Game of the Year: Khayl's Top 5 PS5 Games of 2024

Our individual Game of the Year articles allow our lovely team of writers and editors to share their own personal PS5 picks for 2024. Today, it's the turn of news reporter Khayl Adam.

5: Dragon's Dogma 2

I wanted to like the first Dragon's Dogma, but I came to it too late and struggled with its technical performance. With Dragon's Dogma 2, I held off until the release of PS5 Pro, and I'm glad I did; the emergent chaos that the ambitious RPG regularly throws your way is best experienced at a steady frame rate.

I'm admittedly not done with the open-ended game, but it's near the top of my holiday to-do list. Capcom's big swings, when they connect, are incredible, and Dragon's Dogma 2 is really in a league of its own. If you're willing to be patient and learn its eccentricities, it's one of the most unique and forward-thinking games I've ever played.

4: Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2

I was likely always going to enjoy Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, given the subject matter, but Saber Interactive's care and attention to detail, not to mention bone-jarring combat mechanics, surprised even this degenerate Games Workshop fan.

The campaign is solid and certainly special in that it opened the eyes of an entirely new audience to the Warhammer universe, which has unfortunately not always enjoyed such high-quality adaptations. I haven't checked in for a while, and I think there are still a few Operations I need to beat, but Space Marine 2 was another surprising multiplayer hit for me, and I look forward to the inevitable sequel.

3: Metaphor: ReFantazio

Metaphor: ReFantazio is another impressive showing from Atlus, and while long-winded, the developer's take on a fantasy world wracked by supernatural political turmoil is incredibly compelling. In Louis, we get one of the more enigmatic villains in recent gaming narratives who, channelling the spirit of Napoleon Bonaparte, leads a violent revolution based on reason and meritocracy.

Combat remains familiar, and overall, I think I prefer it less to the Atlus benchmark, Persona 5 Royal. The calendar system also feels a little superfluous here. Still, with a fraction of the budget of my #1 pick, the developer is flexing its creative muscles, and I'll be eagerly awaiting what comes next.

2: Helldivers 2

Helldivers 2 is a rare beast, a genuine surprise hit with heart that lives or dies by its gameplay. After the mammoth launch, there were admittedly some issues with balancing, and I would go months without playing, but that mostly seems sorted. With fresh and accumulated content, it's somehow better than ever.

The rock-solid co-op gameplay is undeniably awesome, simultaneously demanding coordination and individual skill under pressure, which inevitably leads to hilarity. The ceiling is also incredibly high in terms of difficulty (for those who want it), and a spicy hot drop, followed by half an hour's worth of carnage, then extracting under fire, is just about the most immaculate gameplay loop going.

1: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth doesn't feel real in some senses. Against all odds, and almost certainly despite itself, Square Enix is somehow pulling off a full-trilogy remake of one of the most important video games ever made to the industry, PlayStation, and myself personally. It enriches the original rather than seeking to supplant it. It retains Remake's cinematic and mechanical excellence, with the developer effortlessly reinventing itself, doing an end-zone dance on the open world RPG subgenre for kicks.

But it's too big; despite being ridiculously detailed and having unbelievable production values, not enough people will see it. That adds a slight melancholy for me because I don't think Square Enix is likely to do anything like this again, nor should it, quite frankly. Still, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the realisation of decades of my fanboy dreams: a meaningful, respectful accompaniment that looks and plays like the Advent Children simulator I always wanted, and far and away the most impressive game I played all year.

What do you think of Khayl's personal Game of the Year picks? Feel free to agree wholeheartedly, or disagree politely, in the comments section below.