2025 Gaming Plans.

[AUChase]

Re: 2025 Gaming Plans.

PGA is out already, official release was last Friday 2/28.

The Show early release is next Friday 3/14.

I was mostly talking about GTA6 probably being delayed.

I have played the PGA demo but I was having some internet issues over the weekend and it make me realize that I may not be interested in an always online game. I'm going to have to decide between it and The Show for the budget. I'm leaning towards MLB since it's been a few years.

[KSUowls]

Re: 2025 Gaming Plans.

A few days late, but Feb update. Just so that I don't lose my habit of updating and to bring a bit of normalcy into my life which has been overwhelmed with work for basically the entire first 2 months this year.

No real progress on goals. Very little game time lately, and so I pretty much spend it on things that are quick to get in and out of.

My biggest updates are really around some of the original 2025 plans that are no longer happening.

Civ 7 - Lukewarm launch. I'll revisit it down the road in probably a year or more.
Fable - Delayed beyond 2025
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 - Looks really good, but too busy combined with being no where near done with the first game
Monster Hunter Wilds - removing due to them charging real money to change your character's appearance in a single player game. May revisit when it goes on sale and optimization is improved.


Currently Playing
Real Life Simulator 2025 - it sucks


Gaming goals for 2025:
Complete 8 single player games


--------------------------------
2025 Game Release Radar:

Spoiler

Games I will likely Pre-order:

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition (3/18/25) - Already pre-ordered. One of my favorite RPG developers
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (2025) - It's Metroid, duh
Vampire Masquerade Bloodlines (2025) - I'll believe it when I see it, but when I see it I'm buying it
Gears of War: E-Day (2025) - This looks great
Clair Obscur Expedition 33 (2025) - To be honest this game looks amazing from the minimal information that has been shown. The lack of information is my only hesitation.

Games that I'm really excited about, but I have a hint of hesitancy

Wuchang Fallen Feathers (2025) - I may not love Souls-like games, but every trailer on this one looks good
Showa American Story (2025) - A post-apocalyptic zombie action adventure game set in America with Japanese culture? It sounds super interesting, but I have so many questions.
Fable (2025) - It's Fable, I have high expectations. - DELAYED
Tokyo Xtreme Racer (2025) - Loved playing this game on the Dreamcast. I'm curious how it will translate in a modern setting.
Nascar 25 (2025) - The way these devs talk about old games like Dirt to Daytona has me really excited. It's been nearly 20 years since I was happy with a Nascar game though.

Intrigued but wait for a sale (a big one)

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (2/4/25) - I expect it to be good, just not in a rush to buy it when I still have a long way to go in the first game. - Will revisit when it goes on sale and I have more time
Civilization 7 (2/11/25) - I generally love these games. I have some questions around some of the new mechanics, and I have other similar games that will hold me over. - Pass
Suikoden I & II HD Remaster (3/6/25) - I'm tired of re-masters, but I would be lying to say that I don't want it.
Kingmaker (Q1 25) - Pretty gimmicky, but it's hard to say no to a game that lets you use a tank in the middle ages.
Borderlands 4 (2025) - These zany games are usually fun, but I can always wait for a discount

Others on my radar

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii (2/21/25) - It's funny if nothing else.
Kaiserpunk (2/27/25) - An interesting combination between city builder and strategy.
Monster Hunter Wilds (2/28/25) - Not the biggest fan of the series, but all of the gameplay does look fun - Pass due to greedy economics in a single player game
CFB 26 (July 2025) - It's on here by default, but I don't have high hopes
Ship of Heroes (Q2 25) - I've been waiting for this City of Heroes successor for YEARS. As a MMO fan there is a good chance that I try it out.
Eternal Strands (2025) - I don't really like games with a survival mechanic, but this action rpg has a lot of interesting elements.
Lost Soul Aside (2025) - An RPG with modern action combat. It gives off major Final Fantasy vibes
Doom: The Dark Ages (2025) - Nothing against Doom, just not a huge FPS guy anymore. This one looks cool though.
Ghost of Yotei (2025) - I hope that it's good
Crimson Desert (2025) - I wish that combat looked more like BDO, but I'm still interested to see more.
Gothic Remake (2025) - Good call on this Picci. Completely forgot that this was in development.

