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The Three 2025 releases I rolled credits on

by infantpipoc

As the first year of the second Trump Administration has less than a week to go, I finally played through the third new release of this pretty lousy year. It was as “late minute” as “last minute” can get. The purchase happened just before the wide Christmas er, hiccup and the playthrough took place between Giantbomb’s first 2 deliberations. Still, 3 make up a crowd and that crowd deserves a list. As much as video game er, grifters on Youtube are advocating the idea of developers in the West especially US are in decline, all items here are products “made in America”. Maybe I was just bit burnt out on Japanese games after Metaphor in 2024. None of the 3 is “garage” or “basement” joint, even Supergiant’s humble beginning involves one whole house. They are not made by hundreds if not thousands of cogs in corporate machines either. I am all for middle-ground.

Showing 1-3 of 3 items

Hades II

1. Hades II

The one I got hour count in three-digit, 135 to be precious. This one is more about finishing up some unfinished business from 2024. I purchased the game on Steam way back when it first came out on Early Access. The game contains Supergiant’s biggest rogue galley to date and the quantity here does have a quality to its own. Of course, the narrative does have the “eternal second act” comic book problem given the game is a supposedly endless loop, but at least I find everyone likeable here.

Skin Deep

2. Skin Deep

The one I got hour count in two-digit, 12 to be precious. One of the overlooked from this year, PC Gamer giving it a genre award aside. Guess after my annual viewing of Die Hard, I can see more of homage to the John McTiernan action classic in this game. Take the melee takedowns, player has to distract the enemy, grab onto them like an octopus and finally blush them to death on one environmental hazard or another. Just like John McLane making his first kill on a flight of stairs. The comedy of someone with cybernetic implant to survive the vacuum of space, yet they are bare footed and subject to glass shards is gold.

Dispatch

3. Dispatch

The one I got hour count in single digit, 7 to be precious. Dispatch first interests me by having a “How Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark should have been handled after 2013.” storyline. Personally, I think the House of Mouse overused Iron Man, 2013’s Iron Man 3 implied that he would step back a bit yet he was on the frontline in the first act of 2015’s Age of Ultron. In Dispatch, Aaron Paul as Robert Robertson/Mecha Man spent most of the run time on duty of the titular dispatch. The game (Or is it season?) opened and ended with quick-time event filled action scenes, but most of its super hero, er, action is seen through the eyes of dispatcher. Even though it’s a dialogue tree game marketed as the newest from former Telltale developers, it is still a gamey game. With the duty of dispatch about character sheets, tasks at hand and tabletop gaming style dice rolls. Cannot tell if Critical Role just brought in the voice talents or did they bring this gamey aspect as well. I do appreciate the R-rated aim here is more comedy centric. With the likeable sad assholes in the story just swear like sailors as catharsis against their sad lot in life. The more adult rating also allows the slapstick to be ruder thus more effective in the Looney Toon over Mickey and pals way. I like how the game’s lesser Superman counterpart turns out to be a slightly smarter and much better-looking Bizzaro rather than the morally bankrupt homicidal nutjobs so many “for adult” super hero stories went for. Overall, the 7 hours I spent on this one during Christmas were heartwarming and I do hope more video games aim for that vibe.