The annual games recap.
I would have sworn I played fewer games this year than last year, especially after using up much of the year playing games from 2023 or 2024 that I'd started but never completed because of my move (SMB Wonder, Princess Peach Showtime.) In fact, I played ten games for the first this year, compared to only nine last year. (Or as few as eight depending whether two should really count or not.)
10.
Mario Kart World (Switch 2): D+
It just doesn't click with me. It feels like "yet another Mario Kart" I played very little of it when it came out because it didn't have the map features or anything to know where I've been to complete p-switches and whatnot. And I just never got back to it.
9.
Disney Illusion Island (Switch): D+
Its fine, if quite basic. It was designed for kids though so it was remarkably easy for the time I put into it during the NSO Game Trial. It looks like a great co-op game for parents and children though. Just not enough happening for a more experienced gamer like me.
8.
Super Mario Galaxy (Switch 2): C
Perfectly fine. But after the third trip with this game, and second this decade, it just didn't excite me as much. I was playing ProController too, and it's not as good as the original Wiimote or dual joycons. It does look very sharp in the new 4K graphics though. I did not start Galaxy 2.
7.
Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster (Switch 2): C+
My actual launch title I spent the first several weeks playing. I loved Bravely Default so much on 3DS. Its the perfect RPG for the system. But the Switch 2 remaster is so basic - the necessary HUD changes to reduce to one screen, upscaling to 1080p window, new textures, a few lousy mouse minigames, some shop redesigns, and a few QOL changes. It looks and plays better compared to the 3DS version, but it also looks quite bad for a Switch 2 title. Even bad were it Switch 1. I still highly recommend the experience as its such a fantastic RPG but its a bummer it wasn't given polish to bring it up a standard closer to 2001's Bravely Default 2.
6.
Metroid Prime 4 Beyond (Switch 2): C+
I'm liking it and maybe halfway done, but its not pulling me into very long play sessions like earlier Metroid Primes. The more linear nature and vast desert both eliminates a lot of backtracking and then makes the backtracking you do need to do take too long. The recent developer interview indicates this is leftover design elements from the Bandai Namco project and Retro didn't really have the freedom to craft it like a proper Metroid Prime experience, and that explains a lot.
5.
The Plucky Squire (Switch): B-
An indie title I'd had my eye on for a while, its priced dropped tremendously by mid-year and I jumped on it. This is a fun little adventure mixing a cartoonish hand-drawn 2D world and 3D experience within a child's bedroom, somewhat of a weird cross between top-down Zelda and 3D Pikmin. Its short, but very nice for what it offers. I really appreciate the ability to skip through boss fights that are too tough, because I was not good enough to complete the rhythm beat/matching fight late in the game.
4.
Xenoblade Chronicles X (Switch): B-
I had a lot of fun since there's so much to do in this game (hugely sidequest heavy) but the story kind of falls part int he second half and falls well short of the Xenoblade numbered series games. This was a game I played for about 15 minutes on Wii U and never got back around to picking up, so very happy to have had the opportunity to pick it up again and give it a fairer chance. Most people better off with one of the numbered games if looking to enter the Xenoblade series.
3.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment (Switch): B
Very good, and canonized this time, though I didn't enjoy it as much as Age of Imprisonment. For one thing its far easier on default difficultly than AoI was. On the bright side, there's no characters I really absolutely despised playing like the two Rito were in AoI.
2.
Donkey Kong Bananza (Switch 2): A-
Really fantastic, but can be gamed a bit by continually going into Kong mode, smashing up terrain to find treasure chests with maps, and then obtaining those bananas to power yourself up further than the game really needs you to be to present the appropriate challenge. I didn't think it was Game of the Year quality, but it was certainly the best thing Nintendo's put out since at least SMB Wonder.
1.
Pikmin 4 (Switch), A+
What joy. A strong contender for my game of the decade because its just perfect. I didn't even realize how adding the dog would make such a difference over the first three Pikmin that I ignored this game for two years and sorely regret it. It is beautiful, presents just the right challenge, and executed perfectly. And since I played it, they've added some new features like the decorated Pikmin to make the exploring even more fun so I'll probably have to replay it someday just for that. So wonderful and I can't wait to see how much more gorgeous Pikmin 5 will be on Switch 2.
Most looking forward to in 2026: Probably burning down a lot of my backlog. I haven't seen anything about any publisher yet that makes me a day one buyer. Astro Bot, the DQ HD-2Ds, Visions of Mana, Galaxy 2, and all those Kingdom Hearts games just to name a few.
I haven't really dropped anything off the list this year as my availability to clear backlog looks much more open in 2026.
Rumors/Things we did not see come true in 2025:- New 3D Mario is still MIA. And not just MIA for 2025, its shaping up that he doesn't pop out of the warp pipe until 2027. Oof.
- Still not Dragon Quest Builders 3. In fact, still no DQ spinoff, except the mobile Smash/Grow game coming up. After 25 years of having an all-new game in the series, whether mainline or spinoff, they've now gone two years without.
- Still no Dragon Quest XII appearance either and I was also wrong about it being MMORPG as a few weeks ago Square Enix finally committed to a Dragon Quest X 8.0
- We didn't see the NSO Playtest Program game show up as finished product either.
- No Kid Icarus Uprising remaster. Sakurai did show up with a non-Smash game like I hoped he would, but not the one I wanted.
- Metroid Prime 4 was not a launch title.
Rumors/Things we got to see come true in 2025:- Metroid Prime 4 is Switch 2-enhanced. And it looks great. Its just a shame the gameplay mechanics and game structure are lacking.
- Bravely Default gets remastered. I nailed this assessment, but I would not have bet it would be Switch 2 exclusive. It clearly looks more like a Switch 1 title, if not cross-platform, and would have sold much better if it were.
