If you remember last year, I debuted what is now my favorite ranking I have ever done (sorry, cheesesteaks). Videogames are my passion, therapy, and escape. They are interactive art. What a traditional artist can get out of going to Philadelphia Art Museum, I can get the same out of a three-hour session playing a videogame. I’ve continued both this tradition and yearly resolution in 2025 with an even loftier goal of completing 20 games (12 was my goal in 2024, though I wound up completing 22. 2025 saw me blowing through nearly 40 single-player campaigns.) Never did this feel like a chore. As a reminder, these are only games that I’ve completed for the first time, no re-plays allowed. This doesn’t even include games I started and never completed for various reasons. Included below are games I spent at least an hour playing:
- Dying Light (2015) – This was my third time trying to get through it. Every time I hit the 10 hour mark, I’m already tired of it.
- Death Stranding (2019) – Listen, I love Hideo Kojima. This one just didn’t do it for me. The number of cut scenes, the wackiness of the world, and the slow gameplay were instant road blocks for me. Game is pretty though.
- Elden Ring (2022) – I honestly just suck at Soulslike games. There are rare exceptions, but not even the Game of the Year Elden Ring could pull me in. This is just brutally hard with no real guidance or tutorial.
- Jak 2 (2003) – I mildly enjoyed playing the original, but couldn’t get into this one. The change in tone and introduction of guns & flying were not a direction I expected or enjoyed.
- Blue Prince (2025) – I wanted to enjoy this roguelike puzzle game, but it was just too difficult and tedious for me to finish. The concept is brilliant, but I didn’t have the patience for it.
- Returnal (2021) – Another roguelike, but this one a third-person shooter with some fun game mechanics and gorgeous graphics. However, with most roguelike games, they just aren’t my cup of tea.
- Outer Wilds (2019) – I couldn’t get into this rather unique space exploration puzzle game despite how highly this has been touted.
- Pacific Drive (2024) – I may have played more of this, but unfortunately got stuck and had no desire to get back into it.
- Sonic Frontiers (2022) – This made me realize how much I missed 2-D Sonic games. As a kid growing up in the 90’s, Sonic 1/2/3 were everything. This was sadly just not it for me as much as I tried.
- Thief (2014) – This game has everything I’d normally like…except for all the things it doesn’t. Painful controls, dated graphics (even for 2014), and a dull story. This could have been so much more.
- Diablo 4 (2023) – Maybe I shouldn’t have started my foray into the Diablo-world with the 4th game in the series. Dungeon crawling sounded fun until I actually started doing it in this game.
- We Happy Few (2016) – I wanted to like this so bad. I probably put more hours into this game than any others on this “never finished” list. The concept is cool and the gameplay unique, comparable to a Bioshock (without the supernatural abilities). However, the stealth and survival mechanics became a hinderance for me to keep going.
- Lies of P (2023) – I’ll keep trying soulslike games until I like them. This one had a creative and magical world. A cyberpunk setting and retelling of Pinocchio where you fight other puppets and robots. Once again, its just way too hard for me to enjoy it and persevere.
- F.I.S.T: Forged in Shadow Torch (2021) – A 3-D side scrolling adventure where you play a rabbit with a mechanical fist to kill enemies. Metroidvania games are hit or miss for me, with this one being the latter.
- Desperados 3 (2020) – I loved the Commandos series back in the day and this was essentially that but set in the Old West. I spent a lot of time with this one before setting down the controller. Some sections were just too brutally hard for me to get through, so I gave up.
- Psychonauts 2 (2021) – Loved everything about this game…except for the endless cutscenes which is fine for story explanation, but these were just relentless that it oddly took me OUT of the story. The story is whatever, but the gameplay and design concepts are legitimately very good. Maybe one day I’ll revisit this.
Now, onto the actual rankings!
