game of the year

End-of-Year Awards 2024

Spoiler Warning: Beware of minor spoilers for some of the titles below.

Another year has gone by in the blink of an eye, it seems! It feels like just a couple of days ago that I was writing about my favourite entertainment experiences of 2023… and then 2024 just sprinted past. With only a few hours left to go until 2025, it seems like the perfect moment to take stock of what was a fun year, entertainment-wise.

As always, a couple of important caveats. Firstly, I’m just one person, and I don’t have every hour of the day to dedicate to entertainment. There are several big titles from 2024 that seem to have entirely passed me by for one reason or another, even though I may have originally intended to watch or play them! As a result, they can’t be entered into consideration for an award.

19th Century photo showing six men standing and sitting next to several trophies. — Who will win this year’s top awards?

Secondly, all of this is the entirely subjective opinion of one individual critic. If I give a made-up award to a title you despise or disregard one of your favourites… that’s okay. There should be enough room for respectful disagreement – and while I’ll try to make the case for why I think a title is worthy of a coveted Trekking with Dennis award, I know not everyone will agree. That’s totally okay, and there’s no need to get upset about pretend trophies and imaginary statuettes!

These awards are divided into categories and sub-categories. Where possible, I’ve selected a runner-up and a winner (second and first place, if you prefer), but for some there’s just a winner and no second place. I’ll try to explain what I liked (or didn’t like) about all of them.

With all of that out of the way, let’s hand out the End-of-Year Awards for 2024!

Best Documentary

🏆Winner🏆
Michael Palin in Nigeria

Promo banner for Michael Palin in Nigeria with artwork/AI of Palin.

I was a huge fan of Michael Palin’s travel documentaries when he worked for the BBC. Around the World in Eighty Days, Pole to Pole, Sahara, and my top pick – Himalaya – are among my favourite TV programmes… ever. Full-stop. So it’s a little embarrassing to admit that I thought the ex-Monty Python star had hung up his boots years ago. I was wrong, and Palin has continued to produce travelogues for Channel 5, visiting North Korea, Iraq, and in 2024, Nigeria.

Nigeria is one of the world’s fastest-growing countries, and as its influence in Africa and beyond continues to grow, it’s natural to take an interest! I knew very little about Nigeria beyond the basics before Michael Palin took me on a whirlwind tour of the country, and as usual, his documentary was informative, creative, humorous, and exceptionally well-presented. Despite being 81 years old, Palin hasn’t lost a step and remains a wonderful and often funny guide to different parts of the world.

Best Web Series

🥈Runner-Up🥈
Oceanliner Designs

Promo photo for Oceanliner Designs showing a man in a suit next to a painting of the RMS Titanic.

Oceanliner Designs is a brilliant and informative YouTube series all about ships and shipping. The RMS Titanic often features on the channel, but so do other, lesser-known ships and shipwrecks. As a fan of history, machinery, and ships, Oceanliner Designs is right up my alley! But even if you only have a passing interest in all things nautical, I still think the channel is worth checking out.

Mike, the presenter, has a gentle way of speaking, and scripts his videos incredibly well. Following the narrative of a doomed ship from the moment it left port – or even earlier, sometimes – is riveting and often harrowing stuff, but the tone of the videos keeps things grounded. I’ve learned a lot about ships and shipwrecks thanks to this channel – and I even discovered the wonderful Project 401 interactive Titanic experience via Oceanliner Designs.

🏆Winner🏆
Adventures in Aardia
(Roll for Sandwich)

Title card for the YouTube version of Roll for Sandwich ep. 337.

This is the first time I’ve picked a TikTok series for my Best Web Series award, which I think also reflects the growth of that platform over the past few years… as well as how much more time I’ve been spending with it! Roll for Sandwich is a whimsical yet simple concept: each component of a sandwich is determined by a roll of the dice in a Dungeons and Dragons-inspired way. It’s a really creative idea, and one that’s been so much fun that it’s spawned its own little sub-genre of foodie shows on TikTok: I’ve seen people making their own versions for barbeque food, hot chocolate, and even breakfast cereal.

Across 2024, I don’t think I’ve missed an episode of Roll for Sandwich. The short episodes are a ton of fun, even when the dice lead to some truly unfortunate or unpleasant combinations of ingredients! The addition of cantrips and spells for things like toasting the bread or swapping out an ingredient has been fun, too, and continues the Dungeons and Dragons theme. An all-around brilliant idea – and one that I’m so pleased has taken off!

Funniest Election Result

🏆Winner🏆
Liz Truss loses her seat

Still frame from Sky News showing Liz Truss losing her seat on election night.

Depending on your political persuasion, you might not think it’s been a great year for election results. And I get that – believe me! But one result in particular was thoroughly deserved as well as being incredibly funny and cathartic. Disastrous former Prime Minister Liz Truss lost her seat in Parliament in the early hours of the 5th of July… and it was a truly delicious thing to watch.

Usually I don’t take much delight in the misery of a real human being… but after the damage Truss’ brief premiership inflicted on the UK and our economy, seeing her kicked out by her own party and her own constituents was schadenfreude of the best possible kind. I don’t agree with the talking heads and political journalists who say that this was a “Portillo moment,” either. Michael Portillo lost his seat in 1997 because he was a Conservative; Liz Truss lost her seat because she was Liz Truss. And I am so very glad that I stayed up all night watching the results – it was worth it for this moment alone.

Best Christmas Film

🏆Winner🏆
That Christmas

Still frame from That Christmas showing two characters building an igloo.

