This top 20 list highlights games that are fantastic to revisit in 2025 due to various external factors or simply their enduring quality. Some choices are driven by upcoming sequels, remasters, or specific fan projects that enhance the original experience. Other games are celebrated for their unique gameplay, replayability, or significant impact on their respective genres, making them compelling choices for new and returning players alike.
20. Dishonored #
- Gameplay Freedom: Allows for both stealthy ghost play or aggressive, all-out combat.
- Dynamic World: Player choices (violent vs. non-violent) impact the world of Dunwall (plague, patrols, ending).
- Replayability: Encourages multiple playthroughs to experience different styles and outcomes.
- Criticisms Acknowledged: Addresses complaints about the morality system and the utility of certain stealth powers.
- Overall Appeal: Praised as a great stealth game despite minor flaws.
19. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt #
- Timeliness: Perfect to revisit in 2025 before the release of The Witcher 4.
- Massive & Polished: Orders of magnitude bigger and more polished than its predecessor, especially after updates and DLC.
- Rich Open World: Features one of the best open worlds with deep and personal stories.
- Atmosphere: Praised for its characters, dark fantasy vibe, and uniquely cozy yet ominous world.
- Combat: Acknowledges that combat can take getting used to but has a unique rhythm that some enjoy.
- Outstanding DLC: "Heart of Stone" offers an interesting story, and "Blood and Wine" is a massive, must-play expansion.
- Overall Achievement: Deemed a remarkable game, setting a high bar for future entries.
18. Sleeping Dogs #
- Context: A "Grand Theft Auto" competitor from a decade ago, revisited with GTA 6 on the horizon.
- Unique Premise: Protagonist is an undercover cop, adding tension to the story.
- Hong Kong Setting: Leads to a focus on hand-to-hand combat, utilizing an "Arkham Asylum"-inspired system.
- Polished Gameplay: Combat is simple, satisfying, violent, and reactive to the environment.
- Developer Improvement: A significant step up for the developers from the "True Crime" games.
- Unrealized Potential: Lamented that more "Sleeping Dogs" or "True Crime" games were not made.
17. Max Payne 3 #
- Tribute: Revisit in honor of the late James McCaffrey.
- Common Criticisms: Acknowledges complaints about frequent unskippable cutscenes and it feeling less like a traditional "Max Payne" game.
- Action Game Excellence: Still considered one of the all-time great action games.
- Rockstar's Experimental Era: Represents a time when Rockstar was more experimental with cinematic games.
- Divisive Elements: Addresses the intentional disorienting visual style and the "fat, bald Max."
- Third-Person Shooting: Fantastic, heavy, with great destructibility and level design.
- Soundtrack: The Health soundtrack is an "all-time great" and perfectly matches the game's tone.
- Unique Footnote: A rare example of a franchise changing hands and still succeeding.
16. Far Cry Primal #
- Underrated Status: Advocated as the most underrated "Far Cry" game.
- Unique Setting: Set in prehistoric times with no English, utilizing a proto-dialect.
- Realism Attempt: Tries to be historically accurate with no dinosaurs, limiting weapons to primitive tools.
- Daring Direction: A "wild direction" for the series, praised for its uniqueness.
- Reused Map: Acknowledges the map reuses elements from "Far Cry 4" but is significantly altered.
- Core Far Cry Elements: Focuses on hunting, outposts, and crafting, with less intrusive story and linear progression.
- Elemental Experience: Offers a simple, raw experience that might appeal even to those who prefer modern weaponry.
15. BioShock Infinite #
- Divisive & Discussed: Still a highly discussed and divisive title, with strong opinions on its story.
- Enduring Value: Maintains staying power in gaming conversation due to its unique qualities.
- Artistic Achievement: The floating city of Columbia and the skyrails are hailed as artistic achievements.
- Compromised Design: Acknowledged as more linear and a traditional FPS compared to the original BioShock, with skyrails often confined to small arenas.
- Creative Achievement: Praised as a "true weird creative achievement" despite its flaws.
- Comparison to Original: Does not live up to the original BioShock but is still a "really cool interesting game."
14. Crysis #
- Historic PC Benchmark: Formerly the go-to game for testing PC power ("Can it run Crysis?").
- Gameplay Beyond Graphics: While visuals have been surpassed, the gameplay (satisfying nanosuit powers, excellent shooting) stood out.
