Big plans for the new year
The New Year is a fresh start. It's a chance to look ahead and see the potential of the next 12 months. Just think of how many achievements you could unlock in 12 months. Here at the offices of 12DOVE we have our own plans for 2015. Each and every one of us has made a resolution to better ourselves in the one area that matters most: video games.
What follows is a collection of our personal goals for the new year. Some of us need to spend a lot more time with a particular game, while others need to spend a lot less. Will we achieve these goals? I'd like to think so, especially Henry's because it's pretty easy. Join us as we share our resolutions with you - and consider leaving a gaming resolution of your own.
Sophia Tong will give games the time they deserve
My new year's resolution this year is to make sure I don't buy any games and leave them in shrink wrap. I have a tendency to buy remakes, collector's editions, and other random games that could take upwards of 60 hours to complete - so I don't even bother opening them. It's sad to think of all those games that will go untouched. Not to mention it's a waste of money. I want to make sure every game I purchase gets the play time it deserves. Also, sorry Final Fantasy X on Vita, you may stay in shrink wrap forever
Jann Jones will overcome her simulation sickness
My 2015 resolution is to overcome my simulation sickness. For those of you who dont know, most modern games make me sick. Not vomitty sick, but it's not pleasant at all. And as much as I love the worlds of Pokemon, Cooking Mama, and Professor Layton, I long to expand my gaming horizons without making myself ill. I have tried just about everything so any reader tips would be greatly appreciated. Seriously guys, all I want to do is play BioShock.
Andy Hartup will put down Destiny. Seriously. Maybe.
My gaming resolution for 2015 is... to stop playing Destiny. Seriously, I'm going to take a month or two off. No more delicious Raids or Crucible matches for me. I'm going to live on a more healthy gaming diet of Dragon Age, Evil Within, and maybe a cheeky bit of Evolve when that comes out. I'm not going to think about all that delicious loot, waiting for me in space. No sir. Hell, I might even go for a walk or something.
Connor Sheridan will finish Persona 4 Golden
Resolution: in 2015, I will finish Persona 4 Golden. I've had it for a year, and it's the perfect game to play while traveling, but the numbers don't look good: if it'll take 80 more hours to finish the game and I get roughly 2 and a half hours of play in on every flight, the credits will roll after about 32 flights. Doesn't sound too dismal, but if I board an average of four to eight flights per year, I'll need eight to four years to finish the game. And by then Persona 5 Golden will be out.
Henry Gilbert will enjoy his Japanese 3DS to the fullest
Enjoying a 3DS comes with the knowledge that virtually every Western game maker has abandoned the handheld. Im perfectly content playing Japanese games, even though most come to the West weeks, months, or even years after Japan gets them. I used to have to wait on the sidelines for a game to (hopefully) get localized, but now I own a Japanese 3DS. Even though I cant comprehend every word, I can hop online and 'import' virtually any game on the eShop. Titles like Puyo Puyo X Tetris and Theatrhythm: Dragon Quest may never come to the US, but thats not my problem any longer. Of course, I may need to make another resolution to match this one: resume studying Japanese.
Lorenzo Veloria will marathon Wind Waker HD and KotOR
There are a ton of games that I'm super hyped for in 2015. But I'm so ready to play the new Zelda and DICE's Battlefront that I might just explode. Zelda Wii U is most likely a holiday release, and Battlefront is set to hit around the release of The Force Awakens in theaters *shivers*. So, in preparation for the next entries in two of my favorite franchises, I want to go back and remind myself why I love them so much. My goal is to get through Wind Waker HD (because I haven't fully experienced its high-def greatness yet), marathon the Star Wars movies, and play KotOR again before the new games come out. There's plenty of time. I can do it.
Lucas Sullivan will pull the brakes on the Steam train
I'd like to think I'm a thrifty spender - but when Steam and PSN sales roll around, something in me just snaps. If it's $5 or less, I'll toss it in my virtual cart with a nonchalant 'Why the heck not?' I'll tell you why not, future me: because you will never, ever derive any use from that purchase. Ankh 3: Battle of the Gods? Bloody Good Time? Capsized? I could probably do an entire alphabet of games I own, wish to someday play, and will likely never touch without a hyperbolic time chamber (for all you DBZ fans out there). The entertainment I might derive from watching a lit match reduce a five-dollar bill to ashes would be a better value.
Ashley Reed will clean out her gaming backlog
I'm not typically one for making New Year's resolutions, but if I had to choose, I'd resolve to clear out my game backlog. I have dozens of games right there on my shelf or hard drive that I've just never got around to starting up. Or worse, games that I started and put down that sit unfinished to this day. In 2015, I want to get the list cleared, so I can say with confidence "Yes, I played that extremely important game I meant to get around to, and I finally beat that RPG I started when I was 16 years old!" Though an inevitable second playthrough of Dragon Age might set me back a bit
Maxwell McGee will try a genre he's never played
Writing about games for a living requires a broad knowledge of all the major genres and releases. And while I'm on the up and up with fighting, turn-based strategy, and role-playing games, there are still a few blind spots in my gaming repertoire. Sports games are a big omission; I can count the number of hours I've put into Madden on a single hand. Therefore, I vow in 2015 to expand my horizons and really get to know some of these other genres, starting with sports games. I mean, if I can wrap my head around Tekken and Guilty Gear, how hard could it be?
There is no time to be lost
So there you have it: our most personal (video game) resolutions for the new year. So what about you? Have you made any big plans for 2015? If so, let us know in the comments below, and let's all check back here in 12 to see if we actually pulled it off.
