Dan Boise

“Carmageddon: Rogue Shift is hands down my first personal choice for GOTY contender. It’s big dumb fun; pedal to metal, bash everything is sight, run over zombies; it’s quite addictive. This shows that games shouldn’t be overly complicated to be enjoyable. Despite the annoyances mentioned above such as rubberbanding and few quirks that comes with being underpowered, it doesn’t deter the overall experience and you’ll always tell yourself one more race. If you’re looking for a way to unwhine after a hard day, Carmageddon: Rogue Shift is a great option. Highly recommended.”

“Robobeat is a classic roguelike experience; play and surive as long as you can and then start everything over anew when you die. It’s a fast-paced game matching the game’s upbeat soundtrack. There’s a decent, albeit minimal, weapon variety. But despite the game’s minor flaws, if you’re not a fan of the genre, this game won’t convert you. If you enjoy having a sense of progression when you play video games, this is the opposite. Aside from that, it’s a fun action game. If you’re a fan of the genre, you’ll have a blast with Robobeat.”

“Psycho Dream is a fun, challenging 2D action platformer; it’s one of those Japan only game that never had the chance outside of the land of the Rising Sun and it’s fun seeing it getting a new lease on life. It has all the classic features; straight forward, challenging boss fights, enjoyable level design and interesting power ups. Once you get adapted to the “heavy” movements and weapon short range, you’ll find a nice hidden gem. If you’re a fan of 2D action games, Psycho Dream is a no-brainer.”

“Neptunia: Sisters VS Sisters is a great addition to the RPG genre. While the story feels a bit throwaway and won’t be as impactful as more recent Final Fantasy games or 2025 masterpiece Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, the gameplay is solid and unique. There’s a bit to dive into and the disc system allows for a lot of experimenting. Combat is easy to pick up but hard to master. If you’re looking for a new, unique, RPG to sink your teeth into, Neptunia: Sisters VS Sisters is a great choice.”

“Overall, Wings of Endless is a fun, vast, non-linear action RPG/Metroidvania game that’ll keep you busy for some time. The combat is, for the most part, enjoyable and simplistic, areas are fun to navigate and explore. If you can adjust to the counterintuitive controls and learn from your mistakes during boss battles, you’ll have a decent time with Wings of Endless.”

“Blaster Force 3000 is an enjoyable, albeit sometimes irritating, indie shooter. It’s pretty straightforward and most levels are bite-sized, so you can enjoy this game while playing it in short bursts. The shooter feels a bit stiff, but nothing too cumbersome. Upgrading to new weapons doesn’t really do anything. If you’re looking for something short to chew on, you can’t go wrong with Blaster Force 3000, especially at this price.”

“Speed Factor is a fun and addictive racing game; nothing overly complex, easy to pick up and play with a lot of content for an indie; the game’s total of 50 races across 5 regions will keep players busy for a bit. A lot of bang for your buck. You can suffer through the abysmal engine noise and the simplicity of it, you’ll find a new gem here; although a few extra game modes would’ve been a nice touch. But as it stands, Speed Factor is one of the best indie games I’ve played this year. If you’re looking for a relaxing racer, I highly recommend this game.”

“The Cabin Factory is s surprisingly unique and enjoyable liminal horror experience. While the gameplay is limited, it does require a bit of thinking and investigating skills as the game will do things to throw you off. However, it is annoying that you have to start over everytime to miss a decision. Every horror game fans should definitely pick this up as it’ll keep you busy for an hour or so, depending on how your investigating skills are.”

“To be honest, just before Street Racer Collection released, I was on the hunt for a Super NES or PS1 copy of this game. Let’s just say that I’m not anymore. This is another scenario that the memories are better than the real thing. I remember having blast on the Super NES, but playing this collection made me realized that this game has not aged well. It can be good fun with friends, but this is another example of a game that should’ve stayed in the past. Unless you were a diehard fan of this series, this is an easy pass.”

“The game looks great as a whole; nothing revolutionary as it combines somewhat cutesy characters presented in a dark and depressing manner. Also the fact that there’s a lot of blood when killing enemies. There’s a decent variety in terms of dungeon design, but each level remains drab and depressing matching the game’s dark undertones. The soundtrack is an eerie and creepy affair that marries itself very well with the environments. While not really an issue per se, but the rogue like genre isn’t for everyone. Some gamers want to feel like they are making progress but losing everything when dying and having to start all over again can also be incredibly irritating. Also while enemies can shoot in all directions, Isaac can only shoot in four directions: left, right, up and down. If you’re a fan of the genre and have yet to dabble in Isaac’s mis-adventures, The Binding of Isaac: Repentance is must play. It’s a complete package of all the content released for The Binding of Isaac. There’s a bevy of power-ups to use, fun and challenging boss fights to tackle and a plethora of endings to unlock for the completionists. Unfortunately, if you’re not a fan of the genre, The Binding of Isaac: Repentance will not change your mind as it can be incredibly rough at times; so much so that you’ll die in first level after barely exploring 1-2 areas. If you’re looking for a challenge, The Binding of Isaac: Repentance is a must play.”

