Westernwolf4

Wolverine. Control 2. Some obscure indie called GT something or other (😃). Loads more smaller games I cannot wait for.

2026 is shaping up to be SUCH a great year for games!

@Divergent95 Xbox has been collapsing toward being a glorified publisher for a long time, for a lot of different reasons. It has zero to do with how their recent ports are doing. Their struggles that lead them to porting all their games recently go back to the Xbox One at least (see comment by Room with a Moose that just appeared above mine).

If Sony's fortunes are reliant on whether Stellar Blade goes to other platforms two years after release, Sony is in worse shape than I thought.

This is not even a first party developer. I want to see ShiftUp make more things, which is easier when more people get to play.

Don't see the problem here, or the relevance of your comparisons.

The more people who get access to games the better I say.

Do not understand this at all. This makes no sense.

@clvr The fact that gaming discourse on the internet has a tendency to veer into the toxic is not something anyone is making up out of whole cloth. It has been demonstrated over and over again for years and years, game after game. I don’t have any problem with people who cover video games pointing out the obvious.

No one who writes for Pushsquare needs me to defend them, but you missed his point and called the author disingenuous in the process. You can disagree with his point (although I think arguing that gaming discourse usually remains non-toxic online is a tough argument, especially when it comes to big series like GOW), but he was clearly not saying no one could disagree with him about the game. Just that lower scores than usual for the series would likely turn discussion of the game toxic in some corners of the internet. Which, to me, is a pretty self-evident statement.

@clvr He is clearly writing about the issue of overreaction on the internet and not saying no one can disagree with him about the game. Two very different things, and not disingenuous at all.

I am a big fan of both old and new GOW, and I think they should leave the hack and slash fun of the old games exactly how it is. Both old and modern GOW are fun for very different reasons. Just let me go off on hordes with the Blades of Chaos with orbs flying everywhere with a little glow up and I will be happy.

I could not agree with this review more, having played this on Xbox on release. Yes, the story and script are rather formulaic. But this is fully offset by some outstanding player choice and a really fun and flexible combat system. When you are exploring the whole world because you know your choices matter and because you are looking for trouble to test out fun new powers, that is the sign of a good game.

I was really surprised by how much the game allowed me to influence the narrative because I looked around a little and opened some possibilities. It was cool, and the kind of thing I thought more RPG fans would respond to.

This is not the best game I ever played, but it is good and certainly deserved more attention and praise.

@Quintumply I am pretty sure that is why I played it too. That is what I enjoy about the games part of Plus so much: finding gems I never would have played otherwise.

Thank you for this feature-it is a really fun read each week!

This is by far my fastest Platinum, which is the main thing I remember about it!

It is absolutely amusing and charming. I think it was a PS Plus game too?

1.I love the GOW franchise, in both its old a new forms.

2.I absolutely want to play this, and I will.

I really liked Starfield. It was my most played game in 2023. I understand why many did not like it, but I got exactly what I wanted from it. A few humble pieces of advice for people who do want to take the plunge:

1.The first couple hours of the game are a slog. The game does not make a good first impression, and does not onboard players to its systems or concepts well. If you can push through, a fun space adventure awaits.

2.I think the marketing for this game did it a real disservice: it made it sound like we were getting a No Man’s Sky exploration game and detailed RPG in one package. This is not that. It is some interesting and fun story/side quests in a space/sci-fi package. The exploration in this game is not really the point-this is not a “what is over the next hill or on the next planet” type of game. It is traveling to the next planet to find the story beat or new quest there.

Starfield has a couple of the best long questlines I have encountered in many years. That is what I wanted, so I loved it. If you are looking for planets to explore every corner of, this is not for you.

3.Buying.building ships is fun, but stealing them from pirates who attack you and building a fleet that way is even more fun!

This is a shame-Outer Worlds 2 is a good game, and improved markedly on the first (which I also liked).

Avowed was also good, so I would be down for a sequel.

@AhmadSumadi I am so glad to hear it remains good all the way through! I have always enjoyed games from this developer, and I am still surprised by how much I am loving this game. It has me completely hooked!

I am playing Banishers: Ghost of New Eden. It is really good, and I am annoyed with myself that I slept on it for so long.

The atmosphere is great. The characters are great. I liked DontNod’s previous effort of this type, Vampyr, but it was a pretty flawed game. It seems like they have taken what they were trying to do with Vampyr, and built on it to make it so much better. I love that!

