AI and Games GOTY [Part I] | 24/12/25
Tommy and Shraddha Share the First Half of Their GOTY Lists
Tommy and Shraddha walk through their favourite games of 2025.
We’ll line up the bottom half of our top 10 this week, with the big winners at the end of the month.
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Happy Christmas Eve to all who celebrate, and happy December 24th to those who do not! That’s right, Santa is getting ready to tackle the most ridiculous logistical challenge in human history for the umpteenth time - admittedly, he’s pretty good at it. But right here at AI and Games, we’ve spent the past year trying to tackle an arguably bigger challenge: a nuanced take on AI in the video games industry.
So while jolly ol’Saint Nic has had the last 364 days off, it’s our turn! We’re out of office until early January and getting some much needed rest. But in the meantime, we figured we’d entertain you with part one of our game of the year list!
So strap in for a fun and laid back issue as Shraddha and I dig into our favourite games of 2025.
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Quick Announcements
Of course just a few things to announce before we get into the fun stuff.
Wrapped & Conference Vlog on YouTube
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AI and Games GOTY 2025 [Part I]
So yes, here we go, we decided for this year that both Shraddha and I would pick out our top 10 games of 2025, and then say a few things about each. We’ll kick things off with the bottom half of our respective lists this week, with the big winners in our New Year’s Eve issue.
The Rules and Process
A quick word on how we actually pick out games for this list.
We consider any game that we played in 2025 as a contender.
Games that were released prior to 2025 are valid provided it’s our first playthrough.
We have to order the top 10 games we picked in a definitive order.
Tommy’s Preamble
Now I played a lot of games this year, at least 75 which I have tracked, and probably a few more that have slipped through the cracks. It’s been a great year, both to revisit older games as well as to try some new stuff.
As you read through my finalists and check in with that list, you’ll notice quite a few games that had big moments throughout 2025 that I either didn’t vibe with, or don’t hold in as high regard as my peers.
This is my polite way of saying no, I didn’t enjoy Blue Prince, but I respect what it was trying to do and totally understand why people fell in love with it.
Tommy’s Close Contenders
Before we really get into the weeds on this year’s game of the year list, I wanted to also give a shout out to the games that almost made it in:
Thirsty Suitors: A really fun take on returning to deal with teenage drama but with a great South Asian twist. Hilarious and relatable characters with a lot of fun and snappy dialogue.
South of Midnight: An action adventure game much in the style of Xbox 360 titles from 15 years ago with an interesting deep south US setting and a tale of how trauma impacts lives and communities over time.
The Horror at Highrook: A simple yet compelling card game meets Eldritch horror story.
DOOM: The Dark Ages: What if the Punisher was also Captain America? Oh and the Doomguy can parry now.
Battlefield 6: EA has done right by this franchise for the first time in over a decade. The best multiplayer shooter on the market right now. Shame it’s probably my last EA purchase, but hey… going out on a high note!
I Haven’t Played (Enough) Yet, Stop Asking
People often assume that my gaming tastes align heavily with our editorial, but that’s not really true at all. Or I’m often several releases behind in franchises. So I’m only now getting into Assassin’s Creed Shadows and Kingdom Come: Deliverance II but also other big games such as Ghost of Yotei, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Elden Ring Nightrein, Death Stranding 2, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, and more are still on my to-do list.
So anyway, what did we actually play this year and fell in love with?
Shraddha’s #10: Ghost of Yōtei
Sucker Punch Productions / 2025 / PlayStation 5
An open world single player adventure by Sucker Punch Productions is the second game in this series. You are mercenary named Atsu who wants to revenge her family’s murder and is traveling across north Japan to hunt.
Why I like it: The visuals are breathtaking, but story is even better. The characters in this game have such an amazing growth journey, it keeps you at edge of your seat till the end of the game.
Tommy’s #10 - Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound
The Game Kitchen / 2025 / PC, PlayStation, Switch, Xbox
A game that at first I didn’t think would make the top 10 has creeped back in recent weeks because I kept finding myself thinking about it. Ragebound is a return to the classic 8-bit and 16-bit era of Ninja Gaiden, with hack’n’slash combat that focusses on understanding the layout and dynamics of each encounter such that you can get the drop on your opponents.
While most enemies are one-hit kills, the larger shielded enemies mean you need to think harder about how you eliminate the smaller targets, with specific targets providing you with a supercharge power-up that allows you to take out the larger beasts with one hit (though you can also do this by sacrificing a chunk of health). This is then spread across both your close-ranged melee attacks with the sword alongside the ranged attacks from shuriken’s.
While I’m not a franchise devotee, it was cool to see this ties into earlier games in the series. The new protagonist Kenji continues to fight the fight in Japan while series Ryu in Japan is in America as part of the original Ninja Gaiden series. It gives it a sense of place by highlighting how it fits into the existing series while also delivering something a little different.
