Gaming New Years Resolutions 2014

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With 2013 finally in the bag and 2014 upon us, I’m a little late to the table with some New Year’s resolutions. Regardless, I always enjoy coming up with some resolutions that help broaden my horizons, especially when it comes gaming. So just like last year, here are a few gaming resolutions I wish to live out this year.

Backlog Trophy Hunting

If you look over my reviews and articles, it’s pretty easy to tell that I am primarily a PlayStation person. I enjoy Sony’s platforms, especially its handheld, and I personally believe that the Trophy system on PlayStation is just better than Achievements on Xbox. It’s less of a numbers game with tallying and calculating points and more about getting as many trophies as you can to watch your percentage trickle up to the next level, and I love that.  

That being said, there are plenty of games that I have left in the dust just shy of obtaining the fabled Platinum trophy (for those who don’t know, the Platinum trophy is only obtained by getting all the trophies in the game). So one of my major goals this year is to go back and play some of these games. This is partly about boosting my Trophy level, but it’s more about going back and enjoying these games I spent so much time with in the past only to leave them behind and move on to the next game.
Last year there were so many great games that came out (and even more added to PS Plus) that I did nothing but consume. With PS4 here, I’d like to go back and revisit how far I’ve come as a gamer and try to explore everything in these games. My big three are Assassin’s Creed III: Liberation, Persona 4: Golden and Heavy Rain.

UPDATE: SO I have officialy Platinumed Persona 4: The Golden and Assassin's Creed III: Liberation. Making my way!
 

Revisiting History

Speaking of trophies, many of you may remember that Sony did not release the trophy system for PS3 until it saw just how successful Achievements were on Xbox 360. Because of this, there are many games that were released originally that never had trophies at all. I love my trophy level, and am kind of a whore about increasing my level, but I’d like to explore some of the original games that released on the system without trophies. I didn’t own a PS3 until a little over 2 years after launch, so I missed a large portion of the larger launch titles that released, and now that I’m cycling through my backlog it seems like the perfect time to explore these gems. The big games I’m considering are Heavenly Sword and the original Resistance game, but feel free to leave some more suggestions in the comments below.

Branching Out

Last year was a great year for me as a gamer. As I get older, I tend to grow further away from my comfort zone, and with excellent games like The Walking Dead on Vita and Little Big Planet Karting on PS Plus, I was able to dabble into the Adventure and Cart Racing genres I avoided like the plague when I was younger (I know, I know. Mario Kart is awesome. I still never enjoyed playing it when I was younger. A pox on me!).

This year, I’d like to continue the tradition by moving on to another genre I have never had any interest in: Sports games. Being raised in a sports bar as a child, I have always been surrounded by sports yet never really had any desire to get involved or watch them. So this year I’d like to try out a game or two. Though diving head first into Madden or MLB: The Show may be the best way to do so, I think I’d rather look into some less hardcore sports games first, ending in one of the major franchises by the end of the year. So to start, I think I’ll look at Hot Shots Golf on Vita. Stay tuned this year for my review.

Confusing Controls

I’ve never enjoyed playing PC because I don’t enjoy using a keyboard and mouse to control games. Even when I’m prototyping game ideas in Unity, the first thing I do is set the controls to a game pad and plug in my 360 controller. So to pull myself out of my comfort zone, I’d like to play a few more PC and Mobile games with interesting control schemes.

The problem with this particular resolution is that I am not sure where to start. There were some great games that came out last year for PC and Mobile, including the Stanley Parable, Papers, Please and Device 6, but I’m not sure just how different the control schemes for these games are, and I don’t want to cop out on this by playing something familiar on PC or Mobile just to achieve it. So please, list some ideas that I can look into, because I am open to just about anything for this.

Making Friends

So I’m a pretty social guy, but really only in person. My Facebook is full of only people I know and I use Twitter as a newsfeed more than a social aspect, and my gaming persona reflects this same style. I have 6 friends on my PSN account, all of whom are close friends or family, and I have been playing PS3 and PS Vita since 2008. I don’t play a lot of online games and I don’t add friends indiscriminately when I do. So with all these real cool features revolving around social aspects being introduced to PS4 and Xbox One, it’s time to branch out.

When I get my PS4 in March (just in time for inFamous: Second Sons!!!) I plan on embracing the social features with arms wide open. Look for some of my streams of all games I play and let’s play videos of the games I really like. Hell, maybe I’ll even  integrate my PS4 with my Facebook page. This could mean nothing at all changes, or maybe I’ll make some new friends. Who knows, but if you’re interested to join me ( my PSN account is Zepherj) and check back in March when I log onto my PS4 for the first time.

So that sums up my gaming year resolutions. If you want to play along, just keep commenting to update me on how it’s going for you. I will continue to update this article with my own progress. If you have any more suggestions, please feel free to put them below in the comments and keep the conversation going…