Our pick of the best power banks and power stations to keep you energized away from home.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Warzone will dive into the competitive world of Squid Game on December 3, bringing a new event themed around the hit Netflix show. Activision has revealed the full details of the Squid Game collaboration, including limited-time game modes and operator bundles.As previously revealed, there are also free and premium tiers of rewards that players can earn and unlock during the Squid Game event. All of these items can be viewed below. Earn Squid Game-themed cosmeticsThe Squid Game event includes free and premium tracks of event rewards that players can unlock simply by playing the game and earning XP. There are 10 Squid Game-themed items for each track.For the free tiers, the highlights include two operator skins and the new cleaver melee weapon. The Player 006 operator skin is for Niran, and the Player 115 skin is for Maya. Additional items include a loading screen, emblem, sticker, calling card, and more.The paid "premium" track rewards contain the Front Man operator unlock and four weapon blueprints. Smaller rewards include a finishing move, an emote, gun screen, and more. This paid track costs 1,100 CoD Points ($10) to unlock, which is the same price as a standard season battle pass. Red Light, Green Light limited-time MP modeOne of Squid Game's most popular games is recreated in Black Ops 6. Red Light, Green Light is featured on the Red Card multiplayer map. This makes use of the map's field for a game of Red Light, Green Light with Young-hee.On the field, players compete in three rounds of Red Light, Green Light, with each being two minutes long. In Round 1, no one gets a weapon. In Round 2 and 3, players can pick up weapons on the ground and eliminate other competitors with melee attacks and finishing moves. Players must survive and safely cross the finish line to win. Pentathlon limited-time MP modePentathlon lets players compete in a series of five game modes. This includes Domination, Kill Confirmed, and Hardpoint, as well as two Squid Game-themed modes called Piggy Bank Team Deathmatch and Roulette.In Piggy Bank Team Deathmatch, every elimination adds score to the Mega Piggy Bank on the map. The piggy bank will drop money part way through the match, and players will fight for possession of the cash.In Roulette, one-shot eliminations can be acquired with the Roulette Handgun, which rewards double the points. However, with each fired shot there's a chance the weapon will blow up in the player's hands. Squid Game MoshpitIn the Squid Game Moshpit playlist, there are three game modes. Team Deathmatch, Domination, and Hardpoint are featured with a twist. Modes will have the following Squid Game-themed features:Red Light, Green Light Scorestreak: Stop the enemy in their tracks with this scorestreak that calls "Red Light," commanding all enemy players to stop moving or risk elimination.Piggy Bank: Eliminated players have a chance of dropping a Piggy Bank that awards a small score boost when picked up. For a bigger pay day, watch for the Mega Piggy Bank. Every elimination adds additional score to the Mega Piggy Bank, so once it drops, fight for it to acquire all the deposited score within.Roulette Handgun: The Roulette Handgun spawns in the center of the map. Grab it to activate a permanent UAV effect while wielding it and land one-shot eliminations against enemies, earning more than double the normal score to help you obtain scorestreaks more quickly. The catch? Your location will be marked for everyone to see, and every shot has a chance to blow up the weapon, taking you down with it. Dead Light, Green Light Zombies modeThis Zombies-themed variant of Red Light, Green Light is available on Liberty Falls and Citadelle des Morts.In the "Green Light" phase, players gain a bonus to the amount of Essence they earn while eliminating zombies. Once "Red Light" is called, Essence is drained from any player who moves.An additional "Dead Light" phase is also included, which Activision vaguely described as "a tough fight" with a "meaner wave of enemies." Squid Game on UrzikstanWarzone is also getting in on the Squid Game action. Taking place on the Urzikstan map, this Squid Game limited-time mode is described as a rotating series of challenges. Players will need to compete and try to survive, with underperforming squads getting eliminated at the end of each round.Additionally, a new challenge may trigger a round of Red Light, Green Light at any time. Squid Game 2: Pink Guards Tracer PackIn addition to event rewards, players can also purchase operator bundles themed around the show.This includes the Squid Game 2: Pink Guards Tracer Pack bundle with three operators. The pack contains the Masked Manager, Masked Soldier, and Masked Worker from the show. Other items in the bundle include a finishing move, two weapon blueprints, an emblem, weapon charm, calling card, and more. Squid Game 2: The VIPs Tracer PackThe Squid Game 2: The VIPs Tracer Pack contains two masked operators. This is the Panther Mask and the Lion Mask VIP characters.In addition to the operators, the pack comes bundled with two weapon blueprints, an emblem, calling card, loading screen, and frag grenade skin. Squid Game 2: Young-hee Tracer PackPlayers can play as the deadly Red Light, Green Light master with the Young-hee operator skin. In addition to Young-hee herself, the Squid Game 2: Young-hee Tracer Pack also includes two weapon blueprints, a finishing move, an emblem, spray, large weapon decal, calling card, and emote.