Happy gaming all!

Not every game here is to my taste, but I have been wanting to try Undisputed and Subnautica 2.

There is a wide variety of games on offer this month. I think that is all we can ask from a part of the service that is not tailored to the specific tastes of each person.

I came very close to purchasing this on Amazon yesterday, and I was still thinking about it. So, thanks for the heads up Pushsquare!

I know it won’t capture the Fight Night magic, but even a little of that would be fun.

Perhaps the most fun Platinum I ever completed. Spider-Man is just pure fun to play every minute.

This makes me happy. Yotei is an excellent game.

@Can-You-Believe-Sith No one puts the Bae bae or the Bay Bay in a corner!!!!!

I am really dating myself with this reference. Yes, I am a very old gamer. My reflexes are so slow I still haven’t responded to a Bloodborne boss attack that started in 2016………😃

I like the LIS games, and I am looking forward to playing this (although I haven’t gotten around to Double Exposure yet).

I just want to say that I liked LIS 2 more than most people. I have two sons that were basically the same ages with the same age gap as the main characters when I played the game. That probably unduly influenced my opinion, but I thought their behavior and interactions and sibling dynamic/relationship rang very true (minus the super powers of course!).

Anyway: high hopes for the new game!

While Mr. Ramsey plays Yakuza 2, I am finally wrapping up the mainline series with Yakuza 6. Now that I am past the baby chores portion of the experience, I am having fun! Kiryu is a great protagonist, and I am enjoying finishing the main part of his story after all these years.

I had a lot of fun with Avowed. Great, flexible combat system. Some well thought out quests. And actions that can have real impact on the game if you really engage with the world.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it!

I just finished my first playthrough of Dispatch. It is just as good as everyone says. One of the best of 2025.

I am also playing through Yakuza 6, as I have finally reached the end of the mainline series after taking it slow for years. I am having fun, but it is a little different in tone from the rest of the series so far.

Great list! 2026 is going to be great year for games.

One of my most anticipated I did not see on the list: Mouse PI for Hire.

Nothing for me here, but I can’t really complain. In the last couple of months alone I have rolled credits on Alan Wake 2, Stray and Horizon Lego Adventures through essential. Plenty of value for me lately, and I hope others enjoy the January 26 offerings.

1.I loved the original as is, so not touching this.

2.If anyone wants their series fix from a recent game, I highly recommend Pirates in Hawaii. Bonkers fun in the best possible way.

1.Undertale is great.

2. I don’t have the platinum, but the title reminds me of my favorite name for a Plat I do have from After Party: “Thanks for not reading a book instead.”

I also have this plat, and I agree with everything here. I rolled credits on Borderlands, but it just left me cold (and it has one of my least favorite endings in all of gaming). I never went back to the main series.

But Tales is delightful fun. The writing is so funny. There are not enough comedy games, and this one nailed the humor.

Still light shining my way through Alan Wake 2.

I play and I play and I play and I play and I play............

My wife and I got married in 1999, and we used to play Podracer or Mario Kart on the N64 to determine who would do the dishes etc. Most fun decision making tool ever!

We won’t need this game for that-it is now clearly me (or the kids!). 😃

Ok, my childhood dog was a Border Collie just like the one in this game. They are the smartest, best dogs ever.

You better believe I am going to play the heck out of this game.

South of Midnight is a good game. Don't miss it!

I know this is a minority opinion, but I think this game is a solid good but not great. It has nothing to do with bugs-it actually ran pretty well on my PS5-there were some crashes and annoying things but nothing game breaking.

I just didn't find the world or the quests that compelling. There were some good quests and story beats, but the game as a whole felt kind of stale and empty to me. I was hoping for a Witcher 3 type experience, with quests and a world that captivated me for weeks and weeks. I thought Cyberpunk was a real step down, even without considering the problematic launch.

I am really glad others enjoyed it more than I did. I also have not played Phantom Liberty, which is supposed to be excellent. And: It is not a bad game by any means. It just left me sort of cold. I am much more excited for Witcher 4 than Cyberpunk 2, let's put it that way.

This is fun every year!

590 hours played. This is an all time low for me since these wrap ups started. Part of it is that I play on multiple other platforms, but PS5 is still my primary. Just not as much time to game in 2025.

My top five games played:

1.Dragon Age: Veilguard. I don't care what the buzz is around this game, I really enjoyed it.

