Playstation Wrap-Up 2025

Greetings, everyone, and welcome to one of my most-anticipated blog posts of the year: the Playstation Wrap-Up for 2025!

However, let's just go ahead and get this out of the way right now - this was a disappointing year for Playstation's yearly recap. Typically, they're really good about continuing to update the stats through December 31, but this year, despite the website being up through January 8, I didn't see an update to my numbers after December 23. This really rubbed me the wrong way this year, in particular, because I was on paternity leave during all of December, so I know that I got short-changed. This means that my numbers this year are not completely accurate and, most likely, quite different than what they actually wound up being.

But with that in mind, we'll jump in and break down my top games from last year, with a bit of an asterisk on top of it all. Let's take a look and see what topped the Playstation charts for 2025!

Total Hours:

Playstation said that I played 961 hours this year, but I know that to be lower than whatever the final number ended up being. I presume that I probably played another 10 or 15 hours (maybe more) in the final eight days of the year, especially considering that I wasn't working at the time.

The screenshots above also don't indicate that I spent a dozen hours or so playing the Playstation 3, cleaning up trophies on Skyrim and some old NCAA football games that my brother played on my profile back during my college years. (Also, if I did play "a dozen hours or so" on the PS3, the numbers in the Wrap-Up wouldn't add up. I'm skeptical.)

Ultimately, I don't know what my total number of hours for 2025 ended up being, so we'll just call it "961+ hours," for the sake of my final stats.

I wish that they would have given me the stats for my controller usage because I've been using a new purple controller pretty much exclusively for months, so I really must have loved that black controller in the first half of the year.

Top Five Games:

1. Assassin's Creed Shadows: Ah, yes. "Assassin's Creed Shadows." After getting some real burnout from "Assassin's Creed Valhalla," I was hesitant to pick up the next big, open world installment in the franchise, especially after having played the significantly smaller "Mirage," but I had a great time sneaking around Japan as Naoe and Yasuke. I learned to rely on Naoe for exploration and Yasuke for butt-kicking but truly enjoyed playing with both characters, which I had been a little hesitant about. I, sadly, didn't spend nearly as much time cultivating my ninja hideout as I thought I would, when I first heard that that was going to be a thing, but that was still a fun aspect of the game. My mind was constantly blown when I thought for the thirtieth time, "There's no way that this villain board can get any bigger," and then watched in amazement as a new sub-faction of thugs appeared in my objective map. I picked up the "Claws of Awaji" DLC but only played that for about an hour around Christmastime, so my total number of hours played actually should have been 95, not 94, but who's counting, right? Thanks to Assassin's Creed for pumping out a game that never felt too big and never made me bored. Good stuff.
2. Star Wars Outlaws: I hadn't heard a single good thing about "Star Wars Outlaws," but I love Star Wars and I wanted to give it a shot anyway. I really liked it! I don't know if I was just late enough to the game that the developers had fixed all the stuff that players complained about, but I didn't really have many issues with it. No Force usage, no lightsabers, sure, but the thing about Star Wars is that there is room for so many stories to be told that don't directly involve the Skywalker family. I really liked Kay Vess and her little space puppy. I had fun sneaking around and trying to avoid detection. I enjoyed the reputation system revolving around the biggest crime syndicates in the galaxy far, far away. I was secretly hoping that "Outlaws" would be one of my top games and was really glad to see that it was. I also picked up and completed all of the DLC missions, so if you were ever wondering what it would be like to play Lando Calrissian in Sabaac, have I got some stories for you!
3. Disney Dreamlight Valley: Sixty-eight hours of "Dreamlight Valley" is going to look weak next year, I tell you! With the final days of my paternity leave in early January, I put in WORK on DLV, but those stats will have to wait until the end of 2026 to manifest themselves. The most impressive thing I can say about "Dreamlight Valley" is that it remains one of my top games despite already having earned the platinum trophy. Almost 70 more hours of this game and not a single trophy to show for it? That's just wild.
4. WWE 2K25: Yep, back at it with the pro wrestling. "2K25" was a solid entry in the series with a more up-to-date roster at the time of its release than some of the other recent WWE games, and the game modes are fun enough to merit several dozen hours of play time. However, I dislike how much 2K wants us to play the "career" mode each year. It's my least favorite thing to do with each installment, and it seems like 2K is just doubling down on it every year, as if we think the cheesy original storylines are fun. Less of that in the future, please! But I did appreciate some improvements to GM Mode and (shockingly) the decreased load time required to boot up MyFaction mode. Thank you!!
5. Blue Prince: Talk about an original game! If a puzzle and an escape room had a baby, it would be "Blue Prince." It was free for Playstation+ members and I had heard some online rumblings about it being a noteworthy release, so I figured I'd try it out. The fact that I spent 56 hours on it speaks volumes to how deep I got into it. I HAD A PHYSICAL NOTEBOOK TO KEEP TRACK OF WHAT I HAD DISCOVERED. Trial and error, trial and error, and some great successes along the way. I'm too weak of an individual to try to beat the game on its intimidating harder difficulties, but I mostly enjoyed my time in that weird old mansion, and this game will probably wind up as one of my more memorable gaming experiences for years to come.

Honorable mention: "Indiana Jones and the Great Circle," which was my #5 game when Playstation Wrap-Up first kicked off but got booted from the leaderboard by "WWE 2K25" a few days later.

