Playstation Wrap-Up 2024

It's the post that everybody in The Underground has been looking forward to for an entire year! It's time for the Playstation Wrap-Up, where we boast about our gaming accomplishments and put all of our friends to shame. The trophies we earned, the games we loved, the ones we wish we had never started in the first place... it's all here, folks!

How will our stats for 2024 stack up? Let's find out together!

Total Hours:

That's a considerable number of hours. I don't know how I did it nor how it is possible.

Top Five Games:

1. Baldur's Gate III: I never in my entire life thought that I would ever play Dungeons & Dragons. But alas, I was corned by my next-door neighbor back in the summer of 2024 about playing D&D with some other neighbors and I just didn't have the stones to say no to his face. So I went. And I liked it. Upon telling some friends and coworkers that I had ventured into D&D, several of them immediately recommended "Baldur's Gate III," which I had never really heard of, let alone did I know that it was essentially a D&D video game. I picked up BG3 and gave it a shot. Let me say this unequivocally - this game is not for everyone, especially children. Literally, the very first thing it asked me was whether I wanted to turn on graphic nudity. Uh... NO?! There are certainly some mature themes in this game, but if you're wise and make good choices, almost all of them can be avoided, in my experience. With no further gilding the lily, I can say that I absolutely loved "Baldur's Gate III." I had an absolute blast. And there's an extremely high replayability factor - perhaps higher than any other single-player campaign in any other game I've ever played. You could choose a different character type and make a few different choices and get a totally different experience in a second or even third playthrough. I started over with a new character and got a little way into the game again but have been taking a break. But it's just absolutely insane that I spent 116 hours on this game and could probably do it all over again. That's my game of the year for 2024, without a doubt.
2. Disney Dreamlight Valley: Another year, another 90+ hours in The Valley. Props to the team for pumping out so much content that my family never gets bored. In terms of cost per time played, this might be one of the most cost-efficient purchases I've ever made for the sake of my entertainment.
3. Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Great game. But there was a completely mind-boggling plot twist at the very end that went way over my head because I apparently, like, missed one side mission or something? I had no idea what was going on there during the finale and had to spend a considerable amount of time Googling my questions.
4. WWE 2K24: Another solid edition in the "WWE 2K" series. I think it's safe to say now that "2K" has dug itself out of the monumental hole it fell into for a couple years and they've got the train chugging down the track (other than MyRise mode, which I continue to dislike - it's just so painful). Tonight, as I watch the premiere of "WWE RAW" on Netflix, I see that they'll be announcing "WWE 2K25" three weeks from tonight, so I better finish up '24 and get ready for the new game.
5. Star Wars Battlefront II: If you would have told me at any point in my life that I was going to get the platinum trophy on any "Star Wars Battlefront" game, I wouldn't have believe it. But I've got a coworker that is a hardcore gamer and he somehow convinced me to get back into the game and finish it up. It took forever to do it, and I screamed when I got that final trophy, but I somehow did it, in, perhaps, one of the most impressive feats of video game completion in all my years.

Games Played:

Beyond my top five games, here are some of my other favorites from 2024:

• Anno 1800 - even though it's extremely hard and I can't figure out how to get more than about an hour into the game without going bankrupt.
• Burnout Paradise Remastered - one of my favorite games from my college years, remastered (haven't been able to pull off a triple barrel roll yet, though).
• Fallout 76 - which is a zillion times better than it was at launch and has a great and very friendly online community now; it's practically an entirely new game, at this point.
• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth - what a massive, massive game; gonna take many more hours just to complete the campaign.
• Harry Potter Quidditch Champions - I couldn't believe that this was free at launch for Playstation+ subscribers.
• LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga - still chipping away for that platinum trophy; maybe 2025 is the year!
• Lost in Random - a weird little game that I picked up on sale for like two or three dollars.
• No Man's Sky - another game that is completely different now than it was years ago; I had never played it and really enjoyed the time I spent.
• NHL 25 - the Utah Hockey Club has arrived!

