Games Beaten 2025

[Ack]

Well, having gone over my list, my results shouldn't surprise anyone. Here are some breakdowns of the games I beat in 2026.

PLATFORM

PC: 66

Yes, all 66 games I beat were on the PC. Most of them were played via Steam, though there were a couple that I also played on GOG. This doesn't surprise me at all. Truth be told, the only console I played at all this year was the Nintendo Switch, and I didn't beat anything on it. Perhaps next year.

GENRE

Action: 14
Adventure : 5
Fighting: 1
FPS: 30
Horror: 4
Puzzle: 4
RPG: 7
Top-Down Shooter: 1
Visual Novel: 1

You'll notice that this doesn't equal 66. That's because some were hybrid genres that fall into more than one category. For example, one game on my list was a Horror RPG, so it's counted as both a Horror game and an RPG. The main focus though were FPS titles, which made up the vast bulk of what I played. This will likely surprise no one. RPGs and Horror having multiple entries also doesn't surprise me. And Action/Adventure are catch all genres that represent a wide range of games, so their inclusion and size also isn't unusual; they're holding a lot of titles.

That said, I'm a little surprised at my Puzzle games. I enjoy Puzzle games, and I find myself turning towards them more and more. The thing is, I usually play them for free via websites instead of actual dedicated games. I mostly get my Sudoku games via browser, and yes, I still play Wordle every morning. So to have only 4 officially beaten Puzzle games is nowhere near the amount of time I dedicate to them. They're just not tracked this way.

Oldest Game Beaten: Doom (1993)

This doesn't surprise me at all. Most of the FPS games I played through were either updated releases of 1990s classic FPS or boomer shooters done in their style. I am what I am.

The Complete Games Beaten List:

1. Growing My Grandpa! (Point-and-Click Adventure)(PC)
2. The Black Masses (Action RPG)(PC)
3. Dead Estate (Action)(PC)
4. Call of Cthulhu (Horror RPG)(PC)
5. 100 Asian Cats (Puzzle)(PC)
6. Blade Chimera (Action)(PC)
7. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night (Action)(PC)
8. 7 Days to Die (Action)(PC)
9. An Arcade Full of Cats (Puzzle)(PC)
10. Excive A-1000 (FPS)(PC)
11. Only Lead Can Stop Them (FPS)(PC)
12. Home Safety Hotline (Horror)(PC)
13. Viewfinder (Puzzle)(PC)
14. Star Wars: Dark Forces Remastered (FPS)(PC)
15. Wanted: Dead (Action)(PC)
16. Crime Scene Cleaner (Action)(PC)
17. Beyond Citadel (FPS)(PC)
18. Turbo Overkill (FPS)(PC)
19. Project Warlock 2 (FPS)(PC)
20. Saints Row: The Third (Action)(PC)
21. Saints Row: The Third - GenkiBowl VII (Action)(PC)
22. Saints Row: The Third - Gangstas in Space (Action)(PC)
23. Saints Row: The Third - The Trouble with Clones (Action)(PC)
24. Ultra Cop (Action)(PC)
25. The Land of Pain (Horror)(PC)
26. HROT (FPS)(PC)
27. RFA Station (FPS)(PC)
28. Ultimate Zombie Defense (Top-Down Shooter)(PC)
29. Nightmare Reaper (FPS)(PC)
30. Abiotic Factor (Survival)(PC)
31. Doom (FPS)(PC)
32. Doom II (FPS)(PC)
33. Master Levels of Doom II (FPS)(PC)
34. Doom: TNT - Evilution (FPS)(PC)
35. Doom: The Plutonia Experiment (FPS)(PC)
36. Doom: No Rest for the Living (FPS)(PC)
37. Doom: Sigil (FPS)(PC)
38. Doom: Sigil II (FPS)(PC)
39. Doom: Legacy of Rust (FPS)(PC)
40. Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders (FPS)(PC)
41. Heretic: Faith Renewed (FPS)(PC)
42. Hexen: Beyond Heretic (FPS)(PC)
43. Hexen: Deathkings of the Dark Citadel (FPS)(PC)
44. Hexen: Vestiges of Grandeur (FPS)(PC)
45. Handshakes (Puzzle)(PC)
46. Generation Zero (FPS)(PC)
47. Generation Zero: Alpine Unrest (FPS)(PC)
48. Generation Zero: FNIX Rising (FPS)(PC)
49. Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights (Action)(PC)
50. Cthulhu Saves Christmas (RPG)(PC)
51. Brazilian Drug Dealer 3 (FPS)(PC)
52. Toilet Chronicles (Adventure)(PC)
53. Chorus of Carcosa (Horror Adventure)(PC)
54. Soul Calibur VI (Fighting)(PC)
55. Squirrel Stapler (FPS)(PC)
56. Warhammer: Vermintide 2 (Action)(PC)
57. Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor - Martyr (Action RPG)(PC)
58. Warhammer 40,000: Shootas, Blood & Teef (Action)(PC)
59. Wolfenstein: The Old Blood (FPS)(PC)
60. Sisyphus Reborn (Adventure)(PC)
61. Off-Peak (Adventure)(PC)
62. The Monster Inside (Visual Novel)(PC)
63. GreedFall (RPG)(PC)
64. GreedFall: The De Vespe Conspiracy (RPG)(PC)
65. Fallout (RPG)(PC)
66. Doom 3: The Lost Mission (FPS)(PC)

