1) Finish more games than I purchase in 2022. Seems simple enough: while I played a lot this year, I still somehow managed to buy enough to bloat my backlog even more. Enough. I'm working with what I got and avoiding unnecessary purchases otherwise.
2) Finish two Falcom games. Already have a playthrough of TitS SC going, and I fully intend to play another Ys game next year, so this shouldn't be too hard. Ideally, I'd like to finish the entire Sky trilogy next year, but the theme of this list is "reasonable expectations," and the truth is that after another 80 hour Trails in the Sky game, I might not be up for a second helping for a while. We'll see.
3) At least start playing Final Fantasy Type-0 HD. I bought this stupid game at launch on PS4 back in... 2015?... and still have yet to even boot it up. My disappointment over the FF15 demo kinda sapped my will to play it. Time to finally see if it was worth the $60 I paid for it years back.
4) Play at least one game belonging to each of the following devices: PC; PS1; PS2; PS4; SNES; N64; GameCube; Wii; Wii U; Switch; GBC; GBA; NDS; 3DS; PSP; and, last but not least, PS Vita. I still own most of these devices, but for the ones I don't, I'm allowing myself to emulate the games via less dubious means (virtual console; NSO's SNES app; old game collections; ripping the data from a disc I already physically own to use on an emulator; etc.)
5) Replay at least one old favorite of mine. I have a bad habit of staying on this treadmill of new games constantly and not revisiting games I loved and finished in the past.
6) Get platinum trophies for at least three PS4/Vita titles. Self-explanatory.
Hmm, start Ghost Of Tsushima (having not started it since being gifted it for my birthday earlier in the year) - been putting it off, waiting for an appropriate opening, which this year hasn't really given me.
Start a third (and possibly fourth) run of Detroit Become Human , after thoroughly enjoying the first two, tweaking character personalities and actions along the way.
Tackle another Far Cry game having played Far Cry 5 over the summer, and had the best blast with the open world hi-jinks since Saints Row 3 (original) many years ago. Undecided on whether to try 4, New Dawn or Primal.
Attempt to get something out of Red Dead Redemption 2, having started it twice, played quite a lot, but never making that connection that I did with the first one.
Try a couple of massively divisive games, namely Cyberpunk and Death Stranding, simply to see what all the fuss was about, whether I ultimately like them or not.
Play down my hopes of Grid Legends being anywhere near as good as Grid Autosport, my personal favourite racer. The 2019 reboot of Grid wasn't what I'd hoped for, and I'm kinda feeling Legends won't be anything different. But I remain cautiously optimistic.
Attempt not to get sucked into the Forbidden West hype - I loved Zero Dawn, but I'm not ready for more of the same yet, preferring to wait until it's been out a year or so to save a bit of money, and pick up a slightly more optimised game. Although, I do have an Amazon voucher burning a hole in my digital wallet...
@purplemouse I feel the same way about Red Dead Redemption 2… I know I should give it another go but I just remember feeling so bored the last time. It’s one of those ones where I’ll have to be in the right mood to fully engage with it.
Also agree aboutFar Cry… it may well be mindless fun… but it’s great fun nonetheless.
@crimsontadpoles@Ralizah I feel like you fine folks must be the only people mentioning "Wii U" in your resolutions for the forthcoming year! At least somebody out there still loves it!
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
1) Reduce the Size of My Backlog
Last year, I set myself a numerical target of games to beat but, despite exceeding that target by quite an admirable amount, I still ended up increasing the overall size of my backlog. I'm not gonna try and be clever this time around; my goal is simply to reach January 2023 with a backlog smaller than 96.
2) Don't Pre-Order Games Unless Absolutely Necessary
Because there are some games that my inner fanboy will demand at launch (like LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, Sonic Frontiers and Star Trek: Resurgence) and it'd be stupid to pretend that I'm not gonna grab 'em right away, but there are also plenty of other forthcoming games that I'm excited to get, but don't necessarily need to drop seventy quid on and clear my schedule for. My patience will only make them cheaper and perform better, so what's the rush?
3) Complete the inFAMOUS Series
Yep, totally carrying this one over. If I can't find the time for Second Son and First Light at some point in the next twelve months, then I'm clearly doing something wrong.
