Six notable games from 2025 reviewed by The New York Times

The New York Times on Dec. 31, 2025 published a roundup of six video games from 2025, reviewing Absolum, Dispatch, Is This Seat Taken?, Kaizen: A Factory Story, Two Point Museum and Xenotilt. The reviews call Absolum a sleeper couch‑co‑op triumph, a side‑scrolling beat‑’em‑up whose reincarnation mechanic and randomly bestowed powers create chaotic, stackable effects.

Dispatch is described as "a flagrantly funny experience" that mixes an episodic superhero cartoon with desk‑job mechanics as the player manages ex‑villains turned heroes; the review praises its writing and voice acting. Is This Seat Taken? is likened to virtual Sudoku, a logic‑puzzle game with anthropomorphic shapes and escalating constraints.

Kaizen: A Factory Story is presented as an assembly‑line simulator set in late‑1980s Tokyo that encourages community optimization (the review notes a Reddit community of solutions). Two Point Museum models the balancing act of running a museum in a fantasy setting, with financial tradeoffs and references to a recent string of robberies, "including at the Louvre in Paris." Xenotilt is framed as an ambitious pinball homage with a three‑tier playfield and high‑score thrills.

The piece lists platforms and review platforms for each title: Absolum was reviewed on the Switch 2 and is also available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 and Switch; Dispatch was reviewed on the PlayStation 5 Pro and is also available on PC; Is This Seat Taken?

Key Topics

Culture, Absolum, Dispatch, Kaizen, Two Point Museum, Xenotilt