Our Dominik Diamond Alternative Game of the Year Awards for The Past Year

Well, how did you experience the past year in your home? Did it seem all as good as you pretended on Facebook? Overflowing with top marks for the kids and elaborate themed fancy dress celebrations for the grownups? Maybe it felt like a swamp of disappointment with only occasional entertaining flotsam? Is any of this genuine, or have we all become digitally altered AI slop beings with celebrity smiles?

I've corralled my thoughts for a reflection, ready or not, to reflect on the paramount thing in twelve months: what titles we enjoyed the most. Let's get started:

Title First Daughter Played the Most

Just Dance 2024

"Why can't you pick just one?"

"It’s not my definitive list."

Meanwhile, on mobile, she’s been playing Cityscapes and "trying to find reasonable healthcare."

"Virtually?"

"In reality."

Release Second Son Played the Most

Overwatch

"I refuse to play games on my phone." He took umbrage that the question was posed. Point taken.

Game Youngest Daughter Played the Most

Resident Evil Biohazard

She is trying to get into acting, but when she stepped away from the mic, she was playing Resident Evil. She also went on in great detail about her accomplishments on The Sims, where the Shark has a blooming utopia with far better healthcare than her eldest sister has outside the game.

Game the Spouse Played the Most

Crash Bandicoot: It’s About Time

She began the year at 60% completion and ended it at 82%. She's in it for the long run not a sprint for her. On her phone: something called Woodle, where you have to extract pins.

Game I Teased My Kids About My Kids for Still Playing

Minecraft

Every time I see my adult son playing Minecraft, I rib him like a cross between a classic comedy bit. When he protests, I reply that I am doing this to build character so he can mature and play games for grownups. It's a classic Scottish father/son relationship.

Most Skilled Gaming Family Member of the Year

Eldest Daughter on Just Dance 2024

There was no contest for this one. She is incredible. Superior than I was at my peak gaming days in my prime.

Game I Played the Most

Marvel Snap

No other game compared to the hours I spent on this remarkably well-crafted deck building wizard’s poker, with its regularly updated range of cards and game variations.

Title I Wish I Had Played Less

Marvel Snap

The downside about games that constantly evolve their range is you have a moment of clarity and realise it is all just an attempt to lure you into compulsion-based microtransactions. So affection became resentment halfway through the year and it went into the bin.

Title I Wish I Had Played More

Doom: The Dark Ages

Stunning reinvention of a classic franchise. Captivating atmosphere from the start. I wish I could dispatch my problems so effectively in real life.

Title I Wish I Had Played More (Cerebral Edition)

Blue Prince

I decline to rush this stunning, original game and I just didn’t have the focused attention to give it what it required earlier this year. With relatives staying over the festive period, I aim to experience this in the late night after family time.

Game That Saved My Soul When I Needed It

Balatro

I acknowledge Balatro was last year's surprise hit, but I was a late adopter. And it is exceptional. It just gets every single thing right. Crazy Poker is a fantastic concept, but the abilities behind the different wild cards are so imaginative it has become a game I could play at any hour. Throw in the charm of the card design, and this is an absolute high-water mark of gaming. I fantasize about being stuck in a small space for hours just so I have an opportunity but play it.

Game I Got the Most Flak For Criticising

Outer Worlds 2

I received a minor pile-on when I mentioned how a specific bug in another game ruined the experience for me, but that other title is still a gargantuan gaming achievement in terms of production values – which I appreciated even more after playing Outer Worlds 2. So thank you to the individual who took the time to contact me to say that my Outer Worlds 2 review was "bitter, confused resentment". I share that in the exact way, because I acknowledge the engagement, and he is obviously an excellent judge of character.

Game Everybody Loved That I Just Didn’t Get

Hollow Knight: Silksong

Sure. Give me a brutally difficult Metroidvania-esque thing and provide little guidance on what I am supposed to be doing, except "figure it out". How delightful. I understand that it is beautiful and is ideal if you are into the genre, but I cannot think of a gaming experience I desire less in my adulthood. I was around back when most games were like this, and my patience is gone. It was fine when I was a kid, but so was many questionable things.

Biggest Gaming News of 2025

Debate between questionable alliances that sparked debate, and premium pricing. Both morally indefensible and concerning.

Games I Would Name My Children After, Were I I Was Ever Stupid Enough to Have More

Clair Obscur, Despelote and Bananza would all be unique names shouted from the garden at dinner time.

Part of My Body That Aches Most From Gaming

Right Thumb Joint. No joke. I don’t know if it’s because of console gaming or doomscrolling, but it burns like the mines of sulphur in the mornings now. I knew I should have got my thumbs insured back in the 90s.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2026

Grand Theft Auto VI.
And it will come out in 2026, even if we have to make 2026 last until the heat death of the universe.

Game I Am Looking Forward to the Most in 2036

The Witcher 4.