2024 Golden Lance Award for Game That Most Respected Your Time

The staff here at Lords of Gaming varies wildly in age range, from early 20s to mid-40s. Fundamentally, that means that the amount of time we have to dedicate to gaming each year also varies wildly. There are constant conversations amongst the staff about what games should we be playing. We all have our favorite genres of course, but games that provide high-density experiences are always sought after. These are games that whether you spend a ten-hour marathon or a 20-minute chunk, you get something out of them. They are games that recognize that we go out of our way to play games and they give us back memorable experiences. With that said, here are the winners of Lords of Gaming’s 2024 Golden Lance Award for Game That Most Respected Your Time.

Winner – Space Marine 2 

As a father of two (with a third on the way), my gaming time has shrunk immensely. Still, it’s my favorite hobby and when I find a story that is concise and doesn’t go out of the way to pad out unnecessary content, I’m game. That is why Space Marine 2 is our winner of the Game that Respected Your Time Award. 

The Space Marine 2 campaign is a solid and concise experience, clocking in around 12 hours. The story beats are satisfying and the characters are well-written and fit the Warhammer 40K universe beautifully. There’s also Eternal Wars and Operations modes should you fancy extending your SM2 experience with a PVP or PVE experience respectively. But that is entirely optional. The developers have also included plenty of unlockables-such as cosmetics, weapons, and skill upgrades- for those modes. Space Marine 2 is a fantastic offering that won’t monopolize your time and provides different avenues to expand the experience when you want.  

Runner Up – Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Call of Duty as a series has always been something many people can sit down and enjoy for a few hours at the end of a long day of work. We all know people who work exhausting hours and simply look forward to sitting down with a game of COD when they get home to unwind. The problem with recent releases in the series is that Call of Duty didn’t hit quite the same. Black Ops 6, however, has nailed the experience and what people want from COD. It’s perfect for bite-sized play sessions, across all 3 of its core modes. The Campaign is something that doesn’t take too long to run through, but it’s really enjoyable for what it is – taking inspiration from titles such as Dishonored or Hitman with some of its missions and even having a full-blown “lite” open-world mission as well.

Black Ops 6 multiplayer maps aren’t perfect but the core gameplay of COD feels like it’s back to an enjoyable level that people can get down with again. The omni-movement and gunplay do so much towards making the game feel satisfying to play. Zombies mode is also excellent, delivering an experience that’s great for both newcomers and long-time fans thanks to its Directed mode and replayability, with matches of Zombies usually going for 30 minutes to an hour at the most. The barrier for entry to COD is as small as it has ever been, thanks to being on Xbox Game Pass. It’s never been easier to sink some time into Call of Duty, which has always been a game that respects your time – we just needed a good one, and we finally got it. 

Runner Up – Senua’s Saga: Hellblade 2

While I didn’t finish the original Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, thanks to my Game Pass sub, I had to give the sequel an earnest try. And with its short four-to-five-hour run time, I thought the cinematic adventure respected my time. 

It was less of a traditional gaming experience, being an interactive adventure where you were part of Senua’s journey. The haunting locations you visit do not overstay their welcome and the somewhat limited combat system is enjoyable from start to finish due to the shorter length. As a visual showcase title for the Xbox Series hardware, it’s an amazing package, and its short length in many ways, is one of its many strengths.