Topic: Gaming Resolutions for the New Year of 2026

@GirlVersusGame I'll keep it brief so we don't derail the thread!

Favourite architects? Hard to say - probably Le Corbusier, Mies van de Rohe, Carlo Scarpa and Tadao Ando, in no particular order.

Photography will be whenever the time suits me and whatever presents itself. The Q2 is a fixed 28mm F1.7 lens (one of Leica's best) so my legs are the zoom and you need a very patient approach as a result. The Q2 is also surprisingly rugged and weather-sealed, it's more of a workhorse than people think.

Dark Descent sounds excellent, really glad it's on my list after reading your summary. And Spiritfarer sounds like I'll need to be in a very particular mood to play it.

@Th3solution I’m almost always over the supposed time-to-plat times myself tbh. Sometimes I’m just in the mood to chill and meander through whatever objectives I have at any one time and other times I might just find something intriguing that is completely disconnected from an objective, or waste time as I’m enjoying a particular minigame or game mechanic.

It’s one of those fine lines to find the balance between simply enjoying the moment but also making enough progress (however much that is depends on the individual) to satisfy one’s backlog-busting needs.

As an aside, I was able to get a head start on my 2026 schedule by getting all bar some simple trophies on my January games before the end of 2025. So on New Years morning I popped all three of my scheduled January plats (so I’m essentially a month ahead rn)… but I’m still stressing about how I’ll get through everything else I have planned for the rest of the year in the time available.

@Marquez I'll keep it brief so we don't derail the thread!

• I have issues with that myself. Le Corbusier made me smile, I didn't expect you to say that. I've built his Unité d'Habitation 1:1 scale in Minecraft, I did tear it back down because it was so close to the outskirts of my London build and once I started to expend the Isle of Dogs I couldn't leave it sitting beside South Quay. Next is Blackwall Basin. I've spent years building London 1:1. I probably spent a year building Canary Wharf. I had to wait for them to finish some of Wood Wharf in real life so I knew what the end result would look like and not the original renders.

Canary Wharf Group and some others often send me over a lot of plans and things so I can get the scale correct, I email a lot of architects and firms too and study architecture and city planning to understand what I'm actually building. I want to do it right. I often use drones too, they can go places that cars can't and I have quite a few of them. It's my forever game/build. I replicate interiors too. Offices, restaurants, tube stations right down to their proper colour schemes. I can't build traffic per-say because of the scale but I do build a lot vessels and when I make my way out to London City Airport I'll build aircraft too.

I've built most of the Underground and DLR lines. I can patch into my PC server now and do a lot more on PS5, build faster, relocate previous builds. I've gotten lost in there myself a couple of times but it keeps me busy and focused. Also years behind on every other game, if you think you have a backlog, mines about eight years long. Blame Minecraft, I do. I'm sure I've built peoples homes, job sites etc and they have no idea they exist somewhere in a virtual game. Maybe in ten years from now or twenty I'll put it on YouTube or something. Right now I just like to walk around it and see what I've built. It's very peaceful in there.

Those are small clips from a chat server. I can't reach a console at the moment and I don't really build to share, I just like having a forever lifetime project to work on. I learn something new with each build, book, architectural journal and floor plan. I've built other cities too but have to keep moving them as London grows.

Apologies for doing exactly what you asked people not to @Marquez but don't worry, it's just to reassure you that you might be pleasantly surprised by Gotham Knights. Ignore the haters. Just because it's not an Arkham game doesn't mean it's automatically bad. I adore it, and really hope you will, too!

Fair warning that they can be one heck of a time-sink, especially the levels from what used to be known as Hitman 2. Even if you're just planning on running through 'em for story (which is borderline blasphemous, but also totally understandable when you've got, like, an actual life to lead and whatnot) be prepared to be slightly overwhelmed in some places and super-patient in others. Best of luck!

Big respect for this, especially in an age where our Sisyphean backlogs can dissuade us from replaying games we've already played before. I always try and make time for regular playthroughs of a handful of the games that "made" me and whilst I don't always succeed at playing them all, I'm lucky enough in that many of them are kinda short. Nothing in the same ballpark as FFVII. Again, best of luck!

