Welcome to the first annual(?) RANK’d on the game’s side of the blog! After resurrecting the game page with a neat lil idea I had showcasing the Games That Made Me(TM), it was only fair I attempt to do a yearly list akin to my music one. This will be a bit different seeing as my gaming is limited these days and i can’t pour into as much as i’d like. Only SEVEN here. A few omissions, like The Alters, the Fallout Shelter meets 3rd person survival meets cloning that I thoroughly enjoyed but had bounced quickly from with other things popping up.

And no, Expedition 33 is not here, sorry.

With that outta the way, LET’S DO THIS.

7. Battlefield 6

Yeah, i’m thinking we’re back. BF6 came at just the right time. CoD burnout was real and there weren’t any competitive-ish big AAA shooters outside of CS2, and only sickos play that. So EA put all their chips into Battlefield 6, putting seemingly every studio they had on this thing and put out the best feeling BF game in almost a decade. To me, 3 and 4 are my favorite. 1 was fun but i bounced, V was ok but i had moved on from the series and 2042 didn’t get good until it’s demise during BF6’s beta. So having a BF drop us back into modern warfare and nail (almost) everything was such a treat. Of course bigger maps would be welcome, but i’ve always enjoyed the gunplay of BF so I didn’t mind the smaller maps as much this go ‘round. The battle royale mode wasn’t for me and hopefully doesn’t become the focal point of the game for EA, but other than that i thoroughly enjoyed my time with it, ESPECIALLY playing with my wife the medic.

Oh and a quick shout out to Vince Zampella who tragically died shortly before the publishing of this. Man was an absolute legend in the shooter space and helped revive Battlefield this year. Rest In Peace.

6. Kingdom Come Deliverance 2

The best game i’ve ever played, that I didn’t finish. Over 50 plus hours in, and the stacked year we had….I just couldn’t. But the time I did put in? Completely enraptured me. Such an incredibly deep and engrossing experience. I really haven’t been this immersed since Cyberpunk and even then this feels much much more vibrant and alive than that does. The journey of crafting my Henry from being a useless dolt who would die tripping on a stick, to a competent warrior blacksmith was a joy. A lot of early headaches, sure, but that’s mostly coming to grips with the insane web of systems and mechanics Warhorse Studios have weaved up. In KCD you’re allowed to fail, A LOT, and getting used to that was such a sobering experience coming off of years of mindless open world games. And failing can be FUN too! If it weren’t for Elden Ring and Cyberpunk, this may very well be my favorite RPG of all time. I will absolutely come back to this, somehow, some way, soon. Miss ya Henry.

5. Jurassic World Evolution 3

While the movies are a mixed bag of steaming hot garbage, the Jurassic World Evolution series has scratched an itch that has lingered since 2003’s Operation Genesis. And if you gave my young self this particular game? You couldn’t PULL me from the PC. Evo 3 is the culmination of Frontier’s efforts of bringing JP/JW into the Theme Park Management Sim genre. And while i did like the first 2, this is absolutely the best in the series. It has gotten rid of a ton of the friction I had with some of the management stuff from the earlier games, really just letting me focus on my park and the dinos. I don’t love the shops system, but at least once you have the merch dialed in each one you build, it’s set and forget. I’m very much used to old Roller Coaster Tycoon. But as for the dinosaur stuff, you know, the main attraction. They’ve spared no expense in absolutely nailing that aspect of the game. Such a blast putting together paddocks of herbivores that harmoniously live together. Even if some of their needs are a bit finicky, I do really enjoy the cohabitation stuff. It brings it all back to the first movie “They do move in herds”. Overall I absolutely enjoyed my time with it, completing the story mode and maybe down the line will do some of the sandbox stuff. Especially with the workshop support, I can’t wait to see the Evolution, of Evo 3.

4. Ball X Pit

From completely outta nowhere, comes Ball X Pit. You take the rogue-likeness of Vampire Survivors but make it Breakout in that you bounce Balls at your enemies on a field that slowly moves towards you with 3 progressively harder bosses per level down the Pit. Choose your character with their own unique quirks and abilities, level them every run, get different Balls with their own unique quirks and abilities along with passives and…you get the idea. That in and of itself, is a blast to play and addictive as hell. Oh but you ain’t done. There’s the meta progression with characters outside the runs that improve and unlocks of course, BUT you also have a town building game to go along with it. One that sees you build up unique buildings that have either stat buffs or materials to make other buildings and later game altering abilities, like MASSIVE game altering stuff. No spoilers here. But to build said structures you need to bounce your character(s) into the buildings a certain number of times, while also bouncing off of your resources to farm them and you only get 1 “Harvest” per run down the Pit. And there’s your loop, and it only goes deeper….and DEEPER. And after almost 30 hours, I rolled credits on this bad boy. Damn near tempted to go for all achievements, THAT’S how good this is. Such a compelling loop that sucks you in early and never lets up on the unlocks and game altering mechanics. Absolute must play for those with short time to play, perfect for that ONE LAST RUN feel.