- Semi-Open World: Features large, semi-open environments for exploration and objective completion.
- Nanosuit Mechanics: Player is squishy but powerful with suit abilities (invisibility, armor, speed, strength), requiring careful energy management.
- Enemy Encounters: The balance of vulnerability and power makes every encounter satisfying.
- Gun Customization: Pioneer in on-the-fly attachment swapping.
- Short & Sweet: Described as "too short" and ending just as it gets interesting, but a "hell of a ride."
13. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion #
- Rethinking Reputation: A call to re-evaluate the game, moving past initial comparisons to "Morrowind" and critiques of Oblivion Gates and level scaling.
- Unique Charms: Praised for its many excellent and creative quests (Dark Brotherhood, Thieves Guild, painting mission).
- Focused Experience: Streamlined design means less "screwing around" and more direct engagement with good content.
- Remastered Visuals: The 2025 remake is mentioned to fix original problems and offer beautiful, albeit desaturated, visuals.
- Fairytale Fantasy: Contrasted with "Morrowind" (weird/sci-fi) and "Skyrim" (gritty), "Oblivion" is seen as a classic fairytale fantasy.
- Timeless Appeal: Worth revisiting for both old fans and new players.
12. Half-Life 2 #
- Half-Life 3 Rumors: Replaying is suggested as a more productive activity than fueling HLF3 hype.
- Ray Tracing: Option to experience the game "in a whole new way" with ray tracing.
- Perfect Pacing & Innovation: Perfectly paced with clever ideas and "creative little gimmicks."
- Experimental FPS: Stands out as distinct for its experimental nature within the FPS genre.
- Gravity Gun: The "biggest and best" innovation, highly satisfying to use.
- Classic Gameplay: Fun guns, awesome Combine enemies, freakier headcrabs.
- Minor Flaws: Acknowledges criticisms of vehicle sections and some long story segments.
- Legendary Status: An "all-time classic" that "needs to be revisited."
11. Dying Light #
- Zombie Apex: Deemed the best in the franchise and superior to "Dead Island" and "Dying Light 2."
- Genre Blend: Combines elements of "Mirror's Edge," "Dead Rising," and "Far Cry."
- Exhilarating Parkour: Freely navigating the zombie-infested city is a highlight.
- Combat: Satisfying and in-depth hand-to-hand combat, using environmental hazards.
- Guns: While the weakest mechanic, their presence is appreciated for mixing things up.
- Night Sections: Mechanics that create tension and encourage stealth/running due to dangerous "volatiles."
- Upcoming Sequel: "The Beast" makes now a perfect time to revisit.
- Story as Excuse: Story is secondary to the "cool fun video game zombie stuff."
10. Star Wars Battlefront II (2017) #
- Redemption Arc: Overcame a poor launch reputation (loot box controversy) to become an "excellent Star Wars sandbox."
- Renewed Popularity: Player counts surged due to "Star Wars" events and "Andor" TV show.
- Varied & Accessible: Offers many different ways to play, with an arcade-like feel.
- Community: Less hostile and toxic than other multiplayer games, focusing on fun and living out "Star Wars" fantasies.
- Post-Loot Box Experience: The removal of loot boxes transformed it into an "incredible experience."
9. Sonic Unleashed #
- Flaws Acknowledged: A "hot and cold" game with incredible daytime stages but frustrating "werehog" nighttime levels.
- Fan Project Catalyst: Revisited due to the "Unleashed Recompiled" fan project (unofficial PC port).
- Technical Improvements: Fan project fixes frame rate, resolution, controls, and load times, making werehog levels "less annoying."
- Enhanced Sonic Levels: The "actual highlight" (Sonic stages) are "more spectacular than ever."
- Permission: Sega typically allows such fan projects.
8. Gears of War 2 #
- Remake Desire: While the first Gears is getting a remake, it's argued that the sequel deserves one more.
- Superior Sequel: "So much better overall," especially the "nonstop action" and emotional campaign.
- Co-op Excellence: One of the best co-op games ever.
- Pacing & Variety: Perfect pacing, awesome levels and sequences, constantly mixing things up.
- Multiplayer: Many considered its multiplayer to be the best in the series.
- Only Negative: Underwhelming final boss.
7. The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay (Assault on Dark Athena version) #
- Resurgent Interest: Multiple content creators are making retrospectives, highlighting its quality.
