In a deadline-driven world, I am often a little late. I always tell folks that if I could describe myself with a showtune lyric (I’m a huge Broadway fan), it would probably be from The Last Five Years' trackThe Next Ten Minutes, when Cathy says “Anything other than being exactly on time I can do.” It’s not exactly the most convenient when you’re working in publishing, but I have sharpened my apology skills and maybe next year (so… 2026?) will be the year that I finally get all my writing done on time.
So, with that in mind, a few days into 2025, here’s my list of everything I loved in 2024. From aTV show I couldn’t stop talking aboutto avideo gameI couldn’t put down, and even a life-changing concert, here’s my little time capsule ofthe year that was. And onlytwothree days late.
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1Cult of the Lamb
It may be old news to most, but it rocked my world in 2024
Cult of the Lamb
Technically, this game came out in 2022, but I didn’t discover it until early 2024 at the urging of a friend, and boy, when I got my hands on this title, it captured my attention like none other, leading me to kick off the year with over 200 hours of playtime, aided by this year’s Unholy Alliance DLC, which added The Goat as a playable character as well as new post-game content.
If you haven’t checked it out yet, the game puts you in the shoes of the eponymous Lamb, who needs to recruit followers to a cult in order to defeat the oppressive leaders of an ancient religion. The game plays like an unholy amalgamation of Animal Crossing (your cult members need houses and food!) and your favorite dungeon-based roguelike (where you’ll be defeating those faithful to the old religion), all with a cute occult theme and a bumping soundtrack. I couldn’t put this game down in 2024, and I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys the cozy vibes of Animal Crossing, the intense challenge of a dungeon-based roguelike, or a unique art style.
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2The Apothecary Diaries
An intriguing mystery that captured my imagination
The Apothecary Diaries
And speaking of early 2024, I’m a huge anime watcher, but in January 2024 I was feeling a little burnt out. The latest season of Jujutsu Kaisen had me in my feelings, and lighter fare like Dr. Stone and Spy x Family felt like they were going nowhere. I almost gave up my Crunchyroll subscription right at the beginning of the year, but right before I took a break from the medium as a whole, on a whim I decided to check out a show one of my friends had been raving about: The Apothecary Diaries. On the surface, the series sounded like a standard, paint-by-numbers shoujo that followed a talented apothecary who is kidnapped and forced to work in the emperor’s palace during Ming-dynasty China.
However, the show ended up being much deeper than its simple premise, and I found myself absolutely enthralled by the series' heady mix of mystery, romance, and adventure. This series proved to be a great start to my year, and even though there were several other shows that captured my imagination in 2024 (including Delicious in Dungeon and Blue Lock), The Apothecary Diaries was simply on another level, and I cannot wait for the second season to kick off this month.
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3Universal Orlando Resort
Coming out of Walt Disney World’s shadow
Look, as an Orlando native, it’s probably no surprise that I spend a lot of my time at theme parks, including Walt Disney World, the most-attended tourist destination in the US. However, I have to give my flowers to Universal Orlando Resort this year. From the opening of Dreamworks Land to the addition of the delightfully retro Mega Movie Parade and even the new Cine-sational celebration of film scores, there were plenty of new things to see and do at Universal Orlando Resort this year, and that’s before we even talk about Halloween Horror Nights, where I spent a personal-best 23 nights in 2024 from August-November.
And while this year was a great one for Universal Orlando Resort, expect to see Universal on this list again in 2025, as I already have my tickets for Epic Universe, the brand new theme park opening later this year with lands based on some of my all-time favorite fictional worlds includingHow to Train Your Dragon,Nintendo, and perhaps most importantly for me:Universal Monsters.
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4Hans Zimmer Live
Quite simply, the best concert I will probably ever experience
Last year I saw over a dozen concerts. And thus far, I have tickets in 2025 to see several of my favorite bands, including Vitamin String Quartet, Ghost, and My Chemical Romance. However, I’m not sure anything will top seeing film composer Hans Zimmer kick off his latest North American Tour last year in Duluth.
Watching Hans Zimmer perform iconic tracks from Interstellar, The Lion King, Dune, The Dark Knight, and a dozen others, backed by a huge orchestra with lighting and visualizations that matched every score perfectly was so overwhelming I felt myself tearing up throughout the entire concert, and then lost my cool completely when Zimmer played my favorite piece of film music ever, Time from Inception, on the piano as a final encore. Hans Zimmer has created some of the most moving music in cinema history, and seeing him perform life truly felt like a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I will treasure forever.
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5Interview with the Vampire season 2
Don’t be afraid, just start the tape
Interview with the Vampire
I heard somewhere that whatever you are obsessed with in high school is what you’ll be obsessed with your whole life. And in my experience that is 100% true. I have vivid memories of reading Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles in 11th grade, and being so blown away that once I had read all ten of the books that were out at the time, I went back and re-read my favorite volumes again immediately. I feel like I know these characters inside and out, and have carried Louis, Armand, and of course, Lestat, in my heart my whole adult life.
This is why I have been so thoroughly impressed with the Interview With the Vampire TV series on AMC. Though there are shifting timelines and more than a few character changes, the beating hearts of Anne Rice’s characters can be felt in this show so clearly that it’s almost supernatural. Season 2 adapts the latter half of the original Interview With the Vampire novel, finally bringing the show into the modern era with deep emotion and stylistic flair. And while we don’t have a date yet for season 3, last summer’s Comic-Con provided some tantalizing hints for how the series is going toadapt The Vampire Lestat(the second book of The Vampire Chronicles, and my personal favorite), and all I can say is… this is another item on this list I’dexpect to make a return in 2025.
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