Around this time of year, I like to make a list of my best games SO FAR, because usually the AAA titles are released later in the year during the holiday season, and the titles that came out earlier tend to be forgotten. So here’s when those games get their due. Keep in mind that this is my list only and no other outside opinions contributed. And if a game isn’t on this list, it either just didn’t appeal to me as much or I haven’t had a chance to play it yet. Ok with that out of the way, let’s begin!
WEIRDEST GAME
Pokémon Pokopia (Switch 2)
This game ALMOST won my GOTY SO FAR award. Another game just barely beat it. Some have described this game as a mix of Pokémon meets Animal Crossing and Minecraft. But really, it’s basically Dragon Quest Builders 3, as it was made by the same folks who did the previous one in that franchise. You move around a post-apocalyptic Kanto region as a shape shifting Ditto, making friends with other Pokémon as you make their life happy and possibly bring back the humans that left you there. There’s always something to do and while I probably won’t get any of the DLC, I’ve already spent 45 hours on this game which is the longest I’ve spent on a new game this year so far!
Runners Up:
Tomodatchi Life: Living the Dream (Switch)
It’s a sequel to the 3DS title which lets you make Mii characters and have them interact with each other on an island. They can even get married and have kids! I think I like the 3DS game better as it had more gameplay options (like a mini RPG), but the Switch one does have more customization features, so it’s a trade off. At any rate, this game let me marry Reiko Nagase from Ridge Racer, so it can’t be all bad, right?
The weirdest thing about this game is not that it’s a WarioWare styled title where they take your photos and make mini-games out of them. No the weird thing is that this is a new mobile game developed and published by Nintendo! I thought they were done with mobile, but I guess not!
BEST ARCADE COLLECTION/REMAKE
The Disney Afternoon Collection (Switch 2)
Back in the late 80’s and early to mid 90’s, Disney had a block of weekday after school cartoons on TV called The Disney Afternoon. They featured such memorable and high-quality shows like DuckTales, Chip N Dale Rescue Rangers, TaleSpin, Darkwing Duck, and many more. Tons of people, including myself, have very fond memories watching these cartoons as kids. Game maker Capcom even made some bonafide classic games based on those Disney Afternoon cartoons. About a decade ago, they released a collection of those games. I loved that collection, but two things always baffled me. Why wasn’t it released on Switch, and why was it missing two other SNES Disney Afternoon games? Well now those questions are answered with The Disney Afternoon Collection on Switch 1 and 2!
Runners Up:
Star Fox (Switch 2)
I’m not a super big Star Fox fan, but I don’t hate it. There’s just a lot of Nintendo franchises I like much more. But this remake is still pretty darn good. I just wish I was better at Star Fox games! Peppy is awesome, he’s my favorite. At the very least, this one is way better than Star Fox Zero, which I think was one of the worst games Nintendo ever made!
Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection (Switch)
I never got into the Star Force games as by then I was getting a bit tired of the Battle Network formula. But this is still a nice collection and I’m glad to have it. If only Capcom would release a collection of the Mega Man Legends games. It’s the only series they haven’t done that with!
CyberBlocker: Complete Edition (PS4)
It may sound like an Internet security program, but CyberBlocker: Complete Edition is actually a game that combines paddle and ball block breaking action like BreakOut or Arkanoid, mixed with 2D shooters with a power-up system similar to Gradius. And it’s also really fun and one of the best Arkanoid clones I’ve played in decades!
R-Type Dimensions III (Switch 2)
Even though they’re no longer around, game maker Irem made some of the most popular games in the arcades back in the 80s. Some of these include Moon Patrol and Kung Fu Master, but probably their most famous was the shooter series R-Type. Consoles back then would often times show off their version of R-Type for its graphical prowess, and it was one of the most challenging shooters back then. It’s so popular they still make R-Type games today, and I even reviewed one a few years ago (R-Type Final 2). And here’s another one with R-Type Dimensions III. I reviewed the first R-Type Dimensions, which was a remake of R-Type 1 and 2. And this one has R-Type 3, which was originally on the SNES and later on the GBA.
BEST PUZZLE GAME
Namco Legendary Mountains (Switch 2)
It’s basically a 3D version of Suika Game, but features themes and characters from classic Namco games like Pac-Man, Dig Dug, Mappy, Xevious, and more! Yeah they know how to push my buttons!