39. Jak and Daxter (2001)
Shockingly had never played this despite being a Playstation owner since the early days of the PS2. It was a free “classic” on Playstation Premium so I finally gave it a whirl. It feels very much of the time for 3-D mascot platformers and holds up just “o-kay”. The camera is horrendous, but the gameplay is at least fun for its short run. It’s a forgettable story with an overly annoying sidekick (Daxter) that I hope would ‘eat it’ in the end. Sadly, he doesn’t and we somehow got two direct sequels and spin-off titles.
6.5/10
38. The Evil Within (2014)
A game that I picked up a couple times before finally beating it this year. This feels soooo close to a modern survival-horror classic, but unfortunately gets held back by a convoluted story and Resident Evil 1 levels of crappy dialogue and voice-acting. You play as a detective who is thrown into this bonkers world that defies all concepts of reality filled with monsters that you ultimately must defeat in order to solve what is going on. Conceptually and visually the game is impressive and I often found myself comparing it to the film Inception.
7/10
37. Assassin’s Creed Mirage (2023)
I guess you can call the Assassin’s Creed franchise a guilty pleasure of mine. I love the combination of storytelling with real-life location and history. Lately though, fans have not taken to the change in gameplay for these games. They’ve moved further away from stealth and have become a full-blown RPG. The story has also gone off the rails as well…at least the modern-day story anyway. This game was supposed to be a ‘reset’ of sorts and a ‘back to the basics’ entry into the series. I found this game to be one of the worst entries into the franchise with its dull location and stale gameplay. The positive: Basim is a pretty good protagonist and the story is actually engaging. The “quick-time” assassinations that this game introduces is one of the greatest crimes in this storied series.
7/10
36. Sniper Elite 4 (2017)
Prior to playing this game, I had never touched a Sniper Elite game. Reading up on the previous entries, it didn’t sound like I needed to play those to enjoy this. They were right and this was an enjoyable romp. Generally, any game where you kill Nazis is great. Outside of the sniping, the gameplay has the same feel as the rebooted Hitman series. You are presented a series of objectives that can be completed in any which way you please. You can be stealthy (most satisfying) to guns-a blazing (way less satisfying) and all the while finding different ways to take out the enemy. This one takes place in Italy during WWII, so it offers some nice locales. The one big thing holding this back was the forgettable story (I skipped almost every cutscene) and the voice-acting from the main character. I still hate hearing his voice.
7/10
35. Batman: Arkham Origins (2013)
I LOVE the mainline Arkham Trilogy (see: Asylum, City and Knight). This entry is a prequel to those and developed by a different studio. It is also the only game not to feature Kevin Conroy/Mark Hamill as Batman/Joker, respectively. The game isn’t nearly a pretty as the game it was released closest to (Arkham City), which leaves you scratching your head. I also found while streaming the game, it was often very glitchy and I needed to restart multiple times. The best parts about this game is the story and boss battles. The latter having some of the best of the entire series. Perhaps I’m grading this too harshly, but this is easily worst in the series.
7.25/10
34. Hitman 3 (2021)
The worst of the rebooted franchise trilogy, but it isn’t necessarily all bad. It is still this fun, open sandbox for you to play around in. The developers went very experimental with some of these missions, specifically the one in which you solve a murder in a mansion (with of course the goal to kill someone in the end, its a Hitman mission after all). Some of it works, some of it doesn’t. It has vibes of Hitman Absolution, which was a low-point for the series. The story is somewhat forgettable, but it does have an ultimately conclusion for the reboot trilogy they were going for.
7.25/10
33. Hotline Miami (2012)
I had never even heard of this game prior to coming across it in the PS Premium library. A top-down shooter that is reminiscent of the NES days? Sign me up. What I wasn’t expecting was some of the strangest storytelling and hardest gameplay. My best attempt to explain this game is you start each level with one weapon (or none!) and you slowly weave your way through a building/level against enemies in which if you get shot/stabbed once you are done and have to restart. Admittedly, it was very satisfying “clearing” a level after attempting it numerous times to get it ‘right’.
