My 2025 In Gaming
(Another year, another list of games I played. I didn't have a lot of free time this year, so it's not a terribly long list, but there were some definite highlights and lowlights. Hopefully I'll have more time and energy for gaming in 2026.)
Doom + Doom II - 8/10
As you would probably guess from the name, Doom + Doom II is largely just ports of the classic 90's Doom games bundled together with a bunch of extra maps and campaigns thrown in as bonuses. It's honestly kind of amazing how well the classic Doom games still hold up 30+ years later. While modern FPS games obviously top these classics in terms of things like visuals or gameplay complexity, there's absolutely still a ton of fun to be had just running around the relatively simple environments and seeing how quickly you can clear the map, or how many secrets you can find. That said, as fun as the games are they definitely aren't perfect. Doom II in particular has some pretty grueling level design later in the game, and some of the modern level packs like Sigil or Legacy of Rust, while definitely more dynamic and in some ways more creative than the originals, also tend to feel a bit overtuned and monster-spammy at times. Also, while the games are fun in bursts, the gameplay was not nearly dynamic or interesting enough to keep me engaged through all 10 campaigns. After a certain point it all just feels the same, and starts to get pretty boring.
Satisfactory - 8/10
I only really picked this game up because a friend of mine wanted to play it together, so I didn't really have any expectations going into it. While I didn't end up playing it a ton, I would say I did enjoy what I have played quite a lot. The gameplay loop is overall pretty basic, just explore the map to find resource to exploit and then exploit them in every way possible, but this process can get surprisingly involved the deeper into the game you get. There's also definitely something satisfying about spending a while building a complicated system of conveyors and machinery then finally turning it on and watching it work. The game also has surprisingly advanced movement tech, so just the act of wandering around and exploring the map is a lot more fun than I expected it to be. I don't know how fresh the gameplay might stay in the long run, but I still enjoyed the hours I've put into it so far.
Hollow Knight: Silksong - 7/10
I'll be honest, as much as I enjoyed the original Hollow Knight when I first played it a few years ago, Silksong really didn't do it for me. Covering the positives first, the graphics, music, sound design and overall presentation of the game is excellent, just as good if not better than the original. My biggest gripe with the game is simply its difficulty; while the original game was certainly difficult, that difficulty felt well paced and made for an overall fair experience. While there were definitely points I struggled with, there was never a spot in the game where I felt like I hit a roadblock and was unable to progress. Silksong's difficulty feels so overtuned to the point that I outright wasn't having fun anymore. I didn't even bother trying to finish the game after a certain point, and ultimately gave up maybe halfway through the game's 2nd act. I really tried to enjoy Hollow Knight: Silksong, and while the early game was fun and reminded me of what I liked about the original Hollow Knight, the overpowered enemies, unfair obstacle placement, excessively long distances between benches and bosses, and overtuned bosses just made for a miserable experience. At this point I'm good on playing anymore until Team Cherry is done updating the game and adding free DLC, maybe by that point they'll have fixed the balancing enough that I'll actually enjoy playing and not just want to scream and throw my controller at the screen.
Powerwash Simulator - 9/10
Going into 2025 I don't think I would've ever expected one of my top games for the year would be one about pressure washing stuff, but here we are. I've been curious about Powerwash Simulator since it first came out, and I always figured it would make for a solid "chill game" that you could just play for a few minutes a day to wind down and relax or use as a distraction. While that did end up being true, I never expected just how addicting the game could actually become. The gameplay is about as basic as I'm sure most people would expect given the name, you get a power washer and various attachments and your goal is to clean up various buildings, vehicles and public facilities. The physics can be a bit wonky at times and trying to find those last few specks of dirt when you're 99% done with an objective can be a pain, but it's overall a competent and well put together experience. The biggest and most unexpected highlight for me ended up being the story, and in particular just how absurd and unhinged the scenarios you end up in become. While initially your one and only real goal is to travel across the dirtiest and most weirdly British town in California helping people clean their property and belongings, things rapidly go off the rails as you find yourself in the center of multiple conspiracies involving a corrupt mayor, disappearing cats and multiple archaeological expeditions. I don't want to spoil much, but let's just say I never imagined my chill pressure washer game would feature a story involving time travel and discovering the lost city of Atlantis.
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition - 10/10
For years I've consistently ranked the original Xenoblade Chronicles X on Wii U as my favorite video game of all time, and ever since the Switch was announced it was one of my dreams to see it get some kind of port, remake or sequel. While Xenoblade 2, 3, their DLCs and the remake of Xenoblade 1 for Switch were all incredible in their own rights, none of them ever scratched the itch I've had for a proper successor to Xenoblade X. So, when Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition was finally confirmed basically out of the blue nearly 10 years after the original game's release, you can only imagine how overjoyed I was. I've actually had a multi-part review and retrospective on both the original game on Wii U and the Definitive Edition on Switch in the works for about a year at this point, so I don't wanna go too crazy in this little year-end blurb. Suffice to say, Xenoblade X Definitive Edition is basically everything I wanted and more from an enhanced port of my favorite game ever. The visuals are better, there's a ton of QoL improvements that make the overall experience much smoother and more enjoyable, and all the new content they added throughout the original game is great. I even enjoyed the new epilogue, even if it wasn't exactly what I expected or necessarily wanted out of a continuation of the original story, but more on that when I get around to the full review. Overall, I could not be happier with this port and absolutely recommend it to any RPG or sci-fi fan as the definitive way to experience this incredible game.