It’s been a few years since a brand-new Christmas film won me over – but That Christmas really was fantastic. Writer Richard Curtis weaved together a set of connected stories in a way that reminded me of his earlier film, Love Actually, and there was Christmas magic galore in the small English town of Wellington-on-Sea.

The holidays are coming to an end now, but if you missed That Christmas in 2024, make sure it’s on your watch list for next year! I really don’t think you’ll regret it. Oh, and is that the first time you’ve seen someone mention Christmas 2025?

Best Animated Film

🏆Winner🏆
Spellbound

Still frame from Spellbound showing Princess Ellian.

At the start of 2024, I really thought that Disney’s Wish would swoop in and take this award. And while I didn’t hate or even particularly dislike Wish, I didn’t feel it was anywhere near as good as Spellbound – from Netflix and Skydance Animation. The film was creative, funny, and clever, and had an interesting premise that I’m sure will have kept younger viewers hooked. Add in a couple of solid songs and you’ve got a film that can absolutely go toe-to-toe with Disney.

Rachel Zegler excels in Spellbound’s lead role, and the film is really sweet and touching in places, as well as having a creative main story. Some great animation work brings all of the characters to life, making Spellbound a must-watch for kids and adults alike.

Worst Film

🏆“Winner”🏆
Rebel Moon
(Parts One and Two)

Still frame from Rebel Moon Part One showing a shirtless man riding a large bird.

Zack Snyder, you’ve done it again! For the second time, a film directed by Zack Snyder takes this award. After the boring slog that was his cut of Justice League a few years ago, Snyder’s Rebel Moon takes the “award” for worst film of 2024. Rebel Moon – which was released in two parts and was supposed to be the beginning of a Star Wars-inspired sci-fi universe – was derivative, poorly-written, bland, and ultimately forgettable.

I actually had to go back to Rebel Moon just to remind myself of some of the names of characters and factions – even though I’d only seen it a few months ago. Nothing about Rebel Moon feels memorable, interesting, or worth revisiting, and while I commend Zack Snyder, Netflix, and the other studios and investors that bankrolled the project for stepping out of the shadow of existing sci-fi franchises to try and create something new… this wasn’t the way to do it.

Best Film

🥈Runner-Up🥈
Twisters

Still frame from Twisters showing a character in a car wearing sunglasses.

I wasn’t at all convinced that the 1996 classic disaster film Twister needed a semi-sequel. And to be fair, Twisters is less a sequel and more a cynical attempt to cash in on a familiar name! But you know what? I enjoy a good disaster film, and taken on its own merit, there’s nothing wrong with Twisters at all. It kept me entertained for a couple of hours while I munched on some popcorn – and that’s basically all I needed it to do.

Twisters is never gonna be anyone’s idea of high art, but that’s okay. Sometimes we all need to switch off for a couple of hours and watch some action, some adventure, and some unfolding disasters!

🏆Winner🏆
Civil War

Still frame from Civil War showing abandoned vehicles.

I thought Civil War was a very creative film. Going into it, based on the trailers, I was expecting a deeply political film… but it really wasn’t. Instead, it was more of a thoughtful examination of how people might react under challenging circumstances; a road trip movie with individual characters at its heart. The titular civil war was really the background for this story to play out in front of.

There were some well-composed scenes and sequences, creative use of sound and silence, and some pretty brutal depictions of conflict and death. With the story being told from the perspective of unarmed journalists, there was tension and a sense of danger all the way through – and some of the deaths were truly harrowing to watch. All in all, a very clever and thought-provoking picture that I’m happy to say was my favourite of 2024.

TV Series: Honourable Mention

🏆Winner🏆
Star Trek: Lower Decks
Season 5

Promo image for Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5.

In 2025, I simply must get caught up with Lower Decks. But I couldn’t let the show’s final season pass unnoticed in my year-end awards; it’s been a great run, and I’m sad to see Lower Decks being wound down. The show’s light-heartedness, episodic nature, and fun characters have been fine additions to the Star Trek franchise, and I hope its cancellation won’t be Star Trek’s last adventure in the animated realm.

After I kind of burned out on Star Trek back in 2023, I’m still slowly working my way back. I watched Discovery’s fifth and final season this year, and I’ve been working through the episodes of Strange New Worlds that I missed, too. I’ll get around to Lower Decks sooner or later – but until then, I wanted to acknowledge the show and what it’s done for Star Trek.

Most Disappointing TV Series

🏆“Winner”🏆
Star Trek: Discovery
Season 5

Cropped promo poster for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5.

From one Star Trek project to another… and while I don’t like to pick on the Star Trek franchise too much, I’m afraid I have to say that Discovery’s fifth season was the most disappointing thing I watched in 2024. If you read my review earlier in the year you’ll know why, but the long and short of it is that the season was incredibly repetitive. Its main plot was another re-use of “the whole galaxy is in danger and only Michael Burnham, the Chosen One, can save it!!!” And major side-stories involved Burnham’s rocky relationship with Book, a pair of villains with a connection to a main character, and so on.

After four seasons that had used and re-used those same story outlines, I felt hopeful that Season 5 might try something different. Trailers and marketing material hinted at a kind of adventure quest, which could’ve seen Burnham and the crew setting off on a very different kind of mission. But unfortunately Discovery’s writers and producers lacked the boldness and/or the skill to do something genuinely different with the show and its characters. With that being the case, I stand by what I said in my review: it was the right time for Discovery to end.

Best TV Series

🥈Runner-Up🥈
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Season 2

Still frame from The Rings of Power showing Estrid and Isildur on horseback.

