Hello everyone.

This blog continues what I started in 2021. I cannot believe this baby is celebrating its fifth birthday.

This blog also exists as an English and a German YouTube Video.

2025 has been a challenging year for me from a health perspective. I’ve never had so many unpleasant, long-lasting issues at once. Don’t worry, I will not go into detail here. As a result, I didn’t have as much energy for gaming or working out as I would have liked to spend. Nevertheless, my enthusiasm for video games never faltered. It is much greater than for watching TV shows or movies. For example, I never finished the Fallout TV series, although I had no issues with it. I just didn’t care enough.

Video games were a different beast, though. I preferred watching streams or Let’s Play series over standard TV. I love the medium, and I envy everyone who has been able to turn this great hobby into their job or even just a viable second income stream. I’ve been drawn to voice my feelings about games on my mostly coding-focused blog, the-codeslinger.com. And while I always enjoyed the process of writing, it became less and less fulfilling over time. Even though you do hobbies for yourself, if it’s something creative like this, you still would like people to engage with it.

So, I’ve been thinking about whether and how to continue, and if it would make sense to finally separate the coding content from the gaming. And this led me to start a YouTube channel as a creative outlet. I love this visual medium so much. My channel focuses on Linux gaming, testing Linux gaming performance, and comparing Linux and Windows in benchmarks on my hardware. I’m not limiting myself to just Linux gaming, but it’s the niche I’m trying to occupy alongside other major gaming and benchmarking channels.

It just feels great to render a video that matches my idea of what I wanted to discuss. And I couldn’t be happier about the reception. Now, the content isn’t pushing crazy numbers or anything like that. But there are viewers, and for now, the process of making the videos and seeing the result is rewarding enough. It’s the total opposite of my day job and the perfect release valve for my (admittedly barely) creative side.

But that’s enough intro-talk. Let’s move on to what really matters.

You’re probably only interested if Expedition 33 is my Game Of The Year anyway.

Let The Games Begin

But, before we get there, let me briefly explain how this blog post works.

I’m only judging the games I finished in 2025. That means my list can also contain older titles. It’s merely a coincidence that my top three were, indeed, released this year. First, I will summarize what games I actually completed in 2025. I’ll skip all those that I only tested on Linux.

And please don’t cheat and jump ahead? But also: feel free to do so if the top three are all you’re interested in.

Let’s begin this list with a controversial game, shall we?

Dragon Age: The Veilguard (PC)

The Veilguard is a difficult title to talk about. It’s easy to dismiss as a Dragon Age game, and it’s easy to complain about its not-so-subtle subliminal social messaging. On the other hand, it was a solid and entertaining game with an interesting story and an excellent visual tech-stack. It’s just regrettable that fans of the Dragon Age franchise didn’t get what they deserved. It’s also regrettable that the Dragon Age franchise didn’t get the game it deserved.

If dispatching Darkspawn is your thing, I hope that by the time this post is out, I will have also published at least a review I can direct you to.

A Plague Tale Innocence (PC Linux)

A Plague Tale: Innocence was a surprise hit for Asobo Studio, and for good reason. I initially started playing on an Xbox when it was on Game Pass. I never finished it, though. It was one of the titles that prompted me to rant about camera control on a controller in video games. I’m happy I snagged it from Epic Games when it was free, in case I wanted to play on PC later. Because I did, and it was great. The controls with a keyboard and mouse were much better, although the gameplay would suit a controller very nicely.

None of the seventeen chapters was particularly long and allowed for short gaming sessions whenever I felt like it. It was a short and sweet (well, more like dark) game that didn’t overwhelm me with an endless sea of game mechanics or giant open-world spaces. And I liked that about it. The gameplay was engaging, although not too challenging, and the setting, characters, and story were very compelling.

If you are afraid of a plague of rats, I have a blog post reviewing the game.

Star Wars Outlaws (PC)

Star Wars Outlaws was Ubisoft’s take on a Star Wars game, functioning within the framework of their established Open-World formula. Although Massive Entertainment worked to avoid the checklist-like map design full of question marks, it still ended up being a checklist. And underneath all that busywork was a heist story along the lines of Ocean’s 11 – with a twist at the end.

