Hand on heart, 2025 was one of the best years in the gaming industry. The number of games was incredible, so in this article, we’ve compiled the ones that touched our hearts and souls.
At the beginning of 2025, Kingdom Come: Deliverance II seemed like a surefire contender for Game of the Year. It’s all the more disappointing that by December, it had been unfairly overlooked—at The Game Awards 2025, it didn’t even win the title of Best RPG! Yet, thanks to its consistency, scale, and design integrity, the work of Daniel Vávra and Warhorse Studios deserved it more than any other release since Baldur’s Gate 3.
However, KCDII’s significance has long since transcended the “awards race.” It’s a rare example of a large, complex RPG. A systemic project built around the simulation of everyday life, historical context, and cause-and-effect relationships—not the usual content funnel. The sequel addressed the key flaws of the first game, became more accessible to new players, while maintaining a methodical approach, a slow pace, and a high engagement threshold.
KCDII offers not “content,” but life in medieval Bohemia—with its routine, moral ambiguity, and genuine human stories. Such a cohesive immersive experience is increasingly rare in today’s industry. Such games never age—they settle into memories and hearts, and both players and developers return to them years later.
I kept coming back to this game all year long, feeling like home—and each time, I found myself reluctant to leave. That’s perhaps the best compliment one can pay a role-playing game. As for Daniel Vavra, I can only wish him some restraint in public. It’s possible that the jury’s demonstrative indifference to KCDII has less to do with the game’s quality than with the reputation of its creator.
Silksong managed to hold everyone’s attention long before its release. The first game struck such a chord with players that loyal fans wore clown noses every year in anticipation of its release. The long production cycle only strengthened Team Cherry’s faith in their project, and their focus on accessibility and quality paid off flawlessly.
This confidence proved justified! A magnificent, colorful world of a new bug kingdom awaited the player, dazzling them with dozens of hours of exploration. Excellent optimization, polished mechanics, a multitude of charismatic characters, beautiful music, and a variety of playstyles ensure every minute is enjoyed. Every encounter with the numerous bosses is memorable, and some battles are true works of art.
But even here, Team Cherry remained true to themselves! They weren’t afraid to test players and push their creativity during their progression. Every section of Hollow Knight: Silksong is designed to inflict pain, and only after learning some hard lessons will the player be able to confidently navigate the locations. At the same time, the positive elements are so overwhelming that even after all the hardships, you’ll want to return and test your mettle again.
After the less-than-successful Battlefield 2042, many fans of the EA shooter series have completely lost faith that they will ever get a game they can be proud of and brag about in arguments with Call of Duty fans.
But Vince Zampella came along and pulled the series out of the hole EA had driven it into. The legendary developer not only revived BF2042, undoing a bunch of idiotic decisions that had players spitting on it at launch, but also released the truly phenomenal Battlefield 6.
Not only did the sixth installment eclipse Bad Company 2 and Battlefield 3, but it also dealt a blow to Call of Duty, forcing Activision to urgently try to fix numerous problems that had accumulated over years of ignoring the community’s requests.
From a rich arsenal where every pistol and rifle behaves uniquely to the beautifully crafted maps, Battlefield 6 feels like you’re in a real-life conflict. Explosions are constantly happening all around you, command is yelling in your ear that we’re losing another sector, bullets are whistling overhead and fighter jets are flying, tanks are breaking through defenses, teammates are screaming, and the mud and grime of the battlefield is everywhere. Battlefield 6 is a gritty and grounded shooter, which is why I loved it.
But Zampella’s tragic death at the end of the year raised the question: can DICE maintain this level of success without its leader? I’d like to believe so. We’ll find out in 2026.
For those expecting a drastic genre shift from the Death Stranding sequel, I have some bad news. Sorry, but it’s still a cargo delivery game—its core remains unchanged from the first game. Kojima Productions simply expanded on the existing mechanics and added a few new ones, and fans are getting a sequel that’s improved in every way.
