@Th3solution
Can recommend Lords of the Fallen as a Souls-like game (free/not free on Essentials a few months back) plus it probably counts as a sequel (“probably”).
Not too difficult.
@psmr
The best laid plans of mice and men.
Also you have Motorfest as another racer lurking in the backlog somewhere but you could try 2027 Q1 Fable, Q2 Forza Q3 Halo (moved from 2026) and Q4 Gears
@CaptD no plan ever pans out exactly how it’s initially drafted… tends to pan out a hell of a lot better than no plan at all though in my experience 😉
Might not feel like it but these are your glory days.
The "salad years" you know?
Nothing is going to beat who you are now.
You can't see all the ****ed up 💩 that's looming on the horizon.
Enjoy this dude
@CaptD Yeah, I saw that you really warmed up to it and ended up quite liking it. The game has had a fairly consistent positive reception, from the colonel included who’s definitely a resident souls-like connoisseur. I’ll definitely keep it in the queue. My plan had been Dark Souls 3, so we’ll see if I can make that happen somewhere between Ragnarok, Saros, Witcher 3, FF7 Rebirth, and other scattered titles the next six months.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
@psmr Ah it definitely makes sense. Especially the car/racer genre is something that really has to be spaced out. You wouldn’t want to stack multiple back-to-back.
I’m glad to see you’re interested in joining the Fable club. I’m not sure if I’ll be there day 1 or not, but I’m liking what I’m seeing.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
@Th3solution yeah, probably much like you I doubly I’ll play Fable at release but I do like the look of it. 🤞 Playground Games maintain their elite standards when crossing the genre-divide.
Might not feel like it but these are your glory days.
The "salad years" you know?
Nothing is going to beat who you are now.
You can't see all the ****ed up 💩 that's looming on the horizon.
Enjoy this dude
1) Play at least 30 games to completion
1. Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess
2. The Last of Us: Part II Remastered
3. Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope
4. Star Ocean: First Departure R
5. Resident Evil: Requiem
6. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
7. Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
8. Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss
9. Mouthwashing
10. Silent Hill f
11. Sea of Stars
I would've hoped I'd be by the halfway mark already, but no dice. I seem to be pretty much on par with my gaming last year, where Id also finished about ten in the first half of the year. Maybe I overestimated how much I could expand that, or maybe I'll be able to catch up! Currently working on Baldur's Gate 3 and Bayonetta 3.
2) Of these 30 games, have at least 10 of them be from games currently installed
Up from 4/10 to 5/10 with only Enslaved: Odyssey from the West fitting the bill since the last update. Halfway here at least!
3) Play eight games which are set to release in 2026
Since the last update with Resident Evil: Requiem, I've only added Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss to the tally. I did just purchase Zero Parades, so that'll join the club eventually. Gonna have to work on this one actively if I want to reach this goal by the end of the year!
4) Start and finish Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (and don't be scared to finish two other long games)
I have not yet started Xenoblade Chronicles 2, but there is progress on that one in the sense that I know when I will. With my new Switch 2, I'll be awaiting the upgrade releasing on July 30th and take that as my cue. As for other longer games, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the one that fits the bill when defined by 50+ hours as I did last year. Having just started Baldur's Gate 3, I'm on track to reach this goal by the end of the year!
5) Play more games that originally released during or before the seventh console generation
Again, relatively speaking means three for the year, which I have made progress in by adding Enslaved: Odyssey to the West to the list. Just one removed to reach this goal! Should be an easy one.
My last goal I had already reached by my last update, so I will stop keeping track of that one for now! Mostly on track, but I need to hurry up the pace with my first goal in particular.
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@psmr Legends are being written as we speak on your productivity and success. Amen! Congrats on the great year so far. You'll no doubt end up with a list of ''done'' by the end of it. Hopefully some more great surprises to come beyond the limits of your resolutions as well! Though, knowing you, you've planned out your gaming habits 'til about 2036, so I doubt you'll be all too surprised about the specifics of what you're playing by the end of the year, haha.
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@Th3solution I'm interested to hear whats at the top of your list in regards to your JRPG for the year! We've talked quite a bit about Final Fantasy over the last few months. Anything within that franchise possibly? Maybe an open-world JRPG to catch two flies with one stone. It also makes me happy to see horror-thriller not just being represented once, but twice! Let's add a few more to that milestone before the end of the year... Congrats as well on your positive first 6 months! And on keeping up with the exercise as well. A stronger person than me!