It was a well-made game, and the Star Wars atmosphere was outstanding. However, for some reason, the Open World did not work as well for me as Assassin’s Creed Odyssey did. It is the same concept, just in a different universe.

If you’re a space-faring scoundrel, I have a Linux vs. Windows benchmark and review blog post, as well as a YouTube video.

South of Midnight (PC)

South of Midnight was my first Compulsion Games title and one of the many good, more affordable titles released in 2025. While the triple-A scene went up to 80€, South of Midnight only cost 40€ and was a great, polished experience.

The game was less about the moment-to-moment gameplay and more about its game direction, which excited me. Generally, it was a generic 3^rd-person action-adventure with several well-known and almost commonplace traversal skills to add variety. It was the storytelling, the characters, the visual presentation, and the combination of all these elements with music that made the game stand out. The gameplay was fun and approachable and served as the vehicle for developing the main character and telling her story.

South of Midnight was short and sweet, and an enjoyable experience built around some rather heavy-hitting topics.

If you enjoy American deep-south folklore, I have a Linux vs. Windows benchmark and review blog post, as well as a YouTube video.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (PC)

Expedition 33 is another one of those more affordable, yet good video games of 2025. Compared to South of Midnight, this one received high praise from media and players alike and is likely in the running for a Game of the Year award.

While I consider it a great game objectively, there were several aspects I found less enjoyable than others. The world exploration didn’t grab me, and the combat was quite challenging and cumbersome. Waiting for the enemy’s turn while still having to pay attention to perform the mandatory dodging and parrying drove me crazy more than once. Especially as the enemy attacks became more complex, elaborate, and full of oddly timed pauses. But as I mentioned in my YouTube video, this is a ME problem. There are plenty of people who thrive on the challenge of figuring everything out and building the perfect party for encounters and boss fights.

What kept me going was the incredible story around the mass-murdering paintress, who awoke once per year, like Call of Duty, to unleash death.

If you enjoy a colorful but grim world, I have a Linux vs. Windows benchmark and review video available on YouTube.

DOOM: The Dark Ages (PC)

This was the first DOOM game I ever finished. For me, this was an appetizer for DOOM 2016 and Eternal, which are widely regarded as the better games. And it also fits the chronological order. But that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a good and enjoyable time, because it absolutely was. Although the massive, large-scale battles became a bit repetitive over time, the overall gameplay loop and tight controls kept the game entertaining from start to finish. Luckily, id Software did not extend the playtime longer than was necessary. Otherwise, it might have overstayed its welcome. DOOM: The Dark Ages was also quite a looker and still ran well for the visual quality on display.

If you have a deep-seated hatred for demons from hell, I have a Linux vs. Windows benchmark and review video available on YouTube.

Mafia: The Old Country (PC)

The Mafia franchise has a history of story-driven games in the mob sphere. And this also extends to the not-so-well-received Mafia 3. While its gameplay fell prey to the open-world craze, the actual story and its presentation were engaging and well done.

Mafia: The Old Country went back to its roots, as in Mafia 1 and 2. It focused on a gripping story with fleshed-out characters in a beautifully realized world, which was 1900 Sicily this time. The game’s “new thing” was 1-on-1 knife hand-to-hand combat as a mechanic to implement boss fights. And I think it worked rather well. The game wasn’t without its share of criticism, mainly for its simplistic gameplay. But for people like me, this was perfect. The game did not try to overcomplicate things, letting me quickly get more of the captivating story cutscenes.

If a criminal racket is your thing, I have several videos on the topic, including benchmarks and a review.

Titan Quest 2 (PC Early Access)

Titan Quest 2 takes a special role in this list. It’s not finished yet, but I have already completed what currently exists at the time of writing. I am looking forward to more chapters and the changes the developers introduce. I had a good time slaying monsters and exploring the world. And I want to do more of that.

If you also want to save the Greek world from wrathful gods, I have a Linux gameplay and first-thoughts video on my channel.