I have a half-written Design Dive episode about this game, given it’s an interesting example of how to create challenging and difficult gameplay that is still nonetheless quite accessible - with a variety of difficulty modes and modifiers to make the game harder or easier depending on your needs. I really like when games do this such that you can focus on just enjoying it, rather than fighting with whatever frustrations you’re feeling in the moment.
As we’ll see in both this issue and next week, 2025 has been a big year for me in enjoying games that evoke classic 2D styles with modern sensibilities. While I had a great time playing through this on Switch a few months back, I have had to fight the urge to pick it up again on the next more challenging difficulty and run through it again. It has a staying power that I really didn’t expect.
Shraddha’s #9: Split Fiction
Hazelight Studios / 2025 / PC, PlayStation, Xbox
A couch co-op by Hazelight Studios. You play as two writers stuck in the worlds they created. Some were fully formed ideas and some not so much. Each level switched better fantasy and sci-fiction.
Why I like it: Some of the game mechanics were very interesting, and the game moved very fast. Playing this with my partner was a fun activity for us both. While the main story was nothing to write about, the game had very fun moments.
Tommy’s #9: Metroid Prime 4: Beyond
Retro Studios / 2025 / Switch (2)
This game came screaming into my top 10 at the start of the month, and the conversation surrounding it has been quite interesting. After all people love the original Metroid: Prime, though I suspect to a degree that there are a lot of rose-tinted spectacles here. I really like Metroid Prime, I even replayed it earlier this year courtesy of the remastered edition on Switch, and I think for every fair criticism Beyond has received there’s a lot of complaining that feels like people don’t really understand - or rather, remember - how this sub-series works.
Beyond is, like every Metroid: Prime, it’s own beast. I keep reading reviews and articles on this game that come from a place where people largely expected Retro to make a new version of the original game from 2002. Which really doesn’t track when you realise that every Prime game has been distinct in its own way. The game explores new formats for exploration, weapon design, and even visual aesthetic. As someone who really disliked Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, but quite enjoyed Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, I was glad to see that Beyond is very much a sequel to Corruption and expands on the same approach in world-building and even in level design. While the Metroid series is intrinsically linked to the very genre it helped define, it doesn’t mean it follows those rules rigidly, and I respect that.
I think for sure one of the larger complaints is that the level and world design isn’t as heavily interconnected. Thus making the backtracking all the more readily obvious and laboured - notably in the final third. While valid, it’s also important to remember that the original Prime is actually fairly linear, and also forced a lot of backtracking - even the more recent 2D entry in the series, 2021’s Metroid: Dread was also criticised at launch for not following the original Metroid formula strictly enough actually.
I understand this, but in truth during moment to moment gameplay I really didn’t care until the endgame when it does exactly what the original entry did to a frustrating degree.
Beyond plays more like Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, with hubs in a large overworld map that contain dungeons in each area. It feels like the developers tried to do something much more akin to the Zelda franchise, only to backtrack and change their mind halfway through? Admittedly, there’s a lot of shared DNA in the Zelda and Metroid franchises, especially when you bring them both into 3D.
I appreciate this game had a long development cycle, and was even rebooted at one point. I’d love to hear, warts and all, what was cut and reshaped during that process as I can feel a much large and more ambitious project hiding behind the seams of something that was perhaps reconfigured into a more traditional entry of the series.
That said, Beyond was a joy to play through. I was immersed in the vibe and atmosphere of the game, and it has some of the most gorgeous environmental art I’ve seen for quite some time. The series has had a lot of inspiration from HR Giger and the Alien franchise over the years, and you can feel that in a lot of the world art, but cleaned up to be visually accessible (and performant) on a portable handset.
As much as I like to refrain from talking about ‘work’ during these reviews, this is the exact sort of thing generative AI would fumble. The supposed simplicity of the art style is layered in artistic intent, and it is so rewarding to play a game that is so confident in its art direction that it makes it look effortless. Retro continue to show they understand this franchise better than most, and I really hope we get another entry - or even an expansion - in the coming years.
Who would have thought that the first 120fps shooter I played on a handheld would be from Nintendo?
And yeah, I didn’t get the point of Myles MacKenzie either… I might make a video about it.
Shraddha’s #8: Mario Kart World
Nintendo / 2025 / Switch 2
The latest issue of Mario Kart with open world features for Switch2, nuff said.
Why I like it: Tommy taught me how to play Mario Kart this year, and it got me excited about the game all over again. It was fun to play with kids, and I enjoyed beating my nephew. While I didn't explore much of the open world or understand its purpose, I still played it a lot and had a great time.