@Tjuz That’s some nice progress for you as well! Besides being slightly behind schedule for your main game completion goal, you’re mostly on track. The 2026 releases will also be a bit of a stretch. Do you have any plans for which 5 other games you might target in order to get to the total of 8?
I will say that you’re being optimistic with Baldur’s Gate 3 though. That game is massive and can completely derail and entire gaming schedule. The entire second half of my 2025 (and the first month of 2026) was taken up by that game. Over 300 hours later, I finally finished. But it’s so very worth it! If your definition of “long games” is over 50 hours, then perhaps you can count BG3 as 6 games. 😅 I’ll be eagerly watching for your BG3 impressions and experiences!
As for my JRPG, my plans had always been FF7 Rebirth, and it still might be that. I’m a little scared off from it due to it’s length and how that will affect my ability to squeeze in the other games I want to play this year. I hear tell that many people sink well over 100 hours into it, and I can only do so many 100 hr games per year (HFW is headed that way and some others on the short list are likely 100 hr club games too) If I mainline it then I can perhaps get 3 categories knocked out for my goals though. And I’ve heard the side content is highly skippable.
Other candidates for the JRPG category are Nier Replicant, Unicorn Overlord, Octopath Traveler 2, and Clair Obscur (it’s a stretch to count that one but for all intents and purposes it feel like it should fit. Just because it’s not made in Japan doesn’t mean it’s not a JRPG in spirit, right?)
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
@Tjuz 🤣 cheeky! Tbh I think what you’ve hit in regards to your various annual goals is far more normal… and maybe healthy tbh. I’m just that odd/unique/rare individual that am aware of my obsessive nature and have to work with it to maintain my loose grip on sanity 😅.
Might not feel like it but these are your glory days.
The "salad years" you know?
Nothing is going to beat who you are now.
You can't see all the ****ed up 💩 that's looming on the horizon.
Enjoy this dude
@Th3solution For 2026 releases, I'm definitely having my eye on Resonance: A Plague Tale Legacy and There Are No Ghosts at the Grand. Those seem fairly likely purchases close to release. Then still going back to what has already come out, I intend to pick up Fatal Frame II: Butterfly Crimson Remake sooner rather than later. I gotta continue and properly start People of Note. Pragmata is also a sooner rather than later and I could see myself picking up Reanimal before the end of the year if my roommate wants to play along. If I would play all of those before the year ends, I'd reach my goal! We'll see if that works out in the end.
300 hours of Baldur's Gate 3?! Aca-scuse me? I was mentally planning for about a 100-hour journey... Is 300 hours a ridiculously over-the-top amount for the game, or is that a pretty regular playtime? How did you even manage that?! If I manage to finish it by the end of the year, then yes, I will count it as fully satisfying my entire goal of three long games. Phew.
Well, Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth sounds almost too perfect a candidate then. You don't want to get lost in all the skippable side stuff, so you'll anyway naturally be more likely to take a golden path. Then on top of that, it fulfills the open world goal all the same! Sounds like we have a winner to me. You're probably gonna have a hard time filling that open-world slot without a game that's excruciatingly long anyway. The first one to come to mind was Banishers Ghosts of New Eden. I think that one is more medium-sized and would fit as an open-world experience. Maybe that one could fill a similar slot if FF7:R does put you off too much? I know you like Dontnod, and I don't think you've played that one yet!
And, hmmmm.. personally, I wouldn't really count Clair Obscur as a JRPG. Not because it's western, as I think something like Sea of Stars would still fit the genre despite being western, but simply because I didn't really get that feeling from it. Clair Obscur always struck me more as a Ubisoft game, but what if it was more linear and the story was good? Maybe I'm alone there though. What do I know with my vast knowledge of four JRPGs? The others all seem like great, fitting choices however! A proper treasure chest to choose from. I'd almost think you'd be most likely to gravitate to NieR: Replicant from those choices, since I know you loved Automata.
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@psmr Hey, frankly, I'm only being cheeky because I'm jealous of your methodic madness. Your type of list-based, checking off-behaviour is exactly what I do with other media, yet I can't get myself to do it properly with games and as such end up being all over the place. You're an inspiration! I'm on the side of losing my grip on sanity.
Might not feel like it but these are your glory days.
The "salad years" you know?
