The Best, Worst and Blandest of 2024 | Fully Ramblomatic

[@SecondWindGroup]

Happy New Year! Thanks for sticking with us in 2024 and we're excited for another year of work here on Second Wind! We're primarily supported via Patreon so if you've enjoyed our work and want to support, consider throwing us a few bucks a month! www.patreon.com/c/SecondWindGroup

[@n0isyturtle]

I am shocked Concord didn't get a mention. One of the craziest stories in the game industry... ever!

[@SecondWindGroup]

@@n0isyturtle This is Yahtzee's personal subjective list. He didn't touch Concord. We've covered it plenty on the channel.

[@arvidp.247]

Hey Yahtzee, when will the paperback of Will Leave The Galaxy For Good come out?

[@TravJam317]

@@SecondWindGroup This makes sense. Not everyone can be one of the 100 people that tried playing that game.

[@TheMarkoSeke]

"Yes it's a dad game, but I'm a dad and it's my list" Fair enough lol

[@Hatt0riHanz0128]

The vibe of Pacific Drive really clicks when you return to the garage on a rainy night, you turn on the jukebox, and figure out how you're gonna get your rust bucket station wagon in working order again for the next run (or in the later stages you're deciding how to divvy up your upgraded doors/panels for maximum coverage).

[@tegandetermann3299]

After watching Let's Drown Out for years, I have trouble remembering Yahtzee has a kid. Every time I do when he isn't the one who has said it, I think I must be getting someone else confused with him.

[@theomegajuice8660]

I was surprised it was top because it still definitely has a fair few things about it that I wished were better but I also have to admit that nothing else this year absorbed me quite as much as it managed to

[@glossyplane542]

Still shocks me he didn’t like death stranding

[@1tsrhodes]

@@glossyplane542 right? that's like the most dad game a dad game can be.

[@angermyode]

Having watched Yahtzee for about 10 years, I’m still stunned at the fact that he not only became a dad but that his reaction to fatherhood was, “I enjoyed that so much I want to do it again.”

[@hanyoukimura]

I know, right? I Remember he used to loathe children in the early years of ZP.

[@jamesohearn2364]

As someone whose little one is now turning 3, and who strongly disliked spending time with children whenever possible, it's hard to describe or explain what you liked about it and why you want to do it again. Sort of like doing mushrooms.

[@sechran]

I'm sure it's a whole different experience when the kids in question are yours, for good and ill.

[@angermyode]

@@hanyoukimura “My problem with Kickstarter is that no-one knows what they want until they've got it. I didn't know I wanted, say, Driver: San Francisco until I had it, and then I wanted the sh*t out of it, but if you'd asked me beforehand for money to make a driving game that played like Miami Vice got Quantum Leap stuck up its bum, My problem with Kickstarter is that no-one knows what they want until they've got it. I didn't know I wanted, say, Driver: San Francisco until I had it, and then I wanted the shit out of it, but if you'd asked me beforehand for money to make a driving game that played like Miami Vice got Quantum Leap stuck up its bum, I'd have told you to stick a few other things up its bum.” Prophetic words.

[@angermyode]

“My problem with Kickstarter is that no-one knows what they want until they've got it. I didn't know I wanted, say, Driver: San Francisco until I had it, and then I wanted the sh* out of it.” Prophet words.

[@aidangordon2713]

Congrats to Ubisoft on its annual winning of the Blandest yet again! Truly a record who knows no equal.

[@dubstepbee6892]

actually this is the first time they have ever gotten number 1 Syndacite was 2 Far Cry Primal was 2 GR Wildlands was 2 AC Odyssey was 3 GR Breakpoint was 2 Immortals Pheanix Rising was 4 and Frontiers of Pandora was 2 its been 10 years and they finally f*ckin did it

[@Erebus04]

Not only did they win the Blandest again they were also runner up for Worst Game of the Year, thats got to be a special prize right there

[@doublej209]

Bro spoilers

[@Meatpieeater]

@@doublej209 is it a spoiler when its expected though?

[@kazpandu]

Makes you think. Will they even be around for it in the future 😂

[@E1craZ4life]

Seeing as there are now 10 years worth of bland lists under Yahtzee’s belt, is he planning to do a retrospective ranking of his top bland picks from the last 10 years?

[@santanafelipe5950]

And all the spots are going to be games from ubisoft.

[@K7SniperX]

The Blandness Hall of Fame is a certain kind of award for sure.

[@E1craZ4life]

@ The candidates are: - Halo 5 - No Man’s Sky - Star Wars: Battlefront II - Conan Exiles - Anthem - Marvel’s Avengers - Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond - Saints Row 2022 - Starfield - Star Wars: Outlaws

[@60fpspeasant84]

@@E1craZ4life Nah, Halo 5 campaign was sorta ok, but the mp was great. Rest of the list is good tho.

[@cpt_nordbart]

So: Ubisoft the games list

[@universe1879]

its completely fair and objective when i agree with it, and biased and skewed by the big game industry when i don't

[@No-RE-q1w]

Don't forget rigged and bought out. It's always that whenever the awards hurt my feelings.

[@yohanfye]

As always Big Game strikes again

[@kiamehrgh3081]

I don't know if it's a new thing or iam just noticing it more, but it legit feels like people have forgotten what different opinions are, in this age it's comes dawn to "you're either with me or you're paid to be against me because there is no way someone can disagree with me" like I don't agree that the zelda game is even close to being top 5 worst games of the year but it's yahtzees list, no shit it's different from mine

[@bmckelvy5717]

@@kiamehrgh3081everyone who disagrees with me is either a bot, a Russian shill or mentally challenged We really are approaching the Internet Solipsism Singularity

[@okmujnyhb]

Nine Sols continues to break the record for largest number of award snubs

[@SmileytheSmile]

It does a great job parrying awards.

