Hey, as you probably know, we like to rank games here. We often go into some pretty complicated lists detailing some weird things and our least favorite things from video games, big and small. But today look humor us. We just wanna keep it simple. We’re talking about 10 legendary games, just games we really loved that we think are worth revisiting in 2025. We need some positivity out there.
10. Star Wars Battlefront II
Now at number 10, with the shadow of the whole loot box controversy hanging over the game, it’s easy to forget sometimes that the actual final product of “Battlefront 2,” it wasn’t a bad game at all. It eventually became a pretty excellent “Star Wars” sandbox. Player counts have surged like crazy around the big “Star Wars” May 4th announcements and just the overall positivity I guess surrounding the “Andor” TV show and just like a lot of people are just getting back into “Star Wars,” this game has been popping off recently so it’s really a good time to revisit.
I think what makes this game remain relatively popular isn’t just the franchise, which is obviously a big part of it, but it’s also how varied and accessible this game is. There’s just so many different ways to play if you choose. The arcade-y nature of it makes it feel more like the old “Battlefields” where playing casually wasn’t like seen as like this dirty word. Obviously there are still plenty of try hards and sweaties in “Battlefront 2.” It’s inevitable in a game like this, but it’s ultimately a less hostile and toxic community when the multiplayer is less about grinding ranks and more about just having fun and honestly loving “Star Wars,” living out that fantasy, taking your “Star Wars” action figures and smashing them together in the digital world.
Once they took out all the loot box crap that almost completely cratered this game when it launched, it really became an incredible experience and it’s worth revisiting.
9. Sonic Unleashed
Now at number nine, “Sonic Unleashed.” You know, compared to a lot of other games on this list, this one is definitely more flawed. Stick with us. The daytime stages, you know the ones where you actually get to play as Sonic are just incredible and some of the best things in the entire franchise. And then there’s the nighttime settings where Sonic is transformed into this half baked God of war werewolf clone to like run around these overlong levels that are mostly kind of boring and frustrating.
Look, “Sonic Unleashed” is the most hot and cold game in the franchise. It’s got the highest highs and some of the lowest lows because man, those were-hog stages are dire, even when you get used to them, it never exactly feels good.
So why play it in 2025? Well, it’s simple, because of the “Unleashed Recompiled” fan project. An unofficial PC port of “Sonic Unleashed,” yes, this previously console only game can now be played natively on PC and that’s an incredible achievement. Now many of the worst aspects of the game have been fixed with a steady frame rate, high resolution visuals and tighter, more responsive controls. The load times are fast, were-hog levels are less annoying and the actual highlight of the game, the actual Sonic levels are more spectacular than ever. They’re worth playing just for these.
This project takes a game that was an unpolished weird little underrated thing on consoles and makes it into a true legend that it really always had a chance to be. There’s still annoying stuff you have to slog through, but it actually just feels much better to play all around. And most importantly, this being a fan project for a Sega game, it seems like it won’t randomly get some cease and desist letter out of nowhere. Sega usually lets this stuff go.
8. Gears of War 2
Next at number eight “Gears of War ii.” Now look, another “Gears Of War” remake is coming and that’s great. It’s a monumental first game, that original, but if there’s one game in the series that we’d really like to see get the full remake remastered, it’s the sequel.
Gears one is great, but Gears two is just so much better overall, the campaign especially, it’s just like this nonstop action and emotional Rollercoaster ride. One of our favorite co-op games ever. It’s just so much fun. The pacing is perfect, the levels and sequences are awesome. They’re always mixing things up or bringing it to cool new locations with weird special challenges to overcome. The new guns are fantastic and the multiplayer was a lot of people’s favorite in the series. It’s just a great game from top to bottom.
The only real negative we have is the underwhelming final boss. Everything else about this game is just top tier.
7. The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay
Now at number seven in 2025 “Riddick” is just in the air man. There have been multiple content creators making retrospectives on the games, if you’ve noticed. And they’ve all independently come to the natural conclusion that these games were surprisingly awesome.
I’ve been banging this drum for years, when we recommend Assault on Dark Athena, we really just mean Escape From Butcher Bay, like the remake that comes with it. Athena is also good and as a little bonus with the remake, it’s a solid edition, but the real star of that whole package is Escape From Butcher Bay, which is just so good.
