During my last blog entry, I mentioned doing a year-end award thing....without having any plans or ideas as to how to go about doing that. In all honesty, I still have no idea. So, I'm wingin' it, as the kids say.

I guess just consider this my version of the "Year in Review." Folks these days kind of expect a year in review from whatever platform they play games on, where it shows them what they played the most of and all that jazz...so since I play such a variety of things, I decided to make my own, based on games that I completed....This'll be boring stuff for you guys, probably, so bear with me.

I made my way through 123 games this year....because I know the correct order to count my numbers.....1, 2, then 3.

First Game Beat in 2025

Super Glove Ball

Since Super Glove Ball was a childhood game of mine, I hear the background music playing in my head as I type this. I never beat this game when I was a kid, and in 2025, I finally got to the end. As a kid, I didn't bother to make notes/draw a map while playing. I did this time and it resulted in me finally navigating the maze of this game...unfortunately, my gargantuan hands don't fit in a power glove, so while I own one, I wasn't able to beat this game using it.

Last Game Beat in 2025

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

I wasn't expecting this to be a good game, but I was hopeful that I'd at least find some enjoyment in it. However, I think what I texted my friend after completing it sums up my thoughts best. "My thoughts shortly after beginning to play - 'This isn't great, but it's not bad. I'll probably enjoy it.' My thoughts after beating it just now - 'I hate this game. They should rename it Rudrichard the Red-Richarded Richarddeer" Just shorten the name Richard in there and you'll get it. If this game had stayed away from platforming, it would have gone a LOOOOONG way. Rudolph had a red nose, but I had a red face in embarrassment for thinking that this might be any better than it was.

Shortest Playthrough in 2025

Taboo: The Sixth Sense

With an exhausting playthrough of 4 minutes and 48 seconds, I got my fortune told in Taboo: The Sixth Sense...it told me that I would be rich. It was a big, ol' LIAR. If it was wearing pants and had a nose, its trousers would be on fire and its honker would be as long as a telephone wire.
Top 10 Shortest Games of 2025:
1) Taboo: The Sixth Sense (NES) 00:04:48
2) Track & Field (NES) 00:11:13
3) petsitting (PC) 00:12:35
4) Fighters Megamix (Saturn) 00:15:36
5) 9.03m (PC) 00:17:00
6) Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk (PC) 00:18:09
7) Ultimate Fighting Championship (Dreamcast) 00:18:40
8) Double Dare (NES) 00:19:06
9) Capcom Fighting Evolution (Playstation 2) 00:19:36
10) Marvel Super Heroes (Saturn) 00:20:02

Longest Playthrough in 2025

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered

After clocking in 121 hours, 47 minutes, and 44 seconds, I finally wrapped up Oblivion Remastered and saw the credits roll. While this wasn't a bad game, and it sure looks purdy, I have to admit that I'd rather go back and revisit Tamriel with the original game....especially since some new voice actors took the amusement I had in some lines. Still, as you can tell by the hours, I still enjoyed my time playing for the most part.
Top 10 Longest Games of 2025
1) The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered (Playstation 5) 121:47:44
2) Monster Hunter (Playstation 2) 81:21:52
3) Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3 FES (Playstation 2) 79:28:48
4) Lost Odyssey (Xbox 360) 71:22:24
5) Mass Effect Andromeda (Xbox One) 63:45:06
6) Deadly Premonition: The Director's Cut* (PC) 57:12:27
7) Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance (PC) 54:28:36
8) Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (Xbox Series X) 50:10:09
9) Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean (Gamecube) 47:02:36
10) Fallout: New Vegas (Xbox 360) 45:38:55
*Note: Time of Deadly Premonition: The Director's Cut includes all of the time lost from game crashes, attempting to fix things, and get past bugs.

Favorite Game Beaten in January 2025

Shining Force

I had never beaten Shning Force before, but I've always liked it. I grew to really enjoy the game even more by the time I finally completed it. Sure, it's a bit simplistic by today's standards, but the strategic gameplay is still decent today. Toss in a bunch of hidden characters to discover and recruit (a weakness of mine, which is why I love games like Suikoden) and Shining Force was pretty much guaranteed to be a game that I'd fall in love with.

Favorite Game Beaten in February 2025

R4: Ridge Racer Type 4

I also beat Persona 3 FES in February...and it was such a hard choice between the two games. Ultimately, since another Shin Megami Tensei game is represented later on, I decided to give R4 the nod. Between the gorgeous-for-the-time graphics, amazing soundtrack, decent stories to go through, and hundreds of cars to unlock....this game always manages to keep me occupied for way, way longer than I anticipate once I start to play it.