[@patrickhanlon2325]

I really need to give it a another try. I gave up after the first 2 hours cause I got bored with it

[@Cubicthing]

@@patrickhanlon2325 yeah it take a bit to get off, but once you start getting in the mid game, the boss fights and the combat gets godly. i don't like when people tell me "just stick with it!" but this one is absolutely worth it.

[@Shifsabre]

Poor they/them kitty

[@jorgemontero6384]

When you make a game that is the interaction of two niches, you end up with an even smaller niche, no matter how well your game is made. If you are bad at parrying, you might as well not attempt to play

[@aircraftcarrierwo-class]

"It didn't beat me to death with difficulty and I could understand the plot, which is truly innovative for a soulslike" is the line that got me laughing the most.

[@c0mplex_Ale]

Yahtzee's year retrospective is honestly more exciting than the The Game Awards despite being 7 minutes long whilst the latter is 3 hours long. "This sucked, this didn't suck, happy new year. The end."

[@BLZ231]

I think it’s less “despite” and more “because of”. Brevity is the soul of wit after all.

[@arkturhellsing1484]

I enjoyed the game awards

[@R3GARnator]

Statler and Waldorf were amazing this year, though.

[@orochifire]

@@R3GARnator And by that you mean safe and bland, entirely unlike Statler and Waldorf.

[@BE-fw1lr]

@@orochifire Honestly I thought they had some good fucking jabs that I'm surprised they were allowed to get away with.

[@Erebus04]

You know in some ways it feels like the year goes by quickly, what with work and what not but in others I go "Jesus all of this came out in the same Year?" my point being I honestly forgot that Suicide Squad Kill the Justice League, Skull and Bones and that South Park snow day game all came out this year alone

[@bilateralrope8643]

I had forgotten that Snow Day existed.

[@atlashugged2591]

Scrolling the comments to see if anyone else shared these sentiments. For me it was Suicide Squad and V Rising. Granted, two games I haven't played (actually I didn't play a single game from any list) but I could swear those both came out at least a year ago.

[@socalminstrel]

Yeah, my first thought when he mentioned Suicide Squad was, "Didn't that come out in 2023?" It feels like I've been hearing about how bad that game is for longer than a year.

[@BE-fw1lr]

@@socalminstrel To be fair, it looked like it would suck even before it came out so you probably have been.

[@karmicrespite5737]

@@socalminstrel now reminded of last year when I had similar thoughts with regards to Forspoken. It really does seem like bland/bad games that release early in the year just have that "Wait wasn't that from last year?" vibe

[@LuximosTG]

I’m surprised Concord didn’t take blandest, considering its failure was largely because no one cared in the slightest.

[@picaludica]

Has Yahtzee reviewed Concord, though? I don't remember, and I can't seem to find the video. The Best/Worst/Blandest lists (usually) only feature games he has reviewed, iirc.

[@LuximosTG]

@ that’s true, I forgot it had to be one he looked at. In a way, like undertale was to the best, Concord is to the blandest.

[@konnichi1wa]

@@picaludica I don't think the game existed long enough for him to review it

[@ultego64]

It's only multiplayer hence yahtzee didn't play it.

[@sarafontanini7051]

it died before it coi;d even register in his mind as a thing that happened

[@Kronocide]

Balatro just brought up as a reference but not even cracking top 5? Wait, did it even get a review? I thought I saw Yahtz playing it at some point

[@Lillian2167]

He played it on Yahtzee Tries, I think, but I don't recall him actually reviewing it.

[@Greil9]

It never got a full review, possibly since it wouldn't be that substantial a video, therefore disqualifying it from the awards. Though he has said in podcasts that he likes it and played a ton of it during the filming of Adventure Is Nigh.

[@SkylerEvansAK]

Everyone on the SW team was playing it at some point, which was part of their point in the post Game Awards cast. Balatro exploded, and it's so easy to get into that it's almost hard to explain. I don't think Yahtzee made a review, because it kinda speaks for itself. It's be hard to make a FR video about that game, the meat is all in the gameplay and there not much to say except "it's simple, it's perfect, all meat, no fat, and everybody on the planet seems to love it."

[@Rory626]

Could have snook it in if he'd wanted. He did that for Undertale

[@deanonfire7503]

@@Rory626 Not for nothing, Undertale was released in the Before Times and there was no way to sneak in any review or impression of it before the Top Best/Worst/Blandest lists in the existing format.

[@gus.smedstad]

"It was awful but way too short" is right up there with "the food is awful and the servings are so small."

[@justinbrown3232]

classic Woody Allen

[@Euryptus]

“That was inedible muck, and there wasn't enough of it” - Sir Henry Rawlinson

[@Brawph]

I see it as "It's not for me, but if it was for me, there wouldn't be enough there."

[@cattysplat]

My favourite review of a wrestling N64 games: "Big men in silly outfits beat the hell out of each other. Suffers slowdown."