4) Complete Deus Ex, Jak 3 and Jak X: Combat Racing, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, Metal Gear Ac!d and its sequel, Shenmue III, Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy and XIII
Calling these specific games out because they've either been clogging up my backlog for far, far too long, or they're the kinda purchases I made on a whim and can't see myself starting without a kick in the pants, or I got underway with 'em and then abandoned them through no fault of their own. I need to get them finished, or at least play them enough to know that I don't wanna see their credits roll.
5) Return to PS Vita
Such an incredible machine, and yet probably the one I play the least. I have four old favourites for it that I keep meaning to replay (namely Gravity Rush, Killzone: Mercenary, Tearaway and Uncharted: Golden Abyss) and yet keep putting off, so it's about time I made them a priority.
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
1) Reduce more of my backlog through the FIFO method
I've completed tons of games this year (over 50 titles I believe) so I have no doubts I'll manage to do the same next year. However, I want to do it this time by following the FIFO method, i.e. "first-in-first-out". I feel like I'd rather be focusing on games that have been in my backlog for a very long time rather than ones that have been recently added. For example, I have No More Heroes on Wii that I haven't finished yet and that's been sitting in my backlog for over a decade now. Another example is Sly Cooper 3, which has been in my backlog for almost a decade. So I want to focus on completing games like these because it feels much more rewarding to finish titles that have been sitting around for a long time since you're generally more likely to play recently purchased games. So my goal is to have at least half of my completed backlog games be titles that I've had for a long time.
2) Avoid buying a next-gen system and focus only on the ones I already have
So it's been very tempting to buy a PS5 (and even Series X) this year whenever they came in stock but every time I've always thought that I have hundreds of games in my backlog that I need to focus on instead of buying a new console. So that's what I'm going to do, I'm not buying a new console and will only focus on finishing games from systems that I have right now.
Granted, I'll probably be cheating a bit because Xbox One has Cloud Gaming, which means I'll still be able to play next-gen titles like A Plague Tale: Requiem, Stalker 2, Starfield and so on. But the overall point is that I don't want to waste tons of money on a new system as well as games when I have so many already. Since Game Pass is very cheap compared to buying a Series X plus individual games, I feel like this is an acceptable exception. After all, I don't think I can go through a whole year without playing at least some new games.
3) Finish Borderlands 2
Why does this particular game get its own spot? Well, this is one of the "cursed" backlog titles of mine where I'm constantly playing for a couple of hours and then I stop, only to start over and do the same thing again and again. I've done this probably half a dozen times by now across numerous systems. So my goal is to finish this bloody game once and for all.
4) Use Remote Play on my Vita more often in order to motivate me to finish PS4 games that are more fitting for handheld play
I've realised this year that Remote Play on Vita is pretty good actually and I've been playing PS4 titles like Steins;Gate 0 through it, which has helped me get through this game as I don't like playing visual novels on the TV. So I'm hoping that I'll be able to finish more PS4 games that are better suited on a handheld through Remote Play.
5) It's okay if I don't finish certain games
Another thing that I've come to realisation this year is that it's totally fine to put away games even though I haven't finished them. The whole point of gaming is to have fun and enjoy yourself, and if you're not then what's the point? This year I've put away titles such as Forza Motorsport 5, MotorStorm and Final Fantasy 6 even though I haven't finished them because I wasn't enjoying them anymore. So next year, I'm not going to force myself to play through games that I'm not enjoying and be more lenient with what I want to play. Because I have this mindset of always needing to finish everything I start, so that's something I need to change.
(And before someone asks, yes I am enjoying Borderlands 2. It's just for some reason, I keep dropping this particular game but I do want to play it because I loved the first game. I just need to give it a proper go)
Some great ideas here. @RogerRoger well worth playing Infamous Second Son - it's showing its age a bit these days, but I only played it last year, and thought it still looked and played fantastic. First Light less so, although that might have been due to not having the wide range of powers of Second Son.
Yeah, I do agree that it can be quite hard to start up games that have been in your backlog for a long time, especially when you have all these more appealing new games that you could be playing instead. It's definitely something that you have to put in a lot of effort in order to make it happen. What I've done with my collection is that I've put away all the games that I've finished in storage and only kept the ones that I haven't finished yet. That way I'm able to highlight my backlog games much more easily as I go through them and contemplate what I should play next. When it comes to my digital games, I've been sorting them on each system into different folders in order to easily highlight those ones as well. I think if you keep going through your games over and over then you'll eventually get in the mood to play them. Because it's easy to neglect your older backlog if you don't go through it on a regular basis.