Games Played:

Aside from my top five games of the year, here are a few other games that I loved in 2025:

• NHL 25, NHL 26 - New year, new hockey game. The Mammoth have arrived!
• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth - I'm not brave enough to go for the platinum, but a very good game with a lot of stuff to do along the way.
• Astro Bot - The continuous addition of free DLC speed run levels was a lot of fun and occasionally very stressful.
• Backyard Baseball '97 - Not as good as it was on PC when I was a kid, but a nice shot of nostalgia nevertheless.
• Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3+4 - THPS 4 takes me way back! I had never played THPS 3, but I always love a good shred session.
• Split Fiction - More on this later, but a really innovated and exciting game.
• The Outer Worlds 2 - One of the funniest games in recent memory. It got pushed to the backburner toward the end of the year, but I look forward to hopping back in very soon!
• Anno 1800 - I can't believe it but I finally beat the story. Good heavens, this was one of the hardest games I have ever played and I don't think anything in the world could convince me to try for the platinum.
• Sunderfolk - This was a really cool local co-op game where you and some friends can use your phones as controllers. I would have played it more often if I felt more comfortable asking my married guy friends if they could come over to play video games. Those parental responsibilities will get you, man!
• Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 - This game basically took over at the end of the year - not soon enough to crack my top five but there's a small chance that the time I've spent playing it in January could get it high up on my list for 2026. I bought it on sale after it won Game of the Year and a ton of other awards and loved the unique, original story. (It definitely had some outbursts of profanity that caught me off guard with my wife and kids in the room, so be aware of that, but it was a very fun late-night game for dad.) The combat system was incredibly difficult to learn and master but provided some of the most thrilling moments when I finally figured out the timing and beat some hard bosses. I'm sure I'll be writing more about this in my recap for next year, so... stay tuned for that, I guess.

Trophies Earned:

Although Playstation said I earned 751 trophies in 2025, it didn't account for an additional 18 trophies earned after December 23, so my actual total for the year would have actually been 769. That's the fewest trophies that I've earned in a year since I started keeping track of my stats back in 2020, but paternity leave with three kids is way different than paternity leave with one kid - especially since the older two boys are smart enough to vote me off of the big TV from time to time.

Here's a list of all of the games for which I either got the platinum trophy or reached 100% completion in 2025:

1. Sonic Frontiers - January 4
2. Epic Mickey Rebrushed - January 14
3. WWE 2K24 - February 2
4. No Man's Sky - February 10
5. Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions - February 17
6. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2 - March 9
7. Star Wars Outlaws - March 27
8. Hello Neighbor 2 - April 30
9. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle - June 17
10. LEGO Movie: The Videogame - July 2
11. MLB 14 The Show - July 13
12. Disco Elysium - August 1
13. Split Fiction - August 16
14. Assassin's Creed Mirage - August 20
15. NCAA Football 11 - August 25
16. Stick It To the Man, 100% - November 5
17. Endling: Extinction is Forever - November 6
18. Assassin's Creed Shadows - November 7

Thoughts on that list:

• I played "Sonic Frontiers" mainly because my oldest son accidentally earned a trophy on my profile and I therefore felt the need to finish the game for the sake of my completion percentage. Same thing with the "LEGO Movie" game. Probably wouldn't have played either of those if it weren't for my son "helping me out." Whoops!
• I had played "Epic Mickey 2" but never the original, so I was happy when they remastered it; that was a fun game.
• "No Man's Sky" certainly deserves some credit for how much better the game has become over the years - it's basically a totally different game than what it was when it was first released about 10 years ago.
• Getting the platinum trophy for "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1+2" was incredibly tedious. I love that game, but I did not love that trophy list. Sheesh.
• "Hello Neighbor 2" and "Endling: Extinction is Forever" were two games that, if I'm being honest, I only played because I Googled how long it would take to get the platinum trophies and I wanted to boost my stats.
• Speaking of boosting my stats, I spent a decent amount of time cleaning up games on my old Playstation 3. I got the platinum trophies for "MLB 14 The Show" and "NCAA Football 11" but also cleaned up the original "Skyrim" (even though I made it further on the PS4 version of the game) and a "Call of Duty" game that I had never actually played. NCAA and CoD were played on my profile by two of my brothers way back when I was in college and the completion level was not good. They're looking much better now.
• "Stick it to the Man" was a free PS4 game for Playstation+ members years and years ago. I played it but didn't complete it, and I finally got around to just knocking it out so I never have to think about it again.
• "Indiana Jones" was a lot of fun. I'm a product of the '80s and love Indy, so I loved the game. I had a couple of gripes about it - one of the areas was very dark and difficult to navigate, and the collectibles were such a pain. Holy cow, I think I was missing a collectible that took me about an hour and a half to find. Horrendous. Other than that, though, really enjoyable.
• I had heard great things about "Disco Elysium." It was a very interesting game that took me a while to complete. I don't believe that I would recommend it to most of my family, friends and associates.
• I got the platinum trophy for "Split Fiction" after playing the entire game with my oldest son, who is five years old. I do not believe that the game was intended for such young players. I was so proud of him. It was extremely frustrating at times and probably took two or three times longer to beat than it would have if I had played with, say, my wife (with whom I had originally planned on playing), but the fact that I beat it with a child was a fantastic accomplishment.
• "Assassin's Creed Mirage" was great. In fact, it's probably one of my top three or four AC games of all time. I enjoyed the series reverting back to the old stealth system, the simplified controls, and the much, much, much smaller map. It only took me about 35 hours to beat, including the free DLC update that came out toward the end of the year, and I'd recommend any AC fans who were on the fence about "Mirage" to give it a chance.

In the past, Playstation has given us a monthly breakdown of top games, hours logged and play sessions, but they didn't do that again this year. Instead, they gave us some trophy milestones to sort of journal our stats throughout the year. Here's what they had for me:

...except this wasn't my latest trophy - just proof that Playstation gave up on me after December 23, frowny face emoji.

