Our favorite games of 2024 that didn’t make the top 10

Available on: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S

It was always a challenge following the bestselling Dragon Age series, but little by little I learned the story and heart of Dragon Age: The Veilguard. While the fourth installment of the franchise wasn’t a whirlwind return to form, it was a love letter to the missing parts of Inquisition, with just enough snappy dialogue and cross-class combat intricacies to keep me coming back for more. Veilguard was more akin to the Mass Effect formula of the BioWare games: build a team of exceptional party members, connect with them one conversation at a time, and hopefully save the world. Trying not to cry while the chips fell where they fell was optional, but unavoidable for me.

Veilguard is a story of grief, loss and redemption, wrapped up in sometimes chilling dialogue and missions that offer insight into years of lore, but somehow it was enough to hold together even the weakest moments. I choose to appeal to the hearts of franchise lovers, especially in relation to the player’s relationship with recurring characters such as Varric, Solas and the series’ previous main protagonist, the Inquisitor. In many ways, the ending of Veilguard was the conclusion to Inquisition that many of us had been waiting a decade for, and no matter the choices made along the way, it was impossible not to feel the familiar appeal of BioWare’s penchant for the dramatic to feel. Solas, the dire wolf, is not just a villain but once again an ally, leading a path of regret until the final moments of the game, and Rook stumbling along, desperate not to join him in his centenary of grief accompanied, created a dynamic that I would never have experienced before and is expected to be the central theme of the game.

Every party member of the titular Shroud Guardian has, against my better judgement, managed to find a place in the depths of my heart, and some have even been inducted into the ranks of my personal BioWare Hall of Fame. Ultimately it felt like Dragon Age. Although my personal ideals for the title were unattainable, one thing became clear to me: this game had a soul.

–Shelby Reese