Top Games Each Month:

Trophies Earned:

Here's a list of all of the games for which I either got the platinum trophy or reached 100% completion in 2024:

1. Disney's Dreamlight Valley - January 8
2. LEGO 2K Drive - January 30
3. Lost in Random - February 8
4. WWE 2K23 - February 22
5. Valiant Hears: The Great War, 100% - February 23
6. PowerWash Simulator - February 27
7. SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake - June 21
8. LEGO The Incredibles - July 10
9. Planet Coaster - August 5
10. MLB The Show 24 - September 9
11. Astro Bot - October 8
12. Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged - October 21
13. Beyond: Two Souls - October 31
14. Star Wars Battlefront II - November 15
15. Skull & Bones - November 19
16. The Plucky Squire - November 26

Thoughts on that list:

• "Dreamlight Valley" is a family favorite at our house. If we're looking at cost per hour, that game is well worth the money I've spent on it.
• "LEGO 2K Drive" had one of the most ridiculous trophies ever. I literally had to tap and rubber-band the controller and let it run for hours (even while I slept), lest I be subjected to mindlessly playing for hours and hours and hours just to rack up the numbers on my virtual odometer. By the time I was done with that asinine task, I never wanted to play the game ever again.
• My three- (now four-) year old son, Stockton, started a couple games on my profile this summer, which meant that I was essentially contractually obligated to 100-percent them, so if you thought that it was my idea to play "SpongeBob: The Cosmic Shake" (which was stupid) or "LEGO Incredibles" (which was actually pretty enjoyable), you are mistaken.
• Astro Bot was super fun. My kids love Astro.
• I wouldn't recommend "Beyond: Two Souls" to pretty much anyone, and I somewhat regret that I even went back to it to clean it up. The fact that it was my most-played game of October pretty much sickens me, but at least it's done now and I never need to play it ever again.
• My hardcore gamer coworker encouraged me to get back into "Star Wars Battlefront II," which I never thought I would ever be able to beat... but I did it. It took me FOREVER... but I did it.
• "Skull & Bones" was a great time. It would have been more fun to play with friends (I forced my brother to play with me a couple times, which was fun - but mostly for me), but I had a good time playing solo. I wrapped it up - MY 100th PLATINUM - on my birthday, which was also a fun little planetary alignment for me.

Yearly Comparison:

• 2024
• Hours played: 1,091
• Top games: Baldur's Gate III, Disney Dreamlight Valley, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, WWE 2K24, Star Wars Battlefront II
• Trophies earned: 845
• Platinum trophies: 15
• 2023
• Hours played: 1,212
• Top games: Disney Dreamlight Valley, Hogwarts Legacy, Marvel's Midnight Suns, NBA 2K23, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
• Trophies earned: 911
• Platinum trophies: 20
• 2022
• Hours played: 1,308
• Top games: WWE 2K22, Disney Dreamlight Valley, Gotham Knights, Ghost of Tsushima, Stardew Valley
• Trophies earned: 968
• Platinum trophies: 18
• 2021
• Hours played: 1,203
• Top games: MLB The Show 21, NBA 2K21, Marvel's Avengers, Watch Dogs Legion, Final Fantasy VII Remake
• Trophies earned: 1,091
• Platinum trophies: 14
• 2020
• Hours played: 2,419 (holy crap, COVID!)
• Top games: MLB The Show 20, Kingdom Hearts 1.5+2.5 Remix, NBA 2K20
• Trophies earned: 1,410
• Platinum trophies: 15

Final Thoughts:

After writing up that last little section there, it's very interesting to see how my top games have changed over the years - and how much free time I had during COVID. Overall, 2024 was a pretty good year for gaming. My top game, obviously, was extremely unexpected, so that was kind of refreshing. I'm still having a good time playing video games, even though I'm sure many people out there find it inappropriate for someone of my advancing years. But I'll tell you what - my son Stockton is a fantastic problem solver due to his time spent with a controller in his hands. I was watching him play "Epic Mickey Rebrushed" on the PS5 earlier today and just sat there in amazement at what he was doing, without my help. He's a smart kid, and if I can thank Playstation for that, I'm happy to do so.

Here's to another fun year of gaming in 2025!

*****

That's a wrap for our Year in Review season! If you missed any of our other 2024 Recap blogs, be sure to check them out now!

