The List (2025): Volume 4

This is the final article of The List – I am looking forward to incorporating this list into some of my reviews/articles this year! I will tag them with a (The List) with a number, just like I do with Underrated Games, when they are part of this series.

If you do not know what is going on here, you can read:

Volume 1

Volume 2

Volume 3

76 – A handheld game

Choice: Phoenix Wright vs. Professor Layton

Priority: Medium

Now that I have played through a Phoenix Wright game and am working on another, I am looking forward to diving into this one! I have been fascinated by this licensed crossover since its release, but did not play it due to a lack of familiarity with Layton. I am hoping to tackle this one soon!

77 – An indie game

Choice: Night in the Woods

Priority: High

I played quite a bit of this game, and really enjoyed my experience with it. You play as an anthropomorphic cat living in a world of animals similar to ours, and the story deals with a lot of deep and meaningful themes about growing up. I’ve been meaning to return for quite some time, and am looking forward to finally diving back in.

78 – A game set in the future

Choice: The Outer Worlds

Priority: High

The Outer Worlds grabbed me immediately with an incredibly clever release trailer. The sense of humor in this game was noticeable from the start, and it has made me invested in playing it for quite some time now. For some reason, though, I have never actually gotten around to playing it. It has found its way onto this list on multiple occasions because of this, and it returns for another round this year!

79 – A retro-style game

Choice: Dead Cells

Priority: Medium

Dead Cells sounds amazing – it looks like a very, very fun game. However, it has two elements that gatekeep me from playing it a bit. First, it is a roguelike, and I am hit-or-miss on this formula already. Second, it is a Metroidvania (I’ve talked a bit about my experience with this genre on previous lists). All that being said, I do want to give this one a fair chance, and am hoping that I will thoroughly enjoy playing it!

80 – A high-quality mobile game

Choice: Polytopia

Priority: High

I love Polytopia for the same reasons I love Civilization VI and other games of this genre. The feeling of building from nothing into a massive, sweeping empire is exciting and invigorating, and I get deeply invested in this style of gameplay. Polytopia is great for a short stint to scratch that itch, as it has a ton of content and has noticeably shorter game lengths than something like Civilization. This is great for waiting (specifically in line for things, if you go to amusement parks like I do!), and I have already played this one enough this year to check it off this list.

81 – A game based off a movie

Choice: Toy Story 3

Priority: High

When I was younger, one of the games I played the most was the video game based off the film Toy Story 2. I played through this game recently and wrote a Deep Cuts article on it. It was a blast to play through, and I enjoyed looking back at some nostalgia from deep within my childhood. Toy Story 3 also had a video game adaptation that earned significant critical praise that I never played! This is another one that has been on my list forever, and I am hoping to give it a whirl this year.

82 – A sims-like game

Choice: Cult of the Lamb

Priority: High

This is an odd one. When this was released, I was curious, and it received a ton of great reviews and feedback, putting it on my radar. I know very little about it, but want to try out out regardless!

83- A PS1 game

Choice: Monsters Inc – Scream Team

Priority: Medium

Monsters Inc. Scream Team is another blast from the past, one that will definitely get a Deep Cuts article once I have finished playing through it. I have started replaying it, but this one might be a rose-colored glasses situation. Opinion: TBD! I look forward to finishing this game and getting an article out about it.

84 – A tycoon

Choice: Planet Zoo

Priority: High

I love Planet Coaster. I think it did an excellent job revitalizing the RollerCoaster Tycoon formula in an era where Atari seems to have abandoned their once well-selling franchise. Since then, I have been very invested in trying Planet Zoo. My problem… I have simply been out of the tycooning mood. If it strikes, I will try and get this one up while the iron is hot and start building my own zoo. We shall see!

85 – A game you know very little about (besides the title)

Choice: Jenny LeClu, Detectivu

Priority: High

This is another game that I know very little about. It was on sale for cheap, had good reviews, and looked charming. So I snagged it, and it has been sitting in my backlog ever since. I will likely write an article about this when I play it eventually, as I enjoy writing articles about good games that are not as well-known! (i.e. my Underrated Games series).

86 – A game deep in your PS5 backlog

Choice: BioShock

Priority: High

We’ve had a couple of these in this article – games that I know very little about. I somehow have been able to avoid spoilers for gameplay and content about this franchise, and I would very much like to give it a blind whirl, as I know it is widely regarded as an incredible series.

87 – A game with water as a prominent feature

Choice: Subnautica

Priority: Medium

Based on some of my favorite games, Subnautica has been recommended to me multiple times! I love sandbox-y games like No Man’s Sky, Minecraft, Terraria, etc, and this game has some similarities to them, apparently. Maybe this year!

88 – A game with under 3 hours of gameplay

Choice: What Remains of Edith Finch

Priority: High

Yet another game I have stayed away from spoilers for – What Remains of Edith Finch has a massive following, and incredible reviews. I’ve wanted to play it for years! I know that the game is pretty short story-wise, but other than that I know almost nothing about it.

89 – A Nancy Drew Game

Choice: Nancy Drew – The White Wolf of Icicle Creek

Priority: N/A

Nancy Drew games are a lot of fun – they are point-and-click adventure games with a lot of charm and pretty solid puzzles. They vary from being very good to being very mid, though I don’t think there are anything that are truly abysmal (though one in particular stands out as being pretty bad – more on that in another article). I’ve talked about playing Nancy Drew games before on this list, and we tend to get through 2-4 each summer. We’ll see if we get here this time!

90 – A game with a card-based element

Choice: Balatro

Priority: Medium

I’ve talked about Balatro before, including writing an article about it very early in its release window. This is a game I keep coming back to for another round, and I have already played it enough this month to check it off the list (though I am sure I will be playing it more during the course of the year!).