2025 Game Reviews

Spoiler

January Game Reviews:
Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle (PC) - (7.5) - Good bones on this suspense/shooter

Spoiler

Picked this one up based on a whim during the recent Steam sale. I came away pleasantly surprised. Maybe think of it as a low budget Dead Space in terms of gameplay. The story is pretty interesting, and there is plenty of suspense to get your heart rate up as you go through it. It's pretty linear though and combat is only serviceable at best. Fun enough, especially for just the few dollars that I spent on it.

Diplomacy is not an Option (PC) - (8.5) - Really fun Survival/RTS.

Spoiler

It has some humor that really throws you for a loop. Quite challenging but fun

Earthbound (Switch - Online) - (9.0) - A classic revisited.

Spoiler

Earthbound is available to play as part of the Nintendo online subscription (SNES). It's a cult classic that is considered one of the best JRPG's of the SNES era. I've played through it so many times, and it still holds up today. The story is kind of whacky, and it does not take itself seriously. There are a lot of pop culture things which get parodied in the gameplay. But it never goes so far that it becomes inane. A lot of the gameplay systems are also simplistic. Somehow it all just works though.

Madden 2007 (PS2) - (9.0) - How is a nearly 20 year old game so vastly superior to any football game currently on the market?

Spoiler

You see a noticeable difference between like a 90 overall receiver and a guy who is a 75. Dynasty depth might as well be alien technology for how far advanced it is compared to either Madden or CFB (4 coaches instead of 3, named coordinators not just the head coaches, former players eventually becoming coaches, coach stats tied to attributes instead of cheat code unlocks like the skill tree...and that's just the coaching side. I haven't talked about the Tony Bruno show, the game planning (more informative than Madden), position battles, etc...There are certainly some QOL things that Madden and CFB do better with 20 years of additional experience, but so much about the old PS2 footballs are just better.

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition (Switch) - (8.0) - What a weird experience.

Spoiler

The creators of this game also created the Xenosaga trilogy which are some of my favorite games ever. Xenoblade Chronicles (XC) was meant to be a spiritual successor to that game, and in a lot of ways XC is really good. The story is quite compelling, the characters are interesting in their own right, and the combat system has a certain flavor to it. In fact, I really like the combat system with its heavy emphasis on resource management and the unique mechanic where you can see the future. Itemization and crafting are also present enough to offer some interest there too.

There is a major 'but' though. The way that side quests are handled in XC is beyond horrible. I can't think of a strong enough word to describe how bad it is. For one, there are A LOT of them. A large percentage of them are some form of a fetch quest too, which isn't particularly interesting. As if that were not bad enough, they are implemented in a way that seems to be intentionally inconvenient to complete efficiently. Many quests have pre-requisites of either/both needing a specific quest completed and/or a certain affinity (ie: completing a bunch of quests in an area) before you can access. This means that you can't just load up on quests at once and do them as you explore passively, you have to actively go back and forth and engage with this system. Some quest givers will also only offer their missions at specific times of the day, which is yet another hoop that you have to jump through. The rewards for these quests really aren't even all that great in most cases either (which is actually a good thing as noted next).

I spent the first couple of story chapters trying to 100% the game and realized that I had spent literally like 5x-6x more time on the available side quests than I had spent engaging with the story, and I was not having fun. Finally I decided to just forget the system entirely, only pick up a couple of quests when it is convenient to do so, and the game experience increased dramatically.

The main game with its story and combat is like a 9/10. The side quests are a 0/10.

Feb Game Reviews - None

[AUChase]

Re: 2025 Gaming Plans.

I forgot Ghost of Yotei is releasing this year. That is probably a buy. Has anyone seen a more firm release date for it? All I can find is sometime in 2025.

Ghost of Tsushima was awesome.

[jrnlgrn]

Re: 2025 Gaming Plans.

I feel like a lot of games are trying to wait and see when/if GTA VI is going to drop this year. That's a juggernaut no one wants to go head to head with.

Sent from my Pixel 8a using Operation Sports mobile app

[piffbernd]

Re: 2025 Gaming Plans.