- Nintendo News and E-shop apps redesigned to reduce clutter and shovelware. Overdue, but relief finally came.
Rumors/Things I want to see come true in 2026:
- Something worth buying day one.
- Pokemon Pokepia has significant free building activities similar to DQ Builders 2. Looks like they might be there, but haven't seen enough to know how what kinds of restrictions are in place. I"m not a Pokemon or Animal Crossing fan and I need to see these to know if its something I might take a chance on.
- Dragon Quest XII is revealed. I'm tired of putting this on the list every year. Its the 40th anniversary year and its time to show up.
The Annual "Let's Not Do This Again" Award:Continued objection to Game Key Card technology, particularly proposals for solutions that end up with all-digital environments. Data on card is great, but its expensive. Gamers don't want to pay $70 or $80 for most games, especially ports of stuff from other platforms. They sure as hell don't want to pay $145 when publisher is willing to offer it for just $40 (the difference between a prospective 128GB ROM cartridge and the GKC for Final Fantasy VII Remake.) Publishers want to make more money on each sale, and buyers want to pay less for each purchase. Can either shave the costs by providing cheaper technology (GKC) or by eliminating the retail cut and going all-digital. There's no winnable battle here with $80 ROM games - players don't want to pay that much except for the most premium of games. And no winnable battle at $60 ROM either as publishers aren't keen to have to pay more money than they make in the sale. Even at $70, there's very little room for discounts which means unsold product costs publishers a fortune to buy back, meaning they'll hedge their bets toward much smaller runs, and that forces more people toward a digital purchase. Game Key Cards at least ensure most of the physical properties, and leaves open the possibility of fully data on card limited editions for some games as there's still a cartridge slot on the device. You go all-digital and that slot is going to disappear in the next iteration and then no game gets even limited-edition cartridges. And can't simply sell expensive cartridges at retail and much cheaper digital versions either. That causes a rush toward the digital format and retail market collapses, taking the primary mechanism to sell either GKCs or data on card games away. (Along with a lot of free marketing for the larger publishers that provide product to the retail stores.) The "preservationist" community needs to come to terms with GKCs being a thing, and that its doing more to protect the chance for data on card than eliminating them will. They need to be less anti-GKC, and push for publishers to offer choice: limited editions that feature data on card for those who want to pay more for it, but still allow a cheaper, more widely available GKC model for the majority. Its the only way it works, and anyone's who has sat down to think through all the possibilities and isn't so selfish to assume everyone else in the world is willing to pay the premium prices for every single game they are should arrive at this conclusion.
Payoff of the Year:The Pokemon Company sitting on Pokemon Legends Z-A for a year to improve polish. I don't know if its perfect, but its certainly less buggy than Scarlet/Violet were thanks to extra time to get things right. The delay also allowed them to form a bundle with Switch 2 for the holidays. I thought it was a mistake to try to land this in year 1 and then try to followup with Generation 10 games in year 2, but it looks like they're going to pull it off.
Backfire of the Year:Two, and both for Nintendo. Besides some really bad marketing all year long (see above post), Nintendo also overcommitted their development teams toward the Switch 2 Editions and upgrades, leaving he 2025 and 2026 slate woefully underpowered compared to the 2017 Switch 1 launch year. Third parties are picking up most of the slack for Nintendo's first parties and it should be the other way around the first year. NIntendos made no secret what the five big franchises they control are, and representation in first twelve months of Switch 2 is weak. Mario has Kart World and another Tennis game to his name, but no mainline. Zelda has Age of Imprisonment rather than either a 2D or 3D Zelda experience. Animal Crossing and Pikmin are getting upgrades for Switch 1 versions so they don't have new games in first year. Leaving Splatoon as having a very tiny chance to arrive June 4, the very last day of the first twelve months. One solid Mario spinoff, one Mario sports game spinoff, and a Zelda spinoff isn't strong compared to new mainlines for Mario, Zelda, and Splatoon in 2017. Maybe years 2 and 3 are better for Switch 2 than Switch 1, but year 1 isn't a contest.
Honorable mention for a third dumb Nintendo plan: two major racing games to highlight the Switch 2 slate. I thought two Donkey Kongs was dumb, but this was risky and dumb. However, both games may sell well enough to suggest wasn't a disaster, though it leaves that already weak Switch 2 lineup too racing heavy (especially with additions of third party entrants Fast Fusion and Sonic Crossworlds in 2025)
Moment of the Year:March 27 Nintendo Direct - Dragon Quest I+II HD-2D trailer: The Princess of Cannock walks out of her room, spins and salutes, then fades into the game's title box art as it zooms out while the fanfare plays, revealing her to be a new playable character. While the casual fan may not have thought much of it, this was a master class demonstration of mic dropping to hardcore Dragon Quest fans who thought they knew what they were getting for the first sixty seconds of that trailer.
Besides key releases, what will gaming in 2025 most be remembered for?:- Switch 2 launch
- Switch 2 fumbles
- Price increases due to tariffs, RAM supply market constraints, or ever-more expensive hardware or software development
- The dominance of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 in awards shows. The bar has been set so high its unlikely another title has this kind of success without many new categories being added in each show.
Despite the launch of Switch 2, 2025 was mostly another bad year for gaming. Neither Playstation of Xbox had much sustained success, and Nintendo didn't execute as well as they should have. Unless you were Monster Hunter Wilds, Donkey Kong Bananza, Pokemon Legends Z-A, Kirby Air Riders, Battlefield 6, Hollow Knight Silksong, or Clair Obscur, you probably didn't have the year you'd hoped for, whether beause of problems with your game, poor sales, or just not meeting awards expectations. And for the first time in a long time, I'm going into a new year not really expecting it to be any better.
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