Table of Contents
ANDhave you seen the Game prizes nominations. Have you seen the Bafta long list. Our own list of Guardian games of the year is still a little while away, but while you wait (with bated breath, I’m sure) here’s a snack: Pushing Buttons’ alternate prizes. Without further ado…
Better use of beds as a gaming device.
Need to get your hearts back as you adventure through a bunch of creepy rifts that are tearing Hyrule apart? Simply create a bed out of thin air, make sure you’re out of enemy range, and take a short nap. Do you need to cross a bridgeable gap? This time, conjure several beds. Do you need a ladder? A barricade? Something decorative? Bed, bed, bed. In The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of WisdomThe bed is the real heroine.
The best game to help you on a long-haul flight
On my way to Summer Game Fest in Los Angeles this year, I boarded the plane with the Steam Deck and Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree pre-downloaded, ready for my first uninterrupted 10-hour gaming session when I was 30. But when I loaded it, it wanted to authenticate my purchase. And the plane’s Wi-Fi didn’t work. So after getting in a bad mood, I resorted to Balatro (pictured above), and five hours of my flight disappeared in what seemed like an instant. Thank you, Balatro, for not only stealing most of my free time in February, but also for helping me get through that horrible flight.
Award for pure impudence
It has led to a whole series of accusations of plagiarism and, eventually, a lawsuit from Nintendo, but it still has to be handed over to the developers of pal world (pictured above) for being brazen enough to simply imitate Pokémon and give them weapons. (Palworld’s lead developer insists the game does not infringe copyright.)
Problematic Favorite Award
The glorification of the military in first-person shooter games has made me queasy for many years, ever since they took on a more realistic look. The connections between these games and real-world weapons manufacturers are also difficult. They are frequently used as military recruiting tools. And simultaneously, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6The single-player campaign is the most over-the-top, explosive and entertaining it’s been in years, a ’90s special ops thriller on par with the most testosterone-soaked action films of that decade.
Best first date award
One of the first scenes of Life is strange: double exposure (above) sees twenty-something Max Caulfield in a student dive, trying to flirt with the pretty girl behind the bar. A few hours later, still in the same bar, they have their first date, to an imaginary concert. Max and Amanda interact with each other, creating the most fun and adorable first date experience. I’ve rarely been on dates that went so well in real life, let alone in a video game. A moment of touching brilliance in an otherwise inconsistent game.
Most viewed award on TikTok
I have never played Content warningbut I feel like it is, because this year I have watched around 5,000 videos on various social media platforms. A comedy-horror satire of influencer culture (ironically), it has teams of four descending into the depths of the Earth to film the scary things they find there, flee, and upload the results for posterity (and the likes and money). I’ve seen people snorting with desperate laughter after being chased by multi-armed skeletons, unexpectedly hoisted up with ropes, and accidentally killed with ladders. Cleverly given away during April, it has been a big hit with streamers.
Award for best Scottish accent
In the dark days before the turn of the millennium, I sat transfixed before my giant CRT computer monitor, horrified by the “Scottish” narrative of William Wallace’s Age of Empires II campaign. In 2024, I played the entire Still awakens the depths – a cosmic horror game set on an oil rig in the North Sea – without finding anything to complain about from its Scottish cast. I greatly enjoyed this game for many reasons, particularly the way the social-realistic depiction of the platform and its workers clashed with the incomprehensible horrors that infected them. But most of all, I enjoyed protagonist Caz McLeary’s constant down-to-earth swearing in Glasgow, and his spectacularly terrible boss ranting that he was “sick of talking about little idiots like him.” Truly the representation I have been looking for.
The best games released too late for everyone’s lists
It’s an unwritten rule of the video game industry that nothing good comes out of December, because it ruins everyone’s game of the year lists (and several different awards lists). So we thank Bethesda for its release. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on December 9, Grinder Gear Games to release Diablo-like Path of exile on December 6, and Freehold Games to finally release Qud Caves on December 5 after 15 years of development. My friends and colleagues are excited about all of them. I would tell you which one is better, but I haven’t played them all yet, because It’s December.
after newsletter promotion
what to play
I just played the opening hours of the mentioned Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and wow. It’s great. It has far fewer hits and far more stealth, thought and observation than I ever dared to dream it would have. It’s more like Dishonored than Tomb Raider or Uncharted, and instead of shooting fascists, I was hitting them over the head with a guitar I found in a guardhouse, which I’m sure we can all agree is. It’s much more entertaining. My only criticism so far is that it remains a very unrealistic depiction of the archaeological profession.
Available in: Xbox, PC
Estimated playing time: 10-12 hours
what to read
-
Eurogamer has marked the games station30th anniversary with a great interview with former Sony executive Shawn Layden, who tells great stories about the history of the console.
-
Palestinian game developer Rashid Abueideh He couldn’t find funding through conventional means for his game Dreams on a Pillow, about the Nakba of 1948. So he turned to crowdfunding. You can read more about the game and the story behind it at your financing page.
-
independent game store itch.io was briefly knocked down on Monday due to what founder Leaf Corcoran called “AI-powered brand protection junkware” used by Funko Pop. Funko denies liability and says it only filed a takedown notice for a page on the site.
What to click
Question Block
Many of you have already sent emails, but we’re still looking for more of your favorite games of 2024, which will appear in the last newsletter of the year. they don’t have to highlight the multipurpose beds.
Submit yours by replying to this email or emailing me at pushbuttons@theguardian.com.