No New Games in 2016
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Hey Allies,
I did something crazy this year. I opened 2016 with a New Year’s Resolution to not buy any new games for myself this year. I have to say I started this year with a lot of trepidation. I really didn’t think I could make it. The first real trial was the PC release of Rise of the Tomb Raider. Oh I wanted that game, but I couldn’t bring myself to actually break my resolution on day 23. Thankfully, I figured out a sneaky way around it. My resolution allowed me to get free games, receive gifts, and to use gift cards. So I bought myself the graphics card I’d been saving for when it came with ROTR for free! And that purchase began a 12 month parade of finding deals, receiving gifted bundles, and using gift cards.So why would I do this? Why would I decide to not buy myself new games? Well, there were several reasons. First and foremost was because I’d found that I spent more time shopping for games than actually playing them. I wanted to force myself into a period of intentional self-denial to teach myself contentment particularly in the area of video games. Secondly, I wanted to save my spending cash for buying some larger things that I really wanted, like a new GPU and monitor. Third, I wanted to make a serious effort at replaying some of my old favorites that I really enjoyed over the last several years, but just never had time to replay. Finally, I wanted to see if I could still get games that I wanted without having to spend all my extra cash.
While I managed to accomplish these various goals to varying success, the biggest thing that stuck out to me was this: good games will stay good. I reasoned at the beginning of the year that any game that was really worth my money would still be good at the end of 2016, and this has held very true. I also figured I’d dodge some nasty lemons with this policy, and thankfully, I’ve been saved from a few epic mistakes. Now, as I wait for 2017 to drop in my timezone, my wallet is ready and my steam wishlist is full. I’m excited to get to downloading some new titles that I believe are fully worth my while.
So while I don’t particularly suggest everyone stop buying games for a year, I would strongly recommend that everyone keep in mind, if I game is really great, it will still be great in a month or two. Take it easy, and enjoy the games you have.
Love and Respect, Av8orGamerAs an aside, I did actually collect games through various free sources, gifts cards, and some very generous friends. Without spending my own hard earned cash, these are the games that I gained in 2016:
On Steam:
- Rise of the Tomb Raider
- Firewatch
- ADR1FT
- Lightning Returns: FFXIII
- Fallout 4 Season Pass
- Consortium
- Kentucky Route Zero
- Her Story
- Rusty Lake Hotel
- Condemed: Criminal Origins
- theHunter: Primal
- Viking: Battle for Asgard
- Back to the Future: Ep 1-5
- BioShock 2 Remastered
- Skyrim Special Edition
- Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition
- Faeria
- No Time To Explain Remastered
- Poker Night 2
- Puzzle Agent
- Puzzle Agent 2
- Sam and Max 301-305
- Sonic & All-Stars Racing
- Sonic Adventure 2
- Sonic Adventure DX
- Sonic and SEGA All Stars Racing
- Sonic CD
- Sonic Generations
- Sonic Lost World
- Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Ep I – II
- Sonic Spinball
- Sonic the Hedgehog 2
- Sonic the Hedgehog
- Sonic 3D Blast
- Gunstar Heros
- Streets of Rage 2
- Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine
- Sonic 3 and Knuckles
- Strong Bad Episode 1-5
- Memoria
- The Wolf Among us
- Dungelot: Shattered Lands
- Limbo
- Renegade Ops
- The Silent Age
- Skyborn
- Jurassic Park: The Game
- Poker Night at the Inventory
- Runestone Keeper
- Spelunky
- Dirt Rally 3
- The Old City
- The Dark Eye – Chains of Satinav
- Massive Chalice
- Binary Domain
- Clandestine
- That Dragon, Cancer
On Uplay
- Beyond Good and Evil
- Rayman Origins
- The Crew
On Origin
- Nox
- Need for Speed: Most Wanted
- Dungeon Keeper
- Jade Empire
- Battlefield 4 China Rising, Naval Strike, Final Stand, and Dragon’s Teeth DLC
- Dragon Age Inquisition GOTY edition
- Medal of Honor Pacific Assault
On GOG
- Neverwinter Nights Diamond
- System Shock 2
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Considering how extensive that list is, I really wonder how much time you "saved" shopping for games in finding all the deals to get stuff for free. I would imagine entering payment information and clicking some purchase buttons, even if you spent time researching stuff before you bought it wouldn't take nearly as long as hunting down limited time freebies all year. Also, while that list is pretty massive, quite possibly larger than what many of us got this year, I really wonder how many of those games you wanted to play and enjoyed playing versus if you had selected the games for yourself that you were interested in this year. I'd personally be more interested in a list of games you actually played this year, not necessarily to credits, but put a significant amount of time into. Let's say over four hours since some games are short, but you can also count anything you got to credits to or feel is appropriate. The gift card thing also feels like cheating to an extent.
