At this point, I think the content/concept here is pretty clear. If you haven’t seen the other articles, start here:
Volume 1
Volume 2
51 – An emotional game
Choice: Spiritfarer
Priority: Medium
I’ve wanted to play Spiritfarer since its release. I saw a trailer for it in a showcase and was immediately interested both in the gameplay and the emotional story beats that set the game apart. It is a cozy game that is all about life and death, and I have not quite hit the perfect balance of wanting both of these together. Thus, it tends to be on this list (in this category) repeatedly.
52 – A spooky game
Choice: Dredge
Priority: Highest
I haven’t talked about this a ton, but I love fishing games, and fishing in games. I know very little about Dredge, but what I do know makes me want to play it badly – a spooky fishing game with great reviews sounds like a perfect recipe for a new obsession.
53 – A roguelike
Choice: Vampire Survivors
Priority: High
I am hoping to write an article about this game this year, because it has quickly become one of my favorite games of all time. I have it on here not because I plan to play it, but because I know it is inevitable that I will get on a kick playing this one. It is so easy to go and play a round or two!
54 – A game deep in your Xbox backlog
Choice: Slime Rancher
Priority: Medium
This is another one that has interested me since its release. I have even tried to start it, albeit half-heartedly. I’d like to finally give this game a fair shot!
55 – A point-and-click adventure game
Choice: Nancy Drew – The Creature of Kapu Cave
Priority: N/A
I have been playing through the Nancy Drew games in order. We will likely start this one over the summer, after finishing Danger By Design.
56 – A game from a franchise you love that you’ve never played
Choice: Super Mario Galaxy
Priority: High
This has been on my list for years, and I finally want to tackle it this year! I have the collection for the Switch, so I will likely play it there. I want to play Galaxy 2 as well, though it is not on this list. One backlog game at a time!
57 – A “zen” game
Choice: Power Wash Simulator
Priority: Medium
I also love this game (another article in my list of ones to write). It is super satisfying, and has a ton of charm to it. The feeling of cleaning something and transforming the object or location from dirty to clean is startlingly enjoyable.
58 – A 3D Platformer
Choice: Psychonauts
Priority: Medium
I have gotten pretty deep into this game already, and would like to finally finish it! It is a 3D platformer, and it has solid gameplay! Plus, the sequel is surprisingly highly regarded.
59 – A game known for exciting boss battles
Choice: Shadow of the Colossus
Priority: High
This has been recommended to me again and again. Perhaps this is the time for me to finally play it! I do enjoy a good boss battle, and this one is known for having very, very good battles.
60 – A game deep in your Switch backlog
Choice: Hollow Knight
Priority: Medium
This game has been recommended to me countless times by people in person and on the internet. It is known as one of the best games of its genre, and I have always wanted to dive in! However, the knowledge that it is a commitment has kept me away so far, despite the fact that I own the game on more than one platform. I have mentioned before that I am not a huge Metroidvania player, but that it is a genre I always wanted to get into. This would be a great game to try soon!
61 – A game focused more on the experience than gameplay
Choice: Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box
Priority: Highest
Surprise! Since publishing Volume 1 of this list, I have already played through Professor Layton and the Curious Village in its entirety. Spoiler alert for an upcoming article: I enjoyed it greatly. Now, I am starting Diabolical Box! Originally, the third Monkey Island game was in this category, but seeing as how the story is what drives Professor Layton games and that the gameplay is mostly puzzle solving that is external from the plot, I felt it fit well into this category.
62 – A game you remember fondly
Choice: Starcraft II
Priority: High
I went through a phase when I was younger when Starcraft II was my game. I played it all the time and loved it. Even writing this blurb makes me want to play it more and more. The feeling of building up a civilization and becoming incredibly powerful is something that I have always loved, and this game gave me that experience. As a matter of fact, I got so excited about playing the game in between the previous sentence and this one that I started the downloading process to get into this game again. I might add an RTS (real-time strategy) to this list in the future!
63 – A game to play with your SO
Choice: Wingspan
Priority: N/A
My wife and I have been logging tons of hours of Wingspan on Switch during the early days of our son’s life, both before and after he was born. We’ve tapered off a bit, but still like to sit down and play a round to relax every once in a while. I have already played this game enough for it to “count” as played on this list, and I know we will be playing it again more than once throughout the year!
64 – A game with over 50 hours of gameplay in the campaign
Choice: Metaphor – ReFantazio
Priority: High
This one is probably a pipe dream, but the reviews for Metaphor – ReFantazio are amazing and I love Atlus games, so this one is certainly on my list. I might wait for a rerelease, though, since Shin Megami Tensei V received one only 3 years after release (an infuriating practice by an otherwise amazing game company – including extra content in a full new game instead of just adding it as DLC is a bit of a slap in the face to those that purchased the game on release).