Yearly Comparison:

• 2025
• Hours played: 961+
• Top games: Assassin's Creed Shadows, Star Wars Outlaws, Disney Dreamlight Valley, WWE 2K25, Blue Prince
• Trophies earned: 769
• Platinum trophies: 16
• 2024
• Hours played: 1,091
• Top games: Baldur's Gate III, Disney Dreamlight Valley, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, WWE 2K24, Star Wars Battlefront II
• Trophies earned: 845
• Platinum trophies: 15
• 2023
• Hours played: 1,212
• Top games: Disney Dreamlight Valley, Hogwarts Legacy, Marvel's Midnight Suns, NBA 2K23, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
• Trophies earned: 911
• Platinum trophies: 20
• 2022
• Hours played: 1,308
• Top games: WWE 2K22, Disney Dreamlight Valley, Gotham Knights, Ghost of Tsushima, Stardew Valley
• Trophies earned: 968
• Platinum trophies: 18
• 2021
• Hours played: 1,203
• Top games: MLB The Show 21, NBA 2K21, Marvel's Avengers, Watch Dogs Legion, Final Fantasy VII Remake
• Trophies earned: 1,091
• Platinum trophies: 14
• 2020
• Hours played: 2,419 (holy crap, COVID!)
• Top games: MLB The Show 20, Kingdom Hearts 1.5+2.5 Remix, NBA 2K20
• Trophies earned: 1,410
• Platinum trophies: 15

Final Thoughts:

So, in the end, the combination of having growing kids and playing really long games resulted in a year with fewer hours and trophies, but that's ok. Games like "Assassin's Creed Shadows," "Clair Obscur: Expedition 33," "Disco Elysium," "Anno 1800," hockey games and even "The Outer Worlds 2" all have stretches where trophies are few and far between, not to mention the 68 hours I put into earning no trophies on "Dreamlight Valley." But I had a great time playing and, perhaps, even a few less regrets about the games I've played than in past years, so that's a win, ultimately. I'll be back next year, probably even bigger and better, so I look forward to the exciting games, stories and platinum trophies that lie just beyond the horizon.

Mainly, I'm just disappointed in Playstation for not continuing to update my stats through the end of the year like they have in the past. Come on, guys. That was just lazy. Do you not really love me, after all we've been through??

Anyway, feel free to let me know what your top games were by leaving a comment below, following us on Twitter (here and here) or finding me on Facebook or some other method of communication.

Until next time!

A-Town's Bookshelf: The Year in Books, 2025

Greetings, greetings! The new year brings another handful of Year in Review posts, and the first of those much-anticipated posts is this one: A-Town's Bookshelf! Join me as I recap all of the books I read and listened to over the past year. Of course, as I've stated in the past, I understand that my total number of books will sound absurd to some of you and like a little drop in the bucket to others, but I've spent a lot of time with literature over the past 12 months and, taking advantage of paternity leave, have been able to put together a decent list of (mostly) good stuff.

I'd also like to take a moment to thank Audible and Libby, which, to date, have saved me (*checks notes*) an approximate amount of just under $2,900 on Audiobooks over the past three years. (That's about $900 higher than the total I mentioned in last year's post, which is crazy. Just insane.) I also couldn't have done this post without the services of Goodreads.com and the Fable mobile app, which I started using this year. Goodreads has been my go-to service for tracking my reading since 2023, and Fable was a fun new tool that encouraged me to read every day for 232 days and counting.

In 2025, I enjoyed lots of sci-fi (tons of Star Wars), ventured into some fantasy and (LitRPGs, as nerdy as that has been), listened to a handful of celebrity memoirs, bounced back to some murder mysteries and thrillers, and finished off the Harry Potter audiobooks with my wife (who had never read or listened beyond Prisoner of Azkaban before, so that was fun).

Thirteen books received a perfect five-star rating from me, and only one received a one-star review. There were maybe three or four books that I started but gave up on; those books will not be mentioned here.

With no further ado, let's jump in and break it all down!

Thanks for reading.

Books Read

Here is a list of all of the books I completed in 2025, along with my star rating:

