PixlBit

Around this time of year, I like to make a list of my best games SO FAR, because usually the AAA titles are released later in the year during the holiday season, and the titles that came out earlier tend to be forgotten.  So here’s when those games get their due.  Keep in mind that this is my list only and no other outside opinions contributed.  And if a game isn’t on this list, it either just didn’t appeal to me as much or I haven’t had a chance to play it yet.  Ok with that out of the way, let’s begin!

BEST PUZZLE GAME

Piczle Cross: Rune Factory (Switch)

Last year I reviewed a game called Piczle Cross: Story of Seasons.  It was a nonogram puzzle game and those types of puzzles in video game form are often called Picross or a variation of that name.  But this one had a theme.  The pictures you could make were based off of things and characters from the Story of Seasons games.  These were farming sims that were around way before Stardew Valley got popular.  You might know these games better as Harvest Moon, as that’s what those games were called before the rights changed.  Anyway, the Harvest Moon/Story of Seasons games had a spinoff series called Rune Factory.  These were more fantasy based, and they streamlined the farming parts so you’d have more time to go fight monsters in dungeons!  I actually like the Rune Factory games more than Story of Seasons, and now there is a Piczle Cross game based on the Rune Factory series as well!

BEST ARCADE COLLECTION/REMAKE

Capcom Fighting Collection 2 (PS4)

Game maker Capcom is known for lots of things, like Mega Man, Resident Evil, Monster Hunter, etc.  But probably what they are known best for is their large roster of fighting games, such as Street Fighter.  They did a collection of them a few years ago, plus one last year that had all their Marvel games on it.  And now they’ve got another one with even more fighters!

Runners Up:

Bubble Ghost Remake (Switch)

When I was a kid, one of my favorite stores to go into in the mall was Babbages.  I don’t think they’re around anymore, but they were kind of like a precursor to GameStop.  They sold video games but mostly computer software and stuff.  I didn’t really buy too many computer games then, but I still liked to look at the boxes because that’s how we found out about games before the Internet a lot of times.  One of the game boxes that caught my eye was Bubble Ghost.  It had two things I liked in games: bubbles (like in Bubble Bobble) and ghosts (like in Pac-Man).  But I never got around to buying that game.  Not sure why.  Maybe it was too expensive and I didn’t think it was worth the money.  A few years later they made a version of it on the Game Boy, but I never got around to buying it either.  There were a few years as a kid that I didn’t buy a whole lot of Game Boy stuff, and I don’t really remember seeing it in a store anyway.  So I never got to try Bubble Ghost.  So that’s why I’m glad that I got to review this remake.  It adds fancy hand drawn graphics and new levels and gameplay ideas.  Basic gist is that you are a ghost and try to blow a bubble around obstacles and keep it from popping.

Croc: Legend of the Gobbos (PS4)

Back in the 90s, 3D platformers starring colorful mascot characters were all the rage, even in the early days. One of the first ones out of the gate on the PlayStation was Croc: Legend of the Gobbos. It was made by Argonaut, yes the same folks who helped create the original Star Fox.  I remember playing this on a demo disc (remember those) back then and not liking it.  Mainly because the controls were awkward.  This was back before the PSOne had analog sticks, so Croc had more tankish controls.  It took a while before the PlayStation had quality 3D platformers as good as the N64 ones.  Me personally, they didn’t catch up until Ape Escape and maybe Spyro.  Anyway, because I didn’t like the first Croc game on the demo disc, I skipped out on the other entries in the series.  Turns out there was a lot more than I thought.  There was a 3D sequel as well as a handful of 2D games on handheld and mobile devices.  And I’ve watched a lot of videos with gamers saying they loved Croc as a kid.  I’m willing to give games a second chance, so I’m glad I got to review this remaster.

