🔗 Share this article

Well, how did you experience the past year in your family? Did it seem all as good as one might claim on Facebook? Overflowing with A-grades for the children and riotous dress-up gatherings for the grownups? Or perhaps it was a swamp of disappointment with only sporadic entertaining flotsam? And was any of it genuine, or is everyone now AI-generated AI slop beings with celebrity dental work?

I've corralled the family for a reflection, whether they wanted to or not, to debate the most important thing in any given year: what titles we were obsessed with the most. Without further ado:

Release Oldest Daughter Played the Most

Horizon Zero Dawn

"Is it impossible to pick just one?"

"It’s not my games column."

Meanwhile, on mobile, she's invested time in Cityscapes and "attempting to locate decent healthcare."

"Digitally?"

"In the actual world."

Release Middle Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I have no interest in games on my phone." He took umbrage that the question was posed. Fair enough.

Title Third Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

She is trying to get into acting, but when she stepped away from the mic, she was tackling Resident Evil. She also went on in great detail about her achievements on The Sims, where the Shark has a blooming utopia with significantly better healthcare than her eldest sister has in the real world.

Release the Spouse Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

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

Title I Found Amusing That My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Any time I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I give him a hard time like a cross between a relentless heckler. When he complains, I reply that I am doing this to toughen him up so he can grow up and play games for grownups. It's a classic Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Impressive Gaming Family Member of the Year

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

There was no contest for this one. She is unstoppable. Even better than I was at classic rhythm games in my prime.

Game I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

It was in a league of its own to the hours I spent on this insanely well-crafted deck building competitive game, with its ever-changing range of cards and game variations.

Game I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The downside about games that constantly evolve their range is you eventually realize and realise it is all just an attempt to lure you into compulsion-based microtransactions. So enjoyment soured halfway through the year and it was deleted.

Game I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Stunning reinvention of a classic franchise. Captivating atmosphere from the beginning. I wish I could dispatch my demons so effectively in real life.

Title I Wish I Had Played More (Cerebral Edition)

Blue Prince

I refuse to rush this stunning, original game and I just lacked the time or headspace to give it what it needed earlier this year. With relatives staying over the festive period, I aim to experience this in the wee small hours after appropriate hospitality.

Title That Was a Lifesaver When I Needed It

Balatro

I'm aware Balatro was 2024’s surprise hit, but I was slow on the uptake. And it is remarkable. It just gets each element right. Crazy Poker is a brilliant concept, but the abilities behind the different special cards are so imaginative it has become a game I could play constantly. Add in the wittiness of the card design, and this is an definite peak of gaming. I dream of being stuck in a small space for hours just so I have the perfect excuse but play it.

Game I Got the Most Backlash For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I experienced a bit of backlash when I wrote about how a specific bug in another game ruined the experience for me, but that other title is still a massive gaming achievement in terms of production values – which I recognized even more after experiencing Outer Worlds 2. So my appreciation goes out to the commenter who took the time to write in to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "poorly reasoned". I present that as written, because I appreciate the effort, and she is obviously an sharp judge of character.

Title Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Sure. Give me a punishingly tough Metroidvania-esque thing and leave me without guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "look around". How delightful. I understand that it is beautiful and is ideal if you are into this kind of thing, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I want less of in my current stage of life. I was around back when most games were like this, and I'm over it. It was okay when I was a kid, but so was many questionable things.

Biggest Gaming News of 2025

Close call between corporate partnerships that sparked debate, and expensive game releases. Both difficult to justify and concerning.

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

Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all be unique names called from the garden at bedtime.

Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming

Right Thumb Joint. No joke. I don’t know if it’s because of button mashing or phone use, but it burns like anything in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs looked after 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 wait patiently until the end of days.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.