Top 5 Anticipated Video Games

5. Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2

Now this one is on the list more because I should try the first. The game sounds interesting because of how open world it is and how you can go in a lot of different directions. You don’t need to lean into the combat, from what I can tell, but is part of the game and the setting. And it’s a middle ages set game but without it being a fantasy setting, if I’m remembering correctly. So I like the sounds of that as something different because I don’t need more fantasy games all the time (though I’d take another D&D game by Larian) so I’m curious about this one and I want to look more into these video games.

4. Civilization 7

Honestly, I don’t know how I haven’t played any modern civ style games. I played Alpha Centauri back in the day. And I think I had an old Civ game, though which one it was, I don’t remember, I know it would have been around the Alpha Centauri time so not recently. I suspect that I would enjoy this style of game. And I want to expand what I play a bit more, especially because a game like this isn’t going to be all action adventure. I like a game that is going to give me good planning. So Civilization 7 is one that I should try for sure.

3. Avowed

This one is set in the Pillars of Eternity world. And I have heard good things about Pillars of Eternity. To me, it feels like this game might scratch that heavily RPG game. Yes, I expect there is going to be combat. I expect combat in every RPG game. But I also feel like, from what I’ve read, it’s going to have more diversity in what you do. So Avowed is very high on the video games that I’m anticipating and I hope are good. Like I said, at the beginning, I will be playing a lot of BG3. But when I want something that might scratch that same itch, Avowed is the one that I’m looking towards.

2. Lost Records: Bloom and Rage

This is going to be in the style of a game I love and never want to play again. Life is Strange is an amazing game, and Lost Records: Bloom and Rage is supposed to be in that style. And I like the sounds of the story. You play as a group of teenagers in 1995 filming their summer. Then you also need to deal with the ramifications in the future.

I expect this is going to be a game that is going to hurt me as I play it. But I like the sounds of the story. I like the style of game. And it is one that I could certainly see sitting down and playing, especially if it isn’t too long. I just hope that it won’t be as soul crushing as Life is Strange.

1. Slay the Spire 2

Duh, this is going to be the top game on my list. I haven’t looked into it much. But let’s be fair. I love Slay the Spire. I love the Slay the Spire board game. And I expect that this is going to be more of what I love. If it is a rogue like deck building game with another twist, something maybe just slightly different but as easy to get into, I’m going to be extremely excited. Should I look more into this one or should I just be surprised when Slay the Spire 2 comes out.

PS. I did look into it.

Final Thoughts

No real surprise for the top of that list. But let me know what video games you are looking forward to most in 2025? I know that there are a ton of games coming out. And I know there are a wide variety of titles and styles of games coming out. I didn’t put on a shoot’em up game that I likely will get with Borderlands 4, but that is certainly one that might be added to my collection for couch coop. But I think I am more excited about the other games, right now anyways.

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Locke & Key follows a family who is moving back into the families home after tragedy has struck them. Rendell, their father, has passed away so Nina picks up and takes the kids from Seattle to Mattheson, Massachusetts. None of the kids, except the youngest, Bode, are excited to be there. But when Bode hears a voice in the well house talking back to him when he makes his voice echo, it’s clear that this isn’t a normal house. Soon Tyler and Kinsey are drawn into the crazy world that the house holds with many magical keys and Echo, the voice from the well who has gotten out. What does Echo want and why can’t their mother, Nina, remember anything about the keys?

Let me quickly give my thoughts on the show and then I’ll go into more depth. There might be some spoilers later on, but I’m going to try and keep them to a minimum. I really liked this show, even though it isn’t as dark and horrific as the first trade paperback, there’s definitely a very interesting and creepy story behind it. And that was enough for me, plus Joe Hill did the work on it to keep it in the spirit of the books, but not have to go fully dark. However, because of that it has much more of a YA feel to it, so if you’re a huge fan of the comics, know that before you jump in. There are a few things that stand out to me for the show.

The first thing is the acting. Most of the time, you have a cast that is mainly teen age (though teen in acting can be early 20’s) or kid actors, the acting will end up being suspect. However, in Locke & Key they do an amazing job. The actor who plays Bode, Jackson Robert Scott, does a great job. Bode is supposed to be a wide eyed 8-10 year old in the show, and you can really see that in the acting. He does a very good job of portraying an innocence and sincerity to his acting. And I won’t go into it a ton with the other actors, but the actors portraying Kinsey and Tyler, Emilia Jones and Connor Jessup respectively, do really good work as well. There are shifts in their acting as you get to see more of their character and as their characters change that are really well done. Even the adult acting is well done and it doesn’t just feel like so many YA stories where there’s a group of teens and no adults believe them and then the adults are wrong.

Another thing is that while this leans into horror tropes and supernatural elements that could seem cliche, it does a good job of keeping them different. When we were watching through it, it felt to Kristen and myself like several things we’ve seen or played before, Haven, Life is Strange, Oxenfree, and more, but it still felt unique. The element of the keys and how they work is really well done. And you can see where Joe Hill is borrowing form the work that his father has done before, but in a very respectful and well done way. I got numerous callbacks to IT in the show, and I appreciated that. It’s really that none of the tropes it used felt out of place or felt like they were forced in there because it’s horror or anything like that, it just flowed naturally.

