Kinda Funny Gamescast: Greg and Mike's Top 10 Games of 2025 (Jan 15, 2026)

Overview

Greg Miller and Snowbike Mike team up for a one-on-one deep dive into their personal top 10 games of 2025. Amid the usual Kinda Funny banter, the duo discuss their Game of the Year methodology, philosophies on personal taste vs. consensus, the state of the Kinda Funny Fantasy Critic league, standout releases (blockbusters, indies, and sleepers alike), and the ways modern multiplayer and open world fatigue impacted their selections. The tone is enthusiastic, candid, sometimes self-deprecating, and always deeply personal, revealing both their individual playstyles and the camaraderie of the Kinda Funny crew.

Segment Breakdown

Kinda Funny Fantasy Critic League Recap

[01:04–07:41]

• Mike recounts his bold Fantasy Critic draft strategy, filling all five of his available slots immediately and spending all but $1 of his budget. He’s proud:

  “When you know you got it, you got it. You just gotta believe…” – Mike [01:47]

• Mike’s picks included Ghost of Yote Legends, the next Diablo IV expansion, World of Warcraft: Midnights, At Fate’s End, and Fable (which was heavily contested).

  “I’ve been dying to talk about this and I love talking about it with you, Greg." – Mike [01:37]

• There’s discussion about the risks of spending big early ("What happens if two games don’t come out?” – Greg [06:13]) and the psychology of trade negotiations.

Kinda Funny GOTY Voting & Philosophy

[08:38–14:34]

• Claire Obscure: Expedition 33 wins Kinda Funny’s overall GOTY.

• Each host’s personal top 10 is blind-submitted, revealed, then debated. Mike and Greg note how few of their own picks made the consensus list (Mike: 4/10; Greg: 5/10) and discuss whether that’s a point of pride or alienation.

• Both emphasize personal resonance over critical consensus:

  “I want it to be my games that I enjoyed, and I’ll bring it to the table and maybe we can find some common ground.” – Mike [11:32]
  “Otherwise why aren’t we just ranking by Metacritic?” – Greg [12:15]

The Top 10 Games Lists

Presented alternatingly, with discussion for each. For brevity, repeated or lower-ranked titles are summarized together; higher profile/unique picks are in detail.

10th Place Picks

[14:34–20:03]

Mike #10: Schedule 1

• Indie co-op drug empire simulator from Tyler’s Video Game Studio (Australia).

  “Nothing’s cooler than selling drugs with your friends in Schedule 1.” – Mike [14:36]

• Praises the “friend slop” genre: affordable, bite-sized, chaotic multiplayer games that thrived post-pandemic.
• Highlights the magic of small studios scaling up after viral hits.

Greg #10: Donkey Kong Bonanza

• Switch 2 launch title; praised for family bonding, “whimsy,” and colorful destructible open-world gameplay.
• Personal story of playing with his son and friend’s family:

  “I got to bring this home and have me and him jump into it…” [20:07]

• Critiques Nintendo’s tendency toward strong gameplay loops but shallow narratives.

9th Place Picks

[26:33–29:38]

Mike #9: Battlefield 6

• The franchise’s “big comeback” with support from Criterion, DICE, Ripple Effect, Motive.
• High quality at launch, great audio, solid server performance.
• Beat out COD 2025, but Arc Raiders was the surprise winner among shooters this year.

Greg #9: Lumines Arise

• A “classic Greg pick”—new entry in his all-time favorite puzzle series.
• “It’s here because I love Lumines… I think Lumines is better [than Tetris] for the aesthetics, music, style.” [29:38]
• Recognizes it as a known quantity but never tiring.

8th Place Picks

[33:21–40:27]

Mike #8: Arc Raiders

• Embark’s PvEvP extraction shooter—the “Helldivers of this year.”
• Praised for its friendly/casual approach, proximity chat, “found the perfect balance” for both competitive and casual players.

  “Never would I have thought this… for the audience to go, ‘we want more of this!’” [34:26]

Greg #8: Ghost of Yote: Atsu’s Tale of Revenge

• Sucker Punch’s anticipated sequel to Ghost of Tsushima.
• “It just improved on everything Sushima did… better map, better gameplay, looks better.” [37:55]
• High score, but did not have enough to pull Greg through post-credits—“frictionless” in a year he wanted more challenge or difference.

7th Place Picks

[45:51–46:04]

• Mike: Skate (discussed in Greg’s #2; see below).
• Greg: Dispatch (discussed in Mike’s #3; see below).

6th Place Picks

[46:14–54:15]

Mike #6: Sniper Elite Resistance

• The “Dark Souls style” PvP-invasion shooter, where enemies can invade your campaign.
• Mike becomes addicted to hunting players:

  “The only thing I want to do is invade your run.” [49:12]

• Relished the “thrill of the hunt,” drawing parallels to Fall Guys and Arc Raiders.

Greg #6: Monster Hunter Wilds

• “Still stand by my 9.5/10…” but notes launch was “so easy”—the series’ modern blockbuster nature made it less sticky.
• Multiplay quirks and lack of challenge kept it from being a higher standout.

5th Place Picks

[57:36–64:03]

Mike #5: Baby Steps

• Bennett Foddy’s mountain climbing “manbreaker.”

  “I love these uber-challenging, moment of disaster games… where one false move and you lose all your progress.” [58:21]

• Enjoyed both the absurdist humor and the precise, tactile movement mechanics.

