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Gaming resolutions 2018

Last year I decided to focus only on SG wins. For the most part it went well, although I didn’t reach my desired quota (which was to play the same amount of wins as the number of games won in 2017). From time to time I got an itch to play games that I got for myself - usually pushing them away didn’t result in instantly picking a SG win, but simply procrastinating instead. So now, while I still do plan to stick predominantly to SG wins, I’m introducing some changes:

1. I will try to play 2018 wins asap - either right after winning, or right after whatever I’m playing at that time. So by the end of 2018, the number of wins played & number of games won should match this time around, cause 2018 wins shall be the exact same ones played immediately. Hopefully at least :)
2. I will then work my way through my past wins, trying to make up for the difference played/won from 2017.
3. I will allow myself to play non-wins/ non-gifts in the ratio of 2 per 1 - I need to finish 2 wins, in order to start something of my own, so that my wins backlog always goes down from this point forward :)

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And a bonus - list of most enjoyable games from the ones I’ve completed/ beaten in 2017:

• The Final Station - the atmosphere, the presentation, gameplay, moderate difficulty, mysterious backstory, compelling exposition through the environment - all of those elements were to my liking here :)
• Pony Island - I had fun, especially with the meta part. After beating it, I ended up with a smile on my face and it generally put me into good mood throughout. :)
• Dead Synchronicity: Tomorrow Comes Today - once I’ve picked it up I couldn’t put it down, not until very late night hours after finishing it. It got me very invested. Great story, a bit blunt and to the point at times, but it actually fit the whole feeling of urgency the narrative tried to create. Looking forward to the sequel ^^
• Valley - pure joy of movement (you can run down the hill, gain momentum to speed up significantly, and then jump really, really high), beautiful audio & visuals, intriguing story, overall very engaging.
• Little Nightmares - The visuals are fantastic, even though unnerving ;) The sound, the level design, the creepiness, the atmosphere - truly outstanding. I’ve beaten it twice, as well as 2 dlcs. Eagerly awaiting the final 3rd one to release in January :)
• Wolfenstein: The Old Blood - I must say it exceeded my expectations. There’s basically everything in this game - and trying it all out feels satisfying. :) Simply fun.
• Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition - wonderful, outstanding and gorgeous! The metroidvania aspect - flawless. Visuals, music, ambiance, story, attention to detail, everything is truly amazing.
• Dex - I really liked it. In a sense it was like a book, that you just can’t stop reading until you devour it cover to cover, and then after you finish it, you find out it’s 5am in the morning XD I didn’t realize I was so hungry for cyberpunk. ^^> Aside from that, it was well put together. Overarching narrative was original enough, so it was very engaging to go through. The characters were well written, and there was enough ambiguity for the setting to feel compelling and worth exploring in detail :)
• Sleeping Dogs: Definitive Edition - imo one of the best games of its kind, if not the best. I don’t think I had this much fun in this type of a game since the first GTA (yes, the top-down pixelated one ;) Lots of laughing out loud moments (especially at the ragdolling pedestrians when I casually mowed them down while driving ;) and generally full of content putting me in a good mood. Beautiful locations, amazing cityscapes, all those neons, lights <3 and general layout - moving around the city felt very natural. The parkour only added to the freedom of movement feel. There was very little the player couldn’t do. :)
• Vikings - Wolves of Midgard - it looks beautiful; the maps are not randomized segments of same-yness, but instead they are handcrafted, thus really pretty and immersive :) The environmental effects are great. And the music is oh so gorgeous. The combat is visceral, the attacks have weight to them, the skills are fun to use, and their upgrades are significant. And my main character was great - no nonsense kind of gal.
• Samorost 3 - I was smiling basically the whole time I played it :D Beautiful music, outstanding visuals and plenty of warmth ^_^
• Hob - it’s a puzzle/ open world/ metroidvania experience, and I’ve enjoyed this game quite substantially. Visuals are simply gorgeous. The atmosphere is great. The world is excellently crafted. Figuring stuff out is satisfying. And even though there is not a single word spoken, it gave me a lot to think about. :)
• Figment - it was so joyful, and uplifting. The visuals are creative & colorful. The puzzles were fun, and while not hard, they were varied and engaging. Overall it was nice to play, and contained many aspects that made me smile most of the time, like for example bosses singing at you insanely catchy tunes while battling them. Hard to keep straight face ;) I had a great time with this :)
• Slayaway Camp - I couldn’t stop playing till I beat the base game. It’s a very fun take on slider puzzle, with hilarious theme :D The puzzles themselves are smart. Lots of murderers & killer moves to unlock, and a minigame where you constantly just slaughter blocky people :D

I played many other enjoyable games this year, too many for the list to feel relevant, so I’ll stop at that :)