5. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shredder’s Revenge (PlayStation, Xbox, Switch)

Confession of a bad ‘90s gamer: I never loved beat-em-ups. Double Dragon was probably my most played, and I rented plenty of the big names in the genre, but I didn’t love any of them. The movement was a bit too stiff, the punishment for mistiming your punch was tough, and I didn’t love the arcade style “no saves” format they employed. Shredder’s Revenge, released in 2022, fixes all of my issues with the old games and instantly became my favorite beat-em-up title from the moment I played it. I revisited this game twice in 2025, once to play co-op with my 9 year old, another to try to grab a bunch of trophies when this showed up on PS+. This is a game I feel like I’ll revisit quite often going forward, whenever I need to beat the snot out of the Foot Clan and some fun boss fights.

4. Spider-Man Miles Morales (PS4/5)

This is my favorite of the new Spider-Man games. It takes the amazing groundwork that Spider-Man (2018) laid down and streamlines the heck out of it. Miles’s powers are simplified down to a powerful core set, same with the gadgets. You get to swing your way through the same gorgeous city, but the story is trimmed down to about eight hours. The game lacks big name villains, but still thrives with a smaller, more personal story that works really well. Combat is as fun as always, with endless combos and a fantastic set of electrically-charged attacks at Miles’s disposal. The city looks great in Christmastime and there are an abundance of things to see and do if you want to spend more time in the world. This game is the perfect length for routine replays, with the gameplay and storytelling to keep me coming back.

3. Donkey Kong Country (SNES)

Quite simply; one of the best platformers of all time. This replay was particularly special as I played it with my son. He is capable but it is actually pretty tough to beat this game only getting to play as Donkey or Diddy. For years, apparently, I had taken for granted the second life the characters provide. This is one of the best looking games on the Super Nintendo and the visuals still look great. Gameplay-wise, this is a straightforward “reach the end of the level” 2D platformer. It gets difficult at times, but never frustratingly so. It finds a great balance that will definitely see you dying on more than a few occasions, but not so much that you’ll want to give up. The game holds up wonderfully well today.

2. Earthbound (SNES)

Earthbound is a ‘90s JRPG set in a western Anytown of the era. It stars kids carrying baseball bats and teddy bears while battling truly bizarre foes throughout their adventure. The game doesn’t do a whole lot to iterate on the basic JRPG mechanics of the era, but there is fun and comfort in the simplicity it offers. The visuals offer a striking contrast to most JRPGs with bright, vibrant colors and enemies which range beyond generic dark, ugly monsters. My replay solidified my feelings that this game is among my very favorites of the genre. The memorable characters and setting along with the cozy mechanics make this an easy game to return to and have a great time doing so.

1. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 (PS1)

This still reigns as my favorite Tony Hawk game, despite the existence of the remakes and all of the others. The was the perfect blend of mechanics, level design, and soundtrack. So many of these levels and songs are etched into my head as they have been for the last 25 years. The game maintains the two minute run format where you have a handful of goals to hit in each level. Hit enough and you’ll unlock the next level. There are a few competition levels as well which have you completing one minute runs to rack up as many points as you can and score higher than CPU opponents.

The Tony Hawk series is one of my absolute favorites of all time and this game is my favorite in that series. It is a game I will revisit on a regular basis and will show up futures lists like this each time I do.