Once again, despite incredible challenges presented to the industry, studios of all shapes and sizes delivered a vast amount of high quality video games for nerds like me to enjoy. I always curate an ongoing “to-play” list with every exciting reveal, only for mild panic to set in around August when I realize there’s no chance I’ll have enough time to play half of them.

This year, I tried to focus on what I had instead of what I hadn’t.

I’m not sure if it’s me getting older, or the fact that I saw obstacles faced by friends and family that go so far beyond my digital hobby in terms of importance that it humbled me, and put any problems I had into perspective. Compared to some people I truly admire, I have a very cushy lifestyle and any attempt to present myself with artificial concerns were swept away. In the end, it really doesn’t matter what I picked and where on the list it went.

There’s a certain freedom in that, and also a greater understanding of why I like to escape to magical worlds – escapism, in responsible moderation, is a terrific way to free the mind and appreciate the amazing work my fellow video game developers have produced.

Unlike 2024, this year’s list of shame was robust; despite my promises, I missed out on Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. Ditto Ghost of Yotei. Blue Prince escaped me, in addition to Absolum, Battlefield 6, Shinobi: Art of Vengeance, ARC Raiders, Ball x Pit,and The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy, to name a few.

Ryan and I didn’t get the time to finish the cooperative masterpiece Split Fiction, otherwise it may have barged onto the podium. I tried, and I mean I really tried with 2025’s indie darling Hollow Knight: Silksong but after seven hours, I just couldn’t stand it any longer. Saying it was a frustrating experience doesn’t even begin to describe it. Souls-likes, in 2D or 3D, are not my cup of tea.

Regardless of my maturing attitude towards priorities of the existence of Henry Skey, I’m happy to report 2025 was yet another stellar year. The fact that Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, Citizen Sleeper 2, South of Midnight, Mario Kart World, Keeper and Lost in Random: The Eternal Die aren’t on this list is ridiculous. My 2025 bench is more stacked than any other year I can think of. The top two choices ended up being all-time favorites, the rest were a fantastic mix of JRPGs, Tower Defense, First Person Shooters and 3D platformers. Lucky me. Lucky us!

As always, thank you for reading. I don’t know how long I’ll continue to do these Top 10s but it won’t stop at 2025.

#10

This was the hardest entry to solidify. I’m still uncertain if Metroid Prime 4, despite its faults, should be here instead. The Metroid foundations of exploration, puzzles, atmosphere and combat are all sound, yet just like Borderlands 4 it shot itself in the foot – though for entirely different reasons.

Borderlands 4 nearly cost itself a spot for one simple issue – bugs. This was not a ready-made product when it launched. As somebody who works in the industry, I’m fairly forgiving to teams since they’re usually crunched beyond hope and trying to ensure a massive game like this is 100% bug-free on different consoles, PCs and operating systems seems to be an unsolvable task for some companies.

But Gearbox has me in its talons and despite eight hard crashes during my 36 hours, I was never frustrated enough to stop playing. It eked out a victory over Metroid Prime 4, and finds itself at the bottom of the honors list.

I’ve spent quite a bit of time with every Borderlands entry. The premise is as appealing as it was in 2009 – the graphics, the tone, the style, the abilities and, most importantly, the dance of death you inflict with your abilities mixed in with your limitless amount of firearms.

The gameplay has never been better. Shooting enemies and the expanded movement means every combat interaction is frantic and fun. I rarely felt like a boss was cheap, or a gun was underpowered. I played as Vex and summoning ghost clones to fight alongside had me giddy. Each subsequent ability meant they could last longer, or deal more damage, or more would appear. Playing solo, it was nice to have a few (temporary) companions to soak up enemy bullets.

The jet pack and lasso means interactions were far more likely to include more verticality, always a good thing. The switch to a more open world style instead of maps hidden behind load screens (for the most part) was a welcomed one. I had a really hard time stopping playing and not exploring the entire map post credits.

This was much improved over Borderlands 3 for many reasons; much less talking from everybody in general, the open world switch is a welcomed one and the extra traversal options meant every encounter was challenging and exciting. I’ll catch a ride with a Borderlands anytime.

#9

This was another tricky one to establish on the Top 10, not because it didn’t warrant a spot, but because the room is so entirely crowded.