[REPO Man]

Well, seeing as I've jumped the gun on my final tally, I've decided to redo it and flesh it out more.

1. Borderlands 3 for PS5 as Moze, Normal Mode. Beaten literally before the sun came up on 2025, this was just another playthrough of the base game.
2. Spyro the Dragon via the Reignited Trilogy remaster for PS4. I have fond memories of playing the original and Ripto's Rage on my old PS1 (though I never got any of the other games), so after finding out this would be coming to PS4 I just KNEW I had to buy it. As I did back in the day, I eventually got 120% completion.
3. Iron Meat for PC, on Easy. This game slapped.
4. Wolfenstein: The New Order for PS4. This was one of the first games I bought back in 2017 when I got my PS4. Back in the day, I managed to beat it on "Can I Play, Daddy?" and 2025 was the year I triumphed over "Don't Hurt Me." Shortly after, I began another playthrough on "Bring'em On!" Fucked up this and The Old Blood didn't get Switch ports.
5. The Rocky Horror Show Video Game for PC. I bought this back when it came out in 2024, ironically a little over a week before the 50th anniversary of Phantom of the Paradise, another cult horror musical from 20th Century Fox that REALLY should have gotten more fanfare for its 50th. But I digress. In this NES-style retro platformer throwback, switch between Brad, Janet and eventually Dr. Scott on a fateful evening that brings the three to the castle of Dr. Frank N. Furter, an alien crossdresser who creates a well-muscled lover and overall creates havoc likes it's a religion. REALLY wanna tackle the long-since-added New Game+, and maybe snag all the achievements that were added to the game AFTER I beat it.
6. Dead Island 2: Sola for PS5 as Ryan. I had some MAJOR issues with the final boss battle but I was able to beat it. I put it on the tally and not the honorable mentions due to just how much content the DLC expansions for DI2 add to the game.
7. Dead Island 2 for PS5 as Jacob. Instead of leaping into New Game+ with my long since max-leveled hunky stripper turned zombie hunter, I decided to give another character a try, opting for the former stockbroker turned stuntman turned zombie hunter London native Jacob.
8. Resident Evil: Village for PS5, though my playthrough began on the PS4. Took a long-ass break from this sometime after getting it shortly after its launch and came back to it, via the PS5 version. Can't wait for RE9!
9. Resident Evil: Village: Shadow of Rose, a short but decently lengthy side story revolving around Ethan's daughter, now age 16, as she attempts to rid herself of her strange powers.
10. Wario Land 3 for GBC via the GameBoy app for Switch. I first played this via emulation back in the 2000s but eventually bought the game for real and beat it. I revisited the game this past summer and beat it while riding out a tropical storm at my aunt's house.
11. Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore for Switch, a love-letter to the janky AF CD-i Zelda games created by the developer of the fan-made remasters of said CD-i games.
12. Resident Evil 2 Remake for PS5 as Jill, used Assist Mode.
13. Resident Evil 2 Remake for PS5 as Leon, no Assist Mode. Tried to tackle the other scenario for Jill after beating the Leon campaign but I decided to move on to the next game.
14. Resident Evil 3 Remake for PS5, and SWEET JESUS those bug monsters freaked me the fuck out!
15. The Birdcage for Android
16. The Birdcage 2 for Android
17. Far Cry 6 for PS5. I have loved the Far Cry games for ages, though I still haven't beaten FC4 or even played FC Primal. REALLY wish these games were on Switch 2.
18. Robocop: Rogue City for PS5. DEFINITELY play on tackling New Game + at some point and getting Unfinished Business.
19. Saints Row reboot for PS5. It got tons of crap from fans and critics but I liked it. I also beat the DLC missions, too.
20. Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage via the Reignited Trilogy for PS4.
21. Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back via the N. Sane Trilogy for PS4. Only at 85% completion.
22. Crash Bandicoot via the N. Sane Trilogy for PS4. Only at 85% completion.
23. Crash Bandicoot: Warped via the N. Sane Trilogy for PS4. Only at 47% completion.