The Rings of Power is – a little too slowly for some folks, perhaps – setting the stage for an engaging fantasy series. I thought that Season 2 was basically more of the same, so fans of Season 1 will have been pleased… but there was perhaps less on offer for people who didn’t feel Season 1 lived up to their expectations. I particularly enjoyed the arcs of Adar and Celebrimbor this time around, but the show’s connected storylines all had fun and interesting moments.

Durin and the dwarves continue to be a ton of fun – though I admit, I missed the bromance between Durin and Elrond this season. It can be hard to properly judge the middle seasons of a fully-serialised TV show; how we feel about what happened this time may ultimately change depending on how storylines and characters land in the future. But for now, suffice to say that The Rings of Power – with its big budget, intertwined storylines, and high fantasy setting – was one of the highlights of the year.

🏆Winner🏆
3 Body Problem
Season 1

Still frame from 3 Body Problem Season 1 showing Ye Wenjie.

Netflix’s adaptation of a Chinese novel series, helmed by David Benioff and DB Weiss, is my pick for the best TV show of the year. 3 Body Problem was fantastic; grown-up science-fiction of the very best kind. There’s so much going on here, with a story about unseen aliens, humanity’s first contact with extraterrestrials, a cultish plot to cover it all up, and finally a warlike response from humanity to the threat posed by the San-Ti.

I was on the edge of my seat – not just because of the show itself, but because it seemed for a while as if Netflix wasn’t going to greenlight a continuation. We have belatedly learned that two more seasons are coming – and I genuinely cannot wait! There were moments of mystery, history, action, and adventure – so if you somehow missed 3 Body Problem, go back and check it out. I really don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Video Game: Honourable Mention

🏆Winner🏆
EA Sports PGA Tour

Screenshot of EA Sports PGA Tour showing a custom character swinging their club.

PGA Tour wasn’t released this year (it came out in 2023) but it’s my most-played game of the year by quite a long way. I would be remiss to let the year end without acknowledging that, because I’ve really had a lot of relaxing fun playing this unexpectedly enjoyable title. PGA Tour took me back to playing the likes of Actua Golf 2 in the late 1990s, bringing back nostalgic memories while also serving up a detailed and graphically impressive golf experience.

I don’t give a shit about golf in real life – and if you asked me who the current world champion is or even what the difference is between a wood and an iron, I wouldn’t know. There’s a lot of your typical EA monetisation nonsense in PGA Tour – and that’s offputting, especially as I only want to play in single-player mode. But despite all of that, I had a lot of fun on the golf course in 2024.

Worst Visual Downgrade

🏆“Winner”🏆
South Park: Snow Day

The creators of South Park had already perfected the video game formula: The Stick of Truth and its sequel, The Fractured But Whole, were fantastic. Those two games genuinely felt like playing through an extended episode of the TV show – and the visual style was just perfect. Both games nailed the look, sound, and feel of South Park.

So why – why?! – was this absolute abomination created? There was a way to make a multiplayer South Park game using the same engine or at least the same visual style as the previous titles, but this boring battle royale/multiplayer game looks at least two generations out of date and just… shit. If The Stick of Truth had never existed, I still don’t think Snow Day would’ve been anyone’s pick for game of the year. But having seen what a proper South Park game could look like… the disappointment was off the charts.

The “Much-Needed Kick Up The Backside” Award

🏆Winner🏆
Palworld

After years of ripping off its players, stagnating, and failing to improve in any meaningful way, the Pokémon series encountered something brand-new in 2024: a genuine, bona-fide competitor. And Palworld has clearly shaken the cowardly executives at Nintendo to their core, as the little bed-wetters have resorted to trying to sue the game and its developer out of existence. That is shameful.

Palworld took the Pokémon formula and, by all accounts, improved on it in many different ways, creating a game that even die-hard Poké-fans admit is just plain fun. After years of having the monster-battling sub-genre to itself, Nintendo has stagnated and now doesn’t know how to respond. Palworld was the kick up the backside that Pokémon needed – and a solid game in its own right.

Most Overpriced Port

🏆“Winner”🏆
Red Dead Redemption
PC Version

Promo screenshot of Red Dead Redemption with added dollar bills.

Rockstar… does your shameless greed know no bounds? A basic port of a fourteen-year-old game with no graphical upgrades or gameplay improvements should not be on sale for £40. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that Red Dead Redemption is finally and belatedly available for PC players, and I’d love to give it a try one day. But £40 is way too high a price for a bog-standard port. There are brand-new games on the market for less than that; this version of Red Dead Redemption isn’t worth it.

For a company that started out by making PC games, Rockstar has a weirdly antagonistic relationship with PC gaming nowadays. We already know that Grand Theft Auto VI isn’t going to get a simultaneous PC release – because Rockstar, despite the billions of dollars coming in from Grand Theft Auto V’s online mode, has cheaped out on development. Red Dead Redemption II was also late with its PC release. But I really can’t understand this move – pricing Red Dead Redemption at, say, £15-20 would’ve been fair and would’ve generated some positive buzz around the port. Every review I’ve seen of the port has talked about its price in a negative light, and there was just no need for it. It’s greed, plain and simple.

Best Strategy Game

🥈Runner-Up🥈
War Hospital

A big caveat here: War Hospital launched back in January with some noticeable bugs and issues. However, there have been updates since then that have improved the experience, and it’s now in a state where I feel it’s earned its award. War Hospital has a unique premise – running a hospital during the First World War, managing resources, and caring for patients. Think Theme Hospital, but grittier and more depressing!

