2025 Games Review

 1 Star Game

Star Trucker. Not for me. Too frustrating to load and unload a truck

 

2 Star Game

 

Pokémon Legends ZA Mega Dimensions: Way too much grinding and RNG

 

Breakout Beyond. Dodgy physics ruin what should have been a fun game

 

Little Big Workshop

 

Project High Rise

 

Tomb Raider 2. This game is too dark to enjoy

 

3 Star Games

 

The Case Of The Golden Idol

 

Beyond Galaxyland . Dull RPG

 

Unicorn Overlord. Not nearly as good as 13 Sentinels Aegis Rim

 

Freedom Planet 2. Frustrating sequel to the first game.

 

Monster Hunter Stories. Ok for what it is but not for me.

 

I Am Dead. Nice story but dull gameplay

 

Bloomtown

Royal Roads 2

Railbound

Cube Famer

Cube Airport

Cube Railway

Cat Pipes

Amazing Maze

A Memoir Blue

Teacup

Hindsight

The Office Quest

Railway Islands

Spectrum Retreat

 

4 Star Games

 

Sunshine Shuffle

 

Dordogne

 

Animal Well: The base game is full but I didn’t get into the deeper levels

 

Europa. Flying mechanics are done really well, but unremarkable otherwise

 

A Fold Apart. Nice story but uninteresting gameplay

 

Star Wars Outlaws. This game just didn’t feel as good as the Jedi Survivor games

 

Marsupilami

 

Deliver Us The Moon: This  really feels like it’s set on an actual moonbase, if such a thing exists.

Candivity. Suika Game but with sweets in a dome.

Lego Voyagers. Slightly dull but sweet co-op game.

5 Star Games.

Persona 3 Reload + The Answer

 

Tens

 

Hole Down

 

Pokémon Yellow Legacy. Excellent emulated remake and rebalancing of the original game.

 

Yakuza 0. I understand what all the hype is about.

 

Lorelai and the Laser Eye: Unique and difficult puzzle game

 

Lonely Mountain Snow Riders: Not just as good as Downhill but still an excellent skiing game

 

Plucky Squire. A joy to play and to look at

 

Pokémon Crystal Legacy. Another fantastic rebalance emulation

 

Tiny Sticker Tale. Short and simple puzzle game

 

Mario Party Jamboree

 

Sonic X Shadows Generation. Base game has not aged well but the Shadow section is great

 

Tomb Raider 1. My first time to complete this. Hard, frustrating, but satisfying.

 

Mario Kart World. Doesn’t quite justify it’s high price but still excellent overall.

 

Steamworld Heist. Can’t beat a good Steamworld game.

 

Mario and Luigi Brothership. A good Mario RPG, first in a good while

 

Mind Over Magnet

 

Dragon Age The Veilguard. I had low expectations for this game because of the reviews but I really enjoyed it.

 

Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. Little did I know when I tried this at EGX just to get a badge, that I’d end up completing it and really enjoying it 2 years later.

 

Locomotive. I definitely know when I tried this at EGX, that I’d end up completing it and really enjoying it 2 years later.

 

Disco Elysium. Fantastic story game.

 

Still Wakes The Deep. The non sci fi bits were better but overall a good first person story

Pokémon Legends ZA.I have low expectation for Pokémon ZA but it surprised me. There was a lot to do, the city was small but dense with activity. New battle system is great. New Megas are interesting and the Rouge battles varied. Zones are too small, and I still wish there were areas outside the city

Locomoto. Charming train delivery game. 

  

Top 10 Games of 2025

Split Fiction. Ingenious coop game. The final sections are unique.

 

Alan Wake II. The gameplay is ok and Alans memory mechanics didn’t grab me but Sagas memory murder boards are excellent. And the overall quirkiness of the game really elevates it.

 

Hi Fi Rush. I’d heard nothing but good things about Hi Fi Rush and I agree with all of it. Syncing the music to the battles is brilliant, the world is colourful and vibrant, characters are so alive, it’s all so good.

