Said the same thing on the Pushsquare version of the article, but I want to post it again:

Support games that do something different. If we don’t throw our support into unique games with unique ideas now, the industry will continue to siphon into games they care more about engagement than fun. We’re at a dangerous point in gaming history where every day the executives of gaming companies are looking for safer games with more monetization for the benefit of their shareholders. I get that To a T may not be for everyone, but neither are a lot of games. Sometimes games do need support and exposure and unfortunately that’s not being given to games such as this.

For what it’s worth, To a T was one of my favorite games this year. I preferred it even to the latest Katamari game too. It’s a unique game with a fantastic soundtrack and I do hope that Takahashi’s able to get a lifeline, so he’s able to continue creating his own idiosyncratic vision of gaming. We need these kinds of unique voices. Also, the game is great for kids as well. My 8 year old was able to beat the game no problem and my 4 year old loves to watch it.

1. Silksong
2. Blue Prince
3. Other… I could put Pipistrello and the Cursed Yo-Yo, To a T, or Once Upon a Katamari here if they were options
4. Arc Raiders
5. Ninja Gaiden Ragebound, I suppose.

Gamepass carried my play time for the first five months of the year, but honestly my “all games across all platforms” is heavily Switch 2 forward. The Nintendo first party stuff just spoke to me far, far more than most of the games released this year. I’ve still yet to play Outer Worlds 2, Sektori, or the Seance At Blake Manor from my personal list to feel like I can genuinely pick a true top 10 across all platforms though, but I’m trying to get there! I’ve beaten a few more than 20 games this year and tried around 50-ish. Death Stranding 2 is my ultimate GoTY. From my playtime, I’d say there were 20-25 games I’d put at a 7/10+, which is a relatively solid year.

@Kezelpaso If anything, the reaction to its placement in the show says something about the disconnect between the viewing gamers and the industry money right now. I know, with my viewing party, we were all sort of losing focus toward the end of the show with all the gatcha games getting trailers one after the other. I know those games probably spend a lot of money to get those slots, but no one in my group could tell where one ended and the other began.

After enduring a bunch of samey trailers that felt more like ads than a typical trailer to follow it up with a F2P Hero Shooter left everyone saying, “They’re going to announce something else after the award, right?” But no… At least we still got the multi-instrumental flute guy going crazy again this year!

Seriously though, there’s a disconnect between the single player and esports crowd now in a big way and I think it’s all about presentation rather than game quality.

It would’ve been a huge pop if this came out 10-15 years ago, but it sure feels like no one wants anymore hero shooters. Personally, I felt like this reveal landed like a wet sock. Maybe it was the fact that it was the last game announced when there were “bigger” games for the gaming core in the show. I mean, Megaman and Control 2 were moments when my group got silent and watched.

Honestly, I personally think The Game Awards dumping every award of E33, made 2025 look like a sham year for gaming. I know some people want to believe E33 is so good it deserved all the awards, but really we’re in an era where people are playing fewer games and purchasing fewer games. Does it really help the industry to focus solely on one game?

I watched the show with some friends and all of us started getting annoyed with E33 winning awards. We all cheered when Wuthering Waves beat it for Player’s Choice. Lol. The ludicrous choice to give a game that can afford basically an A list cast getting “indie game of the year” while also being marketed directly by Microsoft is a slap in the face to vibrancy of the indie game scene too.

I didn’t even enjoy KCD2 and I agree with him. E33 is officially the most overrated game to have ever been made after last night and I say that as someone who liked the game for the most part.

A D. Megaman could’ve boosted it to at least a B if Clair Obscur didn’t receive literally every award it was nominated for except for one. It’s bad when you get grateful that the bots gave an award to a gatcha game.

@smoreon I’d imagine he does play games. As obnoxious as Geoff can be, his enthusiasm seems genuine.

Well, looks like I WILL try the Outer Worlds 2 by the end of the year then!

Hopefully he plugs Forgotlings again (for free) since the release for that one should be pretty imminent.

I do wonder what type of games Geoff actually plays.

@Fiendish-Beaver After how low quality the PlayStation one was this year, I’m just hoping the Xbox one has depth to it this year. This is the first year in a long while that I’ve played a good chunk of my gaming time on Xbox over PS5, so I’m curious to see what my actual playtimes were!