[@Umbra_Ursus]

Funnily, I'd say Stick of Truth has that problem, too. It's good, loved it, but it felt way too small: Like it didn't want to do any sightseeing, or side activities. It knew where it wanted to go, and belted it's way there. Post-game honestly felt pointless, too. By comparison, Fractured but Whole felt bloated, little aimless, but had two golden DLCs, that felt tighter than the entire main game. Post-game even had some mild use, thanks to the DLCs. Snow Day being short isn't surprising, but it being bad was disappointing. I want another TSOT already, TFBW ended on a sequel hook, after all.

[@Medstr]

Honestly, im glad that Pacific Drive won something for once. I dont think it got even nominated for any Game Awards this year.

[@TheLegomann97]

They got nominated for best debut indie game! Didn't win, as you know, hard to win a category with Balatro in it...

[@Felipemelazzi]

The Jimquisition Awards also awarded it =)

[@brandonrahhal6989]

-start to buy Pacific Drive on Steam Sale -stop, go get gift cards -gift cards are damaged and unreadable -contact stream support -Steam support fixes it but takes two days -Steam Sale over, Pacific Drive is full price -debate the necessity of saving $12 vs playing Yahtzee’s top game of 2024 right now…

[@ShinigamiKristak]

I didn't even know that game existed before watching this video so I would not be surprised if the majority was in the same boat.

[@archellothewolf2083]

Wow. Ubisoft got so many awards this year!

[@thomastakesatollforthedark2231]

Nature is healing

[@ItsHyomoto]

So, the only input I have is that if you take *out* the survival crafting element of V Rising by basically turning it off (I just reduced the number of materials needed to like 20% or something) you spend a lot more time fighting the interesting bosses and a lot less time sitting around waiting for a brick to pop out of a machine and yeah, I agree with Yahtzee. The game is super fun once you turn off the bit of it that really shouldn't have been there.

[@zanzanzanzan]

@@ItsHyomoto I loved V Rising and was surprised to see it here. I figure it being bereft of narrative and multiplayer focused, it wouldn't even register as a game Yahtzee would play.

[@ItsHyomoto]

@@zanzanzanzan The funny part was I also hated it the first time I played, it's not even the resource section, it's just that it's so overtuned by default for multiplayer (and arguably not even that) that yeah, you'd spend literal hours grinding bricks to put up a shack in the woods. Turning all that down and it's actually a pretty fun boss rush, so even sans narrative it might've avoided the bland list if it wasn't actually a slog by default.

[@JohnCena-qe1rz]

Pacific drive is really just a solid game, that solid blend of “I need to go to these places for some stuff I want to make” only to constantly be having to balance that with “Zone’s collapsing again I have got to get the FUCK out of here” does a really good job of breaking up the kind of comfy bits with the equivalent of an action movie escape scene

[@wimvaughdan7032]

True. And the gameplay loop really had me hooked. That said, the story was just straight up unfinished. The roll credits really caught me by surprise. I had no idea I had done the last mission already.

[@lizzyobrien2376]

@@wimvaughdan7032Agreed. The story was flat out just, not good. The ending mission, with you walking around in the TV corridors, felt like such an ass-pull of an ending.

[@TheLegomann97]

​@@wimvaughdan7032 Yes! I love the game to death, but one thing I will say about it is the story just... ends. It's unsatisfying and there's no time spent in the inner zone to justify any late game upgrades. I hope their plans for 2025 address this.

[@bootsthecat6718]

I literally forgot what game won Blandest as soon as he started talking about the Worst game :p

[@whatevr99]

Then said game did its job. 😄

[@LuminalSpoon]

What was it?

[@herczy]

@@LuminalSpoon Nobody knows and nobody cares to check the video again for it, so it's deserved the 1st place, whatever it is.

[@LuminalSpoon]

@@herczy I forgot I wrote that comment, many thanks for reminding me.

[@madmanwithaplan1826]

im glad at least nine sols got an honorable mention in the best of category its genuinely so good.

[@arenkai]

It was certainly a shock to see Pacific Drive win, but since it was one of my favourite gaming experiences of the year, I am very pleased by it

[@djclouder]

Balatro mentioned, Jimbo is now happy. Now get 44 “NOPE” in a row!

[@devinloew7681]

I've just started Balatro this week. 6 winning runs later and I believe I have never had a Joker upgrade, just about 7 or 8 NOPE!

[@Funkenstein91]

“1 in 4 chance” my ass!

[@alexkaplan6581]

Nope!

[@PhantomOfTheKnight]

I did a double take when I noticed Balatro wasn’t on the list and had to do a search to see if he reviewed it and it doesn’t seem he really did, so guess it doesn’t count (I had no idea he reviewed Wuthering Waves either). Pacific Drive being his GOTY is a pleasant surprise and I get exactly how he feels. I had the exact same experience after playing the Steamfest demo for the first time, The game’s just an absolute vibe that just stuck with me until realize and then completion. The news of it getting a TV show adaptation just makes me want to hit the road in the Olympic Exclusion Sone all over again.

[@KaiBarnard]

Aye Balatro should have been on here I think.....but he never reviewed it

[@Jeougi]

For what its worth he has played Balatro and enjoyed it quite a bit.

[@JFJD]

6:30 I’ll go ahead and big up Starstruck Vagabond with you, Yahtz. I just found Hole, and let me just say that guy is a barrel of laughs. Who knew helping a perpetually alcoholic misanthrope learn to see the bright side of life and how to love again could be so entertaining? ‘Coz I didn’t, is me point.

[@KiroOsexXIII]

You should check out Adventures in the Galaxy of Fantabulous Wonderment

[@sauceinmyface9302]

I personally think V Rising was pretty fun as a survival/ARPG/multiplayer/boss checklist sort of game. Very weird, but pretty fun.

