That’s right, I’m doing this hokey nonsense again!
The reality of starting each new year is that January 1st is no fundamentally different than December 31st, and only feels that way because we’ve arbitrarily determined over the past two millennia that these holidays and milestones are inherently meaningful. Sure, you might think this is your chance to start fresh and leave the stress and pain of 2019 behind, but in truth anything ailing you now will likely still be ailing you next week.
That said, as strange as it is that we believe in the power of the “New Year, New Me” construct, I do honestly think January presents opportunities for improving one’s life, or at least setting the stage for positive changes. Maybe this’ll be the year you’ll try to eat vegan, spend less money on Amazon, or opt against watching all of The Office for the ninth time. Maybe you’ll succeed, maybe you won’t, but either way you can determine a year from now what worked for you and go from there. Anything you can learn from attempting to better yourself is valuable.
Once again, I’d like to establish some resolutions as a person who plays and writes about video games. I don’t just want to maximize my enjoyment of the medium; I’d like to expand my understanding of it and learn more about why these damn things compel me the way that they do.
Before I get started, let’s take a look at how last year’s resolutions panned out:
BIG ONE: Finally play Chrono Trigger (and try again to like JRPGs)
This was a resounding success on both fronts, as I not only played Chrono Trigger to completion, but I loved it! I adored so much about the game’s story, world, and characters that it convinced me to give games like EarthBound and Secret of Mana a real shot. While I’m still hesitant to dive in to more JRPGs (especially from 25 years ago), I now have a better understanding of why people hold certain titles in the genre in such high regard.
Try to avoid buying Switch ports of games I’ve already played
Another success, though in many ways I just didn’t see any reason to buy New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe or Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker again. Also, a big part of this is that the Switch, while still somewhat of a port machine, was supported nicely by Nintendo and indie developers in 2019, so there was always something new and exciting to try.
Spend less time replaying old Nintendo games
The word “less” probably means a lot here, as I didn’t challenge myself to spend no time playing old Nintendo games. Obviously, with Switch Online finally adding a few Super Nintendo titles to its repertoire, I played my fair share of old favorites, like F-Zero and Super Mario World, in 2019. But even well before any of those games (or the Mario Maker equivalent) were available on the Switch, I still found myself going back to Donkey Kong Country 2, Super Mario 3D World, Yoshi’s Island, and other classics throughout the year. All in all, fail.
Don’t download any free games unless I actually intend to play them
Another failure, as my Twitch Prime, Game Pass, Epic Store, and Steam libraries all contain multiple games I haven’t so much as installed. Maybe I’ll get around to them this year, though I know this won’t happen, even though I’m in full control of whether it does.
Refrain from only playing 2019 games so I can make a neat Top 10 list at the end of the year
This was definitely a success, even though I played a ton of 2019 games anyway, thanks to free games like Apex Legends and Tetris 99 as well as several games launching on Xbox Game Pass or arriving there not long after release (e.g., Gears 5, The Outer Worlds, Untitled Goose Game). I never went out of my way to buy something just for the sake of making a list, though I never would have had to anyway.
Bonus: Remember that it’s fine not to finish every game
I would say I succeeded with this one, though many would say it was a failure that I walked away from Outer Wilds and Wargroove after just a few hours each.
My main takeaway from all these results is that most of my goals are feasible as long as they don’t involve nostalgia or free stuff. With that in mind, here are my gaming resolutions for 2020:
BIG ONE: Play Final Fantasy XII (and see if that Final Fantasy magic is real)
This is mostly to assuage the editor of this very site’s concerns that people don’t give this game enough credit. Though now that the game is headed to Xbox Game Pass at some point in 2020, I see no reason not to give it a real chance, the same way I did with Chrono Trigger last year. Despite my newfound respect for JRPGs (even with my limited experience with them), I still have yet to play a game in the Final Fantasy franchise that really clicked with me. Perhaps Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, which notably does not feature turn-based combat or random encounters, is the best place for me to go if I seek to understand the love people have for Final Fantasy.
I know the idea of playing one game (even one as apparently long as FFXII) may not seem like a major undertaking for a whole year, but my backlog keeps piling up each and every week, and it’s harder than ever for me to find time to complete long RPGs, even ones I particularly like. That’s why, should I continue to make gaming resolutions each year, I’ll always make a single game the centerpiece for those resolutions, as it’s a clear goal I know I can achieve (as opposed to generally saying I’ll try to play more Final Fantasy titles).