I Finsished GOW Ragnarock.I will replaying Cyperpunk when i buy Phantom Liberty and Days Gone. Metro Exodus,F1 Manager 24 is next. I play alot MLBTS 24 and CFB 25.

[Ghost Of The Year]

Re: 2025 Gaming Plans.

I'm already at three days neck deep into one of the three biggest games I was looking forward to in '25:
MLB The SHOW 25.

Now what, four months until the other shoe drops with EA CFB 26?
No telling when NASCAR will be here.

[LowerWolf]

Re: 2025 Gaming Plans.

Spring update, all games PS5 (Pro).

PURCHASED
MLB 25
WWE 2K25

MLB became a no-brainer. I'm not really a wrestling fan, but I still find WWE games to be fun. So far, no regrets on either purchase.

MAY PURCHASE
Clair Obscure: Expedition 33
Ninja Gaiden 2 Black
CFB 26

Shoutout to KSUOwls for posting about Clair Obscure, I never would have noticed it otherwise. Leaning pretty heaving toward picking it up next month. If CFB 26 gets a nice graphics upgrade, I'll probably snag it too. On the fence for NG2 since I have the PS4 collection already. Cheap enough sale, I may bite though.

WON'T PURCHASE
Madden 26

It probably shouldn't upset me as much as it does, but replacing the home team logo in (offline) Franchise mode with that stupid Team Pass icon really really ticks me off. And EA refusing to acknowledge it as a bug ticks me off even more. I may finally be done with Madden.

CURRENT DYNASTIES
MLB 25 (Braves)
MLB 24 (Braves)
Madden 24/25 (49ers)
NBA 2K24 (Bulls)
CFB 25 (Coach, currently at MTSU)

Still in Spring Training setting up my MLB 25 dynasty. But I'll get rolling with it soon enough. I need three more trophies in MLB 24 to get my first ever Platinum, so I'm not quite done with it yet.

Waited forever to start my M25 dynasty and then that stupid bug hit. I'm through preseason, but that's it. I'll either disconnect my PS5 from the internet before playing M25 or I may just go back to M24 (sadly, I deleted my save files from it).

I still play 2K24 every so often, I'm about halfway through the first season with the Bulls. I suck enough at 2K that I could actually have fun being a seller at the trade deadline.

I started over with the default roster on CFB 25. I think I've played one game. Going to try to get back to it since I may just stick with 25.

Toward the end of the PS1 cycle, while I bought Madden, Live, NHL, etc., I usually only really played NCAA and MLB. I kind of feel like that's the direction I'm heading again with sports games.

CURRENTLY PLAYING (NON-SPORTS)
WWE 2K25
Kena: Bridge of Spirits

I don't really know what I'm doing with WWE, but I still find it fun. I never finished Kena, so I've picked it up again soon. Doing some of the side quests to refamiliarize myself with everything before going back to the main story. I think I'm about 90 percent done.

PLAN TO PLAY
Gran Turismo 7
F1 24
Final Fantasy VII - Remake and Rebirth
Jedi Fallen Order and Survivor
Star Wars Outlaws
Tekken 8
Street Fighter 6

Pretty much the same list as before. There are a bunch of (primarily PS4) games I still need to play or replay.

[KSUowls]

Re: 2025 Gaming Plans.

Work has continued to dominate my life this year, but I did finally get some free time in the last week or two. I also took advantage of the Steam Spring sale to grab some games that I wanted.

I'll have a much better update next month when Clair Obscure Expeditions 33 comes out, but for now:


March Game Reviews:
Sleeping Dogs Definitive Edition - (PC) - (9.5) -

Spoiler

Amazing game that is criminally underrated. I played the original version years ago, and this remastered edition has not disappointed. Sleeping Dogs is maybe my favorite game in this GTA style open world genre. The story is really interesting, great characters who face moral dilemmas, and the voice acting is top notch.

Combat still holds up on this older title even in 2025. The melee combat system really sets it apart from similar games. Graphics too hold up pretty well for an older game.

Just a great game. I wish they would have continued the series.