[@Skorak]

Honestly it's a stellar survival crafting RPG with a strong identity. To call it bland with all the effort it puts in to really sell you on the vampire theming feels disingenuous. I think Yahtz didn't give it enough time -which, to be fair, it requires a lot of-

[@randomguy6679]

@@SkorakCome on man, that’s cope, people are allowed to have different opinions.

[@aguyhere7945]

@@Skorak He did make the classic newbie V Rising player mistake of not going into the settings and adjusting them so they're less terrible for single player. But he does that for every survival game he reviews, so oh well.

[@Andy_ARBS]

​@@aguyhere7945 Classic mistake of playing on regular settings. Truly everyone should have known.

[@ArthurDraco]

@@Andy_ARBS V Rising is a multiplayer game first and foremost, with options to make it more suitable for singleplayer.

[@Dice12K]

I own this "Starstruck Vagabond" game you speak of in the credits. I can confirm that ya'll should definitely buy it and support the solo dev behind it. Also, I like how you snuck in a praise for Balatro in there. Balatro is some people's game of the year.

[@justingarcia7653]

Of all the end of year content across all media, this is something I most look forward to every year

[@strain42]

If Yahtzee needs something to talk about during one of the drought seasons, I'd genuinely love to see him do a Fully Ramblomatic on Starstruck Vagabond but treat it as if it's not his own game.

[@DoctorTheo]

I keep forgetting that the 3rd best game (hidden for spoilers) came out this year, always thought it was a 2023 game

[@angelnickl]

Looking forward to another year of Second Wind. Hope yall powered up from your break.

[@Slaeowulf]

Glad to see Cryptmaster get recognition. I really enjoyed it

[@fistofthebrownstar]

Hi Yahtzee, I just found your new channel today after finding out The escapist went to crap and I just wanted to let you know I am so happy to hear your voice again.

[@BE-fw1lr]

Woohoo! Cryptmaster gets on the list! Honestly a super fun and underrated game, glad you're giving it some love.

[@chriswest6988]

I had a weird experience with it where I was having a pretty good time in the demo but already getting sort of bored by the end of it. The chests and exploration and narrator were fun, but actually using the tools in combat once you acquire them felt like a chore. Or to put it another way guessing zap was a fun game but zapping things wasn't. Also I'm not sure why I was doing anything the mustache twirling villain who was desecrating my corpse told me to instead of narc'ing him out to the first goody two shoes I found. Forget that he's "evil", there's just nothing in this for me and he doesn't even really pretend there is. I guess maybe I'm magically enslaved to him but then it feels weird that I have to hit buttons.

[@BE-fw1lr]

@@chriswest6988 I mean personally I was happy to follow along with him since he was charming and funny, and because well... What else are we going to do? We're undead and don't remember shit, and he's offering us guidance. Combat is a bit clunky but tbh even if it's the least of what the game has to offer, I still found it engaging enough. Spoiler but you can eventually narc him out and get a different ending by doing so if you want to be lame ;P

[@shakuganfan99]

Something something, being in the middle of the bland list arguably makes you the blandest of them all, or something like that. Good job Wuthering Waves, you had a 3-year-old cheatsheet and you still fucked it up.

[@no_nameyouknow]

Only if you think Yahz doesn't know how to order his own list. . .

[@grzegorzbrzeczyszczykiewic563]

​@@no_nameyouknow Yahtzee himself has said "there's something ironic about coming 3rd in a mediocrity contest".

[@shakuganfan99]

@@grzegorzbrzeczyszczykiewic563 Yep, I didn't remember the exact quote, so I paraphrased it 😅

[@Max15691]

I was expecting it to be in the worst games list, from the vibe of the review.

[@jasonblalock4429]

Yeah, WuWa was just not good. I hate calling something a "soulless copy" but holy shit is it just a soulless copy of Genshin, with nearly identical gameplay but none of MiHo's charm. And how did they manage to make an open world which was so boring *and* annoying to explore?

[@Glinko]

Cards inbetween feel longer than actual reviews

[@seanno9744]

You might as well just rename “blandest” to “Ubisoft-est”

[@ultego64]

He's said before that joke.

[@IronBahamut]

And they aren't going to learn next year with AC Shadows Really hope Expedition 33 is incredible as well as an extra F U to Ubisoft

[@mxvrdahegaouwu7577]

0:25 this is one of the many reasons I have been following Yatzee for so many years 🤣🤣🤣

[@Wherethehellarewegoing]

Damn straight!!!! Dude still makes me laugh so damn hard and I came across him by sheer chance in 2016

[@colinmiller513]

Thank you for giving Pacific Drive more visibility! I absolutely loved it!

[@AlbinoKiwi47]

another crabs treasure deserves awards for how insanely good its battle music is tbh

[@MrHeavy466]

I appreciate Ubisoft demonstrating for everyone that a "AAAA" game just means that it circles the drain faster than regular "AAA" games.

[@fevermario]

I like to think it represents the sound you'll make when the fact that you wasted 70$ on such dreck sinks in.

[@Walkingfenix]

V Rising was a surprise. It wouldn't make any list for me personally, but the build variety and challenge was really interesting during my time with it

[@chrisvinai9842]

we live in the future now

[@alyxgraff9121]

Yes we do. Yahtzee has finally confirmed which games are the best, worst & blandest. Spoiler alert, Ubisoft wins Blandest of the year again.

[@HarryEdwardsGuitar]

Best credits commentary lol. Happy new year Yahtzee ya bloody legend.

