Topic: Favorite games you played in 2025

I like to do this thread, every year. I'm long past the point of keeping up with new game releases, so I prefer to talk about whatever games I just happened to play in 2025. So I have a thread just for that, where the only rule is to post about the games you liked that you played for the first time (or at least for the first time for enough time to have a worthwhile opinion on) in the year 2025. I tend to just post any game I'd give at least an 8/10, from best to "worst", but you do you (especially if you've played a lot more games than I have).

1. Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition: This isn't even the Xenoblade DE that came out this year lol. If I was better at playing new games, I would've considered not putting this here, but it is unquestionably my favorite game I played this year that is a new release. The original Xenoblade Chronicles is one of my favorite games of all time, it was an absurdly good JRPG by nearly any standard possible. Great music, impossible world for a Wii game, beautiful world, fun combat, fun exploration, fantastic story (...despite taking a while to live up to the hype, in true JRPG fashion), great voice acting. It has it all. And despite some improvements in the other games, it has not aged a day, as made clear by this remaster. The original already did its best to not waste your time, despite being a massive, time wasting game, and this just adds to that even more, in ways that maybe you could object to, if you're one of those weirdos mad about the swift sail in Wind Waker HD. And while I am glad I played the original first, I'm so glad for the hours I did not have to waste trying to find items this time and that made me appreciate the game all the more, when the sequel in particular made me question my fondness for long games by going too far in the opposite direction.

BTW: Future Connected is worse than Torna as far as extra campaigns go, but it is evened out by following up on a game that left me less exhausted. And that 's even though I did MORE this time percentage of the original game than I did in 2012.

2. Nier:Automata: This game is largely fantastic, which I guess is no surprise. I don't have hot takes too often, I like the games other people like, and that is true here. Combining Platinum's gameplay with some truly thought provoking, existential, emotionally exhausting almost type of storytelling is such a perfect combination, of hiding the weaknesses of different creators, that it feels like a game that was meant to be. I've felt more about parts of this game, about its soundtrack, than I've felt about almost any other video game, especially in recent years.

The only issue I have is that as brilliant and well realized a game it is, especially when I adored a lot of the early game, the hype of the late game being so much better did end up making me feel it was maybe a bit overhyped by comparison. I was invested unquestionably, there are parts that hit really hard, but some of what happens feels a bit obvious in ways that underwhelmed me a little and I didn't get as into the end as I thought I would. It feels like this game deserved an hour more just to go full existential, experimental and go all out on everything the game had been about and everything more we can get out of the characters. Yes even more than it had done. Pull an End of Eva, I don't care. Despite that though, Platinum's best game, with Wonderful 101 being the only true competition for my tastes.

3. Alien Isolation: A wonderful Switch 1 showcase, beautiful game, incredible atmosphere. I'd only seen Alien 2 times, I watched Aliens only recently, but I still adore what an incredible recreation of the world of Alien it is. And as someone who now finally "gets" stealth games, and has wanted to get non-action horror games despite being...disinterested in the retro RE/Silent Hill gameplay era, I'm pretty thrilled about how this one turned out. The first major sequence avoiding the Alien is one of the most exciting segments of any game I've played in a long time, and despite being a bit meh about...most of the story and characters, it was still a great experience almost all the way through. Though not as bad, it is a little like the last horror-ish game I played, Doom 3, where it should end and then keeps going. This one had a much better last 1/4, but it did feel a bit long, despite having played many longer games, some of which I liked a lot less.

4. Metroid Prime 4: I'm the least certain about this one, because I have not finished it but I'm like 10 hours in, I think I've played enough to have my opinion. I want to say a lot more when I do finish it, but right now, my opinion is simply that it is by a small margin, the worst mainline Metroid Prime. But it is in fact, a Metroid Prime game so I certainly will not complain. Most of its issues are not really bad things, its mostly just some meh thrown onto a winning formula. Which is arguably true of 2 and 3, but it stands out more here, despite arguably having less real low points than them. I wish it was a bit better, especially after all this time, but it is still a worthy continuation, which is what I wanted. The psychic stuff is fun, the bike is fun despite repetition, it looks fantastic even on Switch 1, and the bosses might be peak, as long as we don't have a stupid long wait next time, that's enough for now. Also tbh, its the first Metroid since Prime 3 with good, original, memorable music so that's nice.