In the end, I’m a sucker for Telltale style games and Dispatch threw its hat in the ring with the best of them. One of the greatest advantages it has over its predecessors is the animation. Telltale unfortunately never made the leaps and bounds it needed to survive after The Walking Dead, but AdHoc Studio learned that in today’s climate if you want a narrative driven game, it better turn heads right away. The graphics are stunning, every moment of Dispatch looks like it could be from an animated series and not one that cheaps out on the budget.

I was surprisingly good at the dispatching gameplay in the first few episodes, even making it into the top 2% of all players. Then, for some inexplicable reason, I sunk to the bottom 1% and stayed there. It would be a nigh-impossible feat to find a player who did worse than me. That hit the ego a bit, particularly since it sort of lined up with Robert’s storyline of trying to get a terrible team of superheroes in line and perform well. What AdHoc didn’t anticipate was how I was incapable of sending the right heroes to the right spots with the right buddies at any given time.

Regardless, I thought everything worked. The character designs, the voice acting, the episodic nature and the incorporation of the gameplay into the story all sit very well together. The final fight was thrilling and you can put me down for AdHoc’s next project, no matter what it is.

#8

With all the hoopla Mitch and I had to endure to get our Nintendo Switch 2s (don’t ask, Mitch still hasn’t forgiven me), I’m relieved to see that the purchase has been worth it so far. I have a feeling Donkey Kong Bananza on the first Switch wouldn’t pass inspection.

This has been getting a lot of justified comparisons to 3D Super Marios and rightfully so. It’s essentially an evolution of that style and made by the Mario Odyssey team. While I can’t say it’s my all-time favorite platformer, it’s so impressive in so many ways that it’s hard not to love it.

Aside from the wonky camera at times (forgivable, when you can literally destroy most of each world) and my inability to throw objects accurately, I found the good far outweighed the bad.

It looks terrific. The variety of locations and how you can go in any direction is so freeing. The limitations that exist in every 3d platformer don’t exist here, and it took some time to mentally adjust. If I was ever stuck I just punched my way through solid rock and more often than not, I’d find a secret.

The sound design is fantastic, and more than a few songs caught me humming along – namely the Zebra transformation and the retro throwbacks. Stickerbush Symphony is as good now as it was in 1995.

Your sidekick Pauline is charming , the combination of powers and permissible destruction gives this game such an unmistakable identity. Once again, Nintendo has built a playground that others wouldn’t even think of constructing. I’ve heard proclamations that this is the best Donkey Kong game. My favorite is still Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy’s Kong Quest but Bananza is so unique that it demands recognition.

OH! BANANA!

#7

This is my favorite Obsidian game. I know that’s heresy to the Fallout: New Vegas crowd, and while I did enjoy that one, it was so buggy that I wasn’t even able to beat the game and when I tried to resolve the issue, it erased my save file. I guess at this point I should be used to Vegas stealing my money.

As the year went on, my affinity for Avowed grew. It was entirely bug free. It was a delight to explore. First person combat, something I’m always wary of in an RPG, felt tight and curated. It had the voice actor who voiced Garrus from the Mass Effects (Brandon Keener) as your first companion, and that’s almost a cheat code.

There are so many ways to build your character and team, that every fight felt interesting and fun. It was a treat to play; it didn’t overstay its welcome, the open world was filled with treasures and each location had its own personality. I really dug this one, but I was more surprised that something like this COULD be bug free. Looking at you, Gearbox!

#6

I’m not sure what snorting cocaine in the middle of a tornado with a group of raccoons attacking me would feel like, but I’m confident it would feel something like Doom: The Dark Ages.

Absolutely thrilling. Dozens of hellspawn could be punching me in the nose and all it would do is get me more excited. All the weapons have such a kick that it was difficult to choose which one to use. The shield is a fantastic addition and I never got tired of the endless waves of demons launching themselves at me. Or, rather, me launching myself at them, spiked shield first. Captain America this ‘aint.

A lot of the changes that I thought were terrific weren’t as positively met by others. I will concede some of the dragon sections went on too long and it feels far different from the previous Dooms. I also felt the weapon wheel was cumbersome and finally selecting the correct weapon in the middle of a stressful fight only added to the stress. Not ideal.

