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 - Avianos [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:43:15
We're joined by Tanya X. Short (Kitfox Games), Star St. Germain (Aconite), and Zach Aikman (Chuhai Labs) to discuss Avianos, the 12th game in the UFO 50 collection. "In a time when birds rule, an epic war rages between t…
EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Kick Club [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:41:33
We're joined by John Axon (Capy Games) and Hayden "Docky" Scott-Baron (Planet Coaster) to discuss Kick Club, the 11th game in the UFO 50 collection. "Sports are fighting over who is best! Let's all play together!" Next w…
EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Devilition [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:36:57
We're joined by Tanya X. Short (Kitfox Games) to discuss Devilition, the 10th game in the UFO 50 collection. "Build and detonate chain reactions to drive the demon horde out of town!" Next week: Kick Club http://discord.…
EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Attactics [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:28:20
We're joined by Adam Conover (Adam Ruins Everything) and Alfredo Barraza (Riot) to discuss Attactics, the ninth game in the UFO 50 collection. "Carefully arrange your troops for maximum advantage in this game of realtime…
EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Planet Zoldath [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:32:27
We're joined by Marc Flury (Thumper) and Alfredo Barraza (Riot) to discuss Planet Zoldath, the eighth game in the UFO 50 collection. "Brave the wilds of Planet Zoldath in search of the intergalactic treasure map!" Next w…
EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Velgress [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:28:47
We're joined by Derek Lieu (derek-lieu.com) and Colin Northway (Fantastic Contraption) to discuss Velgress, the seventh game in the UFO 50 collection. "The space pirate Alpha is trapped in the deep pit known as Velgress.…
EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Mortol [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:26:11
We're joined by Aaron "ix" Kearsley (speedrunner), Stephanie Boluk (UC Davis), and Patrick LeMieux (UC Davis) to discuss Mortol, the sixth game in the UFO 50 collection. "How many people will lay down their lives to save…
EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Magic Garden [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:29:02
We're joined by Daniel Mullins (Inscryption), Stuffed Wombat (Mosa Lina), and XanaGear (youtube.com/xanagear) to discuss Magic Garden, the fifth game in the UFO 50 collection. "Stop the jealous witch Cloverana from sabot…
Into the Depths: Caves of Qud (Part 1) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:31:55
In the first installment of a new Into the Depths series, we dive into the brilliant Caves of Qud. This sprawling open-world roguelike has been in development since 2007 and Early Access since 2015, and we're celebrating…
EP: A Year of UFO 50 - Paint Chase [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:23:29
We're joined by Frank Lantz (The Beauty of Games) to discuss Paint Chase, the fourth game in the UFO 50 collection. "Rev your engines and color your way to victory in the local paint racing competition!" Next week: Magic…