From AAA flops to whatever the heck Catly is, we predict these 2025 games will be hitting the bargain shelf not too long after they're released.
Category
🎮️
GamingTranscript
00:00From AAA flops to whatever the heck Cadilly is, we predict these 2025 games will be hitting
00:06the bargain shelf not too long after they're released.
00:09Continuing the main overarching storyline of the quirky first-person looter-shooter
00:13RPG series, Borderlands 4 introduces players to an all-new roster of vault hunters and
00:18villains.
00:19After a bit of a lukewarm reception for the last entry of the series, folks are certainly
00:22hoping that the series will be able to win them over once again.
00:26Hyperion, we're not the bad guys in this one."
00:30But there are reasons fans are worried.
00:32First, the art style is noticeably leaning more towards realism than the series' usual
00:37vibe.
00:38Next, some fans think the designs of the new vault hunters don't quite feel as unique or
00:42interesting when compared to previous series protagonists.
00:45Finally, we hate to even bring it up, but the franchise as a whole took a major hit
00:49with the Borderlands movie, which heavily tarnished the series in the eyes of the fans.
00:53There's still hope, but Borderlands 4 has a lot to prove.
00:56The Sonic franchise is beloved by hardcore fans, despite the fact that some of its sequels
01:00have stained the franchise.
01:02But even with the series' passionate fanbase, this one might be a difficult sell.
01:06Sonic Rumble, an upcoming Battle Royale party game, will pit 32 players against each other
01:11as toy versions of Sonic characters, playing through various challenges and minigames.
01:15Think of high-speed Fall Guys and you get the basic picture.
01:18It's incredibly difficult to set your title apart in the crowded Battle Royale genre,
01:22even with the Sonic IP attached.
01:24It doesn't help that the game has been drawing criticism since its 2024 beta test.
01:28Its controversial gotcha mechanics have been removed since then, but early testers have
01:32criticized it for feeling ironically slow-paced and uninspired in its minigame design.
01:37Basically, Sonic Rumble may not have enough going for it to carve out its own niche.
01:422025 also marks the return of a unique horror franchise, the Dark Pictures Anthology.
01:47This series by Supermassive Games, developer of Until Dawn and The Quarry, is a collection
01:51of smaller horror games that release seasonally, similar to a TV show.
01:55The first four titles were released within a year of each other.
01:57Now, three years after the release of the last game of Season 1, the Dark Pictures Anthology
02:01is returning with the sci-fi horror story Directive 8020.
02:05Although some fans are excited to see the series return, others aren't sure about the
02:09direction Directive 8020 is taking, thinking the sci-fi atmosphere may be too big of a
02:14departure for fans of the series.
02:16Additionally, the one-two punch of mediocre reviews for the previous entry, The Devil
02:20In Me, and the three-year gap between releases has somewhat dulled the hype the franchise
02:24once had.
02:25Directive 8020 might only have Dark Pictures' diehards tuning in.
02:29Assassin's Creed Shadows is making some bold moves.
02:32Set in Japan's Sengoku period, the game will continue the sprawling historical fiction
02:36timeline that fans have fallen in love with since the beginning of the series.
02:40With a new and improved stealth system and a whole slew of ninja tools at the player's
02:43disposal, Assassin's Creed Shadows seems like a slam dunk on paper.
02:47Sadly, it has already seen a fairly large amount of pushback from the gaming community.
02:52A large subsection of fans complained when it was revealed that the game's protagonist
02:56will be a black samurai named Yasuke and a female shinobi named Naoe.
03:01Ubisoft has stood by the developers, reminding gamers that Yasuke was an actual historical
03:06figure and that the AC franchise has traditionally featured a diverse cast of characters from
03:11different ethnic backgrounds.
03:13I was going to handle that.
03:17Too slow.
03:19Other fans have distanced themselves from the toxic discourse, instead expressing concerns
03:23that the series' gameplay is getting tired at this point.
03:26However you slice it, Assassin's Creed Shadows has already received a bit of a bad reputation
03:30that will probably affect its release.
