A Year in Review - 2025

[kashell]

Let's do a recap and roundup for the year, shall we?

Categories:

Favorite 2025 Release: What's your favorite game that you played released this year?

Least Favorite 2025 Release: On the opposite end, what's your least favorite game released this year?

Favorite Game Played in 2025: What game this year earns your spot for best game ever?

Least Favorite Game Played in 2025: What's your least favorite game that you played this year?

Sleeper Hit of 2025: If you have one, what's your personal sleeper hit for 2025?

Favorite Gaming Moment in 2025: What moment in a game you played this sticks in your head the strongest? Was it something awesome? Something tragic? Something completely over the top? Keep spoilers to a minimum or mark them if you can.

Proudest Collection Accomplishment of 2025: Share a story about a cool find from this year!

[bikingjahuty]

Categories:

Favorite 2025 Release: Earthion (of course my favorite game released this year looks like it was released back in 1993 lol)

Least Favorite 2025 Release: I only played and beat three games released in 2025, but I guess Jurassic World Evolution 3, even though that game was still pretty good.

Favorite Game Played in 2025: Not including games I replayed this year (Shenmue, OoT, Majora's Mask), that would be the Silent Hill 2 remake, which I beat at the beginning of the year.

Least Favorite Game Played in 2025: ExZues - a god awful arcade rail shooter that I got baited into thinking might be good.

Sleeper Hit of 2025: Eathion hands down

Favorite Gaming Moment in 2025: Probably the fact that I beat more games this year than I ever have. I'm currently at 123 games beat this year, which absolutely demolishes the previous record for me. I also have developed a love and appreciation for indie games that I felt was lacking up until this year.

Proudest Collection Accomplishment of 2025: I added a lot of Switch games to that collection this year.

[kamikazekeeg]

Favorite 2025 Release: Death Stranding 2 - While it isn't perfect, I think it was still pretty fantastic and I was really eager to get back into that worl.d

Least Favorite 2025 Release: Monster Hunter Wilds - This, Death Stranding 2, and Battlefield 6 were my most anticipated games this year, but this turned out to be a disaster.  Poor performance, some not great changes to the game that made it feel really easy, it's definitely a big botch coming from World.

Favorite Game Played in 2025: Abiotic Factor - Hard to choose for this, but I think I'll say Abiotic Factor as it turned out to be kind of a surprise game for me that I put a ton of hours into and want to go back with a decent enough update to replay.  Throwback to oldschool Half-Life era games with a survival aspect, and while it's not perfect, I was pretty absorbed into the game.

Least Favorite Game Played in 2025: Five Nights at Freddy's 3 - I was trying to get through all the FNAF original games, but I dropped this one after like 10 minutes, because it's such an ugly, clunky, experience.  Obnoxious camera visuals and audio and coming off how snappy FNAF 2 and FNAF4 can feel, the sluggishness of the controls is so terrible.  Genuinely could not play it.

[kashell]

Favorite 2025 Release: Lots of good stuff was released this year, which was surprising. I have to give it to Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles.

Least Favorite 2025 Release: I should have known better. Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army.

Favorite Game Played in 2025: As if there was any doubt: Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles.

Least Favorite Game Played in 2025: I dropped a lot of games this year, all of which were released in 2025. The one that takes the cake is still Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army.

Sleeper Hit of 2025: It wasn't released in 2025, but I did finish Reynatis at the start of the year. Fun sleeper hit for those that like the niche RPGs like me.

Favorite Gaming Moment in 2025: Learning the truth about Maelle in Clair Obscur. She was my favorite character since the game opened up.

Proudest Collection Accomplishment of 2025: The collecting has gone down substantially over the years, but I have to give a shout out to dhaabi for gifting me with the Final Fantasy VIII Original Soundtrack. I love having it displayed.

[marvelvscapcom2]

yayy I do enjoy this tradition.  I stagnated on games from like July on but had a heavy half year


Favorite 2025 Release: didnt play any really. Maybe mafia?  I suppose.  I think lost records bloom and rage may have heen 2025. Could be wrong. I know part 2 was.

Least Favorite 2025 Release: not sure ive played a bad 2025 Release as I havent played many new games. But id go with Forza Horizon 5s PS5 rollout.  The forced sync with Xbox carried over all my progress and completely and forcefully destroyed my joy. The game was heavily overpriced and I regret it. Not a bad game per say. Just wasnt the refresh I wished for.