Still, the new open areas were my favorite by a mile. It was a changeup from regular Doom gameplay but hiking across a map and strategizing which part of a fortress I was going to infiltrate prior to incinerating every walking baddie added a new level of depth. Parrying green orbs not only resulted in a stunned enemy, but a very satisfying accompanying noise in doing so. I don’t know why I’m good at these types of games and awful at others, but Doom : The Dark Ages was very much my speed.

RIP AND TEAR. Or, in this case, …STOMP AND SMASH?

#5

I didn’t hear a single soul discuss Tower Dominion in any capacity. Not in a Top 10, not in a “new games” section, not in a podcast, not on a website, not in person, nothing.

Was I going crazy? Was one of the most deviously addicting Tower Defense games NOT released this year?

I triple checked and…yup, right there. 2025. So, chalk this up to yet another Tower Defense that I became obsessed with that perhaps felt like a flash game and not worthy of anybody else’s attention.

Well, fine then. Doesn’t matter. Tower Dominion is amazing. I didn’t see any of the Kingdom Rush games on anybody else’s Top 10 either. It won’t stop me!

In my initial review, I said this.

After playing 23 hours, I better stop before I go crazy. This is an instantly addictive Tower Defense, one of the best ones I’ve played. At times it looks and feels like a mobile game, but the placement of the land tiles and combination of towers/resource management is right up there with the most complex, difficult Tower Defenses I’ve played. I love the art style, animations, enemy variety, upgrades and overall challenge. Perfect for a Tower Defense nut like me.

I really did intend to stop playing there. But I did not stop. I mean I did, eventually, but only after 90 hours of playtime and having beaten the most difficult stage with all 30 commanders, across 3 factions, each with their own abilities and shortcomings.

It’s the perfect podcast or YouTube game. I put something on and distract my mind with my placement of towers, plotting my enemies’ demise, failing to account for flying bats, spending my resources on foolish upgrades and watched the time melt away. You’d think by the 23rd victory I would get tired of seeing my lasers eradicate a kaiju’s shield before my rocket batteries blow it to smithereens, but you would be wrong. If they ever make a “AAA” Tower Defense game, or a sequel to Tower Dominion, I may have to check myself into rehab.

#4

Here’s another game that I didn’t see on any pundit’s Top 10, but at least this time there’s an excuse. Octopath Traveler 0 was released on December 4th. It took me 94 hours to beat, hence why this list is going up in late February. Websites and entertainment outlets have to get theirs in before the Christmas rush, I get it.

But I was never, ever going to let artificial deadlines stop me from playing another Octopath.

I don’t normally go for the True Ending on games. Usually I see the end credits and that’s it for me – too many other games to play, can’t dwell on an adventure that’s technically over.

But Octopath Traveler games are not your standard fare for JRPG nuts like myself.

This is going to be somewhat of a backhanded compliment – I wouldn’t recommend this game to anybody other than the most hardcore JRPG fans. It’s incredibly long, even for a genre that is littered with examples that take months to beat and overstay their welcomes by at least a dozen hours.

Octopath Traveler 0 isn’t any different in that regard, but it has the distinction of consistently improving every hour I played it.

It’s not as polished as Octopath Traveler 2, but many additions are noteworthy. Battling with eight Travelers shifts the combat strategy so well that I rarely had anything but a blast in every single battle. Deciding which characters to bring along, who goes in the front row, who goes in the back row, which abilities to equip them with, with equipment to saddle them with, which items I should purchase and factoring in Ultimate abilities meant this was one of the best turn-based combat systems I’ve ever played.

The amount of content is staggering, for better or worse. This isn’t the type of game you can speed through, as the wall of text you’re going to read (and there is too much) slows the pacing down like crazy. Towns aren’t meant to be rushed either, as they’re full of townsfolk that can provide secrets, local flavor, and items, both common and rare. Dungeons and snippets of story aren’t ever overly long, but there’s just a ton of them to get through. If you’re not comfortable with a nearly 100 hour campaign, skip this one. The game is an enormous slog, pure and simple.

But there’s so much good in here; I’ll never get tired of this graphical style, the soundtrack is phenomenal (a trademark of the Octopath games), some of the set pieces really do hit hard and as I mentioned above, the game gets better as you go along. While you can easily roll your eyes when somebody tells you “at 60 hours, the game really starts to pick up”, it’s true here. I don’t know what else to tell you.

