{"id":26421,"date":"2026-01-16T00:01:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T00:01:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/?p=26421"},"modified":"2026-01-06T04:23:49","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T04:23:49","slug":"carys-best-games-of-2025-awards-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/2026\/01\/16\/carys-best-games-of-2025-awards-show\/","title":{"rendered":"Cary’s Best Games of 2025 Awards Show!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>It\u2019s time for my \u201cBest Video Games of 2025 Awards Show!\u201d\u00a0 Keep in mind that this is my list only and no other outside opinions contributed.\u00a0 And if a game isn\u2019t on this list, it either just didn\u2019t appeal to me as much or I haven\u2019t had a chance to play it yet.\u00a0 Ok with that out of the way, let\u2019s begin!<\/p>\n

BEST PUZZLE GAME<\/strong><\/p>\n

Picross S Capcom Classics Edition (Switch 2)<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think this is what happened last year.\u00a0 A Picross game with a license that I liked beat out another licensed one!\u00a0 Last year it was Namco vs. Story of Seasons, this year it\u2019s Capcom vs. Rune Factory!\u00a0 Lots of Mega Man pictures (and other Capcom characters) to solve puzzles with, and most of the music is from Mega Man X!\u00a0 It\u2019s the closest thing to Mega Man Picross that I\u2019ll get, so I\u2019ll take it.\u00a0 At the same time that they released this one, they also released a SNK Classics Picross version.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t get that one yet as I\u2019d like to fully enjoy this one first, but I\u2019ll probably get it later.\u00a0 That\u2019s a theme in this list, as I had to prioritize a lot of my gaming purchases and cut things out since prices are rising so much.<\/p>\n

Runners Up:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Piczle Cross: Rune Factory (Switch)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The year before last I reviewed a game called Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons.\u00a0 It was a nonogram puzzle game and those types of puzzles in video game form are often called Picross or a variation of that name.\u00a0 But this one had a theme.\u00a0 The pictures you could make were based off of things and characters from the Story of Seasons games.\u00a0 These were farming sims that were around way before Stardew Valley got popular.\u00a0 You might know these games better as Harvest Moon, as that\u2019s what those games were called before the rights changed.\u00a0 Anyway, the Harvest Moon\/Story of Seasons games had a spinoff series called Rune Factory.\u00a0 These were more fantasy based, and they streamlined the farming parts so you\u2019d have more time to go fight monsters in dungeons!\u00a0 I actually like the Rune Factory games more than Story of Seasons, and now there is a Piczle Cross game based on the Rune Factory series as well!<\/p>\n

Pok\u00e9mon Friends (Switch)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

You\u2019ve arrived in a new town to start your very own Pok\u00e9mon plush toy shop.\u00a0 Kind of like a Build-A-Bear with Pok\u00e9mon I guess.\u00a0 But while unpacking, your yarn gets all tangled up.\u00a0 So now you have to solve Pok\u00e9mon themed puzzles to unravel your thoughts, and the yarn in Pok\u00e9mon Friends.\u00a0 A lot of people panned this game, but I didn\u2019t think it was THAT bad.\u00a0 No GOTY material, but not every game has to be.<\/p>\n

BEST ARCADE COLLECTION\/REMAKE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Capcom Fighting Collection 2 (PS4)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

This was a hard decision this year, but I decided to go with the one with the most bang for your buck.\u00a0 Game maker Capcom is known for lots of things, like Mega Man, Resident Evil, Monster Hunter, etc.\u00a0 But probably what they are known best for is their large roster of fighting games, such as Street Fighter.\u00a0 They did a collection of them a few years ago, plus one last year that had all their Marvel games on it.\u00a0 And now they\u2019ve got another one with even more fighters!<\/p>\n

Runners Up:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bubble Ghost Remake (Switch)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