 

Like A Dragon Yakuza. The “real-life” RPG I’ve always wanted to play, After 0 I wasn’t sure that a Yakuza RPG cold work but it does.

 

Master Detective Archives Raincode. There is nothing better then a compelling visual novel and like all the best ones I just kept wanting to play so I could find out what happens next.

 

Caravan Sandwich. Caravan Sandwich has a simple loop, collect enough colour circuit boards to advance to the next area, what makes it compelling is the exploration of the pseudo-abandoned world and the drive to solve the games central mystery. This game is sick( as opposed to making you sick)

 

FFVII Rebirth. What makes FFVII is it’s cast, the interactions between the entire party are frequent and joyous.

 

Zelda Echoes of Wisdom. The “play as Zelda” game I’ve always wanted.Giving Zelda unique mechanics to differentiate her from Link while also having the standard Zelda gameplay.

 

Astrobot. Absolute, undiluted, platforming joy.

 

Metaphor Refantazio. Persona mechanics in a high fantasy setting. Incredible RPG. Mantis shuttlecraft.

2024 Games Review

2024 Games Review

1 Star Game

Factorio. I was so looking forward to Factorio and so disappointed that I found it so impenetrable

 

2 Star Game

 

Anno 1800. I found this frustrating, so little happened for so long

 

Metal Gear Solid 5. I enjoyed the first part, but the second open world part was annoying and tedious, and then when I gave up I read the second half of the game is identical but with harder missions

 

Dragon Quest Monsters. Just didn’t get into it

 

3 Star Games

 

Tunic. Despite the cute graphics, this game is real soulslike hard. I liked the manual idea but even that was hard to use in practice

 

Choo Choo Charles. After the initial couple of jump scares, there isn’t much to do in this game. And instant kills if attacked when not in the train

 

Open Roads. Dull story and dull gameplay

 

Trine 5. The co-op mode seems to be an after thought and is frequently frustrating.

 

4 Star Games

 

Immortality. Not as good as the previous games, due to a more hidden twist.

 

Lonesome Village

Dragon Quest Treasures. Disappointing that the treasure collecting is not connected to your actual money and base progression

 

Jenny LeClue

 

YS VIII. I tried to like this but it didn’t click with me

 

Dark Pictures Devil In Me

 

Lego 2K Drive. A bit simplistic and too many microtransactions.

 

The Entropy Centre. Enjoyable but a bit too buggy

 

Disgaea 7. The first Disgaea game where the plot and characters didn’t completely grab me.

 

Detective Pikachu. Simplistic gameplay and obvious plot twists.

 

Coromon. Another game I really wanted to like but didn’t click with.

 

Pennys Big Breakdown. Gameplay can be a bit too frustrating at times to make it truly great.

 

Wargroove 2. The different story threads make the story and many characters a bit hard to follow

 

Pepper Grinder. Fun levels, annoying bosses.

 

The House in Fata Morgana. Too much repetition in the story to make it a compelling visual novel

 

Peglin. Peggle meets RPG but disappointing that it’s a roguelike

 

Lemon Cake. Simplistic but enjoyable bakery game.

Suika Game . Fun distraction.

 

5 Star Games.

 

Endling Extinction Is Forever. A sad and poignant game of starvation and survival.

 

Viewfinder. Clever first person puzzle game.

 

Fuga 2. Not as poignant as the first game but still very enjoyable.

 

Disney Illusion Island

 

Pupperazi. Cute puppy photography game.

 

Cult Of the Lamb. This game is weird. Really weird. Love it

 

Sonic Frontiers. Despite the realistic setting, the gameplay is fantastic for 3D Sonic

 

Pentiment. I really did not expect to enjoy this 16^th Century point and click game as much as I did.

 

Fire Emblem Engage. Fire Emblem is always enjoyable but the more fan service aspects take from it a little.

