What A Long, Strange Trip It's Been...
I can't believe I've actually consistently stuck with something for 2 years now. This MIGHT be a new record for me. I genuinely feel like doing this project has improved my writing (ok, maybe not too much) and my ability to express my thoughts and decipher my emotions and feelings. It feels almost... therapeutic.
So as I did last year, let me do a quick little wrap up of all of the experiences I've had in the year of our lord (of hell) 2025. Spotify has NOTHING on this wrapped. Take a look at my tier list:
Oh yeah. Check out all its majesty.
There's not a single game I hated. It's why C is the lowest there. D or F implies dislike, I feel. But there's still separation and differences of quality in the game/my experience. Let's go on with my short blurbs and how everything's stuck with me.
Etrian Odyssey HD - How Do I Move Forward
This was the first game I started in 2025, and I was really looking forward to go through it. I've had past experience in Wizardry and another Etrian Odyssey from friends, so I was excited to play through a full game myself and draw lots of maps. I did love that aspect! But I found it really difficult to progress forward. I didn't and still don't really understand what the gameplay loop is that lets your grow beyond just the first level. I'll figure it out one day.
Yakuza 4 Remastered - It's More! Of the Same!
You really Can't go wrong with the Yakuza/Like a Dragon formula, but I think it needed to be pushed a little further than 4 did from 3. I did like the new things that 4 brought to the table in its playable cast, but I do think I generally overall prefer what 3 is. Maybe a cool combo of both would be ideal? We'll see what 5 brings later.
Sonic X Shadow Generations - Realizing The Blue Blur Isn't For Me
This is a game I'm really glad I played, cause it gave me tangible evidence to forge my opinion on Sonic. Getting an old game combined with a new game feels like I got to have a fairly decent sample size of what it was vs what it is now. Am I confident that these were the best options? No. But I'd like to think they are. I won't be playing further entries, but I will continue to enjoy from a distance.
Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo - Great Game That Did Not Spark Joy
I'm proud of myself for stepping out of my usual game comfort zone here by hopping into an indie I had no previous knowledge or anything going into. This was also a good practice for me to work on separating my opinion vs trying to look at a game objectively. Very cool game, it just didn't fill some kind of void in my heart while going through it.
Miitopia - Silly Concept, Silly Game
This was a really fun game to set up, and I think was a big piece of me forming my opinion on I think making unique ideas even if they don't work out is good, healthy, and honestly needed. It might have had some wonk with the execution and smoothness of the experience of playing the game vs making miis, but I think all of the parts were still enjoyable. I'm also really glad I got to get this game off my backlog at long last.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A - Not Insignificant Redemption of a Nothing Region
While this game definitely centered itself around a part of Pokémon I don't prefer as much as what its predecessor did, Z-A was still a fun experience that gave Kalos and Zygarde more than what they had, which was super needed. I still think the Pokémon Company is lacking in certain areas of their games, like the look, or the amount of stuff that they're charging for, but I do think the direction is right.
Congratulations to VII Rebirth for being the only 2024 not-expansion game I played this year. This was pretty much the game I rooted for in the game awards (which don't really matter) but honestly I feel bad cause it feels like default. Regardless! None of that matters! Rebirth was such a good game. It made me love and appreciate VII's world and cast so much more than the original did. I loved the new additions of Queen's Blood and Gilgamesh, and I genuinely think that game is the template of what action FF should be. It just needed to not beef the ending to be S tier.
An honest to god surprise hit for me. I did not expect to like XIII-2 as much as I did. The organization and gameflow of it stuck with me so much more than XIII or LR, I loved the small cast: Noel was tragic, Serah got screentime and character, I got more Hope content, and Caius is absolutely one of my favorite FF villains now. The soundtrack fucked, the atmosphere was great; it just really stuck with me. Think what I really would have appreciated is a little more respect on the previous cast.
The thing about Slayers X, is that I Literally don't have any problems with it. The game is EXACTLY what is needed to be. I've never played a boomer shooter, but I had a lot of fun running around, shooting glass sharts, finding secrets, and listening to that 2000s nu metal grungy soundtrack (I'M STILL NOT GOOD WITH GENRES DON'T GET MAD AT ME). It does help that I have some personal bias in the matter, but I love games in this universe and I can't wait for more.
This expansion is the direction I NEEDED WoW to go in. The art direction, the story, the characterization, the gameplay. I haven't felt a love this strong for this game since Legion. I haven't been able to check it out beyond the first part of the game due to Money, but I do hope that it's continuing to not suck. I hope that when the Worldsoul Saga completes, I can confidently say to people without feeling bad: "I love World of Warcraft."
Similar to Slayers X; I don't really have any issues with Side Order! It's what I expected, it feels like what I was promised, a Splatoon roguelike. I had a good bit of fun with it, I loved the attention to detail they put in. The gameplay loop was really fun, and it made unlocking bits not a miserable experience. Plus more Off the Hook is always appreciated.
The inventor of jazz. The game that crosses over with everything. I understand the hype. I LOVE Persona 5. I think out of every game I played this year, Persona 5 stuck with me the most. It made TIME MANAGEMENT ADDICTING. It gave me a huge cast of charming characters, playable and not. The vibes were immaculate, the story felt cathartic. I loved the gameplay, the interactions of elements, the usage of real world mythology; and though some of the Royal bits could have been added on a little smoother, the quality they gave me clears any complaints I got. The fact that I still have such good memories even after playing plenty of other games tells me this isn't just some kind of recency bias (it might still be), Persona 5 is one of my favorite games ever.
Finally. At long last. Chrono Trigger was a game that I NEEDED to play. It's a perfect RPG (well nothing is perfect and I could get some minor nitpicks but). The cast is amazing and well rounded, the battle system is still a classic RPG but takes its own spin, makes it unique feeling. It's not a guys to one side enemies to other random thing, it FEELS like a whole battlefield, the positioning mattering, the interactions between characters, GOD it's so good. For a time travel story, it all makes sense, it does what a time travel story SHOULD. The soundtrack is fucking legendary and I still listen to it to this day. What makes it really special is that I got to play this classic without knowing pretty much anything about it. Chrono Trigger was an absolute treat, and I think it's definitely one of my favorite games of all time.
Of course, these weren't the only games I played this year, just the main ones. 2024 saw the return of my Final Fantasy XI phase, where I got to beat Wings of the Goddess and A Shantotto Ascension (as of writing this I'm still playing); and I have to plug it to make sure people realize that Wings of the Goddess is one of the best FF storylines they might never experience. I got the first Mario Party I ever enjoyed playing in Jamboree, which doesn't feel super mean spirited and rage inducing like previous entries, as well as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe somehow also creeping in. Theatrhythm continued to be a main stay as what I go to to fill my rhythm game need; and right at the start of the year, I finished the pokedex in Pokemon Violet.
Finally, my main replay of the year lied in Hypnospace Outlaw; my favorite indie game of all time. Going back to reexperience it, check out all the new content that got released after my first play, that game continues to remain truly special in my heart.
I wanna keep doing this in the future. It was really fun, it gives me a record, a snapshot of my thoughts; something to look back on. Who knows what'll happen in 2025? Maybe I'll branch out more. Maybe not. Maybe I'll only play Yakuza games all year, it's possible.
And the most maybe of all; maybe I'll play more Actual new releases instead of old games. We'll find out!