1. Kill the Beast (Villains #11) by Serena Valentino, 3/5 stars
2. The Guest List by Lucy Foley, 2/5 stars
3. Along Came a Spider (Alex Cross #1) by James Patterson, 4/5 stars
4. The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss, 2/5 stars
5. Kiss the Girls (Alex Cross #2) by James Patterson, 3/5 stars
6. Temptation of the Force (Star Wars: The High Republic #8) by Tessa Gratton, 2/5 stars (physical copy)
7. Dungeon Crawler Carl (Dungeon Crawler Carl #1) by Matt Dinniman, 3/5 stars
8. Get Out of Your Head: Stopping the Spiral of Toxic Thoughts by Jennie Allen, 3/5 stars
9. NPCs (Spells, Swords, & Stealth #1) by Drew Hayes, 3/5 stars
10. Split the Party (Spells, Swords, & Stealth #2) by Drew Hayes, 3/5 stars
11. Going Rogue (Spells, Swords, & Stealth #3) by Drew Hayes, 4/5 stars
12. Siege Tactics (Spells, Swords, & Stealth #4) by Drew Hayes, 2/5 stars
13. Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games #5) by Suzanne Collins, 5/5 stars
14. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman, 4/5 stars
15. 61 Hours (Jack Reacher #14) by Lee Child, 5/5 stars (physical copy)
16. Noble Roots (Spells, Swords, & Stealth #5) by Drew Hayes, 3/5 stars
17. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter #4) by J.K. Rowling, 5/5 stars
18. That's Not Right by Scott Meyer, 3/5 stars
19. Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn #1) by Brandon Sanderson, 3/5 stars
20. The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill, 3/5 stars
21. Star Wars: Aftermath by Chuck Wendig, 3/5 stars
22. Titanborn (Children of Titan #1) by Rhett C. Bruno, 4/5 stars
23. QB: My Life Behind the Spiral by Steve Young, 5/5 stars
24. A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost, 4/5 stars
25. An Unexpected Hero by Rhett C. Bruno, 3/5 stars
26. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, 4/5 stars
27. Killing Jesus: A History by Bill O'Reilly, 5/5 stars
28. The Bourne Identity (Jason Bourne #1) by Robert Ludlum, 1/5 stars
29. Colony One Mars (Colony Mars #1) by Gerald M. Kilby, 4/5 stars
30. Star Wars: The Mask of Fear by Alexander Freed, 4/5 stars
31. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter #5) by J.K. Rowling, 4/5 stars
32. As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes, 5/5 stars
33. Colony Two Mars (Colony Mars #2) by Gerald M. Kilby, 3/5 stars
34. Becky Lynch: The Man - Not Your Average Average Girl by Rebecca Quin, 3/5 stars
35. Colony Three Mars (Colony Mars #3) by Gerald M. Kilby, 2/5 stars
36. American Brutus: John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln Conspiracies by Michael W. Kauffman, 5/5 stars
37. My Next Breath by Jeremy Renner, 5/5 stars
38. Big Dumb Eyes: Stories from a Simpler Mind by Nate Bargatze, 4/5 stars
39. The Secret of Secrets (Robert Langdon #6) by Dan Brown, 4/5 stars
40. BioShock: Rapture by John Shirley, 5/5 stars
41. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Harry Potter #6) by J.K. Rowling, 5/5 stars
42. Future Boy: Back to the Future and My Journey Through the Space-Time Continuum by Michael J. Fox, 4/5 stars
43. The Running Man by Richard Bachman (Stephen King), 3/5 stars
44. Trials of the Jedi (Star Wars: The High Republic #9) by Charles Soule, 5/5 stars (physical copy)
45. Romney: A Reckoning by McKay Coppins, 4/5 stars
46. Star Wars: A Crash of Fate by Zoraida Cordova, 2/5 stars
47. Read Your Mind: Proven Habits for Success from the World's Greatest Mentalist by Oz Pearlman, 3/5 stars
48. Star Wars: Master of Evil by Adam Christopher, 3/5 stars
49. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter #7) by J.K. Rowling, 5/5 stars
50. The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark, 5/5 stars
51. CivCEO (The Accidental Champion #1) by Andrew Karevik, 4/5 stars
52. CivCEO 2 (The Accidental Champion #2) by Andrew Karevik, 3/5 stars
53. CivCEO 3 (The Accidental Champion #3) by Andrew Karevik, 2/5 stars
54. CivCEO 4 (The Accidental Champion #4) by Andrew Karevik, 3/5 stars
55. CivCEO 5 (The Accidental Champion #5) by Andrew Karevik, 3/5 stars
56. CivCEO 6 (The Accidental Champion #6) by Andrew Karevik, 4/5 stars
57. Skipping Christmas by John Grisham, 4/5 stars

Other Stats

The A-Town Awards

Best Book of the Year: Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

Honorable Mention: My Next Breath by Jeremy Renner; Killing Jesus: A History by Bill O'Reilly

Worst Book of the Year: The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum

Honorable Mention: The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss

Best Audiobook Narration: Jim Dale (Harry Potter series)

Honorable Mention: Colin Jost (A Very Punchable Face); Cary Elwes (As You Wish...)

Yearly Comparison

2025: 57 books read, 3.6 average rating

2024: 68 books read, 3.4 average rating

2023: 48 books read

*****

And there we have it: another year of reading and listening! I'd love to hear what you enjoyed last year; I'm always open to recommendations! Did you read anything on my list? Do you agree with my ratings? Leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter (here and here), or feel free to reach out on Facebook.

Until next time!

FanX Flashback - Anthony Daniels Panel Highlights [FanX 2024]

Anthony Daniels, known best for his iconic role as C-3PO in every single movie in the Skywalker Saga, provided one of the most surprisingly humorous and fun panels of FanX 2024. He chatted with fans about that beloved galaxy far, far away for 45 minutes (which you can watch on the official FanX YouTube channel), strolling up and down the aisles of the Grand Ballroom and pointing his microphone at fans of all ages.

Here are some of the highlights from his Q&A session:

Would he be interested in doing a C-3PO show for Disney+?

I think Disney have had an effect on, uh, Star Wars. They’ve got enough… enough… (Audience nervously laughs and cheers) Some things are sacred. It occurs to me there has been a whole raft of Disney, Disney, Disney things, and I’ve been very lucky. I was in “Ahsoka” the other day. Anybody see “Ahsoka”? (Audience cheers) Thank you very much. Pinnacle of my career – just saying. I mean, three years at drama school, you know, and I end up… anyway… Um, no, uh, Disney have got plans for all sorts of places where 3PO doesn’t appear. Certainly, a TV series would be interesting, but only if I was doing it in motion capture. The idea of doing it day after day in that suit: absolute nightmare.

When asked about his opinion of Luke Skywalker in “The Last Jedi”:

My opinion on Luke? Um, what do you want me to say? (Audience laughs) Kind of one of the most difficult characters to play. There is Mark Hamill, back in the day, and, you know, he’s the blonde kid, he’s the hero, and who’s he acting with? (Mimics C-3PO’s body language) A gold robot, a little blue box, a Wookiee, what else? A man with a breathing problem who says he’s his dad. It’s incredibly difficult to act with these things, and Mark did extremely well, talking blithering dialogue – nobody understood what was going on. Mark did it with great sincerity. I used to say to him, “When I’m in the scene, you don’t need to act because I’ve only got to move a bit, and the audience’s eye is just attracted to things that glitter, and I could screw up your performance just like that. So, my opinion of Luke is that he is an immensely important character because he is the person that carries you through the story, the hero – we all know about that – so he’s the most important person, apart from C-3PO, of course.