The final few sections are breathtaking, but beyond that the final boss pulls a trick I have never seen before in my life and I was relishing every second. Octopath 2 did something similar for its super secret end boss, but that’s nothing compared to this. I couldn’t believe my eyes and that kind of unique twist to somebody who has played a million JRPGs in his life is extremely valuable and rocketed my score up. What other RPG allows you to fight a single boss with 36 individual fighters? I was foaming at the mouth when I realized a buff ability that “raises the physical attack of all allies” means ALL allies on screen.

I haven’t even mentioned the town building aspect, which is a delight. I don’t usually have much faith in building up a town or base since it usually feels flat and I lose interest, but not here. I’ll have my version of Wishvale in my head for a very long time – the amount of customization and “cozy” feeling you get, along with useful buildings for items, equipment and secrets, means you’ll exude a sigh of relief every time you visit. Figuring out which new house my cat mage was going to live in, or if the path on the left should have a garden next to it, or laying cobblestones to the church were just as enjoyable as landing a massive critical hit on a boss.

Superb. I hope they make Octopath Traveler 3 soon, but not too soon.

#3

Monster Train very nearly made my Top 10 for 2020, a stellar year so no shame in missing out.

Monster Train 2 is so much better than the first that it would be on any of my Top 10 list, in any year. I’m a huge fan of roguelike deckbuilders anyway, so I’m predisposed to love something like this. Can’t help it, it’s in my DNA.

This is one of the best deck-builders, period. The addition of the clans and the main/secondary choices you get for your decks mean there is a staggering amount of choice you have in how you build your roster and approach combat and all of them are viable.

Explaining every synergy among units, cards and items would take months to describe. Figuring out which two clans work best together, or which hero to use, or if you should stack one floor, or agonizing over which item to buy at the merchant is both relaxing and mentally taxing in the best way possible. Never mind that the game literally tells you the result before you do it (an ongoing trend in gaming), the fun is in figuring out how to conquer the odds. If I switch my tank to a different row, use the frost ability here, summon this sacrificial lamb here…I can win the round!

It has inescapable allure. Even after suffering a humiliating defeat, I was keen to try again with different cards, or a different set of demonic tree wizards entirely. This rivals Balatro and Slay the Spire for me in terms of replayability and design. I was so impressed and the notion of a third boggles my mind. Surely, Shiny Shoe can’t do better than this?

#2

Surely, Supergiant Games couldn’t do better than Hades?

Hades was my favorite Rougelike (or Rouge-lite) ever and I thought the formula had been fully milked, but I was incorrect. Within a few hours, I was not only completely hooked but convinced Hades 2 is even better than Hades and not by a small amount.

The usual Supergiant magic is all here – the User Interface, the aesthetic, the character portraits, the graphics, the atmosphere and music are so cohesive and stylistic and nothing feels out of place. Every voice actor did a tremendous job, adding style and character to each God/Witch/Titan/Ghost so that they have a ton of personality with just a few lines of dialogue. Character models are detailed, horny and beautifully drawn. Does anybody do it better than Supergiant?

The boons, runs, exploration and gameplay are top notch. I was on the edge of my seat nearly every one of my 46 attempts. The massive amount of upgrades, both big and small, are a constant force of motivation and no run feels like a waste. There are so many ways to augment or experiment with my run that I got decision paralysis more than a few times. The surprises, be it a new God showing up that I hadn’t seen yet or even a new location to explore, had me beaming every single time.

Naturally, Eric had a crack at it the same time I did. I finished it slightly before him, but it wasn’t long before he was mastering the game far beyond my reach. Runs may only last 30 minutes or so, but there is so much depth that it’s worth diving in (or climbing up…) over and over again. In the end, the skulls were my favorite weapon but even as I type this entry out, I want to re-install the game and do another run as Melinoe. Maybe I can enhance my relationship with my rival Nemesis. Or try to wake up Hypnos. Or unlock a new God. Who knows?

It’s a stunning game, there’s no other way to put it. One of the best I’ve ever played. But it’s not the best of 2025…

#1

A handful of games on my Top 10 were not consensus picks but my number 1 this year has to be one of the most widely agreed upon winner in quite some time.

