“Another new year means new gaming resolutions!”
-Brendino
A Rough Start to a new year
I can distinctly remember telling a student in January 2020 not to worry, that the COVID-19 illness rapidly spreading through China would safely stay there. Or if it did indeed reach the United States, it wouldn’t be as bad as the news was making it out to be. Yeah, so I should never make prognostications like that again. Ever. But what I am able to do quite well, like a lot of people around the globe, is set New Year’s resolutions for myself.
And, like the flurry of people currently braving COVID to exercise in gyms, I will more than likely end up breaking most of them. But what matters the most is that I made resolutions in the first place, no?
Resolution #1: Don’t Be Afraid To Play New Video Games
This first resolution might seem odd to some of you. But as my partner will attest, I have a tendency to get stuck in a cycle of replaying my favorite video games. Like, instead of new video games. Games such as Skyrim, Ni No Kuni and its sequel, any Dragon Quest entry, and Animal Crossing New Horizons get a lot of playtime from me. Maybe it’s because they’re comfortable, sort of like indulging in comfort food. Or perhaps I’ve just grown lazy and don’t want to spend the time learning the mechanics of a new game. Whatever the reason, here are some new titles I look forward to indulging in this year.
Okami HD: I think I have this title for almost every system it’s been released on, and I still haven’t given it a try yet. Not quite sure what has stopped me in the past, considering all the reviews I have read about it are not only positive but critically acclaimed.
Minecraft: Ah, to be in 2022 and be able to say that I am one of the only ones on this planet to have not played Minecraft before. OK, that’s a slight exaggeration. I tried it on the Xbox 360 years ago but felt overwhelmed in the tutorial area that I did not continue my playthrough. Also, maybe it’s just me, but the graphics just aren’t as appealing to me as those found in the Dragon Quest Builders series.
Immortals Fenyx Rising: Albeit a contender for worst game title, I really quite dig the cartoony visuals of this title and can’t wait to play through this game. Once I finish the massive behemoth that is Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla I should have the stamina and attention span to enjoy this game.
Mass Effect Legendary Edition: So I technically did play this for maybe 1.5 hours back in 2021 when it was released. While I positively adore Dragon Age: Inquisition, it is harder for me to get into a first-person shooter set in a sci-fi universe. I’m willing to give it a go though, because I don’t want to forgo the incredible story and world-building this title is known for just because I shy away from alien races, faraway planets, and blowing things away with a gun.
Tales of Arise: I have played several Tales of entries, but Tales of Symphonia is by far the one I have played through the most (2 or 3 times if I remember correctly). Tales of Zestiria was pretty to look at, but I never quite got the hang of mastering the combat system. Tales of Xilia was an all-around joy to play on the PlayStation 3 though I never did get around to playing its sequel. All this to say, I am ready to experience the latest installment in the Tales of series!
Resolution #2: Actually Finish Games You Start
This has been true for my entire history with video games: I will become obsessed with games, playing them day after day, week after week, month after month. But then I inevitably reach the point, no matter how great the title is that I’m playing, when I stop playing and move on to a different game.
This wouldn’t be so bad if I felt that I could successfully return to these titles without the need to start over again. Especially with my favorite gaming fare, the RPG, most of these titles are just so incredibly massive with so many side quests, items, and mechanics to remember that I rarely find myself going back to old save files and just continuing on. The example that comes to mind with this particular issue is Skyrim, a game I have played through multiple times on multiple systems (Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5). As anyone who has played Skyrim will attest, the world is just so massive and packed to the brim with content that only the most die-hard of fans will actually see a saved game completed to 100%. With the hundreds of hours I’ve already invested across multiple save files, my hope is that this time I will actually beat the game. Maybe not to 100% with every single quest completed, but at least finishing the main quest and seeing the ending of the game would be nice.
With that said, here are some titles I have been playing through a lot recently that I would like to see through to the end.