7.5/10
32. Hotline Miami 2 (2015)
A sequel that not only improves upon the gameplay, but tells and even wilder story that made the 1st look like a children’s novel. The story is dark, the gameplay is amped up and the times you want to throw your controller against the wall reaches its pinnacle. Needless to say, pulling of a perfectly executed clear that makes you feel like some sort of 2-D John Wick never got old.
7.5/10
31. Rage 2 (2019)
Another sequel where I never played the original, how novel! This game takes aspects of other 1st person shooters like Mad Max (2015), Crysis and FarCry into its own little unique game. Sadly, I’m not sure it executes better on anything those aforementioned games have done. The gameplay, shooting and driving mechanics are all fun until they aren’t. Everything gets a little too repetitive by the end of its roughly 15 hour run. The graphics also feel surprisingly good for the time.
7.5/10
30. Atomfall (2025)
This is a first-person shooter that is a cross between Fallout & Metro series. It takes the real-life event of the Windscale Plant Fire in England and makes a post-apocalyptic story out of it. As most stories go, something bad happens, the world in which you explore is quarantined from the real world, and you awake with no memory and only hints of what you need to do in this open world. This is an attempt at a new intellectual property (IP), but doesn’t do anything new with it. The gameplay and graphics are top notch, but the story is underwhelming and the multiple endings leave a lot to be desired. There are some solid building blocks for future games, but I doubt we get it.
7.5/10
29. Hitman (2016)
The reboot that started it all. IO Interactive gives the player the keys and you get to run with it. The amount of freedom it gives you to take out a target is freeing and exciting. It allows all different kinds of players to approach things how they enjoy doing so. This also introduced an interesting new story and a punch-up in graphics from the last game in the series. It also ditched the worst mechanics (limited Hitman Vision) in Absolution. This is essentially a puzzle game where you create the pieces. All the while IO is giving you gorgeous locales (Amalfi Coast, Bangkok luxury resort, an American militia hideout), worlds that feel lived-in and actual intelligent AI. The game is infinitely replay-able as well because the game gives you so many ‘challenges’ to achieve for the completionists out there and gives you grades on how well you do in the mission (detections, disguises used, innocents killed, etc).
7.5/10
28. Another Crab’s Treasure (2024)
A soulslike game that I actually finished! Yes, this is a soulslike in which you injected the gameplay of them into a late-90’s mascot platformer. It is brutally difficult at times, but I somehow made it through until the end. Normally these aren’t my kind of games, but the story and themes/criticisms on capitalism felt very timely. It was cute playing as a hermit crab as he searches for his stolen shell. You are armed with a fork as a weapon and can use different trash found along the ocean floor as your “shield” to which each has unique special abilities. It’s a game I enjoyed and glad I tried.
7.5/10
27. Dishonored: Death of the Outsider (2017)
I forgot this standalone, expansion, sequel existed? If you are not familiar with the Dishonored franchise, in the previous two games you played (mostly) as this assassin Corvo as he tries to clear his name and rescue a princess. A tale as old as time. What separates this game is how it incorporates special powers (void energy) as you approach missions to take down the enemy (think: teleportation, telekinesis, seeing through walls, etc). Teleporting from rooftops to reach your target is fun and this game made it even more fun as it doesn’t make you use consumables to create void energy and instead goes for a ‘regenerating’ approach. The character in this one is a secondary character from Dishonored 2 named Billie Lurk, who is infinitely more interesting than Corvo. In the first two games you are rewarded for not killing opponents, but in DotO they ditch that and let you go ham if you want. On top of that in each hub world they give you additional ‘contracts’ on other NPCs that you can take out for money to spend on for upgrades to your character. The one downside of this game is the ‘meh’ story and even more unsatisfying ending.
