The Games I Beat in 2025: Q4

October

Game 35: Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair

Developer: Playtonic Games
Played on: Steam Deck
Release: 2019

Playtime: 12 hour 31 minutes
Rating: 8
Thoughts: Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair is a great platformer held back by overly long levels and an insanely sharp difficulty spike.

Source: Nintendo Life

Game 36: Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound

Developer: The Game Kitchen
Played on: PS5
Release: 2025

Playtime: 12 hour 3 minutes
Rating: 8.5
Thoughts: Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound successfully balances making classic Ninja Gaiden approachable for newcomers with offering enough of a challenge for series veterans.

Source: Nintendo

Game 37: Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow

Developer: Ubisoft Shanghai
Played on: Series X
Release: 2004

Rating: 7
Thoughts: While there are still problems, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow's improvements slightly ease the rigidity of Splinter Cell's stealth sandbox. 

Caption: MobyGames

Game 38: Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory

Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Played on: Series X
Release: 2005

Playtime: 17 hour 18 minutes
Rating: 8
Thoughts: While there are still a few annoyances, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is a highly approachable and fun stealth game that stands the test of time.

Caption: Kotaku

November

Game 39: Disney Illusion Island

Developer: Dlala Studios
Played on: Switch via NSO Game Trial
Release: 2023

Playtime: 7 hour 25 minutes
Rating: 6.5
Thoughts: Disney Illusion Island does a good job of introducing younger players to search action games. However, it lacks the depth to keep veterans engaged. 

Caption: DayOne

Game 40: Absolum

Developer: Guard Crush Games and Supamonks
Played on: Switch
Release: 2025

Playtime: 21 hour 58 minutes
Rating: 8.5
Thoughts: Absolum does a great job of using the inherent replayability of the beat 'em up genre to fuel a unique and incredibly fun roguelike.

Caption: Nintendo

Game 41: Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Double Agent

Developer: Ubisoft Milan and Shanghai
Played on: Series X
Release: 2006

Playtime: 12 hour 55 minutes
Rating: 6.5
Thoughts: Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Double Agent weighs down its polished stealth mechanics with annoying minigames and an inconsequential choice system.

Caption: Epic Games

Game 42: Sound Shapes

Developer: Queasy Games and Wholesale Algorithms
Played on: PS5
Release: 2013

Playtime: 2 hour 22 minutes
Rating: 7.5
Thoughts: Sound Shapes is a delightful platformer that, unfortunately, can never reach its full potential again due to Sony shutting down its servers.

Caption: Polygon

Game 43: Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction

Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Played on: Series X
Release: 2010

Rating: 8.5
Thoughts: If you can get past the big departure in gameplay, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction is a tight action game that always keeps you on your toes.

Caption: GameSpot

December

Game 44: Marvel Cosmic Invasion

Developer: Tribute Games
Played on: PC via Game Pass
Release: 2025

Playtime: 5 hour 31 minutes
Rating: 6.5
Thoughts: While fun with others, Marvel Cosmic Invasion is a slog to play solo.

Source: Marvel

Game 45: Ninja Gaiden 4

Developer: Team Ninja and PlatinumGames
Played on: PC via Game Pass
Release: 2025

Playtime: 12 hour 27 minutes
Rating: 8
Thoughts: PlatinumGames does a great job of adapting Ninja Gaiden to their style of action. However, Ryu's inclusion derails the game's momentum.

Caption: Xbox Wire

Game 46: Hades II

Developer: Supergiant Games
Played on: Switch
Release: 2025

Playtime: 43 hour 34 minutes
Rating: 9.5
Thoughts: While the story may stumble in places, Hades II polishes most of its predecessor's strengths to a near-perfect sheen.

Caption: Supergiant Games

Game 47: Neva

Developer: Nomada Studio
Played on: Switch
Release: 2024

Playtime: 3 hour 40 minutes
Rating: 8.5
Thoughts: While not as strong as its predecessor, Neva's impeccable presentation, emotional story, and tight gameplay make it an easy recommendation.

Caption: God is a Geek

Game 48: Call of Duty 2

Developer: Infinity Ward
Played on: Series X
Release: 2005

Playtime: 9 hour 33 minutes
Rating: 8
Thoughts: While first-person shooters have long grown past it, Call of Duty 2's fundamentals easily hold up 20 years later.

Caption: GamesRadar

Game 49: Grindstone

Developer: Capybara Games
Played on: Switch
Release: 2020

Playtime: 53 hour 46 minutes
Rating: 8.5
Thoughts: Grindstone is a beautifully animated and delightful match-three puzzler that seems better suited for a mobile device than a game console.

