The big day is upon us, and we still have a ton of really awesome games to recommend to you guys.
Silent Hill f
Platforms: PC, PlayStation & Xbox | Price: $69.99
From its opening moments Silent Hill f feels different, we’re no longer hyping ourselves out in the mirror, or eating burgers in a mall. Instead, we focus on our protagonist Hinako’s family, her relationship with her friends. So much of what Silent Hill is famous for is based on isolation and confusion, with the protagonists exploring spaces they’ve never been that somehow ties back to them. Silent Hill f however is focused on familiarity. (Joe)
Set in Japan during the 60s, Hinako explores a fog world that has taken over her home town, twisting what she should know into a nightmarish reflection of reality. Her friends are whisked away with her, revealing their hidden and maybe not so hidden feelings about her. So much of the game is about taking what should be comforts, and turning them into fears.
It’s an interesting new direction for the franchise. We see that Silent Hill isn’t as much a physical location, but frame of mind. The waking nightmares that can consume everything if we let them. Silent Hill f is a sequel worthy of its namesake, another masterclass in psychological horror.
The atmosphere of Silent Hill always manages to consume me, and with Silent Hill f being set in a 1960s Japan, I have been enveloped in a fog of fear and joy. It’s hard to believe that after a 10+ year hiatus the past two years have been incredible for the franchise. I haven’t finished f but it’s shaping up to be one of my favorites in the series. There’s nothing quite as tense as running through a field of scarecrows that may or may not also be zombie-monsters, that may or may not also be your friends. If you are at all a fan of the horror genre, you are doing yourself a disservice by not playing Silent Hill f. Hopefully Konami can continue to publish more, and we can play awesome horror games without waiting another decade. (Austin)
I had a wonderful time playing the Silent Hill 2 remake last December, and now I’ve got the privilege of having a parallel sort of fun with Silent Hill f this December. I’m not entirely certain what makes the cheerful and pleasant holiday season such a fun time for playing daunting psychological horror games, but Silent Hill f is certainly proving this to be true for me.
The 1960s Japan setting, combined with the plot that focuses heavily on the challenges of being a woman in a harshly patriarchal society, creates a brilliantly unique atmosphere in Silent Hill f. It doesn’t feel derivative of past titles in the series, instead opting to carve its own creepy and depressing path. The second I had a pipe in my hands while dealing with fleshy monsters, I felt right at home with this one as I learned more and more about Hinako and her feelings towards society and the world around her. The meticulously-kept journal also provides a fantastic insight into her thoughts on the cast and the increasingly creepy events occurring around her, making her a wonderfully well-rounded character. If you’re itching for some scares this holiday season, I wholeheartedly recommend Silent Hill f. (Spencer)
We’re having a bit of a Silent Hill renaissance, what with last year’s remake of Silent Hill 2 and this year’s release of Silent Hill f being the first original game in the series since 2012’s Silent Hill: Downpour. Set in 1960s Japan, Silent Hill f tells the story of Hinako, a girl looking to escape an abusive father and toxic friend group. The town you’ll explore, Ebisugaoka, is just as eerie as the town of Silent Hill, with its oppressive fog obscuring just enough to make vague shapes and shadows dance at the corner of your eye with the tease of a creature lurking. Setting the game in Japan in the 60s was a great way to refresh the series as well, as the puzzles take on a more cultural footprint of that time period compared to other games in the series, and makes you feel like you’re learning a bit about the culture as you work through the game’s many puzzles. Silent Hill is known for its notoriously terrible combat, but Silent Hill f manages to probably be one of the series’ best, and while I still tried to avoid fights when exploring, I never felt upset to have to engage in them when forced to. I’m only halfway through Silent Hill f but it’s completely captured my attention and all I can do most days is think about playing more. If you’re hungry for a new horror game, or a longtime fan who’s been hesitant on trying it out, I can’t recommend the game enough. (Diego)
