"Another year has come and gone, another trip around our sun completed. For the video game industry, it was a strange and turbulent one - layoffs, studio closures, companies being bought and sold. But at least we got some great games out of it, right? As always, the end of the year brings with it the inevitable flood of "Best Games of the Year" articles. I wanted to do something a little different."
"Before I start listing off the games I played and want to chat about, let's tackle a few of the obvious absences. The first is the mighty Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, winner of every award known to mankind and several that aren't. As a Scotsman, the extreme Frenchness of the game is already a difficult hurdle to overcome. But that flaw aside (I'm joking, obviously. Or am I?), I did fire up Expedition 33 on Game Pass and played for about an hour."
The video game industry experienced layoffs, studio closures, and acquisitions while still delivering notable releases. End-of-year lists proliferated, but certain games stood out for varied reasons including quality, frustration, and personal resonance. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 accumulated many awards yet received only about an hour of playtime before being set aside, with plans to revisit in 2026. No strong hype emerged for Hades 2 despite Hades being a favorite, though there is an expectation of enjoyment when it is eventually played. Several Game Awards nominees were not played, and other paths were explored instead.
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