Nothing is going to beat who you are now.
You can't see all the ****ed up 💩 that's looming on the horizon.
Enjoy this dude
@Tjuz Oooh… the new Plague Tale game is a good one to put on the list. I’m going to have to resist temptations there. I’m not familiar much with the others in that group except for Pragmata, which I should consider playing at some point, but I’m not in a rush.
And yes… 300 hours in Baldur’s Gate 3 is a thing. But mine’s probably double the average playtime, so you can easily complete it in half or a third that time. But if you like getting all the party members and all the side content (more on that later over on the BG3 thread…) and really want to lose yourself in the game, then you could easily get close to my time. One of the reasons I got my Portal was so I could grind BG3 in bed and while traveling and so some of my playtime was assisted by that, but it’s a beautiful game and 90% of it I played on the TV. It took over my life for those 6-8 months, and I did take breaks and completed a couple smaller games during the marathonic playthrough (like Lost Records, Man of Medan, Sword of the Sea, from what I recall), so you might consider doing that if you’re worried about getting too burned out.
Ah, and Banishers is a good shout. No I’ve not played that yet and it’s one that is down into the back catalog a bit, and one I haven’t thought about lately. I need to keep it in mind.
And I guess Clair Obscur felt slightly JRPG-ish because the videos I’ve seen look very Persona-inspired. But yeah, it’s probably cheating to count it as a JRPG. Nier Replicant keeps getting pushed aside by other games, but yes, Automata is a fave of mine.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
@Th3solution I'm very intrigued to see what the new Plague Tale will be like with a different protagonist. I loved her presence in the second, so I'm cautiously optimistic! I think it'll be hard for me to resist the temptation, but hey, why should I if I'm attempting to reach that goal by the end of the year? I need all I can get! People of Note and There Are No Ghosts at the Grand are both musical-flavoured games, so hence my particular interest in those smaller titles. And then Reanimal and Fatal Frame II just fit nicely within my horror space and were well-received, so I don't see any reason why I shouldn't be giving them a shot eventually!
I think I'll have no choice but to take some breaks here and there if I start nearing that total playtime in any way. I'm not even sure I have it in me to finish a game after 300 hours! The longest I've ever taken to finish a single-player game would've been Metaphor: ReFantazio at around 110 hours... so 300 would be a huge ask on top of that! Your Portal purchase suddenly makes a lot of sense now, even if you didn't use it as much for the reason of your initial purchase in the end. Hell, I'm impressed that 300 hours were only spread out over roughly 6 to 8 months. That still sounds like fully mainlining it even with the occasional break to me!
Congratulations to @psmr@Th3solution and @Tjuz for those impressive mid-year updates. Looks like a lot of steady progress being made. You got this, folks!
Here's hoping I don't let the side down. Today being July 1st an' all, let's take a look.
1) Finish the Ace Attorney Series
Since making this resolution, I have completed the Investigations duology and am three cases deep in the next entry, Dual Destinies. I'll admit, playing so many in close proximity is starting to feel like it might be a mistake, but each time I get frustrated by a flaw, I find that something charming is right around the corner, waiting to make me smile again. Three (nearly) down, three to go!
2) Start the Deus Ex Series
Feels like I'm gonna have to kick this into the long grass of 2027, if only because my head got turned by the icky delights of the Resident Evil series. This resolution was based on a standing template where each year, I promise to take a swing at a well-regarded series that has managed to pass me by. Okay, so I did only say "start" but, since there are four Deus Ex games, I'm gonna try and complete four Resident Evil games in their place. So, that's one down, three to go!
3) Party Like It's 2006
From the list of eight new licenced games I resolved to play, 007 First Light, LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight and Star Trek Voyager: Across the Unknown are done and dusted. Unfortunately, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis has been delayed until February 2027 and two other games have simply failed to surface, with shadow-drops being extremely unlikely. That only leaves me with Shenmue III Enhanced and Star Wars: Galactic Racer yet to go. I have both of them pre-ordered.
Funny thing is, I also jokingly promised that, "if there are any surprise announcements relating to Godzilla or Naruto, I'll do my best to work them in as well." Witness my mighty powers of manifestation, because I now have to add Godzilla: Destroy All Monsters Melee Remastered to this resolution.
4) Approach My Backlog With Diversity in Mind
For this one, I singled out a flight sim, a JRPG, and a driving game. To date, I have only managed to start the driving game, and I fell away from it pretty quick. None down, then, and all to go! Yay!