I felt that War Hospital had a genuinely creative idea at its heart, and that’s what drew me to the title. The gameplay was solid, making good on the original premise. I’d love to see the game expanded upon somehow – or perhaps a sequel created that allows for a bit more freedom, as I found War Hospital to be a little more linear than I’d expected. Regardless, it was an interesting experience – and something a little different in the strategy/tycoon genre.

🏆Winner🏆
Manor Lords

Promo screenshot of Manor Lords showing a village.

Manor Lords reminds me of one of my favourite city-builders: Banished. But the game goes far beyond what Banished had to offer, with more buildings, unit types, professions, and a much more in-depth and complex management system. It’s a game that I want to spend more time with in 2025, as I feel I’ve only just scratched the surface.

Being able to walk around the town I’d built in third-person was really a lot of fun. It added so much to the experience to be able to jump in and roam the streets (alright, mud tracks), meeting the villagers who call the place home. There’s more to come from Manor Lords, as the game is still technically in “early access,” so watch this space. I expect to see improvements and new features in 2025 and beyond.

Best Cozy Game

🏆Winner🏆
Tiny Glade

Screenshot of Tiny Glade showing a house in a forest.

I thought I was mastering Tiny Glade – a cute little “diorama-builder.” But that was before I hopped online and saw the incredible creations that other players have made! They put my poxy little huts and towers to shame! But that’s okay… I had a blast playing Tiny Glade this year and putting my artistic hat on.

Tiny Glade is all about crafting a scene. Using some pretty simple tools, it’s easy to add everything from trees to ponds, but buildings are the real stars of the show. I love the idea of creating a cozy cottage in the middle of a forest – or an intimidating tower overlooking a bridge. There’s a lot of fun to be had here, but it’s the kind of gentle fun that doesn’t require a lot of fast button-mashing!

🥈Runner-Up🥈
The Plucky Squire

The Plucky Squire wasn’t on my radar at all in 2024, but it came out of nowhere to genuinely impress me. Developers All Possible Futures crammed so many different and creative gameplay ideas into this one single title that it’s hard to know where to begin! There’s also a cute story at the game’s core, pushing you forward.

The transition from 2D to 3D gameplay works so well in The Plucky Squire, and feels a cut above the way it worked in Super Mario Odyssey. The game is fundamentally a platformer, but it has so much else going on across a relatively short eight- or nine-hour runtime. If you missed The Plucky Squire – as I very nearly did – please give it a look. I really don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

🏆Winner🏆
Little Kitty, Big City

Screenshot of Little Kitty, Big City showing the feline protagonist on a rooftop.

Little Kitty, Big City is absolutely adorable. An adventure game in which you get to play as a cute black cat feels like something tailor-made for me, and I was really excited to jump in. What I found was nothing short of beautiful – a game with a fantastically old-school art style, but one that genuinely made me feel like I was a cat. The scale of the world, the verticality of some of the buildings, and the jumping and pouncing animations… it was all pitch-perfect.

There are even hats to collect to dress up your adorable kitty cat – and plenty of other animals and critters to meet on your journey back home. This really was an incredibly sweet and cute game, the most enjoyable I’ve played all year. So, little kitty, come and collect your well-deserved award! Or, y’know… push it off the counter onto the floor.

So That’s It For 2024!

Photo from the 2024 Golden Globes showing two award-winners. — We’ve handed out this year’s imaginary statuettes!
*Photo Credit: Getty/BBC News*

Did any of your favourites win a Trekking with Dennis award? Or did I surprise you with my choices this year? In any case, I hope it’s been a bit of fun to stroll through 2024 with me, picking out some of my favourites – and a couple of less-favourite entertainment experiences, too!

There’s more to come in 2025, and the website isn’t going anywhere. In the next few days, I’ll take a look ahead to some of the films, TV shows, and video games that I’m most looking forward to in the new year – and I hope you’ll join me for that. But before that, we’ve got New Year’s Eve to prepare for!

Still frame from 2000 Today showing Millennium Eve in London, Fireworks, and Big Ben. — The fireworks display in London on Millennium Eve.

Whatever your plans are for tonight, I hope you have a wonderful time ringing in the new year. 2025 will be the beginning of the second half of the 2020s, if you can believe that! The halfway point of the decade seems to have come around very quickly – and 2024 also seems to have raced past.

Here’s hoping that 2025 will be a safe, healthy, and enjoyable year for us all! I hope you have fun tonight – and I hope my silly little End-of-Year Awards were interesting and/or entertaining, too.

See you next year!

All titles listed above are the copyright of their respective studio, publisher, broadcaster, distributor, etc. This article contains the thoughts and opinions of one person only and is not intended to cause any offence.

End-of-Year Awards 2023

Sun 31.12.23Dennis

Spoiler Warning: Beware of minor spoilers for some of the titles below.

Where has all the time gone? We’re just hours away from the end of yet another year – and that can only mean one thing: it’s time for my annual End-of-Year Awards! Today I’ll be handing out some imaginary statuettes to some of the best (and worst) entertainment experiences of the year. I hope it’ll be a bit of fun – and not something to get too worked up over!

As always, I have a couple of important caveats. The first is that I’m just one person – and as such, I didn’t watch every film or play every game that came out this year. Titles have to clear two hurdles to win an award, and the first one is arguably the biggest: they had to convince me to try them out in the first place! I don’t have every hour of the day to dedicate to entertainment, and there are a lot of films, TV shows, and games that were released this year that won’t get a look-in because I didn’t watch or play them. They might be fantastic… but they can’t be included this time for reasons that I hope are obvious!