However, Death Stranding 2 creates dissonance. In terms of the tone of the environment, the soundtrack, the characters, and everything that happens, it is much brighter and more cheerful than the first game. At the same time, the project’s main theme is terribly oppressive—the bitterness and awareness of loss, the unwillingness to live without loved ones and family.
This contrast conveys one central idea: life goes on. After all, there’s a goal—to save Australia—and we must keep going, never stop. And with every network node connected, every cargo delivered, and every kilometer traveled, you see that Sam is truly getting better. And then it dawns on you that this was the whole point—the protagonist is grieving, not the world around him. And you need to help him realize this.
Remember what Hideo Kojima said before the release? “I want people to ultimately like what they didn’t like the first time they encountered it”—and he did everything he could to ensure that I eventually came to love Death Stranding 2. Near the end, I was able to reconnect with Sam and the crew of the Magellan tar rover. Needless to say, I still miss those guys and will never forget that adventure.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is a wonderful sequel, improved on every front. It’s a wonderful experience of community interaction and mutual support between players. It’s the most beautiful PlayStation 5 exclusive not just this year, but in many years. If you haven’t played it yet, fix that annoying mistake!
At first glance, it’s a typical first-person shooter, but Prime shaped an entire distinct FPA genre—First Person Adventure—of which the series is the only representative. Each Prime installment is unique, and there are simply no other games like it. You either embrace it for what it is and love it wholeheartedly, or you reject it and criticize every element.
Despite its exclusivity, the Prime series is renowned for its hardcore approach. You’re not led by the hand. There are no markers, hints, or the usual color coding of interactive areas. The player is the explorer. And the amount of time spent overcoming yet another wall of incomprehension is entirely up to the player.
Metroid Prime 4 Beyond, for the first time in the series, is as close to the average player as possible: a large number of complexly staged scenes, companions who help along the way, a clear and well-directed plot, and ubiquitous markers on the map that help you understand where to go and what to do.
This became a bone of contention among the game’s fans. Prime IV became “popular” to suit modern demands: Samus is no longer alone in her fight against the threats of the universe; the joy of overcoming yet another “wall” has disappeared, as the player is constantly led by the hand; the open desert section connecting different biomes also raises questions—it’s too large for quick travel between locations and too stingy with the events and secrets that can be found within.
But Prime 4 still maintains its distinctive character. It’s still full of mysteries, a plethora of gradually unlockable abilities, spectacular bosses, stunning graphics for the Nintendo Switch, and detailed biomes.
Prime 4 simply lost its main asset: uncertainty. Something similar happened with Metroid Other M, which attempted to break free from its “inner circle” status and become a true AAA blockbuster, but ultimately buried the series for seven long years.
Personally, I wholeheartedly welcome these changes, as they bring the evolution the Prime series needs. No matter the franchise, it’s impossible to keep making the same product for 23 years.
A vibrant world, a humane story, strong performances, and a heart-wrenching soundtrack, all supported by a turn-based, reactive combat system and stunning visual style, all of this is just scratching the surface, albeit a beautiful one.
As you read these lines, Expedition 33’s Game of the Year award count is already approaching record highs. Much has been said about the game—by critics, players, and industry insiders. Its status as one of the year’s biggest games has long been beyond doubt. Therefore, in this final article, it’s more important to focus not on its obvious merits, but on why Sandfall Interactive’s debut was so significant.
Expedition 33 did an invaluable service to the JRPG genre by rejecting many established tropes and cumbersome elements without attempting to break form. Its focused presentation, mature characters, and lack of artificial limitations made the game more accessible to audiences unfamiliar with the genre. I’m not afraid to make the comparison: Expedition 33 does for the genre exactly what Baldur’s Gate 3 did for CRPGs: offering an accessible, cohesive, and modernly presented game capable of captivating those who might otherwise have passed it by.