PS: I see that Sonic Humble Bundle on there too. Whew, what a deal that one was!
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This post is deleted!
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@Mbun Hey, you make a great point. This is a freaking huge list. And honestly, I didn't spend hours searching for free games. I had a group of Allies who were constantly on the lookout for free games and telling me about them. People gifted games to me. I received a couple full humble bundles. I found free games on the gaming giveaway on here that I wanted. UPlay was giving away games, GOG gave away games. Once I was paying attention, it was amazing how many free games one can get for PC without even trying too hard. I eventually got to the point where I just stopped taking new games unless I was really gonna play it. And I think you were trying to make that point, as I was. Just because you CAN get free games, or cheap games, doesn't mean you should. I learned that I should focus on the ones I will actually play, and not worry about trying to collect the largest library possible.
For the games I replayed, or played a bit (at least 4 hours), here's my list working from memory:
Life is Strange
Her Story
Minecraft
ROTR
Mass Effect
Mass Effect 2
Mass Effect 3
Witcher 3
Fallout 4
XCOM Enemy Unknown
Dead Space
Dead Space 2
Dead Space 3
Divinity Original Sin
Skyrim SE
Kerbal Space Program
The Long Dark
Civ Beyond Earth
Firewatch
ADR1FT
This War of Mine
Dragon Age: Inquisition
Portal
The Dark Eye: Chains of Satinav
FF XIII
Memoria
Starbound
MURDERED: Soul Suspect
Sonic 3D Blast
Dark Souls PTDE
Silent Age
That Dragon, Cancer
AC4There are probably one or two more, but you get the idea.
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@Av8orGamer I definitely jumped on more games that I should have this year at launch. I bought DOOM and Mirror's Edge too close to each other, as I did with Titanfall 2 and Forza Horizon 3 later in the year. That just ends up with me only finishing one or the other and leaving one for way too long after just playing a couple of hours and I barely remember I got it for full price. And then sales start pouring in and I regret getting it that early.. I did that for Witcher 3 as well last year, and I still haven't gotten to it, despite Blood saying its the best ever in every stream :P And I'm replaying mass effect in preparation for Andromeda so another RPG is kinda out of the question for a while..
I've also noticed before that playing a game a year later actually can make me enjoy it even more. Everyone is not playing it and talking about it which can lessen the hype a bit, but when I play there's no pressure, it feels "just mine" and I end up having a really immersive experience because of this. It's a bit annoying being excited about a game everyone forgot already though but it feels special in a way that it doesn't when I'm rushing through a game because everyone else is rather just taking my time with it.
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@bennysce Another huge advantage to waiting a year or more... you can talk about EVERYTHING and post pictures and no one or almost no one will be screaming about spoilers.
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@Av8orGamer True, most already know everything anyway at that point :)
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I tried laying off the purchases for a few months, but sadly, due to how many games I do want, it just ended up being a bit of a disaster.
Naturally I wanted to keep a track of titles I let go by, so I would simply add them to my amazon wish list. Months went by and the list just grew and grew. Prices lowered/fluctuated, naturally, but as I knew I was going to want these games at some point, I just ended up buying the bulk in the end as I couldn't imagine what it would have looked like at the end of a whole year. Even the few months worth overwhelmed me though when they arrived, so much catching up to do; I just ended up wishing that I had picked them up as they came out.
