It is a new year and blah blah blah. Shall we get to the New Year resolutions that actually matter, like those that deal with everything that is video games?
Here at The Game Fanatics, we’ve come up with a nice little guide to help you accomplish your gamer resolutions for 2013. With luck, these can be tackled before 2014, you hope.
1. Attack Your Pile Of Shame – Don’t buy a new release until you beat two games you haven’t yet. We all have a backlog, some more than others. Might as well take two games that you’ve been meaning to beat, and go through them now before the next big game release. You do have some time, after all.
2. Play That Classic Franchise – Whether it be Zelda, Half-Life or Final Fantasy, for some reason, you’ve missed out on some of the best of the best. It’s time to change that. Check out the Wii’s Virtual Console or PSN to get convenient, affordable access to the games no one should miss.
3. Get a Platinum Trophy or Unlock all Achievements in at least 20 Games – We don’t mean go out and rent TMNT or Avatar because, most likely, you already have those achievements. However, may I add that TMNT was a fun game to play despite how easy the achievements are.
4. Actually Play all those Games you Bought on Steam – Steam sales are fantastic. It is a great way to buy games that you’ve missed out on, be them indie, a blockbuster that you missed or a retro game that you want to play again, Steam always finds a way to open up our wallets. During the gaming off season, you have ample time to take care of some of those games and a great way to attack your pile of shame as well.
5. Play a Genre of Games You’ve Never Tried – Never tried an indie or an MMO, maybe you should, you could be missing out on a gem of a game. Don’t let familiarity with a genre keep you glued to it, branch out.
6. Play An Indie Game Enough To Recommend it to Friends – Don’t just try a new genre, get into it. If the first game you try is awful, try another. One game does not make a genre. Once said game has been discovered, share it with friends and family. Who knows, maybe you can make it into a game night.
7. Master a Game You Suck At – There is and always be that game that frustrates you to no end. Instead of putting that game to rest, try to master it instead. One of the good things about being a gamer, is to truly challenge yourself and to say, “hey look, this game used to kick my ass but now it is my turn”.
8. Buy a Game For Someone Else – Especially if it is a game that you love and they have never tried. Introduce them to a series that they haven’t played it or a game that they’ve been meaning to buy, but haven’t yet. Give the gift of gaming, all year long!
9. Complete a Season of a Franchise Mode in a Sports Title without Simulating Games – We all know how tempting it is to simulate a game when playing on franchise mode, but maybe, just this once, you play all the games in a season.
10. Have a Game Night – Get your family and friends together and play games together. This can be done locally, over the internet or both. Create a game night with games that everyone can enjoy or curse at, together.