You love to see a good prison break and this game doesn’t have one, it has three, actually four if the opening dream sequence counts. Look, what makes “Riddick” so great is how it really makes you feel like a Predator, stalking in the shadows and overwhelming your enemies in melee combat and with some firearms, the gameplay is constantly getting mixed up to keep things exciting. Sometimes you’re sneaking, sometimes you’re in full-blown firefights. Sometimes you’re exploring and doing side quests. There’s even a fighting tournament to join.
It’s a game that’s never boring with an awesomely oppressive setting where you get to play as like the edgiest badass in the galaxy. And I mean that, “Riddick” is actually cool. I know people like don’t think that, but look, if the movie’s never really caught on, at the very least we have this game. Is it a product of the two thousands? Does it feel distinctly two thousands? Yes, but it’s not enough to turn you away. You should absolutely play this one. Or if you already did back in the day, definitely try it again.
6. Mass Effect Trilogy
Next to number six, look an obvious one, it’s the “Mass Effect” trilogy. BioWare, it might be in a rough shape now in 2025, it isn’t even clear if we’ll actually get that “Mass Effect” game like the “Mass Effect 4” or whatever the hell it’s going to be, but I for 1:00 AM rooting for them to somehow make it work.
I hope you know, the original trilogy may be a little inconsistent and it may have an unsatisfying ending to some, but overall it is legendary for a reason. The first three “Mass Effect” games are awesome and we’re always up for a replay given the opportunity. With the possibility of a proper maybe sequel sometime in the vague future, then sure that’s a good enough reason, why not?
Look, we’re not gonna blow anyone away with like unexpected mass effect opinions here. The first game is a janky classic. The second game is maybe the best all around game, even if it dumbed down some of the RPG mechanics and the third game is kind of all over the place, but still has some great combat and just like a lot of bits of emotional payoffs, some really incredible moments all around just like a great sci-fi thing.
The world, the planets, the alien races, the great characters, the excellent voice acting, this really ethereal great sci-fi music, the action packed, but still tactical combat. These are just great games overall.
5. Call of Duty: Black Ops II
Now at number five with “Black Ops 7” coming out this year now might be a good time to go back to one of our favorite campaigns in the entire series. “Call of Duty Black Ops 2.” It’s not just that they’re both “Black Ops” games. “Black Ops 7” is actually a return to the world of the first and second game with protagonist David Mason coming back as well as the return of the second games bad guy Raul Menendez.
So why not catch up on what these two were up to back in “Black Ops 2,” man, it’s a fantastic campaign. That’s the only game in the series to go the full choose your own adventure route that elevates everything about it. Normally, you know, a know-it-all, like I’m always 10 steps ahead. Chess master bad guy would be kind of annoying, but when you can actually dictate the outcome, then it’s really satisfying.
The bad guy is always trying to pull these tricks on you that in a standard campaign you just get forced to fall into. But in “Black Ops 2” you can actually use your awareness of bad guy tropes to your advantage and get one over on this guy. It could be frustrating if you screw it up, but if you make all the right choices and manage to just completely dismantle the bad guy scheme in your choices, then it’s incredibly satisfying.
It makes for one of the most memorable and fun campaigns in the series. “Black Ops 7” will not have a campaign like this, which is disappointing, but hey, the near future world of “Black Ops 2” was pretty interesting on its own. So it’ll be nice to go back there for one more tour of duty.
And even if “Black Ops 7” can’t top this, I really don’t think they can, the fact that they’re going back to kind of embracing some of this old school vibe, I appreciate.
4. Transformers: Fall of Cybertron
Now at number four, Paramount is seemingly done making “Transformers” movies for a while. That “Transformers Reactivate” game is dead and with seemingly nothing in the future for this series in 2025, I think now is a a better time than ever to go back to the good times and play one of the best games that this robot franchise ever got. With “Transformers Fall Of Cybertron.”
Look, both high noon Cybertron games are fantastic, but Fall is a step up in terms of control and variety and visuals and it’s just a great game. Play ’em both, but if you only have time to grab one, it’s probably gonna be this one.
Unfortunately, you can’t get either of these games digitally anywhere as I think they’ve been delisted, but physical copies are still out there and well, if you know where to look, they can still be played on PC too.
I’ve got to give a special shout out to the game’s multiplayer modes, which were shockingly great. I remember jumping into these back at launch and just being like, holy crap. They made the ultimate Transformers multiplayer experience, like the Team Death Match Modes and the Horde modes were fun as hell. These were ideal multiplayer modes that perfectly served this type of game and were just far better than they had any right to be.