OOTP 26 - (PC) - (7.0) -

Spoiler

The score here is based entirely on the fact that I played OOTP 25 (and many prior versions to that). Little has been added to OOTP 26 to make it seem worth the value, and the biggest flaw of the series to me is still very present (AI trade logic). I'd give it a 9.0 for a first time player for its deep set of features, but returning players don't have much to get excited about.

Cyberpunk 2077 - (PC) - (6.5) -

Spoiler

Meh. That words perfectly describes my thoughts on Cyberpunk. I was super hyped when it came out. Quickly became disappointed. Decided to try it again after its years of patches and reworks, and I'd still just call it meh.

The level of immersion seems substandard given what much older games achieved. The main story plays on what is in my opinion a very dumb trope and makes me feel even more disconnected from my RPG character which is further exasperated by what to me feels like a level of player agency that is less than I would hope for this style of open world RPG.

It's a game that you would have a hard time at finding something that it does poorly (allowing for the subjective nature of the main story), but it also doesn't have any place that I can point to and say "yeah that is really good".

Currently Playing
Sleeping Dogs Definitive Editions
OOTP 26


Gaming goals for 2025:
Complete 8 single player games


--------------------------------
2025 Game Release Radar:

Spoiler

Games I will likely Pre-order:

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition (3/18/25) - Already pre-ordered. One of my favorite RPG developers - Purchased, but need to complete earlier games.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (2025) - It's Metroid, duh
Vampire Masquerade Bloodlines (2025) - I'll believe it when I see it, but when I see it I'm buying it
Gears of War: E-Day (2025) - This looks great
Clair Obscur Expedition 33 (2025) - To be honest this game looks amazing from the minimal information that has been shown. The lack of information is my only hesitation.

Games that I'm really excited about, but I have a hint of hesitancy

Wuchang Fallen Feathers (2025) - I may not love Souls-like games, but every trailer on this one looks good
Showa American Story (2025) - A post-apocalyptic zombie action adventure game set in America with Japanese culture? It sounds super interesting, but I have so many questions.
Fable (2025) - It's Fable, I have high expectations. - DELAYED
Tokyo Xtreme Racer (2025) - Loved playing this game on the Dreamcast. I'm curious how it will translate in a modern setting.
Nascar 25 (2025) - The way these devs talk about old games like Dirt to Daytona has me really excited. It's been nearly 20 years since I was happy with a Nascar game though.

Intrigued but wait for a sale (a big one)

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (2/4/25) - I expect it to be good, just not in a rush to buy it when I still have a long way to go in the first game. - Will revisit when it goes on sale and I have more time
Civilization 7 (2/11/25) - I generally love these games. I have some questions around some of the new mechanics, and I have other similar games that will hold me over. - Pass
Suikoden I & II HD Remaster (3/6/25) - I'm tired of re-masters, but I would be lying to say that I don't want it. - Too big of a backlog to justify buying right now
Kingmaker (Q1 25) - Pretty gimmicky, but it's hard to say no to a game that lets you use a tank in the middle ages.
Borderlands 4 (2025) - These zany games are usually fun, but I can always wait for a discount

Others on my radar

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii (2/21/25) - It's funny if nothing else. - Will play if it ever comes to gamepass
Kaiserpunk (2/27/25) - An interesting combination between city builder and strategy. - Will wait for a big sale
Monster Hunter Wilds (2/28/25) - Not the biggest fan of the series, but all of the gameplay does look fun - Pass due to greedy economics in a single player game
CFB 26 (July 2025) - It's on here by default, but I don't have high hopes
Ship of Heroes (Q2 25) - I've been waiting for this City of Heroes successor for YEARS. As a MMO fan there is a good chance that I try it out.
Eternal Strands (2025) - I don't really like games with a survival mechanic, but this action rpg has a lot of interesting elements.
Lost Soul Aside (2025) - An RPG with modern action combat. It gives off major Final Fantasy vibes
Doom: The Dark Ages (2025) - Nothing against Doom, just not a huge FPS guy anymore. This one looks cool though.
Ghost of Yotei (2025) - I hope that it's good
Crimson Desert (2025) - I wish that combat looked more like BDO, but I'm still interested to see more.
Gothic Remake (2025) - Good call on this Picci. Completely forgot that this was in development.