[@affinityforanime]

As a long-time Zelda fan, I would've been ok with Echoes of Wisdom being 5th blandest, but not 5th worst. I had a lot of fun with the game despite its menu issues. Definitely flawed, but also definitely not "bad" either.

[@mattmuir2160]

Yeah. I understand him putting it in 5th worst given that his review of it was rather negative, but I also remember disagreeing with a lot of his review.

[@Brew78]

I got it for Christmas from the missus, am playing it right now, and it's fun. I wouldn't nominate it for the best of anything but I agree, "worst" seems needlessly harsh. Just because you "expect more" from Nintendo, doesn't mean that it's a *bad* game, it's a decent enough "mid" game.

[@UrpleSquirrel]

Agreed. It's not my favorite Zelda game, but it was entertaining enough and I liked the puzzles.

[@Spram2]

I'm starting to think Yahtzee doesn't hate Nintendo, he just has higher standards for them.

[@OmegaGamer1989]

A lot of people (including Yahtzee, apparently) have trouble differentiating between "bad by the standards of a Zelda game" and just "bad game." By the standards of just games in general, Echoes of Wisdom is well above average. But by the standards of Zelda games, yeah it's pretty disappointing. It's kind of like how you might be the absolute best player on your middle school basketball team, but by the standards of the NBA you're pretty lousy. The issue is that some people (like Yahtzee) can't seem to tell the difference and so they just say "Zelda EoW is a bad game" which is just objectively not true, while it would be true and fair to say "Zelda EoW is one of the worst Zelda games."

[@nickclemente1923]

Pretty great lists Yahtzee! I hope one day you give a chance to a little game called "Until Then" which released about halfway into the year. It's an indie VN heavily based on and inspired by Filipino culture, and for being the studio's first ever game release it has some truly magnificent writing. It very quickly became my absolute favorite title from 2024.

[@vinnythewebsurfer]

Happy New Year, you Ornery English muffin.

[@thewhorocks515]

Remember the criteria for this list is that Yahtzee reviewed it. Has anyone played Cryptmaster on console? I assume it would be cumbersome and not worth it, but it sounds right up my alley, and I don't have a PC.

[@rainbowkrampus]

I haven't, but, every modern console has keyboard support. So at the very least you should be able to make the typing part one to one.

[@christian5256]

1:50 I know he didn't like Zelda Echoes of Wisdom, but I audibly gasped when I saw it come up as fifth worst! I loved that game! 😢

[@mattmuir2160]

Same. It and Ys X: Nordics are tied for my favourite game of 2024. I really enjoyed the echoes and bind mechanics.

[@NetConsole]

@@mattmuir2160 An inclomplete game is your GOTY?

[@mattmuir2160]

@@NetConsole Which one are you referring to as "incomplete"? In either case, the claim is incorrect, but I want to know which one you're referring to.

[@NetConsole]

@@mattmuir2160 Ys X is getting a complete version soon. Was announced like two weeks ago.

[@lucazaroli6761]

Ikr, like there’s no way it’s worse than any of the top 5 blandest right?

[@pootissandvichhere9135]

5:32 the babysit the survivor gripes I have with a lot of such games actually fits here. You always feel like constantly tuning up a rusty piece of junk, so making it separate from the actual player makes such gripes more immersive! Context is everything. Weapon durability is best in stuff like monster hunter because it forces you to back off the hunt for now or take a risk in a fight.

[@whoeveritisicannot]

This one was a friggin' speedrun; even Nine Sols losing wasn't very devastating because it came and went, like a fart in the wind

[@Sheer_Falacy]

Kind of funny to have two contenders for 2nd and the loser doesn’t even make the top 5, but I can pretend it got 2.5th place I guess.

[@VincentTheBadGuy]

I'm kind of shocked by some of the placings. Like I would have imagined Zelda would have landed on blandest more likely than worst.

[@schrodingerscat3741]

Me too. All the discussion I've seen of it made it sound like a solid game, if not remotely worth what they're charging for it

[@619ver1]

@@schrodingerscat3741 Honestly its a cute little game. Like feels rough to end on the worst list when we had legit garbage this year.

[@Libluini]

A lot of people loved that game, so I'm guessing it's mostly a spite placement.

[@silverlight6074]

At first I was wondering about that, then I recalled that his criteria for "worst" and "blandest" have to do with whether or not he can remember what happened when he played the game. And it wasn't gonna get in the "best" category because, frankly, there's very little gameplay to enjoy. Just spawning beds like you're trying to crash the Gmod server.

[@chuckwood3426]

Yea, Zelda and Dragon Age should probably have switched places.

[@sfs2040]

I look forward to this FR video the most every year

[@LiamPennington]

Happy New year FR and everybody at Second Wind x

[@SIZModig]

Happy New Year! I can relate to the Helldivers summary "- I have no friends" that'll keep a lot of games away.

[@pavlotverdokhlib7627]

My GOTY was Gori: Cuddly Carnage. But not shocked that the Second Wind crew didn't pay much attention to it, the year was jam-packed with awesome AA games. Here's to 2025 having just as many interesting, non-mainstream games.

[@WolfyRagnarok]

Gori was absolutely incredible. It's hard for me to articulate it well, but it felt like something from a bygone age of gaming where the developers were free to make something completely over-the-top and outlandish just because it would be fun. The characters, levels, enemies and art design are like something out of a fever dream in all the best ways, and the gameplay is just pure joy from start to finish. It's like they managed to cross Jet Set Radio with Psychonauts and then threw it in a blender with Devil May Cry.