Favorite Game Beaten in March 2025

Def Jam: Vendetta

I hadn't played through this game since it first came out. I loved this game when it was released, though. With gameplay that kind of feels like a mix between WWF No Mercy and an over-the-top arcade game, Def Jam: Vendetta provided a nice alternative to playing the WWE wrestling games. Some of the rappers here are so thin that they could fit inside a drinking straw, so it's kinda ridiculous to include them in this game...but, that's the license that came with Vendetta. And hey, if that resulted in a few more copies being sold, then it just means that a few more folks saw how enjoyable this game was...and honestly, it's aged pretty well.

Favorite Game Beaten in April 2025

Dead Rising 3

I held off on playing this game for so long because surviving a zombie outbreak in an entire city didn't sound as fun to me as surviving in the intimate area of a shopping mall and its surrounding area. After finally playing Dead Rising 3, I feel like a fool. Not only did I enjoy this game, but at the end, when it looked like I could potentially wrap things up, I chose to restart the game instead, so I could try to rescue more survivors, battle more psychopaths, etc. I still prefer the first few games over this one, but I also can't deny that I really enjoyed playing Dead Rising 3.

Favorite Game Beaten in May 2025

Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance

Since it was released, and after I beat it initially, Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance has been a game that I pop in every few months, put a few hours into it, then move onto other stuff. Usually, I just plan to put an hour or so into it until I can figure out what other game I'd like to play...but sometimes I get all wrapped up in the game all over again and wind up putting plenty of hours into it. That's what happened this year...where "I'll play for an hour" turned into me completing the entire second half of the story. I won't be surprised if I wind up beating this one again next year...

Favorite Game Beaten in June 2025

Lost Odyssey

To me, Lost Odyssey was like taking Final Fantasy back to its roots, while still implementing enough "newer" gameplay concepts to make it fit well in a more modern gaming landscape. Is it a perfect game? No, but it's still an excellent RPG with some interesting ideas...like having immortal members of the party who can only obtain skills by learning them from the mortal members of the party. I still consider Gongora to be a pretty tame-looking main adversary...he looks like a gas station clerk....but aside from that, I really enjoyed Lost Odyssey.

Favorite Game Beaten in July 2025

Fallout: New Vegas

Technically, this award would go to Expedition 33, but since I give it another award later on, I decided to give this one to Fallout: New Vegas instead. It had been a few years since I played through New Vegas, and while I've always loved this game, it's also always been an awful mess that crashes non-stop, no matter what platform I played it on. This year, I played the Xbox 360 version on the Xbox Series X. I think the benefit of being two console generations ahead helped - I had VERY minimal crashing this time around, which allowed me to enjoy my time in New Vegas like I've never really been able to in the past.

Favorite Game Beaten in August 2025

Bayonetta

After the first hour, I was convinced that I was absolutely going to hate Bayonetta. The beat'em up gameplay felt fairly repetitive, I was rolling my eyes at the way-too-long over-the-top fight cutscenes, and Bayonetta just seemed like a character without many redeeming qualities. But, I stuck with it...and by the end, I grew to enjoy the game for what it was. I eventually appreciated the cut-scenes (especially the non-fighting ones) for giving me a break in the repetition of the gameplay. And Bayonetta herself won me over by the end, largely thanks in part to the whole cast of caracters that she interacts with. It won me over enough, that I'm hoping to tackle the sequel in the near future.

Favorite Game Beaten in September 2025

Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves

I knew I was going to like this game - I like SNK fighting games. I didn't know how much time I'd be spending with this one, though. Episodes of South Town, while not a groundbreaking concept, had me coming back for more and more...and then I beat the game, unlocked Episodes of South Town+, and just kept playing. I wouldn't put City of the Wolves in the elite tier of fighting games, but it's still a very good one. If you're a fan of fighters, then you'll likely enjoy this game like I did.

Favorite Game Beaten in October 2025

No, I'm Not a Human

I gave it the "Halloween Award" back in October, and I still love everything bout this game. I love the unique art-style, the bizarre humor, the dark story...it all just comes together to create a very well-made game. The last several years, my favorite game played during the Halloween season has wound up being games that try to channel the old Playstation One horror games. This year, it was a game that tried a different and unique concept, and it paid off.

Favorite Game Beaten in November 2025

Metal Slug X

I was hoping that The Outer Worlds 2 would be my game of the month for November...but while playing The Outer Worlds 2, as the kids say, "I wasn't feelin' it." It's a decent game, but it wasn't the great game I was hoping for...Metal Slug X, on the other hand, is one of my favorite games that I hadn't played in years and I absolutely loved making my way through it again this year. I consider this to be the ultimate game in the Metal Slug franchise...I love Metal Slug 2 and X is basically an improved version of Metal Slug 2, using the Metal Slug 3 engine to reduce most lag in the process. I really need to revisit the Metal Slug games more often than I already do...