Caption: Nintendo

Game 50: Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist

Developer: Ubisoft Toronto
Played on: Wii U
Release: 2013

Playtime: 18 hour 8 minutes
Rating: 7
Thoughts: Although well implemented, blending Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction's action with the original trilogy's stealth sandbox leads to mixed results.

Caption: GameSpot

Game 51: Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap

Developer: Lizardcube
Played on: Switch
Release: 2017

Playtime: 5 hour 49 minutes
Rating: 6
Thoughts: While the updated graphics and music are phenomenal, Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap plays like a Sega Master System game, warts and all. 

Caption: Lizardcube

The Games I Beat in 2025: Q3

July

Game 23: ElecHead

Developer: NamaTakahashi and Tsuyomi
Played on: Switch
Release: 2022

Playtime: 1 hour 55 minutes
Rating: 7.5
Thoughts: ElecHead is a fun, little puzzle platformer. However, I wish it did more with its inventive mechanics.

Source: Nintendo

Game 24: Slay the Spire

Developer: MegaCrit
Played on: Series X
Release: 2019

Playtime: 88 hours 7 minutes
Rating: 8.5 
Thoughts: MegaCrit hits on a winning formula with their debut game.

Source: Xbox

August

Game 25: Animal Well

Developer: Shared Memory
Played on: Switch
Release: 2024

Playtime: 7 hours 1 minute
Rating: 9.5
Thoughts: Despite how easy it can be to get lost and confused, peeling back Animal Well's mysteries are endlessly engaging and rewarding.

Source: Thinky Games

Game 26: Grapple Dog

Developer: Medallion Games
Played on: Switch
Release: 2022

Playtime: 9 hours 13 minutes
Rating: 7
Thoughts: A charming platformer that should be perfect for portable play. However, it's hampered by occasional technical issues.

Source: Xbox Tavern

Game 27: Shadows of the Damned

Developer: Grasshopper Manufacture
Played on: Series X
Release: 2011

Playtime: 7 hours 42 minutes
Rating: 7 
Thoughts: While Shadows of the Damned is juvenile, crude, and janky, all of its pieces come together to form a unique experience that's worth a try.

Source: Slant Magazine

Game 28: Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

Developer: Retro Studios
Played on: Switch
Release: 2018 

Playtime: 19 hours 37 minutes
Rating: 9 
Thoughts: No matter the system, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is a stellar platformer.

Source: Nintendo

Game 29: Gris

Developer: Nomada Studio
Played on: Switch
Release: 2018

Playtime: 3 hours 9 minutes
Rating: 9.5
Thoughts: A treat for the eyes, ears, and thumbs, Gris is a beautiful experience from start to finish.

Source: Colossal

September

Game 30: The Messenger

Developer: Sabotage Studio
Played on: Switch 
Release: 2018 

Playtime: 13 hours 24 minutes
Rating: 9 
Thoughts: The Messenger is a stylish and highly entertaining platformer with a unique twist.

Source: Devolver Digital

DLC 7: The Messenger — Picnic Panic

Developer: Sabotage Studio
Played on: Switch
Release: 2019

Playtime: 3 hours 18 minutes
Rating: 6.5
Thoughts: While it's nice to have more of The Messenger, Picnic Panic's additions and remixes to the gameplay are underwhelming at best and frustrating at worst.

Source: Sabotage Studio

Game 31: Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon

Developer: Inti Creates
Played on: Switch
Release: 2018

Playtime: 5 hours 31 minutes
Rating: 7.5
Thoughts: Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon is a fun little twist on the classic Castlevania formula.

Source: Nintendo

Game 32: Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell

Developer: Ubisoft Montreal 
Played on: Series X 
Release: 2002

Rating: 6
Thoughts: The rigidness of Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell's stealth sandbox causes more frustration than enjoyment.

Source: Kotaku

Game 33: Hades

Developer: Supergiant Games
Played on: Switch
Release: 2020 

Playtime: 53 hours 46 minutes
Rating: 9 
Thoughts: While Hades can get repetitive at times, an intriguing story, excellent character writing, and great gameplay make it easy to keep coming back for more.

Source: Xbox Wire

Game 34: Metaphor: ReFantazio

Developer: Studio Zero
Played on: PS5 
Release: 2024

Playtime: 92 hours 43 minutes
Rating: 9.5
Thoughts: Metaphor: ReFantazio is a near-flawless new pillar in Atlus' RPG portfolio. However, it doesn't do enough to differentiate itself from the modern Persona games.

