Tosshi's Games of 2025

Happy holidays everyone! The last couple of years I wrote some personal retrospectives based on some rough stuff going on in my life. I could have easily done that again, but decided not to! I did get a bit personal in the Discord Mod GOTY article, so you can find detailed thoughts on my favorite game of the year over there. The year has been rough for lots of us, so I am just going to invite everyone to escape into some gaming nonsense with me for a few minutes. 

Before the list, a few awards!

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

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.

7 - Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Can we get more of these? No, not the “small team” nonsense. No, not the “western JRPG” nonsense. No, not the “French” nonsense. (I kid, I love all my Québécois out there). I just want more sub-50 hour RPG’s with engaging combat and pretty good stories. I start and abandon around six RPG’s every year. I am no longer compelled by menu driving combat. I do not care for the standard RPG tropes. Knowing my minimum investment should be 80 hours is killer.

Clair Obscur delivered a mysterious story, conflicted characters, and fleshed out a new game world that I want to see explored in future games. The counter/dodge/parry mechanics kept me invested in combat. All of the performances are top tier. The mime bosses arrive when you need some levity. Esquie is my favorite RPG character since the Super Nintendo. I hope we get more games from Sandfall Interactive before either the discourse or their own decisions as developers blight future efforts.

6 - Assassin’s Creed Shadows

Valhalla was pretty much a wet fart. No feeling of accomplishment, because it went. On. For. Ever. Who can even remember the main character? The world is just…green, hilly, fog, oh some civilization, now more hills. I cannot recall a single memorable moment, location, or character in it. 

Shadows is filled with memorable moments, locations, and several great characters. Naoe is your vengeful spirit, and Yasuke is your betrayed man of honor. Who cares? Naoe cuts mother fuckers up real good, and Yasuke trucks through fools in a most satisfying way. The castles are so well designed that either sneaking in silently, or kicking down the gate to crush skulls, you’re going to have fun. The base building isn’t incredible, but it’s a fun distraction that gives moments of character development that make the world more absorbing than Valhalla. The side missions are some of the best in the series; I think about the chain of yokai to hunt down at least once a week. Shadows isn’t Odyssey (as Cassandra) but it’s the closest we are likely to get given the weirdness around Ubisoft. 

5 - Power Washer Simulator 2

You don’t need therapy. You need Power Washer Simulator. I am not a medical professional. 

I dropped hundreds of hours into the first Power Washer Simulator. I have already put close to 100 in the sequel. Remember everything I said about Roadcraft needing a squad to get the most out of it? Power Washer Simulator 2 is the opposite. I have a bad day at work, I turn on a video or podcast, then find solace in the suds. There are a couple changes that make for a different experience. The first are heavy equipment related. The rappelling gear and scissor lift make some levels feel different from anything in the previous game, especially the rappelling gear. They introduce new angles and challenging level design that can take some real hunting to complete.

But the soap recharges. My god the soap recharges. Soap may as well have not existed in the first game, because I was not going to spend money for every bottle of soap. Absurd! Making soap a recharging skill though? Perfect. It is like they added an ultimate ability. The highest compliment I can give PWS2 though, is when the first DLC was given a “Spring 2026” release it legitimately made me sad. I need it now!

4 - THPS 3+4

I would hear an argument that the Tony Hawk series is the greatest video game series behind only Mario. Actually, I would make that argument. 

Tony Hawk is the second greatest video game franchise in history. 

I do wish THPS4 had some way to enjoy it in the original open world format, but the timer doesn’t hurt it. Now that we have modern versions of the first four THPS games, let’s get after a brand new one already. Cut Dave Lang the check, Phil! 

3 - Shinobi: Art of Vengeance

As my friend Fat Mike says, “Oh baby”. This is a video-game-ass-video-game, and it is the “combat ninja” game. Shinobi is the second most attractive game of the year, only behind my top game. The combat is breakneck and challenging but never impossible. My one big issue with the game is there are sequences of platforming that feel like they were brought in from Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, except Shinboi’s platforming precision is not up to the task. 

What a return for the franchise though. If this is what we can expect from the Sega franchise revivals, then the next Jet Grind Radio may be a game of the century contender. 

2 - Avowed

I just did not expect it. Obsidian is a studio that always made games I really liked, but fell short of falling in love with. I had no expectations for Avowed, but I did have hopes. When glowing reviews started releasing I was beyond skeptical. Come on. Obsidian made a game that pulled off the landing and includes satisfying first-person melee combat? Y’all lying. 

