Topic: Gaming Resolutions for the New Year 2024

@mookysam stepping out of the comfort zone is definitely the way to go 😄 Elden Ring was the first real game of that kind i'd played, like I've played games with boss fights etc, and in the past they have frustrated me at times, but Elden Ring taught me to not care about failing in games as you never truly lose anything that you cant get back, and you gain experience and have fun on the way. The exploration and lack of long run backs really helps, and you can just go off in any direction you want if you do come to a temporary dead end in one section.

I think the comfort zone locks us out of great games because one or two game types is only going to have a fraction of the great games available. I'd never have played Elden Ring (urgh, hard) or Baldur's Gate 3 (urgh, turn based) in the past, but they are two of my all time favourite game experiences since trying more variations of the fantasy genre. And it was only The Witcher 3 that really got me into the fantasy genre in games, and at the time that was a big leap out of my comfort zone too 😁

Digital ain't so bad either, if you pair vouchers and PS Stars you might even get better value over time on new game releases (especially if you don't usually sell games once you are done anyway) and then just wait for sales for stuff you're happy waiting for while backlog clearing. AC games got me well into digital, as everything from UBI ends up at about £8 at some point 😁 and I've definitely paid much less on new games than I would have for the physical editions day one.

My New Years gaming resolution is to not buy ANY games in 2024!

I have more than enough in my backlog across my PS5 PS Plus Essential monthly games plus some I have bought on my Series X.

I had the new FF7 part 2 pre-ordered but got that refunded the other day as I really hate the battle system in the first part so I literally have nothing new for this year at all now.

I decided on this as I was constantly looking at games across both platforms for sales, performance and benefits/drawbacks of each and ended up buying the same games on PS5 and Xbox a few times!

Lately though I find that games just dont entertain and keep me interested as much anymore but I must admit I feel a huge weight off my shoulders not worrying about looking for or finding games to buy.

@Walrus_Slapper any time gaming isn't feeling as appealing, or there is nothing you are interested in right now, that is definitely the best chance to go back and find great games you have missed out on. Great games are usually always great, no matter when they released, so you might find yourself falling in love with something from the back catalogue or from a sale if you knowingly missed some classics (even ones that you might not think fit in with games you enjoy)

Are there any great games, universal acclaim, or cult hits that you have missed that might be worth a try?

I know for me, when I've been in game slumps I've gone back to find things I'd never usually have played because of one factor, but know I'm interested in in other ways. Kingdom Come: Deliverence, was on example. I didn't know what to play, I love historical fiction, but really couldn't see myself playing and First Person games, but I went for it, and loved it right away for its absolutely new take to RPG and games, in where it spits in the face of game and action tropes and sticks closer to a more real life way of playing in terms of its systems and ways of tackling quests.

But there's been loads of games I've gone back to that have rekindled my interest in gaming as a whole, the Uncharted series (where i played 4 on release because of how good it looked) but it was much later I went back to play the others when I had nothing else that interested me.

There is so much good stuff out there already so hopefully you find that spark 😄

@Ravix Yeah, with Soulslikes it was mostly that I'd been put off by the difficulty. I watched a friend play Nioh some years ago and it almost swore me off the genre for good! 😂 The thing that changed my mind was watching them play the Demon's Souls remake, which I thought looked amazing. I haven't played that, but Elden Ring looks like it has a lot of elements I'll enjoy, as well as there always being something else to do. I'm probably better at games than I give myself credit for. I enjoy Metroidvanias, which usually have a degree of challenge built into the combat and have also completed and enjoyed hack 'n slash and "stylish action" games. I agree that apprehension of stepping out of our comfort zones can lock us out of great experiences. I've explored more genres over the past few years and it's always a pleasant surprise when I turn out to really like something, or if it even becomes a firm favourite.

Digital is fine if it's cheaper. The exercise is more about encouraging me to appreciate and explore my backlog and buy fewer games. I guess I still have a tiny little bit of that geriatric millennial mindset when it comes to having something tangible on the shelf, but that's evaporated more and more over the years to the point I don't really care. Discs are glorified unlocks and manuals went away a long time ago.

My first resolution is being ever so slightly challenged at the moment with the arrival of Persona 3 Reload. It's still my favourite of the “new”Persona games, but given I won’t finish it in time for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will wait!