TheCozyGhost

The shocking decline of quality from Pokemon has been steady and constant since the release of X/Y and I'm finally putting my foot down. Indie games are releasing with better production than The Pokemon Companies $70 releases. Mobile phone games have better models and textures today. It's 2025.

The fast, bombastic kart racer of 2025. Crossworlds adds a new twist to the racing world with it's titular 'cross world' mechanic, allowing tracks to be mixed and mashed together with a large pool of new locations- either fresh or lifted from the history of the hedgehog. This one addition might just put it above all other racers this year.

The classic cheese of retro ninja action packed into a high quality Metroidvania. If Hollow Knight mixed with hand animated ninjutsu action sounds good to you, you'll want to play Shinobi: Art of Vengeance.

A fun return to form that borrows quite heavily from other Nintendo franchises but adds enough to be a fresh banana. The addition of a new form also makes DKB feel more in line with its narrative heavy rivals in the modern mascot genre. Not a GOTY but a must-have for a Nintendo Switch 2 collection.

Without obfuscation, the greatest JRPG of the generation. After experiencing the prologue at a show I knew I had to buy this game for myself and experience the journey. After 50 hours I've beaten the story and a good chunk of side content- this is Game of the Year, and nothing short of a miracle is going to change that.

*I did not have to pay for this game* but if I did, I'd probably be angry about it. MKW is a perfectly decent kart racer that packs in several new features, while cutting out others. That offers a big glossy world, while not looking as vibrant as MK8. That opens the world for driving, while feeling about as lively as Starfield asteroids. The truest description I can give is: mixed bag. Bring a squad of friends (and use Discord because the Switch 2 chat interface is terrible) and you'll probably have a swell time. If that's worth the purchase, that's the best I can offer. Otherwise, catch a different ride.

A heartbreaking disregard for the franchise and for RPG players. Non-existent decision making, mindless grind combat and writing that would raise eyebrows on Fanfiction dot net. They didn't even attempt to make a videogame- and if they did, they have hired all the wrong people.