When I was a kid, one of my favorite stores to go into in the mall was Babbages.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think they\u2019re around anymore, but they were kind of like a precursor to GameStop.\u00a0 They sold video games but mostly computer software and stuff.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t really buy too many computer games then, but I still liked to look at the boxes because that\u2019s how we found out about games before the Internet a lot of times.\u00a0 One of the game boxes that caught my eye was Bubble Ghost.\u00a0 It had two things I liked in games: bubbles (like in Bubble Bobble) and ghosts (like in Pac-Man).\u00a0 But I never got around to buying that game.\u00a0 Not sure why.\u00a0 Maybe it was too expensive and I didn\u2019t think it was worth the money.\u00a0 A few years later they made a version of it on the Game Boy, but I never got around to buying it either.\u00a0 There were a few years as a kid that I didn\u2019t buy a whole lot of Game Boy stuff, and I don\u2019t really remember seeing it in a store anyway.\u00a0 So I never got to try Bubble Ghost.\u00a0 So that\u2019s why I\u2019m glad that I got to review this remake.\u00a0 It adds fancy hand drawn graphics and new levels and gameplay ideas.\u00a0 Basic gist is that you are a ghost and try to blow a bubble around obstacles and keep it from popping.<\/p>\n

Croc: Legend of the Gobbos (PS4)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Back in the 90s, 3D platformers starring colorful mascot characters were all the rage, even in the early days. One of the first ones out of the gate on the PlayStation was Croc: Legend of the Gobbos. It was made by Argonaut, yes the same folks who helped create the original Star Fox.\u00a0 I remember playing this on a demo disc (remember those) back then and not liking it.\u00a0 Mainly because the controls were awkward.\u00a0 This was back before the PSOne had analog sticks, so Croc had more tankish controls.\u00a0 It took a while before the PlayStation had quality 3D platformers as good as the N64 ones.\u00a0 Me personally, they didn\u2019t catch up until Ape Escape and maybe Spyro.\u00a0 Anyway, because I didn\u2019t like the first Croc game on the demo disc, I skipped out on the other entries in the series.\u00a0 Turns out there was a lot more than I thought.\u00a0 There was a 3D sequel as well as a handful of 2D games on handheld and mobile devices.\u00a0 And I\u2019ve watched a lot of videos with gamers saying they loved Croc as a kid.\u00a0 I\u2019m willing to give games a second chance, so I\u2019m glad I got to review this remaster.<\/p>\n

UFO 50 (Switch)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

I\u2019m about to show just how old I am.\u00a0 I remember when my dad got our first computer.\u00a0 I was around kindergarten age, and the computer was an Apple ][+.\u00a0 We had it through most of my Elementary School years I think.\u00a0 Anyway, after we got it, sometimes my dad would bring home a case of floppy disks home from work.\u00a0 I would put each one in, not knowing what I\u2019d get.\u00a0 Sometimes it would be a boring application.\u00a0 And sometimes it wouldn\u2019t work at all.\u00a0 But sometimes it would have games that I\u2019d like.\u00a0 That\u2019s how I discovered titles like Snack Attack, Lode Runner, Drol, Hard Hat Mack, Spare Change, Choplifter, Aquatron, and more!\u00a0 Now granted, looking back on it now, I think most of those games were pirated, but I don\u2019t think either me or my dad knew what that was at the time.\u00a0 Anyway, that grab bag of gaming fun is the feeling I get when playing UFO 50, a collection of 50 8-bit styled games.<\/p>\n

Boulder Dash 40th Anniversary (Switch)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

I\u2019m such a staunch console gamer now that you might be surprised to learn that when I was a kid, I started out playing home games on computer.\u00a0 Our first PC was an Apple ][+, and outside of arcades, that\u2019s where I played most of my games until I got an Atari 5200.\u00a0 One of the games I remember playing on that old computer was Boulder Dash.\u00a0 It was an action puzzle game that was kind of like Dig Dug in that you dug through the earth, collecting gems while trying not to get squished by falling boulders.\u00a0 I can\u2019t believe it\u2019s been 40 years, but here\u2019s Boulder Dash 40th Anniversary.<\/p>\n

Pac-Man World 2: Re-Pac (Switch)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

You\u2019d think this would win, but I didn\u2019t like this remake as much as you\u2019d think I would.\u00a0 They just made it way too hard!\u00a0 But I still think it was a good value at only 30 bucks, and I still have special memories with the first game.\u00a0 I encourage you to read the article I wrote about it (link in the title) if you haven\u2019t already.<\/p>\n

