by Tosshi
Showing 1-10 of 17 items
The Suffering From Success Award: Outer Worlds 2 I have my issues with Outer Worlds 2, like that the world is obviously encouraging you to spec into some very specific skills, but nothing that really broke the experience for me. The issue is I had a similar and superior experience earlier in the year with Avowed. And I really liked Avowed. If Outer Worlds 2 had been given some more breathing room it would probably land on a 2026 GOTY Top 10 for me, but not this year. The entire industry should find out what they’re doing over at Obsidian Entertainment. Since the Xbox acquisition in 2018 Obsidian has released seven games. SEVEN!
The Expanding This Idea Could Be Great (Or Terrible) Award: Spilled This is a very short experience about taking a boat through waterways, cleaning up pollution, grabbing upgrades, and having exactly one boss fight. According to Steam I beat this game in 53 minutes, and I probably did it in less because I bet I had to get up to let dogs outside at some point. When I finished I wanted more. It was the same feeling as Blade Chimera; right when it got to feeling really good, it ended. I could definitely play a six hour version of this…but it would probably end up being hurt by repeat boss fights, and lack of unique mechanics. This is a very satisfying game though, and could see a proc-gen endless mode being a great way to spend a flight.
The I Miss My Homies Award: Roadcraft I love Roadcraft. There was a very long stretch this year when I considered Roadcraft my game of the year. Eventually it’s just a bit too much if you’re solo. After 97 hours, I just couldn’t do it anymore. Going back and forth across huge maps one truck at a time. Moving so much dirt. Trying to get myself out of the mud. The levels eventually turn into a puzzle game, and it would have been much more fun with even one of my friends there to help out. If 50 hours of my time was with another player, this would be Top 3 of 2025.
The Started Too Late Award: Hell Is Us I grabbed this during my Thanksgiving time off, because I wanted something to fall into. Something immersive, and that would wrap itself around my brain. Hell Is Us definitely fits the mold. The issue is I just started this too late, and I only got to put a handful of hours into it. I hope to drop another 15-20 hours into this over the holidays, but (and stop me if you’ve heard this) there’s a lot of games. I just stocked up on Steam, so here’s some other contenders based on the small amount I’ve played so far: Ball x Pit (editor note: Since writing this I put 30 hours into Ball x Pit. It's a Top 10 for this year) Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles Winter Burrow Whisper of the House
The What In The Hell Are You Doing Award: Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Blops 6 is really good. The omnidirectional movement changes were a very cool shake up to the COD formula. I wrote glowingly about it last year for my GOTY. Blops 7 is straight buns. The campaign is a joke. The multiplayer just feels off in a way only COD sickos will notice. Top to bottom it is just a huge whiff. Modern Warfare 3 was dinged, deservedly, for the terrible campaign. MW3 still had a very good multiplayer experience, and Bops 7 does not. There is no bigger indictment for Blops 7 than the open letter from the COD team eating crow, promising no back-to-back Modern Warfare or Black Ops releases going forward. Blops 7 is already half off, with free weekends! If you do not keep up with COD, let me tell you that this simply does not happen. I hope this turns things around for COD in a big way, but who knows. How about you just stabilize the MW2019 servers, destroy the cheaters, and revitalize the best in the series?
The Annual World of Warcraft Check-In Award: World of Warcraft: The War Within Delves are incredible. Legion Remix was a ton of fun. The class changes currently on beta make Unholy Death Knight the class I always hoped for, a plate wearing necromancer. Housing is revolutionary. If you have not seen it yet, go find some housing videos on YouTube, or WoW streamers on Twitch. I won’t be surprised when some The Sims streamers jump into the final release of housing. I do hope they make some changes to the housing economy around acquiring multiple pieces or collecting lumber. I have high hopes for the next expansion, Midnight. The class pruning is something I think is overdue for many classes. The new Demon Hunter spec is unique in that it is a highly mobile midrange caster/melee hybrid. I hope Demon Hunter Devourer spec leads to more specs and less new classes going forward (but we do need one more class or spec to use ranged weapons finally). The Haranir race enjoys a degree of customization that all of Azeroth’s races should benefit from. The beginnings of an old world overhaul are probably the single most exciting prospect. For a decade now I have hoped for less “oh a new land mass!” expansions, and more “Loch Modan has evolved, and the Twilight’s Hammer is threatening the rebuilt Stonewrought Dam” expansions. The people clamor for the reopening of the Thandol Span!
The Here Are Some Games Doing The Russell Crowe Meme Award: Hell Is Us Blade Chimera Spilled Roadcraft Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time Arc Raiders Now to the Top 11! Was it because I wrote my entire list then realized a glaring omission? Sure did! 11 - Two Point Museum The Two Point series is the definition of charm. All of the games are pleasant to look at, pleasant to listen to, pleasant to play, and silly enough to at least elicit a grin. Two Point Museum keeps that pedigree, and I found it to finally be a challenging management game. The addition of expeditions are a lot of fun, and an interesting way to give new perks without adding a typical talent tree. Two Point Museum is a time stealer in the same way Civilization is. Proceed accordingly.
10 - Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound Halfway through the year I considered just writing a list of the best Ninja games of the year. Enough non-Ninja games grabbed my attention that I abandoned the idea, but it didn’t stop some of the many ninja games this year from hitting my Top 11. Ragebound is the “platforming ninja” game. Ragebound is a beauty to look at, and the controls are immaculate. If the platforming precision were not as tight as it is, this game would not work. I hope we get another game in this series, because this is the type of game that has you going back to it nightly until credits roll.
9 - Hades 2 I really liked Hades. Controversial I know. Don’t make me lock my Bluesky because of your rage posts. I really like Hades 2. Technically, it’s all I could want. More weapons. Smart mechanics updates. This time you go up. I have not yet beaten a round of Hades 2. Up or down, I get wrecked at the end. I know more time spent with it will change that, but I haven’t found myself compelled to “one more run”. I know at some point I will, but I don’t know when. I have probably 10 games I want to play during the holidays before Hades 2. This was a nominee for my Suffering from Success Award, but there’s so much here to love. I hope that Super Giant Games’ next game is a huge swing though, even if it misses for me.
8 - Absolum I don’t really like beat ‘em ups. I used to, when I was in arcades with friends playing Double Dragon II or TMNT The Arcade Game. Beat ‘em ups, like fighting games, kind of stopped mattering to me with the loss of arcades as a congregation point. I’ve bought probably dozens of beat ‘em ups in the last 20 years hoping to capture just a hint of that arcade magic. None of them have done it until Absolum. Even solo, Absolum is a joy. The art is beautiful, and the mechanics are the first revolution of a beat 'em up since the 90s in my opinion. The characters all play with unique styles that make each worth exploring, and powering up. I can’t wait for Grubb and Ryckert to start This Is A Run with Absolum, tech issues be damned.