2025 Game Reviews

Spoiler

January Game Reviews:
Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle (PC) - (7.5) - Good bones on this suspense/shooter

Spoiler

Picked this one up based on a whim during the recent Steam sale. I came away pleasantly surprised. Maybe think of it as a low budget Dead Space in terms of gameplay. The story is pretty interesting, and there is plenty of suspense to get your heart rate up as you go through it. It's pretty linear though and combat is only serviceable at best. Fun enough, especially for just the few dollars that I spent on it.

Diplomacy is not an Option (PC) - (8.5) - Really fun Survival/RTS.

Spoiler

It has some humor that really throws you for a loop. Quite challenging but fun

Earthbound (Switch - Online) - (9.0) - A classic revisited.

Spoiler

Earthbound is available to play as part of the Nintendo online subscription (SNES). It's a cult classic that is considered one of the best JRPG's of the SNES era. I've played through it so many times, and it still holds up today. The story is kind of whacky, and it does not take itself seriously. There are a lot of pop culture things which get parodied in the gameplay. But it never goes so far that it becomes inane. A lot of the gameplay systems are also simplistic. Somehow it all just works though.

Madden 2007 (PS2) - (9.0) - How is a nearly 20 year old game so vastly superior to any football game currently on the market?

Spoiler

You see a noticeable difference between like a 90 overall receiver and a guy who is a 75. Dynasty depth might as well be alien technology for how far advanced it is compared to either Madden or CFB (4 coaches instead of 3, named coordinators not just the head coaches, former players eventually becoming coaches, coach stats tied to attributes instead of cheat code unlocks like the skill tree...and that's just the coaching side. I haven't talked about the Tony Bruno show, the game planning (more informative than Madden), position battles, etc...There are certainly some QOL things that Madden and CFB do better with 20 years of additional experience, but so much about the old PS2 footballs are just better.

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition (Switch) - (8.0) - What a weird experience.

Spoiler

The creators of this game also created the Xenosaga trilogy which are some of my favorite games ever. Xenoblade Chronicles (XC) was meant to be a spiritual successor to that game, and in a lot of ways XC is really good. The story is quite compelling, the characters are interesting in their own right, and the combat system has a certain flavor to it. In fact, I really like the combat system with its heavy emphasis on resource management and the unique mechanic where you can see the future. Itemization and crafting are also present enough to offer some interest there too.

There is a major 'but' though. The way that side quests are handled in XC is beyond horrible. I can't think of a strong enough word to describe how bad it is. For one, there are A LOT of them. A large percentage of them are some form of a fetch quest too, which isn't particularly interesting. As if that were not bad enough, they are implemented in a way that seems to be intentionally inconvenient to complete efficiently. Many quests have pre-requisites of either/both needing a specific quest completed and/or a certain affinity (ie: completing a bunch of quests in an area) before you can access. This means that you can't just load up on quests at once and do them as you explore passively, you have to actively go back and forth and engage with this system. Some quest givers will also only offer their missions at specific times of the day, which is yet another hoop that you have to jump through. The rewards for these quests really aren't even all that great in most cases either (which is actually a good thing as noted next).

I spent the first couple of story chapters trying to 100% the game and realized that I had spent literally like 5x-6x more time on the available side quests than I had spent engaging with the story, and I was not having fun. Finally I decided to just forget the system entirely, only pick up a couple of quests when it is convenient to do so, and the game experience increased dramatically.

The main game with its story and combat is like a 9/10. The side quests are a 0/10.

Feb Game Reviews - None

[jrnlgrn]

Re: 2025 Gaming Plans.

April Update:
The big change in March was I bought a Nintendo Switch. I knew/know the Switch 2 was on the horizon but the Switch has a back catalogue large enough and as a secondary console will do just fine. This is my first non PlayStation console since the Sega Genesis and first Nintendo console since the original NES, My switch came with Super Mario Wonder and I'm a little over half way through with that. Definitely going to pick up Mario Kart next game will probably be Breathe of the Wild. So far I'm really happy with the Switch. I'm just going to use it for Nintendo exclusive games.