- "Escape from Butcher Bay" Focus: While "Dark Athena" is a bonus, "Butcher Bay" is the true star.
- Prison Break Narrative: Features multiple prison breaks, enhancing the sense of agency.
- "Predator" Gameplay: Makes the player feel like a predator, using stealth, melee, and firearms.
- Mixed Gameplay: Constantly mixes sneaking, firefights, exploration, side quests, and even a fighting tournament.
- Atmosphere: Awesome, oppressive setting with a "cool" and "edgiest badass in the galaxy" protagonist.
- Product of its Time: Acknowledges its 2000s feel but advises against letting that deter new players.
6. Mass Effect Trilogy #
- BioWare's Future: Revisited amid uncertainty about the future of BioWare and "Mass Effect 4."
- Legendary Status: Despite inconsistencies and a divisive ending, the trilogy is "legendary for a reason."
- Individual Game Qualities:
- ME1: Janky classic.
- ME2: Best all-around, even with RPG dumbing down.
- ME3: All over the place but with great combat and emotional payoffs.
- World-Building: Praised for its world, planets, alien races, characters, voice acting, music, and tactical combat.
5. Call of Duty: Black Ops II #
- Black Ops 7 Context: Timely revisit due to "Black Ops 7" returning to the world and characters of BO1/BO2.
- Fantastic Campaign: The only COD game to fully embrace a "choose your own adventure" route.
- Intriguing Villain Interaction: Player choices can dismantle the bad guy's (Raul Menendez) schemes, making it highly satisfying.
- Memorable & Fun: One of the most memorable and fun campaigns in the series.
- Near-Future Setting: The game's setting is interesting on its own.
- Embracing Old School: Appreciates that future COD games are looking back at the "old school vibe."
4. Transformers: Fall of Cybertron #
- Franchise Hiatus: Revisited due to a lack of new Transformers movies or games.
- Superior Game: Both High Moon Cybertron games are great, but "Fall" is a step up in control, variety, and visuals.
- Availability Issues: Unfortunately delisted digitally, requiring physical copies or alternative PC methods.
- Excellent Multiplayer: Shockingly great Team Deathmatch and Horde modes that perfectly served the game.
- Campaign Quality: Despite multiplayer unavailability, the campaign remains "still very good."
- Remaster Wish: Deserves an updated remaster.
3. Doom (2016) #
- 10-Year Anniversary: Nearing the 10-year anniversary mark.
- Reboot & Revelation: Initially unexpected to be good, it became an "all timer," rebooting the franchise for a modern era.
- Humble vs. Sequels: More humble and less flashy than its sequels, focusing on the core "Doom guy killing demons" loop.
- Revolutionary Impact: Revolutionary for bringing back classic FPS elements (health packs, key cards, secrets) when other developers were mimicking Call of Duty.
- Refreshing Simplicity: The purity of the gameplay, with simple objectives and amusing cutscenes, is refreshing compared to "Eternal" and "Dark Ages."
2. Hitman (World of Assassination Trilogy) #
- James Bond Game Tie-in: Revisited in honor of the new IO Interactive James Bond game.
- Evolved Franchise: "World Of Assassination" trilogy brought the series to its "final form" as assassination playgrounds.
- Option-Rich & Replayable: Focuses on giving players many options and opportunities for creative assassinations, boosting replayability.
- Massive Levels: Features massive, detailed, multi-dimensional levels.
- Creative Kills: Many creative and "morbidly satisfying" ways to eliminate targets.
- Stunning Visuals: Games still look "flat out amazing."
- Package Excellence: Though launched unconventionally, the full package (all three games) offers a lot of gameplay and creativity.
1. Super Mario Odyssey #
- Switch 2 Context: Perfect to revisit on a new Switch 2 with performance improvements.
- Enhanced Performance: New patch improves performance to stable 60 FPS and boosts resolution in both modes.
- Enduring Fun: Consistently surprises with its fun, creativity, and satisfaction.
- Cappy's Role: Cappy is a "fantastic addition" that feels seamless and natural.
- Weird & Wild Levels: Features some of the series' "weirdest and wildest" levels.
- Embracing Goofiness: Praised for fully embracing the series' inherent goofiness.
- Desire for Sequel: Player desires "Super Mario Odyssey 2" with more levels and captures, akin to "Galaxy 2."
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