Cuppa's Half Year Gaming Check In
It is crazy to think we are already halfway through 2025. 2025 has been a weird year for me so far, I have had the lows of getting over and moving on from an extremely long relationship as well as currently the stresses of trying to figure out new Visas for the country I am live in. To the highs of being the healthiest I have been in a long time (yeah typical breakup move), traveling a lot, going on some amazing adventures with friends and family, climbing my first mountain, and started seeing someone new (who is amazing).
I feel like the video games I played ended up reflecting this as well with my variety of gaming going from deep emotional stories to light hearted coop fun. So I thought I would do a half year check in on myself with the games I have played and talk about what I have loved, what I haven't and just ones that I am testing the waters with. Obviously some of the games I have played and reviewed here will come back up again but also some few surprises along the way including the game that is Expedition 33. Let's get to it.
Best Game I Have Played In 2025 + Best Game released in 2025 (So Far)
Split Fiction
I said in the review title itself that this is the best co-op game I have ever played and I still completely stand by that. This game is a perfect example of what a really fun development team can do when they just go balls to the wall wild with it. The story is fun and surprisingly emotional, the characters are full of life, the voice acting is spot on, and the gameplay is a masterpiece. It is a pure joy to play and I shared so many laughs with my mate while playing it. Yes you both need to be gamers to play this but that is exactly the kind of experience a gamer wants to have. A challenging, hilarious co-op experience that highlights what gaming is all about, making memories.
I had said in my review I am fairly certain this will be my game of the year and unless something unbelievably special comes along I doubt that will change. So Hazelight studio please keep that development magic, it's goddamn perfect.
Worst Game I Have Played In 2025 (So Far)
Devil May Cry 2
Like my leaderboard of games I played in 2025 I also include in older games that I have finally got around and played in 2025 in my half year check in. For that reason Devil May Cry 2 has to be the worst game I have played this year. Like I said in my review the game itself is just a mess of reused assets throughout the game mixed together with one of the most terrible storylines I have ever played through. Of course looking into the development story we know what the reason is (the same as always corporate greed) and I do feel for the development team and the masterful Mr Itsuno who managed to turn the game from an unplayable mess to something shippable within 4 months. But sadly it doesn't stop it from being just a terrible game.
I am very happy I never have to go back to it.
Worst Game Released In 2025
Honestly at the moment I don't have one..... I know that is a cop out answer but I wouldn't say any 2025 game I have played so far has beeen a complete disaster. I have games that dissapointed me a little but I wouldnt go as far as to say it's bad, I would say it is more I just dont vibe with it but it is still a great game. Maybe that will change later this year but for the moment it has been a kind of killer year for gaming.
2025 Released Game I Didn't Vibe With (So Far)
Expedition 33
Okay please don't murder me. Expedition 33 is an incredible game when it comes to story, world building, characters, voice acting, music, basically everything, and I can totally understand why so many people have already put it as their game of the year. However the one thing for me that I thought I would adore most in this game is the only thing that drives me crazy..... combat. I just can't vibe with it. I don't know why because on paper it should be exactly what I am looking for in this type of game but the reality is I really don't enjoy the quick time events and the parrying. I hate the long slow attacks from enemies just to be suddenly hit by 7 quick takes in a row, it irritates me to insane levels. I finished Bloodbourne and Elden Ring so I am used to having to retry 100s of times against bosses to learn their pattern but these guys just drive me crazy for some reason. Sadly because of this I ended up walking away from the game at the end of Act 2 and haven't really missed it since.
Like I said I know it is very much a me problem instead of the game problem and that is highlighted by the fact that so many people adore this game. I did love the story and was super invested in it with the many twists and turns and I do plan to come back to it one day, but for now it will remain installed and untouched on my Xbox.
Sorry Expedition 33 it is me not you.
Biggest Surprise Game In 2025 (So Far)
Catherine Full Body
I had been waiting to play Catherine Full Body for a long time so when I finally got around to playing it my expectations were pretty high.... and it still managed to smash them all. This game is so crazy and wild with its story that you are in danger of getting whiplash from all the sudden slap in your face plot twists that happen. I absolutely love this game, it combines an incredibly fun and crazy story with a really interesting and enjoyable puzzle game to give you a highly entertaining experience. It also doesn't overstay its welcome with you being able to complete the game within 15 hours, making it probably the shortest Atlus and Studio Zero game out there.
I have recommended this game to multiple friends now and all have had an absolute blast with it. I feel like the biggest compliment I can give is if I hadn't played Split Fiction, this would be my game of 2025. I will also say this is one that you should go in as blind as possible and just let the story grab and throw you down the rabbit hole. Trust me you wont regret it.
Best Story Game In 2025 (So Far)
1000xResist
I only reviewed this a few days ago so it might be slight recency bias (and even as I am writing this I am tempted to add Catherine instead) but I do honestly believe the storytelling in this game is an absolute masterpiece. I don't want to go too into details with this game because it is a walk sim story game meaning the story is everything. All I will say is if you love epic Sci-Fi stories or just love stories that question what makes us human as well as the fundamentals of humanity and relationships then please play this game.
You won't be disappointed.
Best Music In A Game In 2025 (So Far)
DMC1 + EA College Football 26
DMC1 because that soundtrack is absolutely killer and just fits into the vibe of the world so well. I seriously enjoyed every song they played in the game.
EA College Football 26 because of the Marching Bands. This year they put actual songs into the game meaning you get to hear the marching band version of Blinding Lights and good god does that get you hyped as fuck.
Best Voice Acting In 2025 (So Far)
Cherami Leigh - CyberPunk 2077
I still to this day don't think anyone does a better voice acting performance than Chermai Leigh as V in CyberPunk 2077. Everytime I hear her talk in the game it is just a master performance. She expresses her emotions and feelings so strongly in her voice acting that she can be breaking your heart with the pure rawness in her voice, or making you laugh with the excitement in it. She truly is a master at her craft and I honestly believe this should be seen as one of the best performances in voice acting.
I really hope to see her in more games and hopefully the new CyberPunk in the future.
Honourable mention - A Game That Helped Me
Jusant
When I played Jusant my life was a complete mess. I was figuring out what to do after the painful expierence of unexpectedly getting out of a relationship, I was scared because of the financial and personal factors that came out of it, and I obviously was just struggling for normality. Then I started playing Jusant and it gave me the breath of air I desperately needed.
The game is simple, just climb a rock. There is a powerful story relating to global warming throughout it but with no voice acting or conversations throughout the game you discover the story by letters and wall paintings. While it is a special story and I go into more detail about it in my review, what it really did for me was it helped me walk through a real life situation I didn't know what to do with. I feel like we don't credit games enough with how they can help you deal with emotional trauma or depression. I was in a pretty dark place before I played Jusant and didn't have an outlet for it so I ended up feeling like I was suffocating a bit, yet with Jusant it came an blocked out the noise for me and just let me play for an hour or two each evening and let my mind finally rest. This was especially helpful in the evening as I would struggle to sleep due to stress and to be honestly just feeling utter shit, yet I would just play a bit of Jusant and it would allow me to relax enough to actually sleep.
I owe this game a lot and while I don't think it will be on my best games list this year it did do something I would say is even more special, it helped me. So thank you Jusant.
So yeah that is my half year catch up of video games in 2025. I am having a blast playing these games and even the bad ones have managed to make me laugh. I really believe that this year has been one of the best in gaming for me, I am finally going through and playing some absolutely incredible games in my backlog as well as also getting to play some epic new releases this year. I can't wait to see what the rest of 2025 has to offer and more importantly what games will come and try and take the throne of Split Fiction.
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