PS5:
Currently Playing:
Still playing Judgement about 2/3rds through it. Having a lot of fun. Like the detective angle.

Pro Yakyuu 24-25 I'm Slowly making my way through season mode maybe 10 or 12 games in with the Orix Buffalo. Still mostly playing through the 2024 Live Scenarios.

Nothing new added to the wish-list and no new PS5 purchases. Lots of interesting games on the horizon we'll see if I pick anything up. Still hoping GTA VI and Ghost of Yotei drop this year as those are the two I'm most looking forward too.

[Gumbeaux]

Re: 2025 Gaming Plans.

Hopefully, I'll unlock the ability to send messages so I can join an online CFB dynasty on Xbox, and that will fulfill my cravings, but we shall see.

[Gumbeaux]

Re: 2025 Gaming Plans.

Hopefully, I'll unlock the ability to send messages so I can join an online CFB dynasty on Xbox, and that will fulfill my cravings, but we shall see.

[ODogg]

Re: 2025 Gaming Plans.

Buy as many games as I can and make as much time to play as possible

[Armor and Sword]

Re: 2025 Gaming Plans.

Currently playing:

MLB The Show 25 Yankees Year 1
MLB The Show 24 1990 Blue Jays Season Replay
NHL 25 Panthers Year 1
CFB 25 Alabama Year 8
Indiana Jones and The Great Circle

Planned Purchases:

Borderlands 4
College Football 26
Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater (PS5 Reboot)

[KSUowls]

Re: 2025 Gaming Plans.

Finally made progress on my game completion goal list, with maybe the best game that I have ever played in Clair Obscure Expedition 33.


April Game Reviews:
Clair Obscure Expedition 33 - (PC) - (10.0) - Incredible

Spoiler

No game will ever be perfect, but I'll reiterate some things that I said in the specific game thread. This game executes at such a high level across the board that you really have to nitpick to find flaws.

Combat is hands down the best that I have ever experienced in a RPG. I'm a sucker for the classic turn based RPG games of old like Final Fantasy (up until recent versions). I just think it fits really well with a party based system when it is implemented well. 33's turn based system would be one of the best that I have ever played even if it did not have any other mechanics. Each character has a unique skill set which makes you think about the party that you want to use, and you can make the skills synergize with each other. Each character basically has 2 different resources that you have to manage for skills and combos which just makes it really interesting and complex. What really sets 33's combat apart though is the dodge/parry system. It takes an already interesting and complex turn based system and adds an intense 'skill' system to it. It's not as punishing as a Dark Souls game, but the timing windows are still very tight. It's extremely rewarding to pull off a series of parrys that result in a big counterattack by your party.

The story is unexpected. There is always a 'save the world' trope, but this one has some unique twists. The characters are all really interesting too. The prologue sucks you into the the narrative within the first 30 minutes of gameplay where you are just like "oh my god". It also has a good bit of humor in the game, and the humor is all well placed. It's a story of grief and sacrifice, hope and hopelessness, and you're just along for the ride.

I consider music to be a feature of a RPG, and it's a great feature in Expedition 33. You're not going to get some of the scores that will get your blood flowing like in a Nobuo Uemetsu soundtrack, but the music here is designed to spark emotion which fits the tone of the story.

Exploration might be one of the weaker parts of the game, and I would still give it a very positive rating. There is not much to do on the open world map, but within each 'dungeon map' (using the term loosely), there are a lot of side passages that you can take which will reward you with additional items. I actually think that it finds a good balance of giving you reasons to go off the beaten path without being overly cumbersome.

Voice acting & graphics are both stellar. I don't consider either to be core components to a game, but they do help. Expedition 33 is great at both. The performances by all of the voice actors is perfect. There was not a single instance where I thought even the most obscure character had a cringy dialogue. The main cast all play there roles supremely well.

Currently Playing
Clair Obscur Expedition 33


Gaming goals for 2025:
Complete 8 single player games

Progress:
1 - Clair Obscur Expedition 33 - (10.0)

--------------------------------
2025 Game Release Radar:

Spoiler

Games I will likely Pre-order:

Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition (3/18/25) - Already pre-ordered. One of my favorite RPG developers - Purchased, but need to complete earlier games.
Metroid Prime 4: Beyond (2025) - It's Metroid, duh
Vampire Masquerade Bloodlines (2025) - I'll believe it when I see it, but when I see it I'm buying it
Gears of War: E-Day (2025) - This looks great
Clair Obscur Expedition 33 (2025) - To be honest this game looks amazing from the minimal information that has been shown. The lack of information is my only hesitation.