Source: Sega

The Games I Beat in 2025: Q2

April

Game 15: Ninja Gaiden Black

Developer: Team Ninja
Played on: Series X
Release: 2005

Playtime: 18 hours 15 minutes
Rating: 7
Thoughts: Ninja Gaiden Black is a solid action game mired by stiff platforming and frustrating design decisions.

Source: Windows Central

Game 16: Split Fiction

Developer: Hazelight Studios
Played on: PC via Friend Pass
Release: 2025

Playtime: 12 hours 15 minutes
Rating: 8
Thoughts: Split Fiction is a well-paced and incredibly thrilling co-op platformer.

Source: VG247

May

Game 17: Ninja Gaiden II

Developer: Team Ninja
Played on: Series X
Release: 2008

Playtime: 13 hours 31 minutes
Rating: 7.5
Thoughts: Regarding gameplay, Ninja Gaiden II is a much tighter experience than its predecessor.

Source: NBC News

Game 18: Castlevania Advance Collection

Developer: Konami and M2
Played on: Switch
Release: 2021

Playtime: 33 hours 22 minutes
Rating: 9
Thoughts: Konami and M2 have done an incredible job preserving three good to excellent GBA games and one series oddity.

Source: Konami

Game 19: Castlevania Requiem: Symphony of the Night & Rondo of Blood

Developer: Konami
Played on: PS5
Release: 2018

Playtime: 16 hours 11 minutes
Rating: 8.5
Thoughts: While Castlevania Requiem: Symphony of the Night & Rondo of Blood is a bare-bones collection, the two games it collects are the finest in the series.

Source: WCCF Tech

Game 20: Yakuza 4 Remastered

Developer: Ryu ga Gotoku Studio
Played on: PS5
Release: 2019

Playtime: 29 hours
Rating: 8
Thoughts: Yakuza 4 keeps things fresh by introducing multiple protagonists.

Source: PlayStation Store

June

Game 21: Marvel's Spider-Man 2

Developer: Insomniac Games
Played on: PS5
Release: 2023

Playtime: 25 hours 36 minutes
Rating: 9
Thoughts: Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is a fun action romp that truly shines in its second act.

Source: Steam

Game 22: Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Developer: Sandfall Interactive
Played on: Series X
Release: 2025

Playtime: 60 hours 3 minutes
Rating: 9.5
Thoughts: Despite a couple of stumbling points, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is a wonderfully crafted and highly adaptable RPG.

Source: Xbox Wire

The Games I Beat in 2025: Q1

January

Game 1: Mario & Luigi: Brothership

Developer: Acquire
Played on: Switch
Release: 2025

Playtime: 45 hours 4 minutes
Rating: 6.5
Thoughts: Mario & Luigi: Brothership possesses everything it needs to be the best entry in the series, but it's bogged down by bad pacing, poor performance, and a padded runtime.

Source: Nintendo

Game 2: Haiku, the Robot

Developer: Mister Morris Games
Played on: Steam Deck
Release: 2022

Playtime: 6 hours 42 minutes
Rating: 8.5
Thoughts: Haiku, the Robot is a well-built and highly engaging search action game that doesn't hold your hand.

Source: Steam

Game 3: Blade Chimera

Developer: Team Ladybug
Played on: Steam Deck via Family Sharing
Release: 2025

Playtime: 8 hours 18 minutes
Rating: 9
Thoughts: Team Ladybug makes some of the finest search action games in the industry. Blade Chimera is another addition to that legacy.

Source: Nintendo

February

Game 4: Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance

Developer: Atlus
Played on: PS5
Release: 2024

Playtime: 65 hours 24 minutes
Rating: 9
Thoughts: With improved performance over the Switch original, a fully-featured new story route, and great QOL features, Vengeance is the definitive version of Shin Megami Tensei V.

Source: Nintendo

Game 5: Drainus

Developer: Team Ladybug
Played on: Steam Deck
Release: 2022

Playtime: 4 hours
Rating: 7.5
Thoughts: While Drainus offers excellent minute-to-minute gameplay that pushes the genre into new directions, a poor story and lack of level variety in the back half hurt the overall package.

Source: Nintendo

DLC 1: God of War Ragnarök — Valhalla

Developer: Santa Monica Studios
Played on: PS5
Release: 2023

Playtime: 13 hours 15 minutes
Rating: 8.5
Thoughts: Valhalla cuts the padding of the main story to focus on what God of War Ragnarök excels at — character development and combat.