SaGa Frontier 2 Remastered
Platforms: PC, PlayStation & Switch | Price: $29.99
I shouldn’t be surprised by how much I’m enjoying SaGa Frontier 2 Remastered. Every single SaGa game I’ve played has made me feel like I really missed out on playing this series. SaGa Frontier Remastered 2 like the rest of the series is about lineage, warring kingdoms, big bad monsters, and the friends we made along the way. A surprisingly linear take on SaGa, Frontier 2 Remastered pairs masterful storytelling with SaGa’s novel combat system. Truly, I am shocked at how much I am enjoying this game. The pixel-art characters that look as if they’re out of Ivalice, and contrast well with the painterly style of the hand-drawn levels the characters find themselves in. An epic tale told over the course of nearly 100 years between so many characters. If SaGa Frontier 2 Remastered flew under your radar, you simply must rectify that and pick up this game. SaGa Frontier 2 Remastered would be the perfect addition to any fan of RPG’s library, as well as anyone interested in unusual storytelling or RPGs that stray from the beaten path. (Nick)
DOOM: The Dark Ages
Platforms: PC, PlayStation & Xbox | Price: $69.99
Ripping and tearing, but slower and more medieval. Doom: The Dark Ages is a return to form for the modern Doom series. The Doom Guy moves a bit slower, but all deliberately and in a way that makes you feel more tank-like than ever before. It’s pretty rare in 2025 to find a single-player focused shooter game, and that’s one of the things The Dark Ages gets right. No live services, bloat, or daily reminders. Just pure heavy metal carnage. I hope we get to see more of the world of Doom, and that the FPS campaign doesn’t fall by the wayside. (Austin)
Mario Kart World
Platforms: Switch | Price: $79.99
If there’s one thing you can always count on, it’s a new Mario Kart experience on a new Nintendo console, and that it’ll likely be pretty damn good. Mario Kart World continues the series by opening it up into an open-world format, where you can explore this massive island with varied biomes and fellow racers cruising alongside you. I always appreciate the incremental updates the series tries to make with each new series, and things like the rail grinding or wall-riding, which really help spice up how you approach some of these tracks. You could drift that corner, or if you get on that rail, you might be able to get airborne to land a few tricks for a helpful boost when you land. Perhaps one of the more interesting changes is how, in Grand Prix mode, part of the competition is racing to the next track, which, on the surface, isn’t that crazy, but it’s a novel idea that makes the whole thing feel like one long connected race instead of four separate ones. If you’ve got a Switch 2 but haven’t picked up Mario Kart World, I can’t think of a better way to spend time with friends this holiday season. (Diego)
Monster Hunter Wilds
Platforms: PC, PlayStation & Xbox | Price: $69.99
A lot of people tend to have a lot more free time around the holiday season, and there’s no better time-eater of a game than Monster Hunter to occupy said time with. The newest title in the series, Monster Hunter Wilds, is no exception, serving as a perfect holiday game to play either by yourself, with friends, or with strangers online. No matter how you play, you’ll get sucked in all the same.
Pretty much as soon as you’ve cleared the tutorial stuff, you get that familiar feeling of getting sucked into the loop of hunting, gathering, and upgrading. Monster Hunter Wilds maintains that wonderful sensation of wanting to do just “one more hunt” after every single hunt, leading to late nights and an immense satisfaction with your increasingly strong/goofy-looking hunter and Palico. I made my Palico look like Korin from Dragon Ball, and my hunter look like me if I were substantially more muscular and handsome, and I’ve been having a great time spanking giant monsters with my Insect Glaive abilities.