BEST RACER

Mario Kart World (Switch 2)

The Switch 2 launch title wins by default, and to its credit, it IS a fun game.  The open world ‘road trip’ vibe is neat, the tracks are fun (when you can actually race on them), and I appreciate it trying to do something different.  But I sure do hope that Kirby Air Riders comes out this year and trounces it, like how I felt Kirby Air Ride was way better than its GameCube Mario Kart counterpart: Double Dash!!  Because while Mario Kart World is great, it is NOT worth 80 bucks as it is quite a bit light on content and needs more modes.  And I’m probably the only person in the world who doesn’t like the trick mechanics of riding on walls and rails.  I can never get it to work for me, and I wanted to play Mario Kart, not Mario Hawk’s Pro Skater.  There are better Mario Kart games out there than this.  I will say that I do like the Yoshi’s Hamburger stands scattered all over the place.  I want to eat at one of those!  I’ve been wanting to write an article blog about all the tracks in Mario Kart World, I just haven’t gotten around to it yet.

BEST 2D ADVENTURE

Pipistrello and the Cursed Yo-Yo (PS4)

The 16-bit Super Nintendo is my favorite home game console, but my favorite handheld is the Game Boy Advance (it was pretty much a souped up SNES, so that’s why).  So I was pleasantly surprised to find that this game tries to imitate that GBA style.  When you first turn on the game, it even shows a mock GBA handheld system with a cartridge entering it!  Anyway.  Pipistrello and the Cursed Yo-Yo is a top down viewed action adventure game.  You play as Pippit, a bat who lives in the big city and is the nephew of the biggest mafia leader in town.  But Pippit has no interest in that.  He just wants to enter yo-yo competitions.  But one night on the way home, Pippit finds his aunt, the leader of the Pipistrello mafia family, trapped by four other mafia bosses.  Turns out they want revenge for her running the city’s power unfairly, so they try to trap her soul into four batteries using a machine.  Luckily Pippit appears in time and tosses his yo-yo into the soul stealing beam.  Now his aunt is trapped inside the yo-yo and they must work together to get the batteries back.  This game is a lot like a 2D Zelda title, except the overworld is the city streets, and the dungeons are sewers, shopping malls, construction sites, and soccer stadiums!  And because of the emphasis on top down platforming and yo-yo mechanics, this game also makes me think of Startropics as well!  The very definition of a “hidden gem.”

WEIRDEST GAME

Tamagotchi Plaza (Switch 2)

Back on the DS, there was a series of games called Tamagotchi Corner Shop, and my brother Jeff and I were weirdly obsessed with them.  You used the touch screen to play mini-games to run shops, and Tamagotchi Plaza is the sequel to those games (there were three of them on the DS!).  I want to write an article about all the shops in this game, but supposedly they are coming out with more shops through free updates and DLC, so I may wait until after that happens.  But yeah, it's a weird game for sure!

Runner Up:

Welcome Tour (Switch 2)

You walk around a giant Switch 2 game console and learn about each part, as well as play mini-games and view tech demos on the new hardware, as well as answer trivia questions.  It’s like exploring a giant museum, and is definitely weird.  The only reason why it only gets runner up status is because Nintendo is charging 10 bucks for it.  It really should’ve been a free pack in game since it’s just a glorified interactive instruction manual.  I’ll probably write an article about all the mini-games in it later on, though.

And now for my Game of the Year SO FAR award!  Taiko Drum Roll please…

GAME OF THE YEAR SO FAR

Hello Kitty Island Adventure (Switch)

This one kind of came out of nowhere, didn’t it?  It’s been on Apple Arcade for a couple of years now, but they ported it to the Switch since it’s so much like Animal Crossing, and since that is the second best selling game on the Switch, it was wise of them to do that.  It’s no where near as good as Animal Crossing, but it does do some things even better than that series does.  For instance, the game actually has a story, and not only can you swim like in Animal Crossing, you can dive down and explore a whole underwater world, too!  There’s always stuff to do, even though it is getting kind of slow in the end game (but Animal Crossing is like that, too).  I hope the makers of the next Animal Crossing game play this one and take note!  Don’t let the “girly” Hello Kitty exterior keep you from playing this one.  If you like Animal Crossing at all, you’ll definitely want to play this one, either on the Switch or on Apple Arcade!

Hello Kitty Island Adventure has a pretty big uphill battle if it wants to retain this title at the end of the year, though.  It’ll be going up against giants like Donkey Kong Bananza, Kirby Air Riders, Metroid Prime 4, and maybe more!  But that’s why I do this kind of article halfway through the year so games like this can get recognition too!  Anyway, let me know in the comments section what you think of my list, and tell me YOUR favorite games of 2025 SO FAR!  Later!  --Cary