I guess all I'm trying to say is that, for me personally, I found it better to buy and play them as they come, it simply helps me keep on top of it all better. The large amount of games I both want to own and how much I personally play is a big factor here though.
I know it's rather extreme, but these are my 2016 purchases. Certainly not normal I know, but I'm just that into games... I've bolded what I have finished, or in the case of The Division, finished with. Not great, but I am a good way into all the rest left.
Root Letter
Hitman
The Last Guardian
Robinson The Journey
Final Fantasy XV
Dishonored 2
Eagle Flight
Rez Infinite
Driveclub VR
World of Final Fantasy
EVE: Valkyrie
Here They Lie
Loading Human
Project Diva X
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Gal-Gun Double Peace
Megadimension Neptunia VII
Mighty Number 9
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II
Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness
Zero Time Dilemma
Mirrors Edge Catalyst
Atelier Sophie
Anima: Gate of Memories
Doom
Oxenfree
Nights of Azure
Uncharted 4
Ratchet and Clank
Dark Souls III
Tom Clancy's The Division
Layers of Fear
Agatha Christie: The ABC Murders
The Witness
Firewatch
Steins;Gate 0
Paper Mario: Color Splash
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE
Sar Fox Zero
Final Fantasy Explorers
Quantum Break
Bravely Second: End Layer
Kirby: Planet Robobot
Sherlock Holmes: The Devils Daughter
7th Dragon III Code: VFD
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice
Dragon Quest VII
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@Sheria That is an impressive list. I guess it comes down to time available. I'm more or less working two jobs so time is limited so I really have to choose what I play next during non-holiday/vacation season. I still managed to play quite a lot this year.
Just from the top of my head (and your lists hehe):
Mirrors Edge Catalyst
Doom
Oxenfree
Uncharted 4
Dark Souls III
The Witness
Firewatch
Quantum Break
Her Story
Gone Home
Forza Horizon 3
Dirt Rally
Path of Exile
Captain Toad: Treasure tracker
Super Mario 3D World
Bayonetta 2
Fifa 17
Dreamfall Chapters
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number
No Man's Sky
Diablo 3
Mass Effect
(+ tons of Rocket League, man that game is good)And probably missed a few..
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@bennysce Interestingly, though people freak about spoilers a lot, especially on social media, I find that they don't really affect my gameplay experience. For example, I have not watched Rogue One yet because I live on the back side of the planet. There are spoilers everywhere, but honestly I know just about as much as the trailers ever told me. All one needs to do is just stop reading when they see something about the movie or game.
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@Sheria I'm absolutely not claiming this is the way forward for everyone. It's an option to consider. Sounds like you did, and it didn't work for you. I'm glad you found a solution that is working for you. My wishlist at the end of 2016 on Steam was surprisingly short, only about 13 or 14 titles. I used my January spending cash to snag two of them at about 12:07am on the first. :)
I think the big thing I'm moving forward with is that there are a lot of games I'd love to play, but that won't really matter to my in six months. Games that do matter will still be around and I'll still want to play them, like XCOM 2 or dare I even confess... The Last of Us. It's on my February buy list.
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@Av8orGamer how much spoilers spoil seems to be very individual. Personally I love to go in completely blind. Seeing things for the first time makes every moment more powerful and I'm not swayed by anyone else. It becomes entirely my experience. If I've seen too many details it can ruin a lot of surprises and it can feel like you've already experienced them.
Movie trailers are especially bad. I've seen trailers last for three minutes and spoil every major plot point except maybe the ending. It completely turns me off from seeing the movie which is the complete opposite of what the trailer was meant to do.
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@bennysce I can choose to forget stuff like that usually. Some things stick around a bit, especially weird images like those coming from FFXV players, but it's generally not a big deal to me. And that's why I can get away with doing things like this. :)