Secondly, all of this is my entirely subjective opinion! I’m not trying to claim that these are somehow “objectively” the best entertainment experiences of the year and the only ones deserving of an award! That would be silly – this is just my opinion, and you are free to disagree vehemently with some or all of my choices. I share these made-up awards with the world in that spirit.

I’ve broken down my picks into a few categories and sub-categories, some of which have both a winner and runner-up and some of which just have a winner. I’ll briefly explain what it was that I liked (or didn’t like) about each.

So let’s get started, shall we?

Best Short Documentary

🏆Winner🏆
Now and Then – The Last Beatles Song

Published on YouTube at the beginning of November, this twelve-minute short documentary provided a fascinating look at the complicated production of Now and Then – a song featuring performances by all four members of The Beatles. Billed as “the last Beatles song,” Now and Then reached the number one spot on the charts here in the UK, and learning a bit more about how it came together was genuinely interesting.

Now and Then was a demo recorded by John Lennon at his home some time in the 1970s, but the recording was relatively low-quality and wasn’t deemed suitable for release. In the ’90s, the three surviving Beatles got together, and Now and Then was one of the tracks that they worked on – but again it wasn’t able to be salvaged. It’s only in the last couple of years, with the advent of AI and the ability to isolate and separate various instruments and vocals, that the song was finally ready to be worked on. Performances by John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, and Paul McCartney were brought together – and the song was finally released.

Best Documentary

🏆Winner🏆
The American Buffalo

I have a review about this in the works – but it’s gotten buried in the pile! Ken Burns is one of my favourite documentary filmmakers, so any new production of his is going to be on my must-watch list! This year, Burns turned his attention to the Bison – or the titular “American Buffalo” – and looked at the history of the species and its near-miraculous survival from the brink of extinction.

Ken Burns and the team at PBS Studios put together a truly engrossing two-part documentary that goes into incredible depth about the history of the species and how humans have interacted with it. It’s a riveting documentary, perfect for anyone interested in the history of the United States, Native American peoples, the “Wild West,” or the titular “buffaloes” themselves.

Best Web Series

🥈Runner-Up🥈
Imperial War Museums

It’s been a long time since I was able to visit the Imperial War Museum in London. Despite its offputting name, it’s worth checking out if you’re in the area – as are the Imperial War Museums’ videos on YouTube. I’m a bit of a history buff, and although some of the channel’s content is simplified for an audience who might not be familiar with the subject matter, I still found that there was a lot to learn and plenty of interesting facts in the mix.

Imperial War Museums’ videos are well-presented and explained, and in particular I’d highlight some of the channel’s short documentaries about the First World War from earlier in the year. I didn’t know that the Imperial War Museums had a YouTube channel, but I’m glad I found it. There are some genuinely interesting videos here that are well worth a watch.

🏆Winner🏆
Food Wishes

I honestly can’t believe that in more than four years of writing here on the website I’ve never mentioned Food Wishes! This is one of my favourite YouTube cooking channels – and one of the longest-running series on the entire platform. Chef John began uploading videos to the platform all the way back in January 2007, which is almost seventeen years ago! And perhaps the most astonishing thing about Food Wishes is how little things have changed in all that time.

This year, Chef John has continued making recipe videos. The format is relatively simple, but there’s plenty of humour and fun alongside the instructional recipes. With well over 1,000 videos on the channel, you’d worry that there might be fewer interesting or appealing recipes… but somehow that isn’t the case! There have been some incredibly mouthwatering creations this year, and I look forward to seeing what 2024 has in store for Food Wishes, too.

Funniest TV Episode

🏆Winner🏆
Worldwide Privacy Tour
South Park

South Park is one of the entertainment industry’s great equalisers. Its creators poke fun at pretty much everyone, from politicians and celebrities to whole industries and nations. In Worldwide Privacy Tour, Harry and Meghan – better known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – were firmly in the crosshairs. And the episode was absolutely hilarious, lampooning the hapless, talentless duo for simultaneously crying about “privacy” while jetting off to California to live as celebrities.

I’m no monarchist. In fact, I’m a small-R republican, which in a British context means that I’m someone who wants to see the outdated and corrupt monarchy abolished. But even I find Harry and Meghan to be grating, at times – even while I’m pleased that some of their statements and escapades are eroding support for an institution I’d like to see the back of. The pair are among the most privileged people on the planet, but they’re also useless hypocrites. Whether it’s lecturing people about climate change before hopping on a private jet, complaining about being bullied while being a serial harasser of servants and staff, or whining about “privacy” while sitting down for an extensive interview and writing a tell-all book, Harry and Meghan deserved everything they got from South Park… and then some.

Best TV Miniseries

🏆Winner🏆
The Fall of the House of Usher

It’s relatively rare – in this age of franchises, sequels, and spin-offs – for a big budget to be afforded to a one-off miniseries. Netflix’s The Fall of the House of Usher, which is based on the works of American gothic horror author Edgar Allan Poe, is one of the year’s best examples. I don’t usually go for horror, but with Halloween approaching I decided to give The Fall of the House of Usher a shot – and I’m glad that I did!

The miniseries keeps the tense and disturbing atmosphere of Poe’s stories, but changes many of the characters and plotlines, as well as setting things firmly in the modern day. You might think that there’d end up being a clash, but the production pulls out a surprisingly coherent and entertaining story. There are moments of gore and a handful of jump-scares, but nothing too offputting for someone who isn’t the world’s biggest horror fan.

