What were the best video games of 2024? I need answers! I didn’t play that many games from the year (my life was very hectic!), and I want to know what to prioritize in my backlog. I turned to the contributors of The Punished Backlog and invited everyone to sign up for a speed-dating-like session with me to share one of their favorite games on the podcast.
This episode features about a dozen writers (myself included!) and their picks. Each mini-interview is about five to 10 minutes long. In each, I ask for a description of the game, what the writer loved most about it, and who else might enjoy it.
At the end, I include a LONG honorable mention list trying to recap every game anyone on our site liked in our Best of 2024 coverage, and I also got just a little emo at the end reflecting on my four years at the Punished Backlog! Hope y’all enjoy, and happy new year!
– Amanda Tien, Editor
The Punished Podcast Episode 12
Check out the latest episode below. A reminder that you can listen here, download the MP3 file, or catch us wherever you get your podcasts. Happy listening!
MP3 Download | Spotify | Apple Podcasts
Timestamps:
- 0:00 – Intro
- 2:13 – David & UFO 50
- 13:37 – Allison & Turnip Boy Robs a Bank
- 17:28 – Zack & Balatro
- 27:00 – Vaughn & Tekken 8
- 33:00 – Joe & Buckshot Roulette
- 39:40 – Amanda & Thank Goodness You’re Here
- 46:56 – Sam & Astro Bot
- 56:55 – Alexia & Core Keeper
- 1:04:30 – Kei & Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
- 1:13:40 – Gary & Metaphor ReFantazio
- 1:24:05 – Ben & Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown & Stardew Valley 1.6 Update
- 1:33:51 – Outro: Honorable Mentions, Gratitude, and Looking Ahead
Song Credits:
The songs below, aside from the opener and outro, are all inserted before their corresponding features!
- Opening: “Amble” from Thank Goodness You’re Here by James Carbutt
- “Play Forever” from UFO 50 by Eirik Suhrke
- “Menu” from Turnip Boy Robs a Bank by James Currier
- “Main Theme” from Balatro by Luis Clemente
- “Rude and Reckless” from Tekken 8 by the TEKKEN Project/Bandai Namco
- “Blank Shell” from Buckshot Roulette by Mike Klubnika
- “Trip to Town” from Thank Goodness You’re Here by James Carbutt
- “Disco Tree (Mini Boss Remix)” from Astro Bot by Kenneth C M Young for Team Asobi
- “My Growing Home” from Core Keeper by Jonathan Geer
- “Gongaga Region Theme” from Final Fantasy VII Rebirth by Mitsuto Suzuki and Masashi Hamauzu
- “Melancholy Star” from Metaphor ReFantazio by Shoji Meguro
- “Kushan Attack” from The Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown by Gareth Coker
- Transition to Outro: “Nice to Have You” from Thank Goodness You’re Here by James Carbutt
- End: “Winter (Nocture of Ice)” from Stardew Valley by Eric Barone
Want More Great Video Games From 2024?
Explore the rest of our Best of 2024 coverage.
Amanda Tien (she/her or they) loves video games where she can pet dogs, punch bad guys, make friends, and have a good cry. She started writing for the site in 2020, and became an editor in 2022. She enjoys writing about mystery games, indies, and strong femme protagonists. Her work has also been published in Unwinnable Monthly (click here to read her cover feature on Nancy Drew games), Salt Hill Journal, Poets.org, Litro Magazine, Public Books, and more. She was the Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Columbia University's Culinarian Magazine, and served for two years as the Managing Editor of Aster(ix) Literary Journal. She recently graduated with a MFA (Master of Fine Arts) in Creative Writing from the University of Pittsburgh. Her writing, art, graphic design, and marketing work can be viewed at www.amandatien.com. She does not post a lot on social, but you can find her on X and on Instagram.
Joe is a games critic and English literature graduate who knows far too much about video games and critical theory. He once wrote a Derridean reading of the animal masks in Hotline Miami. You can find him on Twitter @jchiverswriter.
Alexia grew up on video games like Zoombinis and Freddi Fish. After she played The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, she decided that games were her favorite hobby. She recently moved back to her home in Central California after graduating with a Bachelor in Social Sciences and Communications in Belgium. Her interests include gaming subcultures, fantasy world-building, and writing about cozy games!
Zack has been hooked on games ever since his older brother taught him where to find the secret warp whistles in Mario Bros. 3. He has never felt more joy than when Yoshi congratulated him on getting 120 stars in Mario 64 or more sadness than when he played Kingdom Hearts 3 after waiting 14 years for it. Zack mails a letter to Nintendo every day asking them to bring back Chibi Robo and will gladly tell you all about why it’s one of the greatest games of all time. He was hoping that writing for the site would help him get through his backlog, but it actually just made it worse now that he’s hearing about so many more great hidden gems. Oops…
Vaughn Hunt is writer who has loved video games since he picked up a controller. His parents wouldn't let him buy swords as a child (he wanted the real ones) so he started writing, reading, and playing video games about them. A historian at heart, you'll often find him deep into a rabbit hole of culture, comics, or music.
Huge video game, comic book, and anime fan. Spends way too much time watching things he doesn’t like. Hates Zack Snyder. Mains Falco.
Sam has been playing video games since his earliest years and has been writing about them since 2016. He’s a big fan of Nintendo games and complaining about The Last of Us Part II. You either agree wholeheartedly with his opinions or despise them. There is no in between. A lifelong New Yorker, Sam views gaming as far more than a silly little pastime, and hopes though critical analysis and in-depth reviews to better understand the medium's artistic merit. Twitter: @sam_martinelli.
Allison has been playing all sorts of games since the late ‘90s. She particularly enjoys life sims, casual games, tactical RPGs, and anything Mario. Her dream jobs are to be a Stardew Valley speed runner and a Mary Tyler Moore historian. As a recent MBA graduate, Allison hopes to use her extra time tackling her backlog and the never-ending list of 2023 releases.
Ben is a lawyer by day, gamer by night, and overactive board game Kickstarter backer by dusk/dawn/witching hour. He loves Metroidvanias and Soulslikes, pixelated RPGs, and games about games. He's also passionate about board games and tabletop role-playing games, and is fascinated in a mega-nerd sort of way by academic theories about play. He’s got a new Twitter account for writing at @BenRashkovich.
David is the founder of The Punished Backlog. He has a problem finishing games he starts. Just beat: Nine Sols, UFO 50. Working on: Metaphor: ReFantazio. Can't wait for: Hollow Knight: Silksong. Follow David on Twitter at @David_Silbert to keep up to date with all things The Punished Backlog.
Gary is a jack-of-all-trades video game enthusiast based in Boston, MA. A semi-professional fighting game player, even less professional Apex Legends player, and even less professional adult, he spends most of his time poking at strange indie gems and reading about the need for more diverse voices in gaming criticism. He invites anyone to recommend anything he's missed in the gaming world via Twitter or BlueSky, where he can found under the username @grtnpwrfl. When he isn't spending his time playing games, Gary is an avid New England Patriots fan and frequent hiker.