I’m genuinely curious this year. It was a rocky year for Xbox for me in the second half of the year, but Xbox felt like my dominant console this year… until the Switch 2 launched and totally took over. I’m curious what my numbers were, especially knowing that I played my PlayStation 5 less than expected. I want to compare my playtime.

@abe_hikura Warner Bros/Discovery has been terrible since they merged, so honestly I can see whoever purchases them to improve them. HBOMax went from feeling like Netflix used to to feeling like… how Netflix feels now for me. That said, Paramount and Netflix would probably both do a lot more with the cartoons in the WB storage because they realize people want to watch them.

I really enjoyed the campaign at the time of release, but I also thought that it was clearly designed with the purpose of getting dlc down the line. When it was revealed that campaign dlc was never in the cards, I soured a little bit towards it, but I’d still call it my favorite 343 Halo as a campaign.

I wasn’t much a fan of the multiplayer though. It was an improvement on 5 but still far from the glory days that ended after 4.

I just hope that whoever buys Warner Bros Discovery is willing to free Infinity Train

Really genuinely curious about this game. Reactions seem to be very literally all over the place. I have a hard time resisting playing games like this, but I’ve yet to try it. I don’t imagine I’ll have time to play it this year, given everything I have to currently play, but I’m interested.

Metroid Prime 4

The half hour I played last night felt pretty solid.

I’ve got no real opinion so far, but I mean the game’s reviewing better than that new Marvel game, so it’s not like I can even say I can make sense of the disconnect between my YouTube feed any reality anymore. I do hope I end up enjoying Prime 4 in the end.

Hopefully this doesn’t mean bad things for the consumer. So far, the push for consolidation has led to worse media at a higher cost, in my opinion… and I’m honestly less interested in what’s being peddled out to us and I consume less too.

Also, jeez, I’m hoping that the inevitable Hogwarts Legacy sequel lives up to the first one’s… ahem… legacy… following this as well.

@Stoned_Patrol I didn’t end up buying Routine and just ended up going for bulk instead with Black Mesa, Garry’s Mod, Coromon, Ex-Zodiac, Level Devil, Core Keeper, Refind Self, Nidana, and The Seance of Blake Manner. I had a $50 gift card and was honestly able to get almost every game in that list, which is quite impressive. I only actually paid for 1.5 games after that gift card (which I was gifted). Pretty cool that I’ve got a decent library to start with for such a good deal thanks to Black Friday and Cyber Monday. I’ll be getting the Deck next week, but I’m already happy with it.

I’m gone from Gamepass, I believe. I’m not sure there’s $30 worth of games I’d want from Gamepass in December, so the value just isn’t there anymore. I’m in the process of selling my Xbox to buy accessories for the Deck, like mouse/keyboard/a really nice controller. I get that Cdkeys is cheaper, but I’m just sort of peeved with Xbox’s vision at the moment.

I’ve been looking forward to this one for a while. Got it wishlisted currently, curious on what kind of pricing it’ll have.

@Lup @Sindayl Definitely agree with the both of you. If Clair Obscur didn’t get the press bump from being a budget release at launch, history may have been very different.

As it stands though, I am grateful this one was on Gamepass. I very nearly ordered it on PlayStation, even with it being on Gamepass, because I loved the concept so much, but then I felt like I should be rational and try it before purchasing, so I started it on Gamepass. By the end, I was really glad I saved the money and didn’t buy the game. It was still a good game, but the hype was overblown big time for me.

@PsBoxSwitchOwner As a huge Final Fantasy fan, I really hope not. I’ve liked every Final Fantasy game more than Clair Obscur, outside maybe Final Fantasy 1-3 and maybe 5. I’d have to mull over if I liked 33 or 5 better. I want Final Fantasy to keep being Final Fantasy and being its own breed of massive rpg.

@jesse_dylan I don’t finish every game either, but I want to go in with the intention that I’m going to want to commit to finishing a game, you know? I do beat the majority of my games, but I also prefer my games to be 20-ish hour games because I know I’ll beat something like that in two weeks, play the next thing and so on and so forth. A long game’s gotta be REALLY special for me nowadays. Octopath 1 and 2 were both a little too long for what they were for me, personally, but, I mean, Triangle Strategy had me engrossed to the end. Realistically though, COVID was the last time I could easily commit to these styles of games without juggling.

