Well, well, well, if it isn’t that time of year again! No, not the time for big lofty goals and signing up for a gym membership I’ll never use; it’s gaming resolution time!
It’s hard to believe I’ve now been contributing to The Punished Backlog for more than a full calendar year, and oh what a year it has been. One of the first pieces I wrote for the site was my 2024 gaming resolutions, and it truly feels like just yesterday that I was planning out my 2024 with hope and a renewed optimism for what might be in store.
Shall we take a look at how I fared against those resolutions? I’m genuinely asking… should we? I’m not so sure it went well.
My 2024 Gaming Resolutions: A Report
Here are my resolutions from last year:
1. Be More Willing To Give Short Games a Try
All right, not bad! I pretty much only played shorter games this past year, mostly because I now have a child who commands a lot of my time and attention. From Limbo and Inside to Frog Detective: The Entire Mystery, I definitely was not in the middle of any epic adventures for hours on end. And it’s a good thing too, because there were some months I couldn’t play as many games, so if I had to return to something after a few weeks off, I never would have remembered how to play. Shorter games have a lot of appeal for that reason and ripping through several smaller titles gave me the chance to try different experiences while actually making progress and clearing some stuff out of my backlog. I give myself a check in this box!
2. Don’t Just Buy Stuff Because It’s on Sale
I can’t actually think of anything I purchased solely because it was on sale this year, so go me! I perused the eShop plenty, but only pulled the trigger when I was truly in need of something new to play. I even waited around for a few titles to go on sale! I guess that still sort of sounds like the same thing I was trying to avoid, but when you think about it, that’s actually the exact opposite of the problem I had before. How’s that for a spin zone?
3. Don’t Be Afraid To Quit on a Game
RIP to Princess Peach: Showtime! which was the sacrificial lamb when it comes to this resolution. I didn’t quit on too many games this past year, but I think that’s because I didn’t play many crappy games in 2024. I still don’t really know what to do with downloaded games that I don’t want to go back to (I want to remember I have them, but hate seeing them on the home screen as reminders of my dislike), but I bought and sold a physical copy of Showtime! which meant I could firmly shut the door and not look back.
4. Play Some Old Stuff
I guess I played older stuff? For example, I wrote a backlog review of Frog Detective, which came out a few years ago. But mostly, I’m punting this to 2025! Stay tuned for this year’s resolution report to see if I follow through on this one!
5. Try a Few Kick-Ass Metroidvanias
So close, but yet so far. I picked up Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown, Metroid Prime Remastered, and Dead Cells, but haven’t gotten to any of them. The Messenger didn’t click with me, but I’m also not sure it’s a true Metroidvania itself. The next game on my list is Nine Sols (pictured above), thanks to Donovan’s review, but only after I get through a few other titles first! Maybe 2025 is the year of Metroidvanias.
6. Buy an Official WaveBird
Shoutout to my father-in-law who had a WaveBird, a cool radio frequency-based wireless controller for the GameCube, in his basement all these years and let me borrow it. He’s probably not going to get it back, but unless he reads this, I doubt he’ll notice it’s gone so I’ve got plenty of time to play Mario Superstar Baseball from the comfort of my couch, which happens to be located just over 6.5 feet away from my TV. Convenience!
5 Gaming Resolutions for 2025
But enough about last year. I’ve still got plenty of games to get through and only so much time to do it. I want to set myself up for success with strong, achievable resolutions. I need direction in my life if I’m ever going to complete any of my gaming goals! Let’s try this again!
1. Maybe Don’t Make So Many Resolutions; You Have a Child!
I did okay last year, but I’ve got to keep the goals tight this time around. There’s just less time in the day when you’ve got a kid and though I hate to admit it, I can feel the mountains of content and culture starting to pass me by. I’m feeling like one of those people in the “becoming your parents” commercials, but for me the signs are not knowing anything that’s going on with the youths these days and being at least one console generation behind at all times. Who the hell is Chappell Roan anyways?!
Full disclosure: My wife and I went to a music festival in Boston last year where she was performing and I had no idea who she was but it was absolutely packed so we took that opportunity to get food. I’ve since become a fan and will likely always regret not watching her set. I’m already losing focus; let’s get back on track.
2. Don’t Let the Flame Die Out!
I’m probably going to have to accept I’ll just never get to some great games, but that’s all the more reason to make sure the ones I do find time for really count! In addition to not knowing anything about pop culture, my other dad trait is falling asleep on the couch at 9:30pm with a controller in my hand after playing about six minutes of a game I’ve been dying to try. I’ve got to work on pushing through the pain this year. I can’t let the flame of my hobbies die out—or it’ll be too late!
3. Get Back to Some Old Stuff (Seriously!)
Sadly this didn’t really happen last year so we’re rolling it right over into 2025. Dusting off the PS3 to play Red Dead Redemption instead of buying a PS5 to play Baldur’s Gate 3 might be another signal I’m past my prime, but the fact is I’ve got a bunch of stuff on the shelf I’ve never touched. It’s always fun to look forward to the next big thing (like Sam mentioned in his Switch 2 article), but I’ll admit there’s plenty of great series that are always in the news that I’ve never even dabbled in, like Grand Theft Auto, Metal Gear Solid, The Last of Us, Assassin’s Creed and so many more. But speaking of games I haven’t gotten around to yet…
4. Play Elden Ring
Elden Ring is very high on the list of titles I’ve yet to try and is deserving of a spot here all on its own. I’m always telling people what they need to play, but this is the one game my friends have been throwing right back in my face with the classic “YOU HAVEN’T PLAYED ELDEN RING?!?!?” I know I’d love it, but it seems like such a commitment. Mostly because I know I’m going to suck super hard and it sounds like I’m going to be doing a lot of grinding before I get anywhere. I’m ready to make that happen this year; I just need to beat a few games from the backlog first (where have you heard that before?). I haven’t had a chance to dig into a massive 100-hour game like that in a while but when a big RPG hits, there’s nothing like it. That’s how I plan to spend my 2025 and by that I mean yes, probably the whole year.
5. Hang Out with My Pal Mario Again!
For this resolution I’m going to need a little assistance from the kind people at Nintendo, but if the rumors are true, then we might be getting a new 3D Mario game for the Switch 2 by the time the holidays roll around this year. I didn’t double-check this, but I’m pretty sure Super Mario Odyssey came out in the year 2000, which if my math is correct was over 100 years ago (it feels like forever ago, okay?!). As we’ve established, I’ve only got so much time in the day and so many days left in my life to enjoy bouncing around as everyone’s favorite mustachioed plumber. C’mon Nintendo, don’t let me down!
New Year, New Gaming Resolutions
There you have it: a nice and efficient five gaming resolutions for 2025 that I have no doubt I’ll accomplish by the time the calendar flips once again. In fact, just playing Elden Ring would pretty much count for items two through four on the list, so maybe I’ll cut to the chase and make that happen ASAP. That should last me a while, anyways; I guess I’ll see you in 2026!
wishing you luck dude — elden ring is gonna be tough hahaha. there’s no real pause button (there’s some convoluted workarounds) which feels particularly mean for parents/pet people/anyone with a doorbell/etc. loved this read!