🔗 Share this article

Alright, how did you experience this year in your family? Could it be described as truly wonderful as people post on online? Packed with A-grades for the children and wild dress-up birthday parties for the adults? Or perhaps it was a swamp of frustration with only sporadic enjoyable flotsam? And was any of it actually real, or have we all become AI-generated AI slop beings with unrealistic dental work?

I've corralled the family together, ready or not, to reflect on the crucial thing in any given year: which releases we enjoyed the most. Let's get started:

Game First Daughter Played the Most

Pikmin

"Is it impossible to pick just one?"

"You can't expect my definitive list."

Meanwhile, on mobile, she's invested time in Cityscapes and "trying to find adequate healthcare."

"Digitally?"

"In real life."

Release Second Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I refuse to play games on my phone." He seemed insulted that I suggested it. I respect that.

Game Third Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

Her goal is to get into drama school, but when she stepped away from the mic, she was tackling Resident Evil. She also elaborated in great detail about her accomplishments on The Sims, where her avatar has a blooming utopia with infinitely better healthcare than her older sibling has in real life.

Game the Partner Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She began the year at sixty percent completion and ended it at 82%. It’s a marathon not a sprint for her. On her phone: something called Woodle, where you have to extract pins.

Title I Found Amusing That My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Any time I see my 21-year-old son playing Minecraft, I rib him like a cross between a persistent critic. When he complains, I reply that I am engaging in this to prepare him so he can be a man and play games for adults. It’s a very Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Notable Gaming Family Member of the Year

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

She was the clear winner for this one. She is a machine. Superior than I was at Dancing Stage MegaMix in my prime.

Game I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

Nothing came close to the hours I spent on this insanely well-crafted deck building competitive game, with its constantly evolving range of cards and game variations.

Game I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The catch about games that frequently update their range is you eventually realize and understand it is all just an attempt to suck you into fomo-fuelled microtransactions. So enjoyment soured halfway through the year and it went into the bin.

Title I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Stunning reinvention of a legendary franchise. Engrossing atmosphere from the beginning. I wish I could dispatch my issues so effectively in real life.

Game I Wish I Had Played More (Cerebral Edition)

Blue Prince

I decline to rush this beautiful, unique game and I just was short on the time or headspace to give it what it needed earlier this year. With relatives staying over the festive period, I aim to experience this in the early morning after appropriate hospitality.

Title That Saved My Soul When I Needed It

Balatro

I know Balatro was the previous year's breakout game, but I was a late adopter. And it is remarkable. It just gets absolutely everything right. Crazy Poker is a wonderful concept, but the powers behind the different joker cards are so inventive it has become a game I would happily play at any hour. Throw in the charm of the card design, and this is an definite pinnacle of gaming. I wouldn't mind being stuck in a small space for hours just so I have the perfect excuse but play it.

Title I Got the Most Backlash For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I endured a wave of criticism when I mentioned how a technical issue in another game damaged the experience for me, but that other title is still a colossal gaming achievement in terms of art, sound, acting – which I valued even more after playing Outer Worlds 2. So my appreciation goes out to the individual who took the time to contact me to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "bitter, confused resentment". I share that as written, because I acknowledge the engagement, and he is obviously an sharp judge of character.

Title Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Sure. Give me a brutally difficult Metroidvania-esque thing and provide little guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "look around". What a joy. I understand that it looks ace and is flawless if you are into challenging games, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I am less interested in in my mid-fifties. I was around back when most games were like this, and my patience is gone. It was okay when I was a kid, but the same could be said for many questionable things.

Biggest Gaming Controversy of 2025

Close call between business deals that caused concern, and high launch costs. Both difficult to justify and concerning.

Games I Would Name My Children After, Were I I Was Ever Foolish Enough to Have More

Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all sound good names shouted from the garden at tea time.

Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming

Right Thumb Joint. No joke. I don’t know if it’s because of console gaming or phone use, but it aches like hellfire in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs looked after back in the 90s.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2026

Grand Theft Auto VI.
And it will come out in 2026, even if we have to make 2026 last until the heat death of the universe.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.