jae kaplan

of the year

another year older, another year wiser, another year having played some video games and listened to some albums and shut down some websites and watched some movies. here's some of my favorite things this year. (they might not actually be from this year but i watched/read/played/listened to them this year so it counts).

games

purchase links included. most of these are on sale currently so now's a great chance to get them.

1000xRESIST (2024)

1000xRESIST is one of my favorite science-fiction stories period. not just in games (although the way it is told is only possible through this medium), just generally. it is constantly taking big swings and landing every single one of them, crafting a narrative about diaspora, cycles of abuse, and systems of power that effortlessly weaves the near future, far future, and recent past into one surprisingly massive game. sunset visitor punches far outside their weight class here. genuinely one of the best narrative games i've ever played. i can't say enough good things about it.

Umineko no Naku Koro ni (2007-2010)

you should read umineko.

Misericorde: Volume One (2023)

Misericorde is a mystery visual novel set in a late 15th century english convent. every aspect of it (music, writing, art) is incredible and a testament to xeecee's talent as an artist. Volume Two is (probably) soon to release, so now's a great time to start reading.

Revue Starlight El Dorado (2024)

do you like revue starlight? then you should read El Dorado.

if you haven't heard of revue starlight, it's an anime series about girls at a performing arts high school. in the original series, they are competing in a series of "auditions" (one-on-one sword combat that also involves singing, heavily influenced by utena) being held by a giraffe to become Top Star.

the series is very good. the sequel movie is the greatest anime film i've ever seen. go watch both, then read el dorado.

Alan Wake II: The Lake House (2024)

we get to play as a new character exploring a weird FBC facility in cauldron lake! it's fucking terrifying! great DLC, a great teaser for Control 2, a great peek into what's been going on with the FBC since the events of Control (seems like nothing good).

Balatro (2024)

it's balatro. i played a few hundred hours of it this year. what else do you want me to say.

osu!

i got really into osu over the summer. it's a good rhythm game. i'm getting better at it. i don't really have a lot to say about it other than that.

movies

the titles for each of these link to my letterboxd reviews in case you want to see those

Hundreds of Beavers (2022)

a modern slapstick masterpiece. one of, if not the, funniest movies i've ever seen. a visual effects tour de force. it's free on youtube, you have no reason not to watch it.

Challengers (2024)

challengers made me understand how fujoshis happen.

The People's Joker (2023)

unbelievably glad this finally got a release. a lovingly crafted DC parody that is also secretly a great trans story. seeing it in a theater full of other trans people was such a treat and one of the secret benefits of living in a Real City.

I Saw the TV Glow (2024)

was lucky enough to see this with a director Q&A at Coolidge Corner in Brookline. stunningly beautiful film.

Monkey Man (2024)

for some reason i didn't write a letterboxd review for this one. if you thought dev patel was hot in The Green Knight (he was, to be clear) you haven't seen anything yet.

Blackberry (2023)

heavily fictionalized, but insanely funny with great performances throughout. absolutely worth a watch.

albums

lot of good albums this year. i don't want to write a thing for all of them so here's a list with links to buy (or stream when buying is difficult). alphabetical by artist.

there's also some non-album songs that i listened to a lot. mostly vocaloid because vocaloid producers are obsessed with not releasing albums for some reason. i don't want to list them all here so use your imagination.

miscellaneous

2025

my first year since before the pandemic where i won't be running a company. really looking forward to the improved work-life balance that comes with not being on-call 24/7. i actually have travel planned! i have the time and energy to engage in hobbies! it's gonna be great.

i'm planning to write my cohost postmortem in the new year. not giving a date in case i change my mind, but i feel like i'm almost ready to talk about it. so stay tuned for that i guess.

until then, thanks for reading. bye.

#of the year #personal