@graymamba @ZeroE Good to know I’m not too far off track and you also don’t square with the average game length comparisons. The HLTB website does have the three levels - main story, main+extra, and completionist and I consider my playthroughs to theoretically be main+extra but the times align closer to the completionist usually.

Anyway, I appreciate the input. I think I have come up with a goal to try that will work for this issue. I agree with what you both say about gaming fulfillment (I really like that term) being the key and so time investment should be balanced with that in mind. One should take however long to beat a game as they want. There’s definitely times when my enjoyment/fulfillment is hampered by game bloat though, so it is a factor. And over the years I’ve abandoned some games before seeing the ending because I got too bogged down early on with extraneous fluff and burned myself out.

After some internal deliberation and reflection on what I would like to accomplish, I have some official 2026 gaming (and a few simple non-gaming) goals. I’ve tried to build in enough specificity and measurable aspects to keep an accounting, but have included adequate flexibility to maintain the impulsivity and adaptability that an enjoyable hobby should have.

So here they are:

1) Play 6 Pro-enhanced games

I invested in a PS5 Pro a few months ago and would like to see the best the console can offer. I have such a big backlog of older games, which take some of my attention but I’d like to get some advanced experiences this year too.

2) Play at least 1 game from each of the following categories: JRPG, WRPG, Crime Drama, Horror/Thriller, Souls/Souls-like, Shooter

I have broken down my backlog and analyzed the titles I want to play and organized them into thematic or gameplay groups and these are some of the categories for which I have several titles to choose from. Doing this will help diversify my year’s experiences

3) Play 5 sequels (or games from a series that has sequels) and 5 games that don’t have sequels

Again, trying to fostering variety and see some of the new or unique IP’s out there, while also getting to follow multi-entrant series that are popular.

4) Mainline one open-world game (i.e., take the golden path)

This may seem an odd goal, but as I’ve mentioned in the discussion above, I tend to take a lot longer with my games and take a completionist approach, looking at every nook and cranny, doing all side quests, and I’ve heard that some games are much better to just mainline and skip the bloat. I’ve never really been one to do that, so I want to at least try this method once and ignore the little diversions that these games tend to throw at you.

5) Play 3 games from series I’ve never played or from series I’ve not touched in over 5 years

I see this as an incentive to introduce myself to some of the franchises that I am blind to or have long forgotten.

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Non-gaming:
-Read (or listen to) 6 books
-Participate in an exercise program and compete in at least one community event during the year

Taking inspiration from the series-based resolutions of @Ralizah and @graymamba with my first choice, even though the serieses (seriesesses?) in question are different.

1) Finish the Ace Attorney Series
Always regretted leaving this one for so long. It's just so different than my usual fare that I end up getting distracted whenever I think about returning to it, so no more! I recently completed the first Apollo Justice remaster and am currently halfway through the first in the Investigations duology. By my calculations, that leaves me five-and-a-half games to complete. Let's see if I can.

2) Start the Deus Ex Series
In previous years, I've added similar resolutions about well-regarded series that have passed me by, but that come highly recommended by friends who are surprised I haven't played them already. I'm gonna make 2026 the turn of Deus Ex, largely thanks to the original game's recent PS2 port on PS5 reminding me that I own digital copies of the HD sequels. I'll need to track down Invisible War on PC, but that shouldn't be too difficult. However, I'm specifically making this resolution "start" and not "finish" because...

3) Party Like It's 2006
Should everybody's release schedules hold firm, 2026 is gonna end up feeling like a throwback to the glory days of the late PS2 era, when all of my favourite series got regular instalments and all of my favourite licences got regular tie-in games. It's my intention to try and play as many of the following either at launch or, pending any clashes, as soon as possible.

Representing Batman: LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight
Representing James Bond: 007 First Light
Representing Marvel: Marvel 1943: Rise of Hydra
Representing Shenmue: Shenmue III Enhanced
Representing Sonic: Sonic Frontiers 2 (not announced yet, but we all know it's gonna happen)
Representing Star Trek: Star Trek Voyager: Across the Unknown
Representing Star Wars: Star Wars: Galactic Racer and Star Wars: Zero Company
Representing Tomb Raider: Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis

And so help me, if there are any surprise announcements relating to Godzilla or Naruto, I'll do my best to work them in as well. Somehow.

