I had more time than usual for video games last year, and thought I’d make some quick notes on what I played and what I liked — in order of most played to least played, roughly.

  1. Forza Horizon 5: This gets my vote for the best racing game of all time, and it made its PlayStation debut this year. I got a buddy into it and we play for a few hours together every week. It’s pure fun. It has the worst menu design I’ve ever seen, and it explains none of its copious systems to you. But if you’re willing to figure out how it works, it’s got great multiplayer.
  2. Kingdom Come: Deliverance II: I end up playing this when I’m sick, and when I’m healthy, I have little interest. I don’t know the last time I played a game that felt so much like work. It’s fun, but it’s also a little much for me.
  3. Ghost of Yotei: A measurable improvement over Tsushima in every way for my tastes. These games are too long, though.
  4. Oblivion Remastered: I am a sucker for these games, and Oblivion is one of my favourites. Great fun. I’m aware it’s as buggy as all get out, but so was the original, and if all those bugs got fixed, it just wouldn’t be Oblivion anymore. This is basically the perfect ​“eff around and find out” game.
  5. Tears of the Kingdom: Much better in 60FPS on the Switch 2, and made the buy-in of the Switch 2 worth it. I’ll be playing this for years.
  6. Assassin’s Creed: Shadows: I hadn’t played an Assasin’s Creed game since Assassin’s Creed II. I loved this for the first forty hours, and then I fell right off. Needlessly overstuffed with ​“content,” not gameplay.
  7. Split Fiction: My wife and I love these games. This gets a lot of replay value in our house. (See also: It Takes Two.)
  8. Mario Kart World: A bold new entry in the franchise, but not one without problems. Looking forward to Mario Kart World 2, where I hope they take the time to right a few wrongs and enhance the multiplayer in particular.
  9. The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II on PS5: I nearly died in Christmas 2024, and played these as I recovered into the new year. They were really depressing. I loved them.
  10. Mass Effect 2: I am replaying these, and I’m the weirdo who holds this up as his least favourite in the series. Kind of a slog to get through.
  11. Lies of P: I love Souls games. Dark Souls and Elden Ring are both in my top 5. Bloodborne is in my top 10. Lies of P is the closest game I’ve played to a Souls game from a developer who isn’t Fromsoft, but it makes the same critical mistake a lot of imitators make. Parts of the game quickly escalate from challenging to unfair. I haven’t beaten this because I don’t have the patience for unfair. (And I beat DLC Radahn in Elden Ring before he got nerfed, so I’m pretty good at these games in particular.) Might pick it back up later though.
  12. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: A total blast. It was a birthday gift in late December from my wife, so I’m not that far in it, but this is excellent.
  13. Assassin’s Creed Origins: I loved this for the first fifteen hours, and then I fell right off.
  14. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4: I was so excited for this. I played THPS3 for hundreds of hours as a kid. I paid full price for this, played it for five hours, and had my fill. I don’t know why. If this scratches an itch for you, though, it’s the real deal. I just don’t have that itch anymore.

That’s it for 2025. This year I’d like to start fewer games and finish more of them. Right now I’m focused on Mass Effect 3, and I’m doing weekly Forza sessions with a buddy. I’m looking forward to the new Wolverine and to Forza Horizon 6. I’m sure I’ll buy the new Grand Theft Auto if it releases this year, but I am also positive I’ll mostly be disappointed because it’s not Red Dead Redemption.