Chrono Gear: Warden of Time - 10/10
Chrono Gear is actually another game I've been planning a full review for, as I never expected what I thought was just some silly anime girl game to impact me as much as it did. While the game's story does come off like a fairly standard "super powered anime girls fighting the forces of evil"-type adventure, when the climax finally hits that's all turned completely on its head. While I don't want to spoil anything specific, I was caught off guard and pleasantly surprised by how dark and serious the later parts of the game became. That dark vibe, amplified by genuinely great writing that dives into actually meaningful topics like depression, friendship and regret, kept me seriously invested through the ending and left me thinking about the impact of the story and its consequences long after I had finished the game. While I will admit some of the side characters featured throughout the game aren't always super well introduced or elaborated on, they at least don't feel out of place and don't do anything to take away from the story overall. Oh and of course the gameplay is great too, with excellent controls and a power set that's creative, easy to use and fun to exploit. While the core gameplay loop definitely takes some queues from Mega Man, it still has a good amount of fast paced platforming and a general energy that you'd probably expect from a developer whose past work was heavily derived from classic Sonic games. The music's incredible too, possibly one of my top soundtracks of 2025. Honestly, whether you know anything about the game or its characters before going in or not, I'd highly recommend Chrono Gear purely on its merits as an incredible 2D platformer.
Kirby Air Riders - 9.5/10
Kirby Air Riders is one of those games that I wished and dreamed about getting for years but never actually expected would ever happen. Kirby Air Ride was one of my favorite games as a kid, and Air Riders is basically everything I could have ever wanted from a sequel and more. Everything that made the original game great is still present, everything's been tidied up and polished to an incredible degree, and all the new content, from new tracks to new racers and evern an entire story mode, is just icing on the cake. The new Air Ride tracks are visual spectacles and incredibly fun to race through, City Trial is even more of the chaotic party experience it's always been, and Top Ride finally feels like more than just an afterthought. The game also feels incredible to control, while the original was always fun there's something about the increased speed and enhanced visual effects that really make Air Riders feel like something special. Just don't go into the game expecting a run of the mill kart racer like Mario Kart or Sonic Crossworlds, this is definitely its own unique experience and I probably wouldn't even call racing the main event.
Mario Kart World - 8/10
I can't believe it took over 10 years to finally get a new Mario Kart game. Was the wait worth it? The internet apparently doesn't think so, but I've personally never put much stock in what people on the internet have to say. While I won't deny the game has some issues, mostly in the form of awkwardly designed menus and poorly marked objectives in free roam, overall I've quite enjoyed Mario Kart World. The new stunts and other new mechanics make things feel more interesting during races, and the new open world design just feels like a natural evolution for the series. One of my favorite parts of previous Mario Kart games has actually always been just driving around the courses and exploring them rather than actually worrying about racing, and I'm also a big fan of "walking simulator" type games in general, so the open world and free roam modes are pretty much right up my alley and have occupied more of my time in the game than any actual racing has so far. I know other people have complained about problems with Mario Kart World's online and not being able to consistently do traditional races, but I also don't enjoy competitive online gaming as a rule so this issue hasn't impacted me in the slightest. For my own tastes and interests, Mario Kart World is basically the Mario Kart game I've always wanted.
Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 - 7.5/10
Yep, that sure is Super Mario Galaxy, and also Super Mario Galaxy 2. I almost feel bad giving these games a relatively low score, as the Mario Galaxy games are genuinely some of my favorites of all time and it's great having them together on modern hardware, but it's kind of hard to look past how barebones these ports are. The Galaxy 1 port is virtually identical to the one previously featured in Super Mario 3D All-Stars, to the point that even Nintendo seems to encourage people who got that collection to just buy Galaxy 2 separately rather than buying the full collection. There are a few nice changes, like slightly more enhanced graphics and the new chapters in Rosalina's storybook, but it's ultimately not really worth double dipping. Galaxy 2 is of course the star of this collection, given it inexplicably wasn't featured in Mario 3D All-Stars, but I don't think I could really say Galaxy 2 on its own is entirely worth the cost of admission either. While it's great having it available on modern hardware, and the visual touchups and new bonus content is nice, it is ultimately still the same game as it was on the Wii 15 years ago, for better or for worse. If you've never played the Galaxy games this collection is probably worthwhile, but if you're a Wii veteran (or aren't opposed to emulation), I can't say I'd recommend it.
Powerwash Simulator 2 - 9/10
Yeah I liked the original Powerwash Simulator enough that I basically immediately jumped into the sequel as soon as it came out. Honestly, there isn't much to say about this game that I didn't already say about the original; you're still just pressure washing different places and objects using a variety of tools as some bizarre conspiracy unfolds around you. I will say this is definitely more than just the same game again; along with the new story and settings you also have a variety of new tools at your disposal, the physics have been improved a bit, and they've made it a lot easier to pinpoint those last few dirty spots that I briefly complained about in the first game's review. There's also a totally new home base area that you can visit between missions, which you can even decorate with various cosmetics and furniture you can purchase (after you wash it, of course). Overall I'd say Powerwash Simulator 2 is just as good as the original, and would encourage anyone who liked the first game to give it a try.