Which was his favorite film in the series?

Curiously, my favorite was actually Episode IV, the very first film. The reason for that is that it was a very simple story: you had Luke, who was the hero, who comes from nothing. He’s a farm boy, becomes a hero, and he meets people on the way – the classic journey and all that kind of thing. Then you have a bad person called Darth Vader. At that time, we don’t know it’s his daddy… Yes, (imitates Darth Vader voice) “I am your f…” Oh, anyway… I understood it. My favorite film to make was the last one, “The Rise of Skywalker.” I had such fun with the new past, particularly Oscar Isaac, who had the similar… (Audience cheers) Yeah, Oscar Isaac, truly one of the best actors to be in a “Star Wars” movie. He had such a good relationship – or bad relationship – with 3PO that he persecuted him on an hourly basis, even worse than Han Solo. I just was giggling inside the costume as Oscar annoyed me. It was huge fun. The film didn’t kind of work out like I thought it might, but nevertheless it’s part of the saga, so you’re stuck with it.

On what he loves about being part of the “Star Wars” universe:

When “Star Wars” [Episode IV] opened, there was no budget for publicity. Normally, it’s a huge budget – there wasn’t any. “Star Wars” was a very low-budget film, but people went to see it, then they came out and they ran to their friends and dragged them back, and the friends dragged [their friends] back, and so it went on, and it went, as we would say now, “viral” – and you are part of that virality. The great thing, to me, is that film didn’t have a number at the beginning. It was “Star Wars.” Then, it became “Number Four,” and we made “V” and we made “VI,” “VII,” “VIII,” “IX” – you know the numbers – and that is all because of people like yourselves. One of the things I love is that you make friends in the “Star Wars” world. You get together, you talk. Some like the Dark Side, some like (gestures to a cosplayer) Jar Jar Binks. (He humorously does a facepalm gesture and winks to the fan.) Teasing you! There’s something in it for everybody, whether it’s the scenery, the music, the thoughts, the emotions, the morals of it all, there’s something for everybody, and I’m amazed to have been a part of it. I didn’t want the interview for the job, and here I am, nearly 50 years later, standing at the height of my career in Salt Lake City with you, and right now, I’m going to leave you – I’m going to take one last look… at my friends. Thank you.

*****

Also, if you didn't know, Mr. Daniels had recently written a book called "I Am C-3PO: The Inside Storhy" - a fact that he comedically brought up several times throughout the panel. You can check it out on Amazon or Audible, if you haven't done so already.

FanX 2025 is this week! Hit the comments section below to let us know what you'll be cosplaying as, your favorite "Star Wars" movie, and whether you think C-3PO could beat Jar Jar Binks in a street fight. While you're at it, follow us on Twitter (here and here) or open the Facebook app on your phone for 30 minutes until you've forgotten why you pulled it up in the first place.

For all of our other FanX blogs, click here.

Until next time!

Playstation Wrap-Up 2024

It's the post that everybody in The Underground has been looking forward to for an entire year! It's time for the Playstation Wrap-Up, where we boast about our gaming accomplishments and put all of our friends to shame. The trophies we earned, the games we loved, the ones we wish we had never started in the first place... it's all here, folks!

How will our stats for 2024 stack up? Let's find out together!

Total Hours:

That's a considerable number of hours. I don't know how I did it nor how it is possible.

Top Five Games:

1. Baldur's Gate III: I never in my entire life thought that I would ever play Dungeons & Dragons. But alas, I was corned by my next-door neighbor back in the summer of 2024 about playing D&D with some other neighbors and I just didn't have the stones to say no to his face. So I went. And I liked it. Upon telling some friends and coworkers that I had ventured into D&D, several of them immediately recommended "Baldur's Gate III," which I had never really heard of, let alone did I know that it was essentially a D&D video game. I picked up BG3 and gave it a shot. Let me say this unequivocally - this game is not for everyone, especially children. Literally, the very first thing it asked me was whether I wanted to turn on graphic nudity. Uh... NO?! There are certainly some mature themes in this game, but if you're wise and make good choices, almost all of them can be avoided, in my experience. With no further gilding the lily, I can say that I absolutely loved "Baldur's Gate III." I had an absolute blast. And there's an extremely high replayability factor - perhaps higher than any other single-player campaign in any other game I've ever played. You could choose a different character type and make a few different choices and get a totally different experience in a second or even third playthrough. I started over with a new character and got a little way into the game again but have been taking a break. But it's just absolutely insane that I spent 116 hours on this game and could probably do it all over again. That's my game of the year for 2024, without a doubt.
2. Disney Dreamlight Valley: Another year, another 90+ hours in The Valley. Props to the team for pumping out so much content that my family never gets bored. In terms of cost per time played, this might be one of the most cost-efficient purchases I've ever made for the sake of my entertainment.
3. Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Great game. But there was a completely mind-boggling plot twist at the very end that went way over my head because I apparently, like, missed one side mission or something? I had no idea what was going on there during the finale and had to spend a considerable amount of time Googling my questions.
4. WWE 2K24: Another solid edition in the "WWE 2K" series. I think it's safe to say now that "2K" has dug itself out of the monumental hole it fell into for a couple years and they've got the train chugging down the track (other than MyRise mode, which I continue to dislike - it's just so painful). Tonight, as I watch the premiere of "WWE RAW" on Netflix, I see that they'll be announcing "WWE 2K25" three weeks from tonight, so I better finish up '24 and get ready for the new game.
5. Star Wars Battlefront II: If you would have told me at any point in my life that I was going to get the platinum trophy on any "Star Wars Battlefront" game, I wouldn't have believe it. But I've got a coworker that is a hardcore gamer and he somehow convinced me to get back into the game and finish it up. It took forever to do it, and I screamed when I got that final trophy, but I somehow did it, in, perhaps, one of the most impressive feats of video game completion in all my years.

