Your Friend Who Likes Games

Hello! Thanks for ‘tuning in’ here. This is what the next proceeding podcast episode intended to be. But a change of format needed to happen and I’m happy to continue Your Friend Who Likes Games energy here in blog.

I’d like to put a stamp on the first 1/3 of the year, as when GOTY season arrives in December, I know I can fall victim to recency bias – my GOTY last year being the released-in-December Skate Story. And by December, January through April feels like ‘last year,’ and can be tougher to include those games into the conversation.

But hey! Here’s an effort to stamp the great experiences I’ve had so far in 2026 into memory.

What’s a GOOY? you may ask!? Well… I’m copying a bit. I’ve mentioned before how I love Into the Aether‘s approach to their podcast – allowing themselves to follow their whims and natural interests, playing games they desire to play, whether they are brand new or from 10 years ago. They’re great at not only playing the games, but describing them within the context of what those experiences mean to them today. ANNND, within their annual GOTY episodes, they do something called the GOTOY’s, or rather, “Games of the Other Years.” So while I am completely copying that practice and approach to permit myself to play and talk about games from times that are not exclusive to this year, I won’t also steal their title, but will call them GOOY’s or, again, similary, “Games of Other Years” And GOOY sounds sticky. Like, games that stick regardless of year…. or something like that…

Annyyyywayyyyyy let’s get to the lists so far!

My 2026 GOTY List (as of May)

• Pragmata
• Vampire Crawlers
• Pokemon Pokopia
• Marathon
• Eternal Afternoon
• DRAGON QUEST VII Reimagined

My 2026 GOOY List (as of May)

• Kirby and the Forgotten Land
• Kirby’s Dream Land 3
• Kirby’s Adventure
• Kirby Air Riders
• Pokemon Legends Z-A
• Angeline Era
• Mario Kart World
• Pokemon TCG Pocket
• Donkey Kong Bananza

2026 GOOY’s So Far

I’d say I’ve done pretty good so far, with some impactful experiences, especially on the GOOY side of things. So let’s start there.

It’s clear that Kirby has been a huge hit for me this year, and I’ve sort of made it a project to discover and play Kirby games. Other than the first 20% of Kirby and the Forgotten Land I’d played with my wife, I have never played a Kirby before 2026. A combination of completing Kirby and the Forgotten Land, mixed with the reading of Keza MacDonald’s Super Nintendo: The Game-Changing Company That Unlocked the Power of Play and learning more about Kirby’s origin, mixed with the obtaining of a Nintendo Switch Online subscription to accompany my newly acquired Nintendo Switch 2… all combined together to make a passionate pursuit of Kirby. And you could say curiosity was a driving force, but I really think I just love the way Kirby feels. And I quickly discovered with the playing of Kirby’s Dream Land 3 (1997) that the traditional feel of Kirby has been around for almost 30 years. I welcome the comfort and pace of Kirby games. The simple platforming. The one-enemy-at-a-time. The choice to engage or float-over. And, of course, the cute, pastel aesthetic. Kirby games feel welcome in my life. They feel like games I want in my pocket on a small handheld device to be able to be played over-and-over again. Maybe I’ll make something like that happen one day. But for now, Nintendo Switch Online is a great host and happy I get to dip into those regularly. If you have a favorite Kirby game I should play, let me know!

Fast forward to Kirby Air Riders, and WHAT A GAME I DID NOT EXPECT. I don’t think I’m alone to have expected a Kirby racing game without a ‘go’ button. That, and some cool visuals. But what an engaging experience. I talked in my ‘Hidden Fighting Game’ episode how the quick races full of violent and timed sequences make Kirby Air Riders feel like a fighting game. That, and the very ‘fighter-game’ presentation. Very arcade, very bold, announcer yelling “YOU DID IT!” after bopping 30 enemies in under 40 seconds. The quick, shuffled game modes found in Road Trip mixed with the motivation of unlockables kept me coming back and still have me wanting to play more of the yet-to-be-discovered-by-me City Trial mode – where apparently you can get your star blown up and you have to WALK to get another one. Wild.

