Well, look at this, it’s coming to the end of 2025, and we’re doing another Year in Review. Did I get through more games this year like I had planned? Well, no. Unfortunately, various things like hospital visits, kids, famliy life, moving home and other things have gotten in the way. I’ve streamed way less, managed to do only 1 review and fewer episodes of Pedz’ Game Shack than I would like, but I’m keeping on keeping on and plan to get more done next year. I know, I know I say it every year, but next year I don’t see why I wouldn’t get more games done… I have managed to finish games, not a lot, but I have played a fair few, so I’ll list some games I have had great fun with this year. Let’s see what I’ve played then, eh?
Divinity: Original Sin II
If you read last year’s Year in Review, you’ll know that me and my better half had played through Divinity: Original Sin and had started this. Divinty: Original Sin II was a strange one, not in a was it good or bad, but was it better or worse than its predecessor? I don’t know how to answer that, I preferred aspects of I and some aspects of II. For starters, the armour system in D:OS II was not a great addition. I preferred the way D:OS handled your armour. I do think the story captured my imagination more in D:OS II. It’s definitely worth a play through, I think it’s about equal with D:OS, I just think it was a little hard to adjust to the differences in combat after D:OS.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man, Spider-Man, there’s now 2 Spider-Men… Ok, that didn’t work. Spider-Man 2 is a fun game, isn’t it? I really enjoyed this one. I prefer Spider-Man 1, but this is not far behind it in terms of enjoyment. I enjoyed swinging through the city again, and I enjoyed having Miles to play as. Having different powers felt interesting; both Peter and Miles play the same, but the powers do feel a little different, and the story is pretty fun, if a little predictable. Definitely worth playing, but make sure you play the 2 previous games (there was a smaller game starring Miles Morales.)
Mega Man Zero
Oh, how I love the Mega Man games. I’m still of the opinion that Mega Man OG is the best series of games, and playing this one Mega Man Z game hasn’t changed that. It’s a fun game, but it’s damn tough. I even used the save assists that were added to the Mega Man Zero Collection; playing it without them was just not fun. I feel for those who played it to completion back in the day, most must be bald from ripping their hair out. It’s enjoyable to play, and when it shines, it shines.
Mario Kart World
Mario Kart World is another game where I’m not sure how I would rate it. It’s fun racing online most Mondays with the folk from GRcade, but as a package, with the open world it feels bare; there needs to be more to it, more so for the cost of the game. I think this has been an issue with every Mario Kart, though, not that the world is bare, but that there’s not much longevity to the single player, it’s a multiplayer game at it’s heart, and a fun multiplayer game at that. Hopefully, Nintendo will continue to add to the open world and make it feel complete.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A.
Pokémon is a series I have been playing since Red and Blue. I enjoy them, always. Do I wish they’d do more? Absolutely. The thing that they’ve done here is make battles real time, no more picking a move from a list, now you have to pick the corresponding button. The game is pretty good, and I’d recommend giving it a bash. You can also check my review by clicking the link in the heading for more thoughts on the game, but overall, it makes progress that needs to continue in the mainline series and beyond.
Final Thoughts.
2025 is done, another year where I haven’t played enough games. I have many to go through, but as I said, I’ve not got to them, unfortunately. Sitting on my shelf (both physical and digital) are half-played games like Donkey Kong Bananza, Metroid Prime 4, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and more. I’ve recently reviewed Pokémon Legends: Z-A, and I’m making plans to get back on track with it for next year, as well as with Pedz’ Game Shack podcast. They’re things that I really enjoy doing, even with low views, it’s the creating that I enjoy, and that’s why I stream, do reviews and podcast. It’s fun for me, so next year I need to get to it properly. Please, let me know how your year was either commenting here, on Bluesky, Mastodon or popping into my streams. I’m curious how 2026 will turn out. There’s a likely chance that the next-gen consoles will be announced, and who knows what else will come? It’s going to be a fun year, either way. Have a great 2026, all!