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Alright, how did you experience the past year in your household? Was it all as good as one might claim on online? Full of top marks for your offspring and riotous themed fancy dress gatherings for the grownups? Maybe it felt like a ocean of letdowns with only sporadic entertaining highlights? Could any part be actually real, or are we all AI-generated synthetic personas with unrealistic smiles?

I've corralled my thoughts for a chat, whether they wanted to or not, to discuss the crucial thing in twelve months: what titles we enjoyed the most. Without further ado:

Title Eldest Daughter Played the Most

Horizon Zero Dawn

"Can’t you pick just one?"

"This isn't my games column."

In the mobile realm, her go-to has been Cityscapes and "searching for adequate healthcare."

"Virtually?"

"In reality."

Game Second Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I don’t play games on my phone." He took umbrage that the question was posed. I respect that.

Title Youngest Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

She is trying to get into acting, but when she took a break from vocals, she was tackling Resident Evil. She also spoke at length in great detail about her accomplishments on The Sims, where the Shark has a successful utopia with infinitely better healthcare than her older sibling has in the real world.

Release the Spouse Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She started the year at sixty percent completion and finished the year at 82%. She's in it for the long run not a sprint for her. On her phone: something called Woodle, where you have to extract pins.

Title I Teased My Kids About My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Every time I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I rib him like a cross between a classic comedy bit. When he protests, I reply that I am engaging in this to prepare him so he can mature and play games for adults. It's a classic Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Impressive Gaming Family Member 2025

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

She was the clear winner for this one. She is a machine. More impressive than I was at my peak gaming days in my prime.

Game I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

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

Game I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The worst thing about games that frequently update their range is you wake up one day and see it is all just an attempt to trap you with fomo-fuelled microtransactions. So enjoyment soured halfway through the year and it got uninstalled.

Game I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Stunning reinvention of a legendary franchise. Immersive atmosphere from the start. I wish I could eviscerate my problems so effectively in real life.

Game I Wish I Had Played More (Thoughtful Edition)

Blue Prince

I decline to rush this beautiful, unique game and I just lacked the mental bandwidth to give it what it deserved earlier this year. With holiday guests over the festive period, I will be playing this in the early morning after appropriate hospitality.

Title That Kept Me Sane When I Needed It

Balatro

I acknowledge Balatro was 2024’s surprise hit, but I was a late adopter. And it is exceptional. It just gets absolutely everything right. Crazy Poker is a brilliant concept, but the effects behind the different special cards are so inventive it has become a game I could play at any hour. Combine that with the wittiness of the card design, and this is an definite pinnacle of gaming. I dream of being stuck in a broken-down lift for hours just so I have an opportunity but play it.

Title I Got the Most Flak For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I received a wave of criticism when I critiqued 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 art, sound, acting – which I valued even more after slogging through Outer Worlds 2. So thank you to the individual 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 acknowledge the engagement, and he is obviously an astute judge of character.

Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Alright. Give me a bastard-hard Metroidvania-esque thing and don’t tell me guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "figure it out". What a joy. I acknowledge that it is beautiful and is perfection if you are into the genre, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I want less of in my mid-fifties. I was around back when all games were like this, and my patience is gone. It was fine when I was a kid, but so was many questionable things.

Biggest Gaming Controversy of 2025

Debate between business deals that caused concern, and premium pricing. Both difficult to justify and concerning.

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

Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all be unique names called from the doorstep at bedtime.

Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming

Right Thumb Joint. No joke. I don’t know if it’s because of video games or phone use, but it burns like the mines of sulphur in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs looked after back in the 90s.

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 stretch time until the cows come home.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.