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Alright, what did you think of the past year in your home? Could it be described as entirely positive as one might claim on online? Full of A-grades for your offspring and elaborate dress-up gatherings for the parents? Or perhaps it was a swamp of disappointment with only rare enjoyable highlights? Could any part be actually real, or is everyone now digitally altered AI slop beings with unrealistic smiles?

I have gathered the family for a chat, willing or unwilling, to discuss the most important thing in twelve months: which releases we were obsessed with the most. So here goes:

Game Eldest Daughter Played the Most

Just Dance 2024

"Is it impossible to pick just one?"

"You can't expect my definitive list."

In the mobile realm, she's invested time in Cityscapes and "trying to find adequate healthcare."

"In the game?"

"In reality."

Game Second Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I have no interest in games on my phone." He was offended that I even asked. Fair enough.

Release Youngest Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

Her goal is to get into acting, but when she stepped away from the mic, she was immersed in Resident Evil. She also elaborated in great detail about her accomplishments on The Sims, where her avatar has a thriving utopia with far better healthcare than her eldest sister has outside the game.

Release the Wife Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She started the year at sixty percent completion and finished the year at 82%. It’s a marathon not a sprint for her. On her phone: something called Woodle, where you have to remove pins.

Game I Teased My Kids About My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Whenever I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I give him a hard time like a cross between a persistent critic. When he complains, I reply that I am behaving this way to prepare him so he can be a man and play games for adults. This defines our Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Notable Gaming Family Member of the Year

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

There was no contest for this one. She is a machine. Superior than I was at my peak gaming days in my prime.

Title I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

No other game compared to the hours I spent on this remarkably well-crafted strategy wizard’s poker, with its ever-changing range of cards and game variations.

Title I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The catch about games that frequently update their range is you have a moment of clarity and realise it is all just an attempt to trap you with fear-of-missing-out driven microtransactions. So enjoyment soured halfway through the year and it was deleted.

Game I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Glorious reinvention of a iconic franchise. Captivating atmosphere from the off. I wish I could eviscerate my problems so effectively in real life.

Title I Wish I Had Played More (Cerebral Edition)

Blue Prince

I decline to rush this gorgeous, distinctive game and I just didn’t have the mental bandwidth to give it what it needed earlier this year. With holiday guests over the festive period, I aim to experience this in the early morning after family time.

Game That Saved My Soul When I Needed It

Balatro

I'm aware Balatro was the previous year's breakout game, but I was late to it. And it is incredible. It just gets absolutely everything right. Its gameplay loop is a wonderful concept, but the abilities behind the different special cards are so inventive it has become a game I would happily play constantly. Combine that with the wittiness of the card design, and this is an true high-water mark of gaming. I fantasize about being stuck in a small space for hours just so I have an opportunity but play it.

Title I Got the Most Criticism For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I experienced a minor pile-on when I wrote about how a specific bug in another game soured the experience for me, but that other title is still a colossal gaming achievement in terms of production values – which I valued even more after experiencing Outer Worlds 2. So thank you to the reader who took the time to contact me to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "missing the point". I mention that as written, because I appreciate the effort, and they are obviously an sharp judge of character.

Title Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Fine. Give me a bastard-hard exploration-focused thing and don’t tell me guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "look around". Great fun. I get that it has great art and is flawless if you are into this kind of thing, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I desire less in my current stage of life. I was around back when many games were like this, and I'm over it. It was okay when I was a kid, but the same could be said for many questionable things.

Biggest Gaming Scandal of 2025

Toss-up between questionable alliances that sparked debate, and high launch costs. Both difficult to justify and repugnant.

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

Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all sound good names shouted from the back door at tea time.

Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming

Right Thumb Joint. Honestly. I don’t know if it’s because of button mashing or phone use, but it is sore like hellfire in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs protected back in the day.

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 cows come home.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.