David Czarnecki

2025 in Video Games

Fri, 19 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0500

Here are all the video games I played in 2025.

Console (new games):

Avowed (XSX)
- 10/50 Achievements - 20% complete
Atomfall (XSX)
- 18/36 Achievements - 50% complete
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood (XSX)
- 16/50 Achievements - 32% complete
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Remastered)
- 6/60 Achievements - 10% complete
DOOM: The Dark Ages
- 17/28 Achievements - 61% complete
Silent Hill f
- 20/56 Achievements - 36% complete
Cronos: The New Dawn
- 32/47 Achievements - 68% complete
Borderlands 4
- 31/35 Achievements - 89% complete
Poppy Playtime Chapter 1
- 10/10 Achievements - 100% complete
Poppy Playtime Chapter 2
- 16/32 Achievements - 50% complete
Poppy Playtime Chapter 3
- 11/31 Achievements - 35% complete
Poppy Playtime Chapter 4
- 12/31 Achievements - 39% complete
The Outer Worlds 2
- 10/48 Achievements - 21% complete
Hell is Us
- 20/40 Achievements - 50% complete
Dying Light: The Beast
- 12/35 Achievements - 34% complete

Console (continued games):

Fortnite (XSX)
Back 4 Blood (XSX)

Console (purchased and returned):

None

Mobile (iOS):

None

Game of the Year (console): Cronos: The New Dawn

Game of the Year (mobile): N/A

First off, can we talk about how stacked the lineup of games was in September 2025?! Hell is Us, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Cronos: The New Dawn, Borderlands 4, NBA 2K26, NHL 26, Dying Light: The Beast, Silent Hill f, and Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: The Order of Giants DLC. My video game cup had surely runeth over that month. On to some thoughts around my 2025 Game of the Year.

But before that, why not take a read on my 2024 Game of the Year? Fortnite continues to be bae and I remain in the top 0.1% of players worldwide for wins. If Xbox had released their 2025 Year in Review, the hours spent in Fortnite would dwarf all the other hours for all the other games I played this year combined, and it wouldn’t even be close. What can I say, the game is hella fun. Right, 2025 Game of the Year.

Cronos: The New Dawn was one of those games that checked all the boxes for a game I’d like: survival and psychological horror, science fiction, melee abilities, and an interesting array of firearms. If the idea of a game that blends combat elements from Dead Space, atmosphere, environment, and storytelling much like Alan Wake, and resource management from Resident Evil, then this game is for you. I found myself wanting to explore every nook and cranny to discover all the travelogs, unlock paths and rooms previously inaccessible without key items or abilities, and well, there are 10 cats you can find and pet and they reward you with ammunition, supplies, and upgrade materials. Each gaming session it felt harder and harder not to want to press on.

Is Cronos: The New Dawn an easy game? No, but as with any game without an initial difficulty setting that you can tweak, it never felt overwhelming. Each death is a chance to learn from your mistakes, right? The game did a great job of at unlocking new weapons and abilities that you could use, along with your environment, to make each bump in difficulty that much more approachable. That 4 phase final boss fight where, if you die, you have to start from the beginning, was really something else.

I really hope the Bloober Team gets a chance to develop the next thing in the Cronos universe. It really is a spectacular game that seems to have flown under the radar this year. I wish more people had played it or were talking about it.

I did also want to talk about the Poppy Playtime series of games. If I’m being honest, I hadn’t heard of this series until Fortnite’s 2025 Fortnitemares event, where the Huggy Wuggy skin was made available. So I decided on a whim to see why this game warranted a skin and let me tell you it did not dissappoint. For a game to have first released in October of 2021, to be followed by 3 chapters that expanded the graphics, the characters and lore of the universe, the game mechanics, and the puzzles, is just amazing to me. Every single chapter was better than the last! If you haven’t played any of these games, you owe it to yourself to check them out ASAP.

2024 in Video Games

Sun, 15 Dec 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Here are all the video games I played in 2024.

Console (new games):

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League (XSX)
- 27/50 Achievements - 54% complete
Helldivers II (PS5)
- 15/39 Trophies - 38% complete
Dead Island 2 (XSX)
- SoLA DLC
- 57/57 Achievements - 100% complete
Still Wakes the Deep (XSX)
- 20/37 Achievements - 54% complete
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 - Heart of Chornobyl (XSX)
- 26/58 Achievements - 45% complete

Console (continued games):

Fortnite (XSX)
Back 4 Blood (XSX)
Fallout 76 (XSX)
Fallout 4 (XSX)
MultiVersus (XSX)
Mirror’s Edge (XSX)
- via Xbox 360 Backwards Compatibility

Console (purchased and returned):

None

Mobile (iOS):

None

Game of the Year (console): Fortnite

Game of the Year (mobile): N/A

So, about my choice for Game of the Year…

If you look at the blog posts on games I’ve played, and you can read back 13 years here, I’ve averaged around 12+ AAA games a year. This year I’d classify the games as follows: 2 are full AAA releases, 1 is a AA release, 1 is a multiplayer-only live service game, and 1 is DLC.