BEST KIDS GAME
Bluey’s Quest for the Gold Pen (Switch 2)
Bluey is one of the most popular shows streaming right now, and it’s no wonder why. It may be a preschool show on the surface, but it deals with subject matter that any age can enjoy. The show is about Blue Heeler dog Bluey, her sister Bingo, and their parents, family, and friends as they learn life lessons through imagination and play. I’m a huge fan of the show, and we’ve already seen plenty of Bluey on GamerDad.com with another video game review, a board game, and podcast. And now there is a second video game with a story written by Joe Brumm, the show’s creator! In the game, Bluey and Bingo and their parents are amusing themselves inside on a rainy day by drawing and coloring pictures and making up stories. Bluey tells a story about a poor girl who can’t afford to repair her cottage. So she calls upon Bingoose (her sister Bingo) to lay a golden egg for her. But their dad has the gold pen for the egg and won’t give it back! Now Bluey and Bingoose must go on a quest in their imagination to get the gold pen. The game is presented with crayon styled drawings, similar to Bluey episodes like “Escape” and “Dragon.” Gameplay is viewed in a top down perspective and you’ll solve Zelda dungeon styled puzzles to progress.
BEST MUSIC/RHYTHM GAME
Rhythm Heaven Groove (Switch)
This one kind of wins by default, but it’s still very good. Has that Wario Ware style quirkiness and charm, but then it’s made by the same folks so that’s why. Just more of what you liked from Rhythm Heaven Fever on the Wii. I just wish it wasn’t so darn hard!
BEST 2D ADVENTURE
Yoshi and the Mysterious Book (Switch 2)
It plays like a typical 2D Yoshi game on the surface, but it’s one of the most creative 2D platformers I’ve played in a long time. Instead of making it from point A to B, your job is to play and experiment with the creatures you’ll find in a mysterious research sketchbook you come across and can adventure inside. It’s nothing like I’ve ever played and it’s a lot of fun!
And now it’s time for my best game of 2026 SO FAR! Taiko drum roll, please…
The Adventures of Elliot: The Millennium Tales (Switch 2)
What do you get when you combine a time travelling story like in Chrono Trigger, weapon variety like in Secret of Mana, combat and exploration like Ys, and dungeon puzzles like Zelda? Well you get a game that’s right up my alley! This game really took me by surprise. The HD-2D graphics really shine and it’s just so much fun. Yeah sure the game isn’t perfect, as it bottlenecks when you’re trying to get the true ending. But it’s still engaging and worth it.
You know what’s interesting is that thanks to that last underwhelming Nintendo Direct in June, there’s not a whole lot I’m looking forward to for the rest of the year. We’ve got Splatoon Raiders, Switch 2 Sports, and that Zelda Ocarina of Time remake but that’s it for me. There might be some third party stuff like the Switch 2 version of Digimon Story: Time Stranger and a Hello Kitty party game (don’t judge me), but I don’t know what else. Oh yeah there is that new Final Fantasy game with the HD 2D graphics like Elliot. I wanted to get Bubsy 4D and see if it would go on this list, but the demo didn’t impress me enough and I read it only has 15 levels, so I may wait for a sale or something. But that’s about it. At any rate, in the comments section, let me know what YOU think of my list, and tell me your favorite games this year SO FAR.
Because of all the recent news going on lately, I wanted to end this blog with some of my thoughts. While my top two favorite games this year: Pokémon Pokopia and Adventures of Elliot were fun and I liked them a lot, both of these games have something in common that I HATE! The only ways to get these games physically on Switch 2 is a game key card. I don’t know if you can get Elliot on disc on PS5 or Xbox, but I don’t have those consoles so I’m not worried about that. I just think game key cards are worse than digital download only. At the end of the day they’re just a hunk of plastic. I try to buy physical when I can, even as far as importing some things when I really want them. I only do digital if I can’t get it any other way, or if it’s too hard. I tried to get the game key card for Pokopia, but I have yet to see it in a store (I think Nintendo did that on purpose), and the Elliot game key card is an Amazon exclusive. With that and also knowing that eventually all consoles will be digital only (I don’t think Nintendo is going to be the ‘savior’ of physical games or anything), I’m not a happy gamer right now. But I think I’ll TRY and end this blog on a positive note with a quote they always say in my GOTY SO FAR winner game The Adventures of Elliot:
“Hope is Always There.”
Thanks for reading folks. --Cary
I have been eyeing Rhythm Heaven. I've enjoyed the series, so I'll eventually grab it for sure. I think the last one I played was Fever, and that was a long time ago!
Yeah Rhythm Heaven Fever was the last new game in the series. There was Rhythm Heaven Megamix on the 3DS, but it was more of a 'best of' compilation like WarioWare Gold. Groove feels like an extension of Fever, just more of the same from that game.
Pokemon Pokopia could be interesting. I've been looking for the original TaleSpin from Afternoon Collection in its original form. Cyberblocker I will get at some point. I was debating with myself about getting R-Type Dimensions since it's on sale on Xbox right now.
If you had a Switch 2, I think you would REALLY like Pokopia.
Why TaleSpin? For me, it's one of my least favorite of the Disney Afternoon games.
I guess it depends on how good the sale is for R-Type Dimensions.
no Switch 2 as of yet.
It's a shoot em up. Still hard though.
$3. Good enough?
Yeah 3 bucks is a great deal for that. Don't pass it up!
I got it this week, R-Type Dimensions, that is.