"If I let not knowing anything stop me from doing something, I'd never do everything!"
1) Play at least 30 games to completion
1. Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess
2. The Last of Us: Part II Remastered
3. Mario + Rabbids: Sparks of Hope
4. Star Ocean: First Departure R
5. Resident Evil: Requiem
6. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
7. Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
8. Cthulhu: The Cosmic Abyss
9. Mouthwashing
10. Silent Hill f
11. Sea of Stars
@Tjuz Wow that list of games you beat is so dang cool. How are 8,9,10? Did you post about them on here?
@Werehog
You have quite the choice when it comes to racing games, not so much with Flight Sims. I recently borrowed MS Flight Sim 2024 to try out the VR mode and it is a pretty good game, far from perfect but quite amazing considering what it is trying to achieve. It has loads of content but is a Sim so boredom is a possibility.
I did enjoy the VR mode despite it being a bit blurry (seriously where did that mountain come from?!) and intend to buy but am waiting for a decent discount on the store as I avoid buying digital when the price is over a certain amount and the MS FS2024 disc is nowhere to be seen irl, well not at rrp anyway. It has been on sale for 20% off on a couple of occasions now.
Other than that you could try Ace Combat 7 which is good but far from a Sim.
@Werehog Well done! And I like how you’ve adjusted for some flexibility to capture the spirit of the goal with pivoting from Deux Ex to Resident Evil.
I’ll be curious to see how the second half of the year goes for you. It seems like you have some great experiences ahead!
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
@Werehog Seems like you're doing a good job all the same despite including a smart pivot! That four game rule will bring you through to one of the highest acclaimed classics in gaming for Resident Evil, so that'll hopefully be a banger end to the year for you as a result. Mankind Divided might've been more of a sad note to end on. Glad to hear your time as a lawyer/investigator is going well too, but I'm shocked by the fact that there's still three left to go after this one. You didn't even start at the beginning for this resolution, right? I think you were already well underway into the franchise. How many games are there even in total?
Gotta ask in terms of your licensed games, would you ever consider Star Wars: Zero Company as a replacement of one? I personally think it looks very interesting, but I'm not sure how much you're into the tactical combat side of things. The Godzilla announcement is hilarious for this particular resolution. It's even funnier knowing that you'll be playing that while the rest of the console world will be knee-deep in Grand Theft Auto VI. I wouldn't expect anything less (affectionately)! What JRPG game do you have in mind to try out this year? Is it still very much open, or did something particular already tickle your fancy?
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@Herculean Yeah! I did leave impressions on them in one way or another somewhere. I'll send you the links here in case you want to read and decide for yourself if any of them are for you! Let me know if you have any further questions about them.
I didn't really write anything at length for Mouthwashing other than it was a great narrative for about a few hours that's worth checking out if you're into horror at all. I've kept very mum about it otherwise, because I feel like anything worthwhile to say about it will essentially just be spoilers. If there's anything in particular you'd like to know about it, just ask!
@CaptD My apologies, I should have clarified that the flight sim I have in my backlog is indeed Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown. That being said, I do appreciate your endorsement of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 since I have some passing interest in it, not enough to rush out and buy it immediately but plenty that a couple good write-ups could make me pull the trigger in a sale someday. And yes, having played some previous Ace Combat games, I realise they're not exactly full-blown simulators, but "jet fighter dogfight action game" felt a little long-winded, even for me!
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@Th3solution Thanks, buddy! Very much looking forward to being able to regularly game again, once the heat has passed and my IRL schedule has calmed down. I have high hopes!
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@Tjuz Well, where I end up with that four-game rule might change, depending on my approach. I'm gonna be playing the original Resi 2 and Resi 3 first, but then will need to decide whether to circle back and play their remakes before starting the Resi 4 remake (which is the only version of that game I have). Unless you meant that the Resi 2 remake was "one of the highest acclaimed classics in gaming" in which case, hurrah! From what I gather, whichever I pick, I can't really go wrong.
Not counting crossovers, there are ten Ace Attorney games, and you're right, the reason for making them a resolution this year is because my pre-existing progress with the series was slow. I could always draw a line before starting the last two, as they're largely unconnected prequels. We'll see.