Tommy’s #8: Claire Obscur: Expedition 33
Sandfall Interactive / 2025 / PC, PlayStation, Xbox
Please note, my thoughts on this are heavily tied to how the game ends. While I have minimised plot spoilers, I’d stress that if you haven’t completed Expedition 33 then proceed with caution.
With it recently clearing the deck at The Game Awards, it’s safe to say that Sandfall’s homage to JRPG’s such as Final Fantasy and Persona has really established a connection with players around the world. It continues to work around the same themes as its inspirations, of fighting for your loved ones against almost unsurmountable odds - I mean in classic fashion it literally turns into a war among the gods by the ends of it. But coming from a slightly more indie mentality, combined with the Belle Époque setting and art style, and really strong British voice acting, it elevated the project to something that arguably garnered a broader appeal than its inspirations.
As someone who dabbles in JRPGs but is not a particularly big fan of the genre, it was nice to find Claire Obscure as an accessible entry point that didn’t feel overwhelming. The world design pulls you into the space, as you wish to learn more about the world, it’s characters, and how this world survives under the omnipresent Paintress.
It was that core narrative that really hit me early on. That once a year, the Paintress paints a number in the sky - ever dwindling - and all those older than it perish. As somone who is now almost ten years past his Gommage, that hit me much harder than I anticipated, and I found an affinity with the likes of Gustav and Lune as they set out - each with their own unique power sets - to try slow the rate of their inevitable demise.
The combat itself is quite rewarding, with the ability to actively parry or dodges attacks adding a layer of strategy both to fight back against enemy attack, but also empower you through specific builds. There was a phase around late Summer where this game held me in its thrall.
It’s worth stressing this game was much higher on this list earlier in the year during what was perhaps the first 25 hours of gameplay, and the longer it went on it gradually slipped it’s way down. This is the result of two key aspects:
The game largely runs out of gameplay ideas in the back half, to a point that not only did the combat become rather stale, but I felt I rarely needed to change or modify my team. I ran the same group of characters as my primary team for the past 10 hours and made very few changes (in all honesty Sciel should’ve just stayed at home). The few challenges that emerged were more tests of patience as you attempt to achieve long dodge or parry combos, which didn’t appeal to me.
The story evolves in the second half in a direction I really didn’t like. While I largely anticipated the direction the story would take, it means the focus of the narrative changes with an emphasis on specific characters. This ultimately subsumes the original story. A point I feel was a real misstep.
As a result by the time I got to the end battle(s), I was neither enjoying the combat, nor invested in the story because I frankly didn’t care about the conflict the game had sewn itself around. As stated already, I was pulled in by the games’ original hook: of a group of people making a Hail Mary to sacrifice the last year of their life to change their fate and that of everyone around them. But that narrative was no longer the focus come the end. As such, I finished the game on a bit of a bum note.
That said, I think as a first attempt by a new studio to build something as broad and ambitious as its inspirations, Claire Obscure is a real achievement. Credit to them and I’ll be interested to see what else comes from this studio in the future.
P.S. Yeah I saw the furore on the AI art in this game, but then I am past caring about it - after all I wrote about it six months ago.
Shraddha’s #7: Is This Seat Taken?
Poti Poti Studio / 2025 / Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, PC, Switch
A cozy cute indie puzzle game by Poti Poti Studio. You have a cast of people in various settings like bus, cinema, restaurants and more and you have to help them find a place while meeting their needs.
Why I like it: It was cute and silly and just fun. A quick round of game in better a busy day is a very good break for the day. The challenges were also interesting and I love planning a good seating arrangement.
Tommy’s #7: Terminator 2D: No Fate
Bitmap Bureau / 2025 / PC, PlayStation, Switch, Xbox
Now I have to start this review with a disclosure, in that I know some of the developers over at Bitmap Bureau - notably friend of the site Quang ‘DX’ Nguyen was lead designer.
But man… this is the definitive Terminator 2 game, and anyone who is a fan of the movie, and remembers SNES/Mega Drive film adaptations of the era will fan in love with it. It’s really interesting to see a movie tie-in title like this come out 30+ years after the release of the movie. Given it’s no longer hamstrung by creative decisions influenced by marketing of the main product. Rather, No Fate plays like the Terminator 2 game you expected someone to make around 1991/1992 but never actually happened. A deliberate design choice to capture various aspects of the movie, while also building upon it in various ways.
Having been created several decades after the original, it’s a fun mish-mash of both playing on our collective love for key moments of the movie, while also revelling in the nostalgia of gaming of the period. The future war segments feel ripped out of the Contra series to a certain degree, while the segments in the 1990s are focussed on reproducing every moment of the film you remember fondly. The bike ride in the flood canals? Check. The T-1000 hunting down Sarah Connor in the hospital? Check. Mowing down police cars outside Cyberdyne Systems with a minigun? Oh hell yes.