Games Played:

Beyond my top five games, here are some of my other favorites from 2024:

• Anno 1800 - even though it's extremely hard and I can't figure out how to get more than about an hour into the game without going bankrupt.
• Burnout Paradise Remastered - one of my favorite games from my college years, remastered (haven't been able to pull off a triple barrel roll yet, though).
• Fallout 76 - which is a zillion times better than it was at launch and has a great and very friendly online community now; it's practically an entirely new game, at this point.
• Final Fantasy VII Rebirth - what a massive, massive game; gonna take many more hours just to complete the campaign.
• Harry Potter Quidditch Champions - I couldn't believe that this was free at launch for Playstation+ subscribers.
• LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga - still chipping away for that platinum trophy; maybe 2025 is the year!
• Lost in Random - a weird little game that I picked up on sale for like two or three dollars.
• No Man's Sky - another game that is completely different now than it was years ago; I had never played it and really enjoyed the time I spent.
• NHL 25 - the Utah Hockey Club has arrived!

Top Games Each Month:

Trophies Earned:

Here's a list of all of the games for which I either got the platinum trophy or reached 100% completion in 2024:

1. Disney's Dreamlight Valley - January 8
2. LEGO 2K Drive - January 30
3. Lost in Random - February 8
4. WWE 2K23 - February 22
5. Valiant Hears: The Great War, 100% - February 23
6. PowerWash Simulator - February 27
7. SpongeBob SquarePants: The Cosmic Shake - June 21
8. LEGO The Incredibles - July 10
9. Planet Coaster - August 5
10. MLB The Show 24 - September 9
11. Astro Bot - October 8
12. Hot Wheels Unleashed 2: Turbocharged - October 21
13. Beyond: Two Souls - October 31
14. Star Wars Battlefront II - November 15
15. Skull & Bones - November 19
16. The Plucky Squire - November 26

Thoughts on that list:

• "Dreamlight Valley" is a family favorite at our house. If we're looking at cost per hour, that game is well worth the money I've spent on it.
• "LEGO 2K Drive" had one of the most ridiculous trophies ever. I literally had to tap and rubber-band the controller and let it run for hours (even while I slept), lest I be subjected to mindlessly playing for hours and hours and hours just to rack up the numbers on my virtual odometer. By the time I was done with that asinine task, I never wanted to play the game ever again.
• My three- (now four-) year old son, Stockton, started a couple games on my profile this summer, which meant that I was essentially contractually obligated to 100-percent them, so if you thought that it was my idea to play "SpongeBob: The Cosmic Shake" (which was stupid) or "LEGO Incredibles" (which was actually pretty enjoyable), you are mistaken.
• Astro Bot was super fun. My kids love Astro.
• I wouldn't recommend "Beyond: Two Souls" to pretty much anyone, and I somewhat regret that I even went back to it to clean it up. The fact that it was my most-played game of October pretty much sickens me, but at least it's done now and I never need to play it ever again.
• My hardcore gamer coworker encouraged me to get back into "Star Wars Battlefront II," which I never thought I would ever be able to beat... but I did it. It took me FOREVER... but I did it.
• "Skull & Bones" was a great time. It would have been more fun to play with friends (I forced my brother to play with me a couple times, which was fun - but mostly for me), but I had a good time playing solo. I wrapped it up - MY 100th PLATINUM - on my birthday, which was also a fun little planetary alignment for me.

Yearly Comparison:

• 2024
• Hours played: 1,091
• Top games: Baldur's Gate III, Disney Dreamlight Valley, Assassin's Creed Valhalla, WWE 2K24, Star Wars Battlefront II
• Trophies earned: 845
• Platinum trophies: 15
• 2023
• Hours played: 1,212
• Top games: Disney Dreamlight Valley, Hogwarts Legacy, Marvel's Midnight Suns, NBA 2K23, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor
• Trophies earned: 911
• Platinum trophies: 20
• 2022
• Hours played: 1,308
• Top games: WWE 2K22, Disney Dreamlight Valley, Gotham Knights, Ghost of Tsushima, Stardew Valley
• Trophies earned: 968
• Platinum trophies: 18
• 2021
• Hours played: 1,203
• Top games: MLB The Show 21, NBA 2K21, Marvel's Avengers, Watch Dogs Legion, Final Fantasy VII Remake
• Trophies earned: 1,091
• Platinum trophies: 14
• 2020
• Hours played: 2,419 (holy crap, COVID!)
• Top games: MLB The Show 20, Kingdom Hearts 1.5+2.5 Remix, NBA 2K20
• Trophies earned: 1,410
• Platinum trophies: 15

Final Thoughts:

After writing up that last little section there, it's very interesting to see how my top games have changed over the years - and how much free time I had during COVID. Overall, 2024 was a pretty good year for gaming. My top game, obviously, was extremely unexpected, so that was kind of refreshing. I'm still having a good time playing video games, even though I'm sure many people out there find it inappropriate for someone of my advancing years. But I'll tell you what - I've had some great times playing games with my kids, and my son Stockton is a fantastic problem solver due to his time spent with a controller in his hands. I was watching him play "Epic Mickey Rebrushed" on the PS5 earlier today and just sat there in amazement at what he was doing, without my help. He's a smart kid, and if I can thank Playstation for that, I'm happy to do so.