I’m not 100% sure what to expect from the experience, even though I’ve read several reviews and watched several YouTube videos about Final Fantasy XII. For all I know, The Zodiac Age will also end up as an all-time classic in my book (once again)! It also might end up being a boring slog that’ll make me regret not spending that time playing Quake Champions or some shit. Either way, I’m excited to try it out once it hits Game Pass.
Try to actually play games with friends online (and not just say I will)
I’ve actually been a little better about this recently, as I’ve been playing an online version of the tabletop game Ascension with friends lately. Still, every year I invest in new online multiplayer experiences that I know others are playing as well, yet I put little effort into actually making myself available for online play. Part of the issue is that I don’t always like the games my friends are playing (such as Fortnite or Call of Duty), but in some cases I do like the game but not enough to play it online for several hours a week over the course of a month or two (as was the case with Apex Legends).
Another issue is timing. Due to my somewhat unusual work schedule, mornings from 9 to 11 are prime gameplay time for me during the week, and my weekends are fairly erratic when it comes to free time, so it’s a challenge in and of itself just to link up with friends simultaneously. Even with games this year that I loved and other friends did as well (i.e., Gears 5 and Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3) I could barely find windows of time that worked for everyone.
Still, I know I can do a better job of fitting in a few Halo: MCC matches here and there and setting time aside for the odd battle royale game everyone’s playing. I genuinely enjoy playing games with friends online (though I prefer local multiplayer 100%), and my actions should reflect that. Obviously, with Halo Infinite on the horizon, this shouldn’t be a problem, though who knows?
Seriously, I need to play some of this free shit
I just downloaded Ape Out, Enter the Gungeon, and Gato Roboto from Twitch Prime the other day simply because they were free. I actually do plan to give Ape Out a shot, as it was something I’d had my eye on for a while, and Gato Roboto seems like the kind of weird platformer I’d be into. But I’ve never enjoyed roguelikes or bullet-hell games, so why would I put any effort into Gungeon? Meanwhile, I still have tons of games across every library I haven’t played yet (including ones I think I’ll like), so what am I doing here?
This has to stop. I have to at least try a few minutes of these games before downloading the next crop. Maybe that’s the rule: I can’t download anything else until I’ve played the other ones. Yeah, that’ll solve this problem!
(checks library of roughly 20 unplayed games)
This will be another failure for next year’s list, won’t it?
Give certain games a second chance
This one will be especially difficult for me, since I typically avoid returning to games I didn’t like all that much even if everyone tells me the game “gets better” if I keep going. Playing anything that feels like work or is bogged down with too much to do often seems like a waste of my time, and I’m usually better served just moving on if something doesn’t click with me.
That said, I have to acknowledge how often I drop something due to unique circumstances. I put down Metroid Prime just hours after I first started playing it, but perhaps I was just too young to appreciate that kind of world design. Despite loving Fallout 3, I never made it very far in Fallout: New Vegas, though that might be due to my living situation at the time (I was a college senior sharing one television with three roommates, none of whom seemed to care about watching another person play Fallout).
There are dozens of other examples like these. And while I certainly had real issues with those games when I first played them, I might appreciate other aspects of them now, and the same barriers that hindered my enjoyment of them before may no longer exist.
I’m not sure how committed I am to this. New Vegas is on Game Pass, but I’m not interested in making it a priority. Metroid Prime could very well come to Switch at some point this year (as is frequently rumored) but I’m not sure I’d want to buy it right away. Either way, I believe my tastes are constantly evolving, and if that’s true, things I disliked in the past might appear brighter in the present. I’d like to see if that’s the case.
BONUS: Do more Punished Notes and Punished Chat pieces
It might be tough to set a concrete number for this goal, but in general I enjoyed doing Punished Chat and Punished Notes in 2019, and yet I feel I didn’t do nearly enough of either. Obviously, life gets in the way, and I can’t promise to write a word more than I am able. But I hope I can continue pumping out content for this site that accurately reflects my thoughts and maybe even incites others to think about the games they play in a new light. I’ll try to make the time.
Do you have any resolutions for this year, gaming or otherwise? Let us know in the comments, or just, you know, try and make good on those resolutions. Either way, it’s never too late to start bettering oneself, and you should always be proud of yourself for trying.