The industrial context is also important. The story of Expedition 33 is a rare example of creative success. A former Ubisoft employee founded his own studio and created the game of his dreams. An unknown composer, previously creating covers of game soundtracks, unexpectedly became one of the most talked-about creators of the year. It’s also significant that at The Game Awards 2025, Expedition 33 was the only fully original project nominated for Game of the Year. This fact makes the project a marker of a systemic crisis and simultaneously points to a possible solution.
Because this is not only a wonderful success story, but also a reminder that true masterpieces are born where an artist’s vision meets love and dedication. This is an important reminder for all of us. And for those who come after.
Dune: Awakening is a notable MMO of 2025, not because of its revolutionary mechanics, but because of its rare sense of a cohesive world and atmosphere in the genre. Funcom carefully adapted Dune into an online survival game, emphasizing the viscous pace of life on Arrakis. At the same time, the developers managed to adapt the story well to an alternate universe.
The game takes place on a vast desert planet where water is the most valuable resource, and spice is the key resource for development. Crafting, building, and character development take dozens of hours, but that’s precisely the essence of Awakening—progress must be earned. The freedom to develop professions, a well-designed base system, and one of the best vehicle fleets in the genre make the game engaging, but not always dynamic.
The project’s strength is its aesthetics. The visual style, music, sound, and familiar terms from Frank Herbert’s books contribute to immersion, even in empty locations. However, this approach comes at a cost: content is often repetitive, quests rarely surprise, and the endgame is poorly designed.
Dune: Awakening isn’t for everyone. It requires hundreds of hours, patience, and a willingness to embrace routine. For those who wanted more than just a Dune game, but the chance to experience life on Arrakis, it’s one of the most notable releases of the year.
As a big fan of first-person shooters and a long-time fan of the Call of Duty series, I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that with Black Ops 7, Activision finally started to actually listen to the community.
The biggest and most welcome change was the removal of the SBMM system, which had been a source of complaint for the Call of Duty community for years. Of course, it was finally abandoned—the system still uses geolocation to prevent high ping from turning matches into slideshows—but lobbies now more closely resemble good old Call of Duty, where players of varying skill levels and experience can be grouped together. Matches have become more unpredictable and engaging.
Another new feature is persistent lobbies. Previously, lobbies would disband and then reassemble after each game. In Black Ops 7, a single roster can play until they’re blue in the face while teams are reshuffled between matches. That bastard who played incredibly well against you in one game and pulled the enemy team back from the brink of defeat can join your team in the next. BO7 fosters both competition and camaraderie.
I was very pleased with the new hybrid perk system, which gives more freedom in customizing your operator, as well as the ability to upgrade equipment and killstreaks. Thicker armor for UAVs, more rockets for artillery fire, and increased grenade damage.
It’s a shame the series had to hit rock bottom for Activision to do anything to save it. But better late than never.
Back in 2018, at the then-still-lively E3, the still-respected game developer Todd Howard unveiled a new installment in the still-famous The Elder Scrolls series. We’re still waiting for any information about the project. In July 2020, Obsidian, then owned by Microsoft, teased the dark RPG Avowed. Avowed was released in February 2025 and resembles a rainbow-themed grinder.
While Microsoft’s minions were busy with various levels of dubious nonsense, the unknown Polish studio Questline was developing its dark RPG, Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon. The developers were inspired by the great works of Todd Howard, and they succeeded greatly. The grim world of Tainted Grail is fascinating to explore, holding many secrets, discoveries, and dangers. Just like in Skyrim, you’ll want to delve into dungeons to secure valuable loot, explore the map’s nooks and crannies, and savor the harsh atmosphere of fallen Avalon. Moreover, the combat system is well-tuned, and battles are truly rewarding.
Obsidian’s finest work is evoked here as you immerse yourself in the characters’ brutal, gritty, and occasionally humorous stories. The protagonist faces conflicts and moral dilemmas, deciding the fate of the mushroom kingdom. The third act detracts slightly, but only slightly.
