Announced: December 2024 TA Playlist Game Selection

We hope you’ve had the chance to dive into the sands of Dubai with us for November’s TA Playlist featuring “Spec Ops: The Line.” As the month wraps up, it’s time to reveal the December 2024 TA Playlist winner.

In December, we decided to revisit all the games featured on the Playlist throughout 2024, letting each team member choose a couple of titles they felt deserved another moment in the spotlight. ManicMetalhead put forward the nostalgic 2017 platformer “Cuphead” and the open-world adventure “Maneater,” while BetaSigX20 suggested the eerie 2023 sequel “Alan Wake 2.” On the other hand, ChewieOnIce vied for the 2021 action-packed adventure “Psychonauts 2.” The poll turned out to be one of the closest we’ve seen in a long time, coming down to the last minute between two contenders. And the final TA Playlist game of 2024 is… “Psychonauts 2!”

Developed by Double Fine and published by Xbox Game Studios in 2021, “Psychonauts 2” arrived 16 years after the original game made its mark in 2005. In this thrilling sequel, players follow Razputin “Raz” Aquato—a young psychic and acrobat who finally achieves his dream of joining the elite international psychic espionage agency, the Psychonauts. Despite the prestige, Raz quickly discovers turmoil within the organization. Their leader is changed after a kidnapping ordeal, and worse, there’s a mole at headquarters. Players will navigate a mind-bending journey, exploring the thoughts of both allies and enemies to thwart a fearsome psychic threat, all while balancing peril, excitement, and humor.

The TA Community has rated “Psychonauts 2” an impressive 4.48 out of 5.00. It’s certainly caught the attention of gamers, with nearly 178,000 starting their psychic venture, and around 9% (over 16,000 players) achieving full game completion. For those wanting to earn every one of the 57 achievements, it might take around 25-30 hours, but the handy Walkthrough by CitrineWorm138 could curve that time nicely. Plus, if you’re a Game Pass subscriber, you’re in luck—it’s available across all tiers.

The poll kept us all on the edge of our seats, with “Psychonauts 2” and “Alan Wake 2” locked in a tight race, constantly swapping the lead with barely more than a vote separating them. Meanwhile, “Maneater” and “Cuphead” followed as solid third and fourth choices, never quite overtaking the leaders:

If you’re eager to earn your TA Playlist badge for December, just unlock any achievement in “Psychonauts 2,” or contribute a thoughtful comment to the Spoiler and Spoiler-Free threads that go live on December 1st.

Just a quick heads-up about the forums: We’ve reworked how forum participation badges are distributed. Previously, this was an automated process on a set schedule, but it didn’t allow moderators the time they needed to weed out the non-substantial “badge only” posts. Now, badges are awarded manually, with checks in place to ensure quality comments. So, while it might take slightly longer for your badge to appear after posting, rest assured that as long as your contribution is meaningful, you’ll see your badge within a few days.

We want to extend our gratitude to everyone putting in the time and effort to enhance our discussions, making sure they’re meaningful and engaging. The TA Playlist thrives on your contributions, and we’re thrilled to have you be a part of it every month!