2024: Year in Review
A random collection of events and peculiar moments that shaped my 2024
As 2024 comes to a close, it’s time to chill for a few and look back on the year. ✨
Table of Contents
🖥️ Built a New Desktop PC
So last autumn I found myself suddenly in the market for a new pc since my main computer, a 2019 Intel MacBook Pro ( Touch Bar lmao), died after only four years of service.
I know Apple Silicon laptops are supposed to be great, but they’re expensive, and I was still a bit bitter that my previous Mac didn’t last longer.
So I started considering building a custom desktop pc for productivity and game development.
I ended up with this setup:
- AMD Ryzen 9 7950X
- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER (12 GB)
- 64GB DDR5 5600MHz (32GB ×2)
- Crucial P5 Plus 2TB NVMe Gen4 M.2 SSD
- MSI PRO B650-S WIFI (AM5)
- plus case, PSU, cooler, etc.
Assembling everything was much easier than I expected. Watching a few YouTube tutorials was enough, and thankfully it posted on the first try.
The only thing I messed up was the RAM. I bought an Intel XMP kit instead of an AMD EXPO one. It works perfectly fine even tho I’m leaving a tiny bit of performance on the table. You can manually overclock it, but that’s not something I’m willing to spend time on.
One thing that surprised me was the overall build quality. Every component felt really extremely solid and well manufactured. But why are CPU boxes so big yet so empty? It feels wasteful lol.
Thoughts after about a year:
- It’s blazing fast. Unreal Engine source compilation really flies on this thing. Honestly, this build might be overkill for what I actually need lol.
- Having a separate machine just for productivity has been great. I deliberately kept social media off this pc, and it worked. I barely touch that stuff anymore since I use this machine for most of my free time.
- This was also my first time really using Windows 11. The default UI oddly reminds me of KDE Plasma circa 2014. It’s cool tho.
✨ Push Golf and Unreal Engine 5 Petit Contest 21
After finally building my new workstation pc, I decided to dive into learning Unreal Engine 5. What better way to put my newfound skills into practice than by joining a UE5-based game jam?
Unreal Engine 5 Petit Contest 21 was a unique experience that pushed my creativity and technical skills. The contest ran for about seven weeks, from February 16 to April 7. This relaxed timeline allowed participants to brainstorm, prototype, and build their projects at a comfortable pace.
Having mostly been accustomed to shorter game jams, adjusting to a longer format was a learning curve. Still, it gave me the chance to push my limits (pun intended 😂) and explore new ideas, culminating in Push Golf .
Participating in this competition was a lot of fun and a valuable opportunity to deepen my understanding of Unreal Engine. That said, Push Golf ended up being my only serious gamedev project this year—which, looking back, feels a bit disappointing. 😞
If you’re curious about the journey, I’ve documented the entire process in a two-part blog series:
Push Golf and the Unreal Engine 5 Petit Contest: From Nostalgia to a Game Jam (Part 1)
Push Golf and the Unreal Engine 5 Petit Contest: Creating the Game (Part 2)🎮 Metaphor: ReFantazio
I haven’t played many games this year, but I’m glad I made time for this one. I spent a big chunk of my winter break on Metaphor: ReFantazio, and after finishing it, all I can say is—wow. It made me feel like a kid again, playing PS2-era JRPGs in the best way.
As a longtime SMT/Persona fan, I’ve been waiting 8 years for this (it was first announced as “Project Re:Fantasy” back in December 2016), and I’m so happy it finally came out. Aside from a few early teasers and promo art, I went in almost completely blind, which made the whole experience even more memorable.
I cleared it on hard mode, which provided a solid challenge. The reduced EXP meant I was underleveled for a lot of the game, which kept the tension high in battles. The turn-based battle system actually reminded me of Digital Devil Saga.
The story, art direction, and soundtrack are all fantastic. This is a game with real heart; you can feel the passion from ATLUS/Studio Zero pouring out of every corner.
I don’t have a lot of time for gaming these days, but when I do, I love getting completely immersed in a long RPG like this. Metaphor was exactly what I needed: something rich, thoughtful, and full of soul.
From what I’ve seen online and in Steam stats, it seems to be doing well commercially, which honestly warms my heart. This game truly deserves it.
🎮 FANTASIAN Neo Dimension
As a huge fan of both Hironobu Sakaguchi and Nobuo Uematsu , I was immediately intrigued when I read Sakaguchi’s interviews describing Fantasian as a return to his roots.
Too bad Fantasian originally launched as an Apple Arcade exclusive back in 2021, but a Steam version was finally announced for December 5, 2024.
This port, titled Fantasian Neo Dimension, was co-developed by Mistwalker and Square Enix . Apparently Naoki Yoshida (aka Yoshi-P of Final Fantasy XIV fame) helped make this port happen.
Thank you Yoshi-P! 🫰
I went in almost completely blind.
I was honestly expecting some kind of watered-down mobile experience, but instead this is a full-fledged JRPG through and through. It immediately reminded me of a quirky, weird Dreamcast-era JRPG somehow stuck in time – in the best possible way, of course!