New Lego Sets Over 100 new Lego sets released on January 1 Check them out at Amazon The ever-expanding galaxy of brick-building kits based on the Star Wars franchise has welcomed six new Lego kits into its fleet. For starship enthusiasts, there are two new budget-friendly display models from Attack of the Clones and Return of the Jedi up for grabs. But we suspect the most popular of the new Star Wars Lego sets will be the 1,048-piece set starring Grogu from The Mandalorian. Check out all six of the new sets below, and make sure to take a look at Amazon's hub page for all of the 100-plus new Lego sets that launched on January 1.New Star Wars Lego SetsContinue Reading at GameSpot

According to a research company, Grand Theft Auto VI could bring in more than $3 billion in total revenues during the first 12 months after launch. A report from Financial Times cites data from DFC Intelligence that says GTA 6 could bring in $3.2 billion in its first year and that the game is likely to surpass $1 billion in preorder revenue alone.David Cole of DFC Intelligence told GameSpot that the long-term success of GTA 5 could help GTA 6 get off to a faster start. Cole noted that GTA 5 actually saw its overall revenues increase in its seventh, eighth, and ninth years on the market, with annual revenue reaching more than $1 billion in the eighth and ninth years on the market.For GTA 6, the $3.2 billion prediction includes physical and digital sales, along with online microtransactions. Cole said GTA 6 should exceed $1 billion via preorders alone, with GTA 6 potentially selling 40 million copies in its first year and 100 million by 2030. Cole also predicted new versions of GTA 6 will come to the next PlayStation and Xbox consoles, as well as PC, helping improve sales overall.Continue Reading at GameSpot

PC gaming is a booming scene that has shown no signs of quietening down anytime soon, and it's easy to see why this is the case. From the powerful nature of these machines to the inherent preference that most people have towards gaming on a platform they're more comfortable with, most console-only franchises that had remained on exclusive platforms for the longest time are quickly realizing just how valuable the PC is as a platform.

As the countdown to the Sakamoto Days anime adaptation continues, fans are treated to not only a great introduction trailer but also a new visual for 2025. The reveal of this has resulted in a wave of hype within the anime community, quite possibly from a taste of the full-on action and interesting characters to come that have made the manga such a great series.

Over the past several years, Larian Studios has gained the reputation as a studio that produces expansive RPGs with complex characters and well-thought-out stories, beginning with the Divinity: Original Sin games and then continuing with Baldur's Gate 3. However, there is another, less obvious reputation that Larian Studios has earned: developers of games that start on a beach. Both Divinity: Original Sin and its sequel began with the player exploring a beach, and Baldur's Gate 3 continued this tradition. There are several reasons why Larian Studios could have made this unique game development decision.