Sonic Wings Reunion (Switch)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Back in the 90s, there was a series of popular 2D vertically scrolling shooters called Sonic Wings in Japan.\u00a0 When they were brought to the US, they were renamed Aero Fighters, so since that\u2019s what I know them as, that\u2019s what I\u2019m going to be calling them from here on out.\u00a0 Anyway, Aero Fighters had three main arcade games, two of which were on the NEO GEO.\u00a0 They had some home ports on the SNES and PlayStation, and finally a 3D game called Aero Fighters Assault on the N64, which was more like Ace Combat.\u00a0 And now, nearly 30 years later, there\u2019s a brand new game in the series with Sonic Wings Reunion.\u00a0 It returns to its 2D roots, and just like the others, I really like this one, too.\u00a0 It may seem fairly normal, as you pilot real life fighter jets over real world locations.\u00a0 But it has hidden aspects of goofiness, too.\u00a0 For instance, the pilots in these games include characters like a Japanese idol pop singer, a baby, and even a dolphin!<\/p>\n

Bubble Bobble Sugar Dungeons (Switch)<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s Bubble Bobble mixed with a dungeon crawler.\u00a0 Probably the only way you\u2019ll get me to play one of those.\u00a0 It\u2019s really not that great, but it does come with the classic arcade game Bubble Symphony, which isn\u2019t on very many collections, so I\u2019d say it\u2019s still worth it.<\/p>\n

I wanted to get the pack that had Super Mario Galaxy 1 & 2 on it, but at 70 bucks, it\u2019s going to have to wait!<\/p>\n

BEST RACER<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kirby Air Riders (Switch 2)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

This game right here, this is the game that sold me on getting a Switch 2.\u00a0 Not Mario Kart World, not Donkey Kong Bananza, not anything else.\u00a0 I\u2019m so surprised and happy they made a sequel to this GameCube classic.\u00a0 I like the original more than GameCube\u2019s Mario Kart Double Dash, and I like this one more than Mario Kart World.\u00a0 It\u2019s SO GOOD!\u00a0 Amazing graphics and options, too.\u00a0 This would\u2019ve won my Game of the Year award, but one other game beat it out.\u00a0 You\u2019ll just have to read on to find out what that is!<\/p>\n

Runners Up:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mario Kart World (Switch 2)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Even though this didn\u2019t win, it IS a fun game.\u00a0 The open world \u2018road trip\u2019 vibe is neat, the tracks are fun (when you can actually race on them), and I appreciate it trying to do something different.\u00a0 But while Mario Kart World is great, it is NOT worth 80 bucks as it is quite a bit light on content and needs more modes.\u00a0 And I\u2019m probably the only person in the world who doesn\u2019t like the trick mechanics of riding on walls and rails.\u00a0 I can never get it to work for me, and I wanted to play Mario Kart, not Mario Hawk\u2019s Pro Skater.\u00a0 There are better Mario Kart games out there than this.\u00a0 I will say that I do like the Yoshi\u2019s Hamburger stands scattered all over the place. \u00a0I want to eat at one of those!<\/p>\n

Sonic Racing Crossworlds (Switch 2)<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not really better than Mario Kart, but it is a fun kart racer with neat Sonic characters and stages.\u00a0 Lots of things to do and cool guest characters. I haven\u2019t played it as much as I would like to, but I\u2019ll pick it up again when Pac-Man and Mega Man get added to the roster this year!<\/p>\n

BEST 2D ADVENTURE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution (Switch)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Game Boy Advance style games really took over this category this year!\u00a0 I\u2019ve always been a big fan of the Shantae series, ever since it started on the Game Boy Color.\u00a0 When its successor, the Game Boy Advance came out, the makers of Shantae (WayForward) made a Shantae GBA sequel but they couldn\u2019t find a publisher so it never came out on that platform.\u00a0 I\u2019ve always thought that the DSiWare Shantae game WAS that reworked GBA title but I guess I was wrong because here comes Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution!\u00a0 WayForward finished the GBA game and even released it on a GBA cartridge a few months ago through Limited Run.<\/p>\n

Runner Up:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pipistrello and the Cursed Yo-Yo (PS4)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