That's why I thought that I'll probably need to play some next-gen games here and there in order to reduce the temptation of buying a new system.
It's definitely a good approach to have because there are just so many games and sometimes you'll feel like you'd rather spend your time playing something else that you'll enjoy more. I also really like your attitude with regards to "time enjoyed isn't time wasted" because that is indeed very true. You don't have to do everything in a game to fully enjoy it. Although I do feel like people have that mentality because they're paying a lot of money for games, which makes them feel like they're "obligated" to finish them. That's kinda why I'd rather just buy cheap games or play them through Game Pass so I don't feel like I've wasted my money if I don't finish them.
@Jemusu I used to have a huge list of all my games as well, but then I realised that I'm not really using it for anything so I stopped updating it, lol. I feel like it's more fun to physically go through each game because it's like I'm at a candy store and picking out whatever great game I wanted to play next.
Oh when I mentioned Game Pass, I meant games that I would've bought normally but that I played through Game Pass instead. So for instance, I would've bought and added Halo Infinite to my backlog, but instead I decided to save myself some money and just play it through GP. That way I could avoid feeling "obligated" to play through it since there are tons of other games I can play as well. I definitely think that buying cheap games or using subscription services is a great way of getting rid of the obligation feeling.
@RogerRoger I have an odd fondness for the thing. No idea who at Nintendo thought a tablet controller that forced the player to sit within spitting range of the console was a good idea (or why making it necessary to even operate the console was appropriate, considering how many games can be played on that system with other controllers). No idea why Nintendo thought making their own (short-lived) social media service was ever going to be a good idea, with the internet the way it is. But they did, and combined those aspects with a set of first-party offerings that were often strange, but also very good, even if it took until the Switch for people to fall in love with the library.
Like the PS Vita, it arguably deserved more appreciation.
Also:
"Don't Pre-Order Games Unless Absolutely Necessary"
I could definitely stand to do this more, as I know for a fact my consumerist hankerings for new software dramatically settles down if I miss the launch window period.
"Avoid buying a next-gen system and focus only on the ones I already have"
Not a resolution, but I'll also be doing this anyway. Both because next-gen isn't particularly attractive at the moment, and because I'd like to go into next-gen, eventually, with a fairly clean slate.
"Use Remote Play on my Vita more often in order to motivate me to finish PS4 games that are more fitting for handheld play"
I tried so many times to get RP on my Vita to work, so I'm a bit jealous here.
@Ralizah Yeah, I'm hoping to do the same thing as well because I have so many games to play now and I'm still buying new titles, so it feels kinda wrong to buy a system at this point. It does help though that most of Sony's first-party titles in 2022 will also come out on PS4 and that I can play Series X exclusives on Cloud Gaming. Even if I wanted to buy a new system, there's actually very little reason to do that right now for me.
Oh really? Do you use it through local wireless or Wi-Fi connection? Because I do tend to notice streaming issues when it's online rather than locally. But yeah, it's so nice to be able to stream visual novels and JRPGs that I have on PS4 to my Vita. I've been primarily buying these kinds of games on Switch so that I could play them on the TV and on the go. But now I can buy them on PS4 and play them on my Vita, which is great because that means I can save more space on my Switch and save some money since PS4 games tend to receive steeper discounts than Switch titles during sales.
On a side note, one game in particular that's been bugging me with regards to which system I should play it on is Tokyo Xanadu (which is made by Nihon Falcom). There are two versions of the game, one on Vita that's the vanilla version and one on PS4 that's the enhanced edition with more story content. I've been wanting to play it on the go, but I also wanted to play the best version of the game. And then I realised, I could just play the PS4 version on Vita through Remote Play, lol. Considering it was originally a Vita game, the PS4 version has pretty much the same controls as its handheld counterpart so it all works out great.
@Jemusu It's so lame that Nintendo still hasn't gotten around to adding folders as an option on Switch. I've bought so many titles and I would love to be able to sort them into different folders, especially one for completed games. I have such a hard time playing through Switch titles for some reason, so I could really use the extra motivation.