65 – A game from your childhood
Choice: Ominous Horizons
Priority: High
I just received the shock that this game is now available on Steam! As of Christmas, actually. This is an old one, definitely a Deep Cut. It is from a Christian company that is no longer making games as far as I am aware, and you play the role of a paladin seeking to defeat evil by fighting monsters and collecting scripture. It has some janky mechanics and some pretty amusing dialogue if I remember correctly, and I am looking forward to seeing how this holds up. Oddly enough, though I played this game a ton as a kid, I never beat it. This year, I am hoping to replay this game from the beginning to end!
66 – A LEGO game
Choice: LEGO DC Super-Villains
Priority: Low
This game has a star-studded cast, which makes it incredibly attractive to play. I really want to sink my teeth into this game, more than any other LEGO game (besides maybe going back to the Complete Saga). However, LEGO games are a bit of an investment in time that I currently don’t have in abundance, so we shall see!
67 – A game from a previous list that you want to prioritize
Choice: Arkham Asylum
Priority: Highest
This game and I have a checkered history. I went through nearly the entire game on my old PC, and then I needed to get something fixed my hard drive was wiped. I have trouble going back and replaying a game from the beginning when so much data was wiped out (this happened to me with Uncharted as well), so I have never gone back and finished this game! However, I did recently tackle it again and get pretty darn far. It’s time to go and finish, and if I do, dive into Arkham City!
68 – A classically good game you’ve never played
Choice: The Elder Scrolls IV – Oblivion
Priority: Medium
Skyrim is one of my favorite games of all time. It might be my favorite game. But for some reason, I have never gone back and played Oblivion, which is classically regarded as one of the best Elder Scrolls games in existence. I’d like to play through this game at some point this year! If not this year, then soon.
69 – A game that came out this year
Choice: Borderlands 4
Priority: Highest
I love the gameplay loop of Borderlands. I played through the first three – enjoyed the first one, loved the second one, really, really liked the gameplay of the third one (though I was not impressed by the story). If Borderlands 4 has the strength of 2’s antagonist/story and 3’s gameplay, we’d have a recipe for a showstopper. We’ll see, but as of now, this game is definitely on my list of games to play!
70 – A digital board game
Choice: Milton Bradley Classic Games
Priority: High
Yet another Deep Cut – this one is one that I loved when I was a kid, and would like to sink into some nostalgia again by replaying it. I will also hopefully be writing an article about this when I finish!
71 – A collection of short(er) games
Choice: Lenny Loosejocks Walkabout
Priority: High
This is another one that I might publish an article for when I go through it again, but this is a huge blast from the past for me. For those unaware, ezone.com was an old flash games website back in the era of Nitrome and Miniclip. I played a ton of games on here over and over and over again. Recently, the developers of these games decided to try and port them to Steam! So far, they have ported two of their big flash games, with a third on the way. They’re a bit pricey, but they are dripping with nostalgia for me and I am looking forward to playing this one again!
72 – A 3DS game
Choice: Phoenix Wright – Dual Destinies
Priority: 3 – Medium
After finishing Apollo Justice, I plan to continue the Phoenix Wright series with Dual Destinies, the fifth game in the series! I can’t wait to continue this franchise, and, eventually, also play Phoenix Wright vs. Professor Layton.
73 – A puzzle game
Choice: The Outer Wilds
Priority: High
This game is another longstanding game on my list – I have wanted to try this out for years now. It is a puzzle game that takes place in space and has insanely good reviews. What more could I ask for? I hope to tackle this one this year, and write a review when I finish.
74 – A game to play with your child
Choice: Super Mario Odyssey
Priority: N/A
Super Mario Odyssey is one of my favorite games of all time! I played through the entire game a few years ago (though I did not 100% it yet), and haven’t played it in quite some time. I started playing through it again while letting my son (who is only 9 months old) play with the controller a bit! Because of this, I have decided to add this category this year, as I expect to occasionally hop on with him and grab a moon.
75 – A game you started but have never finished
Choice: Persona 5
Priority: High
I’ve been playing this game for a few years now, getting back into it for a while and then dropping off again. I finally want to get back and finish it (I am very close to the end) this year, and finally move on to another Persona game! I have loved my playthrough of this – it is another game that quickly flowed to the top of my favorite games list.
Final Thoughts
And there you have it! Another set of games to play this year. Next week will be the final edition of this year’s List! Hopefully, I will be posting articles that link back to these articles from here on out.
Related Reading
The List (2025): Volume 1
A list of games I want to try and play in 2025! This is the first of a four part series, with categories and games to match each one.
The List (2025): Volume 2
I continue my list of games-to-play in 2025 with The List: Volume II!
The List (2025): Volume 4
The finale of my articles on The List (2025)! Look out for multiple articles on these games throughout the year.
A Thinker in Space 
Leave a reply to Stephen Van Ness Cancel reply