4) Approach My Backlog With Diversity in Mind
There are games that have been sitting in my backlog for too long because I grabbed 'em in an effort to diversify my habits, only to then ignore them for years because they're not my usual fare (see: the aforementioned Ace Attorney series). Glancing at the list I keep, I can see a flight sim, a JRPG, and a driving game back there. Let's see if I can work them in alongside Ace Attorney and break up all the third-person action adventure gameplay that'll inevitably dominate the year ahead.

@Werehog I love the Deus Ex games! Well… the two latter ones (Human Revolution and Mankind Divided), so really hoping that they click for you too. I’ve mapped out playing an immersive-sim per year for the next… ooh decade (as I’m sure you’re aware, they’re unfortunately a rare commodity) and it saddens me that none of them will be a new Deus Ex. I will play the ps2 port at some point though, so there is that. Enjoy 2006!

@Werehog Funnily enough, I played the first game when I was self-isolating during the second lockdown and had plenty of spare time. I got quite absorbed in the role; another few days and I'd probably have shaved my head and got the barcode printer out. I'll let you know my thoughts when I pick the series back up!

@Ralizah
Wii U Japan can play both Wii U and Wii Japanese games so I can get the advantage from Wii U BC to play Japanese Wii games because if I pick Wii Japan machine, I only get the advantage Wii & GameCube Japanese games.
Speaking about the worthiness from GameCube, Wii and Wii U, I personally didn't feel invested that much with Japanese GameCube games since I didn't grow up by GameCube games, even there are some interesting Japanese GameCube exclusives, when I compared with Wii and Wii U Japanese games it still didn't give me much choice.
Wii U is actually even worse than GameCube but there are some Japanese version I can pick instead of USA version because there are some sellers have the Japanese version of Wii U games that I can have second chance to get them since the USA version are not available anymore. Some of Japanese Wii U games that I have second chance to get such as Yoshi Wooly World, Game & Wario, Mario & Sonic 2016, Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, etc. The Japanese Wii U exclusive I can get are very very few choice, maybe just Taiko no Tatsujin Wii U version.
But, there are quite a lot of choice from Wii Japan games so I will get good combination by getting Wii U Japan machine than getting Wii Japan machine.
Some Japanese only Wii games I have interest such as Bomberman Blast, Taiko no Tatsujin, Anpanman, etc.
Not that much compared with USA version but Wii U & Wii combination is better choice than Wii & GameCube.

@Werehog Start the Deus Ex Series

• There are a couple of novels too if you need more mileage after the games. At least three of them.

@mookysam For that backlog organisation I'd recommend using GG (ggapp.io) - so easy to get your wishlist, backlog, and current games you're playing all organised in one place. The mobile app is a pretty slick experience. Nice and visual too.

@Nep-Nep-Freak What Switch 2 games are you hoping to get?

@Werehog I'm trying to remember. Did you play the Great Ace Attorney games yet, or are those both still in the upcoming pile for you?

@mookysam Bahaha, I actually have been trying to decide how I want to go about catching up with the Trails series. I actually had purchased Trails from Zero on Steam during the recent sale, but then read stuff about how it draws from Trails in the Sky SC and the 3rd, and I remembered I'd stopped SC about 70% of the way through the game, so I refunded the game. I also think the remakes look like solid updates on the original, and Falcom is apparently unsure if it wants to do Sky the 3rd next or move on to the Crossbell duology next. Either way, my initial plan to get all caught up with Trails is dead in the water, since I know I'll want to play the remakes of the older games and avoid the jankiness of the original versions. But that means playing the remakes slowly over years. Like, even if we got a remake per year, that'd be Trails SC in 2026, 3rd in 2027, Zero in 2028, and Azure in 2029. And they'll inevitably drop new titles during that period. In most other series, I could just play the newer games in tandem with the older ones, but this stupid series is serialized to the point where you need to play them pretty fully and in a very particular order to not miss out on the introduction of major plot elements, returning characters, etc., so I'm never getting caught up lol

As for Ys, I can't speak for IX or X, but VIII was incredibly solid. Probably my single favorite Falcom game to date. The snappiness of the older games is obviously gone (my complete NS1 playthrough took me more than 80 hours lol), but it still retains the rather thrilling feel of combat in those games, and the Metroidvanian pacing is incredibly consistent throughout.