Tainted Grail and The Fall of Avalon are stunning examples of how a talented studio can deliver outstanding results on a modest budget in a challenging genre where quality storytelling, an engaging world, and a strong combat system are crucial. It’s particularly disappointing, then, that The Fall of Avalon was overlooked at the trendy awards ceremonies honoring the best games of 2025.
Have you ever started playing a game and it just didn’t work? It turned you off within the first few hours, so you gave up and asked for a refund? I experienced this twice with Rogue Prince of Persia. I would have ended this chapter in the history of this iconic series if it weren’t for Xbox Game Pass, which released version 1.0 with a ton of changes and improvements!
That evening, when I turned on the console, I saw the game was right there, on the main page. Press the button and you’ll get the result. So, I pressed it… As you can imagine, I fully experienced the meaning of the saying: “Time is not a river, but a stormy ocean.” Before I knew it, I was sitting there, bleary-eyed, deep in the night, finishing the run so I could go to bed with peace of mind.
The game has been improved across the board: the combat system is now beautiful and intuitive, the parkour is user-friendly and breathtaking. Roguelike gameplay is woven into the core of the narrative, and the style is no longer overpowering. If I were to describe The Rogue Prince of Persia in one sentence, it would be a heady mix of Warrior Within, Mirror’s Edge, and Hades.
You need to catch the rhythm, get into the flow, feel the flow—and then you’ll be completely engrossed in the process, just like in the two aforementioned hits. Discover new zones, parkour through them like in your heyday, create such insane combat combinations that the hero will get lost in the riot of special effects.
And the music here! You know, I’ve come to the conclusion that if a Prince of Persia has a bad or lackluster soundtrack, it’s a bad Prince. Compare the great Sands of Time and Warrior Within with the dubious Two Thrones, Prince of Persia 2008, or Forgotten Sands. But what’s more, both The Lost Crown and, fortunately, The Rogue have wonderful soundtracks. You want to listen to them even outside the game, they’re so captivating.
All projects need a second chance to gain recognition and an audience. This game deserves a third, in my case. It’s a revelation of the year, hands down!
Have you ever been so hungry you wanted to bite your neighbor? Have you hidden supplies and medicine from prying eyes to keep them for yourself? Have you abandoned friends screaming for help to continue your climb to the top of a volcano? Oh, in Peak, you have to do even worse.
This game emerged suddenly, as an experiment. It’s a cooperative survival game where a group of plane crash survivors stubbornly crawl up a mountain to signal and summon a rescue helicopter.
Survival depends on the hero’s endurance. And endurance depends on hunger, health, poisoning, cold, heat, and the weight of your backpack. You need to eat, heal, shelter from the wind, and find refuge from the scorching sun. Make a mistake, and your endurance might not even be enough to climb a small ledge. And that’s it, your friends leave you behind. Or they drag you along, hoping to soon find berries, bandages, or a suitcase full of random bonuses.
Peak’s controls are simple. One mouse button lets you cling to a mountain and crawl, while the other allows you to grab and pull your teammates up. In-game voice chat is vital for navigating the environment and understanding who’s calling for help and where. And you’ll be shouting a lot.
There are five lengthy stages to complete, each reconfigured daily. You’ll need to crawl uphill, battle tropical downpours, and try not to freeze to death in the ice or fry in the desert. The developers have provided many challenges, but the key to survival is working with your friends. Supplies are scarce, and sacrifices are necessary. Someone takes a wrong turn, gets lost, and dies. Another miscalculates their strength, jumps, and falls into the abyss. The game constantly generates both funny and tragic moments, making every climb unforgettable.
REPO is a telling example. Formally a clone of Lethal Company, it’s more successful than the original. It’s precisely this success that attracted attention: both to the project itself and to the extraction horror genre as a whole. It’s also often called “quota horror,” a term for games built around fulfilling quotas to collect valuable scrap.