7.5/10
26. Night in the Woods (2017)
A game with anthropomorphic animals and their struggles in their town. No, this isn’t Animal Crossing. This game is surprisingly deep with emotions/themes dealing with mental health, no upward mobility, and the economy among a plethora of others. All of these are explored as you (home from college) are reuniting with your parents and childhood friends as they investigate kidnappings happening in the town. The gameplay isn’t much to speak of as you are mostly taking this side-scrolling adventure as a light platforming and puzzling-solving. The animation is really good and it covers a lot without biting off more than it can chew. If you are looking for a deep game, short and isn’t a challenge, this one is for you.
8/10
25. Thank Goodness You’re Here! (2024)
This nearly two-hourish adventure is quite the trip. This is a “slapformer” in the same vein as Untitled Goose Game in which you go around a fictional town and slap things to interact with them. The story is simple, you are a salesman asked to go to this absurd town of Barnsworth, England where you are immediately thrown into this cartoony world where each townfolks has a certain task for you. The comedy can be a bit dark at times, but it also has some observational humor. It does properly critique the trope of outsider comes to town and immediately is tasked with fixing everything to which no one can help themselves. The puzzles are simplistic, but they really fit the overall vibes of the game. My favorite things have to be the ongoing sight gags along with the unique artstyle.
8/10
24. Roki (2020)
This is an excellent point-and-click adventure game of yore that draws tons of influences from Scandinavian folklore and fairy tales. The art-style of the game is stupendous and the main character’s (Tove) journey of guilt and acceptance is beautifully told. The game starts with a monster kidnapping your little brother, who transports him to another world in which you follow. This world is fantastical with trolls and all sorts of monsters of lore. If I had to describe the feeling of this game, it would be Guillermo del Toro’s film Pan’s Labyrinth. If that appeals to you, I’d highly suggest giving this short-ish adventure puzzle game a try.
8/10
23. The Order: 1886 (2015)
A launch title for the Playstation 4, it still feels like a technical marvel nearly 10 years later. This was a game that was unfairly (IMO) maligned because of its length. The cyberpunk alt-England setting was fun and you got to battle werewolves. Not enough people talked about how the world-building and story were all top-notch. The gameplay is fun and the shooting/cover mechanics have aged really well. Besides its length and inclusion of quick-time events (QTE’s), this game had all the solid-building blocks for another high-quality IP for Sony. Instead, the game didn’t sell well and despite ideas for a sequel from the developer, the idea was scrapped. I’m sure Sony still owns the rights to the IP, time to right a wrong!
8/10
22. High on Life (2022)
Admittedly, this game isn’t for everyone because of its humor. This is produced by a developer who was founded by Justin Roiland of Rick and Morty fame (and he does a bunch of the voices). In essence, the entire game feels like it could be a spin-off of the show. It doesn’t take itself seriously at all and the humor is quite tongue-in-cheek for both videogames and the genre it is spoofing. The gameplay is fun, but never feels all that challenging. Thankfully it never feels repetitive because the game isn’t all that long. Only play this game if you are a Rick and Morty fan, not because you like a goofy FPS. I see there is a sequel coming out next year, so expect to see that on next year’s list.
8/10
21. Sniper Elite 5 (2022)
This one is a mild improvement over the fourth installment. The setting of France was far better and more interesting than Italy (sorry my Italian brothers). France offered more diverse maps and creative ways to dispose of your foes. The game is gorgeous and the AI was a step above SE4. Once again, the story is forgettable and the voice-actor for the main character is too over-the-top and grizzled to be taken seriously with the tone this game is going for. I’d keep playing these games and look forward to eventually tackling Sniper Elite: Resistance.
8/10
20. Hitman 2 (2018)
The second installment of the rebooted series is the best and oddly the first game I completed in this trilogy. What really sets this game against its predecessor and successor is both its story and mission locations. Hitman 2 has some of my favorite mission locations including Miami (a racetrack event), Whittleton Creek (a picturesque suburban American street) and Santa Fortuna (a small town that surrounds a drug cartel’s operations).