If 2026 doesn’t bulk up soon though, there’s definitely room in the release schedule to hunker down and play something massive.

If I was 25 years younger, this would be such a dream game, based on what I’ve read, but, man, that 100+ hour playtime makes it hard for me. I mean, I’ve still never beaten Persona 5 and I’ve tried. Believe me, I’ve tried. Long games are hard to beat. If 2026 has another drought like 2024 or 2025 though, I’ll get this on sale, I think. It looks fantastic.

Thinking about this one being my inaugural Steamdeck game when I get the console next week. I have a feeling the pricetag for this one might be cheaper than a month of Gamepass now! 😂

@Scummbuddy Lol, yeah, I feel like “recommendations” tend to just be other games that are selling a lot regardless of what you play. Or it’s a scenario like, “You played Elden Ring, huh? Here’s 30 games that are just like it, despite it being an outlier to your habits.”

I’ve tried sourcing recommendations from various sites and apps and thus far, I’m pretty sure I’m the only one that can steer myself towards my own taste when I’m buying games (and I can’t even always stick the landing on that either!).

I don’t really need any of that.

In my experience, AI has been bad at recommending games to me thus far, as I’ve tried it already. And honestly, I sort of feel like our numerical analysis of everything exists to distance us from actually experiencing things rather than going through the numbers. Numbers and trends are addictive to me and I could see sorting through data becoming as much a game as games themselves, which feels sort of wrong. I’m already a spreadsheet gamer. Do I need more encouragement to compartmentalize my gaming further?

I’ve made the joke before, but is this Gamepass or Battle Pass?

I bought this one pretty close to release and loved it. I put it off for a few months for absolutely no reason and regretted that I did so. The game has a few minor issues with samey enemies and such, but the storyline is fantastic. It’s got some of the absolute best acting and writing in a video game. Period.

I’d give the game an 8/10 overall, but it’s a great 8/10 and I liked it more than some games I’d probably give a 9/10 to. If you value good narratives in games, give this one a look. It’s my personal belief that this game should’ve gotten the type of excitement Clair Obscur received.

Honestly, I really want to play something new, but I feel bad about buying anything new right now, given that Metroid is coming this week and I’m about to buy a Steamdeck and will be sinking some money into starting a Steam library very soon. I have to work today, but it’s snow storm weather, so I sort of want to just curl up and play some games. Realistically though, I think I’m just going to plan my early Steam library and play Arc Raiders… but I keep thinking about The Outer Worlds 2 at random too…

I should go back to Yotei and finish that though, shouldn’t I? Or Silent Hill F? Or Hades 2? For some reason, as good as those games are, man, I’m struggling getting back to them.

I want Fable and Halo’s release dates though…

What a bizarre top 10 list. Shadows being above Yotei is certainly a choice. Good to see a list that’s Gamepass-centric and totally different from what would be expected. Some omissions seem bizarre to me though…

Then again, Expedition 33 wouldn’t be in my list, so I’m sure people would say the same thing about my list.

Nothing so far in any of the sales. I’m still contemplating things. There’s a part of me that wants to buy The Outer Worlds 2, but I’m just not sold yet. Though that’s on PS5… that and Lushfoil Photography Sim I’m thinking about.

Given the price hikes on Xbox, I’m contemplating selling my Series S and Xbox accessories to get the money to buy a Steamdeck a friend of mine is selling. In a way, I’ve sort of got my own Xbox Black Friday sale going on.

I played through Portal yesterday with my son. That was fun. It’s always interesting to share an ancient artifact with him and see what he thinks. He could see the influence in other games he likes such as The Stanley Parable, Superliminal, and The Witness. Not bad observing that for an 8 year old.

Outside that, I’m contemplating jumping on a Black Friday sale for something. While, yes, I still have Yotei and Silent Hill F to complete, I sort of feel like I’m having a hard time pushing myself to play either of them and Portal felt like a breath of fresh air. A friend of mine really wants me to start playing Arc Raiders too, so maybe that’s the answer. I didn’t have time for games for a while, but I think that’ll change a bit this week. Just not sure how yet.

I didn’t buy a 360 until the glory days of Halo, personally. For me, Xbox Live Arcade and Halo were where the console really shined.