The diorama backgrounds are beautiful. 🥰
The Dimengeon mechanic is especially elegant. A great way to let players have it their way without constantly interrupting exploration with random encounters. It feels like one of those simple ideas that solves a problem cleanly without overcomplicating the game.
The boss battles so far have also been great. Some fights initially felt almost impossible, but they ended up requiring actual strategy rather than grinding or brute force.
Of course, I haven’t beaten it yet but I’m already hooked. I want to know more about this world and where the story is going.
🎵 Hikaru Utada’s SCIENCE FICTION TOUR 2024 at Saitama Super Arena
One of the biggest highlights of my year was attending Hikaru Utada’s SCIENCE FICTION TOUR 2024 in Saitama. Seeing her live again after six years was an incredible experience.
The setlist was a perfect blend of nostalgia and new hits, celebrating her 25th anniversary with classics like First Love, Automatic, and Simple & Clean.
Utada’s playful and humble MC moments reminded me why she’s not just an incredible artist but a truly special presence in the music world.
Her music has been part of my life since my high school Kingdom Hearts days, and seeing her live is always something special to me. ✨
Hikaru Utada’s HIKARU UTADA SCIENCE FICTION TOUR 2024 at Saitama Super Arena🎵 BRA★BRA FINAL FANTASY 2024: A Night with Nobuo Uematsu
Attending BRA★BRA FINAL FANTASY 2024 in Shibuya was an unforgettable experience. Seeing Nobuo Uematsu in person and hearing the Siena Wind Orchestra bring Final Fantasy’s iconic music to life felt surreal.
Hearing these legendary tracks live reminded me just how powerful video game music can be. It was a night of collective nostalgia, stunning performances, and pure joy.
Every piece was performed with incredible energy, and the concert’s interactive elements–like audience participation and spontaneous cheers–made it even more special.
Here’s hoping for another BRA★BRA in the future! 🎵✨
BRA★BRA FINAL FANTASY BRASS de BRAVO 2024: A Night with Nobuo Uematsu and the Siena Wind Orchestra📺 For All Mankind
Super late to the party, but I finally got around to watching For All Mankind on Apple TV+ this year.
Back in the day, I was a huge Battlestar Galactica (2004 remake) nerd, and as soon as I saw that For All Mankind was created by the same guy — Ronald D. Moore — I instantly knew I had to give it a shot.
Somehow, I completely missed this show until I stumbled across an article praising it (I feel like Apple TV+ really has a visibility problem in Japan).
The premise is interesting as hell: What if the space race never ended?
I managed to binge all 40 episodes (four seasons!) in about two months.
It’s a beautiful blend of sci-fi, alternate history, and human drama.
The first five minutes of the pilot episode feature one of the best story hooks I’ve ever seen.
Quick review of each season:
- Season 1 and 2: pretty amazing.
- Season 3: still gripping, but starting to show some cracks.
- Season 4: not bad, but definitely more formulaic. Some great characters disappeared, new ones weren’t as compelling, and a few old ones overstayed their welcome (just because they’re fan favorites, I guess?).
In Seasons 1 and 2, the tensions felt organic, growing naturally out of the story. By Season 3, it started feeling like straight-up contrived conflict.
But still — can’t wait to see where Season 5 will take us.
Also, it’s great to see that Marv from the Wet Bandits finally got his act together and went to work for NASA . 🚀😂
📺 Fallout (TV series)
Finally, Amazon dropped this in April after four years of anticipation.
As an avid classic Fallout + New Vegas fan (and to some extent Fallout 3 , while Fallout 4 didn’t really click for me), I jumped in right away.
The first episode blew me away!
It absolutely nailed the look and feel of Fallout. But by episodes 2–3, my enthusiasm started to drop thanks to corny dialogue, shallow characters, slow pacing, and Maximus being so dull.
Also, some lines lean way too hard into obvious foreshadowing.
There are way too many coincidences where characters just happen to be in the right place at the right time. Very
Looney Tunes
–esque, if you will.
The whole water chip plotline felt less like a tribute and more like a cheap rip-off of
Fallout 1
.
Also, too much licensed music.
That said, the final few episodes really pulled things back. It genuinely got me emotional.
Also gotta give credit to Ella Purnell for her portrayal of Lucy. Seriously, an award-worthy performance. 👏
I’m invested enough in the world and characters to be looking forward to season 2. Don’t get me wrong, this is very much Bethesda ’s Fallout, but I’m fine with that.
🍰 Pac-Man’s 45th
Me and my homies celebrating Pac-Man’s 45th. He hasn’t aged a day since 1980. The perks of a strictly pellet-based diet, I guess?
Kid me would’ve lost his goddamn mind. 🫠
🌐 My website got a new achievement in Google Search Console!
Another small milestone right before the turn of the year. My website reached 80 clicks from Google over the past 28 days!
It’s nice seeing people actually finding my stuff online. Even though I bet most of it is probably random bots and AI scrapers lol…
🌐 Top 10 Visited Posts 2024
🎵 Apple Music Replay 2024
Top Artists
Top Songs
Top Albums
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