Written by Alex Castellanos

DCL 25 – End of October

What a jam-packed October we just experienced! This past month saw a grand total of 18 games released, with many of them having a great effect on the status of our position within the Deer Critic League. Between September and October, there have been 30 game releases – I’m glad that most of our rosters are filled out and we just have to wait for the last remaining games in November and Early December. All that being said, the title of “Deer Critic League Champion 2025” is still very much up for grabs. To be honest, I’m not sure who is going to finish anywhere from first to last in this league so there are still lots of moving publishers out there!

Here are the current D.C.L. standings as of November 1st:

And these were the eighteen (18!) games released in October:

  • “Ghost of Yōtei” – Crystal Cross Games (16.9 pts)
  • “Digimon Story Time Stranger” – Dougsvest Digital (10 pts)
  • “Absolum” – Dougsvest Digital (16.3 pts)
  • “Battlefield 6” – Crystal Cross Games (13.7 pts)
  • “Little Nightmares III” – Dougsvest Digital (2.5 pts)
  • “BALL x PIT” – Crystal Cross Games (16.7 pts)
  • “Pokémon Legends: Z-A” – Suladin Software Ltd (11.6 pts)
  • “Keeper” – Suladin Software Ltd (11.8 pts)
  • “Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2” – Ranch Walker (-6.5 pts)
  • “Ninja Gaiden 4” – Iota Strain (12.4 pts)
  • “Jurassic World Evolution 3” – PixelPioneer Studios (13.3 pts)
  • “Dispatch” – Ranch Walker (— pts)
  • “Double Dragon Revive” – Iota Strain (-8 pts)
  • “Once Upon a Katamari” – Iota Strain (10.7 pts)
  • “The Outer Worlds 2” – Frozen Headlights Studios (12.5 pts)
  • “ARC Raiders” – Suladin Software Ltd (— pts)
  • “Dragon Quest I & II HD-2D Remake” – Dougsvest Digital (15.4 pts)

Lots has been said about the slowing rate of Sony’s 1st Party Studios games during this latest generation. It seems however that reviewers didn’t have much to complain about the quality of their latest offering, as Sucker Punch Productions released the PS5 game: “Ghost of Yōtei” (16.9 pts) for Crystal Cross Games (Eddie). Added congratulations as it became the best reviewed game of the month in the Deer Critics League.

“BALL x PIT” (16.7 pts) also for Crystal Cross Games (Eddie) was a more unexpected surprise. The self-described brick-breaking, ball-fusing, base-building, survival roguelite, from indie developer Kenny Sun was the 2nd highest reviewed game this month – practically edging out Ghost of Yōtei.

The third highest reviewed game this month was another indie gem – a beat’em up with roguelike elements, developed by Guard Crush Games (Streets of Rage 4) with art & animations by Supamonks, and published by Dotemu. “Absolum” (16.3 pts) for Dougsvest Digital (Micah) absolutely delighted reviewers with the action gameplay, the mixed-in build-crafting, and mostly the art & animation! I know that I’m looking forward to playing it too.

I’m sorry to have to mention some of the under-performing games this month.  It was not a welcome return for Billy & Jimmy Lee in “Double Dragon Revive” (-8 pts) for Iota Strain (Luke). Outshined by Absolum in almost every way, it came across as a limp effort at best – even if there were a few good ideas mixed in. Also struggling to wow the reviewers this month was “Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2” (-6.5 pts) for Ranch Walker (Marshall). It seems that this game had too much baggage to climb over since it was: delayed many times, shuffled to a different studio, and ultimately shares less in common with its predecessor in terms of game style & genre.

Lastly, are the games “Dispatch” for Ranch Walker (Marshall) and “ARC Raiders” for Suladin Software Ltd (Jeff). These haven’t had enough reviews on OpenCritic to be counted among the games scored this month, but from what reviews have come in, these should both be categorized under the label of Very Good games released in November.

To close out the year, we will be relying on the performances of these final games in November & December. It could be THESE TITLES that make or break the league standings. It could be THESE 10-14 GAMES that crown our next champion! First, let’s look at the six (6) upcoming November game releases:

  1. “Europa Universalis V” Dougsvest Digital (11/04)
  2. “Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment” PixelPioneer Studios (11/06)
  3. “Lumines Arise” Dougsvest Digital (11/11)
  4. “Call of Duty: Black Ops 7” Bearded Brethren (11/14)
  5. “Demonschool” Iota Strain (11/19)
  6. “Kirby Air Riders” Frozen Headlights Studios (11/20)

Since we are getting very close to the end of this year, let’s also look at the four (4) games that are dated to be released in December, as well as the remaining four (4) games that have not yet confirmed their release dates in 2025:

  1. “Marvel Cosmic Invasion” Frozen Headlights Studios (12/01) [I’m still upset about this one!]
  2. “Metroid Prime 4: Beyond” PixelPioneer Studios (12/04)
  3. “Octopath Traveler 0” Suladin Software Ltd (12/04)
  4. “Skate Story” Bearded Brethren (12/08)
  • “Mixtape” Bearded Brethren (TBD – 2025?)
  • “Coffee Talk Tokyo” Ranch Walker (TBD – 2025?)
  • “Darwin’s Paradox!” Ranch Walker (TBD – 2025?)
  • “The Mermaid Mask” Agon Analytics (TBD – 2025?)

Which Publisher(s) do you think have the best chance of securing the most points in these last couple months of the year? Dougsvest Digital, PixelPioneer Studios, & Frozen Headlights Studios each have 2 games remaining with a realistic chance of coming out. While Bearded Brethren has 2 games releasing for sure and another which may release this year, giving him a total of 3 possible games left. However, Frozen Headlights Studios has the advantage of already having secured the most points, so only time will tell how these scores will all shake out.

Next time I do this, it will be Mid-December. I will most likely be congratulating and officially announcing the 2025 DCL Champion with a celebratory post. It will be post-Thanksgiving, post the Christmas Tree lighting at Rockefeller Center, and only DAYS AWAY from Christmas. I hope that you all have a wonderful month of November and that this silly (or maybe for some, cut-throat!) competition can take away from some of the stress of the holiday season. This year’s competition has been another blast for me, and I hope it has been for you as well.

Take care & God Bless,

Alex C.

UP TO DATE – DCL 2025 Round 1 Draft Choices:

  1. Bearded Brethren – “Grand Theft Auto VI” DELAYED TO 2026
  2. Iota Strain – “Fable” DELAYED TO 2026
  3. PixelPioneer Studios – “Metroid Prime 4: Beyond”
  4. Dougsvest Digital – “Unannounced Mainline 3D Mario Platformer” NEVER HAPPENED
  5. Crystal Cross Games – “Ghost of Yōtei” [86.9]
  6. Suladin Software Ltd – “Death Stranding 2: On the Beach” [90.4]
  7. Ranch Walker – “Elden Ring: Nightreign” [80]
  8. Frozen Headlights Studios – “Mario Kart World” [86.3]
  9. Agon Analytics – “Avowed” [81]

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