With Microsoft’s numerous acquisitions in the late 2010s, many expected a year like 2024 to come much sooner. As it is, the wash of good games and blend of first and second party exclusives has arrived seemingly just in time for the tech giant to completely upend its gaming strategy and pivot away from exclusives almost entirely.
It’s a shame in some ways, the old tribalism of console wars still having a certain appeal like sports fandom, but in the fullness of time, it’s probably better that you can play whatever you want, wherever you want.
From its first announcement through to release, there was no small amount of concern for what Indiana Jones and the Great Circle would be like. MachineGames are best known for the Wolfenstein series where you mow down hundreds of Nazi goons at once, and less for the Uncharted-y style third person romps that were inspired so heavily by those original Indy films. Of course, the end result is pretty much nothing like either of these games.
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle forges its own path, the largely first person view shifting the pacing of the game’s exploration and puzzles, the relative lack of guns pushing you more towards stealth and quick whip-assisted fisticuffs. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable adventure, and it also feels like Indiana Jones throughout, thanks to a solid rendition of the character by Troy Baker, and some excellently directed cutscenes that capture the madcap nature of the films.
This is a must for Xbox gamers today… and PlayStation gamers won’t have to wait too long to see for themselves.
STALKER 2 – Runner-up
STALKER 2 on its own is a remarkable achievement in survival horror. The immersive worlds, tense inventory management, and realistically raw and brutal combat that made this series so iconic are back in full effect – the awkward glitches and bugs that accompanied those original entries in the franchise also see a return as well. There’s a charm in that blend of seriousness and clunkiness, though, and it’s endearing to be scared for your life wading through irradiated swamps only to see a pig ragdoll across the sky or an NPC to promise he’s got the best goods for sale only to offer you moldy bread and a rusted knife.
It’s a beautiful and unforgettable gaming experience, but the unprecedented dedication and perseverance of the Ukranian team behind the game deserve’s just as much recognition and admiration as the game itself.
– Miguel M
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 – Runner-up
Asobo’s rebooted Microsoft Flight Simulator was an absolute marvel in 2020, and it only got better over time. Built around a computer-generated rendition of the whole world, smartly adapted from satellite and flyover imagery, it lacked some of that human touch to start with, which was gradually fed in over time with region-specific overhauls.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, then, seeks to build more of a game on top of that framework. There’s a whole career to work your way through, which will introduce you to specific mission types like air search and rescue, helicopter cargo transport, mountain rescue, commercial aviation and much, much more. There’s also new aircraft types, with gliders, airships and hot air balloons, and if you want (as it required for a number of photography missions), you can land your plane and go walk around. And again, that’s with MSFS 2024 featuring the entire world…
There’s some bugbears, though, and launch was plagued by server issues, no doubt partly related to the new fully dynamic download process that keeps the initial install as small as possible – the kinds of issues that make you thankful the 2020 game still exists! The future is bright for this one, though, and we’re keen to see what’s next from the team at Asobo.
Are you an Xbox gamer? What games stood out for you in 2024?