Source: Entertainium

DLC 2: Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown — Mask of Darkness

Developer: Ubisoft Montpellier
Played on: Switch
Release: 2024

Playtime: 3 hours 28 minutes
Rating: 6
Thoughts: Mask of Darkness' attempt to raise the difficulty is a completely unnecessary annoyance.

Source: Nintendo

Game 6: Pepper Grinder

Developer: Ahr Ech
Played on: Switch
Release: 2024

Playtime: 3 hours 22 minutes
Rating: 7.5
Thoughts: Pepper Grinder is too short for its own good. As such, the game never truly sees all its cool concepts to their fullest.

Source: Nintendo

Game 7: Transference

Developer: SpectreVision and Ubisoft Montreal
Played on: PS5 via PS+
Release: 2018

Playtime: 1 hour 46 minutes
Rating: 5
Thoughts: Without the gimmick of virtual reality, Transference is just a standard horror-themed walking simulator with an interesting, albeit bleak, story.

Source: Polygon

Game 8: Alan Wake Remastered

Developer: Remedy Entertainment and d3t
Played on: Series X
Release: 2021

Playtime: 11 hours 13 minutes
Rating: 9
Thoughts: Although individual aspects of Alan Wake are clunky and unrefined, they all weave together into an incredibly cohesive whole.

Source: TechRadar

Game 9: Entwined

Developer: Pixelopus
Played on: PS5 via PS+
Release: 2014

Playtime: 1 hour 49 minutes
Rating: 5.5
Thoughts: Entwined is a cool concept that fails to execute. The controls aren't tight enough to make it a fun action game and it's too difficult to be a source of relaxation.

Source: Digital Trends

Game 10: Alan Wake's American Nightmare

Developer: Remedy Entertainment and Nitro Games
Played on: Steam Deck
Release: 2012

Playtime: 4 hours 36 minutes
Rating: 8
Thoughts: While not as grand in terms of story and characters, Alan Wake's American Nightmare delivers in terms of tighter mechanics.

Source: Steam

Game 11: Mario vs. Donkey Kong

Developer: Nintendo Software Technology
Played on: Switch
Release: 2024

Playtime: 7 hours 30 minutes
Rating: 8
Thoughts: When unhampered by the GBA's limitations and stringent controls, Mario vs. Donkey Kong becomes a much more enjoyable experience.

Source: My Nintendo News

Game 12: Quantum Break

Developer: Remedy Entertainment
Played on: Series X
Release: 2016

Playtime: 12 hours 58 minutes
Rating: 4.5
Thoughts: I applaud the ambitious premise and appreciate Quantum Break's take on third-person shooting. However, I can’t recommend a game with a broken checkpoint system.

Source: PC Gamer

March

Game 13: Control

Developer: Remedy Entertainment
Played on: PS5
Release: 2021

Playtime: 11 hours 35 minutes
Rating: 8
Thoughts: While Control underwhelms in terms of its core cast and level design, it excels in world-building and minute-to-minute gameplay.

Source: Remedy Entertainment

DLC 3: Control — The Foundation

Developer: Remedy Entertainment
Played on: PS5
Release: 2021

Playtime: 5 hours 22 minutes
Rating: 7
Thoughts: While The Foundation provides a well-designed new area to explore, it shines a spotlight on Control's arbitrary difficulty curve.

Source: Eurogamer

DLC 4: Control — AWE

Developer: Remedy Entertainment
Played on: PS5
Release: 2021

Playtime: 2 hours 55 minutes
Rating: 7.5
Thoughts: AWE is a short and sweet prologue to the events of Alan Wake II.

Source: Rock Paper Shotgun

Game 14: Alan Wake II

Developer: Remedy Entertainment
Played on: PS5
Release: 2023

Playtime: 27 hours 10 minutes
Rating: 9.5
Thoughts: Alan Wake II seamlessly blends the mediums of video games, film, and music into an unforgettable experience.

Source: PlayStation

DLC 5: Alan Wake II — Night Springs

Developer: Remedy Entertainment
Played on: PS5
Release: 2024

Playtime: 2 hours 23 minutes
Rating: 8
Thoughts: Night Springs' short stories hit far more than they miss.

Source: NextPlay

DLC 6: Alan Wake II — The Lake House

Developer: Remedy Entertainment
Played on: PS5
Release: 2024

Playtime: 3 hours 5 minutes
Rating: 8.5
Thoughts: The Lake House is a great addendum to Alan Wake II.

Source: Epic Games