In this regard, REPO appears to be the most polished representative of the genre. It’s not so much funnier than its competitors, but more cohesive in feel. The setting is noticeably more pleasant and stylish, and the developers release updates significantly more actively than other games in this genre.
Overall, the extraction horror genre is currently stagnating. New projects have almost completely ceased to appear on the market. The last notable release was MIMESIS, but its fate remains dismal: the game was a tentative success, actively played by streamers, but it yielded no real results. The project lasted about a week—like most similar games—and quickly disappeared from the news cycle. At best, it could be called the most successful quota horror game of the month, nothing more. Other projects have even shorter lifespans.
In terms of atmosphere, REPO isn’t a truly scary game. Fear arises primarily in single-player mode. In co-op, it quickly gives way to farce. The gameplay regularly descends into chaotic comedy: someone falls into a pit with a bag of money, someone inadvertently hits an ally with a tool, and someone else brings a large monster to the team, which the whole group must deal with.
Against this backdrop, the game has an obvious limitation. Playing solo is both terrifying and boring. Over time, the fear fades: the player understands monster behavior, optimal routes, and the necessity of certain items. After that, solo play becomes a mechanical exercise without emotional tension. Playing for the results or as a so-called “esports athlete” in REPO is uninteresting.
But in co-op, the game truly shines. It’s the perfect format for playing with friends without the high expectations or competitive pressure. In this form, REPO is one of the best co-op games of the year. It’s likely to remain relevant next year as well.
The 2016 reboot of the Doom franchise isn’t just a great shooter with cutting-edge graphics, it’s also a great foundation for sequels. Just add levels and diversify other elements. However, id Software decided to reimagine the shooter genre with its sequel. In Doom Eternal, the protagonist leaped like a frantic grasshopper across arenas and platforms, just like Mario, juggling an impressive list of abilities and weapons. This approach appealed to most players. There were some dissatisfied players, but they were in the minority. What’s next? And what’s next? Another new take on the genre.
If Doom Eternal could be called a MOBA shooter (due to its ability cooldowns), then Doom The Dark Ages is best described as a beat ’em up shooter. That’s because the hero not only shoots enemies, but also pummels them in close combat and parries attacks. What’s more, you can now choose a couple of favorite guns and not have to juggle all your weapons. Killing devils in this mode is pure pleasure. Thanks to these new abilities, you feel like a divine force who doesn’t have to hide from danger. Now you are the danger.
Naturally, such drastic changes aren’t universally accepted. It’s no wonder that some critics of both Doom Eternal and Doom The Dark Ages are calling them “not Doom,” and that’s understandable. However, it’s refreshing to see id Software reinventing the shooter genre and unafraid to experiment.
At its inception, MindsEye was a demonstration of the capabilities of the Everywhere platform—a game builder. But as the game approached its release, the ambitious Everywhere became merely an appendage to the game.
MindsEye is a typical action adventure film with good direction, an intriguing plot, and incredible attention to detail. The sense of heaviness of electric vehicles, the suspension and braking system clogging in the sand, and the spontaneous events that occur throughout the story are perfectly conveyed.
The story is the icing on the cake. And it’s not so much the events that matter here as the well-veiled satire on the contemporary progressive agenda and the powers that be. And therein lies the project’s biggest flaw. For such an ambitious narrative, the gameplay is too average: get from point A to point B, shoot everyone, watch the cutscene, repeat.
MindsEye is also unique, at the very least, for its anti-advertising campaign. The game’s creators were credited with making claims they never made: that it would be better than GTA, that it was a new word in the genre, and so on and so forth. And then there’s more.
This is the only game in five long years to have Metacritic’s rules revoked. User ratings for the project appeared the second it was officially released! Even though we all know the site’s policy and the new rules introduced after the review bombing of The Last of Us Part 2—user ratings open three days after the game’s release. A paid “massacre” from Benzies’ former employers?
