Is it fair to put a 20-year-old game on this list? When that game has aged as well as Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, I’d say it belongs. This loving remake of the Nintendo GameCube classic, which is widely (and correctly) regarded as the standout game in the Paper Mario franchise, adds a fresh coat of paint but not much else, trusting that the addictive, timing-based RPG battles and joke-heavy script will be just as appealing an offering in 2024. They’re right.
2. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
(PlayStation 5)
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth contains multitudes. The second installment in a planned trilogy of Final Fantasy VII remakes is an absolute behemoth, boasting a massive open world, a terrific action-based battle system, and a list of minigames and side quests that feels endless because it nearly is. Clearly, the strategy here was “more is more,” and there’s no question that ultimately tips into “too much of a good thing.” But it’s also a credit to this grand Final Fantasy VII remake project that even after playing dozens of hours only to reach an ending so hopelessly muddled that I’m not even entirely sure what it means, I still can’t wait for part three.
1. Balatro
(PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Windows, MacOS)
Arriving in an age of ballooning video-game budgets, Balatro is the anti-AAA title. It was developed by a single person. It boasts minimalist pixel graphics and no story at all. Its gameplay is just poker with a roguelike twist: a series of modifiers, chosen by the player, that turn each playthrough into a race for a high score by transforming cards and their values into whatever suits your playstyle best. It could not be simpler, and it could not be more addictive. This is the kind of game I recommend with a warning: Be careful, or Balatro could completely take over your life.
This list will be updated as new games are released.
