Topic: Game of the Year 2025

@Th3solution often the best moments for me in a game are when I feel like I am finding or experiencing something that gives you the impression that the developers didn’t care if stumbled across it, for example a secret area in Elden Ring that many people could naturally miss. It’s just cool to feel as though you’re not getting spoon fed everything and there is some reward if you go hunting off the beaten track. It can be the same with entire games too, it’s partly why I got such a kick out of Divinity 1. I know it sounds like I am saying “popular stuff isn’t cool” but.. I dunno, maybe that’s what I am saying 😂

Probably Shinobi in terms of pure enjoyment. Should say, I've not played some of the big hitters yet; Ghost, Expedition 33 for example.

I've also not started Silksong properly yet, and some of the verdicts it's getting in this thread are making me nervous...

Also @Th3solution I second @graymamba 's thoughts on the Dark Souls 3 DLC. Can't wait til you get to that game

@kyleforrester87 BG3 has many of those type of moments. Little (and big) side areas and activities that are very easily missed by someone taking a golden path. The joy of discovery is really great. Entire questlines and characters are intricately crafted and then just sewn into the world in some corner that is easily missed by someone trying to rush through.

Not to put pressure on you but… it does indeed seem right up your alley. 😄

@Gremio108 I am looking forward to it. DS3 was on my schedule to start this year but my 2025 plans were thwarted by life and unplanned obstacles. Will definitely drop thoughts when I get to it — probably mid 2026, maybe as early as March/April. The rumors of a native PS5 port could alter things.

@Th3solution Yeah maybe I'll give it another go. I must have had 30 hours in my first save when I gave up so it is a lot to replace. I think I am not hugely stoked on it being set in D&D either. I preferred the original system they had in the OS games. Also the combat seems to be a bit slower in general. I did enjoy BG1 quite a bit when I played through it a couple of years ago though.

Pillars of Eternity 2... now that's a CRPG I love. I've played it almost 3 times!

@ZeroE Interesting list. I’ve not played any of those on your list but have a few of them in my backlog.

I’m curious what your take is on Ghost of Yotei vs. AC: Shadows, since you rate them both so highly. I’ve read some thoughts from people on both sides who rate one over the other. What elevated GoY in your mind to edge it over Shadows?

Also, I’m interested to hear how you think the sequels on your list compare to their predecessors. So not only GoY versus Tsushima, but also with Death Stranding 2 and KCD2. What did they do better or worse than the first games in their respective series?

@ZeroE Thanks for that insightful reply. I’m excited to eventually try each of those games. I’ ve yet to play KCD1, so I’ll need to play that before KCD2, but otherwise, I’m up to date on the other games’ predecessors and it’s just a matter of lining up these sequels in my gaming schedule. Of the group, DS2 will probably be the first one I get to.

My personal game of the year is Hollow Knight: Silksong. After years waiting, it was suddenly here in a flash! Hard as nails, gargantuan and satisfying. I do enjoy a good Metroidvania, and on that front it certainly didn't disappoint. The map size is utterly bonkers, although at times I wondered if it was a little too big. I'm not the most skilled gamer and usually balk at difficult ones, but against the odds I somehow managed to 100% it, including every boss. So yay me. The mark of just how crap I am is my inflated playtime: 140 hours. 🙈

Some parts frustrated the hell out of me, with certain bosses taking multiple days of attempts to beat (I'm looking at you, First Sinner, Tormented Trobbio and Groal the Great 😬), but once I did, the satisfaction–or perhaps relief–was immense. It's been some years since I played the first Hollow Knight, so it is difficult to directly compare, but if memory serves correctly, Silksong is more challenging, particularly in its platforming and combat arenas. A few bosses take place after some rather frustrating gauntlets and also have a habit of summoning minions, further increasing the challenge, but figuring out how to tackle them and really get into the flow was worthwhile.

I enjoyed the aesthetics, too, especially the careful use of colour and lovely animated cutscenes. Hornet has quite a poetic manner of speech, befitting her status as a divine being, and there a number of bizarre NPCs dotted throughout. Looked lovely on the Switch 2 as well. Purportedly 120fps, but I honestly didn't notice the difference compared to 60. The only thing I didn't like about playing on the Switch 2 is the lack of a proper d-pad, forcing me to use the analogue stick, which goes against my every natural instinct playing sidescrollers.

Runner up for me is easily Split Fiction. It feels very much like It Takes Two before it, with even more gameplay variety. There's so much imagination in every corner of every level. It was a lovely experience.

Third is Donkey Kong Bananza. Hideous pun, great game. I wasn't initially sold on how destroying levels with every punch could be conducive to tight level design and platforming, but of course Nintendo found a way, and the resulting game is a lot of fun. Bananas are dotted everywhere, and the DNA of Mario Odyssey is clearly pulsing throughout.

Lastly, my honourable mention is Metal Gear Solid Delta. On the one hand, MGS3 is still one of the greatest games ever made, so still holds up very well indeed. The story is excellent, and it's full of Kojima weirdness. On the other, the remake is too conservative. Not satisfied with simply keeping the original level design intact–replete with small interconnected areas and loading screens between them–it reuses every animation, every enemy placement. Everything. This was a little frustrating in the final sections against a a certain vehicular boss. I'm however glad the original voices were reused, as they really were extremely good for 2004 and hold up as well as any modern voice acting. The Boss is also still one of my favourite characters. One area it excels in is the completely remade visuals, so it looks lovely, although performance is a little stuttery. So, while this is one of the most conservative remakes I've played, the quality of the original continues to sparkle.

@mookysam I really really like that Team Cherry made 'the game they wanted to make' without compromises or pandering to the broadest demographic possible. They basically made a game for everyone that loved Hollow Knight essentially, and then ranked up the challenge even further.

I brute-forced my way to 100%, culminating in beating Lost Lace, but the whole experience was just far too masochistic! I generally enjoy hard games (Sekiro being my #1 of all time) but SS was just a whole new level of frustration.

Some of the bosses were incredible though, Grandmother Silk / First Sinner / Lost Lace / Trobeo etc... but other elements of the game like Bilewater had me wanting to throw my Switch2 through a window!

For me personally, if TC toned down the difficulty from a 10 - - > 8 then I genuinely think this would be my GOTY. But yeah, just too damn frustrating too much of the time. Objectively though I respect the game and everything it has done, with Team Cherry just being awesome IMO. The price point especially was incredible, as they could have easily have charged double without anyone batting an eyelid!