I didn’t get my hands on 2005’s Animal Crossing: Wild World until 2014. To say I was late to the party is an understatement, and by the time I picked up Wild World on a borrowed Nintendo DS, most fans of Nintendo’s cozy town management franchise had moved on to 2012’s New Leaf, which offered far more customization options. I eventually moved on to New Leaf too (and later, New Horizons), but to this day, no Animal Crossing game hits quite like Wild World did. Sure, part of it is nostalgia, but a much of my fondness for the game comes down to its simplicity.
Source Link Animal Crossing: Wild World is still the best in the series, 20 years later
Since the dawn of time — or 1992, I suppose — Mario Kart has been the quintessential kart racer. Whether we’re talking a college dorm party or a family game night, when someone grabs a set of Joy-Cons (or Wii remote, or GameCube controller) and asks for a race, no one’s saying no. Though, with how great some of 2025’s other kart racers have been, now that race might not be on a Mario Kart track.
Source Link Mario Kart World wasn’t the only must-play kart racer of 2025
I never understood soccer until I watched it with my father. It happened when I was visiting my parents once during the height of World Cup season. Italy was in the running, and that was a big deal to my dad, an immigrant who came over from Abruzzo. Despite the fact that I always found the game boring, his energy was infectious enough to keep me glued to the television. I saw the matrix that day, suddenly understanding all the thrilling nuances the sport had to offer and buying into the cultural importance of it all. It was imperative to me that Italy win.
Source Link The best soccer games of 2025 weren't just FC 25 and Football Manager
The adventure game is not dead, nor does it sleep. Far from it. While previous years have seen plenty of remarkable adventure games, like The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow and Return of the Obra Dinn, 2025 was an exceptional year for the genre. The past twelve months have been absolutely packed with them, tackling a broad range of subjects in a multitude of styles — and each with its own vision of what an adventure game can be. And just for clarity, when we say “adventure game,” we’re talking about exploration, mystery solving, and narrative-driven games with no combat, not “action-adventure.” Think Rise of the Golden Idol instead of Tomb Raider. Here are 10 of the year’s best.
Source Link The 10 best adventure games of 2025