• A-Town's Bookshelf: The Year in Books, 2024
• A-Town Playlist: Top Spotify Songs of 2024
• Nintendo Year in Review 2024

What were your favorite games of 2024? If you're playing on a Playstation and we're not friends, feel free to add me (PSN ID: atownmania). Who knows? Maybe we can "plat" a game together in the upcoming year!

Hit us up with your gaming recommendations or any other commentary in the comments section below, on Twitter (here and here) or on Facebook... if you dare!

Until next time.

A-Town's Bookshelf: The Year in Books, 2024

We've reached a new year, and with it another annual recap of books read and listened to (but mostly listened to). As I mentioned last year, I'm well aware that my measly little statistics are nothing compared to those who (allegedly) read (but probably listen to - on 2x speed) over a hundred books a year without breaking a sweat. I'm not here to compare. In fact, I know that probably less than a dozen people will ever even look at this post. So I'm mainly just posting this as a way to track my reading habits, year over year. With this being the second year of my annual "A-Town's Bookshelf" recap, we'll start to see a bit more clearly whether I'm actually doing anything impressive or not.

I somehow made it through 68 books this year, which is insane. That's probably about how many books I had completed in my entire life, prior to, like, 2015. As I looked back on this list over the past few days, I was shocked to see and remember some of the stuff I'd finished. Overall, I'd say that most of it was pretty good stuff. From science fiction and fantasy to celebrity memoirs and the rabbit hole of American history, I listened to (and occasionally physically read) some pretty fun literature during 2024.

One fun thing that I've been doing as I've been crushing audiobooks since the birth of my second son in 2023 is keeping track of how much money I'm saving by using Libby and maintaining an Audible subscription, as opposed to buying books or audiobooks at full price. I thought I could crack it by New Year's Eve (and probably could have - I've got two unused credits on Audible right now), but I'm sitting about $100 short of the $2,000 mark, which is absolutely crazy. Two thousand dollars in books?? Sheesh.

I do have to give a few shoutouts quickly, before I get going - because I'm going to try not to ramble on too much, once we get into the actual statistics of it all.

If you're kind of a nerd and into pop culture like me, I would highly, highly recommend the "Magic 2.0" series by Scott Meyer. These were my favorite books of the year. I wouldn't say they were the best books of the year, necessarily, because there were some really, really good books out there, but this was definitely the most fun I had, and I do occasionally look back and miss the series. It's just so silly and fun and doesn't have a lot of swearing, which was really nice. If you're down for a laugh about a bunch of computer nerds who decide to become wizards in the Dark Ages, you've got to check these books out. The audiobook narration was tremendous, as well, and I was constantly cracking up at some of the voices of the characters. Cannot suggest these books to you more highly.

I finally took the plunge into Bill O'Reilly's "Killing" series, which I had seen on bookshelves but had always kind of scared me because of titles like, say, "Killing Jesus" (which I haven't listened to yet, but want to). I know that O'Reilly is a bit of a star in the conservative political sphere, but I try not to get myself too involved in that stuff, so I didn't really have any preconceived notions about his work. Surprisingly, the books stay almost completely apolitical, so he pretty much just presents the facts without giving his opinion on anything, which I appreciated. His books gave me a great look into the lives of Elvis, John Lennon, Muhammad Ali, John F. Kennedy and even the Salem witches, and I was so fascinated the entire time. If you're wanting to delve into the depths of American history, these books were great.

I didn't know anything about "Project Hail Mary," other than that they're making a movie with Ryan Gosling and that it was written by the same guy who did "The Martian." With that little context heading in, I absolutely loved the book. I gifted it to my wife for Christmas, and she's right in the middle of it as we speak. Recommend.

And finally, my wife and I started listening to the "Harry Potter" series again in 2024. We started Book 4 on New Year's Day, so we're still chugging along, but man, what I wouldn't give to be able to go back and read this series for the first time. I don't think we had any idea how world-changing that little wizard boy was going to become. Great, great books, no matter your stance on public restrooms.

Also, ENORMOUS thanks to Goodreads, the site that made this entire post possible.

All right, here you go. Take a gander at which books I finished in 2024. Maybe you'll find something that you're curious about. I'd love to chat with you about any of these books or any recommendations you have for me!