8/10
19. Star Wars: Outlaws (2024)
I personally love seeing what different studios can do with a single IP because they can all be so different, in a good way! While Respawn has killed it with their soulslike Jedi series, DICE/EA has done great things with the Battlefront series. Outlaws is in the hands of Ubisoft in their spin with Star Wars, which might turn some folks off. Ubisoft has a habit of doing the same thing over and over again. Yes, Ubisoft has a certain design to their open-world design and missions (see: FarCry, Ghost Recon, Assassin’s Creed, etc). BUT, they honestly do Star Wars right. This game has you playing as a smuggler on a grand adventure to evading the Empire and all the while carrying out sketchy missions for rival crime syndicates. Choices you make and which missions you undertake have an effect on how one of the three main syndicates treat you. The gameplay isn’t innovative, but the gunplay is satisfying. Speederbike and starship travel/combat is also well-done. The story is engaging and fun without being too predictable. Did I mention the main character has a little animal sidekick named Nix that can help you in certain stealth situations? I had fun with this game, but given its reported sales I doubt we get a sequel.
8/10
18. Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden (2024)
A fun action RPG that doesn’t necessarily reinvent the wheel, but does a lot of things right for the genre. This game has you in a the role of a ‘banisher’, someone who is capable of tracking down spirits and sending them to the afterlife. You play as a Scotsman named Red (who might as well be a Jamie from Outlander clone) who is aided by his deceased wife Antea). Each Red and Antea have their backstories explored as they visit this fictional New England town of New Eden on the request of an old friend to rid of an evil entity. Things don’t go as planned and the game has you explore New Eden and beyond trying to solve the mystery of this evil entity and how to get rid of it. You battle lots of ghosts which has you almost dual controlling Red and Antea to pull off unique combos. Throughout the adventure you come across NPCs who are haunted by ghosts, to which you are tasked with figuring out who it is and why they are haunting the person in the first place. There are dozens of these scenarios throughout and your actions in solving the case (casting the spirit to heaven or hell) has an impact on the ending of the story. The best part of this game is the relationship and dialogue between Red and Antea. It all feels so real and you don’t find this kind of chemistry between videogame leads. It was honestly beautiful.
8.25/10
17. Mafia: The Old Country (2025)
The fourth entry in the Mafia franchise (Mafia 1-3), of which all have a connection to one or more games in the series (though are largely their own stories). The Old Country is set as a prequel to the original trilogy and is the first set largely not in a fictional United States city. It is set in the fictional city/area of San Celeste, Italy in Sicily. While we’ve played many games featuring the classic and conventional mafia eras, this is the first I can think of that has you in the actual motherland exploring the beginnings of the Sicilian Mafia. The shooting mechanics are great as always, as are the graphics were are the best in the series so far. The story is solid and you genuinely interested in Enzo’s story as he rises through the ranks. The ending is quite emotional and shocking, which I wasn’t expecting. While this is the best game in the series, I do wish they would let this be an actual open world game. Yes, they do have a ‘free roam’ mode, but it is simply for looking for collectibles. With this gorgeous world they built, I want to be able to explore it naturally in the actual game…and maybe include some side missions!
8.25/10
16. Alan Wake 2 (2023)
I was maybe one of the few that found the first Alan Wake to be a little underwhelming. The gameplay felt repetitive and the story hard to follow at times. The game felt something of a great foundation and I was crossing my fingers to see if this second installment could course-correct for me. While the story was a little hard to follow at times, AW2 tells a much more thoughtful and emotional journey. Perhaps because of the inclusion of a second protagonist, Saga. I loved the use of her ‘mind place’ and the design/thought that went into the case boards. Saga’s story is intertwined with Alan Wake’s in a way that really amps up the stakes for both. It’s been a bit since the last installment, but the graphics here are really a major improvement. The game also used live-action sequences in a way that worked so well. You rarely see that anymore and this was done perfectly. The gameplay isn’t all that much improved as the action is identical to the last: point flash light and fire off your gun. What helps the game shine is the semi-open world and genuine scares that it brings. The developer, Remedy, really seems to have found their stride with Control and now Alan Wake 2. Spoiler: we will almost certainly get another sequel.