It’s that good.

But so is Hades 2!

I think Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 had the novelty factor going for it. As tremendous as Hades 2 is, it’s very similar to the original so it felt like a refinement instead of a revelation. Everybody expected it to be great.

Nobody expected this from Expedition 33. Certainly not from Sandfall Interactive (who?), a small team who set out to make a French version of a traditional Japanese RPG in the vein of Final Fantasy X. Their influences are obvious, and many, but the end result is a pristine game with so few blemishes that it is an exercise to point them out. Nearly everything works and satisfies both hardcore fans of the genre (moi) and casual gamers who usually don’t approach these types of games with a ten foot pole.

The menus takes some getting used to, as well as the lack of a mini-map. I had 1 or 2 glitches and the third Act isn’t quite as strong as the first two.

But that’s about all the negative I can muster. Here are the reasons why it’s the best game of 2025:

The French flair was refreshing. It felt like a brand new take on a style of game I’ve played hundreds of times. The architecture, names, music and costumes all had a distinct French feel which I loved.

The soundtrack is wonderful. Somber, weird, majestic, silly and heartbreaking. I’ll be listening to it for a long time.

The voice acting is as good as it gets: Charlie Cox, Jennifer English, Andy Serkis and Ben Starr to name a few. The writing makes the dialogue and conversations feel like they’re real people discussing matters, not video game characters simply spouting exposition. I liked how they sometimes talk over each other or stumble a bit when they’re trying to think of the right word. It all felt very natural.

The character designs didn’t feel cliche in the least and some are right out of a Jim Henson nightmare. Esquie and Monoco in particular were bizarre to look at upon first glance, but I loved them by the end. Especially when I learned the nature of their names.

Combat is the star of the show. I’ve never played an RPG where you can dodge or parry every single attack. Every. Single. One. It means encounters are never boring and you can’t just button mash the attack command to win. Expanding upon that, I like how parrying is more difficult than dodging or jumping, but perfect timing results in massive damage to the enemy. It’s a proper risk/reward system.

Adding to that, the Lumina/passive system means you can customize your characters in whichever way you want. Totally addicting. Shoutout to my girl Lune, I haven’t liked using a mage this much since Vivi in Final Fantasy 9.

Boss fights are a dream, intense and rewarding. I’ve never seen this before, but if your party dies you can send in your reserve players. Usually this means I’m completely screwed, but after a while I started to memorize the boss’ attacks and in few instances, I took one down with just a single party member after the rest had died. Because you can learn the tells and perfect the timing, eventually bosses can’t even touch you. Beyond thrilling, no other RPG has ever offered me this type of “comeback” scenario.

There are secrets everywhere. I really appreciated how Act 3 just completely changes up the pacing and allowed me to overpower my characters to a laughable degree.

Little touches like seeing the party have scrapes, bruises and blood on them after a tough fight in a following cutscene made the world feel more real and detailed.

It’s funny. I laughed out loud dozens of times, mes ami.

The story starts strong, and ends stronger. It has a terrific premise and builds on it with each passing hour. I finished it in 36 hours, but it felt like 70 in a good way. This is a trim, tight experience with no fat or filler.

Big emotional moments hit hard. Sandfall did not shy away from portrayals of difficult subject manner. There are moments of true horror and it’s not long before you realize nobody is safe. There are two endings and the one I got was absolutely haunting. I will never forget it, one of gaming’s best.

The screenshots above should speak for themselves, but I really have to stress how beautiful Clair Obscur is. I cannot believe how good the graphics are. Each area is brimming with color or strange visuals or disgusting monsters, always. This was made by a team of approximately 30-34 employees.

HOW!??!?

Bigger companies should take note and be embarrassed. This Top 10 may be the “smallest” ever on Dollerz.com and by that I mean small teams making a big impact. Very few were from AAA studios that spent 100 million to make it, another 100 million in a marketing campaign, and needed to sell 40 million copies just to break even. With AI looming and giants like Ubisoft failing, this Top 10 and 2025 showed us that when it comes to making a great game, you can still do it with a small, passionate team and that gives me hope for those who come after.

Bon!

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is my game of the year.