We’re nearly two months done with the year 2018 and it has me thinking about video games lately. Many video games sites and blogs often discuss which upcoming games in the new year they’re most excited to see and play across all platforms. It’s a mixed bag of genres, style, and gameplay that will appeal to just about any personal gaming tastes. Or at the very least put it on a gamer’s watch list if they’re on the fence deciding to purchase it on Day 1. When taking stock of the titles coming for the current year we’re in, I always find myself counting less games on my hand of what I’ll immediately purchase.
I don’t typically compile a list of games I want to buy and play every time a new year is ushered in because there hardly is a game I want badly enough. While other gamers and bloggers tend to have at least five games they’re excited about, I realize I probably have maybe one or two I’m really anticipating. Another reason why my list of games is usually so thin compared to everyone else is because I’m limited to the devices and platforms I own. I can only watch for the games coming out on Xbox One or the 3DS, and I have to ignore the ones exclusive to Playstation 4 or the Nintendo Switch.
Most people may think the easiest way to ensure I don’t have a case of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) when it comes to video games is to simply buy the other two consoles I’m missing and then have my pick of any game I want whenever I want. But it’s not so simple. The main issue is the amount of space I have in my apartment. When I decided to buy an Xbox One a few years ago, I barely had the room to make that fit in whatever available space I currently had. If I added a Playstation 4 or Nintendo Switch, without trading in my Wii or even getting rid of my Xbox 360, it’d add to the headache of creating space for these shiny new devices. The other reason I won’t be investing in any new console for the foreseeable future is not wanting to add any more games to a fairly sizable backlog I have.
I know it’s normal for gamers to have a backlog, which they may or may not ever finish. It comes with the territory of being a gamer as I’ve learned over the years. But that doesn’t mean I want to keep feeding this strange and accepted irrationality. Why am I going to keep buying games and consoles I know I’ll only have maybe one or two hours a week to play if I’m super lucky? While I’ll be longing to play the highly anticipated remake to Final Fantasy VII or may never get the chance to play slightly older and critically acclaimed titles, like Persona 5 or Breath of the Wild, the desire still isn’t so great for me to finally give in and get the other two consoles I’m missing from my entertainment library. I’m currently content with the games I can play with the systems I do own. And if I’m ever successful at completing my backlog one day, there are a number of older video games I would love to revisit and replay, such as Dragon Age or The World Ends With You.
For all my refusals to buy new systems and the video games that go with them, which video game(s) am I at least keeping an eye on for 2018? After scanning through GamesRadar+’s list of new games to expect in 2018, I’ve narrowed it down to two—Vampyr and Cyberpunk 2077.
Little may have been said or shown in CD Projekt Red’s still in development Cyberpunk 2077 since its 2013 teaser trailer, but it’s another game that has the potential to be an incredible gaming experience. With the game’s Blade Runner sci-fi feel and a quick glimpse at what seems to be the game’s male protagonist, it has piqued my interest in the kind of story this could be and the type of gameplay you’ll be immersing yourself in. While carefully crafted graphics isn’t enough to make a game great if the story and gamplay isn’t in sync with everything else, there is a feeling of confidence in the studio that created the highly successful and beloved Witcher series. Whenever more information is released about Cyberpunk 2077, you’ll bet I’ll be monitoring those details closely.
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There’s not much I’m all that excited for (yet) this year either. CyberPunk 2077 would be great if indeed it comes out this year. Otherwise, I think the only ones I’d really like to play are 2 3DS games: Alliance Alive and Radiant Historia Perfect Chronology and 1 console game called Code: Vein.
I suppose not every year will have a ton of games people will want to play. For me personally, I’m lucky if I can find at least one I’m really excited about. 2018 just doesn’t seem to be the year for me.
I’m in a bit of a similar boat as you in regards to limited consoles for gaming. My husband and I are behind a generation with our XBOX 360, PS3, and Wii U. We still have a backlog of games! One workaround we’ve found to playing games we don’t have the main console for is to purchase the steam version, which we did for both Tales of Zestiria and Berseria. Then we just play them via Steam Link on the tv together.
Yeah, Steam is definitely a popular alternative to console gaming in general these days. A cousin and a friend of mine have tried to convince me to get on Steam but then comes the same issue of having more to play in the backlog. Not to mention possibly getting a better computer that works well for gaming. It’s tempting to want to get on Steam and take advantage of their insane deals on games every season but I’m still good on not going that route either.
The only game I’ve got my eye on this year is Red Dead Redemption 2, and even then, I’m on the fence about it being a “must buy” on release day. Given its timing in October, I know there’d be no way I’d get to the game in earnest until some sort of Christmas break. if that. And lately I’ve been having a lot more fun playing slightly older games on my own time, once all the hype has died down. And like you, I’m not really too keen on adding to my backlog, so I really might just wait on getting the game until I actually have time to play it. But well see.
As we get older, I think gaming becomes less about getting swept up in hype and more about playing games that matter to us individually, whether we chose to play brand new games or revisit old favorites. Not that it’s not fun to follow the news of potential game-changers (Cyberpunk 2077, Death Stranding), it just that we can afford to waste time on games that aren’t of interest. Time is precious!
It’s funny how when you’re much younger we spend much of our time actually wasting it, and then when you get older, you’re doing everything you can to use it wisely. Crazy, right? It’s easy to say we want to play ALL the games when really what we need is to just focus on the few we really truly care about. There are games that I’m mildly interested in, but I think my time is better invested in the ones I’m really excited about and I know I’ll play as soon as I get it. BioWare games have been that for me so far.
Even as games start to age and everyone is moving onto the next hot thing to come along, there’s much to value with older games too. This is why if I never really buy any more games, I think I would be content with the ones I do have. When you’ve got games with enough replay value, like Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Fire Emblem Awakening, and the like, you much rather find time to revisit those games again. But even that’s a challenge alone too to carve out time! Forget about those new games, am I right?
Great picks, I’m excited for both of these games too! There are quite a few I am looking forward to playing, though. I always start the year with a list of anticipated games that’s waaaay too long, because I’m afraid of missing out… and then I don’t finish everything or get to everything. So I’m trying to scale back and focus on just a few games that I can really dig into. I think you have the right idea just looking forward to a couple of games!
Thanks! I always like reading your list or others who talk about which games they can’t wait to play in the new year. I also find them really informative too. 🙂 I just realized I never really could compile a big list because there really isn’t much to list. I guess I’ve also gotten super picky about what I would play as time went on. I know time (and money) is precious these days and you want to make it worthwhile. That’s why I’m almost always okay if I won’t get to play the big game everyone is talking about. I rather concentrate all my energy on what I know I can play and will get the most money out of. I’m also really determined to not have too many unplayed games in my lifetime!