Here's to another fun year of gaming in 2025!

*****

That's a wrap for our Year in Review season! If you missed any of our other 2024 Recap blogs, be sure to check them out now!

• A-Town's Bookshelf: The Year in Books, 2024
• A-Town Playlist: Top Spotify Songs of 2024
• Nintendo Year in Review 2024

What were your favorite games of 2024? If you're playing on a Playstation and we're not friends, feel free to add me (PSN ID: atownmania). Who knows? Maybe we can "plat" a game together in the upcoming year!

Hit us up with your gaming recommendations or any other commentary in the comments section below, on Twitter (here and here) or on Facebook... if you dare!

Until next time.

A-Town's Bookshelf: The Year in Books, 2024

We've reached a new year, and with it another annual recap of books read and listened to (but mostly listened to). As I mentioned last year, I'm well aware that my measly little statistics are nothing compared to those who (allegedly) read (but probably listen to - on 2x speed) over a hundred books a year without breaking a sweat. I'm not here to compare. In fact, I know that probably less than a dozen people will ever even look at this post. So I'm mainly just posting this as a way to track my reading habits, year over year. With this being the second year of my annual "A-Town's Bookshelf" recap, we'll start to see a bit more clearly whether I'm actually doing anything impressive or not.

I somehow made it through 68 books this year, which is insane. That's probably about how many books I had completed in my entire life, prior to, like, 2015. As I looked back on this list over the past few days, I was shocked to see and remember some of the stuff I'd finished. Overall, I'd say that most of it was pretty good stuff. From science fiction and fantasy to celebrity memoirs and the rabbit hole of American history, I listened to (and occasionally physically read) some pretty fun literature during 2024.

One fun thing that I've been doing as I've been crushing audiobooks since the birth of my second son in 2023 is keeping track of how much money I'm saving by using Libby and maintaining an Audible subscription, as opposed to buying books or audiobooks at full price. I thought I could crack it by New Year's Eve (and probably could have - I've got two unused credits on Audible right now), but I'm sitting about $100 short of the $2,000 mark, which is absolutely crazy. Two thousand dollars in books?? Sheesh.

I do have to give a few shoutouts quickly, before I get going - because I'm going to try not to ramble on too much, once we get into the actual statistics of it all.

If you're kind of a nerd and into pop culture like me, I would highly, highly recommend the "Magic 2.0" series by Scott Meyer. These were my favorite books of the year. I wouldn't say they were the best books of the year, necessarily, because there were some really, really good books out there, but this was definitely the most fun I had, and I do occasionally look back and miss the series. It's just so silly and fun and doesn't have a lot of swearing, which was really nice. If you're down for a laugh about a bunch of computer nerds who decide to become wizards in the Dark Ages, you've got to check these books out. The audiobook narration was tremendous, as well, and I was constantly cracking up at some of the voices of the characters. Cannot suggest these books to you more highly.

I finally took the plunge into Bill O'Reilly's "Killing" series, which I had seen on bookshelves but had always kind of scared me because of titles like, say, "Killing Jesus" (which I haven't listened to yet, but want to). I know that O'Reilly is a bit of a star in the conservative political sphere, but I try not to get myself too involved in that stuff, so I didn't really have any preconceived notions about his work. Surprisingly, the books stay almost completely apolitical, so he pretty much just presents the facts without giving his opinion on anything, which I appreciated. His books gave me a great look into the lives of Elvis, John Lennon, Muhammad Ali, John F. Kennedy and even the Salem witches, and I was so fascinated the entire time. If you're wanting to delve into the depths of American history, these books were great.

I didn't know anything about "Project Hail Mary," other than that they're making a movie with Ryan Gosling and that it was written by the same guy who did "The Martian." With that little context heading in, I absolutely loved the book. I gifted it to my wife for Christmas, and she's right in the middle of it as we speak. Recommend.

And finally, my wife and I started listening to the "Harry Potter" series again in 2024. We started Book 4 on New Year's Day, so we're still chugging along, but man, what I wouldn't give to be able to go back and read this series for the first time. I don't think we had any idea how world-changing that little wizard boy was going to become. Great, great books, no matter your stance on public restrooms.

Also, ENORMOUS thanks to Goodreads, the site that made this entire post possible.

All right, here you go. Take a gander at which books I finished in 2024. Maybe you'll find something that you're curious about. I'd love to chat with you about any of these books or any recommendations you have for me!

Thanks for reading.

Books Read

Here is a list of all of the books I completed in 2024, along with my star rating:

