3 Up, 3 Down – June 2025
June 2025 was another phenomenal month for video game releases! COGconnected awarded its first perfect score in a long time. Several games that scored 90 won’t even be mentioned in this article, including Rune Factory: Guardians of Azuma. It’s also worth noting that several Switch 2 ports scored very well, including Split Fiction, Yakuza 0: Director’s Cut, Street Fighter 6, and Cyberpunk 2077. For the purposes of this article, COGconnected is prioritizing first time releases over ports. Without further ado, here are The Three Best (and Worst) Video Games June 2025:
The Good
The Alters
***click here for our review***
The Alters is a third person survival game. It has lots of crafting and building in its gameplay loop, and the protagonist has to clone himself to keep everything running smoothly. Our reviewer wrote “The Alters’ biggest home run might be the way it balances all its disparate elements and doesn’t allow anything to become too opaque or bog down the pacing”. It’s also a gorgeous game. The Alters was a delightful surprise, and a high-scoring inclusion in The Good section of The Three Best (and Worst) Video Games June 2025.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
***click here for our review***
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach scored a perfect 100 from COGconnected. It improves upon the original story-driven third person adventure game in almost every way. It gets a little closer to Kojima’s Metal Gear games, with lots of gameplay allowing the player to choose between stealth or action approaches. Our reviewer proclaimed “It’s the best-looking game I’ve ever seen, setting a new bar for graphical prowess that will be tough to surpass”. We’ve all gotta play Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. Perfect scores guarantee a position in The Good section of The Three Best (and Worst) Video Games June 2025.
Mario Kart World
***click here for our review***
Nintendo came out swinging with Mario Kart World. It was the premiere Switch 2 launch title. Mario Kart World changes up the series formula by adding open world exploration. It also takes the long time 12 racer maximum up to 24, creating an incredibly chaotic and fun experience. It’s so fun that our reviewer concluded “if you’re into Mario Kart even a tiny bit, you’d be a fool to pass on Mario Kart World”. Mario Kart World was one of the biggest releases of the month, and we would have been surprised to not see it in The Good section of The Three Best (and Worst) Video Games June 2025.