Thanks for reading.

Books Read

Here is a list of all of the books I completed in 2023, along with my star rating:

1. Firefight (The Reckoners #2) by Brandon Sanderson, 4/5 stars
2. Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, 5/5 stars
3. Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story by Bono, 4/5 stars
4. Starter Villain by John Scalzi, 3/5 stars
5. The Mark of Zorro (Zorro # 1) by Johnston McCulley, 4/5 stars
6. None of This is True by Lisa Jewell, 5/5 stars
7. The Giver (The Giver # 1) by Lois Lowry, 4/5 stars
8. I Found You by Lisa Jewell, 3/5 stars
9. Gathering Blue (The Giver # 2) by Lois Lowry, 2/5 stars
10. The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave, 3/5 stars
11. A Deadly Education (The Scholomance # 1) by Naomi Novik, 1/5 stars
12. Atlantis (Jack Howard # 1) by David Gibbins, 3/5 stars
13. Making It So by Patrick Stewart, 4/5 stars
14. The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians # 1) by Rick Riordan, 3/5 stars
15. Star Wars: Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade by Delilah S. Dawson, 3/5 stars
16. Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life by Arnold Schwarzenneger, 3/5 stars
17. Off to Be the Wizard (Magic 2.0 # 1) by Scott Meyer, 4/5 stars
18. When I Was Your Age: Life Lessons, Funny Stories & Questionable Parenting Advice from a Professional Clown by Kenan Thompson, 4/5 stars
19. The Downloaded by Robert J. Sawyer, 3/5 stars
20. Marvel's Midnight Suns: Infernal Rising by S.D. Perry, 2/5 stars
21. Star Wars: The Eye of Darkness by George Mann, 4/5 stars
22. Spell or High Water (Magic 2.0 #2) by Scott Meyer, 4/5 stars
23. The Horse and His Boy (Chronicles of Narnia # 5) by C.S. Lewis, 2/5 stars
24. The Return of the King (The Lord of the Rings # 3) by J.R.R. Tolkien, 4/5 stars
25. Recursion by Blake Crouch, 5/5 stars
26. Calamity (The Reckoners, # 3) by Brandon Sanderson, 2/5 stars
27. An Unwelcome Quest (Magic 2.0 # 3) by Scott Meyer, 3/5 stars
28. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, 3/5 stars
29. Dune (Dune # 1) by Frank Herbert, 3/5 stars
30. Fight and Flight (Magic 2.0 # 4) by Scott Meyer, 4/5 stars
31. The Singularity Trap by Dennis E. Taylor, 3/5 stars
32. Star Wars: Jedi: Battle Scars by Sam Maggs, 1/5 stars
33. Out of Spite, Out of Mind (Magic 2.0 #5) by Scott Meyer, 3/5 stars
34. The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson, 3/5 stars
35. Killing the Legends: The Lethal Danger of Celebrity by Bill O'Reilly, 5/5 stars
36. The Vexed Generation (Magic 2.0 #6) by Scott Meyer, 4/5 stars
37. And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle by Jon Meacham, 5/5 stars
38. Star Wars: Defy the Storm by Tessa Gratton, 2/5 stars
39. Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger, 3/5 stars
40. Will Save the Galaxy for Food (Jacques McKeown # 1) by Yahtzee Crowshaw, 3/5 stars
41. The Chase (Isaac Bell # 1) by Clive Cussler, 5/5 stars
42. House of Blades (Traveler's Gate # 1) by Will Wight, 3/5 stars
43. Star Wars: The Living Force by John Jackson Miller, 3/5 stars
44. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy # 1) by Douglas Adams, 2/5 stars
45. The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece by Tom Hanks, 3/5 stars
46. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, 5/5 stars
47. The Magician’s Nephew (Chronicles of Narnia # 6) by C.S. Lewis, 4/5 stars
48. Killing the Witches: The Horror of Salem, Massachusetts by Bill O'Reilly, 4/5 stars
49. The Last Battle (Chronicles of Narnia # 7) by C.S. Lewis, 4/5 stars
50. The Chronicles of Narnia (The Chronicles of Narnia # 1-7) by C.S. Lewis, 4/5 stars
51. Raising Good Humans: A Mindful Guide to Breaking the Cycle of Reactive Parenting and Raising Kind, Confident Kids by Hunter Clarke-Fields, 3/5 stars
52. The Wrecker (Isaac Bell # 2) by Clive Cussler, 3/5 stars
53. Fan Fiction by Brent Spiner, 2/5 stars
54. The Last Outlaws: The Desperate Final Days of the Dalton Gang by Tom Clavin, 3/5 stars
55. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter # 1) by J.K. Rowling, 5/5 stars
56. The Crimson Vault (Traveler's Gate # 2) by Will Wight, 2/5 stars
57. The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill, 3/5 stars
58. Feel-Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters to You by Ali Abdaal, 5/5 stars
59. City of Light (Traveler's Gate # 3) by Will Wight, 2/5 stars
60. Casino Royale (James Bond # 1) by Ian Fleming, 4/5 stars
61. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck, 3/5 stars
62. Outland (Quantum Earth # 1) by Dennis E. Taylor, 3/5 stars
63. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter # 2) by J.K. Rowling, 5/5 stars
64. The Search for WondLa (The Search for WondLa # 1) by Tony DiTerlizzi, 4/5 stars
65. Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot by Bill O'Reilly, 5/5 stars
66. Ready Player One (Ready Player One # 1) by Ernest Cline, 4/5 stars
67. A Hero for WondLa (The Search for WondLa # 2) by Tony DiTerlizzi, 3/5 stars
68. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter # 3) by J.K. Rowling, 4/5 stars

