143: Games of the Year 2024

143: Games of the Year 2024

Author: The Secret Lives of Games January 7, 2025 Duration: 3:15:18

The whole crew assembles to share our personal five favorite games of 2024, alongside picks from previous show guests and our listeners. Happy 2025!

Audio edited by Dylan Shumway.

Our GOTY picks (SPOILERS):

Doug:

Xenosphere

B3313 (Mario 64 mod)

Boku no Natsuyasumi 2

Slice & Dice 3.0

Caves of Qud

Sarah:

Velgress (from UFO 50)

Balatro

Bridge Command

Waxwing

Key of Dreams

Zach:

Astro Bot

Astro Bot

Astro Bot

Astro Bot

Astro Bot

Laura:

Lorelei and the Laser Eyes

Balloon SMP

Interstate 35

Games to play with babies / Zach's 2023 pick

Dress to Impress (Roblox)

Nick:

Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

Pseudoregalia

Paper Beast

Smart Ball

The Nest

Andy:

Hollow Knight

Pokemon TCG Pocket

Super Mario Galaxy 2

Astro Bot

Velgress (of UFO 50)

Rob:

Balatro

Moon Adventure

Barbuta (of UFO 50)

Slice & Dice 3.0

Caves of Qud

 

Show Notes:

Electron Dance piece/interview about Xenosphere

Dominic Tarason

action button reviews boku no natsuyasumi (2022)

The Boku Diaries

Into the Depths: Slice & Dice

Into the Depths: Caves of Qud

 

Other picks from guests and listeners:

UFO 50

Cryptmaster

Case of the Golden Idol DLCs

Fractal Block World

N++ Community Tab Project

Tiny Terry's Turbo Trip

10 hours of silence occasionally broken up by the Taco Bell bong

Fallout 4

Earth Defense Force 6

Rabbit and Steel

Rogue Legacy 2

The Frog for Whom the Bell Tolls

Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom

Feldivek

Factorio

Playframes: How Do We Know We Are Playing? by Celia Pearce

Celeste

Pepper Grinder

Riven (2024)

Caves of Qud

Animal Well

Katamari Damacy

Leap Year

Arcs

MX Bikes

Karen Kavett's Gradient Cascade Puzzle 

Earthrise 1 in Melbourne

Cine2Nerdle Battles

Deadlock

 


Ever wonder what really happens between the initial spark of an idea and the final product you play? The Secret Lives of Games pulls back the curtain, offering a rare, unvarnished look at the creative journey. Each episode is built around a candid conversation with a game creator, moving far beyond simple promotion to explore the messy, beautiful, and often surprising realities of their work. You’ll hear about the late-night breakthroughs, the frustrating dead ends, and the personal philosophies that shape the games we love. This podcast is less about reviews or news and more about understanding the human effort behind the pixels and code. It’s for anyone who’s curious about the art and craft of game development, whether you’re a seasoned player, an aspiring designer, or simply fascinated by creative processes. Listen in for genuine stories about problem-solving, narrative design, artistic choices, and the intricate process of building interactive worlds. These are the detailed, behind-the-scenes discussions that reveal how games truly come to life.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The Secret Lives of Games
Podcast Episodes
EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Pilot Quest [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:54:07
We're joined by Stephanie Boluk (UC Davis), Patrick LeMieux (UC Davis), and Eileen Hollinger (Capybara Games) to discuss Pilot Quest, the 44th game in the UFO 50 collection. "The Campanella has crashed! Fix it by harvest…
EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Elfazar's Hat [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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We're joined by Alfredo Barraza (Riot Games), Adam Dolin (God of War: Ragnarok), and Colin and Sarah Northway (Northway Games) to discuss Elfazar's Hat, the 43rd game in the UFO 50 collection. "Elfazar is hailed as a gre…
EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Night Manor [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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We're joined by Star St. Germain (Aconite), Madison Karrh (Birth), and Zach Aikman (Chuhai Labs) to discuss Night Manor, the 42nd game in the UFO 50 collection. "Trapped in a nightmare where you must use your wits to sur…
Into the Depths: Caves of Qud (Sidequests Special) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:30:03
In this bonus installment of our current Into the Depths series, we continue diving into Caves of Qud. This sprawling open-world roguelike has been in development since 2007 and Early Access since 2015. Doug and Rob - jo…
EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Lords of Diskonia [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:05:41
We're joined by Trent Kusters (League of Geeks), John Axon (Capybara Games), and Adam Dolin (God of War: Ragnarok) to discuss Lords of Diskonia, the 41st game in the UFO 50 collection. "War has come to Land of Disks, and…
EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Grimstone [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:18:06
We're joined by Stephanie Boluk (UC Davis), Patrick LeMieux (UC Davis), and Trent Kusters (League of Geeks) to discuss Grimstone, the 40th game in the UFO 50 collection. "Praise Biggan, the four of you survived the saloo…
EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Star Waspir [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:44:01
We're joined by Jay Ma (Into the Breach), Steve Gillham (OzymandiasAV), Adam Dolin (God of War: Ragnarok), and Zatoichi (Juggler/UFO 50 Enthusiast) to discuss Star Waspir, the 39th game in the UFO 50 collection. "You are…
EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Rakshasa [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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We're joined by Tonda Ros (Blue Prince) and doseone (Enter the Gungeon) to discuss Rakshasa, the 38th game in the UFO 50 collection. "Even death won't stop Jangi from avenging the destruction of his village by demons!" N…
EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Valbrace [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:26:26
We're joined by Scott Anderson (Unity), Carolyn Petit (Kotaku), Xanagear (youtube.com/xanagear), and Glove (UFO 50 Historian/ska podcaster) to discuss Valbrace, the 37th game in the UFO 50 collection. "No knight has ever…
EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Hyper Contender [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:40:11
We're joined by Scott Anderson (Unity), Alfredo Barraza (Riot Games), and Alex Jaffe (Riot Games) to discuss Hyper Contender, the 36th game in the UFO 50 collection. "The daring, desperate, and indebted fight for money i…