Social Media, and especially Twitter/X is such a fascinating place. You can say the most thoughtful thing and no one cares or the most mundane thing and its blows up. But one way to ensure a post to blow up is to say something controversial. So is it really a surprise that “2024 Gaming Rut” became such a topic of conversation the last few days when a bigger account brought it up? It shouldn’t be. But is it based in any truth? This writer doesn’t think so, but lets delve a little further to find out shall we?
For simplicity sake I won’t be talking about remasters here. I know people love them but for this exercise I don’t think they are all that relevant. I also won’t be talking about ports. Meaning if a game originally released in 2023 but got a port to a new console in 2024 it doesn’t count. I’m also going to be using Metacritic as an easy way to identify things. I know a lot of people don’t like Metacritic, but it’s an easy way to give raw numbers and generally speaking is at least a barometer for what perception of a game is.
First, the raw stats. So far in 2024 there are 3 game’s rated 90+ on Metacritic, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Balatro and Tekken 8. If we expand out to an 85 or higher rating we can make that 13 titles including the likes of Dragon’s Dogma 2, Unicorn Overlord and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth just to name a few. Typically speaking anything over an 85 on metacritic is approaching Game of The Year Quality. So to have 13 games already with that rating not even 4 full months into the year is quite good.
Having said that, there is 1 thing that stands out in that 13. It’s a lot of RPG’s. RPG’s take a ton of time to get through. So much so that playing 1 could conceivably take you a month or longer depending on how much time you get to game. So it’s possible at first glance to maybe understand those who say 2024 is in a rut if they either aren’t into RPG’s or if they’ve only played 1 or 2 games because the 1 or 2 they did play took so long they didn’t notice other games.
But then we take a look at the big picture. Games in that 75-84 range, and boy are there alot. If you are into indie games there’s titles such as Botany Manor, Pacific Drive, Ultros, and Children of the Sun. Looking for some higher profile releases? Well there’s Helldivers 2, Banishers: Ghosts Of New Eden, Tales Of Kenzera, and Rise Of The Ronin. Maybe Sports are your thing? Well Top Spin is back as well as the usual MLB The Show and WWE 2K offerings.
I could go on and on,and could even go further down the list, but I think you get the idea. 2024 has been a busy, and great year and it’s just getting started. The other argument is that gaming is in a rut because it’s a lot of rehashed idea’s and not much innovation. But I’m not sure I can buy that stock either. The top releases of the year are sequels, but that’s the case most years. Outside of those titles there’s so many new IP’s. I think the people making this argument just don’t try as many games. New IP’s are an unknown and therefore many are far less likely to try them because of that unknown.
I think ultimately the biggest problem when it comes to this topic is people on social media especially have got it stuck in their heads that if a game isn’t a 90 it’s no good. I have no idea how this mentality came about, but if you think gaming is in a rut and you have that mentality, take a chance on a 75-80 rated game, I promise you they are great experiences and will help.
And if you still think gaming is in a rut after all of this, well hopefully this week that will change for you. This week is one of the most stacked weeks in gaming with something for everyone on every platform.
We all go through personal ruts where we don’t want to play anything. The backlog is so daunting that just the thought of starting a new game turns you off from gaming entirely for a few days,maybe even a few weeks. I totally get that. But to say 2024 in gaming is in a massive rut? Well that is something I can’t get behind at all. In my opinion, 2024 has been a great year for games already.
