Just like in 2024 I want to recap what stuck with me this year. A great year for games!
GOTOY (games of the other year) honorable mentions that I played this year
Ridge Racers 2 (2006)
What a treat! Inspired by Into the Aether gushing about this one on their PSP episode, I started playing on PS5 and was hooked. It’s simple but it feels perfect - constantly drifting, you learn the tracks and find the zone.
Death Stranding Director’s Cut (2022)
Knowing that the sequel was releasing this year made me re-visit. I had tried to play the original in… 2020? And bounced off. But the first needle drop this time (Don’t be so serious, my goodness what a track) had me hooked, and the touching story propelled me through the long cutscenes to the end in just under 30 hours. It probably resonated with me more now that I’m a father! (Lou!)
Astro Bot (2024)
After this won all sorts of awards last year I had to check it out, such a joy. Pure platforming bliss through the whole thing, constantly changing things up Mario Odyssey style to keep it fresh.
1000xResist (2024)
Probably my favorite game this year, a masterpiece of Sci-fi storytelling and soul. Is “are videogames art” still a conversation? This is art.
Games Released in 2025
(6) Avowed
Enjoyed this, enjoyed being back in the world of Pillars even though I did not finish (got to the 3rd big zone, I think?) Probably the best 1st-person magical fantasy combat I’ve played, this sets the bar for upcoming games like Elder Scrolls 6.
(5) Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
A late start for me, and I’m still early on, but this is right up my alley and I’ll be picking away at it for a while. I love the setting, I think there is so much opportunity for historical RPGs like this that aren’t fantasy or science fiction. Take me to the Mughals in India! Or ancient Egypt! Yes, assassins creed exists, but what makes this great is how grounded it is - truly a “role-playing” game.
(4) Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
Finished the first one just in time to start the sequel. It builds on it in a lot of great ways - the combat is better, the menus are easier to navigate, the world is more pleasant to navigate, and it is stunning to look at. And there’s an adorable baby. I did like this a lot, but tapered off maybe 75% of the way through. I think that sanding off some of the rough edges didn’t help me connect in the same way? I was not a completionist in either, I don’t want to grind for the pizza guy, I wanted to persevere through adversity to see the story. While it’s quite pleasant to play I didn’t feel that challenge here.
(3) Blue Prince
This was an incredible surprise to start the year. Such a cool twist on the roguelike genre, every puzzle and mystery solved is as satisfying as any other progression hook. This is one that I need to get back to - I rolled credits but did not go further, and I know there’s so much more to see.
(2) Hollow Knight: Silksong
It’s Hollow Knight, but feels great from the very start and has a spunky protagonist. What more could you want?
This game is quite a challenge and I’m not sure I’ll get to the end - I beat act 1 but took a break due to our move/life stuff, so another one I need to get back into. What I did see was stunning though, it’s amazing what Team Cherry is able to do with light-touch environmental storytelling and minimal dialog.
(1) Sektori
And, at number one, a December surprise to finish the year! This is the kind of game that puts me in a trance (but it’s not trance music - it’s techno) as I try to chase perfection and another high score. It fills the screen with light and motion but somehow you are able to parse it all, or at least you think you can - or you surely could on the next run.
This didn’t grab me until a few runs in, but once it did I couldn’t think about anything else. It’s the reason why I haven’t returned to anything else on this list in the past month, every time I open Steam it calls to me. This is a masterpiece of an arcade game, every choice is so intentional and everything is so tightly integrated to make a beautiful whole. Go play this game!