And now a few honorable mentions that I've decided to not include in the main tally:

• Heart and Slash for PS4, seeing as it's a roguelike game and I just got to the final boss and beat it. I'm counting this as just a beaten run.
• Ray Mohawk's Manic Monday + Final Raider Gold + Isle of the Dead monster pack, a Doom mod combination that included the aforementioned map pack, weapon mod and monster pack. Ray Mohawk's Manic Monday, a vanilla-compatible map pack, sports a tropical theme that I decided to mashup with a Tomb Raider-based weapons mod and a monster pack inspired by the laughably bad MS-DOS FPS to give the whole thing a vibe akin to a retro Italian zombie flick like Zombi 2 or Zombi Holocaust. In that respect, I failed. Also, for some reason, after the final map, it goes straight into the normal Doom 2 maps.
• Strange Flesh, a short NSFW beat-em-up (with only one level) where you play as a burly bartender who enters the mind of a patron named Joe to save him as you see fit, usually in ways that leave the male enemies naked and... well, I mean I did say it's NSFW. I'm not including this in the main tally due to it being beatable in only about 30-45 minutes.
• About 3 or 4 playthroughs of the demo for the unreleased fangame, Petit Hedgehog. I ported the game to my Powkiddy RGB 10 Max 3 in the same way I did with the other games I brought to Portmaster. I abandoned the port after I asked the developer on Bluesky about getting permission to include the game's files in the port and they blocked me.
• About 3 or 4 runs of World of Horror for Switch. I bought the PC version on GOG back when it was still in early access. I didn't include it since each run's pretty short, even if you beat it. I'd imagine beating Hades II would be more tally-worthy than something I could manage in about 30 or 40 minutes.
• Traumatarium for GameBoy. I previously didn't mention it since it was such a short run, but I beat a run of this retro-style homebrew roguelike RPG. I played it on my heavily modded DMG Gameboy with the ugly-ass custom paint job that I really wish I could redo. Same with the lousy job I did with soldering the speaker wires. And the A button doesn't always spring back up.

So that's 23 games beaten, not counting six honorable mentions.

I mostly gamed on PS5, despite getting a Switch 2 and Retroid Pocket 5 this year.

Only 8 games were started this year (Spyro 2, both RE2 campaigns, RE3, DI2 as Jacob, RE8: Shadow of Rose, Wario Land and Arzette), with the rest being games I started either last year (Rocky Horror, for example) or started ages ago (I started Crash Bandicoot in 2017).

My goals for 2026 are to beat Spider-Man 2, Crash Bandicoot 4, the RE4 remake, Dying Light 2 and at least one native Switch 2 game.

[Syndicate]

...I kind of lost track of adding my progress to this thread. Looking back on 2025, I wish that I finished more games.

Games Completed in 2025

1. Mass Effect Legendary Edition (1-3)
2. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy (Justice for All)
3. Lollipop Chainsaw
4. South of Midnight
5. Super Metroid
6. Quackshot
7. Hotel Dusk: Room 215
8. Brothers: a Tale of Two Sons
9. Dredge
10. Phantasy Star
11. Hollow Knight
12. Nine Sols

...with a total of 3 games, Metroidvanias are the bulk of what I wrapped up in 2025. Between Super Metroid, Hollow Knight, and Nine Sols I think I'll take a short break from the genre for a little bit. RPGs are up next with 4 games, counting the ME trilogy as three and the classic Phantasy Star rounding things up. Action games were my next most popular category, Lollipop Chainsaw was all action, Brothers brought puzzles into the mix, and South Midnight offered up tremendous atmosphere and a phenomenal soundtrack. Phoenix Wright and Hotel Dusk scratched the visual novel itch...something I don't do too often. Quackshot is classic Sega 16-bit platforming coolness and well Dredge is sort of its own very interesting fishing thing.