Although K-dramas have been popular in many parts of the world since the 2000s, their global popularity has exploded in recent years, largely thanks to the rise of Netflix. The streamer recently revealed over 80% of its global subscribers watch Korean content a figure that should come as no surprise, considering Korean shows regularly land in Netflixs global top 10 list of the most watched non-English shows, sometimes taking up at least half of the spots on the list.Whether youre a longtime K-drama fan or relatively new to Korean TV, below are five great K-dramas youll want to kick off the new year with. With thrillers featuring terrifying zombies, ghastly grim reapers, armed guards in pink jumpsuits, as well as some low-key workplace dramas, our roundup gives a glimpse into the sheer breadth of K-dramas available for audiences to enjoy today. And despite their differences in subject matter, all five of these shows feel quite relevant and timely each for their own reasons.So make yourself a cup of hot cocoa, snuggle in under a warm blanket, and press play though if youre squeamish, you might want to watch a few of these with the lights on.HappinessGenre: Zombie thriller for folks who are usually scared of zombie thrillersEpisodes: 12K-drama A-listers Han Hyo-joo (Moving, Blood Free) and Park Hyung-sik (Doctor Slump, Soundtrack #1) star in this one-of-a-kind thriller helmed by Ahn Gil-ho, who directed other hit K-dramas like Stranger, Memories of the Alhambra, Record of Youth, and The Glory.Sae-bom (Han), a smart and fearless member of an elite police squad, has her heart set on moving into a newly constructed luxury high-rise, but theres a catch: Preference for new tenants is given to married couples. To secure an apartment unit, she convinces her longtime friend and police detective Yi-hyun (Park) to agree to a marriage of convenience. Shortly after they move in, however, a mysterious illness begins spreading among the buildings residents, transforming the infected into zombies and spurring the military to quarantine the apartment complex. Shut off from the outside world, residents begin turning on each other as they fight to survive the outbreak.Happiness isnt your typical zombie thriller. For starters, its slower-paced and arguably less frightening than most other zombie fare, if only because most of the scenes dont involve zombies (the zombies themselves still look terrifying, though). Those infected with the disease arent even referred to as zombies, and their bouts of madness and flesh-eating rampages seem to be temporary, in most cases. Instead, the series feels much more like an exploration of human nature in times of crisis something that resonated with audiences when the show premiered in 2021 during a pandemic.Hellbound season 2Genre: Dark supernatural fantasy thriller with eerie real-world parallelsEpisodes: 6In November 2021, Hellbounds first season debuted as the most watched show on Netflix globally that week. Though the shows second season which dropped last October didnt garner as much attention, many viewers praised it for being even more thrilling than the first.Directed and co-written by acclaimed filmmaker Yeon Sang-ho (Train to Busan, JUNG_E, Parasyte: The Grey, and the highly anticipated upcoming Netflix film Revelations), Hellbound imagines a dystopian world in which people are condemned to hell by being issued decrees by angels who predict the date and time of their death. At the prophesied time, three hulking monsters appear out of thin air to maul and mangle the hapless victim before torching them to a crisp.In season 2, the unexpected resurrections of two individuals who journeyed to hell and back Park Jungja (played by Kim Shin-rok of Sweet Home and Moving) and religious cult leader Jung Jinsu (Kim Sung-cheol of Our Beloved Summer) raise all sorts of questions about these supernatural events, and lead to a power struggle among various ideological groups intent on pushing their own agendas.Based on the eponymouswebtoonthat director Yeon co-created, Hellbound is, on the surface, a very grisly fantasy thriller. But Yeon says the series is also a symbolic representation of the misfortunes we face in our lives and the hell that many of us create for ourselves. And with the rise of religious and political extremism around the world, the social commentary found in Hellbound feels particularly relevant for these times.Squid Game season 2Genre: If childrens games could killEpisodes: 7On Dec. 26, 2024, Netflix finally dropped its most anticipated series of 2024 the second season of Squid Game, the streamers most watched show ever. Writer and director Hwang Dong-hyuk has frequently talked about the pressure he felt while creating the shows second season, but it looks like he really outdid himself. (But lets face it, did we really think that Netflix would be going all out promoting season 2 if it wasnt actually good?)Three years after being the sole winner and survivor of the deadly games, Player 456, Seong Gi-hun (portrayed by the incomparable Lee Jung-jae), reenters the high-stakes