Favorite Game Beaten in December 2025

Street Fighter 6

I only beat two games in December, and since the other game was, quite possibly, the worst game that I beat this year, that gives Street Fighter 6 the nod by default. That's not a knock against Street Fighter 6, though. I enjoyed making my way through it a few years ago on PS5, and I found myself enjoying it just as much on the Switch 2. I do somewhat consider is blasphemy that they simplified the controls in this game - part of the fun of Street Fighter is mastering the button combos and skillfully pulling them off in combat. But, that complaint was still not enough to prevent me from putting dozens of hours into World Tour mode again....which I did.

Favorite Game Beaten for the 2nd-100th Time in 2025

Deadly Premonition: The Director's Cut

Was I frustrated that I spent just as much time trying to fix the game and make it playable on PC as I did actually playing the game? Sure. Did I feel like it was worth it when I managed to mop up every achievement while visiting all the townsfolk in Greenvale again this year? Absolutely. I still wish that the gameplay and overall quality control matched the story and atmosphere of this game...but at the same time, part of the charm of Deadly Premonition is that it's not a great game...but the story and characters keep you coming back for more anyway. No matter how difficult it is to get that dang game to work, I'll be back in Greenvale again eventually.

Favorite Non-2025 Game Beaten for the First Time in 2025

Burnhouse Lane

I gave the Halloween award to No, I'm Not a Human back in October, and I also put it as my favorite game beaten in October further up...but, I want to give some love to Burnhouse Lane for this award. While I love some other games that I beat for the first time this year, like Lost Odyssey, I hadn't played anything from Harvester Games in a while, and Burnhouse Lane reminded me why I love their games so much. I still don't think that they'll ever be able to top The Cat Lady, but Burnhouse Lane is a solid second place to that game, in my opinion. So, I'll give this one to Burnhouse Lane in hopes that it may cause others to decide to give it a try.

Favorite Game Beaten that was Released in 2025

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

Like just about everyone that gave Expedition 33 a chance, I fell in love with it pretty much from the beginning. Taking every single game that I played through this year into consideration, past or present, Expedition 33 is probably my overall pick for favorite game completed. Since I'm an old fogey that generally enjoys older games more than I enjoy newer games, that's saying a lot. Needless to say, I'll be returning to this game in the future...I can't imagine that I'll only make my way through this game one time.

Well, that's it for the awards...not too bad for doing this all on the spur of the moment, eh? Then again, I pouldn't be patting myself on the back since I slacked off on doing something that I had said I'd do a month before.....well, drat. I just went from hero to zero pretty quickly. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the "awards" regardless.

Onto other stuff...in game hunting news, I stopped in at only a few stores this month. But, those few storess had some decent stuff for me to add to the ol' collection. I got a Kiwi Game Boy Color, complete in box, which is pretty nice. The box looks like it was just sitting on a retail store shelf yesterday. In terms of games, I was able to nab ActRaiser complete in box...though the box is a bit worn. Also on the SNES, I got the rare Super Solitaire complete in box...though this box is in very nice condition. I also got Phantasy Star IV complete in box, and the "January Game of the Month" Shining Force complete in box. I've had the original Shining Force for years, but never complete in box, so I'm glad to fix that now. Likewise, GoldenEye 007 for the Nintendo 64 I've had, but now I've also got that complete in box, as well. I was also fortunate enough to have someone donate an Atari 2600 and 27 games to me. Admittedly, everything is in pretty rough shape, and everything is just loose, not complete, but it's free, so beggars can't be choosers.

As for the website, I've taken a little break as I type this, to prevent burn-out, but not before adding three more sections to the website - an Odyssey 2 section, an Apple II section, and an APF MP-1000 section. The updated list, as a result, is approaching 200 games from 1980 and earlier. My original goal was to try to get at least 75 games on there, so I'm having some fun overachieving. Next week, I plan to start back up on the website stuff and I'm hoping that a Commodore PET section is added by the end of next week. I still need to create an Astrocade section, and I may play around a bit with some other obscure formats of the time period (I'd love to review the original Odyssey games, for example) but for the most part, I should be wrapping up 1980 by the end of January, and I'll hopefully have the brand new list up by that time as well. I still have to play around a bit with the formatting of the "Top 10" area of the list, but otherwise, it's mostly ready to be published whenever I can go in and adjust a few minor things.

I suppose that's all I've got for this blog. As usual, thanks for checking it out. If you take a peek at my website, thanks for that as well. If you're the one putting the flaming bags of dog poop on my front porch, I thank you as well....it's cold outside and that burning bag melts away the snow so it's one less area that I've got to shovel....I can deal with the smell if it lets me be lazy. Speaking of lazy, I'm too lazy to come up with anything clever to end this on...So I'll just end it with a period.