[@TheKingNaesala]

Steph Sterling put it on her top list if you wanna see another sarcastic reviewer sing it's praises

[@distorteddivine3638]

@@WolfyRagnarok It was very much a PS2-era throwback in all the best ways. Throw a bit of Whiplash and Conker in that blender as well for it's edgy humor and the cuddly critters going on a bloody massacre. 100% not for everyone, but a fantastic game worth trying out.

[@mittensfastpaw]

And this is why I subscribe to different channels such as yourself. While I may not agree with everything I get valuable and different viewpoints from my own. Which can lead to new and fun experiences or at the least a funny video!

[@syelallouch]

No matter how many Best, Worst, and Blandest I watch, I can never guess how the games will be presented. Must take Yahtzee all year to think of new ones!

[@VoodooSockMonkey]

Happy New Yahtz!

[@holdendefrank757]

That felt short, and not nearly as confrontational as the Top 5s I still love to rewatch (2013 in particular is one that I can almost quite word-for-word at this point). Very much had the air of "You've watched my reviews, don't lie. You knew where it was gonna be the moment you saw the video." Makes me think Yahtzee's getting tired of doing the Top 5 cause the only surprises on the list seem to be the blandest, but only because we all forgot they even existed.

[@shakes5847]

I think you're mistaking projection and a inability to move on from the past for video quality

[@holdendefrank757]

@shakes5847 I mean maybe? Just seems like he's not as enthused about gaming like he used to be. His top 5 best used to be mainly AAA and AA, with the token indie game. Now it's the inverse. And if you re-watch older top 5s, he usually said more than one or two sentences. Feels like he said more and put more games in the worst list cause he expected more from billion dollar corporations that could very easily make games worth buying.

[@kirant]

Honestly, it felt the other way around. This feels like someone who is comfortable in their review style, whereas the oldest versions are of someone who didn’t mind bending to public opinion a bit (I think Skyrim was admitted even at the time as having been added purely out of pressure). The longer the series has gone on, the more he seems willing to just say “I like what I liked” with zero disregard for who makes it. Persona 5 Strikers is one of the standouts for that; it’s not an amazing hack and slash game (and I’m saying that as someone who loves the series since 2), but he let his bias steamroller go for that. These new lists feel more personable. It’s more like I’m listening to someone who went on a journey, discovered their likes and dislikes, and came back knowing full well the list won’t be objective (or as objective as these subjective lists can be). By comparison, I feel like the old videos are of a man who felt his identity is tied to being “that angry video game guy”. It might be one of those things that change as he’s now a dad.

[@holdendefrank757]

@kirant Which I get, I just feel like he used to hold out a little more hope for the industry. He generally used to end Top 5s with a statement expressing cautious optimism, but this was probably the first time he hasn't done that. I don't blame him, he's been doing reviews since 07, which was possibly the greatest year gaming had ever. When you can remember the peak of what could be considered gaming's New Hollywood era, today's releases are basically what the MCU did to movies. Everyone's gotta have shared universe tentpoles and ever so often they release a big-budget hit from a singular vision (e.g. The Batman). But the good is far outweighed by the bland or just plain bad, and as a result youre just like "what's the indie scene doing?" When studios like SuperGiantGames are gaming's Wes Anderson, and Lucas Pope is David Lynch, it's hard to include Balatro alongside Suicide Squad on your year-end list when you remember 2K bankrolled Ken Levine cause he's Ken Levine and Rocksteady made their name on the Arkham series (which needs no explanation), both of which were from 07 and 08.

[@nunyabidness7146]

Im so glad you got away from your former employers, Yahtzee. Always good to hear your voice, a memory from my childhood Take it easy Ben and thank you for the memories

[@mogullll]

ufo 50, animal well, tactical breach wizards, ebfishing, ravenswatch and balatro snubbed

[@zachdyck6762]

Genuinely shocked to see how little love ufo50 and breach wizards have gotten, they were probably my top two from this year but I haven't seen a single reviewer mention them :(

[@mogullll]

@@zachdyck6762 go watch adam millard! he made a vid of all the great games that came out this year and listed 3 games as being absolutely standout and 2 of them were breach wiz and ufo 50!

[@BudewFan_]

Im super new to this channel (didn’t even know second wind was a reboot of an older series until someone told me) and this kind of to the point, no nonsense content is so refreshing, no 30 minute spiel on why phantom whatever was so bland, just that it was, and then onto the next thing, it’s SO good

[@stevenglowacki8576]

When he mentioned Balatro, I was expecting a seque into "And now my review of Balatro: Balatro is a good game." and then putting it as the 0th best game of the year.

[@quentinmcwimberton6797]

Put a negatvie quality on it so there's more than 5 "best game of the year" slots it can fit in

[@AzarakiDragon]

Love seeing recognition for Pacific Drive. Such a unique experience and great at delivering tension despite no true "enemies". As far as the video goes, I think the transitions were much too loud though

[@aShadowWizard69]

I really hope that the Pacific Drive show is going to be good and focuses more on the story of the Turners, Francis, and Tobias

[@HFBeal]

Pacific drive!! That’s my top this year as well. Been replaying it with the added driving realism sliders and it’s a hell of a lot of fun

[@MrThirtyH]

I was SURE Concord was going to win Worst of the Year, but then I remembered that it died so fast that Yahtzee couldn't even get around to reviewing it.