They were not lying. Avowed is a bizarre game world that I loved to run around. The combat is a miracle. The melee is indeed satisfying. The mixing of range, magic, melee is really fun and does make material impact to encounters. Flintlock rifles and pistols in your sword and sorcery RPG? Hell yeah. Your companions and their stories forge the overall narrative forward. There are a few big world consequences that your actions can affect, and I think a sequel with more gameplay repercussions based on narrative choices could vault Avowed into the Mass Effect level of RPG.

I hope this did well financially for Obsidian, because an Avowed 2 would go directly to the top of a most anticipated list for me. 

1 - Ghost of Yōtei

Before I get to my final game, let me extend my thanks to Giant Bomb for allowing the mods to provide our thoughts for GOTY again. Let me thank Marino and Lex for editing guest articles. Let me celebrate the ascension of my boy Chuck into Giant Bomb lore. Let me thank the community for rallying around this very stupid website about video games when things didn’t look bright. 

I wrote extensively about what playing Ghost of Yōtei meant to me this year in the Discord Mod GOTY article, so please read that once it is published. Now, let me tell you about the act of playing it. 

Atsu kicks ass. I love Tsushima, but I do not love Jin Sakai. Jin was too much of a boy scout for far too long. Why are you hand wringing about SAMURAI HONOR when the Mongols are fucking up your island from coast to coast? 

Atsu has no such conflict. She was wronged. She hates the Yōtei Six. She will murder them. Any means necessary. Personally, this approach delivered far more “FUCK YES” celebratory moments than Tsushima. 

Erika Ishii’s performance is excellent. Not that the TGA’s matter, but I was rooting for Ishii. Just like Tsushima, every frame is a painting. The new weapons fulfill the same function as stances in Tsushima, but I found the weapons a more impactful system in actual use. Pulling out the odachi and bringing it down on an armored enemy will fulfill you.

Sucker Punch earned an “OK, alright, I see you devs” moment when I fast traveled to an inn to do some upgrading, and I was served a new arrival scene for a location I had visited dozens of times. Instead of appearing at the hitching post, Atsu approaches from the west and sees the inn filled with Saito’s Blackguard. 

Atsu must liberate the inn from the Blackguard to access services again. The Blackguard fight in numbers, and they are forged in iron. The addition of the Blackguard leads to some of the most interesting combat scenarios in the game and presented to me a realization. Ghost of Yōtei is the successor to Halo’s coveted “combat puzzle” experience. From this moment forward the Blackguard becomes a real threat, plus the roads and trails become patrolled by Saito’s forces specifically hunting for you. You may think that means safety exists in the open plains, or the shadows of the forest. No, it does not. Ronin hide in the dark, prepared to swarm when you spring one of their traps

Khotun Khan as a villain in Tsushima was imposing, and performed his actions out of obligation for his lineage. Yōtei’s Saito is dashing, manipulative, and acts with the belief he is a benevolent force to be imposed across Japan. Like Atsu, Saito believes he was betrayed. The Yōtei Six carry various levels of significance. The game opens with a duel against The Snake which doubles as a tutorial, but really is an opportunity for Sucker Punch to flex their cinematic muscles. The only of the Six I did not immediately appreciate are the fail-sons that dominate the spend the late game narrative. To the writers’ credit, those fail-sons grow into their own narrative which plays with cliches, but land with emotional weight. 

Kurosawa Mode remains a gimmick, but a pretty good gimmick. Watanabe Mode, which is the lo-fi beats to take vengeance to mode, seems popular but it didn’t work for me. Now, the Miike Mode? That’s my shit. Takashi Miike is a director I have loved for decades. I could not believe he was name-checked in a huge Sony tentpole release, because have you seen Ichi the Killer?! Miike Mode is more 13 Assassins than Audition, and it works. The world is dirtier, the camera is tighter, and the action is bloodier. I enjoyed this mode for a significant portion of my time with the game, and recommend trying it. 

The DLC will be an immediate priority for me once it releases. I may even play through the NG+. I am going to have to get my fix somehow, because I expect I will not get the next “Ghost Of” title until 2030. 

Wait, 2030? What a stupid hobby. I hope you’re all still here on the Fully Independent Giant Bomb Dot Com in 2030, and I hope I am here to talk about Sucker Punch’s next big release. In the near term prepare yourself for my 2026 GOTY where I will surely talk about GTA6. 

Right. 

It is definitely coming out next year. 

Totally.