competition, this time with the goal of ending it once and for all. But will the other contestants who are desperately strapped for cash as he once was agree to cooperate with him, or will greed get the better of them? And will Gi-hun finally face off with the Front Man?The star-studded cast includes some of the most recognizable faces from Korean film and TV (and even K-pop!), with returning actors Lee, Wi Ha-jun, Lee Byung-hun, and Gong Yoo being joined by new castmates like Yim Si-wan, Lee Jin-wook, Park Sung-hoon, Kang Ha-neul, Park Gyu-young, Jo Yuri, and former BIGBANG member T.O.P.Featuring a host of new childrens games, surprise reveals, gripping performances, and, of course, the trademark costumes and candy-colored set designs, the latest season packs in just as much intense and gory action as the first.The blockbuster series will continue with season 3, set to be released sometime later this year.Misaeng: Incomplete LifeGenre: Inspiring workplace dramaEpisodes: 20This is an older K-drama that came out in 2014, but were including it here because its such a classic and features several stars from season 2 of Squid Game, including Yim Si-wan, Kang Ha-neul, and Jeon Seok-ho.Jang Geu-rae (Yim) is a prodigy at the game of Go (called baduk in Korean), but his family circumstances prevent him from pursuing it professionally. Forced to face the real world, Geu-rae starts working at a trading company as an intern, but is immediately disparaged by his co-workers due to his lack of academic credentials and work experience. With nothing to rely on except for the skills and strategies he learned from baduk, can Geu-rae successfully navigate the workplace and eventually win over his colleagues?Based on the eponymous webtoon by Yoon Tae-ho and directed by Kim Won-seok (Arthdal Chronicles, My Mister, Signal, Sungkyunkwan Scandal), Misaeng (a baduk term that refers to a stone that is neither dead nor alive) offers many lessons about work and everyday life and subsequently inspired both Chinese and Japanese remakes.Thanks to the shows enormous success (it won a number of domestic TV awards in 2015 and 2016) and cultural impact in South Korea, many K-dramas began to be adapted from webtoons a trend that continues to this day.When the Stars GossipGenre: Boy meets girl in spaceEpisodes: 16Heres another workplace K-drama but this one takes place in outer space! Billed as South Koreas first office drama set in space, this highly anticipated sci-fi rom-com stars heavy-hitters Lee Min-ho (Pachinko, The King: Eternal Monarch) and Gong Hyo-jin (When the Camellia Blooms, The Producers) and is directed by Park Shin-woo (The Killing Vote, Its Okay to Not Be Okay) and written by Seo Sook-hyang (Pasta, Romance Town).Gong Ryong (Lee), an OB-GYN and future son-in-law of the chair of Koreas largest conglomerate, pays a hefty sum of money to travel to a space station as a space tourist. There, he meets Eve Kim (Gong), a highly capable Korean American space scientist who likes to do everything by the book. She also happens to be the space stations commander, and hates tourists like Gong Ryong who buy their way into space travel without having to undergo proper astronaut training. Will the pair be able to tolerate each other as theyre forced to spend time together in close quarters, hundreds of miles above the Earth?When the Stars Gossip premieres on Jan. 4.

The latest Grand Theft Auto 6 leak isnt making headlines because of all the info it reveals but because of the baffling story behind its capture.A since-deleted photo of Grand Theft Auto 6 running on a PlayStation 5 development kit were first shared to the r/GTA6 subreddit on Jan. 1 by a user claiming to have received them from someone who worked at the Rockstar office for a few months in mid-2021. Nothing can be gleaned from the picture, which depicts Grand Theft Auto 6 protagonist Lucia in a vaguely urban environment. Two short videos were also included that reveal even less than the photo.As pointed out by Eurogamer, the windows and trees in the leak appear similar to those of the Rockstar Games building in San Diego, California, lending some credence to the backstory.He is super far from Rockstar now, doesnt work there or in any related field, the leaker said of their source after re-uploading the photo and videos to r/GamingLeaksAndRumours. Im not worried, but Ill probably delete the post soon enough. I dont need the likes but I had to get it out there.Had to get a still image of a character we already knew about simply standing in a location that tells us nothing about the game at all out there. Weve seen Grand Theft Auto 6 gameplay, for crying out loud. Why put your friend at risk for something as meaningless as this?!? Sure, the leak doesnt appear to include much in the way of incriminating evidence, but I guarantee Rockstars legal team is eager to justify its budget by enforcing whatever non-disclosure agreement was signed to get into those offices and the end result it wont be pretty.Hopefully theres no camera footage from 3.5ish years ago, the leaker added. Yeah, no shit.