03:33Yet another Sonic the Hedgehog spinoff coming in 2025 is the long-awaited continuation of
03:38the Sonic Racing franchise.
03:39Sonic Racing Crossworlds shared its first teaser with the gaming world during the 2024
03:44Game Awards livestream, but fans seem to be underwhelmed by what they're seeing.
03:48Even Game Awards host Jeff Keighley seemed puzzled by the brevity of the reveal trailer,
03:52and gamers are already cracking jokes about Sonic and friends, you know, not really needing
03:56cars to go fast.
03:57Some fans are worried that the new game will stray from the classic Sonic Racing formula,
04:01while others are annoyed that the initial marketing failed to show off anything that
04:05would indicate that Sonic Racing Crossworlds will be a must-play release.
04:08Plus, now that Nintendo has confirmed the existence of a new Mario Kart game coming
04:12this year as well, some Sonic fans fear that Crossworlds is already doomed by the competition.
04:18Mafia is yet another time-honored series making its return in 2025.
04:22However, rather than pick up where Mafia 3 left off nearly a decade ago, the new game
04:26takes an interesting twist that many fans didn't expect.
04:29Mafia the Old Country will instead be a prequel to the original game, taking place in early
04:341900s Sicily.
04:35While the general tone of the series will be similar, the aesthetic is decidedly more
04:39old-fashioned.
04:40Mafia the Old Country is also more of a linear, mission-based experience, rather than an open-world
04:45game like its predecessor.
04:47It's already easy to see that Mafia the Old Country is taking big swings, becoming something
04:51far different from what fans are used to.
04:53Sometimes that works, but right now, some gamers aren't sure they're ready to get on
04:57board with it.
04:59You knew it was coming.
05:00It's time to talk about Kat Lee.
05:01When a trailer for the game debuted during the Game Awards, nobody knew what the hell
05:05they were watching.
05:06According to the official Steam description, Kat Lee will focus on raising cats, building
05:10an island, and taking your cats on vacation-themed activities like skiing.
05:14Kat Lee's surreal art style has led gamers to accuse the developers of using AI-generated
05:18assets, while others predicted the game would be built around the use of NFTs.
05:22According to the developers, none of that's true, but that didn't really do anything to
05:26persuade passionate gamers who are afraid of being duped.
05:28There's a lot of commotion surrounding Kat Lee, but it doesn't seem like the kind that
05:32translates to sales.
05:34Although many thought the series was well over, Fable is making its triumphant return
05:38in 2025.
05:39The 2004 original was painstakingly designed to make players feel like every choice really
05:44mattered, incorporating a morality system that many gamers have since copied for their
05:48own immersive purposes.
05:49With Fable being such a well-beloved classic franchise, this new entry has very big shoes
05:53to fill.
05:54If this wasn't enough, there are rumors that the development team has been struggling with
05:57various issues behind the scenes that have caused internal delays.
06:01Finally, and most importantly, the game itself is projected to be released in fall 2025.
06:06This may put it in direct competition with GTA 6, a game projected to become one of the
06:10biggest sellers of all time.
06:12So, yeah, I knew this girl once who made all the wrong choices.
06:20Even the abject failure of Lord of the Rings Gollum can't keep the Lord of the Rings down.
06:23This time, the franchise is exploring the least exciting place in Middle-Earth, Bilbo
06:27and Frodo's hometown, in Tales of the Shire, a Lord of the Rings game.
06:31This cozy simulation game allows players to create and control their own hobbit and live
06:35out a comfortable life in the Shire.
06:37Think Harvest Moon with a Tolkien twist.
06:40According to those who have played a demo of the game, Tales of the Shire is way more
06:43boring than fans would hope.
06:44Digital Trends Preview noted that the game has some fun ideas, but there's not much that
06:48sets it apart from other farming sims.
06:50Given the middling response from the demo, as well as the disappointing track record
06:54for Lord of the Rings games as of late, Tales of the Shire might not exactly be the one
06:58game to rule them all.