François Taddei

🎮 New year, retro vibes. 1976. 1986. 1996. Three years that shaped video games as we know them. Which ones are turning 50, 40, or 30 in 2025? Let’s rewind. ⏪

PC gaming peaks in ’96: Sid Meier's Civilization II, Command & Conquer Red Alert, Duke Nukem 3D, Quake, Broken Sword: Shadow of the Templars. But the breakout star is Tomb Raider, proving Lara Croft is here to stay. It’s no surprise that two new titles were announced this year at The Game Awards.

🎮 New year, retro vibes. 1976. 1986. 1996. Three years that shaped video games as we know them. Which ones are turning 50, 40, or 30 in 2025? Let’s rewind. ⏪

Meanwhile Nintendo stays busy across 3 consoles. SNES gets Super Mario RPG and DK Country 3. Game Boy launches Pokémon in Japan. Nintendo 64 arrives with Super Mario 64. Still on cartridges—bold move.

🎮 New year, retro vibes. 1976. 1986. 1996. Three years that shaped video games as we know them. Which ones are turning 50, 40, or 30 in 2025? Let’s rewind. ⏪

1986 on computers: Commodore rules with C64, C128 & Amiga, ahead of Apple and its Apple II & Mac, but IBM PC clones explode. Some devs struggle—others adapt. Sierra shines with Space Quest I & King’s Quest III. Might & Magic and Starflight push RPGs and open exploration forward. 💻

🎮 New year, retro vibes. 1976. 1986. 1996. Three years that shaped video games as we know them. Which ones are turning 50, 40, or 30 in 2025? Let’s rewind. ⏪

1986 arcades were on fire. 🔥 Arkanoid, Bubble Bobble, 720°, Rampage, Out Run, Wonder Boy, Ikari Warriors, Rygar... Power-ups, co-op, monsters, speed—pure coin-op magic. 🕹️

🎮 New year, retro vibes. 1976. 1986. 1996. Three years that shaped video games as we know them. Which ones are turning 50, 40, or 30 in 2025? Let’s rewind. ⏪

1986: the NES revives the industry. Zelda. Metroid. Castlevania. Dragon Quest. All launched that year. Super Mario Bros. 2 too, but only in Japan. Kid Icarus also saw the light of the day at the end of the year. 40 years later, Nintendo is still defining games—and pop culture.

🎮 New year, retro vibes. 1976. 1986. 1996. Three years that shaped video games as we know them. Which ones are turning 50, 40, or 30 in 2025? Let’s rewind. ⏪

Arcades in ‘76 loved speed. 🏁 Road Race (aka Fonz), Night Driver, Stunt Cycle, F-1, Sprint 2, LeMans, Indy 4 all saw the light of the day. But Death Race stole the spotlight—running over screaming gremlins and igniting one of gaming’s first violence controversies.

🎮 New year, retro vibes. 1976. 1986. 1996. Three years that shaped video games as we know them. Which ones are turning 50, 40, or 30 in 2025? Let’s rewind. ⏪

Also in 1976: Breakout. Nolan Bushnell wanted a solo Pong. Al Acorn assigned the project to Steve Jobs, who reached to Steve Wozniak for help. Woz designed an ultra-efficient circuit in just four nights. Atari shipped a simpler—but less elegant—version. The brick-breaking arcade game soared.🧱

🎮 New year, retro vibes. 1976. 1986. 1996. Three years that shaped video games as we know them. Which ones are turning 50, 40, or 30 in 2025? Let’s rewind. ⏪

Looking at my 2025 playtime stats, it’s no surprise I spent most of the year on Xbox Series X, discovering new and older games through Xbox Game Pass (courtesy of Microsoft). My PS5 and Switch 2 saw very little use. So, which games stood out most?

While Call of Duty still takes most of my time, I enjoyed the pure catharsis of Doom: The Dark Ages even more. Its shield-and-parry system feels great, turning defense into offense and encouraging a more aggressive, resilient playstyle.

Looking at my 2025 playtime stats, it’s no surprise I spent most of the year on Xbox Series X, discovering new and older games through Xbox Game Pass (courtesy of Microsoft). My PS5 and Switch 2 saw very little use. So, which games stood out most?

I finally picked up a Switch 2 for Nintendo’s exclusives. Mario Kart World didn’t surprise me—its open world feels more like a hub of tracks—but it delivers solid visual upgrades and the same accessible, family-friendly fun.

Looking at my 2025 playtime stats, it’s no surprise I spent most of the year on Xbox Series X, discovering new and older games through Xbox Game Pass (courtesy of Microsoft). My PS5 and Switch 2 saw very little use. So, which games stood out most?

Another addictive title was Ball X Pit, which reinvents brick-breaking with roguelite mechanics: monsters replace bricks, heroes replace the paddle, and upgradeable, fuseable projectiles replace balls. Unlock effects, manage a village between runs, and build ever-stronger setups.

Looking at my 2025 playtime stats, it’s no surprise I spent most of the year on Xbox Series X, discovering new and older games through Xbox Game Pass (courtesy of Microsoft). My PS5 and Switch 2 saw very little use. So, which games stood out most?

Games inspired by roguelite mechanics continued to proliferate in 2025, which is hardly surprising after the success of Hades, Balatro, and Vampire Survivors in recent years. I limit myself to three games of this genre per year, as they can easily become bottomless time sinks.

Looking at my 2025 playtime stats, it’s no surprise I spent most of the year on Xbox Series X, discovering new and older games through Xbox Game Pass (courtesy of Microsoft). My PS5 and Switch 2 saw very little use. So, which games stood out most?

I then completed Avowed, a more traditional RPG from Obsidian Entertainment, in the vein of The Outer Worlds, where combat can involve swords, guns, or magic. While its narrative is fairly linear, I still enjoyed the universe, centered around investigating a supernatural blight.

Looking at my 2025 playtime stats, it’s no surprise I spent most of the year on Xbox Series X, discovering new and older games through Xbox Game Pass (courtesy of Microsoft). My PS5 and Switch 2 saw very little use. So, which games stood out most?

As a lifelong fan of role-playing games, but with far less free time than I used to have, I focused this year on three very different RPGs.

Looking at my 2025 playtime stats, it’s no surprise I spent most of the year on Xbox Series X, discovering new and older games through Xbox Game Pass (courtesy of Microsoft). My PS5 and Switch 2 saw very little use. So, which games stood out most?

After loving It Takes Two in 2021, my partner and I eagerly awaited Split Fiction. While its villain is caricatured, heroines Mio and Zoey shine. We loved the varied sci-fi/fantasy visuals and constantly evolving co-op mechanics. Looking forward Out of Words, another coop game releasing in 2026.

Looking at my 2025 playtime stats, it’s no surprise I spent most of the year on Xbox Series X, discovering new and older games through Xbox Game Pass (courtesy of Microsoft). My PS5 and Switch 2 saw very little use. So, which games stood out most?

I then jumped into RoboCop: Rogue City, which quickly became a guilty pleasure. The game does an excellent job of capturing the essence of the cult film through its gameplay mechanics (slow movement, assisted aiming, powerful shots) and its narrative.

Looking at my 2025 playtime stats, it’s no surprise I spent most of the year on Xbox Series X, discovering new and older games through Xbox Game Pass (courtesy of Microsoft). My PS5 and Switch 2 saw very little use. So, which games stood out most?

Très fier de participer à l'élaboration de cette première à Québec, avec une équipe de feu composée de: @martinbrouard.bsky.social , @facaelectrica.bsky.social, Anne-Marie Brassard et Antoine Tanguay. Une belle aventure! www.ville.quebec.qc.ca/apropos/espa...