My New Year’s Resolution in 2018 was to beat more games
My new year’s resolution this past year was to beat more games. I love me some games but barely ever crossed that finish line. In 2017 I beat maybe three titles. In 2018 I really swung for the fences and beat 27! In this article I will list each one and talk about some of the standouts.
The reason I never really beat a lot of games before this year is something I like to call Gaming ADHD. You’re all excited for a new title, you start playing and then another great one comes out. You suddenly drop the what you were enjoying and move on to the next shiny thing and never come back to the first game because ANOTHER one comes out and you start that one too. It’s very common in gamers and the gaming industry relies on most gamers doing just this. I really turned it around in 2018 and I think it is all due to the Nintendo Switch. No longer did I have to sit down at a TV to beat a game, I could beat a game anywhere and that really helped me stay on track. Sure I bought waaaaay too many games on my Switch and still have about six games I have purchased and never played and even more I have played and not beaten. Still, 27 down.
Games I have finished in 2018:
Disgaea 5
Nine Parchments
Rocket League (Single player)
Furi
Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Earth Wars
Resident Evil: Revelations
Resident Evil: Revelations 2
Bayonetta
Bayonetta 2
Bleed
Bleed 2
This is the Police
Kamiko
Pokémon Quest
BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle (Story mode)
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana
Mom Hid My Game!
Mario Tennis Aces
Doom
SNK Heroines: Tag Team Frenzy
Game Dev Story
The Darkside Detective
Diablo III
Shikhondo: Soul Eater
Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu!
Donut County
Right off the bat, there are some long games here. I put over 100 hours into Xenoblade 2 and Pokémon Quest. Over 80 into Disgaea 5 and Ys VIII. Over 40 hours into Let’s Go Pikachu, Diablo III, and This is the Police. But, then you’ll notice there are some really short (but great) entries. I beat Bleed and Bleed 2 in about two hours each but damn they were those an amazing two hours. All the fighting games listed here have very short story modes but I did play them over and over to unlock stuff. Furi, Donut County, Mom Hid My Game, and Kamiko are indie games that are deliberately short and that doesn’t mean that they’re worth less. All of those were a blast to play and well designed, so you don’t feel cheated by their length. Heck, every game on this list is good. I didn’t beat a single game this year that I didn’t like. I usually stop playing a really sucky game pretty quickly. Some of the games on this list might not be everyone’s cup of tea but they were all enjoyable and worth the time I put into them.
Now let’s break it down…
Best FPS I beat this year: Doom
Best Puzzle game I beat this year: Donut County
Best bang-bang Shoot ‘Em Up i beat this year: Resident Evil: Revelations 2, specifically the multiplayer options
Best Bang for your Buck I beat this year: Earth Wars (if you spend any $) and Pokémon Quest (if you spend no $)
Best story I beat this year: Xenoblade Chronicles 2
And finally the one you all have been waiting for, drum roll please!
Best game I beat in 2018: Hands down, no question… Xenoblade Chronicles 2
I put the most hours into and seemed to be hopelessly addicted to Xenoblade 2. The story got me pretty early on but the gameplay got really good at 25 hours and then just blissfully carried me the rest the 75. Some people might not like the anime plot but I was in, hook, line and sinker. I have not touched the Torna expansion yet because I wanted to save it for a vacation where I could just sit down and enjoy it.
Now remember, you might not agree with my favorite and you might be right. I don’t own a PS4 or Xbox or a capable PC, so I never played the other contenders like God of War, Red Dead Redemption II or Spider-Man. I’m sure those games are awesome. But I own a Switch and I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished.
My new year’s resolution for 2019 is to beat even more games! Wish me luck!