 

Transport Fever 2. Even though I could only complete half of the game, I really enjoyed what I played

 

Star Trek Prodigy. A very game, solid tie-in game to the TV show.

 

Humanity. Lemmings for a modern era

 

Wario Ware Move. Great fun trying to set a high score.

 

Star Trek Resurgence. Solid and enjoyable Telltale-style game set in the Star Trek Universe.

 

Theathrhythm Final Bar Line. Still the only rhythm action games I enjoy and can actually do well at

 

Star Wars Jedi Survivor. My personal gripe with this game is that the maps are so dense it’s hard to find any of the extras.

 

Botany Manor. Chill game where you breed unique flowers.

 

Chants of Seenaar. Clever language puzzle game

 

Dead Space Remake. The game feels to different to the original, but equally as enjoyable and scary.

 

Spiderman 2. Any game with the web slinging is going to be great.

 

Final Fantasy XVI. I enjoyed FFXVI much more then I was expecting to. It’s very much an action game, and it probably woud have been in my top ten.

 

Syberia World Beyond. Easily the best Syberia game to date. Due to the addition of a second playable character.

 

Darkside Detectives

 

Darkside Detectives: Fumble In The Dark. Short and funny point and click games full of references to other media

 

Princess Peach Showtime. A generically above average Nintendo platformer. But also, PEACH! 6/5!

Eiyuden Chronicles Hundred Heroes. The best Suikoden game in years. The worst beigoma game in years

Cat Quest III. Such a fun co-op game

Freshly Frosted. 

Island Saver. Great value and entertainment for a free edutainment game. 

A Little To The Left

 

Top 10 Games of 2024

Card Shark. The other game that uses modified poker mechanics to advance. Can be a little hard to remember all the cheating mechanics but great when you pull it gg

Little Kitty Big City. The other explore a city game. This one a good bit more cozy and alien free then Stray.

Talos Principle 2. Puzzle wise it's broadly the same as the first game. I really appreciate how the story has advanced from the first game with lots of new characters and amazing scenery including a whole city to explore.

My Time At Sandrock. Just as enjoyable (and as long) as my Time at Portia. I was disappointed to learn I recently missed the opportunity to back the third game in the series. 

Super Mario Bros Wonder. Every bit as magical as expected. And will be forever tied with memories of my honeymoon

Lonely Mountain Downhill. For a random game I tried on Gamepass, this really got its hooks into me. The mechanics are just tight enough to feel that every crash is your fault.

Dredge. Creepy sea exploration game

Dave The Diver. Adorable sea exploration game. 

Thank Goodness You're Here. It's reyt good.

Balatro. Utterly addictive deck building poker rougelite. 

2023 Games Review

2023 Games Review

2 Star Games

Sky Children of Light. Very disappointing pseudo sequel to Journey

 

Snowrunner. Frustrating controls

 

Lumistice. Unforgiving platformer

 

Minecraft Legends. Very hard to get into, poor real time strategy.

3 Star Games

Garden Story. I was hoping this would be more like Turnip Boy

Monster Sanctuary. Too many high difficulty spikes

Mutazione

Lets Build A Zoo. I found It annoying that you couldn’t just buy animals for your zoo.

Minecraft Dungeons. Good for what it is but a bit boring

Citizen Sleeper. I liked the idea but found it difficult to proceed in the story due to random chance. What did I expect from a dice rolling game

The Wandering Village. I liked it and it’s a clever idea but playing in early access meant there was little to do.

Temtem. I don’t know why this is considered a Pokemon killer. Every good idea is buried under layers of frustration.

Steamworld Build. This seems like it would be perfect for me but I couldn’t get into it.

Cassette Beasts. A strong start just leads to mundane side quests

Get A Grip Chip. Short but enjoyable platformer

4 Star Games

Beacon Pines

 

Nexomon. Nexomon is the cloest any game has come to Pokemon and while this game is not as good as it’s sequel, I enjoyed it.

