A year in Review - Games
I'm going through some of the media I consumed this year and taking some time to write about some of my favorites. This isn't an exhaustive list, nor is it things that were released this year (though some is), rather it's a list of what I consumed in 2025 that stuck with me for some time. Now are the games.
I didn't play a lot of new games this year, but the ones I did play were fantastic. Rosewater is no exception. It's a traditional point and click game that really nails everything. The voice acting is perfect, the animations are fluid and technically impressive, the story is engaging and funny, and the puzzles are fairly simple to solve because there are so many different solutions to most of them. Definitely check this one out.
Kerbal Space Program is my most played game on Steam, but Aviassembly may surpass that soon. This game is a plan physics simulator that has a robust physics engine and parts list. You can tinker in sandbox mode and create abominations that don't have a chance of flying, or you can do the "career" mode and move slowly through the history of aviation.
Chibi characters, a mute protagonist, and lots of grinding are hallmarks of the RPG genre, especially on the Game Boy. But boy oh boy do I love it. Great Greed is a game that the GOTM club Yokoi Kids played this year and it was the first time I'd ever heard of it, which really surprises me. There are a handful of really great RPGs on the GB, but this game holds its own against any of them. The plot is silly (it's very food themed), but it's also quite inclusive. Great Greed may be the first game ever made that allows players to marry a same-sex partner.
Sure, I'm a few decades late to this game, but the Analogue 3D got me back into the system that I had to sell to help pay for college. I'm surprised at how well this game holds up. There is a lot of jank to the controls and camera (turning around requires Mario to run in an arc, leading to lots of deaths from platforms) but after spending about 30 minutes with it, things got easier. I don't know that I'll do the 120 star challenge, but the bright colors, great sounds, and interesting levels are keeping me hooked until the credits.
A really impressive game that tackles grief in a very natural way. When I go, I'd be honored to be remembered like this.
This is not the best Worms game, that title is held by Armageddon, but this is a great Worms game that works very well on modern consoles and PCs and has been a lot of fun to play with my kids. We can team up against the computer or play PvP, and the newly included vehicles add some fun new elements to the game. The computer still makes perfect shots with the bazooka (backwards and into the wind so it curves perfectly to your worm), but the expanded difficulty options are welcomed. It also frequently goes on sale for less than $6, which is well worth it to me.