[@YEs69th420]

What's even the point, right? It's not like anyone could play it now even if they wanted to. Better to spend that time talking about the games that still plague us.

[@GillgameshConsumerOfReality]

6:29 "All I know is it had NASA written down the side" Yahts I get more and more concerned for you every time friday rolls around.

[@hanniballahr94]

Concord was clearly robbed of it's top spot.

[@nekrozclockwork]

Was out for so little I doubt he even had an opportunity to play it, would have been leader of the bland category if he had

[@mredbadger]

I guess it’s cause suicide squad is there. At least Concord was its own thing, so didn’t drag down a good franchise with it

[@Klovaneer]

​@@mredbadger I assume you mean Rocksteady and not DC.

[@timpointer6664]

In pretty sure Yathzee has a hard rule that anything he hasn't reviewed isn't eligible for the list. One of his lists had him do a extremely brief review of Undertale before crowning it as #1 since he technically hadn't reviewed it yet. So I don't think he had the Concord ™️ "experience". Because while Suicide squad was more insulting to it's core audience, you can't really beat a game only being out for >2 weeks before being taken behind the shed.

[@jcace13]

I assume you have to exist to be eligible.

[@snaccpacc651]

Finally someone giving Another Crab's Treasure it's due praise.

[@danny123451]

I tried to get into Pacific drive earlier in the year but i've never been able to get the hang of first person driving in games.

[@KM-qr4li]

Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth hasn't been on anyone's list, and that's wild to me. It's up there on my all-time list, even as someone who hasn't played a Yakuza game before and generally avoids JRPGs. The characters are written wonderfully, and the game's just *deep*: like 15 hours in, you find out it's also a Pokemon game, like 40 hours in, you find out it's also a cozy farming game, there are dozens of minigames that have all seemed well realized. There is one section that does some heavy nostalgia bait, which is the only part that didn't land for me, but for fans of the Yakuza series, that's probably even a good thing Edit: Lol, found the Yahtzee review for Infinite Wealth, where he says it'll blow your mind if you're new to the franchise, and like yeah, it did. Not sure I saw the failings he listed, like the job system did unlock late, but it was cool when it did and not really a bummer to wait for? Weapons did cost crazy amounts of money, but I never felt like I needed to buy any, except when I spontaneously made one of my characters a dominatrix and had absolutely no whips for her. Overall really enjoyed the game.

[@KrateKarrot]

Concord was so bland and forgettable that he forgot to include it in this list

[@Edagui97]

I don't think he even got to play it before the plug was pulled.

[@ZaydinTTV]

He never reviewed it so it didn't qualify anyways.

[@Mopman43]

He never reviewed it. He probably never even played it.

[@blairfujin]

or rather it died so quickly he didn't even get chance to review it :P

[@THENAMEISQUICKMAN]

it is very funny watching people try to state their own opinions like they'd be Yahtzee's. Even if the game was still up and running he'd probably never play it because it's a hero shooter and why the fuck would he play a hero shooter

[@ethandye8764]

yay! you guys decided on a volume level! i dont care what the volume is, just consistent!

[@Kinos141]

I'll be honest, the only reason I bought Slitterhead, and support it, is because it's not an IP remake from the 2000s. Almost every major game in the last two years is a REMAKE from the PS2 era and that's not good. There are no new ideas given a chance to be a game, outside of the indie space and they're basically doing the same thing, with Half-Life and DOOM clones.

[@KM-qr4li]

Slitterhead's reviews, and fun concept, had me excited to play it. I bought it and was just waiting to try it once I free up some hard-drive space by finishing Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth (So maybe in 2026?). So the negative review gives me pause, but then again, Infinite Wealth not being top 5 should probably remind me that tastes differ.

[@TEHDUDEMAAN]

Man, the amount of times Yahtzee calls himself a dad these days. He must be so proud to be a parent. Hope you have a wonderful new year Yahtz! Heres to another year of video gaming!

[@JusticeForPottsvilleMaroons]

Echoes of Wisdom in the bottom 5? Really? It's not one of my favorite Zelda games, but I feel like there were much more deserving candidates

[@crushycrawfishy1765]

Make your own list then!

[@KingBubblesV]

You know... its kind of genius simplicity to just look back and name your GOTY as the one you most often wanted to turn on and PLAY. (Not out of FOMO "daily login" desires, but a genuine wish to play the game) Sometimes we try to pick our favorite movies/books/etc to prove how cool or thoughtful we are and that can be useful to an extent. But when we're real with ourselves we just have more fun!

[@MrMcJazzhands]

"Return my jibblies" sent me into space. I didn't really pay much attention to game releases this year (putting aside the fact that this year's releases and last kinda blurred together in my head), so it's nice to hear a little bit about each of your picks. 5th worst was a surprise for me, admittedly, but it makes sense as well. He says, not having played it yet himself.

[@andrewphilos]

I know he’s shooting to make this videos the same length as his regular ones, but I wish the analysis of each game was a little longer. I think I speak for all of us when I say we’d watch a 15, 20-minute video if each game got a minute of discussion.

[@numatruehome100]

Love how you keep getting creative for the top and bottom five intros

[@MD_Polydactyl]

OK, I think I’ve finally got it: we need a solo auteur developer to make a game with a strong narrative focus, crushing difficulty, effective horror elements with an oppressive atmosphere themed around internal strife and solvent abuse, with nautical elements and a jet pack, narrated by James Earl Jones, that slots somewhere between post-dad games and post-punk games, and we can finally free the funny hat man from his monochrome prison. We can do it everyone!