91 – An open-world game

Choice: Red Dead Redemption

Priority: Medium

Red Dead Redemption and its sequel are highly regarded and reviewed, and I have always wanted to play them. I own both, and though I was initially going to start off just by playing RDR2 because of how well it was received, I have since decided to travel back and play through RDR first. Of course, this is always subject to change!

92 – A game at the bottom of your backlog

Choice: The Secret Order – Shadow Breach

Priority: Medium

This is one of many, many hidden object games out there with narrative backdrops. I have a fondness for these types of games, and know literally nothing about this one besides its genre. They’re a bit of a dime-a-dozen genre, so I have no idea whether or not it will be good!

93 – A JRPG

Choice: Pokemon Black 2 (Genlock)

Priority: Highest

The next leg in my randomizer Genlock (I talked about this previously when discussing Pokemon White, which I am playing now). I might do an article about my ruleset and how my experience was once I finish playing through all the way till UltraSun!

94 – A game that came out in your birth decade

Choice: Star Wars – Dark Forces

Priority: Highest

I played through a majority of Dark Forces many years ago – this is a Star Wars Doom clone that is quite well-done. I enjoyed it greatly – I love the old-fashioned Doom-style shooter (including, well, Doom) and I want to go back and replay this, perhaps trying the newly released remaster.

95 – A game you have started that you need to finish

Choice: Five Nights at Freddy’s – Security Breach

Priority: High

Security Breach does not have the best reputation among Five Nights at Freddy’s fans. This franchise and I have an interesting relationship. While I am definitely not a die-hard fan, back in college my roommate and I often would find free horror games and try them out. We found some good ones, some terrible ones, and everything in between. Because of this, we ended up playing Five Nights at Freddy’s very soon after its release. This was a highlight for us – we really enjoyed the gameplay. Games that nailed the horror feel without gratuitous violence were always our favorites, and we felt this one hit the nail on the head. Because of that, we kept up with the franchise as games released, playing 2 and 3 pretty much at release, and 4 a bit later. We stopped after 4, as we weren’t thrilled with the mechanics and felt like the methods of winning were way more obtuse than necessary to figure out.

I played Security Breach close to release and actually really enjoyed it, despite the negative reviews the game is now swamped with. After the dust settled, I agree with most of the criticisms, but it had some genuinely difficult and truly nerve-wracking sequences (the ball pit/kiddie area being the highlight of the game for me). Despite this, I never actually finished the game (a chronic problem if you haven’t noticed yet from this list). I’d love to go back and finish this game!

96 – A game from a genre you don’t traditionally play

Choice: Pizza Tower

Priority: High

I usually put a Call of Duty game in this slot, and then subsequently do not play that Call of Duty game, because I’m not a big FPS player (I think there’s only one or two on this entire list, actually). This year, I opted for a game that is high on my to-play list, Pizza Tower. I first heard of this game last year, and tried it out, enjoying its manic, madcap style. It’s another 2D Platformer (not sure if it falls into the Metroidvania category or not), and I have a tendency to while not actively avoid these games at least not play them often. So it fits the category well.

97 – A VR game

Choice: Walkabout Golf

Priority: Highest

I have already reviewed this game in my Underrated Games series. It is another of my favorites of all time, and I expect that I will be writing more articles about it the future. I will always find opportunities to gush about this game, because it does so much with so little and keeps its pricing incredibly reasonable. I have already gotten hours of playtime out of this game, and expect to get hours and hours upon playtime since. It would have been 100% worth it to buy a headset just for this game for me, and I don’t say that lightly.

98 – A level-by-level game

Choice: A Little to the Left

Priority: High

This game is overdue for a review from me, but I’d like to get a bit deeper before writing about it fully. I love A Little to the Left. This is a cozy puzzler that is all about straightening, cleaning up, and organizing – the level design is enjoyable, and the game is satisfying in a similar way to PowerWash Simulator. I would recommend this one to anyone who would enjoy this type of feel in a game, and I look forward to continuing it.

99 – A game with an excellent soundtrack

Choice: God of War

Priority: Medium

God of War (2018) is a reach game for this list. I don’t think I’m getting there this year. But it returns because it is so well-regarded as an excellent game, and I would very much like to dive into it. However, it is a long game with a ton of content, and I have so many other ones on this list that this one takes lower priority under things like…

100 – A game known for excellent storytelling

Choice: Baldur’s Gate 3

Priority: Highest

Baldur’s Gate 3 is heralded as one of the best games ever made, for good reason. An intricate and well-developed story, excellent characters, and solid gameplay set this game apart from others of its genre, and creates a new standard for games in the future. I was very invested in this game throughout its release window, but was nervous due to its heavy focus on M-rated content. Learning that you could turn off some of that content made me instantly interested in purchasing it, and I played quite a few hours of the campaign before I tapered off. I’m planning to return this year, and looking forward to hours of excellent story and top-notch tactical gaming.

Final Thoughts

And there you have it! That is this year’s list. I am hoping to play and write articles on quite a few of these games throughout the year, using “The List” as a tag for them. Here is once again a copy of the list (with no games attached to the categories) if you would like to do this yourself!

The List – Blank

I thought it would be fun to run some stats here on the games I have chosen to play!

Of the games on this list:

Only 35 are games I have never played
I have started but not played much of 15 games
I have played 12 games substantially, but quit after a few hours
I have gotten close to the end of 15 of these games, but have never beaten them
I have already fully played/beaten 23 of these games in the past

In addition:

13 are games from my childhood that I want to replay.
Only 2 are labeled as Low Priority
34 are Medium Priority
41 are High Priority
18 are Highest Priority

And there you have it! My first article attached to this list should be out next month, as I am currently reviewing Professor Layton and the Curious Village. Looking forward to a great year of gaming!