That’s another year of video games down, and I don’t know about you, but my fingers are sore from all the button-mashing and joystick rotations. Games seem to be getting longer, sprawling between 60 and more than 100 hours. On one hand, that’s great. For $70 a game, I want my money’s worth. On the other hand, a shorter 12 to 15-hour game can feel like a blessing, especially when you’ve got a catalog to get to, and the next big game is always right around the corner. So, I suppose if there were a unifying theme concerning this year in video games, it would be time. This consideration of time certainly applies to release schedules and time spent playing games. But it’s a theme that informs many of the games on the list this year. What would we do for more time? Where did the time go? And what has time cost us? Personal loss, memories, or maybe the flicker of anticipation that once existed for Elder Scrolls VI’s release, which, according to the latest update, is nowhere near completion. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] This year, the video game industry was rocked by layoffs and shutdowns, in a continuation of a trend since about 2022, as the high demand for games seen during COVID shutdowns began to decline, and development costs only grew. Warner Bros. Games shut down Monolith Productions, canceling the long-awaited Wonder Woman game in the process. EA’s Black Panther game, another highly anticipated title, was canceled following layoffs…
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