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Well, what did you think of the past year in your household? Was it truly wonderful as you pretended on online? Overflowing with top marks for the children and riotous costume birthday parties for the adults? Or perhaps it was a sea of frustration with only rare entertaining moments? Could any part be genuine, or have we all become digitally altered AI slop beings with celebrity dental work?

I've assembled my thoughts for a reflection, whether they wanted to or not, to debate the crucial thing in any given year: what titles we enjoyed the most. Let's get started:

Release First Daughter Played the Most

Horizon Zero Dawn

"Can’t you pick just one?"

"It’s not my personal ranking."

Meanwhile, on mobile, she’s been playing Cityscapes and "trying to find adequate healthcare."

"Virtually?"

"In real life."

Game Second Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I don’t play games on my phone." He seemed insulted that I suggested it. Point taken.

Release Youngest Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

She is trying to get into drama school, but when she took a break from vocals, she was tackling Resident Evil. She also spoke at length in great detail about her successes on The Sims, where the Shark has a thriving utopia with far better healthcare than her older sibling has in real life.

Release the Spouse Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She began the year at 60% completion and ended it at 82%. She's in it for the long run not a sprint for her. On her phone: something called Woodle, where you have to unscrew pins.

Title I Laughed at My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Whenever I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I give him a hard time like a cross between a classic comedy bit. When he complains, I reply that I am doing this to prepare him so he can mature and play games for adults. This defines our Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Notable Gaming Family Member 2025

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

There was no contest for this one. She is unstoppable. Superior than I was at Dancing Stage MegaMix in my prime.

Game I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

No other game compared to the hours I spent on this exceptionally well-crafted card game competitive game, with its ever-changing range of cards and game variations.

Title I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The downside about games that frequently update their range is you have a moment of clarity and realise it is all just an attempt to trap you with fear-of-missing-out driven microtransactions. So enjoyment soured halfway through the year and it got uninstalled.

Game I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Glorious reinvention of a classic franchise. Immersive atmosphere from the off. I wish I could deal with my issues so effectively in real life.

Game I Wish I Had Played More (Cerebral Edition)

Blue Prince

I decline to rush this stunning, original game and I just lacked the focused attention to give it what it needed earlier this year. With relatives staying over the festive period, I will be playing this in the late night after evening drinks.

Title That Kept Me Sane When I Needed It

Balatro

I know Balatro was last year's surprise hit, but I was late to it. And it is exceptional. It just gets absolutely everything right. The core concept is a fantastic concept, but the powers behind the different special cards are so creative it has become a game I literally would play at any hour. Throw in the wittiness of the card design, and this is an absolute high-water mark of gaming. I dream of being stuck in a broken-down lift for hours just so I have the perfect excuse but play it.

Title I Got the Most Backlash For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I experienced a bit of backlash when I critiqued how a glitch in another game damaged the experience for me, but that other title is still a massive gaming achievement in terms of production values – which I appreciated even more after slogging through Outer Worlds 2. So my appreciation goes out to the reader who took the time to write in to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "bitter, confused resentment". I present that in the exact way, because I acknowledge the engagement, and she is obviously an excellent judge of character.

Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Fine. Give me a punishingly tough non-linear thing and don’t tell me guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "explore". What a joy. I acknowledge that it is beautiful and is perfection if you are into the genre, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I want less of in my adulthood. I was around back when most games were like this, and my patience is gone. It was acceptable when I was a kid, but so was many outdated things.

Biggest Gaming News of 2025

Close call between corporate partnerships that raised eyebrows, and high launch costs. Both ethically dubious and repugnant.

Games I Would Name My Children After, If I Was Ever Crazy Enough to Have More

Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all sound good names shouted from the garden at dinner time.

Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming

Right Thumb Joint. Honestly. I don’t know if it’s because of video games or endless scrolling, but it burns like hellfire in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs insured back in the 90s.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2026

Grand Theft Auto VI.
And it will come out in 2026, even if we have to stretch time until the end of days.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.