I've actually been culling about one game per day, on average, from my Steam backlog this year, since in-between short games I've been beating in one or two sessions, there are a few games I started playing and dropped an hour or so in because I hated them. Games I got in bundles, so not a huge loss!

@Ralizah, mostly just Pokémon Legends Z-A and Pokémon Gen 10. Perhaps also the Animal Crossing and Zelda TotK upgrades as well, though those aren't the highest priority.

I'm not getting a ton of Nintendo stuff at the moment because I don't particularly want to give Nintendo of America a ton of money after how they treated Neptunia 😅. But I am super excited for the next Gen of Pokémon.

I have few goals for gaming this year. Last year I set a goal to complete 30 games/DLCs. I surpassed that by completing 44 games/DLCs. 9 of those games were games I had already completed at least once. I also wanted to beat 4 Nintendo switch games and 4 ps vita games. However, I failed this goal by completing 3 switch games and 1 vita game. Technically I beat two Vita games but one of them was the PS5 version of Resistance: Retribution so I didn’t count it. I also had a goal to finally play and beat Death Stranding and I absolutely loved doing that. This year I want to focus on less games, but spend more time on individual games. A lot of games I completed in 2025 were shorter single player cinematic story games which I love but I want to dig deeper into bigger experiences this year.

My new goals are to:

1. Complete at least 25 games with 20 of them being games I currently own.
2. Spend 60+ hours on at least two different non-multiplayer games
3. Obtain 4 platinum trophies
4. Complete Dragon’s Dogma 2 and KCD2

I feel pretty good about these goals and being able to complete them. I imagine I will surpass 25 games completed but I don’t want as much pressure as last year.

Thanks! And yeah, I've heard nothing but good things about the PS3 and PS4 sequels, so I'm sure I'll find the fun with both of them (and will let y'all know how I get along, as and when). I've tried the PS2 original twice now, as a PS2 Classic on my PS3, but fell off at different points, neither of which were the game's fault. Still, I'm hoping the accessibility of the new PS5 port (and trophies) will pull me through.

Shame you won't be getting a new entry to fit your schedule. Is the series definitely dead, then?

Appreciate the heads-up, thank you! Will keep that in mind if I get myself hooked.

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Please do! Always up for any and all Hitman appreciation (although printing a barcode on the back of your own head might be taking things a smidge too far)!

Perhaps not a full resolution is needed, but certainly a sub-resolution as progression transfer can be a bit of a headache! That being said, it might not be necessary for you anyway, depending on how (and where, on which console) you played that first 2016 entry.

Because the fact is, you can only transfer your progress from Hitman 2. Progress from Hitman (2016) cannot be transferred; your progress can only be carried forward if you played the Hitman (2016) levels "inside" Hitman 2. If you did, then you'll need to sync your PSN account with an IOI account and let it see your progress, so that it can apply it to World of Assassination when you next log in.

Apparently, you only get one shot to do this. Here's the official guide.

There is no way to carry forward your Hitman (2016) progress if you played its original release, and there never was. I had to replay and re-earn everything when I got Hitman 2.

Best of luck!

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Alas, both still in the pile. I started the first Chronicles game a while back, but never got beyond its second case. Which again, was most definitely not the game's fault, it was delightful. But I'm playing the entire series in chronological release order now, so it'll be a while before I get back to it. And, since it's been so long anyway, I'll delete my old save and start from scratch when I do.

@Werehog afaik yeah. There was rumblings if a potential return to the overall Deus Ex series, if not to Adam Jensen (the protagonist in Human Revolution and Mankind Divided) but after Embracer bought Eidos Montréal and everything went ***s-up, I’m sure I remember reading that it’d been indefinitely cancelled unfortunately.

@graymamba Urgh, that's a shame. And then yeah, that Aspyr remaster of the PC original went and got indefinitely delayed recently, thanks to its visual style (or lack thereof). If that project can get turned back around and sells well, it could spark renewed interest. We live in hope!