8.5/10
15. The Evil Within 2 (2017)
Speaking of horror games that surpass the original, TEW2 is an even greater leap over its original. Sebastian’s story gets much more personal sense of struggle to go much more under the surface than its vague references in the first game. The visuals are all improved and still gives you that Inception type vibes where the world often feels flipped on its head. The gameplay is almost identical, but this one is less off the rails with a semi-open world hubs which is a huge plus for me. The game also offers various side-missions to uncover more of the mystery surrounding everything. It is also genuinely scary and the enemies formidable given the lack of abundant resources.
8.5/10
14. Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 (2024)
First off, I know absolutely nothing of the Warhammer 40K world prior to playing this. After spending 10 hours on the campaign? I’m still not sure I do. Nonetheless, I had an absolute blast playing this game. The combat is so much fun and mowing down the tyranids (think the bugs from Starship Troopers) is satisfying from beginning to end. You also get to kill some evil space marines in the game, so the enemies are at least varied. You do truly feel like a one-man army and how you can switch off between ranged and melee combat is a thrill. Did I mention your melee weapon is a chainsaw sword? Yeah, you use that to tear apart some of the bigger tyranids in the game. The game is just pure unadulterated fun to which you are surrounded by gorgeous graphics and solid gunplay. I will play this if they continue to make sequels.
8.5/10
13. Robocop: Rogue City (2023)
Rogue City has no reason to be as fun as it is. As a child born in the 80’s, I grew up watching the Robocop films and still enjoy them to this day. Sadly, I’m not sure we ever had a Robocop game that was either good or felt like it truly captured the feel of the films. This game not only captures all of that, but feels true to the actual satire. To this day I don’t understand why nowadays it is so hard to adapt a film IP to a game when a game like this exists. The game feels unique in that it gives you all the action of a Robocop game (with glorious over-the-top gore) and performing actual detective work. Yes, the game has you romping around a semi-open world of Detroit solving crimes. I’ve yet to play the DLC/sequel, so look out for that in 2026.
8.5/10
12. Doom Eternal (2020)
This takes everything that Doom (2016) did and turn it up to 11. The action is faster and the enemies even more brutally difficult. A ton of this game takes you back to Earth which has been totally overrun by the demon world (while also making pitstops on Mars and the sentinel homeworld). The game does even more world-building that took be a bit to understand. Learning that from the original Doom back in the 90’s to now…all the games are connected AND you are still playing as the titular Doomguy. Not sure I would have understood it all without help from wikipedia, but still neat to understand it all a bit more. But back to the game, with the heavy metal pumping as you obliterate the demon hellspawn is so damn fun.
8.5/10
11. Sword of the Sea (2025)
Sometimes you just need a ‘vibes’ game to really put you into the feels. Sword of the Sea is exactly that game. There is no dialogue in this game. You play as an unnamed character who uses a hoversword to traverse a dead, desert landscape. Your task is to bring this barren world back to life by completing various puzzles (you can do cool tricks with your board too!). This had the calming, soothing tranquility of an award-winning game like Journey. As you slowly bring the world back to life, complete with flora and fauna, it begins to feel magical and alive. The game wants you to feel connected to the game world and it certainly does that and more.
9/10
10. The Plucky Squire (2024)
I got way more enjoyment out of this than I would have ever thought. The game is an adorable throwback adventure/puzzle game reminiscent of games like the old Legend of Zelda games. What makes it special however is how it bends the genre into something different, all the while becoming meta as hell. You play as the plucky squire and are tasked with returning to your world and defeating the evil wizard who wishes to change the story and escape the book itself. It is a completely self-aware tale that is genuinely funny at how it pokes fun at itself and the genres it is spoofing. The art design and sound are superb and felt like a fresh of breath air from beginning to end. I smiled throughout the entire playthrough and would want to do so again.