A number of things changed my perspective on what games I invest my time in. In no particular order, as they relate to Fortnite, here goes:

I’ve been playing Fortnite for almost 3 years now? In late 2021, while on vacation, my nephew asked if I would start playing Fortnite with him so he could play in tournaments. It was a great way to connect with him during COVID and to find out what was happening with my sister’s family since they moved away in 2020. Mind you, this was before Fortnite released their Zero Build mode, so I had to quickly learn the mechanics of building that he had at least a 2 year head start on. I wasn’t terrible at it and hey, I was the first one of us to get a “20 bomb”, in builds no less.

It was different early on, where I was playing with more random groups, but I have found the Fortnite community to be the least toxic in online gaming. I checked in-game and I’ve blocked 7 people and those were all for using slurs in-game. This was all well before Fortnite’s voice and text chat reporting mechanism.

My online gaming friends group are all heavily invested in Fortnite as their main game. No matter when I boot up Fortnite, I usually have invites to party up with friends or friends are available for me to invite. It’s one of very few games where I’ve regularly played with the same group of friends. And it was only Fortnite where my friends group has remained committed for years now. On occasion, my nephew and I have also roped my brother-in-law in to play Fortnite with us.

I am also keen on the direction Fortnite is taking in that it’s a launcher to be able to play multiple types of games in the Fortnite “universe”. Battle Royale being the one mode I play, but there’s Rocket Racing, LEGO Fortnite, Fortnite Festival, the countless games available in Fortnite Creative, Fortnite Ballistic, etc. I’ve played some of each of the other modes, but Battle Royale is my “bread and butter”, so to speak. I enjoy the cooperative/teamwork aspect of that mode and use it to actively improve my personal communication skills.

I actively look forward to the daily Fortnite Item Shop rotation and I’m glad to see they have extended that capability to the web where I can check and purchase items from the shop out of the game itself. Recently I calculated how many Vbucks I’ve purchased in almost 3 years and it was just over $1500. My latest commitment was to subscribe to Fortnite Crew where for $11.99/month, I get 1000 Vbucks, the monthly Fortnite Crew pack, and access to all the battle passes across the various game modes.

Finally, I’m better at Fortnite than when I started playing the game. I do appreciate that sites like Fortnite Tracker are available, where I can get a detailed breakdown by season, mode, match type (solo, duos, trios, squads), of my Fortnite statistics. And when I say I’m better than when I started, I do mean objectively better. I’m currently in the Top 0.1% of players worldwide, for wins, in Fortnite. Also, in case you’re wondering, I have roughly 3x as many wins as my nephew.

I might get around to games from 2024 like “Indiana Jones and the Great Circle” or DLCs like “Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree”, in the future. But if I’m being totally honest, a lot of games in 2024 just didn’t excite me the way Fortnite continues to.

I realize this just reads like a list of things that anyone might like about Fortnite. But in 2024, the realization and combination of these things just jelled for me how much I’m personally invested in Fortnite. Anyway, if you’ve read this far, I hope that puts some more perspective on my 2024 Game of the Year.

2023 in Video Games

Mon, 11 Dec 2023 00:00:00 -0500

Here are all the video games I played in 2023.

Console (new games):

Dead Space - Remaster (XSX)
- 47/47 Achievements - 100% complete
Atomic Heart (XSX)
- 17/51 Achievements - 33% complete
Resident Evil 4 - Remaster (XSX)
- 13/46 Achievements - 28% complete
Dead Island 2 (XSX)
- 51/51 Achievements - 100% complete
Diablo IV (XSX)
- 9/25 Achievements - 36% complete
Starfield (XSX)
- 17/50 Achievements - 34% complete
Lies of P (XSX)
- 26/42 Achievements - 62% complete
Mortal Kombat 1 (XSX)
- 0/50 Achievements - 0% complete
Cocoon (XSX)
- 13/17 Achievements - 76% complete
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (PS5)
- 11/42 Trophies - 27% complete
Alan Wake 2 (XSX)
- 54/66 Achievements - 82% complete
The Finals (XSX)
- 6/50 Achievements - 12% complete

Console (continued games):

Fortnite
Back 4 Blood
- 93/93 Achievements - 100% complete

Console (purchased and returned):

Remnant 2 (XSX)
Redfall (XSX)
Baldur’s Gate 3 (XSX)

Mobile (iOS):

Hook 2
Mortal Kombat: Onslaught

Game of the Year (console): Lies of P

Game of the Year (mobile): Hook 2

2022 in Video Games

Thu, 08 Dec 2022 00:00:00 -0500

Here are all the video games I played in 2022.