 

Journey To the Savage Planet

 

Death Stranding. What a weird game. Too many online elements to make it a 5 game for me

 

Super Kiwi 64

 

Solos. Originally an achievement game

 

Agent A Under Fire. Originally an achievement game.

 

Grapple Dog

 

Lumini. This was meant to be an achievement game but it was so realzing and interesting, I played it in full twice.

Pac Man World Re Pac: Decent platformer remake

 

Venba

 

MxPixel 3

 

Lil Gator Game. I wish this game has some signposting or a better radar.

 

Polyroll. Pity the later parts of the game were gated by lack of progressd

 

Persona 5 Tactica. Gameplay was good but story was a bit dull.

 

5 Star Games

Ayo the Clown

 

Lego Star Wars. Excellent return to form for Lego Games

 

Animal Crossing New Horizons. Spent so many years developing the perfect island

 

Subnautica Below Zero. Just not as good as the oriingal but still an excellent game.

 

Triangle Strategy. Great story and strong characters added to fantastic tactical strategy

 

Quarantine Circular

 

Stray. Play as a cat. Brilliant.

 

Two Point Campus. I got on very well with this game, completing every campus to at least one star.

 

Fuga Melodies Of Steel. Sad story with tragic implications. Fun combat gameplay

 

The Quarry. Played this game so many times, I’ve seen almost every story twist

 

Live A Live. Brillliant remake of a unique RPG.

 

Return To Monkey Island. Another funny enjoyable Monkey Island game. That ending though..

 

Toree 2

 

Blanc. Short and sweet co-op game.

 

The Spirit And The Mouse

 

Sonic Origins. Combining the first four Sonic games into one story is a great idea. The challenges are brilliant

 

Kao The Kangaroo. Very reminiscent of early era Playstation games.

 

Powerwash Simulator. For a game where you just wash things, its surpisingly compelling

 

Far Changing Tides. Excellent sequel which just doesn’t quite meet the emotional stakes of the first game.

 

Sackboy. Strong co-op adventure

 

Tinykin. While it has a superficial similarity to Pikmin, it’s does a lot different and is an excellent game in its own right.

 

High On Life. Found this funnier and with a more interesting story then I was expecting. Gamepay was good and varied.

 

Starfield. Not as good as Elder Scrolls or Fallout that I’ve played. However, it does come into it’s own with a compelling story as it goes on with a clever ending

 

Frog Detective. Such a nice game

 

Sea Of Stars. Excellent old school RPG.

 

Stardew Valley. So much more then a Harvest Moon rip-off, I really enjoyed building up my farm.

 

Goat Simulator 3. An impressive open world map with plenty to do.

Suika Game. Simple puzzle game

 

Top Ten Games of 2023

Planet Of Lana. Excellent 2D platform adventure game

 

Deathloop. Surprising addition to my top ten as it was a game I played on Game Pass. It is a clever game and getting the good ending and breaking the loop feels earned and is satisfying

 

Hardspace Shipbreaker. For a game involving work and also space ships, it’s such a simple pleasure to correctly dismantle and dispose of a ship. I really liked the story as well.

 

Cocoon. My brain is still having a hard time figuring out the mechanics towards the end of Cocoon, the fact that it all works so well and it’s hard to get lost only makes this more impressive.

 

Vampire Survivors. At first I dismissed this as a bullet shooter but the more I played, the more I appreciated the depth and variety.

 

The Murder Of Sonic The Hedgehog. What was announced as an April Fools joke is a surprisingly decent mystery adventure game.

 

The Great Ace Attorney. It took my years to get through both of Ace Attorneys games but what a journey it was.

 

Good Life. For what was meant to be a casual club game. This just completely hooked me. It was so corny but it completely charmed me. Goddamn hellhole.

 

Pikmin 4. So much more to this then previous games but every addition feels worthwhile

 

Zelda Tears Of The Kingdom. Struggled to get into this at first when I realized it was the same Hyrule as the first game, but the more I played, the more I saw how the new mechanics made everything so new and frest.

 

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