Moving on from Kirby, I have to talk about Angeline Era, and state my confidence that it will be on my GOOY list come December (but we will see, ha). It’s such a unique game, and also one that feels wildly familiar. PS1 style graphics, and gameplay in which you bump into enemies to attack them, and a gun that only shoots upward. The game puts you in miniature arenas often, prompting the necessity for quick decisions, spacial awareness, rhythm and flow. My only hang up with the game is that you have to find the levels to play within the overworld. The gameplay and levels themselves are so unique and fun that it feels a big bummer to have it disrupted by needing to search every corner of the overworld looking for your next experience. I ended my playing of the game feeling stuck, but know if I can find a day with a lot of ‘I’m bored’ time and mentality, I’m willing to bet I could find the next level or two with a grind and some patience.

Rounding out my GOOY list, Pokemon Legends Z-A was a bit of surprise in that, I thought I’d at the very least enjoy it and know I’d be into it with the early 2026 Pokemon zeitgeist alongside its 30th Anniversary. But I think a Pokemon game, a Switch 2 edition have you, that actually looked good felt good to be in. The loop of collecting things off the ground every few steps and smashing pink wall crystals (I forget what they’re called) felt good. The stream-lined battle system kept me playing. And the various chapters of the game kept me coming back to it, and still has me thinking about it. I still haven’t finished!

Lastly put, I want to play Mario Kart World as Mario Kart World. Not Mario Kart World the Nintendo Switch 2 launch title that I play and dispose of. The online is really fun. Knockout online is really fun. And I may be in the minority in saying Free Roam might be my favorite mode. All that said, I want this game to be on my GOOY list, and I want to permit myself to play it more.

Sorry, lastly lastly put. Pokemon TCG Pocket has been a solid daily/weekly anchor for me for months now. I love being able to just open a pack of Pokemon cards anywhere and see if I get anything exciting. At the very least, it keeps the culture alive in my brain and I’m happy to celebrate it with this collection practice. Donkey Kong Bananza is likely to be on this list, but more on that later. 😉

2026 GOTY’s So Far

I think it is safe for me to say that my GOOY games so far this year have been more impactful than the list to follow. But like I’ve been saying, I want to follow the games I think and dream about, and not alot of them have been new games. That, and I had some Switch 2 catching up to do. BUT, it’s only May, and the goal for a GOTY list is usually 10, so to have 6 by now… that’s a solid start. I should give myself more credit.

Pramata is by far a favorite to definitely be on my 2026 GOTY list. The gameplay is undeniably great. That, and the structure is great too. A 9-10 hour game that lets the story be kindof okay but thankfully passive and out of the way. Hacking robot shields with a unique mechanic mixed with Resident Evil feeling tension and gunplay mixed for a stellar time with combat I kept looking for more of. Aesthetically pleasing, inviting, and badass, Pragmata is my current number 1.

Vampire Crawlers might end up on this list, but I fear its burning fast. At first, I thought the familiarity of Vampire Survivors iconography was fun to put into a new genre, but a few hours in I am starting to feel that the games might be too similar. And that being that even Vampire Crawlers can feel a bit too easy and automatic. I’m not done giving it chances, but I certainly would invite more challenge. Because the card playing and customizing to stack happenings really works. But I think I need the stakes to be higher.

Pokemon Pokopia is on my list objectively, but I’ll admit I still am having a hard time connecting with it. Simply put, I think it’s too much creative freedom for me – mixed with overwhelming inventory management, it all can make me paralyzed. As of right now, I’m hoping to take space from it, and come back with a vengence and allow it really click with me in some way.. but we’ll see.

Eternal Afternoon is a great indie from this year that with its scale, might not make the final list but I’m putting it here because it came out this year, I played it this year, and it’s certainly worthy. If you’d like a simulation of what an apartment complex community would look like knowing the world is going to end in 20-minutes, you found your game. 🙂

Marathon and DRAGON QUEST VII Reimagined fall into my category of, ‘I’m glad I bought and own them and I’m happy to keep dipping my toe in the water but I should really find the courage and time to just jump in and swim a bit.’ Yeah, that about sums it up.

There’s plenty of year left and these list spots certainly aren’t permanent! Will be fun to check in at the end of the year.

Cheers, and thank you for reading!

Dillon