The 16-bit Super Nintendo is my favorite home game console, but my favorite handheld is the Game Boy Advance (it was pretty much a souped up SNES, so that\u2019s why).\u00a0 So I was pleasantly surprised to find that this game tries to imitate that GBA style.\u00a0 When you first turn on the game, it even shows a mock GBA handheld system with a cartridge entering it!\u00a0 Anyway.\u00a0 Pipistrello and the Cursed Yo-Yo is a top down viewed action adventure game.\u00a0 You play as Pippit, a bat who lives in the big city and is the nephew of the biggest mafia leader in town.\u00a0 But Pippit has no interest in that.\u00a0 He just wants to enter yo-yo competitions.\u00a0 But one night on the way home, Pippit finds his aunt, the leader of the Pipistrello mafia family, trapped by four other mafia bosses.\u00a0 Turns out they want revenge for her running the city\u2019s power unfairly, so they try to trap her soul into four batteries using a machine.\u00a0 Luckily Pippit appears in time and tosses his yo-yo into the soul stealing beam.\u00a0 Now his aunt is trapped inside the yo-yo and they must work together to get the batteries back.\u00a0 This game is a lot like a 2D Zelda title, except the overworld is the city streets, and the dungeons are sewers, shopping malls, construction sites, and soccer stadiums!\u00a0 And because of the emphasis on top down platforming and yo-yo mechanics, this game also makes me think of Startropics as well!\u00a0 The very definition of a \u201chidden gem.\u201d<\/p>\n

WEIRDEST GAME<\/strong><\/p>\n

Once Upon a Katamari (Switch)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Even though this series has been out for a long time, I still think it\u2019s super weird.\u00a0 At one point, Namco was making TOO many Katamari games, but I think now we were ready for a new one.\u00a0 Not the best game in the world, but the time travel aspect added some much needed variety in the levels.<\/p>\n

Runners Up:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tamagotchi Plaza (Switch 2)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Back on the DS, there was a series of games called Tamagotchi Corner Shop, and my brother Jeff and I were weirdly obsessed with them.\u00a0 You used the touch screen to play mini-games to run shops, and Tamagotchi Plaza is the sequel to those games (there were three of them on the DS!).\u00a0 But yeah, it’s a weird game for sure!<\/p>\n

Welcome Tour (Switch 2)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

You walk around a giant Switch 2 game console and learn about each part, as well as play mini-games and view tech demos on the new hardware, as well as answer trivia questions.\u00a0 It\u2019s like exploring a giant museum, and is definitely weird.\u00a0 The only reason why it only gets runner up status is because Nintendo is charging 10 bucks for it.\u00a0 It really should\u2019ve been a free pack in game since it\u2019s just a glorified interactive instruction manual.<\/p>\n

Shadow Labyrinth (Switch 2)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Last year Netflix had a mini-series with little shorts based on video games.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t watch all of them, but some I did were the Mega Man one (very cool), and a weird dark take on Pac-Man.\u00a0 I guess if you think about it, Pac-Man can be pretty dark.\u00a0 But then Namco made a game based on that short (or maybe vice versa, I get conflicting stories about that).\u00a0 So this is a dark Pac-Man Metroidvania.\u00a0 Can\u2019t get more weirder than that.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t like this game much because it was way too hard, but I still had to put it on the list anyway.\u00a0 I hear they added an Easy Mode in an update, so maybe I\u2019ll go back to this one someday and give it a second chance.<\/p>\n

BEST 3D ADVENTURE<\/strong><\/p>\n

Donkey Kong Bananza (Switch 2)<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

This was made by the same team who did Mario Odyssey.\u00a0 Actually I like it even better than Odyssey.\u00a0 And it\u2019s the first time we\u2019ve gotten a 3D Donkey Kong game since DK64!\u00a0 It\u2019s really good and polished and fun and I highly recommend it if you have a Switch 2.\u00a0 Also it has one of the best surprising final bosses in video game history!\u00a0 Only thing I didn\u2019t like about the game is how they handled the DLC.\u00a0 Should\u2019ve been part of the game, not something you\u2019d have to pay an extra 20 bucks for.<\/p>\n

Runners Up:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Metroid Prime 4 Beyond (Switch 2)<\/strong><\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t mind this game as much as others did.\u00a0 The NPCs didn\u2019t bother me as much.\u00a0 And while the open world and areas didn\u2019t feel very Metroid-ish, I still had fun.\u00a0 My only really big problem is that it doesn\u2019t feel like a game that should\u2019ve taken 8 years to make!<\/p>\n

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment (Switch 2)<\/strong><\/p>\n