Over the past six months, the developers have fixed all critical bugs and shortcomings, which is generally reflected in the Steam ratings. New players overwhelmingly rate the game “very positive.”
And among the glut of 100+ hour games, with tons of questions on the map, sometimes you just want to spend 7-10 hours with a spinal shooter and let off some steam. Shoot to your heart’s content, watch an interesting story, and just say thank you.
Leslie Benzies’s team left me with nothing but positive emotions from the story I saw and experienced. It also took me back to my school days, when my mom would ask me to consider whether I should jump off the roof when everyone else was jumping, or whether I should assess the situation rationally and with my own head, and form my own opinion.
An exception to the rule. The game with the worst gameplay on a list of the best games.
There’s no point in trying to convince us that “you just have to be patient, and the game will open up.” It won’t. I played through it three times on all difficulty levels. It was painful. It’s impossible to get used to. Our heroine constantly gasps for breath, awkwardly dodges, and misses her target with her stick. Weapons break after a few hits… But the enemies, on the other hand, are nimble and sharp, capable of instantly closing the distance and sending you back to the save point. Towards the end, this devolves into a nightmare of battles in small arenas with powerful enemies.
Silent Hill f is annoying. I wish I could write “on purpose” so you’d “feel like you’re in hell” or “get the maximum satisfaction from winning.” But no. It’s just really bad gameplay.
So why suffer? It’s all for the story of the lost mountain town. For the intricate plot that only fully unfolds on the third playthrough. For the charming art style and clever puzzles. And for the chance to somehow change the fate of Hinako, our heroine.
It’s paradoxical, but you fall in love with this game with all its problems.
I initially doubted ARC Raiders would be a success. This was primarily due to the genre, which I’m skeptical of. From the trailers and gameplay videos, it was difficult to understand why this project even existed and what it offered. Technically, everything was clear: PvPvE with raids and loot. But it didn’t spark any interest.
Beta tests in the spring and fall didn’t improve the situation. This was a period when the game hadn’t yet developed a culture of “don’t shoot.” The concept of pacifist coexistence was nonexistent. Players simply destroyed each other, regardless of whether they were playing solo or in a group. No social dynamics beyond outright conflict emerged.
At release, the concept became crystal clear. ARC Raiders turned out to be a game not for competitive PvP, but for streamers and peaceful players who prefer to gather an audience and stage exhibition matches. Technically, PvP is present in the game, but it’s not encouraged in any way. Paradoxically, ARC Raiders gave me the PvP experience that Escape from Tarkov lacks. This involves tactical interaction: using mines and traps to ambush exits.
The community’s reaction has been particularly revealing. Complaints about players using ambush tactics regularly appear on social media. However, many of these “dirty” tactics are far less reliable in practice. Traps are often designed to target a single player, not a group. In my case, this was the cause of repeated failure: the trap triggers the first player, you engage in combat, and then the others finish off the instigator. It’s amusing to watch how this kind of gameplay provokes moral outrage in people.
That’s why ARC Raiders became one of the best games of the year for me—not because of the mechanics, content, or balance, but because of the emotions. And not just those that arise in honest 3-on-3 shootouts with players coming from Call of Duty. The main thing is the ability to betray, deceive, and set up ambushes for valuable loot. If I return to ARC Raiders, it will be solely for this kind of gameplay and emotions.
I consider the game’s only truly disgusting element to be its “smart” matchmaking. The system segregates players based on their behavioral style: peaceful players are sent to PvE raids, while PvP-oriented players are placed in a separate pool. This undermines the very idea of a social experiment. Instead of a unified, tense environment, the game offers isolated bubbles of comfort. And judging by the community’s reaction, most players are happy about this—they don’t want to interact with players from the other camp and prefer a complete absence of conflict.
I love football. Unfortunately, for a number of reasons, I can’t play it myself—I have to enjoy computer versions: Pro Evolution Soccer, FIFA. And that’s all there was to it (aside from Managers, but that’s a different story). But then an interesting contender appeared on the horizon—a project from the creators of Sifu. I got curious: what is it?