Favorite Game Played in 2025: wow.... thats a tall task folks lol.  I've loved at least 80 percent of the games ive played and beaten this year.  Some really deeply and emotionally.  This comes up to many titles but it also divides into a lot of different genres.   With Arkham Asylums dark gritty boss laced epicness.  Life is stange for story and emotional cohesion. And Hogwarts Legacy for immersive world.  I'll say that no game has probably ever immersed me into its lore and universe the way Hogwarts legacy did.  The atmosphere was unreal. Simply unreal.  It was like attending Hogwarts. For that?  I award it top honors.  Barely. By the skin of its teeth.  It may be a top 20 game all time for me.

Least Favorite Game Played in 2025: What's your least favorite game that you played this year?  Oh by far Need For Speed 2015.  What an abomination in hindsight.  Brrrrrrr "yo bro. Me and amy are drinking energy drinks and harassing elderly women brooooo totallly dudddeee.  What are you square??? Yoo totally rad bonkers kid.  You cant hit slants like I can.  Run from the law with me. Laterzzz kid"  then 2 seconds later. Amy calls. Brrrrrrrr "omg like This tokyo drift legend just dm'd me.  Like totally vibe right? Omg. I know you're busy in the MIDDLE OF A RACE and I also know my call is 1. Uninterruptable.  2. Unavoidable and 3. Impossible to turn off in settings but let me keep chatting in forced Gen Z rhetoric that nobody talks like.  Also game is always online.  Crashes. Lags. Bad lighting.  Shit frames.  Poor cop logic.  Rubberbanding.   Yeah. Game was a rough out on a spiritual level lol. I'm sure there was worst.   Maybe Jojo Siwa or I am mayo.  Or bombardino cocodrillo simulator.  But man... nfs is a blockbuster big budget game.  So no respect from me lol.

Sleeper Hit of 2025:  Jusant.  And its not close. I had no expectations for it and didnt even know what it was about. It instantly moved me. Beautiful game. b]Jusant[/b]  Justant was a blissful joy combining parkour elements with puzzle and resource management. It is a cute collectahon.  It also was smartly paced.  Although Lost Records Bloom and Rage
Is a close second.

Favorite Gaming Moment in 2025:   Either the final kill in mafia III, the Hogwarts legacy relationship with Sebastian or  trying to be compeltely silent to avoid a wendigo in until dawn.

Proudest Collection Accomplishment of 2025:  I got a spice orange gamecube, replaced all the games I sold from childhood but my person favorite is my original Xbox late model with the upgraded non leaky capacitors. I missed owning one because my dad had one when I was a child.


Happy gaming and here is to 2026 yall

[Cartagia]

Favorite 2025 Release: Hollow Knight: Silksong

Least Favorite 2025 Release: The only other 2025 release I played Ball x Pitt, which isn't bad, just has to be here by default.

Favorite Game Played in 2025: Silksong again!

Least Favorite Game Played in 2025: Crysis Remastered.  Incredibly meh.

Sleeper Hit of 2025: Ball x Pitt again.  Terrific indie title.

Favorite Gaming Moment in 2025: There are a couple of really great boss fights in Silksong.  First Sinner, Grandmother Silk, and the final boss were terrific.

Proudest Collection Accomplishment of 2025: Uh... I managed to find all my Secret Santa gifts for telly in about 5 minutes at a media shop?  His wish list just matched right up.

[bizzgeburt]

Favorite 2025 Release: None, didn't really look for games released this year.

Least Favorite 2025 Release: None, didn't really look for games released this year.

Favorite Game Played in 2025: Favourite game I played in '25 was The Adventures of Alundra for PlayStation.
My review: https://vgcollect.com/forum/index.php/topic,12935.375.html

Least Favorite Game Played in 2025: Least favourite game this year was probably Scrabble for PlayStation.

Sleeper Hit of 2025: None, didn't really look for games released this year.

Favorite Gaming Moment in 2025: My favourite gaming moment this year was the playthrough of Ax Battler for GameGear. The last dungeon was something I didn't know I was capable of beating, but I did! Very proud of that 

Proudest Collection Accomplishment of 2025: I got me a PS3 with functioning disc drive again, so I can play my PS3-collection for the first time in years! AND I got myself a uDraw GameTablet which I wanted to get my hands on for quite a while.