Other Stats

The A-Town Awards

Best Book of the Year: Off to Be the Wizard by Scott Meyer

Honorable Mention: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir; Killing the Legends by Bill O'Reilly; Killing Kennedy by Bill O'Reilly; Recursion by Blake Crouch

Worst Book of the Year: Star Wars: Jedi: Battle Scars by Sam Maggs

Honorable Mention: Marvel's Midnight Suns: Infernal Rising by S.D. Perry; A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

Best Audiobook Narration: Luke Daniels (Magic 2.0 series)

Honorable Mention: Ray Porter (Project Hail Mary, several others)

Yearly Comparison

2024: 68 books read

2023: 48 books read

*****

There you go! Did you discover anything new? Find anything you want to check out? Do you either strongly agree or disagree with me about anything? Do you have a book in mind that you think I'd love? I'm always down for suggestions. Let me know in the comments below, on Twitter (here and here) or on Facebook.

Until next time.

Nintendo Year in Review 2024

Guys, this is going to be a sad, sad little post. It's honestly pathetic, but I have to write it up anyway. For posterity. I did not play very much Nintendo this year. Sort of. I'll explain.

As I explained last year, Nintendo only tabulates its stats through the end of November, so - just like last year's report missed out on a lot of my "Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom" and "Mario Wonder" play time - this year's report is missing a significant amount of my time on the Switch for 2024. And that's a real shame, because I had been putting in WORK on "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" before Christmas, just to find out that none of that time was being tracked. Great. Honestly, I probably played more in the first two and a half weeks of December than I did during any other entire month of the year, so I'm quite bugged by my recap for 2024. It... doesn't look good.

But I'll give it to you anyway because I know that there are so many of you out there who are dying to find out what I've been playing. Let's break it down.

First Game of 2024

You're going to start sensing a theme here.

Gameplay Totals

Only 38 hours?? I played more on my top game of 2023 last year than I did in all of 2024 combined?! That's just disappointing. I am disappointed in myself, and I am truly sorry. I promise to be better next year.

I might be better than that in January, just for the sake of it.

Top Games

So my top game of the year is an exercise game. How many people can say that? I am proud that this indicates that I have tried my best to stay active, which is great.

But "Civ 6" was my second most-played game of the year (four hours) and I played it for like three and a half hours on my birthday in November, so that's... impressive, I guess?

I played "Mario Party Jamboree" a handful of times after we gave it to our son for his birthday in late October. It's a great game and will probably be a highly played game next year, once it has a full 11 months of availability for my Year in Review.

Gaming Trends

I assume that "Fitness Boxing 2: Rhythm & Exercise" counts as "action," "boxing" and "training."