Best TV Series

🥈Runner-Up🥈
Star Trek: Picard
Season 3

For the past few years, Star Trek episodes have been afforded their own category when I’ve dished out my End-of-Year Awards, but as I kind of burned out on the franchise midway through 2023, there are a lot of episodes that I just haven’t seen. Picard’s third season was imperfect, containing a villain who was built up only to be discarded, yet another return of an over-used faction, and a story that felt a bit stretched and occasionally muddled. But it also had some incredibly well-executed emotional moments, and I can’t deny that I enjoyed seeing the crew of the Enterprise-D reunited for another adventure.

In the new year – or at some point in the future, at any rate – I’ll talk about what worked and didn’t work in Season 3 in a bit more detail. Because I have thoughts, don’t you know! But for now, suffice to say that Picard’s third season was one of the highlights of 2023… even if it wasn’t perfect. I’m still holding out hope that there’ll be a new Star Trek series taking place in the time period that Picard established.

🏆Winner🏆
Silo
Season 1

Silo was an impressive sci-fi series with a distinct air of mystery. I particularly enjoyed its subterranean setting, and the idea that the people in the titular silo didn’t know what had happened on the surface, nor why they were forced to live underground. Playing out against that backdrop was an engaging murder mystery, a struggle for power within the confines of a sealed community, and much more besides.

There were several familiar faces in Silo, including Tim Robbins and Will Patton, both of whom excelled. I greatly enjoyed Rebecca Ferguson’s performance in the lead role, too. A second season of Silo is already in production, and I will be eagerly awaiting its arrival in 2024.

Best Kids Film

🏆Winner🏆
Ladybug and Cat Noir: The Movie

With the major caveat that I haven’t watched Disney’s Wish yet, I want to highlight Ladybug and Cat Noir: The Movie. I don’t think it turned a lot of heads when it was released, but it’s a creditable adaptation of a fairly long-running animated series that offers a new look at its titular heroes. The film could be a great introduction point for someone new to the world of Miraculous, serving less as a reboot than a reimagining of the show and its characters.

The story was easy to follow for younger eyes, but still strong and engaging, and the film had an uplifting message at its core that’s sure to resonate with its intended audience. The idea that anyone can become a hero is always going to be appealing, and the idea of people doing bad things with good – albeit selfish – intentions is likewise important. All in all, a solid film that I enjoyed – and one that I’m sure many kids will, too.

Best Film

🥈Runner-Up🥈
Barbie

I really wasn’t sure what to expect from Barbie. Director Greta Gerwig had pedigree, with titles like Lady Bird earning her nominations for the top awards. But I really didn’t know what she’d do with the world-famous Barbie name and brand. I’m surprised that Mattel, the makers of Barbie dolls, greenlit a film like this – because Barbie really isn’t a film for kids, despite its name and source material. But I’m glad that the film was able to go ahead, because it was funny and clever; a really unique picture.

I daresay Barbie isn’t for everyone; the film can feel quite subversive, challenging the expectations of its audience in places. But it has an important message – and considering that it’s basically a corporate cash-in on a famous brand, that’s actually pretty great. Margot Robbie is, of course, the film’s star – but I’d also say that Will Ferrell was particularly well-cast as the chief executive of Mattel.

🏆Winner🏆
The Super Mario Bros. Movie

I adored The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and although it might seem like a bit of a silly pick, I’m happy to crown it my favourite film of 2023. The film did such a good job of adapting the familiar world of Nintendo’s Mushroom Kingdom for the big screen, while at the same time putting a nice twist on the tired “save the princess” trope. There were cameos and callbacks to many different things from the video games, and a few new ideas that I’m astonished to see Nintendo has failed to take advantage of!

As a film aimed at kids, the main story here isn’t anything groundbreaking. But what there is is just so much fun and is presented in such a bright, vibrant style that I found it impossible not to smile. The Super Mario Bros. Movie is going to become a textbook example of how to successfully adapt a story for the cinema – so other studios should be taking notes!

Most Disappointing Video Game

🥈Runner-Up🥈
The Lord of the Rings: Gollum

Maybe you were never sold on the idea of playing as the contemptible Gollum, but I’d been following the development of this title for years and felt that it could’ve offered something a bit different. You know the story by now, though: Gollum was released in an unfinished, practically unplayable state, and was shredded by professional critics and players alike. I maintain that the game could have found an audience had it been marketed correctly – and, y’know, finished – but unfortunately it wasn’t to be.

As the video games industry seems to be consolidating around relatively few genres and ongoing franchises, what appealed to me about a title like Gollum was that it seemed to be something different. In terms of narrative and gameplay, its developers had a vision for what they wanted to create, and it seemed like something that could have been fun. Unfortunately, for what seems likely to be a multitude of reasons, Daedalic Entertainment lacked the skill, resources, or money to pull it off.

🏆“Winner”🏆
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

As with Gollum above, Jedi: Survivor was released in a broken, bug-riddled state. The fact that I struggled to play the game even after waiting for several months and after seeing several major patches roll out is shocking, and the blame lies at the door of publisher Electronic Arts. However… there’s more to the Jedi: Survivor story than just bugs. What I found underneath the buggy veneer was a game that was narratively weak and that failed to live up to its illustrious predecessor.

I won’t say too much lest I spoil Jedi: Survivor’s story for you, but suffice to say a major plot point in the game’s narrative felt ridiculously obvious and seemed to be telegraphed from almost the first moment. The return of a major character from the first game was handled poorly, and while I liked some of the customisation options for protagonist Cal Kestis, the amount of these and the way they were unlocked felt ridiculously unbalanced. An open-world setting did not suit Jedi: Survivor, and the game was notably worse for trying to go down this route.

