16. ƎNA: Dream BBQ (ENA Team, PC)
A game based on the webseries chronicling the adventures (?) of the bipolar... entity known as ENA. Dream BBQ is an adventure game of sorts, highly reminiscent of mind-trips like Yume Nikki, Commander Blood and the off-putting yet hilarious cutscenes of Animation Magic. The ultimate goal (presumably) is to reach "the boss", which requires interacting with numerous other screwball personalities, seeing all sorts of strange sights, finding a
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15. Terminator 2D: No Fate (Bitmap Bureau, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series, PC)
If you're like me, you grew up in the 90s and thought the Terminator movies were awesome, but thought the video game adaptations by and large were just awful. Well, decades later Bitmap Bureau made up with that with No Fate, a damn fine adaptation of Terminator 2 to video game form. It recreates many of the movie's amazing action scenes and setpieces, but also has some of its own wrappings, with new stages set in the present and future. It's all presented with a surprising amount of gameplay variety too; from beat-em-up to stealth to run-and-gun action, and the spritework and music is absolutely spot-on. This is the game we should have gotten in the '90s instead of all that AVGN material!
14. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle (MachineGames, PC/XBox Series/PlayStation 5)
Alright so this actually came out last year on PC and XBox, but I played it on PlayStation 5 so I'm counting it as a 2025 release. A fun adventure title that plays out much like an Indy movie, with a lot of finding clues, hidden objects, creative puzzles to solve and of course clever platforming and action sequences where you punch out or shoot fascists in several exotic locales. The acting is top-notch too, with Troy Baker doing an uncanny impression of Harrison Ford, and Marios Gavrilis and the late Tony Todd are excellent as the game's antagonists.
13. Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater (Konami, PlayStation 5/PC/XBox Series)
The Most Necessary Remake Ever. And now that we've gotten that tired joke out of the way, this is a very solid remake. Utilizing some of the gameplay improvements of Metal Gear Solid 5 while also staying faithful to the survival-based design and combat of 3. There's a few new things added (costumes and the like), and the return of minigames Snake VS Monkey and Guy Savage after their conspicuous absence in the HD ports is a welcome addition. Maybe it's not the most highly demanded remake of all time, but it's of high enough quality that I didn't mind playing through a game I've already completed at least a dozen times again.
12. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Sandfall Interactive, PC/Playstation 5/XBox Series)
The
first outing of independent French studio Sandfall Interactive, who
created it in response to a perceived lack of high-fidelity turn based
RPGs on the market. They certainly made a strong first impression too,
with its unique and surreal visuals and some surprisingly strong,
emotional storytelling throughout. The gameplay is also quite creative,
with a focus on individual character mechanics and timing-based presses
to dodge or parry incoming attacks, but it gets a bit overdone by the
end, all but requiring you to perfectly parry long chains of 30+ attacks
in a row or just get deathspiraled into oblivion. I really enjoyed the
story and even found the combat fun to a point, but was getting a bit
burned out on the constant, overbearing difficulty and the enormous focus on the dodging mechanics; by the end of it you either play 100% flawlessly or get deathspiraled, since one hit will stick you with every nasty status effect under the sun and leave you completely helpless.
Still, it was also short enough to allow me to complete it in a reasonable
amount of time, which kept me from getting too frustrated to finish; something more games should really try to
learn from.
11. Suikoden I and II HD Remaster: Gate Rune and Dunan Reunification Wars (Konami, PlayStation 4/PlayStation 5/XBox One/XBox Series/Switch/Switch 2/PC)
Ridiculously long title aside, this was one I'd been clamoring for for years - Suikoden is an enormously overlooked franchise, and the second one in particular is one of the finest and most overlooked RPGs of all time. Well, I finally got what I wanted - a remaster of the classic, complete with some quality of life features (you no longer have to rush through the game to see all of Clive's subplot) and the same gorgeous blend of 2D and 3D graphics the originals provided. They do also remain largely faithful to the originals, for both good and ill - lots of crappy minigames (with tied achievements, because of course) and some annoying, obscure missables make them games you'll definitely want a guide and a lot of patience handy for. Other than that, a collection well worth picking up, especially if you missed them on the PS1.
10. Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution (WayForward, GBA/PC/Switch/PS4/PS5/XBox One/XBox Series)
Kind of an odd story behind this one, as it began development as a GBA game back in the early '00s, was shelved because they couldn't find a publisher for it, and eventually revived over two decades later when Matt Bozon streamed an early prototype to gauge interest for a finished version. The end result is quintessential Shantae - fun Zelda-like platformers with a risque sense of humor and some surprisingly inventive dungeon and puzzle design. It is pretty short, with only three major dungeons to complete and only a few minute side-quests along the way, but nevertheless I always enjoy a new entry in this franchise.
9. Final Fantasy Tactics: the Ivalice Chronicles (Square Enix, PlayStation 4/PlayStation 5/PC/Switch/Switch 2/XBox Series)
A long overdue remaster of a classic, though admittedly it is a bit of a mixed bag. The interface improvements, lack of load times and retouched graphics are certainly welcome, the voice acting is decent enough (if not particularly memorable) and it does cut you a little leeway with some annoying aspects of the original so you don't get wedged in an unwinnable state. On the other hand it retains the crappy overwritten script from the PSP version and yet lacks all of its extra content, so you don't get any of the new maps, battles or bonus characters from War of the Lions, or even the new FMVs for that version. Still, I had fun revisiting the GOATed FF and one of my favorite games of all time, so I can't really consider it a failure; just a competent remaster with a few questionable choices made.
8. System Shock 2: 25th Anniversary Remaster (Nightdive Studios/Looking Glass Studios, PC/Switch/XBox One/XBox Series/Playstation 4/PlayStation 5)
System Shock 2 is one of my favorite games of all time, so when Nightdive announced a remaster I was definitely excited to see what they'd do with it. They didn't disappoint either, keeping the feel of the original intact while giving it just enough new polish to help it feel fresh and modern. The textures and models are given an upgrade while still feeling faithful to the original, and a few lackluster weapons and OS upgrades are upgraded to better balance them out. It's a fresh coat of paint for System Shock 2, one of the best games ever made; I can't recommend it enough, especially since you can play it on all the major platforms now.
7. Marvel Cosmic Invasion (Tribute Games, Linux/Switch/Switch 2/PlayStation 4/PlayStation 5/PC/XBox Series)
Tribute Games made a fantastic beat-em-up based on TMNT a few years back that I adored, so seeing them come back to take on the Marvel universe was definitely a treat too. It has a lot of little nods to the classic '90s Capcom fighters, and like those, there's a wide variety of characters both well-known and relatively obscure; from fan favorites like Captain America, Iron Man, Spider Man and Wolverine to Beta Ray Bill, She-Hulk and Phyla-Vell and bosses ranging from Master Mold to Taskmaster to Klaw, there's a ton here for any discerning fan. There's no shortage of extra content too, with each character having upgrades earned through battle and each stage having optional objectives and hidden cosmic cubes to find to unlock profiles, art and music. A heavy dose of flashy, colorful arcade fun.
6. Dragon Quest I/II: HD-2D Remake (ArtDink PlayStation 5, PC, XBox Series, Switch, Switch 2)
I absolutely loved the HD-2D remake of 3, so this was the next logical step. They took things in a pretty different direction this time too - whereas III's remake felt like the original game with a lot of added content, these use the originals as more of a jumping-off point to tell their own take on the story and add many gameplay improvements - not unlike Final Fantasy VII Remake, though thankfully a lot less bloated. There's a new narrative, dungeons and gameplay elements like the sigils that grant access to souped-up skills and spells, and the overall balance and design is much more polished, taking two fairly updated games and upgrading them to modern standards while still keeping what made the originals classics to begin with. I never thought the company that brought us Aquanaut's Holiday would be making some of my favorite RPGs in the modern era, but hey, life is full of surprises.