“R-Type Delta: HD Boosted is a fun, addictive shmup. While offering a reasonable challenge, it’s not “pulling out your hair” hard. It’s overall well balanced and any death incurred are on you; this game will make you learn from your mistake. Fans of the genre will be happy to have something new to (re)visit while this game is properly balanced for newcomers wanting to jump into the genre.”

“Virtua Fighter 5 is a game that ages like fine wine. It was a great game way back when it released almost 20 years and this new rendition, R.E.V.O. World Stage, still holds up perfectly and can stand toe to toe with SF6 and Tekken 8. The downside being is that the game requires a bit of dedication in order to get a grasp of the controls and mechanics. World Stage is a great addictive mode that does feel like you’re progressing. Whether you’ve had your fill of Street Fighter 6 or Tekken 8 or simply need a new challenge, Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage is a great game that feels actually rewarding. Highly recommended.”

“While there’s nothing inherently wrong with The House of the Dead 2: Remake, I still question who wants this and why no one has ever decided to make a new light gun to enjoy these games. Using a controller for such precise movement feels clunky; but at least you can play with one hand. If you enjoyed the original back in the day, this is for you, but if you’ve never played it, especially in the arcade, this is a hard sell.”

“Gravity Heroes is an interesting 2D action platformer with its gravity mechanics that has players figuratively flying around the area; it’s even more chaos with up to four players. It also make boss battles more fun than just shooting and jumping. However, the Gravity Shifter gets old fast; unless you play in short bursts. It has its charm, but don’t expect it to grab your attention for long gaming sessions.”

“Angry Video Game Nerd 8-bit is another great game and excellent homage to classic games from the NES era. The challenge is hard, but fair, level design is really fun, tight controls, but the game is quite short and there’s no real replay value, but the core gameplay is addictive; I kept returning to play it. This game will definitely fall in my top 10 of the year and I can easily see myself replaying it. Highly recommended.”

“Forgive Me Father 2 is a great first person shooter. Surprisingly decent weaponry, mostly enjoyable level design and intense sequences of fight. However, as you’d expect, it’s a bit repetitive after a while and platforming isn’t ideal in an FPS. If you’re looking for balls to the walls action and colorful weaponry, Forgive Me Father 2 is one of the best games of 2025.”

“Hate to say it, but I can understand why WayForward couldn’t find a publisher back in 2002. Shantae Advance is one of the weakest entries in the series. Irritating boss battles, lack of maps, boring levels and the “where the fuck do I go” kind of approach sucks the fun out of it. However, it’s great that WayForward and LRG were able to finish this project for long time fans of the Shantae series, but if you’re looking to dive into the purple hair protagonist’s adventure, try Shantae and the Seven Sirens instead.”

“I was looking forward to giving Baki Hanma: Blood Arena a whirl; I loved Punch-Out!! back in the day, so I was happy to try this. And as much as I wanted to like it, it feels incredibly unforgiving with little to no margin for error. A single mistake can cost you the fight having you to restart over and over again. If you’re a gaming masochist looking for your next punishment, then Baki Hanma: Blood Arena is ripe for you. However, if you’re looking for an enjoyable gaming experience, this is an easy pass.”

“Luto is a tense, cryptic walking sim that’ll challenge players’ puzzling skills and patience as it moves relatively slow. The house is well designed and the game offers unique mechanics that will mess with players. Although given its sluggishness and puzzle based gameplay, this might turn off some gamers looking for some good scares and actions. If you’re a die-hard fan of the horror genre, you’ll absolutely want to play Luto. For those looking for something a bit faster and terrifying might want to look elsewhere.”

“Ra Ra Boom is a by number beat’em up. Go from point A to B, beat up everything in your path, beat the boss, rinse, repeat. The upgrades are pretty fun and allows some (or little) combat depth. However, the game is riddled with cheap enemies, regular enemies that hit harder than bosses; and I’ve also had a few issues of game crashing during the first hour. If you love the genre, this is a no brainer. If you’re looking to jump in the genre, there are better options out there such as Fight N’ Rage.”