Star Wars: Zero Company was indeed listed in my original resolution post, but I've decided to wait for reviews and feedback from other trusted forum users, such as yourself. I have no problem trying something a little different (especially when applied to a franchise I love, although I have dabbled in the turn-based tactics genre before) and if it were the only new Star Wars game coming out this year, I'd be all over it, but I just know that I'm gonna adore Galactic Racer, so the pull is stronger there. I will definitely play Zero Company at some point, but it doesn't have to be right away.
As for the JRPG, I have Final Fantasy XV Royal Edition installed on my PS5. It was supposed to be my big spring game, but best laid plans an' all that. I understand it's quite a long game, so it might end up being the last thing I play over the holidays, once everything else has been and gone.
"If I let not knowing anything stop me from doing something, I'd never do everything!"
@Werehog Haha, there really is no going wrong with either path, I think. I did mean Resident Evil 4 as one of the highest acclaimed classics, but the Resident Evil 2 Remake is my favourite of the franchise (having not played the original). Just incredibly tightly paced to the point that I think no other game will be able to quite come near that level of perfection. Not to mention that every area is memorable, and the different protagonists each give their own fun flavour to the routes. As I understand it, the original had a lot more differences between Leon/Claire runs, so if I was already impressed with the remake... you should be in for a great ride!
Are there any spin-offs from the Ace Attorney games you still intend to play despite not being a part of your resolution? Off the top of my head, I'm only aware of the Professor Layton alternate universe cross-over on the 3DS, but I doubt that one will be available to you as I'm pretty sure you don't currently own (or ever did?) any Nintendo consoles. I've been intrigued by that one as a return to the Layton games for myself (which I also used to play with my dad) while introducing me to Ace Attorney, but we'll see if that ever comes to fruition. I do have a 3DS in the house which I gifted my roommate, but I believe it's fallen apart a bit recently and thus needs some repairs before I'd be able to consider it.
I'm hoping Galactic Racer won't end up disappointing you then! Am I right in thinking there was some Star Wars racing game I forget the name off that you loved previously? Is that why you're particularly excited for this one, or is there anything else that really catches your eye and makes you feel optimistic about it? I'll for sure let you know what my thoughts are on Zero Company if I get around to it this year. Let's hope we'll both get served with feasts in our respective choice of genres!
If for whatever reason Final Fantasy XV doesn't work out for you (much in the same way you ended up not enjoying VII), I will happily invite you onto my journey through the Star Ocean games. I'm sure your buddy might appreciate it as well... plus the shorter runtime might make it easier to fit into a holiday schedule. Just a very subtle hint!
@Tjuz Thank you! I have played the original Resi 2 once before, but only with Leon, so I'm keen to replay it properly so that I can soak up all the details and get every reference in the remake. Perhaps it won't be entirely necessary, but when I decide to like something I can get a bit obsessive, so...! Doing the same with Resi 4 doesn't appear to be as crucial, but I can always correct that oversight later.
No, I don't have a 3DS, so the Ace Attorney crossover with the Professor Layton series is something I couldn't play even if I wanted to. Mercifully for my backlog's sake, I have little interest in the Professor Layton games and have never played one for myself, so I'm comfortable skipping that piece of the franchise's puzzle, but it's cool that you're a fan of the series! Eep, what happened to your poor 3DS, is it broken-broken or just well-used? I do actually own a Nintendo console, but it's a simple DS Lite primarily used to play exclusive Sonic, Star Wars, and James Bond releases across both the DS itself and the GBA.
The "classic" Star Wars racing game is considered to be Episode I: Racer from the N64, but you're right, I think I previously posted about how I much prefer its PS2 sequel, Racer Revenge. Even without them, however, I'd be hyped because the Star Wars movies and TV shows include several superb racing sequences, and the idea of translating their speed, sounds, and visceral thrills to a modern game is more than enough of a draw. Call me shallow but sometimes, you just can't beat a bunch of loud noises!
Heh, thanks! Subtle hint registered and appropriately filed away for the moment when I'm a couple dozen hours into Final Fantasy XV and snap, "Nuts to this!" Funny you should mention that buddy of mine, as he was the one who got me to play Final Fantasy VII after years of badgering. It was one of his all-time favourite games, but after my reaction to it, he might not want me to play the Star Ocean series!
"If I let not knowing anything stop me from doing something, I'd never do everything!"
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Topic: Gaming Resolutions for the New Year of 2026
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