I do feel like PS5 owners tend to have a stronger sense of obligation of finishing games due to them being more expensive to buy now with no cheaper options like playing them through PS Now or something. I saw some people talk about Returnal on an article the other day and I was surprised to see so many that said they had to finish the game because they paid so much for it (even if it was in a tongue-in-cheek tone). Apparently it's quite hard to finish Returnal due to its rogue-lite elements, but I don't know, I wouldn't like paying that much money for a game if I'm not sure that I can finish it.
@LtSarge I might feel differently once Starfield is out if my computer can't run it well (which is very possible, as my GPU is six years old at this point), but there's really just not a lot on the horizon that excites me that can't also be played on my current hardware. So, yeah, it feels wasteful to spend hundreds of dollars on new equipment.
At least through 2023, Sony has nothing exclusive to next-gen that feels essential to me.
Microsoft only has Starfield and whatever else Bethesda's developers are cooking up. Game Pass is probably nice, but I'm not going to utilize it when I have such a large backlog of games as is.
I might make an exception for Nintendo's next console if it's fully backwards-compatible and enhances the performance of my Switch games, but otherwise, I could probably wait on that, too.
"Oh really? Do you use it through local wireless or Wi-Fi connection?"
Both. It's bizarre. I would use the direct connection option, sit feet away from my PS4, and not be able to smoothly stream games on my Vita. I tried everything to get it to run smoothly, and eventually just gave up.
I had some luck streaming Uncharted 1 on PS Now before the Nathan Drake Collection came out, but, otherwise, video game streaming hasn't been a great experience for me.
@purplemouse I'm grateful for that Second Son recommendation, thanks! I'd actually heard that folks who'd played both seemed to prefer First Light, so it's interesting to see you think differently. I'll be curious to see which side of the fence I fall on!
@Ralizah I've taken plenty of shots at the Wii U over the years (mainly for being "peak Nintendo") but I do have a broad appreciation for things that are awkwardly and obstinately unique, and respect those who hold candles for such underdogs, so please know that my previous post was written with genuine affection! And you're right, seeing so much of its library thrive on Switch demonstrates that, on some level at least, it did a heck of a lot of things right. Here's hoping you and @crimsontadpoles enjoy revisiting your consoles!
And yeah, with regards that "don't pre-order" resolution, my advice is to start an 80-hour epic the week before a new game's launch date. Or bury your wallet in the desert.
Darn it, I forgot about Gotham Knights back there... [fetches shovel]
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
@RogerRoger I enjoyed First Light - and even streamed it live on Twitch back in the day - but having fallen in love with Second Son, I guess I might have played FL too soon after it, and couldn't help but compare them. A longer gap would have helped. First Light seemed centred around a relatively small suite of powers, whereas Second Son has a lot more - and I found the variety better to mix up both gameplay and my approach to certain situations. I think you'll enjoy them both tbh - and Happy New Year while I'm at it!
1. 8 Platinums
Self explanatory. I haven’t had a platinum goal for a couple years. Last year I got 7, so I think this is achievable,
2. Write 6 Game Reviews
I like to share my thoughts about the games I play. I just need to try to do it more consistently.
3. Expand into new gaming areas:
Play 1 FromSoftware Game
This is a carry over from a goal not achieved last year and should be one of the first to get accomplished in 2022 with Demon’s Souls (I know, I know - it’s actually a BluePoint game but it’s still a From game at its core…)
Play 1 Multiplayer or Co-op game
Either one of the dozens of F2P games or even one of the tons of giveaways from PS Plus - I have so many MP games in the library that I have completely ignored.
Play 2 Racing Games
I have couple sitting in my library like Wreckfest and now Dirt 5, not to mention GT7 coming soon. I’d like to try at least 2.
Play 4 Horror / Zombie Games
I have a ton of these in the library that I need to get played. TLoU2, Days Gone, RE4-7, heck even the last season of TWD that I never played.
4. Non-Gaming Escapades —
Exercise, Reading, catch up on TV and movies, and develop a new hobby or interest.
I hope to exercise 4 days a week, Read some books this year, try to decrease the size of my TV and movie backlog, and hopefully find something new to smooth out my inner character.
@purplemouse I'll keep that in mind, then, and maybe leave returning to First Light until I've completed a few different games after Second Son. Thanks and yes, Happy New Year to you, too!
***
@Th3solution Looking forward to those reviews, as and when you're able! Good goals, best of luck!
"We want different things, Crosshair. That doesn't mean that we have to be enemies."
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Topic: Gaming Resolutions for the New Year of 2022
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