Monthly Breakdown

I can thank my birthday for this. I had planned on playing a bunch of Playstation on my day off but ended up playing the "Civilization VI" on the Switch most of the afternoon. This probably accounts for a lot of my "Mario Party" play time, as well.

[December was not calculated]

All Games Played

• Fitness Boxing 2: Rhythm & Exercise
• Sid Meier's Civilization VI
• Super Mario Party Jamboree
• Pokemon Violet
• The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder
• New Pokemon Snap
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
• Trombone Champ
• Mario Party Superstars
• Mario Golf: SuperRush
• Mario Strikers: Battle League
• Dorfromantik
• Pokemon Cafe ReMix [Editor's Note: This must have been Stockton.]
• Super Mario Odyssey
• Luigi's Mansion 3

Observations:

• I play a lot of Mario games, I guess.
• I started playing "Fitness Boxing 3: Your Personal Trainer" once it came out in December, so "Fitness Boxing 2" is now a thing of the past. RIP. It served me well.
• "Trombone Champ" is a very strange and somewhat funny game that really annoyed my wife for a couple days. It only cost me like two bucks, so I thought it was worth a shot.

Favorite Game

There are two or three games that could probably qualify as potential games of the year. "Mario Party Jamboree" is incredible, but I don't think I played it quite enough in 2024. Watch out in 2025, though! I think that there is one correct choice for me this year, all things considered.

And the winner is...

Please do not underestimate the fact that my December stats were not counted. I had a couple video game nights with my neighbors where we played "Smash Bros.," then I went home to beef up my stats on my own console. I believe that I have now played with every character at least once, which is something that I couldn't say a month ago, and I even came up with a new preset for match rules that made the game way more fun for me. Once January 1 rolls around here in about seven hours, I'm going to crush some more "Smash Bros." to solidify its status as a game I love in 2025.

Prior Years Comparison

Hours Played

• 2024: 38 hours
• 2023: 169 hours

Top Games

• 2024: "Fitness Boxing 2: Rhythm & Exercise," "Sid Meier's Civilization VI," "Super Mario Party Jamboree"
• 2023: "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild," "Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope," "Metroid Dread"

Game of the Year

• 2024: "Super Smash Bros. Ultimate"
• 2023: "Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope"

*****

What were your top Nintendo games of 2024? You can gather your stats here (for a limited time), if you haven't done so already. Let us know how you fared in the comments below, on Twitter (here and here) or on Facebook.

In the meantime, stay tuned for a couple more Year in Review blogs forthcoming in the next few days. Stay safe out there and have a happy new year!

Until next time.

A-Town Playlist: Top Spotify Songs of 2024

It's the most wonderful time of the year! It's the time that I look forward to all year long and the time for which I unabashedly try to adjust my habits to give me the least lame results possible! It's End of the Year Blog season! First up this year is my Spotify Wrapped report, which (allegedly) gives me an accurate breakdown of how much music I consumed this year, as well as which artists I listened to the most.

Of course, my music stats for the year are just a tiny little drop in the bucket for the rest of you. I know that I only listen to a small fraction of what the rest of you guys are posting. I know it, I acknowledge it, and I am going to just keep typing this blog anyway. I've done it for like half a dozen years and I'm not going to stop now, dang it!

(Also, I have never heard of almost all of the bands you guys are getting in your Top Artists, which is very strange, but just wait until this year's PlayStation Wrap-Up, when I put you all to shame.)

Anyway, I digress.

As I'm sure I've whined about in the past, I'm not sure how accurate some of this stuff actually is, but it is always interesting to look back on how I spent my time, even if it's only, like, 85% believable. Let's go ahead and break this stuff down, as we have in the past, noting that Spotify took out a bunch of fun stats like "top genres" and a few others... but we'll do the best we can with what they gave us. Here we go!