But it’s the little flourishes that show not just the studio’s creativity, but equally their love for the IP and the era. Be it the added effort to make an animation or cutscene pay homage to a key moment of the movie, to artistic decisions that feel in place with other games of the period: both the music and pixel art are just… sublime. While relatively short with a playtime of around an hour, the game has multiple game modes, different difficulty settings and even different storylines you can play through - allowing you to have the real director’s cut experience over time.
I will say that when this game was announced, I was actually jealous that a buddy of mine got to work on a game based on what is, undoubtedly, my favourite movie of all time. But I can say with full confidence that the jealously was unfounded, because I know I don’t have the skillset to execute on this as successfully as Quang and the team have done. If anything, it’s the kind of game Mike [Tucker], and everyone else at Bitmap Bureau have been building up to over the years, and I’m so happy for them for smashing this out the park. I’m looking forward to their next title, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Dragon Pearl of Destruction, which was announced at Gamescom earlier this year.
Yes, I know the devs and that can colour my judgement, but think about it this way: it’s a lot easier for me to sit here and gush about how much I loved this game, rather than strain a smile on my next encounter with them having not enjoyed it.
Absolutely crushed it.
Shraddha’s #6: The Alters
11 Bit Studios / 2025 / PC, PlayStation, Xbox
Its a base management and exploration game by 11 bit studios. You are the sole survivor of a crash on a planet and you have to find the way back home. You also have power to create alternate versions of yourself to help you escape this planet.
Why I like it: The story was really cool, and it made you think about how your decisions change the person you are. While managing the base and keeping all your different personalities happy was a very exciting challenge, the game keeps you hooked with its pace and story.
Tommy’s #6: Aliens: Dark Descent
Tindalos Interactive / 2023 / PC, Playstation, Xbox
So if you follow me on our livestreams on YouTube or Twitch, you’ll know that Aliens: Dark Descent has been a slow burn throughout the year, and the more I play it the more I find myself hooked to its design - even though it stresses me out to no end.
A top-down strategy/tactics game in which you guide colonial marines through a series of missions that become increasingly more fraught, Dark Descent achieves what no other game based on the James Cameron Aliens has, in re-creating the sense of tension from the movie.
Trapped on a planet during a xenomorph outbreak, a group of marines must work together to slowly piece together a way off world. All the while the game becomes increasingly more hostile, with every decision you make ultimately having consequence be it in the short or long term.
The game is rather unique in how it plays out. A mish-mash of X-COM meets classic Commandos with a pinch of other strategy and tactics games like Shadow Tactics, it requires players to be responding to events in real-time and deploying their units in sensible tactical formations. Plus ensuring you have the correct loadout so you can suppress one angle with flamethrowers, lay down suppression with turrets and hit the bigger enemies with explosive power. All the while the longer your team are deployed their stress levels increase - negating their combat effectiveness - as the intensity and number of xenos bearing down on you also ramps up.
With each mission operating as the micro to the campaigns broader macro, you have to balance exhausted marines with training up new recruits. Perma-death of squad members means sometimes the right call is to bug out - return to base, put the team in medical, focus on addressing their trauma, and re-deploying with a fresh set of soldiers. But all the while the planetary infection rate is increasing, meaning every day counts, and ever deployment gets that little bit harder.
I really think this game is the perfect companion to Alien: Isolation, in that both games capture the essence of their respective inspirations. Isolation as a first-person horror distils the dread and horror of the original Alien by trying to outwit and outlast just one of these creatures in dire circumstances. Meanwhile Dark Descent is about the anxiety and panic that can set in as ever increasing numbers descend upon you. You’re watching the ammo counts go down, the motion tracker is pinging more and more, the stress is stacking up, and the next 30 seconds are what separates you from victory and annihilation.
It’s a really unique experience, and one I’ve both thoroughly enjoyed, but glad I’m close to wrapping up!
Join Us Next Week for the Top 5
That’s it for this week. Our final issue of 2025 will be on New Year’s Eve where we list our final five. Hope you all have a great holiday season, and that Santa buys you that all important game you really wanted to check out earlier in the year!
Have a good one kids, and we’ll see you soon.
Really solid list! The point about Ragebound's difficulty modifiers being accessible without diluting challenge is spot-on. I tried playing a similar retro-styled action game last year and got gatekept by teh difficulty pretty fast. Giving players agency over their experience seems like such an obvious win, but somehow lots of devs still miss it. Also loved the observationabout Prime 4 feeling more like Zelda structurally - dunno if that's intentional or a sideeffect of the dev cycle reboot. That interconnected world thing gets fetishized alot, but linear progression done well can be just as rewarding.