9/10
9. Jusant (2023)
This is an amazing little puzzle/platformer from the studio Don’t Nod (see: Vampyr, Life is Strange, Lost Records, etc). They don’t ever seem to miss and that is a huge credit to that developer to have that kind of range and impact. The game is simple, climb to the very top of this tower/mountain that is surrounded by a desert landscape that clearly used to be an ocean. The mountain was once home to an actual civilization, community and some mysterious creatures. The mechanics of climbing feel great as you use both the R2 and L2 triggers to operate your hands movement individually. Combine that with endurance and many obstacles along the way, it can be challenging at times. Gameplay also introduces ziplines and rope swinging as well. As you ascend, you discover more information on why the settlement is abandoned and other supernatural mysteries surrounding it. It all culminates in a beautiful ending that I won’t spoil here. This is one of those games that feels therapeutic while playing it with its gorgeous visuals and soothing score.
9/10
8. Ghost of Yotei (2025)
This is just as good as its predecessor, Ghost of Tsushima. And it might just have a better story and protagonist. Jin Sakai was good, but Atsu is less arrogant and more interesting. This story also takes you off of the island of Tsushima and onto Hokkaido in the shadow of Mount Yotei. The game is gorgeous and the voice-acting is top notch. Atsu’s story of revenge is ironically very similar to that of the main character from Assassin’s Creed Shadows. A group of men brutally murder Atsu’s family as a child and it is Atsu’s job (16 years after the event) to hunt down those six people. The open world is interesting to explore, but isn’t engrossing say like a Skyrim or Red Dead Redemption 2. There are some side missions, but I’d like it if there were more (and varied). The characters are rich and the story keeps you guessing so you don’t get bored. I love this ‘Ghost’ series, but I’d like to see Sucker Punch shift to a new IP or perhaps revisit an older one like Infamous
9/10
7. Assassin’s Creed Shadows (2025)
Perhaps since I played this game a month before Yotei, it resonated more. I also love the Assassin’s Creed series more than most. What most people find repetitive or tired gameplay, I don’t. I do believe Shadows is almost a return to form for the series. While it still has a lot of RPG elements, the stealth missions were really a main focus again. The game has two playable protagonists, Naoe (the shinobi) and Yasuke (the samurai). Based on your playstyle, you can choose to play as either. I probably spent 75% of the game as Naoe because I love the stealth assassin stuff way more than brute forcing my way through everything. This game built upon what previous games have done in that all your targets must be found by completing missions to reveal clues as to who and where they are. This games also features TONS of targets outside the main dozen you have to take down. I put in at least 70 hours completing all assassinations before putting the game down. This was easily the most hours I put into a game all year to give you an idea on how much I loved it.
9/10
6. Life is Strange 2 (2018)
The first game was a great experience, but this new journey dials it up in a way I wasn’t expected. This is another point and click adventure game from developer Don’t Nod that features new characters this time-around. The choices you make in this game are stomach-churning every time because of how it might affect the story and your relationship with your brother. This is a road trip movie in game form as you and your super-powered brother try and make their way to safety. The characters are great and the themes are brotherhood and family ring true from beginning to end. As with any “make your own adventure” style game, you get a unique ending. Mine nearly had me balling my eyes out it was so happy, sad, and tragic all at the same time. A must-play if you like the genre.