...looking back, Nine Sols, was the game I enjoyed the most this year. Kind of odd, b/c I think overall Hollow Knight is slightly better but just having to wrap up some of the last challenges, I don't think it hit quite the same. I also really enjoyed South of Midnight, the combat was kind of repetitive, but the story, atmosphere, and especially the music really gave the game a ton of character. I enjoyed my time with Phantasy Star as well, seeing where the series started was pretty fun, definitely dated but still very enjoyable.




...I guess I'll do a quick review of my favorite game of 2025. Nine Sols is a Metroidvania described by the developers, Red Candle Games, as a Taopunk Metroidvania with Sekiro inspired combat. The story revolves around Yi, the Tenth Sol, who wakes up after being in "stasis" of sorts for 500-years on a Kill Bill like tale of revenge against the other Sols that betrayed him. Yi's journey takes him across New Kulun which encompasses various environments like bio-engineered gardens, biological factories, and entertainment districts. In each area you gain a combat or travel ability that you'll need for upcoming areas and well the end of the game where you pull of the skills together. Imo the highlight of Nine Sols is the combat, w/a special focus on the parry system. The parry is essential; it'll keep you from taking damage if landed perfectly (resulting in a rewarding clang) or if you flub it, you'll receive recoverable internal damage. Eventually you'll learn the "unbound counter" as well, which actually blocks everything. On top of the combat, the plot of Nine Sols is pretty different for a Metroidvania since the main character can develop as a person, based on the choices you make. Nine Sols is also on the mor difficult side of the Metroidvania spectrum and has some serious skill checks you'll come across, but I believe it's worth checking out if you're into the genre and down for the challenge.

[Markies]

Happy 2026!

Thankfully, 2025 was a fairly uneventful year for me. Things continued to calm down at work as it was a much easier year for me. I have finished all of the repairs to my house from the previous year's hailstorm, so that is back to normal. And, I had more regular sleeping nights than previous years!

Gaming wise, I made more progress ever since I beat my Backlog. A planned gaming trip went awry and my local retro gaming convention was lighter than normal, so I bought less games since I beat my Backlog. I ended up with a -14 in my History, which exceeded any kind of expectations. I beat/complete 39 Games this year which is the 5th highest in the 14 years since I have been Backlogging. So, despite playing some very long games, it was an exceptionally good year.

As per tradition, I will now rank my best games on my three categories of Backlogging. First, I will rank my 10 Best New Games. These are ranked by how excited to play them and excited to finally own them. There are some heavy hitters near the top, which I hope to play in 2026. Secondly, I will rank my 10 Best Games Played. These are the ranking of the best games I played this year. This was by far the hardest to rank as I could have easily done a Top 15. Thirdly, I will rank my 5 Best Games Replayed To Completion. These are ranked on how much I enjoyed and discovered new content on my 2nd playthrough.

My gaming goals for 2026 are to once again beat/complete more games than I buy in the coming year. Also, I hope to reach a total of 600 Games Owned this year. I hope everybody has a great 2026 and Go Play Some Games!

**Best New Game**
10. Syberia II (XBOX)
9. Donkey Kong (GB)
8. Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga (GBA)
7. Tetris (GB)
6. Final Fantasy Adventure (GB)
5. Marvel Super Heroes (PS1)
4. Final Fantasy IV Advance (GBA)
3. Dr. Mario & Puzzle League (GBA)
2. Slay The Spire (NSW)
1. Fight'N Rage (NSW)

**Best Game Played**
10. Shadow Hearts: Covenant (PS2)
9. Tecmo Super Bowl (SNES)
8. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (WiiU)
7. Xenoblade Chronicles (Wii)
6. L.A. Noire - The Complete Edition (PS3)
5. Pokemon Blue (GBC)
4. Miitopia (NSW)
3. Mario Kart 8 (Wii U)
2. Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls (GBA)
1. Muramasa: The Demon Blade (Wii)

**Best Game Replayed**
5. The New Tetris (N64)
4. DuckTales: Remastered (WiiU)
3. Threads of Fate (PS1)
2. Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising (NSW)
1. Atelier Iris 2: The Azoth Of Destiny (PS2)