[@Greil9]

Didn't Nine Sols lose its #2 spot specifically because it was crushingly difficult?

[@MD_Polydactyl]

@ Excellent point. We can now empirically say that Strong Nautical theme > crushing difficulty in the hierarchy. This still leaves the question of where solvent abuse fits.

[@manjackson2772]

A post-punk dad, hm? So a job simulator about grinning like a ghoul while hawking shit butter on TV? (I'm making fun of Johnny Rotten)

[@BJGvideos]

That narrator is gonna be difficult, considering.

[@distorteddivine3638]

So Dredge with a bit more narrative focus and adding some out of the boat gameplay focused around character development, hallucinations and jet pack puzzle-solving?

[@paulnolan4971]

Nothing more a Scouser appreciates than a great sense of humour. Subbed ! Oh and great music and great weed. 😁

[@VanGtfogh]

Aw I liked Echos

[@FatalityPWN]

Same

[@Mopman43]

The core gameplay really didn't jive with Yahtzee, so he was never going to like it without that. Still, nothing stopping you (or me) from enjoying it just because he didn't.

[@biscuitboi9478]

Same. I think most did. Putting it in the “worst” category seems harsh

[@EvanHambrook-yi6zs]

Which is fine. To me part of the fun of liking something is being able to laugh at it which is why I will click on games I actually liked when he reviews them knowing full well they are about to get mocked senseless and are probably not his cup of tea.

[@TheTNTPVP]

Yahtzee made it very clear that this is 100% his list, and not Yahtzee's list with concessions to please the general gaming public. Now that does make it hard to take some of his recommendations. I'm not a huge fan of games similar to Pacific Drive, so I don't care the slightest about his favorite game this year. Yahtzee is just a harsh critique. Nothing more to really add.

[@Bmacthesage]

I always look into the #1 best games on Yahtzee's list, and I am absolutely loving Pacific Drive. The crazy part is I'm not even a dad

[@JasperJunior94]

Let's all laugh at an industry that never learned anything tee hee hee

[@ConsarnitTokkori]

tbf some parts of the industry (aggro crab) did learn some good things (simple game good)

[@babateau]

Happy New Year!

[@PainCausingSamurai]

I was expecting Concord to get some sort of lifetime achievement recognition along the lines of Ride to Hell Retribution

[@mitrovarr]

What's a lifetime achievement award mean when the lifetime is two weeks?

[@wdarkk]

@@mitrovarr Speedrun achievement award

[@himhim17yearsago77]

Oh hey Cryptmaster, banger choice

[@EliseT_1012]

Aw, Echoes of Wisdom was fun. Must have been a lot of unshitty games this year if Echoes made the worst list. Solid year, then!

[@sechran]

I'm sure the requirement of being something he reviewed played a role in it. That said, slagging on Echoes of Wisdom for being a classical Zelda game when the Nintendo hasn't actually released a *new* classical Zelda since *2009* with Spirit Tracks really undercuts his arguments. Between remakes, dogshit motion controls, and open worlds, the last time Zelda put out something in this mold was the same year as the dawn of the *Arkham Assylum* series.

[@SmileytheSmile]

Currently going through Cryptmaster, what a delightful game it is.

[@USMC49er]

Honestly thought Concord would get an honorable mention as blandest. Half a billion invested and 8 years and Sony pulled the plug in less than a week because no one bought/played it.

[@randomguy6679]

Even Yahtzee couldn’t get around to it in time lol

[@trident042]

You'll never convince me Echoes of Wisdom is 5th worst game of this whole-ass year. I get it, the UI didn't jibe with everybody, but it was an inventive game with a unique play style, had puzzles with multiple solutions, and a story that honestly beats that of a non-zero number of other Zelda games. Honestly, Nintendo's bigger crime this year was Princess Peach Showtime, which did not do the typical Kirby thing of "be easy enough for a kid aged 5-10 to beat, but have enough challenge content for gamers of all ages", and instead it's a slow, plodding retread slog through the easiest minigames imaginable for almost no reward.

[@zacharyhacker4221]

Heyyyy! Pacific Drive got mentioned! WOO.

[@XDeminox]

Echoes of wisdom was awesome

[@tonyjoestar2632]

My friend is a MASSIVE Dragon Age fan, and they said Veilguard was: "Not terrible"

[@vincent4013]

Zelda EoW is my game of the year 😅

[@mattmuir2160]

I agree; that or Ys X: Nordics; I'm honestly not sure which one I prefer overall.

[@theworkshopwhisperer.5902]

Someone recognising and acknowledging pacific drive? Yes thank you!

[@michaelp785]

I did enjoy Echoes of Wisdom, but your complaints about it in your review were perfectly valid. I mean, I still did a bunch of the side stuff, but that's just because I was enjoying myself and wanted to do more. And hey, that exploits you mentioned? The worst part about it to me was there was actually nothing worth buying in the shops, because all the good stuff you got from side quests. See, that's what I love about you Yahtzee, you put all the good and bad on display for all to see, and if any of the bad is a deal breaker for someone, well, they just saved 70 bucks didn't they? So, I hope you and second wind have another great year. I'm actually looking forward to seeing how bland Ubisoft can be this year. Which is weird when you think about it.

[@willhart2188]

Happy new year!

[@Jazzer995]

Worst 5th - That is going to piss off a lot of people.

[@ZaydinTTV]

Eh, or they remind themselves that it is his personal opinion. I liked Dragon Age: The Veilguard so it didn't really bother me that he put it on the Bland list.