Spotify Wrapped - Top 10 Songs

1. 
   "Werewolves of London" - Warren Zevon
2. "Mr. Blue Sky" - Electric Light Orchestra
3. "All the Small Things" - Blink 182
4. "The Middle" - Jimmy Eat World
5. "Could Have Been Me" - The Struts
6. "Good Tonight" - Daniel Pemberton, Anthony Ramos
7. "Brown Eyed Girl" - Van Morrison
8. "Thnks fr th Mmrs" - Fall Out Boy
9. "Seven Nation Army" - The White Stripes
10. "Holiday" - Green Day

Analysis: Yeah, this is the year that my kids officially swayed my Spotify Wrapped.

I blame 1, 2, 6 and 7 100% on Stockton. In fact, I said several times throughout the year - out loud - that "Werewolves of London" was going to be my top song. I just knew it. My four-year-old son Stockton loves "Werewolves of London." He'd ask for it on repeat. And he'd sing along. So I love that song for me this year, too, and I'm totally ok with it.

Those other songs were also frequently requested (AKA "demanded") in the car because they come from animated movie soundtracks. Each time "Mr. Blue Sky" came on, Stockton would elatedly scream, "SUPER MARIO BRUDDAS!!" It's a good song. He's a smart kid.

"Good Tonight" is from the movie "The Bad Guys," which is a solid movie, and it's a fun dance scene, and it was probably the first song that Stockton could ever really sing along with. I, personally, would have loved to keep this one out of the Top 10, but it is what it is.

And then "Brown Eyed Girl" was always greeted with a squeal of "MINIONS!!" Again, a great song, and I'm ok with that one, too.

I have no idea where "All the Small Things" and "The Middle" came from. They're bangers and take me back to my college days, for sure, but I don't know what they're doing in my Top 10. "Seven Nation Army" is another one. I certainly listened to it a few times this year, but should it have cracked the leaderboard? I mean, like, Spotify... Dudes. I need to know: what qualifies as a "song play"? If I listen to it for three seconds and skip to something else, does that count?? I need to know!

Editor's note: This has become a running joke in my family and something to keep an eye on every year - Weezer's "Island in the Sun" came in at #16 this year (Weezer's highest song on the 2024 playlist), and there is just NO WAY that I listen to that song that much. It's practically an immediate skip if I even hear two notes of it because, for some reason, Spotify thinks it's my favorite song of all time... which IT'S NOT! Something ain't right! Stop ranking this so high every year, Spotify!

It's always nice to see The Struts in the Top 10, and "Could Have Been Me" 1) is their best song and 2) is no stranger to the top of my yearly recaps, so that wasn't a surprise to me. "Thnks fr th Mmrs" and "Holiday" are solid. No complaints there.

If I could have picked my top 10 favorite songs from 2024, this wouldn't have been it, but all in all, I'm just pretty proud not to have anything too cringe on the list this year. Woo.

Minutes Listened

My minutes listened took a nosedive last year due to my increased interest in audiobooks - and that's still the case, and I still work from home with my boys "large pets" - so I tried to make a more concerted effort this year to get in some extra Spotify time when I could. I bounced back a little in 2024, clocking in at 8,251 minutes (137 1/2 hours), which isn't too shabby. Let's review how that time has stacked up over the years:

• 2024: 8,251
• 2023: 7,205
• 2022: 9,000+
• 2021: 6,918
• 2020: ?
• 2019: 30,613
• 2018: ?

Spotify says that my busiest listening day was October 19, when I listened to 328 minutes of music. That's more than five hours of listening, which is awesome. I have no idea what I was doing on that day, other than that it was a Saturday, so I was probably running errands and working out at the gym, which is prime earbuds time for me, so that probably accounted for a lot of it.

Apparently, I listened to 1,055 songs this year. I don't know what to make of that number, but... I think that's good?

I was in the top 0.05% of listeners for "Werewolves of London," which is quite the prestigious honor. I listened to it 15 times (ONLY?!), starting on March 17.

I like using Spotify's DJ feature (although his song choice does occasionally become a bit repetitive). I spent exactly 800 minutes with him this year.

Spotify Being Weird and Making No Sense at All

Spotify didn't give us top genres or several of the other fun statistics that they've given in the past. Nope. But new this year, Spotify categorized several months of my listening with some ridiculous, nonsensical descriptions. Here's what they said about me:

May was my "Apocalyptic Old School Metal Rock" phase, featuring artists like U2, Muse and The White Stripes.