In 2007, I started marking the end of the prior year by publishing a list of all the video games I played in the preceding 12 months.Ive changed my approach since then, especially this time, as I look back at the 110 (or so) video games I played in 2024.Game File is a thrice-weekly newsletter about the culture and business of video games, written by longtime gaming reporter Stephen Totilo (Kotaku, Axios, MTV News, The New York Times). Subscribe here for scoops, interviews and regular updates about gaming with the authors nearly 8-year-old twins.Todays list is divided into shorter lists. First, there are the 2024 gamesand some older gamesthat I played with my son and daughter in the past year. The twins both just turned eight and have been gaming with me since 5 , though only on Switch until we added a second platform this year (guess why!).After the list of games I played with my kids is the rundown of games I played alone. Im excluding any that arent out yet and that I only played for work. I may have forgotten a game or two as well. That tends to happen.When I started making these lists, as a young reporter for MTV News, I was trying to make a case for finishing games. I was distressed that the finales of too many games went unseen. I would do my part to normalize the act of getting to the end of what were playing. That first list, published in early 2007, was 102 games long, and I marked off the 21 games I had finished. Half Life 2: Episode 1! Chibi Robo! Suikoden V! And so on.By 2017 (269 games played in 2016; a second straight year of not getting to Bloodborne) I dropped the bit about completing games. I switched to recommending my favorites. That seemed more useful for readers.After writing my 2019 run-through, I took a break from these lists. But I have brought it back now, thanks to the urging of Polygon editor-in-chief Chris Plante. (He said he liked them! I think he wasnt joking?)I hope youll find some interesting games below. I think I found some hidden gems. Please also let me know what Im missing, what the kids might like, which games I should give more time to and so on. And, yes, its silly that I played 70 hours of a game I didnt love when there was so much else to play.A caveat: Via my work, I got access to most of these games via free review copies.And if you are in a rush: Scroll to the bottom for my nine favorite games of 2024!New 2024 games I played with my kidsAnother Code: Recollection (Switch) Our biggest surprise of the yearthe first half of this recollection is a beautiful 3D remake of a 2D mystery game released on the DS in 2005. I was a little worried this game was too grown-up for my kids. Teenage protagonist Ashley Robbins explores an old mansion, trying to track down her missing dad while solving puzzles and tracing a family tree that had several branches clipped by early deaths. The interactivity of the mystery hooked them, there was only one gunshot and my daughter later told me that she learned from the game that daughters eventually become disappointed with their dads. Uh.. educational! We wound up loving the game even before we got to the collections latter half, a remaster of the second, longer but inferior Another Code that was first released on the Wii in 2009.Astro Bot (PS5) The kids first PlayStation game and one of their favorites of the year.Botany Manor (Switch) a plant mystery game that I dug more than the kids did.Cat Quest III (Switch) One of our favorite co-op games.Just Dance 2025 (Switch) Responsible for getting Blackpinks Pink Venom forever stuck in my head.The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (Switch) Better than decent, but less than what weve come to expect in our three years of playing Zelda games together. Its our least favorite, ranking below Tears of the Kingdom (my sons favorite), Links Awakening remake (my daughters top pick), Breath of the Wild and Skyward Sword HD. In this game, Zelda copies echoes of objects and enemies, then deploys them to solve puzzles and defeat foes. Its a great concept we would have enjoyed more, if selecting and using echoes wasnt cumbersome and if we were impressed with more than one of the games dungeons (just the one on the mountain).Lego Horizon Adventures (PS5) Weve had an okay time playing co-op.Little Kitty Big City (Switch) The kids love being a cat that can knock peoples cell phones from their hands.A Little to the Left: Seeing Stars (Switch) An expansion to one of my daughters favorite games.Mario vs Donkey Kong (Switch) An early 2024 fixation that long since faded.Mika and the Witchs Mountain (Switch) We liked this adventure about delivering packages via flying broomstick, but dropped it and need to return.Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition (Switch) This speedrun compilation is probably the only way the kids can stomach the NES Zelda or Metroid. And its the first time Ive re-expierienced Zelda II since the 1980s.Princess Peach Showtime (Switch) The kids favorite playable Peach transformation in this game: pastry chef. Please give us a full-scale cake-decorating game, Nintendo.Stitch (Switch) Fun puzzle game.Sticky Business (Switch) A sticker-making simulator that didnt really click with them.Super Mario Party Jamboree (Switch) The board game part stokes too many bad feelings, but the mini-games are mostly a joy.Older games I introduced to themKatamari Damacy Reroll (Switch) I first tried this all-time great with them when they were six, but the dual-analog controls were too confusing. At age seven, they got into it and loved rolling everything up. They loved it so much that we went on to playWe Love Katamari Reroll + Royal Reverie (PS5) Soooo good, and eventually enough Katamari for them.Games from previous years that we kept playing in 2024The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Switch) Almost exclusively played this year for catching horses, visiting stables to swap new horses for old, and, most recently, for upgrading horses (Update: While I was writing this, we also revived our first dead horse.)Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch) A perennial go-to until Mario Kart 10 is finally released (We agree that MK Tour = MK 9, yes?).Unpacking (Switch) My daughter played through it through at least four more times this year, sometimes calling me in to help. But I could not convince her to try Black Star mode.Vampire Survivors (Switch) The newish adventure mode didnt hook us, but the kids did enjoy playing the Among Us level.WarioWare Move It (Switch) We cannot get enough of the Megagame Muscles mode and thankfully havent pulled any muscles speeding through itGames from prior years that I started in 2024 (without the kids)Against the Storm (2023, PC) Fun strategy game but kind of hard to read the screen on Steam Deck.Assassins Creed Nexus VR (2023, Meta Quest) My only VR game of the year.Control (2019, PS4) Ive wanted to start this one for years. Kamala Harris Presidential run finally gave me a reason to (shes in the game!).Final Fantasy VII (1997, PSOne) Yes. It took me a while. I could only afford an N64 while I was in college, so I missed this one! The 2024 release of FFVII Rebirth sparked an idea: Ill play the original and the remake games in parallel. Im still working on it; I most recently finished the Wall Market section in original and in RemakeFinal Fantasy VII Remake (2020, PS4) See above.Match Factory (2023, mobile) I wanted to see why this was such a big hit for Take Two.Monopoly Go (2023, mobile) Got hooked for one intense month.Pseudoregalia (2023, PC) Im so glad I got a nudge to play this spectacular indie 3D platformer.Warframe (2013, PC) Played it for article research, and, sorry, I dont think I have the time.Games from prior years that I went back to (without the kids)Assassins Creed Mirage (2023, PS5) Finished it. Pretty, enjoyable but Id finished its predecessor, AC Valhalla, interested in a part of Mirage protagonist Basims life that Mirage doesnt cover.Destiny 2 (2017, Xbox Series) I doggedly caught up with the games sci-fi soap opera right up to the events leading into its 2024 expansion The Final Shape. I then put it down and fell hopelessly behind again.Elden Ring (2022, PS5) Got to Lyndells capital city, then put it back downfor now?Shinsekai Into the Depths (2019, Switch) The hideous beauty of this summers sleeper Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess sent me back to its lead creators previous, visually sensational work.Wolfenstein: Youngblood (2019, Xbox One) MachineGames newest first-person anti-Nazi adventure, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, was so fantastic it made me wonder if Id been too dismissive of its previous one. I learned last month that some post-release patches make Wolfenstein: Youngblood more appealing to play. My brief December 2024 return was promising, so its back in my queue for 2025.The rest of what I played1000 X Resist (PC) Humble brag that I played this acclaimed story-driven sci-fi game too early, before some game-improving patches, including the addition of a map for the games confounding hub. I still need to finish it.After Inc (mobile) Discovered the game existed at 8 AM on its launch day, played it until 9:30 AM, requested an email interview with developer at 9:54 AM, got replies at 10:32 AM, published an article about it that afternoon.Animal Well (PC) A great game about discovery, and one of the most impressive displays of svelte game construction that Ive ever experienced.Arco (PC) Beautiful, pixelated role-playing adventures in fictional Mesoamerica.Arranger (Switch) A clever adventure in which you slide the ground beneath the protagonists feet, though that concept wore out its welcome by games end.Balatro (PC) A poker-styled roguelike that deserves all of its praise.Ballionaire (PC) Pachinko roguelike need to play more.Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden (PS5) A ghost-hunting adventure set amid the Salem Witch Trials. Made a great first impression but was released when I was busy with too many other games.Bingle Bingle (PC) A roulette-styled take on Balatro, more or less. I preferred the poker version.Black Myth Wukong (PS5) Only on chapter 3; not sure what to make of it yet.Bloodshed (PC) Vampire Survivors as a boomer shooter. Sampled it during Steam Next Fest.Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (Xbox Series X) Heard the campaign was good, started it, got distracted.Captain Laserhawk: The GAME (PC) Played this Web3 Ubisoft game to report a story. Got to buy an NFT with my own money to do so. Anyone jealous? No?Cataclismo (PC) Another good conceptbuild castles with Lego-like bricks and defend themthat clashed with my preference to play PC games on Steam DeckChildren of the Sun (PC) Connect-the-dots, but with an assassins bullet.Clickolding (PC) The years best-named game? But it glitched during the finale; been patched since.Creatures of Ava (Xbox Series X) An eco-conscious open-world game about saving alien wildlife. I was going to play it with my kids, but was unsure what the games message might be. I didnt have enough time to play it to vet it for them. But I plan to.Cryptmaster (PC) A dungeon-crawler powered by the words you type. Loved the bit I played. Need to get back to it.Deep Rock Galactic Survivor (PC) Vampire Survivors but with mining.Dragon Age: The Veilguard (Xbox Series) Spent 70 hours playing through its main quest, its side quests, and slaying all of its dragons and cant even say I loved it. A compulsively playable game with several character arcs I was determined to see through (Death-fearing Emmerichs was my favorite), even though I had never been into Dragon Age and was bummed by The Veilguards simple puzzles.Dragons Dogma 2 (PS5) Enjoyed it for five hours, but got sucked into other mega-games.Dungeons of Hinterberg (Xbox) This is an impeccably designed adventure about a woman on vacation in the Alps who spends her afternoons exploring dungeons and her evenings making friends, as she attempts to figure out whats happening in one strange town. The games dungeon design rivals what has appeared in recent Zeldas. This one greatly over-achieved.Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (PS5) See earlier.Flappy Bird (mobile) Played the crypto version for reporting research.Frostpunk 2 (PC) Sampled it on Steam Deck, waiting for the console version.Hades II (PC) Sampled it on Steam Deck, waiting for it to exit early access.Harold Halibut (PS5) An adventure game that was too slow for my taste.Hauntii (Xbox Series X) Enjoyed the demo of this starkly-rendered ghost adventure, but wasnt drawn into playing much more.Helldivers 2 (PS5) I didnt start playing this online shooter when it seemed like the rest of the gaming world was; then could never find the right moment to jump in.I Am Your Beast (PC) Sampled this murder speedrunner that reminded me of Bulletstorm in all the best ways.Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (Xbox Series X) Didnt like the first playable scene nor the last; loved everything in between.Infinity Nikki (PS5) I sampled this free-to-play dress-up action-adventure game to size up whether itd be good for my daughter, who has been seeking fashion games or some similar virtual Barbie type of experience. The moment I saw some outfits classified as sexy, I bailed. Dont think the kids need to experience gacha design, either.Karate Survivor (PC) Vampire Survivors, but with martial arts, and a cool combo system. Need to play more.Kunitsu Gami: Path of the Goddess (PS5) Gorgeous strategy game slightly undermined by a tedious town management system.Life Eater (PC) A game about scrubbing through timelines using an editing application. I bounced off it but want to try it again.LOK digital (PC) A fascinating game about made-up words and their magical powers.Lorelei and the Laser Eyes (Switch) A puzzle-filled mystery that should have been my thing, but I had to put down to play other games. I want to get back to it.Lunar Lander Beyond (PC) Its a remake of a classic Atari game from the studio behind the time-splitting role-playing game CrisTales? Loved the audacity.Magical Delicacy (Xbox Series X) A Metroidvania with cooking that I wanted to like more than I did.Mario and & Luigi Brothership (Switch) Only just started it.Mars After Midnight (Playdate) A game about feeding Martians, from Obra Dinn and Papers Please designer Lucas Pope. Pretty good.Metaphor ReFantazio (Xbox Series X) Never played a Persona, didnt know what to make of the first two hours I sampled. Will try it again.Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 (Xbox Series X) Tried it. Not my thing.Monument Valley 3 (mobile) Lovely, like the earlier onesMouthwashing (PC) Just started it. Cant assess it just yet.News Tower (PC) A strategy / assembly-line game about a profession I know a thing or two about. Very good.Nonogram 3D Mega Puzzle (PC) Its, uh, Picross 3D 3!Pacific Drive (PS5) A roguelike in which you drive a station wagon through storms; but with a save system that seemed to be the enemy of parents. Ive been told they improved it, so I plan to go for more drives.Palworld (Xbox Series X) Im not a Pokmon person nor an Ark person, but several hours with Palworld left me intimidated about the gravitational pull of combining the twoPaper Trail (Switch) Bounced off this one after I misjudged it as a puzzle game about level-folding that my kids would like; it was too frustrating for them.Pennys Big Breakaway (PS5) A Dreamcast-inspired 3D platformer that I wasnt quite good enough to really enjoy.The Plucky Squire (PS5) A game set inside a book and around it. It has its moments but was another one that faltered as an experience to share with my kids. It might have been the pacing. Or the distraction of Astro Bot one system menu game icon away.Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (Xbox Series X) An excellent Metroidvania in a year perhaps too full of them.Proverbs (PC) A mix of Minesweeper and Picross set in a Bruegel painting. Who could ask for anything more?The Rise of the Golden Idol (PC) Loved its predecessor but never finished its DLC, so I put this down to go back to that. Will return.Rise of the Ronin (PS5) Enjoyed 20+ hours of this open-world adventure set in 19th century Japan. I was perfectly satisfied except thats only half of it. Shades of Far Cry 2 and other games with a second map that is not needed.The Rogue Prince of Persia (PC) Liked this roguelike well enough.Rotwood (PC) Cartoony combat game that didnt keep hold of me for long.Schim (Switch) I loved the concept of a 2D platformer about jumping from shadow to shadow, but lost interest after some repetitious levels.Senuas Saga: Hellblade 2 (Xbox Series X) An adventure that was stunning to look at and listen to, if less impressive to play.Skull & Bones (Xbox Series X) Got to the games second half in search of the bespoke nooks and crannies that typically win me over to most Ubisoft open worlds. Didnt find them.STALKER 2 (Xbox Series X) I was happy for the developers to launch this, but STALKER is just too hostile an experience for my liking.Star Wars Outlaws (Xbox Series X) I didnt like the instant-fail stealth but found planets that were marvelously rewarding to explore. Outlaws has a gameplay structure that doesnt spoon-feed, encourages exploration and serves as a promising response to the fatigue many Ubisoft players have expressed about the companys icon-filled open worlds. A shame its core gameplay wasnt more catchy.Stellar Blade (PS5) A strangely structured game with a terrific counter-based combat system, some stunning sci-fi spectacles but also the disappointing assumption that I play side quests in order to unlock skimpier outfits for my characters (thats what we get for all those soda cans?). Some cumbersome early platforming left me skeptical Id play much, but the combat got me and I rolled credits at 39:58:48 hours.Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League (PS5) Like others, not the game I was looking for from this development team and not a remotely a strong showcase for their strengths.Temtem: Swarm (PC) Vampire Survivors, but kind of with PokmonTowerborne (PC) This sidesdrolling 2D loot game from the makers of The Banner Saga seemed fine, but the prospect of full save wipes while its in early access sent me fleeing. Ill wait for the full release.UFO 50 (PC) I am not nostalgic for the punishing games of the NES era, but I was smitten by many of the faux-classic games in this collection. My favorites include the submarine Metroidvania Porgy, bizarre platformer Mooncat, painting/racing game Paint Chase, social strategy puzzler Party House and Puritans vs devils chain reaction game Devilition. With its abundance of more games than anyone can reasonably handle, I declared UFO 50 the perfect video game for 2024.Ultros (PS5) A Metroidvania with psychedelic graphics, gardening, some clunky planting andI swear one of the best mid-game gameplay twists Ive ever experienced. Dying for more people to reach it and discuss it.We Never Yield (PC) Co-op free running with a catchy soundtrackWilmot Works It Out (PC) Enjoyed the demo of this game about piecing together jigsaw puzzles.Windblown (PC) A roguelike from the makers of Dead Cells that I enjoyed, aside from its controversial virtual barfing.Yars Rising (PC) An old Atari game is remixed in more than 100 different ways. The remixes are used mainly as hacking games in a new 2D adventure. This was the strangest approach I saw all year to honoring a classic, but a very fun one.My top 9 for 2024Another Code: RecollectionArcoAnimal WellAstro BotBalatroDungeons of HinterbergIndiana Jones and the Great CircleUltrosUFO 50