3. Hades II

Had to drag myself away from this to finish the list, and despite my best efforts after 30 plus hours, I couldn’t roll credits yet. But even with my poor skills as the Princess of the Underworld, I absolutely adore this game and it’s predecessor. The gameplay alone gets me in that flow state where everything clicks together and i’m zipping around the arenas, slicing, dicing and destroying dozens of foes at a time. Of course Supergiant’s signature painted art style is second to none and has only gotten better as they continue to pump out bangers in their catalogue. But the story, it’s so good, so frustratingly good, it makes every failure worth the pain. You get just a little bit of growth with a character, a little more world building, and a little bit closer to beating Chronos and his army. Absolutely addicting, just as the first one, but with much more depth(and height) to the world and the gameplay outside of the runs. Now i’m gonna finish the rest of this list, and get back to Tartarus.

Death to Chronos.

2. Split-Fiction

Now, my wife and I don’t get to play games that much anymore. So when we DO eventually get the time, I have to be picky with what we play. Not only because of my wife’s limited game experience but also the length and quality of the game matter a ton. Don’t wanna pick Tree Chopping Sim 38 here, need some good stuff that is doable in short bursts. Her favorites that we’ve played are stuff like Far Cry 5, Palworld, and Satisfactory. Stuff where she can go out and get lost and have a blast collecting and killing things. I wanted a change up from that. With Split Fiction, all her comfort zone stuff is thrown out the window and replaced with tough platforming and puzzles. Now, we did have experience with Hazelight’s last game, It Takes Two, and she liked it for the most part but didn’t gel with it as she has with other games. She absolutely LOVED this game. I love it too. Of course some of the platforming and flying stuff was tricky, but with the game’s generous checkpoints and assists, damn near anybody can play and enjoy this. So many memorable moments and areas. Every single time you get used to a new level and gameplay mechanic, they switch it up, never ever letting the game feel stagnant. Some highlights for me were the dragons(wife LOVED them), the bomb toss minigame, and the BEAUTIFUL water ski side level. But the absolute standout, by far, is the final boss. Rarely do I get jaw dropping, “holy shit”, stop you in your tracks moments in games these days. This fight is some of the most batshit creative gameplay I have ever seen, DO NOT let yourself get spoiled. You’ll thank me later. Story wasn’t exactly early Pixar level stuff, but it was enjoyable and a good break from the nonstop action. It may be Co-op only but I do encourage everybody to play this, it’s can’t miss. Get a friend, get a spouse, get a parent, get anybody. You only need one copy, play this game. Unforgettable experience.

Hollow Knight: Silksong

My experience with the first Hollow Knight is pretty similar to another challenging gauntlet, Elden Ring. Years ago I played it for the first time on PC, I think i got to the Mantis Lords and I couldn’t have bounced faster. Put it down for a long time. But I always saw the praise it got, so I tried it again on Switch. Got more of the map explored this time around. Enjoyed the world, the art, and the snappy combat more this time. Then I got to Mantis Lords again, banged my head against the wall, bounced again. This year, the sequel Silksong got a date and the obscene amount of hype around it compelled me to go back. I made it my mission to finish Hollow Knight. I already knew I liked the game, I just couldn’t beat it before. So I started over, this time on PC. And when i finally got to the Mantis Lords again…..beat them first try. And I absolutely LOVED the game ever since. That seems to be the sentiment i’ve seen with others who have played the game. That Mantis layered brick wall is the barrier between liking and LOVING Hollow Knight. Ended up finishing 100%ish with the game(not masochistic enough to do the Pantheons).

Perseverance like this has given me one of my favorite games of all time in Elden Ring. And Hollow Knight joins that as well.

They were my toughest challenges….

…..and then Silksong came out.

Buddy, let me tell you, never have I ever played a more difficult game in my life. But GAWDDAMN is it good. Gorgeous to look at, a joy to explore, and a delight to listen to. The race to finish it completely took all of my free time in September. There were far more road blocks and brick walls this time around, some of which, regrettably have kept me from 100%ing this one. But of course that could change with time as with it’s predecessor. (Bilewater is the bane of my existence). So, while I did “beat” the game, i haven’t gotten to Act 3. Yet, despite all that, my time with the game was so great, it STILL has become my GOTY. Maybe because it’s a platformer and I’ve had a soft spot for platformers ever since Super Mario World and Sonic 3 as a kid(could explain why Astro Bot was my GOTY last year too). But Silksong is it’s own beast, an experience that only few will appreciate because of it’s harsh difficulty, but a rewarding one to those who can persevere as I have, more so to those that could finish it. Right now Silksong might not be as high on my all time list, but it absolutely is on top this year.

And there you have it, wish I could play more but life, as they say, fucking sucks.

Gonna keep filling in this side of the site on occasion, seeing as I DO love games too.

Thanks for reading!

We’ll see if I do one of these next year….

RANK’d: Games Of The Year