Games that I'm really excited about, but I have a hint of hesitancy

Wuchang Fallen Feathers (2025) - I may not love Souls-like games, but every trailer on this one looks good
Showa American Story (2025) - A post-apocalyptic zombie action adventure game set in America with Japanese culture? It sounds super interesting, but I have so many questions.
Fable (2025) - It's Fable, I have high expectations. - DELAYED
Tokyo Xtreme Racer (2025) - Loved playing this game on the Dreamcast. I'm curious how it will translate in a modern setting.
Nascar 25 (2025) - The way these devs talk about old games like Dirt to Daytona has me really excited. It's been nearly 20 years since I was happy with a Nascar game though.

Intrigued but wait for a sale (a big one)

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 (2/4/25) - I expect it to be good, just not in a rush to buy it when I still have a long way to go in the first game. - Will revisit when it goes on sale and I have more time
Civilization 7 (2/11/25) - I generally love these games. I have some questions around some of the new mechanics, and I have other similar games that will hold me over. - Pass
Suikoden I & II HD Remaster (3/6/25) - I'm tired of re-masters, but I would be lying to say that I don't want it. - Too big of a backlog to justify buying right now
Kingmaker (Q1 25) - Pretty gimmicky, but it's hard to say no to a game that lets you use a tank in the middle ages.
Borderlands 4 (2025) - These zany games are usually fun, but I can always wait for a discount

Others on my radar

Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii (2/21/25) - It's funny if nothing else. - Will play if it ever comes to gamepass
Kaiserpunk (2/27/25) - An interesting combination between city builder and strategy. - Will wait for a big sale
Monster Hunter Wilds (2/28/25) - Not the biggest fan of the series, but all of the gameplay does look fun - Pass due to greedy economics in a single player game
CFB 26 (July 2025) - It's on here by default, but I don't have high hopes
Ship of Heroes (Q2 25) - I've been waiting for this City of Heroes successor for YEARS. As a MMO fan there is a good chance that I try it out.
Eternal Strands (2025) - I don't really like games with a survival mechanic, but this action rpg has a lot of interesting elements.
Lost Soul Aside (2025) - An RPG with modern action combat. It gives off major Final Fantasy vibes
Doom: The Dark Ages (2025) - Nothing against Doom, just not a huge FPS guy anymore. This one looks cool though.
Ghost of Yotei (2025) - I hope that it's good
Crimson Desert (2025) - I wish that combat looked more like BDO, but I'm still interested to see more.
Gothic Remake (2025) - Good call on this Picci. Completely forgot that this was in development.

2025 Game Reviews

Spoiler

January Game Reviews:
Daymare: 1994 Sandcastle (PC) - (7.5) - Good bones on this suspense/shooter

Spoiler

Picked this one up based on a whim during the recent Steam sale. I came away pleasantly surprised. Maybe think of it as a low budget Dead Space in terms of gameplay. The story is pretty interesting, and there is plenty of suspense to get your heart rate up as you go through it. It's pretty linear though and combat is only serviceable at best. Fun enough, especially for just the few dollars that I spent on it.

Diplomacy is not an Option (PC) - (8.5) - Really fun Survival/RTS.

Spoiler

It has some humor that really throws you for a loop. Quite challenging but fun

Earthbound (Switch - Online) - (9.0) - A classic revisited.

Spoiler

Earthbound is available to play as part of the Nintendo online subscription (SNES). It's a cult classic that is considered one of the best JRPG's of the SNES era. I've played through it so many times, and it still holds up today. The story is kind of whacky, and it does not take itself seriously. There are a lot of pop culture things which get parodied in the gameplay. But it never goes so far that it becomes inane. A lot of the gameplay systems are also simplistic. Somehow it all just works though.

