(studio)
(certificate)
26 December 2025 (released)
5 d
With the many games out this year, and so little time to play them all, we’ve decided to do a round-up of 2025 hits in this selection of mini-reviews! Enjoy!
Terminator 2D: No Fate
This homage to 1990s side-scrolling, pixel-art action games surpasses previous Terminator games, becoming, in my opinion, the best of the series. Taking the events of T2 and adding much more, Terminator 2D brings us the ultimate gaming version of the classic film with excellent set pieces, a solid gameplay loop featuring side-scrolling action, exploration, and great level design. With pixel-perfect, beautiful art, Terminator 2D is short and sweet, but Terminator 2D includes a multitude of bonuses, such as a boss rush mode, a mode featuring endless waves of enemies, cheats that change up the gameplay a bit, and, most importantly, multiple story paths that add new levels and story dynamics.
Terminator 2D is simply fantastic, and while I wasn’t a fan of some repeated levels, there is enough here making it a standout action game that feels old, new, and utterly brilliant.
4/5
Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound
Another pixel art game from the folks at The Game Kitchen, developers of the brilliant Blasphemous games. Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound is another 1990s throwback of pixel art violence, action, and, of course, ninjas!
One of two Ninja Gaiden games released this year, Ragebound is incredibly faithful as it feels old, new, and is a fantastic callback to the original Ninja Gaiden games. With beautiful pixel art, smooth animations, tight action and brutal combat that punishes and rewards for skill and mastery, Ragebound offers one hell of a side-scrolling adventure that’s fitting for the Ninja Gaiden series. It is a game that demands so much, yet offers much more as a reward, that it will hook you in and keep bringing you back for that flawless slicing, dicing, ninja jumping action, despite how many times you may, or may not die .... I died a lot, but loved it.
4/5
DOOM: The Dark Ages
Ripping and Tearing in Medieval fashion! DOOM and DOOM: Eternal both made our number one spots in previous game of the year lists, and I can safely say that Dark Ages …. Won’t. It is still a very good game, with a great, brutal gameplay loop of old, and some new tricks which elevate the essence of DOOM. But I can’t help but feel a slight dumbing down in some areas, mainly with puzzles and exploration.
Now there is a debate about this. I have my thoughts and comparisons, but overall, DOOM: The Dark Ages is still Fantastic. If the focus was more on the cosmic themes and less on Hell, if the story vibes and cutscenes were trimmed down, and if the lateral elements were enhanced a bit more, The Dark Ages would surely be the third top spot DOOM game for Game-News.
Still, it looks amazing, provides frantic and engrossing combat, awesome set pieces, and some nice variation of level design compared to the previous instalments. DOOM: The Dark Ages is still an excellent DOOM game, nonetheless.
4/5
Routine
Routine feels like a relic of a time long ago, and that’s a fair point to make as its development started over ten years ago. Having been revealed in 2014, the team went radio silent on the development until a couple of years ago, when Routine emerged once again.
What we get is a highly atmospheric, chilling, and puzzling horror game that takes players to the moon with no way back. There is a lot to deeply admire about Routine, from its stunning visuals, creepy vibes, and great depth of puzzle/problem-solving. But it also feels somewhat dated, and a little short for what many have been waiting for since 2014. For me, I enjoyed Routine a great deal, and while it doesn’t bring enough for replaying it multiple times, and the puzzles can get a little convoluted, Routine is still a compelling and rich horror experience.
3/5
Blue Prince
This game took a massive amount of my life force to get through … and I mean that in a good way.
I’m a puzzle kind of guy, I love puzzles, a good brain teaser and something that feeds my intrigue and curiosity, rewarding my efforts but always telling me in a quiet voice, “There’s something more for you to discover”. And Blue Prince does this in droves and does it so well. It’s clear the hype has somewhat died down, and there are some vibes and bits which make Blue Prince a little too convoluted for its own good … or maybe that’s the point.
But I love the change of pace in the Rogue-Like sub genre, adding in not combat, carnage, and mayhem, but lateral elements, meaningful thought-provoking progression, and a great sense of discovery and wonder that you can’t help but love, hate, and love it more as a revitalisation of that charming puzzler we lost long ago.
4/5
Dispatch
It’s such a joy to see many of the folks who made the unforgettable Telltale: Walking Dead games come together to make something that feels fresh and invigorating. Being a superhero epic, it makes superheroes feel human, relatable, funny, loathsome, and most importantly, interesting and engaging.
I feel the superhero madness needs to die down, or at least get an injection of something to make it fresh again, and that classic decision making framework from TWD games, along with fantastic writing, great production values, excellent voice acting, and tons of charm, heart, and soul make Dispatch a phenomenal story driven adventure that had me hooked from start to finish. Truly a brilliant game that should be played and be more recognised for its amazing elements combined in such an amazing game.
5/5
Kingdom Come Deliverance II
Personally, RPGs tend to do too little nowadays to earn the right to the title. While we do get the likes of BG3 crafting an unforgettable gaming experience, Kingdom Come Deliverance II just smashes the genre, leaving it in a burning wreck, and runs off with the beautiful village cougar with a few bottles of mead for good measure… and I mean all this in the best way possible.
I will be honest, the first game was a tough sell, and the sequel might still be for some. However, Warhorse Studios has refined the framework of the first game and added multiple layers of approachable and highly engaging gameplay mechanics and dynamic choices, allowing you to truly be what you want to be in a world of vast possibilities.
What makes KCD II more special than BF3 is the focus on Henry, and allowing you to mould him in your image, be him, yet also be yourself. You can be whatever you want to be, live out the story, or just f*** around and have fun. I loved just hunting, drinking, and hanging with Katherine (she’s the GOAT!), with all of this feeling like an ultra-polished version of a classic 2000s RPG. I love the art direction, tight world-building, interesting choices, and how dynamic and reactive the world was with me in it.
Simply put, Kingdom Come Deliverance II should have won more hearts and been rewarded compared to its counterparts.
5/5
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
I'm playing it currently, quite a fair way into the game. It's very good... very, very good.... very, very, very good. No score since I've not finished it, but a soild 4/5 ... and Kingdom Come Deliverance II is the better game :)