5. Metroid Prime 4 (Retro Studios/Next Level Games/Virtuous, Switch/Switch 2)
Well, after a decade of delays and hopping between various developers, the fourth entry in the Metroid Prime series has finally arrived eighteen years after the previous entry on the Wii. Exploring the ruins of a planet once populated by the mysterious psychic aliens called the Lamorn, Samus herself gets some psionic abilities this time around, able to analyze tech, control objects with telekinesis and steer shots mid-flight, among other things, in order to solve puzzles and defeat bosses. You also get to explore a large overworld with the aid of a cool high-tech motorcycle, which is definitely a new turn for the franchise. At its core, though, it's still quintessentially Metroid Prime - an ingenious blend of puzzle solving and action with some heavy atmosphere.
4. Infinity (Incube8 Games, Game Boy Color)
A Game Boy Color game that began development in 1999, got canceled, and then was revived, finished and released 24 years later, Infinity is a quality retro RPG. Utilizing a hex grid based turn based combat system with some tactical elements, a surprisingly dark storyline and some memorable characters makes it stand out, and the visual effects for the platform are surprisingly stunning too - fluid animation and clever screen transition and warping effects for the environments you traverse. A lost classic of the era gets a second lease on life, and it's definitely one worth checking out if you're any kind of serious RPG buff.
3. Ghost of Yōtei (Sucker Punch, Playstation 5)
A standalone sequel to Ghost of Tsushima, now set in the northern island of Yotei in the 1600s and following the protagonist Atsu as she attempts to kill the leaders of the Saito clan and avenge her family. The mission structure and storytelling is considerably streamlined over the original game's, and you get all sorts of fun new weapons and gadgets to try out - nodachi, kusarigama, dual katanas and my favorite just lobbing fire-bombs around. It may not do a whole lot new, but it's very well made, an incredibly gorgeous game to look at and its story plays out like a good samurai film, so it gets no complaints from me.
2. Deltarune Chapters 3 and 4 (Toby Fox, PC, macOS, Switch, Switch 2, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4)
Four years later and we finally get more Deltarune. Was the wait worth it? I certainly think so. The passage of time (nearly seven years since the first chapter dropped) has done nothing to deter Deltarune's unique charm. Toby Fox's world and characters are as supremely creative and delightfully unhinged as ever, with one chapter taking part as a demented TV game show with a surprisingly tragic bent, and the second continuing to build up the unique world and characters present. The character chemistry is brilliant, the dialog is consistently hilarious and the emotional beats all land; simply put, the writing is phenomenal on every front. The games also contain some of the most beautiful spritework I've ever seen, with incredibly expressive characters, incredible use of lighting and shockingly fluid animation. Combat retains the same gimmick but remains as fresh as ever, with every battle (even with mundane enemies) finding new ways to surprise me and implement new ideas, never becoming monotonous. The fact that it does all this in chapters that only last about 4-5 hours apiece is commendable too; they pack more personality and charm into those few hours than every Ubisoft open world content-for-contents-sake turd combined. Really, the only negative aspect is I know I'm going to have to wait many long months to see more, but the memories these chapters have made are more than enough to tide me over.
1. Donkey Kong Bananza (Nintendo, Switch 2)
The first big action-platformer for the Switch 2, and it's a fantastic one; just pure, fast paced, colorful over-the-top joy. Donkey Kong Bananza is one part Mario Odyssey and one part Hulk Ultimate Destruction. ...Odd combination, I'll admit, but somehow it just works. Big open worlds with tons of destructible terrain that hides hidden fossils to buy new costumes. Completing objectives earns bananas, which earn you skill points that let you upgrade DK's abilities and get more efficient at destroying stuff. You can also tear chunks out of the scenery to use as projectiles or even surf on them to get down hills more quickly, and of course there's plenty of over-the-top boss battles too. Just an incredibly fun experience from start to finish that showcases Nintendo doing what they do best.