Madden 2007 (PS2) - (9.0) - How is a nearly 20 year old game so vastly superior to any football game currently on the market?

Spoiler

You see a noticeable difference between like a 90 overall receiver and a guy who is a 75. Dynasty depth might as well be alien technology for how far advanced it is compared to either Madden or CFB (4 coaches instead of 3, named coordinators not just the head coaches, former players eventually becoming coaches, coach stats tied to attributes instead of cheat code unlocks like the skill tree...and that's just the coaching side. I haven't talked about the Tony Bruno show, the game planning (more informative than Madden), position battles, etc...There are certainly some QOL things that Madden and CFB do better with 20 years of additional experience, but so much about the old PS2 footballs are just better.

Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition (Switch) - (8.0) - What a weird experience.

Spoiler

The creators of this game also created the Xenosaga trilogy which are some of my favorite games ever. Xenoblade Chronicles (XC) was meant to be a spiritual successor to that game, and in a lot of ways XC is really good. The story is quite compelling, the characters are interesting in their own right, and the combat system has a certain flavor to it. In fact, I really like the combat system with its heavy emphasis on resource management and the unique mechanic where you can see the future. Itemization and crafting are also present enough to offer some interest there too.

There is a major 'but' though. The way that side quests are handled in XC is beyond horrible. I can't think of a strong enough word to describe how bad it is. For one, there are A LOT of them. A large percentage of them are some form of a fetch quest too, which isn't particularly interesting. As if that were not bad enough, they are implemented in a way that seems to be intentionally inconvenient to complete efficiently. Many quests have pre-requisites of either/both needing a specific quest completed and/or a certain affinity (ie: completing a bunch of quests in an area) before you can access. This means that you can't just load up on quests at once and do them as you explore passively, you have to actively go back and forth and engage with this system. Some quest givers will also only offer their missions at specific times of the day, which is yet another hoop that you have to jump through. The rewards for these quests really aren't even all that great in most cases either (which is actually a good thing as noted next).

I spent the first couple of story chapters trying to 100% the game and realized that I had spent literally like 5x-6x more time on the available side quests than I had spent engaging with the story, and I was not having fun. Finally I decided to just forget the system entirely, only pick up a couple of quests when it is convenient to do so, and the game experience increased dramatically.

The main game with its story and combat is like a 9/10. The side quests are a 0/10.

Feb Game Reviews - None

March Game Reviews:
Sleeping Dogs Definitive Edition - (PC) - (9.5) -

Spoiler

Amazing game that is criminally underrated. I played the original version years ago, and this remastered edition has not disappointed. Sleeping Dogs is maybe my favorite game in this GTA style open world genre. The story is really interesting, great characters who face moral dilemmas, and the voice acting is top notch.

Combat still holds up on this older title even in 2025. The melee combat system really sets it apart from similar games. Graphics too hold up pretty well for an older game.

Just a great game. I wish they would have continued the series.

OOTP 26 - (PC) - (7.0) -

Spoiler

The score here is based entirely on the fact that I played OOTP 25 (and many prior versions to that). Little has been added to OOTP 26 to make it seem worth the value, and the biggest flaw of the series to me is still very present (AI trade logic). I'd give it a 9.0 for a first time player for its deep set of features, but returning players don't have much to get excited about.

Cyberpunk 2077 - (PC) - (6.5) -

Spoiler

Meh. That words perfectly describes my thoughts on Cyberpunk. I was super hyped when it came out. Quickly became disappointed. Decided to try it again after its years of patches and reworks, and I'd still just call it meh.

The level of immersion seems substandard given what much older games achieved. The main story plays on what is in my opinion a very dumb trope and makes me feel even more disconnected from my RPG character which is further exasperated by what to me feels like a level of player agency that is less than I would hope for this style of open world RPG.

It's a game that you would have a hard time at finding something that it does poorly (allowing for the subjective nature of the main story), but it also doesn't have any place that I can point to and say "yeah that is really good".

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[freddy3366]

I'm also planning to dive into MLB The Show 25 and EA CFB 26.

For something different, I’ve been checking out the Orion Stars gaming lately—great for quick, casual gameplay when I need a break from the big titles. Curious to see what other non-sports games people are hyped for too!