Greg #5: The Outer Worlds 2

• High expectations (“I had it as front-runner for my game of the year”), and despite a “saggy overarching story,” loved replay value and roleplaying nuances.
• Praises Obsidian for iterative RPG design and hopes for RPGs to go “smaller, but deeper in choices.” [68:44]

4th Place Picks

[71:12–77:03]

Mike #4: Elden Ring Night Rain

• FromSoft’s surprising foray into a PvE/PvP battle royale mode.
• “It is an experience that is so Snowbike Mike… the challenge of Dark Souls put in a giant open world and made into a battle royale.” [71:17]
• Credits streamlined class/build choices, rewarding map evolution, and boss design.

Greg #4: …And Roger

• Narrative indie, “Florence-like mechanics.”

  “It’s the reason I love video games… puts me in someone else’s shoes, experiencing something I hope I never will.” [77:03]

• Blew up in the Kinda Funny office thanks to word-of-mouth.

  “This is a game you should play knowing as little as possible.” [78:18]

3rd Place Picks

[79:29–86:01]

Mike #3: Dispatch
Greg #7: Dispatch

• Ad Hoc Studios’ superhero narrative adventure, praised for its blend of the Telltale formula with more streamlined, non-tedious structure.
• “They created characters that stood out… that I wanted to connect with.” – Mike [80:26]
• “I would say did the impossible… it just crushed it.” – Greg [81:56]
• Highlights decision-making, replay value, and standout voice acting (incl. Aaron Paul), with a killer soundtrack.

Greg #3: Hell is Us

• Rogue Factor’s obtuse, Souls-lite adventure.
• Celebrated for its “masterclass in level design” and mature, challenging themes.
• "It gave us such an interesting world to explore and so little guidance, but not none… right at the threshold of acceptable obtuseness.” [86:01]
• Greg champions it as the “IP sleeper” people should check out most.

2nd Place Picks

[91:44–99:06]

Mike #2: Kingdom Come Deliverance 2

• Warhorse’s medieval RPG. Mike emphasizes slow, methodical progress (“crawl of a game”) but found depth, immersion, and memorable choices.
• Critiques initial overwhelming systems but credits dense side content, meaningful consequences, and emotional storytelling.

Greg #2: Skate
Mike #7: Skate

• The controversial, always-online EA live service returns, but both argue that the feeling of skating eclipses its business model sins.
• “I can’t get over how much fun Skate is to play… I just wanted to skate.” – Greg [99:04]
• “At the end of the day…I can’t look you in the eye and say that’s not fun to play, because it’s a blast.” – Mike [104:57]
• Both acknowledge its uncertain future but believe it defined their play in 2025.

1st Place Picks

[108:21–116:37]

Mike #1: Claire Obscure: Expedition 33

• Kinda Funny's consensus Game of the Year.
• “A turn-based game… stood head and shoulders above the rest… I can’t say enough good things about this game.”
• Highlighted storytelling, the addition of parry mechanics to turn-based combat, emotional character arcs, music, world, and the surprise of a third act.

Greg #1: Octopath Traveler 0

• The surprise “game I didn’t expect to love so much.”
• Unlike prior games, the custom protagonist hooked him with immediate ownership and a richer narrative.
• “Three games in one,” memorable cast, snappy combat, delivered exactly what Greg needed in a year of turn-based fatigue.

Notable Quotes & Moments

● "[Regarding forming a list] The only way to do it… otherwise why aren’t we just ranking by Metacritic?" – Greg [12:15] ● “When you know you got it, you got it. And you just gotta believe in yourself and you gotta go do it.” – Mike [01:47] ● "The champ is feeling stupid. And I pointed out and I called my shots." – Mike [01:21] ● "Schedule 1 found a perfect mix between [job/life sims and friend slop]… something so indie video game-esque." – Mike [14:51] ● “I think Battlefield won back a lot of gamers on the Call of Duty versus Battlefield side. But… Arc Raiders came out on top.” – Mike [29:38] ● “This isn't doing what I want. Stalker 2… if you gave me [its] shooting mechanics with this kind of stuff, I think I'd be more in.” – Mike [91:08] ● “And Roger—you guys have talked about it so much that you've gotten even me, the ball and gun guy, excited and interested to play this game.” – Mike [78:18] ● “Both acknowledge [Skate’s] uncertain future but believe it defined their play in 2025.” ● “Expedition 33… emotional, heartbreaking, it was everything. And so, to end the year and say, yeah, Expedition 33 was my number one, I'm just—I'm happy to smile and say, yeah, that was it.” – Mike [112:24] ● “Octopath Traveler 0 was on another level this year. I'm so glad I had the time to play it all November long… I love it.” – Greg [113:08]

Closing Remarks

The episode concludes with both hosts expressing gratitude for the diversity and quality of 2025’s releases, and looking ahead to analyzing next year’s presumptive classics. The podcast closes on a note of celebration for “playing what you love,” skepticism about games-as-service futures, and deep appreciation for compelling narrative experiences—personal definitions of greatness over consensus.

Timestamps for Top Game Reveals

• [14:34] #10
• [26:33] #9
• [33:21] #8
• [45:51] #7
• [46:14] #6
• [57:36] #5
• [71:12] #4
• [79:29] #3
• [91:44] #2
• [108:21] #1