I’m looking forward to getting even further so I can take on the Final Fantasy XIV crossover quests, and can’t wait to see what other monsters and missions get added going forward. If you want a game to play nonstop this holiday, I can easily recommend Monster Hunter Wilds. (Spencer)
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles
Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Switch & Xbox | Price: $49.99
Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles might be a remaster of an older game, but it’s brand new to me. Despite its age, the tactics gameplay here is some of the best I’ve ever experienced, with so many small considerations to make. Thinking about the direction your character is facing, weapons, and even terrain all feel equally weighty without dragging the experience down with tedious work. The story is told well, but the highlight for me is the voice acting, which adds gravitas to the experience and makes it all gel. The smaller arenas also help make gameplay feel manageable, making it a fantastic experience all around, especially for anyone interested in a tactics game. (James)
Final Fantasy Tactics is without a doubt one of the best Tactical RPGs of all time, and a high point in the Playstation 1’s stacked library. With Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, it gets a fresh breath of air on top of its already solid base. Bringing upgraded visuals, a new script, gameplay improvements and one of the bigger ones, voice acting to the table, The Ivalice Chronicles is a perfect choice for people new to the genre, or to the Final Fantasy Tactics veterans who know this game like the back of their hand. It was a joy to revisit one of my favorites, and this blows the previous War of the Lions version out of the water besides a couple small pieces of content that was not included. (Frank)
No I’m Not a Human
Platforms: PC | Price: $14.99
The holiday season and horror can go together surprisingly well, and anyone who likes a bit of existential fear in between family gatherings should give No I’m Not a Human a shot. Set in a world where some sort of solar event and the subsequent appearance of eerie humanoid “Visitors” leave Earth in a declining state, the game has you play as a lonely individual in a house who must let in survivors while being wary of whether or not they’re disguised Visitors. The aesthetic of No I’m Not a Human is absolutely brilliant, feeling both haunting and increasingly hopeless in a very unique way. Learning about different survivors’ stories runs the gamut from bizarre to deeply moving, and a playthrough of the game is quick and varied enough to make it easy to play again and again in pursuit of new endings and survivors. It’s an incredibly unsettling and heavy game, and I genuinely cannot recommend it enough, as it’s devoured my brain for the last couple of days. Plus, it works quite well on Steam Deck, making it a perfect vessel for some portable panic. (Spencer)
Monster Train 2
Platforms: PC, PlayStation, Switch & Xbox | Price: $24.99
During the holidays, many people travel to see their relatives. Some by cruise, plane, or even a good ol’ road trip to see relatives you may only get to see once a year. There is one form of transportation that puts them all to shame: trains. You may wonder how connected the trains are to the gamers in your life, but wonder no more! Gamers ride and suplex trains in series like Final Fantasy, The Legend of Zelda, and Hitman. Hit shows like Rick and Morty and Demon Slayer expose gamers to trains of both the toy and metaphysical variety. So a train is the perfect gift for the gamer in your life. However, you shouldn’t settle for just any old train: why not get Monster Train 2?
The sequel to the hit Monster Train, Monster Train 2 is back: pyre aglow and ready to move at an unheavenly speed. Having saved Hell from an icy end in the original, Monster Train 2 proves the adage right – nature abhors a vacuum. A new force called Titans has seduced the angelic retainers of Heaven, corrupting them. Heaven and Hell have no time to even think about a blood war as a result of the last game, and must form a deadly alliance or existence itself may be in jeopardy. With five new clans, daily challenges, mutators, covenant ranks, endless mode, and new card types like room and equipment, there’s plenty to tinker with and challenge yourself. Replayability makes Monster Train 2 the whistle-stop purchase of this year. (Branford)
Is This Seat Taken?
Platforms: PC & Switch | Price: $9.99
Charming bite-sized puzzle games are very much welcomed when you have a 3-month-old who constantly depends on your attention for its survival, and Is This Seat Taken is adorable and satisfying. It starts out with some pretty basic and simple logic puzzles, where you need to place little characters into seats that meet their requirements. Making sure the right people get window seats, while avoiding sitting next to anyone with a pungent aroma, is just the beginning. The art style and simple story are delightful and charming. Is This Seat Taken will be my quick escape from family chaos during the holidays. (Austin)