To be honest, I haven\u2019t played this game much yet.\u00a0 I got it for Christmas.\u00a0 But even if I had played it a lot, I know I\u2019d put it here anyway.\u00a0 I know it\u2019s a mindless yet fun hack and slash with a story telling what Zelda did during Tears of the Kingdom, which sounds way more interesting than what Link was doing.<\/p>\n

BEST RPG<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pok\u00e9mon Legends ZA (Switch 2)<\/strong><\/p>\n

I haven\u2019t played this one much either.\u00a0 I got it as a Christmas gift for myself.\u00a0 But it would\u2019ve won by default anyway since it\u2019s the only decent RPG I played this year.\u00a0 I liked the first Pok\u00e9mon Legends game a lot anyway.\u00a0 There was another Pok\u00e9mon styled RPG I would\u2019ve liked to have played this past year and put on this list, and that was Digimon Story: Time Stranger.\u00a0 But that was only on PS5 and X\/S and I don\u2019t have those consoles, so oh well!<\/p>\n

And now for my Game of the Year award!\u00a0 Taiko Drum Roll please\u2026<\/p>\n

GAME OF THE YEAR 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hello Kitty Island Adventure (Switch)<\/strong><\/p>\n

This one kind of came out of nowhere, didn\u2019t it? But remember that when the Switch came out and had Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odessey, I gave my GOTY award to the SNES Mini.\u00a0 So this is one of those wild card years!\u00a0 I do that sometimes.\u00a0 This game has been on Apple Arcade for a couple of years now, but they ported it to the Switch since it\u2019s so much like Animal Crossing, and since that is the second best selling game on the Switch, it was wise of them to do that.\u00a0 Recently they did make a version for Switch 2 and PS5 also.\u00a0 It\u2019s no where near as good as Animal Crossing, but it does do some things even better than that series does.\u00a0 For instance, the game actually has a story, and not only can you swim like in Animal Crossing, you can dive down and explore a whole underwater world, too!\u00a0 There\u2019s always stuff to do, even though it\u2019s kind of slow in the end game (but Animal Crossing is like that, too).\u00a0 They really respect your time here, too, and give you a whole month usually to get all the event items, whereas Animal Crossing usually only gives you a day!\u00a0 I hope the makers of the next Animal Crossing game play this one and take note!\u00a0 Know that while my first favorite game of all time is Pac-Man, but my second favorite is the Animal Crossing series, so that should tell you how much I like it.\u00a0 Also, Hello Kitty Island Adventure has DLC.\u00a0 It\u2019s about 15 bucks, but I\u2019ve heard that it\u2019s like a whole new game.\u00a0 I haven\u2019t gotten it myself, as I\u2019ve got a lot of other things to play, but maybe later on I might get it.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t let the \u201cgirly\u201d Hello Kitty exterior keep you from playing this one.\u00a0 If you like Animal Crossing at all, you\u2019ll definitely want to play this one.\u00a0 Keep in mind that I\u2019m a 49 year old man saying all this about a Hello Kitty game!\u00a0 I\u2019m having to swallow a lot of my pride here.\u00a0 Actually I\u2019m not, because I don\u2019t care what people think of my taste in games.\u00a0 I just really like Animal Crossing.\u00a0 I spent 300 hours on New Horizons, and 120 on Hello Kitty!\u00a0 I don\u2019t play it as much as I used to, but I\u2019ll still check on it once or twice a week. It just goes to show you that you don\u2019t have to have the latest and greatest technology to have a good game.\u00a0 If it wasn\u2019t for this game, Kirby Air Riders would\u2019ve gotten my GOTY, so consider that one getting second place. Anyway, let me know in the comments section what you think of my list, and tell me YOUR favorite games of 2025!\u00a0 Later!\u00a0 –Cary<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s time for my \u201cBest Video Games of 2025 Awards Show!\u201d\u00a0 Keep in mind that this is my list only and no other outside opinions contributed.\u00a0 And if a game isn\u2019t on this list, it either just didn\u2019t appeal to me as much or I haven\u2019t had a chance to play it yet.\u00a0 Ok with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":26419,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-miscellaneous"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26421","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26421"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26421\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26423,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26421\/revisions\/26423"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26419"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26421"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26421"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26421"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}