1. Expedition 33

I have nothing new or exciting to say about this game, but I will share what hooked me: the cutscene that capped the prologue was basically the video game equivalent of the opening to Saving Private Ryan.

I was hooked by the game's audacity and it just never let up from there.

2. Silksong

A sequel to one of my all time faves is unsurprisingly, now an all time fave. It somehow found a way to ride that line between annoying Souls shit and breathtaking combat & platforming.

It's not for everyone and it gets a little long in the tooth, but it was great til the end.

3. Death Stranding 2

The first was my GOTY and this one is even better. My father died during my playthrough and this game was an escape for me... A place that I could just drive around, build some roads, and zone out for awhile.

The final 20 minutes are pure Kojima insanity & we need more of that

4. Donkey Kong Bonanza

Do we still say "killer app" anymore?

This is that for the new Switch and it's 1000% pure joy, might end up on the mount Rushmore of 1st party non-Mario games.

I went back and cleaned up the final endgame stuff last night and it took 2 seconds to sink right back in.

5. Avowed

This was my GOTY when I finished it and it will go down as a top 10 RPG of all time for me.

It's the best Western-style RPG I've played since Witcher 3. It's what any new Bioshock and Elder Scrolls will be measured against. I can't speak more positively about this game, it was remarkable

6. Blue Prince

I gotta be honest, I almost quit this shit. And I love puzzle games... Must and The Witness are two of my all time faves, regardless of genre or not.

But it just wasn't clicking for me.. Until it did and then it's all I could think of. I was taking notes, texting friends... Loved it

7. Tony Hawk 3+4

The day this came out, I sat glued to my couch for about 4+ hours. The combos just came back to me like they never left.

I've often said that GTA and Tony Hawk are my favorite "zen" franchises where I just zone the fuck out and have fun. This two-pack kept the zen going all year.

8. Ghost of Yotei

Better than the first in every conceivable way. Dragged a bit toward the end but so much to do, so much to kill, and it is the only game ive played that made me say "Hmm, should I buy a PS5 Pro?"

I didn't. Yotei is stellar, maybe a top 5 game of the console.

9. Mario Kart World Tour

Divisive game, this one. As a solo player, I finally felt like an MK game was for me. The open world was chock full of things to do that all tested my driving and handling skills.

The maps are great and I know that the purists disagree but this is my favorite since SNES.

10. Keep Driving

I had heard good things & decided to give a whirl on a random weekend. Ended up legit shedding a tear at the end of my single playthrough.

My story ended up being one about traveling to a music festival, but the beats along the way, the light exploration, and the dialogue worked.

Following @atrupar.com at least breaks it into chunks like a giant log of shit you have to scoop up

He should just get it over with and go by Earthworm Jim.

Loved this game for a while, it was my go-to mobile experience.

After a few weeks, it felt like I hit a ceiling that I couldn't tell if skill or luck was going to help me break through, and ultimately dropped off.