Out of that batch, I’d vote for Kameo too, I suppose.

Glad they separated things, so other games could win awards. Looking forward to next year, so the year of E33 can be grommaged by the Paintress. The game’s fine (7/10 for me), but I’m tired of hearing about it. Lol.

Love that Bananza beat E33 by the Critics vote. Would be happy to see similar logic happen at the Geoff Awards with Bananza getting GotY. Would be hilarious to see the reactions next day.

I’d give it a C. It was well produced, but very little I’m personally interested in.

Dave the Diver 2 is definitely the highlight for me. Vampire Crawlers, I will definitely get, though the new genre they’re exploring isn’t a genre I typically enjoy. Curious about Roadside Research and maybe Tides, which looks like E33, Stellar Blade, and Wukong were sharing notes.

It deserved a nod for music and art direction (so did Keeper though). That said though, I think the game was ok to good for the most part beyond that. It’s one of those solid 7/10 type games that is memorable for what it tries to do as a game, but doesn’t fully accomplish, while being a good story and having good atmosphere. It would’ve probably made a better movie than game, in my opinion.

So we know four of them.

I’m hoping for Pragmata’s release date. #2 could be that!

I love that they did this. It’s actually pretty fun. Hoping to see more guesses.

Right in time for lunch for me!

As of right now, my expectations are nil, but my hopes are that I want to buy something after the showcase concludes. Novel hope to have these days, isn’t it?

The worst thing about this statement is that it will likely mean that developers will continue making bloated $70 games and F2P live service titles, totally ignoring the fact that some of us just want a strong narrative adventure game that’s short enough to play through in a week or two sold at a reasonable price.

That said, after Shadows, I’m taking a break from Ubisoft for a couple years. I like their games, but man do they feel samey.

I hope this is a better showcase than that last Sony one. I can honestly say there’s not much I’m currently excited about next year, but I’m ready to change my mind.

Game Pass? More like Battle Pass!

@VisitingComet1 Ironically enough, with FPS boost on Xbox, I think the original looks and feels better than the remake, which is sort of obviously a dated game with slightly polished skin. I love the game, but I’d be the first one to admit that the game felt a little dated at release and it was really noticeable to me in the remake, but less so with my own experience of the original on modern hardware. The story is pretty wonderful and a true time capsule to its era. I love it, even if it sounds like I’m emphasizing that the game has aged a little bit. I gave the original my personal GotY the year it came out, many moons ago now. I just have to point it out because it could be something you think about the game trying it out.

That said though, the second one feels much more modern, and is a current day masterpiece that is among the best level design of linear games this generation. The team learned a lot when making Control.

@GamingGod the best part is that you’ve barely scratched the surface of the game yet. Arguably, the most ludicrous level/scene to occur in any game is in Alan Wake 2. You’ll know what I mean when you get there. Have fun!

@OldGamer999 For me, Nintendo’s doing that next year. Mario Tennis and Pokopia are both going to be day 1 buys, and then there’s that Yoshi game Q2, Fire Emblem, and Splatoon Raiders, which might not have release dates but are also great looking games. This is what we know so far with Nintendo too. Sure, they’re mostly smaller stakes games, but they all look like a lot of fun.

Xbox has a good line-up already too of four games. Sony has four first party games too with Saros, Wolverine, Marvel Tokon, and Marathon. I wouldn’t say Sony has a good line-up though… Might be the weakest first party year Sony has had this generation outside 2023 (which was a year mostly held up by third party exclusives rather than new first party content).

I’m expecting nothing, but I’m hoping for Fable and OD… and I’m sort of hoping they’re multiplatform. It would be nice to get a new Halo multiplayer experience too.

@GamingGod You know, between the two of them, I don’t know which one I prefer. Honestly, if the gaming industry can continue making games like those, we’re in a good spot.

@GamingGod Two of the absolute best games this generation

I’m going to be playing move furniture back into my living room and my daughter’s room after finishing painting and installing floors. I threw my sofa away, so when I do hook my consoles back up… I have nowhere to sit. I will be playing “search for a new sofa” after that. I’d like to say I’ll be settling down to play Yotei, but I don’t quite know if I’ll have time. All I can guarantee is that, in the absence of having my console games to play while I move stuff, Balatro on my phone will say hi.