Let’s talk a bit more about the story before I wrap up here. Like I said, the story is not going to be as heavily horror focused, which I’m fine with. While I love some good horror, there’s something whimsical about the keys that lends itself not just to horror but to this more fantastical element as well, and the show leans into that some more. As things unfold, there is definitely more horror and violence, but there’s also a sense of fantasy or magic to the story. Like I said previously as well, it doesn’t fall into the storytelling tropes of YA where the kids are smart and the adults are dumb and don’t believe the kids. It avoids some of that by a nifty plot device that they explain but also by just having the kids do their own thing. They use the grief of Rendell’s death and Nina’s reaction to it to drive some of why Kinsey and Tyler don’t bring as much to her as well, which I think is well done. And Bode is just too Bode to think about that.

So, I’ve said that I like the show, but would I recommend it to everyone? I’d lean towards no. It still has horror elements, so some people aren’t going to love that as much. Kristen actually stopped watching part ways through episode one because of some of the creepy stuff that was going on. But in the middle of the season, it hit more of that fantasy and whimsy, so I stopped and we rewatched it because I knew that she’d like it. So there’s definitely a piece where if people aren’t horror fans they’ll enjoy it as well, and like myself, Kristen and I are waiting for, hoping for, a second season to come out. Definitely an interesting show and if the trailer seems interesting, they do a good job and it’s worth checking out.

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1 Dragon Age
I’m assuming this was my previous #1, and I mean the first two, not Dragon Age Inquisition. The third one is just too open world and there’s something about the point of view that is slightly motion sickness inducing for myself. The first two are a lot of fun though, I like the character progression, I like the random conversations that happen, and I like how you can effect the story but the story is still tightly written and you don’t wander around with nothing to do.

2 Borderlands 1, 2, Pre-Sequel
I really considered this for #1 as well. I’m generally not a shoot-em-up fan but Borderlands does a good job of having a fun enough story and the art work in the game is just amazing. The game doesn’t take itself seriously, and the skill trees that you unlock make it feel like an RPG while having a more tightly directed story than most RPG’s do. Overall it’s just a lot of good and silly fun with a great smack talking robot.

3 Myst/Riven/Return to Zork/Labyrinth of Time
This was on last years list as well as a huge group. These classic games from the 90’s were all about solving absurd puzzles. Some of them have more story than others, but most of them had the basic premise. You are dropped into this crazy world and you have no idea what is going on or where you are, now figure out how to get out of there. I just like a game that really stretches your brain, and I might have to go back and play some of them as I do own a couple of them, Myst and Riven on Steam. Too many things to do, and too little time.

4 Tales from the Borderlands
I didn’t include this with Borderlands, because Tales from the Borderlands is a 100% different game. It’s basically a choice making game where you watch a story unfold and then as you hit certain points your story can branch out into other areas and go different ways. It has a mechanic that I really love that Oxenfree and Life is Strange does as well, where it shows you your choice versus the choices of other people, so you can see how you differ and can start to see how that shapes your game. And it keeps the humor of Borderlands and the story feels like Borderlands, you just aren’t shooting everything.

5 Heroes of Might and Magic
This is another game that I think I could just sit back down and play. There is something about turn based games that I really like, and while Alpha Centauri is off the list this year, Heroes of Might and Magic stays strong. The combination of troops you can have, and building up your forces and spreading out in what is basically an area control game is a lot of fun. It helps having memories of massive games of it in college with a couple of roommates.

Of course, there are going to be some honorable mentions as well. One that won’t make that list that I’ve already mentioned is Life is Strange. While Life is Strange is an amazingly well done game, it’s very tough to play through because of the heavy subject matter. There is depth in that game that makes is an addictive and tough experience to play, and while it was thought provoking

Honorable Mention:
Jazz Jackrabbit
Chip’s Adventure
Super Mario Bros
Alpha Centauri
1942

What are some of your favorite video games? Are there any that you think would match the type of games that I like?

Kristen and I played through this game in two days, which doesn’t seem like it would have a ton of content to it, but it would hard to play that game any longer. When I say it is like Veronica Mars, I mean it’s very like Veronica Mars, you are a high school student, Max, who finds out that things at her school aren’t quite as normal as had thought. When she witnesses a murder, she learns that she has the ability to turn back time and rewind and do things differently. That is where the decision making comes in, sometimes you can choose to rewind a decision or action that allows you to progress forward, and sometimes it is a decision that you have two different choices and you can play through both for their immediate aftermath and see what happens. This really allows you to tailor Max into the character you want her to be.

The story is very intense, so I would recommend playing it with someone, Kristen and I had plenty to talk about with it as it touches on a number of issues that don’t show up often in video games or at least that aren’t handled well. In this case they handle the sensitive issues with a great deal of respect and rarely misstep treating issues with the respect that they deserve. The couple of cases where they do are very jarring because of how well they handle everything else. The only other slight criticism of this game that I would have is that they take away some choices that they really should give you and it feels a bit like you are railroaded through a scene. In my case, my version of Max was a timid and compassionate and there is a scene where she gets handed a gun, and there was no way for me to decline that even though it didn’t make sense with how I played her. But for the most part you don’t even notice that in the story as they handled it so well. Like I said about them handling most things tactfully, when you don’t get a choice, ,it is jarring.

Overall this is an engrossing game and a very heavy game. Even though it is tough and difficult with the decisions that you have to make, and even though it’s fairly linear in terms of that the story will always have the same major plot points and twists and turns, it is a game that you can play more than once. I would say that it is a game that I won’t play again often, but there are different choices that you can always make, and for that reason I’ll want to play it again sometime. This is a game for gamers and non-gamers alike, and is on a variety of platforms. It’s also only the first season, though the second season won’t have the same characters, so the development company says, but it should still be interesting if they keep it the same style of story.

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