This is the first year I’ve played no games on mobile (iOS).

Console:

Dying Light 2 (XSX)
Horizon Forbidden West (PS5)
Elden Ring (XSX)
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands (XSX)
MultiVersus (XSX)
Rumbleverse (XSX)
Scorn (XSX)
Gotham Knights (XSX)
God of War Ragnarök (PS5)
The Callisto Protocol (XSX)

Game of the Year (console): Elden Ring

2021 in Video Games

Mon, 20 Dec 2021 00:00:00 -0500

Here are all the video games I played in 2021.

Console:

Outriders (XSX)
Resident Evil Village (XSX)
Knockout City (XSX)
Biomutant (XSX)
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (PS5)
Fortnite (XSX)
Psychonauts 2 (XSX)
Deathloop (PS5)
Far Cry 6 (XSX)
Back 4 Blood (XSX)
Halo Infinite (XSX)

Mobile (iOS):

hocus 2
HiddenMirrors
Achromatic

Game of the Year (console): Deathloop

Game of the Year (mobile): hocus 2

2020 in Video Games

Mon, 14 Dec 2020 00:00:00 -0500

Here are all the video games I played in 2020.

Console:

DOOM Eternal (XB1)
Borderlands 3 DLC (XB1)
- Guns, Love and Tentacles: The Marriage of Wainwright & Hammerlock
- Bounty of Blood
- Psycho Krieg and the Fantastic Fustercluck
Control (XB1)
Resident Evil 3 (XB1)
The Outer Worlds (XB1)
The Last of Us Part II (PS4)
Creaks (XB1)
BioShock: The Collection (XB1)
Watch Dogs: Legion (XSX)
Spider-Man: Miles Morales (PS5)
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War (XSX)
Katamari Damacy Reroll (Switch)
Cyberpunk 2077 (XSX)

Mobile (iOS):

Golf On Mars
SiNKR 2
Orixo

Game of the Year (console): The Last of Us Part II

Game of the Year (mobile): Orixo

2019 in Video Games

Mon, 02 Dec 2019 00:00:00 -0500

Here are all the video games I played in 2019.

Console:

Resident Evil 2 (XB1)
Apex Legends (XB1)
Metro Exodus (XB1)
Anthem (XB1)
Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 (XB1)
Mortal Kombat 11 (XB1)
Days Gone (PS4)
Rage 2 (XB1)
Gears 5 (XB1)
Borderlands 3 (XB1)

Mobile (iOS):

NABOKI

Game of the Year (console): Days Gone

Game of the Year (mobile): NABOKI

2018 in Video Games

Thu, 13 Dec 2018 00:00:00 -0500

Here are all the video games I played in 2018.

Console:

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (XB1)
Celeste (XB1)
Far Cry 5 (XB1)
Minit (XB1)
God of War (PS4)
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (XB1)
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (XB1)
Red Dead Redemption 2 (XB1)
Fallout 76 (XB1)
Darksiders III (XB1)
Just Cause 4 (XB1)

Mobile (iOS):

Wonderputt
Kontrast
DR.MEEP
holedown
Donut County
Evergarden
Alto’s Odyssey
Twinfold

Game of the Year (console): Fallout 76

Game of the Year (mobile): Donut County

2017 in Video Games

Thu, 09 Nov 2017 00:00:00 -0500

Here are all the video games I played in 2017.

Console:

Resident Evil 7: Biohazard (XB1)
Nioh (PS4)
Horizon Zero Dawn (PS4)
Prey (XB1)
Injustice 2 (XB1)
Cuphead (XB1)
Middle-earth: Shadow of War (XB1)
The Evil Within 2 (XB1)
South Park: The Fractured But Whole (XB1)
Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus (XB1)
Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)

Mobile (iOS):

Remedy Rush
Unfold
Breakout Ninja
linq
Splitter Critters
Hidden Folks
Injustice 2
Monument Valley 2
FRAMED 2
Cubiques
electronia
PUSH

Game of the Year (console): Nioh (PS4)

Game of the Year (mobile): Monument Valley 2

2016 in Video Games

Thu, 15 Dec 2016 00:00:00 -0500

Here are all the video games I played in 2016.

Console:

Tom Clancy’s The Division (XB1)
Dark Souls III (XB1)
Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (PS4)
Doom (XB1)
Mirror’s Edge Catalyst (XB1)
Inside (XB1)
Adr1ft (PS4)
Gears of War 4 (XB1)
Titanfall 2 (XB1)
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (XB1)
Dishonored 2 (XB1)
Watch Dogs 2 (XB1)
Dead Rising 4 (XB1)
The Last Guardian (PS4)

Mobile (all played on iOS):

Exploding Kittens
twofold inc.
klocki
Panic Drop
BLUK
Hook
Really Bad Chess
LVL
minimize

Game of the Year (console): Dark Souls III

Game of the Year (mobile): klocki