It’s a shame you can’t really play ’em now, but the campaign is still there. It’s still very good. So at least there’s that. I wish this game was easier to get. You know, if any Activision series deserves an updated remaster, it’s this one. Long Live “Transformers,” man.
3. DOOM (2016)
Next at number three, we’re coming up on the 10 year anniversary of new “Doom” that started with 2016’s now legendary simply titled “Doom.” A game that we all thought would kind of suck but ended up being an all timer. With “Doom the Dark Ages” all wrapped up, it’s just a better time than ever to check out the game that rebooted the franchise for a modern era and has continued to change.
Now in comparison to sequels, this is a much more humble sort of “Doom.” It’s a good looking game, but it’s not flashy. There aren’t huge insane set pieces or like a bunch of totally radical craziness. You’re on a tech base, you’re a Doom guy and you wanna kill some demons. That’s the game like back in the original and they do it really well.
So far removed, it’s easy to forget just how revolutionary this game was when it came out. A triple A first person shooter campaign with health packs and maps with key cards and secrets. For so long every FPS game developer was worshiping at the altar of “Call of Duty” that they forgot that other types of elements of first person shooter games could exist and “Doom” 2016 was the game that made that all possible and reminded us of that.
Compared to how wild these games eventually got, going back to the first one is kind of refreshing in its simplicity. You’ve got levels, you blast everything, and sometimes you get an amusingly shortcut scene where the administrator begs you not to smash something and then you just do it anyway.
There’s just a pure simplicity to “Doom” 2016 that’s kind of lacking in “Eternal” and “Dark Ages.” They have their own charms, but the purity of “Doom” is one of its greatest strengths here and just a great reason to go back to it in 2025.
2. Hitman: World of Assassination Trilogy
Now at number two “Hitman.” We finally have a new name for the IO Interactive James Bond game, so in honor of that, let’s go back to the world of Agent 47 one more time, and make some people have some unfortunate accidents.
The Hitman games have been around for a long time. I’ve loved them since day one, but it took the “World Of Assassination” trilogy for them to evolve into their final form as assassination playgrounds, less about being extremely challenging and more about giving you as many options and opportunities possible, and a lot of replayability with that.
The levels are massive, detailed, multi-dimensional. The many, many ways you can go about assassinating your target are often really, really creative and morbidly satisfying and the games still look flat out amazing, especially the larger more complex maps.
Look, these games launched unconventionally. I know when the first one dropped and like how it was kind of like structured weird, it definitely turned people off. But now as a package, all three of these new modern “Hitman” games packaged into one world of assassination, there’s just a lot of gameplay, a lot of modes, a lot of creativity, and some good throwback moments for old school “Hitman” fans like myself.
They just really, really nailed it. It was a long road to get there, but we’re glad it landed.
1. Super Mario Odyssey
Now at number one. Okay, like so maybe you got a Switch 2 you played that $80 “Mario Kart World” to death now what? Well, nothing left to do, but go back to your old Nintendo Switch library and test out a few old favorites and see how they’d run on the new system.
Look, we could really put anything on here with an official performance patch, but with a new Mario game, seemingly a way off, why not go back to “Super Mario Odyssey?” The new patch improves performance, bringing it up to a stable 60 FPS frame rate, while also boosting the resolution in both docked and handheld mode. So this is the best the game has ever looked.
Every time I go back to “Odyssey,” it’s always a little bit of a surprise, like, oh yeah, wait, this is awesome. Like I forget every time just how fun and creative and satisfying it is. Cappy is a fantastic addition to Mario’s tool set. It’s incredible just how seamless and natural it all feels after just a few minutes of playing.
The levels are some of the weirdest and wildest in a “Super Mario” game and I really love just how much the game fully embraces the goofiness of this series. It’s just like a breath of fresh air and as great as the game is like we just kind of want more, we just want “Super Mario,” honestly, too with more levels and more captures to screw around in, kind of like how they evolved “Mario Galaxy” to “Galaxy 2.” It would be incredible.
I know at this point that ship has maybe long since sailed, but at least we’ve got this one extremely fun game that’s better than ever on Switch 2.
So those are 20 legendary games worth revisiting. Obviously we just wanted to talk about some games we like, but some of them just had a good use case for why it’s good to go back to ’em, ’cause if you’re a gamer like me, you’ll take any excuse to just play something old again.
We appreciate it. Thank you very much for reading. Let’s talk down the comments and we’ll see you guys in the next one.