In reality, I got a very interesting simulator, not so much of a football game as of a football player—in REMATCH, you play as one player on a team. The system doesn’t position your players on the field, doesn’t tell you where to run, or what to do: it’s just you, your understanding of the game, and your identical teammates—either random players from the internet or your friends.
At first, the controls were challenging and it took some time to get used to the dynamics, but then it was pure joy! It’s just a shame that some future updates somewhat spoiled the experience and broke the familiar immersion. Whether REMATCH can continue to compete with EA Sport FC is a big question. Unfortunately, the project has already disappeared from the news.
At first glance, Blue Prince resembles a routine walking simulator. In reality, it’s a deep, meditative roguelike puzzle game where the player battles themselves while exploring an ever-changing mansion. Every corridor and room conceals unexpected secrets and subtle details that unfold and surprise in subsequent runs.
The visual style, with its bright comic-book accents and contrasting shadows, creates a sense of lived-in space, while the audio design, with its subtle creaking of floors, mechanical hum, and occasional musical interludes, enhances the atmosphere of anxiety and exploration.
The game forces you to think strategically: take notes, plan every move, and conserve resources, but at the same time, it allows you to freely explore the house calmly, thoughtfully, and appreciate the details.
Simple challenges alternate with tricky puzzles, and randomness adds variety to the sessions. Blue Prince requires patience and attention, a willingness to get lost in the nuances, but this is precisely what makes it a unique adventure with a sense of progress and the gradual unraveling of the main mystery.
This is a bold, experimental indie that combines strategy, psychological depth, and a keen eye for detail. Each new attempt reveals a unique perspective on the house and the story of the family who lived there.
The Elder Scrolls series is a classic RPG. But unfortunately, I missed out on these games as a kid. While I managed to finish Skyrim in the early 2020s, I’d never tried Oblivion before. I tried, but it was a failure due to a localization bug.
The release of this remaster allowed me to correct this mistake and immerse myself in one of the best RPGs of the 2000s, which remains so to this day. Cyrodiil captivated me with its stories: the tragedy of the Dark Brotherhood, when you have to personally eliminate your former comrades, or the drama of the Gray Fox, who refused to give in to the curse and fought to the end to reclaim his lost life. Even the guilds of mages and fighters proved interesting, albeit monotonous in gameplay.
I was also pleased with the Sheogarath DLC with its unique locations, enemies, and mechanics, and the Prince of Madness himself is wonderful.
Yes, despite the modern graphics, it’s still the same old Oblivion with its bugs, empty world, monotonous dungeons, and other problems. But the paradox is that games today are stuck in a completely different swamp, and this “return to the roots” feels like a breath of fresh air. It’s just a shame that the remaster has even more technical issues—all due to poor optimization. However, I played on PS5, and things aren’t so bad there.
For over a decade, content producers denied consumers the temporary escape from reality that games and films are primarily designed to provide. The industry was driven by a sick logic that the world beyond the screen should be as bleak and depressing as the real one.
Superheroes also had to contend with this “grayness.” The creators who dominated the industry couldn’t even fathom the idea that someone could genuinely want to help others—especially if that “someone” possessed superpowers. The fruit of these sociopaths’ creativity were selfish superheroes who used their gifts for personal gain rather than helping the weak. For example, the comic book and TV series “The Boys.”
If Dispatch had been released a decade ago, it would have been dismissed as a mediocre product. But today, this game about helping supervillains do good has become a true sensation. The irony is particularly heightened by the fact that the people guiding are former supervillains who haven’t shed their criminal ways.
It’s heartbreaking that players have been conditioned to perceive kindness, beauty, and support as unnatural. A character named Blondie Blazer exemplifies a true hero, but modern players felt it was a trap. For this reason, they romanced the “I can fix her” variant—Invisible, a character with many flaws.
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