Assassin’s Creed Shadows (PC)

After the disappointing Valhalla, I returned to the Assassin’s Creed franchise. After all, the core gameplay loop is entertaining because it is very approachable. Shadows had quite a few good ideas surrounding its two-character setup. I found it sad, though, that a lot of the game’s strengths were sullied by Ubisoft’s game design. I still spent 60 hours in Japan to complete a story full of political intrigue and personal growth. I just wish the gameplay and story presentation were more cohesive.

If you like stealth Ninja assassinations, I have several videos covering this game’s performance (German version) and a review (German version).

Fort Solis (PC Linux)

Fort Solis was a palate cleanser after the 60-hour adventure as a Shinobi in feudal Japan. It was a free game from Amazon’s Prime Gaming program, which I sequeezed in at the end of 2025. It may have been too short notice to create a review or a Linux gameplay video in time for this GOTY list.

It was a short, story-focused Sci-Fi horror-adventure set on Mars. The gameplay was straightforward, mostly consisting of walking around and a few QTE sequences. Fort Solis was about mysterious events taking place on a Mars space station, as they always do. Compared to other Sci-Fi horror games, this one wasn’t about a virus turning people into fleshy monsters. And that was quite a refresher.

If you like walking around in dimly lit environments, I hope to have a review out when this post is published that I can direct you to.

(I only have a German Playthrough available for now)

And that was my list of completed games. So, what do you think my top three will be?

Let’s go and find out.

My Game Of The Year

I’m pretty sure that everyone would immediately pick Clair Obscur Expedition 33 as the winner. But it’s not that cut and dry for me. I would definitely agree on an objective level. Subjectively, the decision is a bit more difficult. I actually came to despise the gameplay toward the end. I never became proficient in the parry system, and even on easy mode, it took way too long to finish encounters.

So, looking back at my list of finished games, my top three will be from the following list:

• South of Midnight
• Expedition 33
• DOOM: The Dark Ages
• Mafia: The Old Country

Now, let’s rip the band-aid off and get everyone mad.

The number three spot on the podium goes to Clair Obscur Expedition 33. I loved the story, the way it was presented, and the art style. I just didn’t have enough fun playing it, especially as it dragged on. I think it’s a great game if you’re into the gameplay. I’ve watched others mastering the system and mowing through enemies as if it were nothing. Unfortunately, that wasn’t me.

The silver medal goes to Compulsion’s South of Midnight. I found the streamlined gameplay much more to my liking, and the overall vibes of this title were amazing. The stories, the setting, the art style, and the music created a very unique experience.

At the top of this year’s list is a game where you kill a lot of enemies. It is an Italian origin story about a boy who escapes from a mine, becomes a proficient mafioso, and falls in love. I’ve played Mafia: The Old Country twice, and I enjoyed it greatly both times. It wasn’t the most elaborate game on the market, but it doesn’t always have to be. Sometimes, a simple game can be just as fun, or even more so. The combination of gameplay, story, and characters was the perfect package for me. Therefore, it’s my Game Of The Year 2025.

What would you pick off that list for GOTY? Is this question even necessary 😅? It’s Expedition 33, right?

Famous Last Words

These were just the games I finished in 2025. With my “Linux Gameplay Performance” format, I tested a great bunch more games that I haven’t listed in this post. I only picked those titles that I completed, so I can fully judge them. As a result, the games I only tested on Linux are on my pile of shame for next year. And that also depends on new and more exciting releases or free games. For example, I still want to return to BG3 or Cyberpunk 2077 with its DLC.

I would also like to expand my Linux testing to lower-end hardware. Not everybody can afford an X3D chip and a 9070 XT graphics card. Unfortunately, the current market conditions for DRAM and storage prices put a wrench into that plan. It just didn’t make sense to invest the money, even if I had sold my MacBook to finance this endeavor. On the other hand, maybe it makes sense to hold off on that for a bit longer. It’s probably prudent to wait until my channel’s 1st anniversary and see how it does then. I still have a lot of games to test anyway 😉.

And that’s where I’m gonna leave it.

I thank you all for your time. And I thank all of you who are subscribed and read (or now watch) my stuff regularly.

I hope 2025 treated you right, and I hope 2026 is only getting better.