June was a "Nerdy Fantasy Soundtrack," starring Daniel Pemberton and Borislav Slavov.

And July came up as a "Witchy Rhythm Games Classic Rock" phase, leaning heavily on Warren Zevon, Bob Seger and Creedence Clearwater Revival.

I have no idea what to make of any of that.

Top Artists

I listened to 536 artists this year, and these were my top five:

1. 
   Weezer: Weezer has been my top artist every year except once since I started keeping track of these stats, so their return to the top of the charts comes as no surprise this year. They are, after all, my favorite band. Congrats again, gentlemen. Spotify says I was in the top 2% of Weezer listeners for the year and... quite frankly... I could have done better.
2. The Strokes: The Strokes are another of my favorite groups, so I'm happy to see them here. Their 2001 album "Is This It" is basically a no-skip record for me, so it makes sense that I would have spent a lot of continuous time listening to them.
3. U2: At one point, back in my high school days, I would have said that U2 was my favorite band, and, although I wouldn't say I'm a consistent listener of theirs, every once in a while, I do get on a U2 kick. They've got some great stuff from the past several decades. U2 bounces up two spots from coming in at #5 last year. Nice.
4. Elvis Presley: Elvis! Yes! Welcome to the top five, King! I was obsessed with Elvis as a kid and love his stuff, so I'm proud of this one!
5. Billy Joel: Billy Joel was a staple of my youth. He and Elton John were my first concert, and he's one of only a few artists that I've seen live more than once. His entry into my top artists of the year is proof that a few days of binging albums goes a long way for my stats. Billy also remains in the top five from last year. Impressive.

Other Fun and Notable Songs in This Year's Top 100

There were many other songs that I enjoyed in 2024 that didn't crack the top 10, so I want to take a second to give them some love. Here were some of my other favorite tunes from the past 12 months:

• Jessie's Girl - Rick Springfield (#23; featuring a guitar solo that I would absolutely slay if I could actually play the instrument)
• I Wanna Be Sedated - The Ramones (#26; a song that Stockton learned some of the lyrics to - much to the shock and dismay of both of his grandmothers)
• I Wanna Be Like You - Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (#29; frequently requested in the car)
• Liar - Jelly Roll (#36; the first song I had ever heard by the man who confidently calls himself "Jelly Roll")
• Look At Us Now (Honeycomb) - Daisy Jones & The Six (#39; a fake song by a fake band)
• Party Hard - Andrew W.K. (#44; a certified banger)
• Bathwater - No Doubt (#64; honestly shocked that this wasn't higher on the list)
• Dancing in the Moonlight - King Harvest (#73; way better than the cover version that Spotify so often recommends to me)
• ...Baby One More Time - Tenacious D (#76; a cover by Jack Black, the national treasure)
• The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?) - Ylvis (#80; one of my boys' favorite songs to dance to)
• The Other Way - Weezer (#89; my old radio theme song)
• Heaven - Live (#96; an oldie but a goodie)

Bonus Tracks

Why not fully embrace my "Apocalyptic Old School Metal Rock" phase from this summer (when I was introduced to Dungeons & Dragons and "Baldur's Gate III" by adding two songs from the BG3 soundtrack to my list of top songs of the year? They apparently didn't get listened to enough to make the leaderboard, but I certainly spent a long time listening to this stuff while preparing my first D&D campaign. As you'll find out in an upcoming post, I spent PLENTY of time playing "Baldur's Gate" on my Playstation, so this is only fitting.

• Baldur's Gate III: Down by the River - Borislav Slavav
• Baldur's Gate III: The Power - Borislav Slavav

Condensed Playlist (embed)

And last (but not least), I created a condensed 52-song playlist by which to remember the year in music, 2024, including the entire top 10, whether I, personally, liked them or not. Behold and enjoy:

That brings us to the end of this year's Spotify Wrapped. From all of us here at Signs of the Times, we hope that your own Spotify statistics were to your liking and that, most importantly, your children didn't jack up your top songs too much.

If you feel so inclined, leave a comment on this post, follow us on Twitter (here and here) or drop us a line on Facebook. And, of course, keep it right here for all of the upcoming "Year in Review" posts.

Until next time.