortable, and noisy, and it hurts (and so it should). The new game is vanilla - more appealing, engaging, detailed, elaborate. It’s got more lore going on, which is great and exactly what you’d expect from a game in 2024. But it doesn’t replace the original—they’re too different, and both are well worth your time.

This remake was made by true SH2 fans, and it shows. The best thing is those little “distortions” of reality you find throughout the game. If you haven’t played the original, you might not even realise what they are, but if you have, you’re guaranteed some “aaaah” moments. It’s sublime—like being let in on something MySteRioUs anD cOoL.

The cutscenes are perfect, the acting is on point. James’ teeth - probably the most realistic teeth in gaming history. My only criticism: why is the colour grading so inconsistent? It put me off a bit, but it’s no biggie. What did bug me was the walking animation—why on Earth?... The combat’s alright, but a bit off, too, but that just shows it’s not really a true AAA game. It tries its best to be it, because it’s sold for 60 bucks. But it doesn’t have the polish of the Resident Evil remakes or other big-budget games, because... Konami. But honestly, the fact that this game even exists is a miracle — I'm keeping my fingers crossed for MGS3 Remake.

P.S. Actually I think the original SH2 is overrated what with all the praise it gets and people calling it genius. I like this game, I've played it several times, but genius? I don't know man...

Honourable mentions:

Nobody wants to die - great soundtrack, good visuals, nice atmosphere. Gameplay - meh, story - promising at times but meh, ending - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ . But at least it's short, 5 hours? That's awesome.

Astro Bot - cute beyond belief, 2000s Windows XP and mobile phones vibes. Wow, I'm playing as a generic benchmark character, but it works! Perfect timing releasing this game, as it seems. Must have for Sony fans.

Games I really look forward to in 2025 (hopefully not 2026):
Death Stranding 2
GTA 6
Perfect Dark
Maybe Intergalactic cause Naughty Dog has never failed us but .... sci-fi?..... again..... why does everything have to be sci-fi?...

Титул самого странного и крутого человека от Дэвида Линча переходит Кайлу Макхлахлену (Посмотрите его тикток, если не верите). Смотрел почти все его фильмы. Twin Peaks любимый сериал, без раздумий скажу, если спросят. Раньше постоянно смотрел и до сих пор иногда люблю смотреть его weather reports, у меня есть песня (там не пугайтесь, к вам будет Боб пытаться вылезти, но это не правда, это не по-настоящему) посвященная целиком ему и Твин Пикс, без него не было бы одной из лучших игр Alan Wake 2. Без него не было бы diners, не было бы donuts, не было бы coffee, не было бы cherry pie. В общем, влиятельный автор, он universal, его фильмы могут смотреть любого возраста, любого shape, size и он timeless.