1. Firefight (The Reckoners #2) by Brandon Sanderson, 4/5 stars
2. Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid, 5/5 stars
3. Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story by Bono, 4/5 stars
4. Starter Villain by John Scalzi, 3/5 stars
5. The Mark of Zorro (Zorro # 1) by Johnston McCulley, 4/5 stars
6. None of This is True by Lisa Jewell, 5/5 stars
7. The Giver (The Giver # 1) by Lois Lowry, 4/5 stars
8. I Found You by Lisa Jewell, 3/5 stars
9. Gathering Blue (The Giver # 2) by Lois Lowry, 2/5 stars
10. The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave, 3/5 stars
11. A Deadly Education (The Scholomance # 1) by Naomi Novik, 1/5 stars
12. Atlantis (Jack Howard # 1) by David Gibbins, 3/5 stars
13. Making It So by Patrick Stewart, 4/5 stars
14. The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians # 1) by Rick Riordan, 3/5 stars
15. Star Wars: Inquisitor: Rise of the Red Blade by Delilah S. Dawson, 3/5 stars
16. Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life by Arnold Schwarzenneger, 3/5 stars
17. Off to Be the Wizard (Magic 2.0 # 1) by Scott Meyer, 4/5 stars
18. When I Was Your Age: Life Lessons, Funny Stories & Questionable Parenting Advice from a Professional Clown by Kenan Thompson, 4/5 stars
19. The Downloaded by Robert J. Sawyer, 3/5 stars
20. Marvel's Midnight Suns: Infernal Rising by S.D. Perry, 2/5 stars
21. Star Wars: The Eye of Darkness by George Mann, 4/5 stars
22. Spell or High Water (Magic 2.0 #2) by Scott Meyer, 4/5 stars
23. The Horse and His Boy (Chronicles of Narnia # 5) by C.S. Lewis, 2/5 stars
24. The Return of the King (The Lord of the Rings # 3) by J.R.R. Tolkien, 4/5 stars
25. Recursion by Blake Crouch, 5/5 stars
26. Calamity (The Reckoners, # 3) by Brandon Sanderson, 2/5 stars
27. An Unwelcome Quest (Magic 2.0 # 3) by Scott Meyer, 3/5 stars
28. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, 3/5 stars
29. Dune (Dune # 1) by Frank Herbert, 3/5 stars
30. Fight and Flight (Magic 2.0 # 4) by Scott Meyer, 4/5 stars
31. The Singularity Trap by Dennis E. Taylor, 3/5 stars
32. Star Wars: Jedi: Battle Scars by Sam Maggs, 1/5 stars
33. Out of Spite, Out of Mind (Magic 2.0 #5) by Scott Meyer, 3/5 stars
34. The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson, 3/5 stars
35. Killing the Legends: The Lethal Danger of Celebrity by Bill O'Reilly, 5/5 stars
36. The Vexed Generation (Magic 2.0 #6) by Scott Meyer, 4/5 stars
37. And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle by Jon Meacham, 5/5 stars
38. Star Wars: Defy the Storm by Tessa Gratton, 2/5 stars
39. Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger, 3/5 stars
40. Will Save the Galaxy for Food (Jacques McKeown # 1) by Yahtzee Crowshaw, 3/5 stars
41. The Chase (Isaac Bell # 1) by Clive Cussler, 5/5 stars
42. House of Blades (Traveler's Gate # 1) by Will Wight, 3/5 stars
43. Star Wars: The Living Force by John Jackson Miller, 3/5 stars
44. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy # 1) by Douglas Adams, 2/5 stars
45. The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece by Tom Hanks, 3/5 stars
46. Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, 5/5 stars
47. The Magician’s Nephew (Chronicles of Narnia # 6) by C.S. Lewis, 4/5 stars
48. Killing the Witches: The Horror of Salem, Massachusetts by Bill O'Reilly, 4/5 stars
49. The Last Battle (Chronicles of Narnia # 7) by C.S. Lewis, 4/5 stars
50. The Chronicles of Narnia (The Chronicles of Narnia # 1-7) by C.S. Lewis, 4/5 stars
51. Raising Good Humans: A Mindful Guide to Breaking the Cycle of Reactive Parenting and Raising Kind, Confident Kids by Hunter Clarke-Fields, 3/5 stars
52. The Wrecker (Isaac Bell # 2) by Clive Cussler, 3/5 stars
53. Fan Fiction by Brent Spiner, 2/5 stars
54. The Last Outlaws: The Desperate Final Days of the Dalton Gang by Tom Clavin, 3/5 stars
55. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter # 1) by J.K. Rowling, 5/5 stars
56. The Crimson Vault (Traveler's Gate # 2) by Will Wight, 2/5 stars
57. The Mystery Writer by Sulari Gentill, 3/5 stars
58. Feel-Good Productivity: How to Do More of What Matters to You by Ali Abdaal, 5/5 stars
59. City of Light (Traveler's Gate # 3) by Will Wight, 2/5 stars
60. Casino Royale (James Bond # 1) by Ian Fleming, 4/5 stars
61. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck, 3/5 stars
62. Outland (Quantum Earth # 1) by Dennis E. Taylor, 3/5 stars
63. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter # 2) by J.K. Rowling, 5/5 stars
64. The Search for WondLa (The Search for WondLa # 1) by Tony DiTerlizzi, 4/5 stars
65. Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot by Bill O'Reilly, 5/5 stars
66. Ready Player One (Ready Player One # 1) by Ernest Cline, 4/5 stars
67. A Hero for WondLa (The Search for WondLa # 2) by Tony DiTerlizzi, 3/5 stars
68. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter # 3) by J.K. Rowling, 4/5 stars

Other Stats

The A-Town Awards

Best Book of the Year: Off to Be the Wizard by Scott Meyer

Honorable Mention: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir; Killing the Legends by Bill O'Reilly; Killing Kennedy by Bill O'Reilly; Recursion by Blake Crouch

Worst Book of the Year: Star Wars: Jedi: Battle Scars by Sam Maggs

Honorable Mention: Marvel's Midnight Suns: Infernal Rising by S.D. Perry; A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik

Best Audiobook Narration: Luke Daniels (Magic 2.0 series)

Honorable Mention: Ray Porter (Project Hail Mary, several others)

Yearly Comparison

2024: 68 books read

2023: 48 books read

*****

There you go! Did you discover anything new? Find anything you want to check out? Do you either strongly agree or disagree with me about anything? Do you have a book in mind that you think I'd love? I'm always down for suggestions. Let me know in the comments below, on Twitter (here and here) or on Facebook.

Until next time.