The “I Can’t Believe Anyone Chose To Die On This Hill” Award

🏆“Winner”🏆
Hogwarts Legacy

I was surprised at the number of people who outed themselves as being what I shall generously call “fairweather allies” to the LGBT+ community over Hogwarts Legacy. The game is, by all accounts, a bog-standard open-world affair with a fairly uninspired main story, boring side missions, and a map outside of the main Hogwarts castle that just screams “generic.” The fact that the game is nowhere on anyone’s “game of the year” lists speaks volumes; Hogwarts Legacy turned out to be forgettable fluff.

Which makes it all the more sad and upsetting that people ended friendships and got into massive online arguments over this game. Hogwarts Legacy was not worth the hassle, the hurt, or the destruction that it caused. I don’t agree with the “hot take” that says that anyone who played or bought the game is automatically a transphobe – even though the Harry Potter series’ creator has said, on the record, that she considers sales of the game and all other merchandise as being acceptance and agreement with her transphobic views. But for the folks who chose to die on this hill earlier in the year, and who prioritised such a mediocre game over allyship and friendships… I hope it was worth it.

Best Ongoing Video Game

🏆Winner🏆
Civilization VI

I’ve played quite a bit of Civilization VI this year – thanks in part to the game’s ongoing support and the addition of new leaders. It’s been fun to jump back into the game and find several new factions and leaders to both play as and play against, as well as other updates. Although I’ve played Civilization VI on and off since its launch back in 2016, the game can still surprise me – and there are still plenty of Steam achievements that I’m yet to unlock! I finally managed to win a religious victory this year, though, so I can cross that one off my list!

In addition to new leaders, some of Civilization VI’s updates have introduced climate change mechanics and rising sea levels, as well as imaginary near-future technologies and government types. These are a blast, and stomping a city with a Giant Death Robot that I’ve named “The Danger Roomba” will never not be fun! Civilization VI can be expensive to pick up, and I’m always wary about recommending a game with £100+ of DLC and expansion packs. But for the amount of enjoyment it’s given me this year, I couldn’t leave Civilization VI out.

Most Improved Video Game

🏆Winner🏆
Cyberpunk 2077

A little over a year ago, in early December 2022, I said that Cyberpunk 2077 was a fairly average, unremarkable game that was elevated slightly by a solid story. I felt that the game’s bug-riddled launch actually distracted from its real mechanical flaws – and in a perverse way, that probably helped CD Projekt Red. But a year later, it’s stunning to me just how many of my complaints have been fixed! To coincide with Phantom Liberty, the game’s first and only expansion pack, a major update was released that completely reworked entire gameplay mechanics and systems, improving the game dramatically.

A review of Phantom Liberty is still a ways off, but I hope you’ll stay tuned for my full thoughts sometime in the new year. For now, suffice to say that Cyberpunk 2077 is much closer to that original vision, and a far, far better game than it was a mere twelve months ago. The transformation may seem subtle at first, but when you start levelling up your character and getting into combat encounters, you’ll see a huge difference.

Game of the Year

🏆Winner🏆
Baldur’s Gate 3

If you’re a regular reader, you’ll have seen this coming from a mile away! Baldur’s Gate 3 is an absolutely fantastic game, one of the best I’ve played in years. And to think I only bought it because I was looking for something to play while waiting for Starfield! I had no idea what I was getting into, because I’ve never played Dungeons and Dragons, but I ended up having a whale of a time. The game has an incredibly strong story with some great characters – and fantastic voice acting – but it’s a mechanical masterpiece, too. There are weapons and spells galore, and so many choices to make that really do make each playthrough feel unique.

I’m about to kick off a second run through the game – after delaying it for a while – and I’m really looking forward to creating a completely different character and trying new things. There are two large chunks of the map that I didn’t explore last time around, characters and companions that I didn’t get to meet, and so much to get stuck into that it’ll feel almost like a brand-new game all over again. A thoroughly deserved win for one of the best games of the last few years.

So that’s it for 2023!

I sincerely hope that you’ll join me for more reviews and commentary in the new year – because I’m sure there’ll be plenty of fun things to talk about in 2024!

2023 has been a solid year, entertainment-wise. The disruption of the pandemic seems to be settling down, and we got some decent films, decent games, and decent TV shows to get stuck into. I didn’t get around to seeing or playing all of them… but there’s always next year, right?

Hopefully these awards have been a bit of fun. I enjoy putting these together once a year, and I think it’s important to show off some of the best and most enjoyable titles of the year. We won’t always agree on which ones should win an award… but that’s okay. There should be plenty of room for polite discussion and disagreement – and it’s in that spirit that I share my choices.

Whatever you’re doing for New Year’s Eve, I hope you have a fun (and safe) time ringing in 2024. I’ve bought myself a suitably silly New Year-themed hat that I shall be donning… as I hang out with the cats and possibly watch some of the fireworks on TV! To those of you who’ve been regular readers all year long, thank you for sticking with me! And I look forward to sharing my thoughts with all of you once more in 2024.

Happy New Year!

The Game “Awards” – Please Wrap It Up

Thu 14.12.23Thu 14.12.23Dennis

If you missed it, the so-called Game “Awards” was broadcast a few days ago. I don’t usually pay a lot of attention to the event – I have my own End-of-Year Awards to prepare for, after all! – but one particularly striking image has come out of the highly-commercial event, and I wanted to share my two cents.

