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[LakeOf9]

We're pretty much 2/3rds of the way through 2025.

The highest rated game of the year, as well as the undeniable winner of GOTY, will be Expedition 33 this year. Everyone else is fighting for second place.

But those second place battles are more interesting right now because the winner is not a foregone conclusion. So GAF, I ask you – what will be the highest rated exclusive of this year?

For reasons I hope I do not have to explain, only Donkey Kong is on the poll of the exclusives that are already released; everything else is games that have not yet come out.

A second thing is that only games with confirmed 2025 release are on here.

Ghost of Yotei is the follow up to a GOTY nominated and beloved game; Pokemon is usually garbage but the first Legends was good, and the new one has gotten some positive previews; Metroid Prime 4 is Metroid Prime 4; literally no idea what Kirby Air Riders is but apparently the guy who makes Smash is making it so there is a chance it can do well

If there is any other exclusive I have forgotten, let me know and I will add it to the poll.

 

[Mr Hyde]

Prime 4. It has all the signs of being yet another legendary entry in a legendary franchise.

 

[Punished Miku]

Ghost of Yotei obviously

 

[Guardian Monkey]

Nintendo - If you really care about such things

 

[diffusionx]

DKB

but I hope it's Kirby

 

[LakeOf9]

Nintendo - If you really care about such things

Nintendo is not a game Charlie

 

[Guardian Monkey]

Nintendo is not a game Charlie

OK, had a laugh at that one.

 

[Represent.]

What a shit stain of a list. Holy

 

[IFireflyl]

If the games listed are the highest echelon of exclusives, what a crap year this was for exclusives.

 

[Represent.]

The highest rated game of the year, as well as the undeniable winner of GOTY, will be Expedition 33 this year. Everyone else is fighting for second place.

DONT SLEEP on this upcoming masterpiece

 

[ecosse_011172]

Metroid will be a ball-hair ahead of DK.

 

[Punished Miku]

Metroid will be a ball-hair ahead of DK.

Metroid will be 80s.

Ghost of Yotei will be a 92, with GOTY nod and Keighley orchestra performance with speech by the main actress after she wins best martial arts mo-cap.

Personally, I'm really looking forward to Keeper.

 

[Loomy]

This has been an objectively good year for games.

 

[LakeOf9]

OK, had a laugh at that one.

I hope you read it in Frank's voice

 

[ecosse_011172]

Metroid will be 80s.

 

[Guardian Monkey]

I hope you read it in Frank's voice

I hadn't until now, lol

 

[Rush2112]

Some nintendo shit who fukin cares

 

[Robb]

I doubt there'll be anything I play this yet that'll beat DK, so I'll go for DK.

Prime 4 and Ghost of Yotei looks, so far, as safe sequels so, while great, I don't expect them to blow me away.

Pokémon has been a shitshow for years.

The original Kirby AirRiders has like a 6/10 average iirc, and there's only one mode I really remember/played in the original. I'd expect the new one to be better, but doubt it'll land in the 9/10 range on average.

 

[Arsic]

Donkey Kong I bet. Even though I think of that list MP4 will be the best game.

 

[Perrott]

KIRBY AIR RIDERS

 

[Hawk The Slayer]

World of Warcraft: MIDNIGHT!

 

[ecosse_011172]

Some nintendo shit who fukin cares

 

[Zacfoldor]

Donkey Kong or Metroid. Yotei looks not as good as the first game which only got an 83.

Ghost of Tsushima Reviews

The year is 1274. Samurai warriors are the legendary defenders of Japan -- until the fearsome Mongol Empire invades the island of Tsushima, wreaking havoc and conquering the local population. As one of the last surviving samurai, you rise from the ashes to fight back. But, honorable tactics...

www.metacritic.com

Edit: What the fuck, just looked up Kirby Air Riders. Is this Nintendo doing a sonic game mixed with FZero, Mario Kart, Smash, and Neon White?

Fuck it, I'm going with Air Riders because just in case I'm right I'll have the most to gain in epeen.

 

[blacktout]

Fuck it, I'm going with Air Riders because just in case I'm right I'll have the most to gain in epeen.

I voted for Metroid Prime 4 because of the strong past critical reception of the series, but if votes were public, I would have voted for Air Riders for exactly this reason. If you're wrong nobody cares, but if you're right, you'll get serious bragging rights. It's all upside.

 

[LakeOf9]

But who voted for Pokemon

I guess the first Legends and Ghost both scored the same on Metacritic, that's shocking (but understandable, the first Legends is legitimately good, unlike... the rest of the Pokemon games)

 

[Banjo64]

What a shit stain of a list. Holy

I agree. Not enough walky talky bike riding games.

 

[touchfuzzy]

Metroid will be 80s.

Ghost of Yotei will be a 92, with GOTY nod and Keighley orchestra performance with speech by the main actress after she wins best martial arts mo-cap.

Personally, I'm really looking forward to Keeper.

Keeper looks to be the only reason to blow the dust off my Series S before shelving it again forever.

 

[Magic Carpet]

I haven't played any of the games on that list yet, The only one that looks like I might buy it in 2025 would be the Air Riders game, so I'll vote for that one.

edit-Never mind I just saw it's a Switch 2 game. So F that. Can't uncheck the poll.

 

[adamsapple]

I don't think any game left in the year is coming close to DK.

 

[S0ULZB0URNE]

Metroid Prime 4

 

[Roman Empire]

Kirby Air Riders because I said so.

 

[Danjin44]

I dont care about review scores but god damn DK Bananza was fucking good!

 

[TerribleAtThisGame]

MindsEye

 

[SpokkX]

It will be a Nintendo game - like most years

 

[acm2000]

thats a pretty shit list if thats the best exclusives of the year

 

[Flabagast]

Probably DK Bananza (should have been Death Stranding 2 though)

lmao at those voting Yotei

 

[yogaflame]

Since Death Stranding 2 at the moment, is still an exclusive for PS5, I still vote for DS2.

 

[Flabagast]

Since Death Stranding 2 at the moment, is still an exclusive for PS5, I still vote for DS2.

But it has been rated lower than Bananza already

 

[yogaflame]

But it has been rated lower than Bananza already

By just one point. There is still a margin for error for that and some crazy review bombers that should not be valid for metacritic. Ds2 is 89 while DKB is 90. Both are great games. But Ds2 is just so epic and big in scope and so beautiful.

 

[Buggy Loop]

By just one point. There is still a margin for error for that and some crazy review bombers that should not be valid for metacritic. Ds2 is 89 while DKB is 90. Both are great games. But Ds2 is just so epic and big in scope and so beautiful.

DKB is 91 as of now

 

[LakeOf9]

Since Death Stranding 2 at the moment, is still an exclusive for PS5, I still vote for DS2.

Death Stranding 2 is already not the highest rated exclusive of the year

 

[Dafegamer]

Metroid Prime or Donkey Kong are the safest bet

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

If the games listed are the highest echelon of exclusives, what a crap year this was for exclusives.

1 of them is timed exclusive and 2 are cross-gen, if that makes you f eel any better

 

[Danjin44]

If the games listed are the highest echelon of exclusives, what a crap year this was for exclusives.

I don't know about you but DKB was fucking amazing!

 

[Danny22]

Honestly, this is kind of unneccessary poll. It's basically a question asking 'Will Metroid Prime 4 release at more than 91 Metacritic'. And the answer is probably not.