5. A Hat In Time: I feel bad for Playtonic, they got outshone the same year from a dev that has yet to make a 2nd game. This is partially on me, especially for a game now 8 years old, I've missed the 3D platformer so much. It is just nice to play a 3D platformer that's this fun to play, this creative, and just enjoy my time with it, in a reasonable amount of time but with more to do if I want. It's exactly what I wanted and despite vaguely knowing what the levels were ahead of time, did not feel remotely spoiled (well ok yeah its a platformer not a JRPG, but you get what I mean), and had some of the more memorable levels I've played in a while. Just a charming and fun as heck game, not much else to say.

6. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided: There's like three games I almost felt I had to play this month because I had so little new I played this year. Technically I had played this one a bit earlier in the year, but I spent 20+ hours just across 5 days because I had a week off and this was the main way I chose to spend it lol. So, Deux Ex: Human Revolution was a game I played a good chunk of when it was new in 2011. And then it was one of the last games I played on Wii U in 2018, and that made me fall in love with it and is more than any other game, the one that made me enjoy stealth games. It allowed me to trial and error my way, in the best way, to doing as close to a pacifist run as you can do in this game. I loved it, one of the highlights of the Wii U easily. This one...is more of the same. I kinda feel like I should've been more into it than I was, but despite hearing a lot less acclaim for this one, I'm surprised its not higher on my list. I'm honestly not sure why, like it has issues, like I'm not the most into the characters, but that was true of the last one, so I dunno. But still I do just adore, spending way too much getting every bit of lore I can in these games, for weirdly gameplay reasons and not as much story. It's surprisingly addicting to just endlessly hack computers, find the best way to take out any enemy without being seen despite constant reloads, and that remains true here. Haven't beaten it yet but it is kind of a Metroid Prime situation, especially since I dunno if we're ever getting another one, where I'm just glad to have a version of this to play at all.

7. YIIK I.V: This one's just funny to me. So there was this 2019 indie RPG called YIIK: A Postmodern RPG, it was polarizing at best, a complete joke at worst. I don't wanna get into that, because as always the internet makes things hyperbolic and weird, but the original release was one of my most anticipated games, and ended up as an all over the place game in terms of qualities that I thought was a 6/10. Quietly though, they spent ages making new versions of the game and this one is different enough to judge differently. It made some changes to the story, some additions, COMPLETELY changed the combat system and added a lot more visuals to what were otherwise long dialogue segments, among some other things.

I was undecided if I thought this version was great or just a solid improvement. Like some parts of it, like chapter 3 out of 5, is still kinda sort of not good, not fun, weird in ways that I don't think works. But ultimately I decided that because the improvements did help and they did not compromise what the game and story was going for just to pander to the haters, yeah its kinda great. It is a respectful balancing act between sincere artistic integrity and acknowledgement of your faults. And I think with the improvements, I could far more appreciates what it was going for, what is at the very least, an interesting story metaphorically (literally? both?) about clinging to nostalgia and your own ego when going back to your childhood home after college that really works for me more than it doesn't. And it always had some fantastic high points, and those remain, its a game I'm happy to have put so much time into, so that's enough for me.

8: Sayonara Wild Hearts: I kinda want to replay this one because its so beloved by some people. It is great, it is a great gameplay experience, but its on the bottom of this list because I'm not sure if I'm into the music or the music video experience in a way that others are? It's a great game ultimately, I think, but not as great an overall experience. But it is really engaging to play as a game despite that, a weird, unique, runner-ish type of experience that's a lot of fun. Some of the levels are incredible even. But despite that, I think I might end up respecting the game as a standout indie game of its era more than having it be as much of a favorite of mine.

Also the "barely making the list" choice I had last year was Gris, which I only played at the end of last year instead of this because I was not in the mood for the almost eye strain risk experience it felt like at first, so it feels fitting to end on this one.