New Year's.... Promise

A bit of a disclaimer before starting.  I cannot stand new year's resolutions.  Never liked holding myself hostage to anything, even if it's something devised by myself.  Last year, however, I put into place a rule.  I hesitate to call it a new year's resolution but it's close.  The rule is, simply:

 

1)  I'm only allowed to buy a new game once I have beaten the one I'm playing now.

 

It's a very simple rule, and it's designed as a money saver and a time saver.  I used to buy a lot of new games for a lot of money, only to have no time to play the lot of them.  So it's basically money wasted and time not so well spent.  This rule changes all that and I'm happy to report that I did do pretty well for myself last year.

 

Of course, as with most things, it's never so simple.  The rule is pretty black and white, but I find that breaking it tend to be very easy because it's so inflexible.  There's no lying here.  The rule has been broken many times.  Knowing this, I put into place a few sub rules.  They are:

 

The 10 Hour Rule - This one is for fighting games, racing games, and any other gamer for which there isn't an ending.  I can't beat a game if it doesn't end, right?  So this rule is to put a limit to that.  But it's real purpose is to get me out of a game I don't like!  Yes, I admit it's a cheat, but it's a cheat with a purpose.  There are some games that are overly long.  Like most RPGs for instance.  If I don't like a game, I don't think it's possible to do the 50 hours it takes to beat these things.  However, with the 10 hour rule, it ensures me enough time to at least give it a fair shake.  If, by the 10 hour mark, I still can't get into the game, then it's fair to say that it's time to move on.

 

The Collection Rule - There are some games where, if you miss it the first time, you might not be able to find a copy later on.  Most niche titles fall into this category, my favorite of which being niche JRPGs.  Once they are sold out, they rarely come back.  Which is where this rule comes in.  I can buy it for collection purposes, so at the very least, if I want to play it in the future, the option is there.  Also, there are some titles where I do think is rare, and might be worth something in the future.  That also falls into this category.

 

The Cheap Game Rule - Part of the purpose of the whole resolution thing is to save money.  But if games are cheap, then saving money becomes less of an issue.  If I can find three games for $20, that's worth one game at $60.  Which is why I allow myself to buy games if it's cheap enough, and not count it against my resolution.  Usually this means games for $20 or under.  I find myself abusing this a lot, however (it's shocking how many cheap games there are that are interesting at that price), so for 2013, I maybe abolishing this rule.  What's the point of having a bunch of cheap games if I'm not going to play them, right?  Jury's out on this one, so we will have to see.

 

The Handheld Rule - Handhelds are a different beast because I can take these on the go.  With access during my commutes, I can easily put in 2 hours or more a day into a handheld.  This isn't something I can do with console games.  Which is why handhelds really isn't part of this resolution.  This might seem like a bit of an abuse, but it's mitigated by the fact that I don't like handhelds as much as their bigger cousins.  Given the same game - one on the go and one not - I would pick the big screen version every time.

 

The Mistake Rule - There are times where nothing helps.  You do all the due diligence, you read all the reviews, ask all your friend's opinions and still the game you just bought isn't rubbing you the right way.  That's when I pull out the mistake rule.  This one is to be used sparingly because it basically nulls the main resolution.  I can drop a game after 2 hours with this rule.  However, it is necessary because there are just some games which will kill me if I force myself to play it for more than two hours.  An example of this would be the newest Need for Speed Most Wanted.  Great reviews and everything, but I hate….. just hate…. the way the cars handle.  More of a sim guy here.  Playing this was like pulling teeth.

 

Well, there's a reason I'm putting all of this up here.  The reason is… I need some accountability.  My girlfriend has been graciously overseeing me last year but let's see if I can't make it accountable in public.  So I think whenever I do a blog, I'll write a little blurb on how my gaming is going.  Starting now.  So far, since the very beginning of 2013 (and I'm taking VERY beginning since I had to work late on new year's eve and literally started playing at 3am Jan 1) I've been playing these games:

 

Dragon's Dogma - 10 hours put in, done

Vanquish - quite after 3 hours BUT this doesn't count since I bought this a long time ago…

Atelier Meruru - still working on this but it's 10 hours done.  Once DMC comes out I'm kicking it to the curb. :)

 

Well, that's all I got now.  Happy new year to all.