Congrats! That is a very good deal!
My overall GOTY so far is Resident Evil Requiem, which is Capcom at its best. Star Fox is my second favorite game of the year, however.
My arcade collection/remake of the year (aside from Star Fox) is Arcade Archives 2: Mr. Do!. That was my most wanted Arcade Archives game for years and I'm excited to have gotten it (my most wanted now is probably Gyruss). The Arcade Archives 2 version adds a lot of different leaderboards and challenges compared to the original Arcade Archives releases they did. They even included the original Japanese version of Mr. Do!. Hamster has become one of my favorite publishers. They also released an Arcade Archives 2 version of Konami's Mega Zone. They've even started releasing the Tekken games.
On the Game Key Card thing... Meh. PS5 and Xbox discs are de facto keys. There are some games that are technically playable without downloading day one updates on those systems, though it's genrally a gimped 1.0 release, but they all still run entirely off the HDD - a physical PS5 game still takes up the exact same amount of HDD storage as the digital version of said game. The GKC version of VF5 Revo is more than the game got on PS5 or Xbox Series.
The GKCs, at least, are transferrable and salable to used game stores, and they will work for their new owners the same way. They will be worthless when the servers go down, of course, but it's been 20 years and thus far, you can still re-download every Wii and DSi game that you bought before their storefronts shut down (Nintendo does state that eventually these servers will close, but so far, they haven't made any overtures towards closing them down.) I am glad there are more companies investing in full Switch games - Sega usually uses GKCs but did do a full physical release of Sonic Racing Crossworlds, Bethesda sold Fallout 4 at reatail as a code-in-a-box - which is an even more baffling decision than a GKC, I think EA also did this for Split Fiction on Switch 2; the purpose apparently is to give them visibility on retail shelves - but they did Indiana Jones as a full physical release. Unfortunately, AI is screwing up the market for storage, and there are M2 drives for PS5 that cost more than a PS5 Pro on the market.
Last Modified a month ago
You probably didn't like that I put The Disney Afternoon Collection over Star Fox. Nostalgia probably clouds my judgement, but hey, at least I'm willing to admit it. I'm not perfect.
Yeah the Arcade Archive stuff is neat! I haven't gotten too many of them myself, but I did get Libble Rabble because that was the first time it was released outside the US and I've never played it before then. But I really wanted to because it was made by the same guy who created Pac-Man (Toru Iwatani).
For Arcade Archives, they just announced Armadillo Racing, which is another Japan only Namco title I've always wanted to try ever since I read about it in a magazine. But it uses track ball controls so I don't know if I'll get it. It would be like Arcade Archives releasing Panic Park. By then it's like, what's the point? Panic Park was Go Shiina's first game that he did the music for Namco. He's my favorite game music composer.
Yeah you should do a Down Home Gaming starring that cool tractor video on Mr. Do! Or better yet, do a history video of the whole series including Mr. Do's Castle, Mr. Do's Wild Ride, Do! Run! Run!, and Neo Mr. Do!
It is good that you can trade, borrow, and resell Game Key Cards. But since I don't do any of those things, they're still pieces of plastic that still take up memory to me. I don't let people borrow my games anymore because they never returned them.
I don't really know what I'm going to do about gaming's digital future. I may just stick with Switch 2 as long as I can, or embrace the digital future and still be grumpy about it, or just play SNES games the rest of my life. All are possible. All I know is that I'm going to go where the fun is, like I always do.
Eh, I'm not going to fault you for liking what you like, that would be silly. For my part, I did look at the Disney Afternoon Collection, but since I wasn't that invested in that stuff even back then (I preferred to watch Batman: The Animated Series, Tiny Toons, and Animaniacs), its a bit of a hard sell for me. But it looks like a solid collection, and the Ducktales game with Scrooge bouncing on his cane liek a pogo stick is cool.
I saw Armadillo Racing, which is a goofy concept. Track-ball games don't translate the best to controllers. Centipede and Millipede play okay, but Crystal Castles is a bit rough. Arkanoid doesn't have the best paddle control, but maybe the mouse function on the Switch 2 joycons work better.
I actually prefer physical media, but the industry has been pushing this for years. One thing that always makes me raise my eyebrows in regards to the vitriol over Sony is people's complete blindness towards Steam, which really set the all-digital future in motion. PCs haven't even come with disc drives in years, and the Steam Deck doesn't have any media slots except for a SD card slot.
I was mostly into the early cartoons of The Disney Afternoon, like DuckTales, Rescue Rangers, TaleSpin, and Darkwing Duck. But by the time stuff like Goof Troop was on, yeah I did gravitate more towards the WB stuff like Animaniacs and Batman. I also really liked the Disney Afternoon games because Capcom made them, and for me, Capcom carried the NES, not Nintendo. You can ask my parents right now that, when I was a kid, did I talk more about Mega Man or Mario? They will definitely say Mega Man!