9/10
5. Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (2024)
Prince of Persia games have had a unique run the last 20 years. Reinvented as an action adventure game with time-travel mechanics in the early 00’s, but has shifted back to a 2D side-scrolling adventure this go-around. I’m not big into Metroidvania-style games, but this one gripped me in early. You control the main character (who ironically is NOT the prince) as you rescue the prince who has been kidnapped to a forgotten cursed city with all sorts of monsters waiting to kill you (and they do…a lot). The game has some difficulty, but the mechanics of the game are fun with parrying, special attacks and time-altering powers. The story is fine, but the boss battles and combat in general are very fun. Figuring out the platform puzzles are satisfying. There were a couple parts I had to lower the difficulty because I couldn’t do it (1-2 boss battles).
9/10
4. Doom: The Dark Ages (2025)
It’s the third game in this rebooted trilogy, but actually the first in the timeline (a prequel to Doom and Doom Eternal). This one has you fighting alongside the Sentinels and Maykrs in their never-ending battling against Hell’s demons. Gone are most of the modern guns, now you have guns that shoot projectile of crushed bones and a chainsaw shield to slash through enemies. This game isn’t as fast-paced as the two previous games, but I think that fits here in this darker, more story-driven setting. The combat is very strategic with gunplay and how you approach specific enemies and hordes. Also new is the inclusion of sections where you fly on a dragon-mount and a giant Pacific Rim-esque mech. The latter is the real winner as it feels really satisfying obliterating opposing towering demons. This is my favorite in the rebooted trilogy and it never feels as good to be The Slayer than it does in this game.
9.5/10
3. Dave the Diver (2023)
This feels like the ultimate relaxation game when you are in it. The unbridled charm and quirks this exudes is really special. In the game you play as Dave, a scuba diver who has been roped in by an associate to dive for exotic fish for another associate to use with his beachside sushi shop. Silly right? That isn’t even half of it. Did I tell you you can encounter mermaids? The game is all over the place, but in a good way. I often just found myself getting lost in the moment, exploring the many caves and caverns collecting specific type of fish that my sushi overlord needs to create a specific dish. There are tons of mini-games that play off classics like Tapper, Farmville, and much more. As you progress through the game you can upgrade your gear so you can dive deeper and bigger and better fish. You help dolphins, whales and turtles. Special customers and events will visit that will require you to really search for those ingredients to make the perfect dish that makes this game infinitely playable. I hear there is a second game on its way and I can’t wait.
9.5/10
2. Lost Records: Bloom and Rage (2025)
Guess what, its another point-and-click adventure game that gives me all the feels! I’m at least consistent, folks. Another game from Don’t Nod that plays very similar to Life is Strange. In this story you play a role of a woman named Swann. Both her present self (43) and her as an adolescent 27 years earlier. The past explores her life during the summer before she moved away as she befriends three other similar-aged girls in an unforgettable summer. The present-day Swann reminisces of that summer with two of the girls at a bar that their entire lives changed 27 years earlier. Throughout this summer, you develop relationships with each of the other girls. Explore their lives, and yours, as you begin to find yourself and the person you want to be. It is absolutely phenomenal storytelling where it is part mystery, part reliving and suppressing adolescent trauma in a unique and powerful way. This game has different endings depending on your actions in both the past and present. The ending of this game had me thinking about it for months afterwards. The graphics are top notch and the soundtrack is one of the best I’ve ever heard in a game.
9.5/10
1. Astro Bot (2024)
Ironically, this is also the first game I played in 2025 and nothing I played after it could even top. Astro Bot was deserving of every award it received in 2024, including Game of the Year at the Game Awards. A masterly crafted platforming adventure that is the ultimate love-letter to both PlayStation fans and gaming in general. It is challenging, fun and, and constantly having you smile. The game is simple (and familiar if you played Astro’s Playroom back when the PS5 launched). You play as Astro, a bot among many other bots whose ship (which is a giant PS5) crash lands on a lone planet. Your ship’s most crucial pieces and over a hundred of your fellow bots are scattered across dozens of different worlds. Each world having their own theme and gameplay elements unique to itself. The game is simple, but that is what makes it great in my opinion. It is a must own and play game if you own a PlayStation 5.
10/10