Game of the Month: Wish List Brings Holiday Cheer

The Wish List theme that always comes through each December is one of my favorite themes we do each year (and one of the only recurring ones). Essentially, GOTM Champions who are eligible to nominate do so by providing a “Wish List”, or a list of three games for each range of release dates.

Another user would then select one game from the list of three to nominate themselves, essentially acting as Santa and granting the initial user an item from their wish list. The other two games would then become ineligible.

This continues until there are no more wish lists, and then the voting period happens as normal. It’s a fun and merry twist on the regular theme selection, and usually brings about an above-average amount of holiday cheer.

GotX is the Retro Handhelds Discord‘s version of a book club, and this month we’re granting people’s wishes (well, three of them). So come on in, sit down, and let’s play some games!

What is GotX?

GotX is short for “Games of the X“, which can be split into three categories: Game of the Month (GotM), Game of the Quarter (GotQ), and Game of the Week (GotW). Games of the Month are chosen according to a theme selected by community users who have previously beaten a GotM game for the prior month, aka “GotM Champions”.

Three games in total are selected, each falling within a range of release dates, which are nominated and voted upon by the GotM Champions. Winners each receive their own thread in the GotM channels in the Retro Handhelds Discord, where discussions, arguments, and ultimately fun are had by all.

Game of the Quarter and Game of the Week are selected independently in styles that are slightly different from Game of the Month, and they also don’t follow the same theme as the Games of the Month. Games in these two categories have either a runtime of under two hours (GotW) or a minimum runtime of 25 hours (GotQ), according to HowLongToBeat.

Completing a game (by posting a screenshot with ending credits, a date, and your Discord username) gets you an imaginary internet point that can be redeemed towards very real merch on the RH Store.

Game of the Month (Pre-’96) — Final Fantasy VI (Final Fantasy III)

• Console: SNES/GBA
• Genre: JRPG
• Time to Beat: 34 Hours

Final Fantasy VI (also known as Final Fantasy III in the US) is the last of the “pixel era” Final Fantasy games, and focuses on the conflict between the Gestahlian Empire and a rebel faction opposing them known as the Returners. The story takes place in a steampunk-style world, with up to fourteen playable characters across the storyline. Battles consist of turn-based affairs using the Active Time Battle command system.

A large world to explore, a large cast of diverse and interesting characters, multiple customization options, and an interesting story leave many professing this as one of their favorites in the series, if not *the* favorite. The one also has a Pixel Remaster available on pretty much every modern console currently available.

Game of the Month (1996-2001) — Spider-Man

• Console: PS1, N64, Dreamcast
• Genre: Action-Adventure
• Time to Beat: 7 Hours

Spider-Man has you playing as the titular Spider-Man as he attempts to clear his name after being framed by a doppelgänger and becoming a wanted criminal, while also having to foil a symbiote invasion orchestrated by Doctor Octopus and Carnage. Multiple other villains from the series, such as Rhino, Venom, and Mysterio, will also appear as enemies and/or bosses that the player must overcome.

Gameplay consists of crawling on walls and ceilings, as well as web-swinging short distances, in order to traverse the environment. When confronted by enemies, Spider-Man can use webbing to attack or stall enemies, as well as your standard punches, kicks, and special moves. There are also collectibles, like comic books, strewn about the environment for the player to find.

Game of the Month (2002 and later) — Sword of Mana

• Console: GBA
• Genre: ARPG
• Time to Beat: 15 Hours

Sword of Mana is a remake of the first game in the Mana series, Final Fantasy Adventure, which was available for the Game Boy. The game follows an unnamed hero and heroine as they try to defeat the Dark Lord and defend the Mana Tree from enemies that wish to capture and misuse its power. While incorporating some gameplay elements and following the same general plot from the original game, Sword of Mana introduces new gameplay mechanics and has a much-improved story.

Gameplay consists of navigating the characters and fighting hostile creatures from a top-down perspective. The player chooses one of the two main characters to play through the story, with the other main character or other temporary characters often joining in the journey. Both melee and magic attacks can be used by the characters, with combat taking place in real-time.

Game of the Quarter — Radiata Stories

If you’re looking for a meatier game to sink your teeth into, then the Game of the Quarter has you covered. GotQ consists of games that meet a minimum criterion of at least 25 hours to beat according to HLTB. Each quarter, four games are pulled at random from an extensive list of games that meet the minimum criteria, and then community users vote on which game they’d like to play for the next three months.

Completing a GotQ will still net you a single point, but there is also an opportunity to earn two additional points if you manage to 100% the game by completing all of the achievements through RetroAchievements and posting this as an additional screenshot.

• Console: PlayStation 2
• Genre: ARPG
• Time to Beat: 30.5 Hours

For the final quarter of 2025, we’re wrapping up Radiata Stories, an action role-playing game developed by tri-Ace (developers of the Star Ocean and Valkyrie Profile series). The story follows Jack Russell, a young man who wants to become a Radiata Knight like his father. As the story progresses, Jack finds himself caught in a conflict between humans and non-humans, ultimately having to choose a side during an impending civil war.

Radiata Stories places a lot of importance on NPCs, as there are many of them and they each have their own lives, jobs, personalities, homes, dialogue, and schedules according to the in-game Day/Night system. Each of these NPCs can be recruited as party members, and each with their own requirements; a staggering 176 characters are recruitable!

Combat consists of real-time weapon swinging against monsters and mooks alike, with Jack being controlled directly by the player and other party members being controlled by in-game AI. Pretty standard PS2-era ARPG gameplay. Also, you can kick everything, which can provide beneficial items or start unnecessary fights!

Game of the Week, aka RetroBits

If short games and easy points are more your speed, then each Saturday at 5 PM PST, a new GotW is announced. Each game comes with a completion time of 2 hours or less, according to HowLongToBeat, and must be completed before the new GotW is announced the following Saturday.

Completion of the GotM and GotQ will earn you one point (three if you 100% the latter), but GotW will only net you half a point. Unlike the aforementioned GotM and GotQ, the GotW is chosen entirely at random by the GotX overlord Rapid99, selected from a large database of sub-two-hour games.

Below is an example of the four most recent GotW games that we’ve played in the Retro Handhelds Discord. Seirei Senshi Spriggan is the most recent, and we’re still playing it from November 29, 2025, to December 6, 2025.

If you’re new to Retro Handhelds or the GotX community, come join us!

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