Topic: Non-2025 goty

I'm borrowing this idea from the Push Square forums. If you played any games this year that did not release this year, which one was your favorite? Feel free to share some honorable mentions as well.
My choice:
Dragon Quest XI S Echoes of an Elusive Age Definitive Edition (2019)
My honorable mentions:
The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom (2023)
Super Neptunia RPG (2019)
Doki Doki Literature Club (2017)

My non-2025 GOTY is "Voices of the Void", an indie game that's still being developed, but yet feels complete in its current iteration, and is one of the most unique gaming experiences in memory for me. Changed what I thought games could be.

Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon

Such a charming game, I can understand why the repetitive combat might turn people off but it just has such a lovely mix of environments, art styles and interactions that makes it a joy to return to.

Honorable Mentions:
Borderlands 3. Surprisng this game wasnt as bad as people say. I found the DLC storylines better then the main story but still I did enjoy it.

My non 2025 GOTY
Dragon Quest XI S on the Switch. I played it a few years ago on the PS4 but this is the way to play it.

Considering the games I've played this year, my GOTY has to be...

Metroid: Samus Returns for the 3DS from 2017. It's funny how Metroid was my first game of 2025 and now Metroid Prime 4 will be my last game of 2025. It made me appreciate where Metroid Dread comes from a bit more. Just wish it was the Special Edition, though.

Honorable mentions

Fight Night Round 2 (GC version) from 2005.
It's weird that I have any sort of positive to say about EA these days, but this game stands out for having not only a playable Little Mac from SNES Super Punch-Out!!, but for Nintendo allowing EA to have an emulated version of said game. Even more, for allowing Nintendo to have Little Mac playable in Career Mode and allow you to customize him with tatoos. It stands out because Street Challenge in NBA Street V3 and Tour Mode in SSX on Tour don't allow you to play those modes with Mario, Luigi and Peach.

JUMP SUPER STARS for the DS, also from 2005.
This year I got both Jump games on the DS, and somehow I prefer the first game over the second. As someone who prefers Smash Bros. Brawl over Melee, I felt the same Melee-to-Brawl transition here going from Super-to-Ultimate, but strangely for the Jump games I prefer the Melee-esque game.

Star Fox: Assault for the Gamecube, guess the year (yes, 2005 again).
I'd like to see another Star Fox game like this. The idea is clearly there, but the execution not quite.

Reminder that I need to go and finish Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean as well as start Tales of Symphonia.

My non-2025 GOTY is Hollow Knight. For a few months before playing Hollow Knight, I had been in a sort of gaming slump. Nothing I played was really wowing me and I was starting to wonder if gaming was losing its magic for me. I wasn't certain that I would even get a Switch 2! Then in March I played Hollow Knight for the first time, and I was immediately engrossed in the somber yet exciting kingdom of Hallownest. The feeling of exploration exuded by Hollow Knight is met by few other titles. Hollow Knight began a trend of me playing almost non-stop fantastic games this year.

For this reason, Hollow Knight earns my pick for 2025 Non-2025 Game of the Year.

I look forward to playing Silksong in 2026!

My non-2025 game of the year is Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations (2004, but I played it as part of the trilogy on Switch). It's such a gripping game that leaves you on the edge of your seat until the very end. When Godot's theme plays after he's revealed to be the killer, that was my favourite moment in the trilogy and probably one of my favourites in all of gaming.

Tbh, I don't really beat many games per year, I think my attention span's busted or something. Out of the games I just about didn't beat, I'd like to honorably mention:
Persona 3 Reload (65 hours in, am gonna be real mad at myself if I don't beat it before the end of the year. Fantastic game though)
Hades 1 (exhilarating gameplay, cool character designs and lots of class)
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (only got it on Monday, yet I can already tell it would've topped the list by a landslide had I got it earlier in the year)
And finally, Breath of the Wild, which I beat the day before Switch 2 came out after putting it off forever.

Easy one for me - Cyberpunk. I’ve had an amazing time playing this game. So glad we got it on day 1 of the SW2