Overshadowing the awards ceremony itself, and even many of the award winners, was a simple phrase that was shown on a massive prompt facing the stage: “Please Wrap It Up.” After being given as little as thirty seconds to speak upon receiving an award, the message would be displayed to developers and award-winners – before music would begin to play and they’d be ushered off-stage. Out of the entire three-hour broadcast, barely ten minutes was given to the award-winners themselves – who are, surely, supposed to be the stars of any awards ceremony. The rest of the time was dedicated to advertisements, trailers, speeches by the presenters, and even musical acts. Some awards weren’t even presented at all, being skipped over in a mere couple of seconds.

I’m far from the only person to have noticed this, and that’s surely because the Game “Awards” has become incredibly unbalanced. By prioritising trailers and presenters plugging upcoming games live on stage over the actual awards, the Game “Awards” is in danger of losing its audience. People turned up hoping to see their favourite titles of the year being honoured, not ushered off-stage after thirty seconds to make way for an incoherent ramble from an overhyped developer about his latest (completely unseen) title. Yes, I’m talking about Hideo Kojima. Or to make way for yet another trailer or commercial – practically all of which, this year, were entirely CGI creations that didn’t show any gameplay.

There’s a line to walk here. I think a lot of folks would agree that the likes of the Academy Awards and Golden Globes, which honour the best films of the year, can be pretentious and can feel like an industry congratulating itself and inflating the egos of its stars a little too much. Fewer and fewer people pay attention to the Oscars and Golden Globes as a result; those broadcasts have been losing viewers by the boatload over the past few years.

But would more people tune in to the Oscars if half of the awards weren’t presented on-screen, actors and directors were given less time to speak, and the broadcast was overstuffed with adverts and trailers? I mean, more than half of the Game “Awards” three-hour presentation consisted of trailers and adverts. That seems excessive, and there has got to be a way to strike a better balance.

The creators and producers of the Game “Awards” are trying to frame the event as video gaming’s equivalent to the Oscars or the Golden Globes… but if the games industry wants that kind of prestige, the ceremony has to be handled better. Right now, it’s an overblown advertisement – worse, somehow, than the likes of E3, because at least with E3 I knew from the start what I was getting into. The Game “Awards,” by putting its emphasis on the statuettes it plans to hand out, feels deliberately dishonest in its marketing. But at least it has that in common, rather ironically, with many of the video games it advertises.

It feels incredibly disrespectful to developers to invite them to a fancy ceremony under the guise of potentially receiving an award – only to then give them in some cases literally no time whatsoever on the stage to accept that award. If these awards are, as the organisers would like you to believe, the most prestigious in the industry… shouldn’t they want to see people receiving them? Shouldn’t that part of the broadcast be the biggest deal? After all, if receiving a Game Award is so unimportant that it’s relegated to a footnote in its own live presentation, why should anyone give a shit about who the winners or nominees are? If the titular trophies are so meaningless to the Game “Awards” itself… what’s the point?

I don’t like to throw the word “scam” around lightly; I think too many people do that these days, leading to the word’s impact and severity being diminished. But if you entice audiences to turn up to your event under false pretences… we’re definitely getting close to “scam” territory. The Game “Awards” pretends to be an Oscars-style ceremony with fancy suits and statuettes, then it flips the script on viewers and shows them basically two-plus hours of ads and barely ten minutes of actual award-winners. What else can we call such duplicity?

Geoff Keighly, principal organiser and presenter of the Game “Awards.”

Maybe some folks like tuning in to watch the trailers – and that’s okay. I like a good trailer as much as the next person, and it can be fun to look ahead to games that we might hope to enjoy in the months and years to come. Some of these trailers can be well-made, with creative visual effects, great soundtracks, celebrity endorsements, and much more. But that isn’t the point I’m making. If I choose to watch ads and trailers, that’s up to me and I can do that all I want. But if the Game “Awards” pretends to be an awards ceremony just to trick me into watching two hours of ads… well, I don’t appreciate that.

And let’s be honest: that’s exactly what’s happening here. The organisers of the Game “Awards” would ditch the statuettes in a heartbeat and make the entire event nothing but trailers, celebrities, and advertisements if they could get away with it. They don’t give the tiniest of shits about handing out awards or honouring the best and most creative titles of the year – all they care about is selling more and more advertising space and making a metric fuckton of cash, and they’ve done that by diminishing and minimising the actual awards portion of the broadcast so much that it feels like a footnote.

*Baldur’s Gate 3* won “game of the year.”

So what’s the solution? I don’t really have one, if I’m honest. Maybe the complaints received about the “Please Wrap It Up” screen will prompt some minor changes, and perhaps for the next year or two you might see award recipients being given sixty or perhaps even ninety seconds to speak. But sooner or later the desperation to grab as much cash as possible will overwhelm the Game “Awards” organisers once again, and the excessive ad-to-award ratio will be back.

The only thing we can do, as consumers in this marketplace, is register our disapproval. Don’t tune in to the next Game “Awards” and let the organisers know that we care as little about their made-up trophies as they seem to. If fewer and fewer people tune in, and make it clear that the reason we aren’t bothering to watch is because of how unbalanced the broadcast is in favour of trailers and ads, maybe the message will get through. As we’ve seen with the collapse of E3, no event in gaming is sacred or safe – they rely on our viewership and patronage to remain relevant.

I won’t bother watching another Game “Awards,” because what’s the point? If the organisers care so little about the actual awards, why should I?

All titles mentioned above are the copyright of their respective developer, studio, and/or publisher. The Game Awards can be streamed now on YouTube. This article contains the thoughts and opinions of one person only and is not intended to cause any offence.