2.Ghost of Yotei. My GOTY.

3.Yakuza: Pirates in Hawaii. The most purely fun game I have played in a long time.

4.Sand Land. A charming adventure.

5.Forspoken(????). There was fun to be had here and I did roll credits. But this game also has deep flaws, and I am surprised I sunk that much time in!

I think the game I played most this year was Expedition 33, but on Gamepass.

13 years as a PS Plus member. I guess my threats to cancel have amounted to a lot. LOL.

2025 was a great year for games, and I am looking forward to 2026. Thank you to Pushsquare staff and members who make this such a great place to talk and learn about games!

Alan Wake 2 for me. As with the first game, the atmosphere and story are top notch. That will take me to the credits.

As with the first game, the combat and gameplay I can take or leave. The Caldera Station, full of dead ends and backtracking and memory board stuff was annoying as hell.

Happy gaming everyone!

Cool feature! I am not an active trophy hunter, and I don’t have a lot of plats compared to many, but trophies are great.

-They are a cool diary of stuff you did in a game.

-They sometimes suggest fun ways to play a game you don’t initially think of.

-They are totally optional, and notifications for them can be turned off if folks don’t like them.

Great system!

Great line-up for me. Each of these games is on my list to check out and not yet purchased.

I have been a member of Plus since almost the beginning. I am not sure that has ever happened before. Yay!

PS5 is a great console and I have had a blast the whole generation. What I wanted out of a new PS5 was great games to play on it and significantly reduced loading times, and I got both!

The common theme around this generation for many is the lack of exclusives, which is a sentiment I get but just don't share. When a fantastic game like Ghost of Yotei or GOW Ragnarok comes along, I rejoice like everyone else. But I have more great games to play than I can shake a stick at, and my backlog is huge. If they stopped developing games right now, I would not be able to get through all the ones I want to play that exist right now in my lifetime. I am simply not hurting for games, and I don't really care if they are exclusive or first party or not.

I have had a lot of fun this generation, and gotten tons of use out of my PS5. That is all that matters to me.

I am very eager to play this one! Thanks for the great review!

I really like Bethesda games, and Fallout. I rolled credits on 4 and enjoyed it.

But, if anything, it has become overrated. It is the weakest of the modern Fallout games (that started with 3) by a good margin IMO.

I loved both games, but I thought Atsu was a great protagonist and the well worn revenge story was actually nuanced and well told. Jin and the first Ghost were great too, but I think the lead and story of Yotei are being a little undervalued by many. Both were fantastic.

Yotei was able to include a few nice nods to Jin and the original Ghost, which I was really glad to see.

I think a lot of this disparity is because the idea of a person grappling with the contours of a long held moral code is more interesting than the revenge tale we have all seen thousands of times on the surface. But I think Yotei told it really well and made a great character in Atsu.

I am still enjoying Outer Worlds 2. It is not a classic or anything, but it improves upon the first game a good bit (and I enjoyed the first one too).

There has been a stupid virus working its way through my family one by one since Halloween, and it is finally my turn. Bad news: I feel lousy. Good news: everyone else is over it and healthy, and I will have plenty of time for gaming during recovery!

@Hootnoodle Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii is not the best game I have played this year, but it is absolutely the most fun. What a blast! Robocop is great too (especially if you grew up with Robocop).

Congrats in advance on Plat 200! I am……SLIGHTLY behind that figure……😃

@trymer89 Star Wars Outlaws has some flaws that are pretty evident. But it nailed the Star Wars atmosphere better than any of the games in the franchise I have ever played. The vibes alone make it worth playing.

Hope you enjoy it!

Crud.

I expected a delay here, but I really want to play this. And no release window is concerning.

I am having fun with Outer Worlds 2, but Ghost of Yotei just might be my game of the year for 2025. Fantastic game, easy choice.

@Carnage Nice!

@Carnage Re: Yotei late game bosses. Friendly advice, if you want it:

I thought there was a jump in difficulty in the late game bosses and a side boss. Don’t forget to use the triangle/circle special moves! It interrupts whatever each boss is doing!

Once I remembered to use these, those fights were a lot easier.

Got the platinum for Ghost of Yotei last night. A rare thing for me to platinum a game, but this title was so great I wanted to do everything. Fantastic game!

I just started Outer Worlds 2. Fun so far, but I am just in the first mission.