I tried to make "plans" for 2015 like I had for 2014 (ie, a mapped out playlist), but since that didn't work well, I decided that I'd keep it simple this year. I'll choose games to play the way I did in most of 2014 - something will peak my interest in one, be it a podcast, article, or fond memory. I am going to do a couple of "planned" things, however.
The first is Throw Back Thursday (ie, #tbt). I don't know why or how this got started, but it's a Twitter thing. People usually post old pictures or scans of ticket stubs for nostalgia's sake. For me, it will translate into playing an old PS2, Xbox, or Gamecube game each Thursday.
The second doesn't have a name really, but I think it might be like Facing Gaming Regrets (#fgr?). There are some things in my gaming past that I'd like to revisit, and take on in light of having more experience and a better gaming setup. My first two Regrets are from Star Wars Jedi Knight: Dark Forces 2 and Elder Scrolls: Oblivion.
DF2 was, for me, the first time I played an FPS that was more intricate than Doom. At the time I didn't have a lot of experience playing a keyboard oriented shooter, and there was no Fang Pad back then. I did okay in the game and was really enjoying it until the first Jedi "boss battle" where you had to use Force powers. I just got completely stuck and gave up. Time to go back and try it again, thanks to it being on Steam.
Oblivion represents a different issue. Up until I played it, I had never stopped playing an open world game unless I got stumped by a career ending mission (GTA: Vice City and San Andreas, I'm looking at you, guys). I've started Oblivion at least 3 times and each time I get sidetracked to the point where I have never even gotten to the first city! With so many open world games I still want to play, I think I need to go back and really concentrate on the main missions of Oblivion to give me some kind of mental discipline.
Even without "plans" in place, I've still been doing a bit of gaming:
Dead Space 2 - I started DS2 before 2015 began and, to be honest, I had mixed emotions about it. On one hand, it's a major improvement over DS1 in a technical way - better movement, better zero-g action, and less frustrating object manipulation. On the other hand, the story (that others seem to think is so good), does very little for me. The environments, while gorgeously detailed (watched them closer on my saved videos), lack the scale of the first game. I'll try to finish this one, if for no other reason than it gives me a lead in to DS3.
The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D - The imminent release of the 3DS Majora's Mask remake got me thinking I should finally give this one a try. I'm only a little ways into it and I have to admit I don't remember a whole lot, which is odd because I almost finished it on the N64. I played it back around 2000 and got frustrated with the final location where you had to do a series of "encore" battles. I'll have to see if I have more patience for it now.
The Talos Principle Public Test - This was basically a demo of The Talos Principle and I can't say it made me want to run out and buy it (especially at its $40 price tag!). It took me about an hour to get everything I wanted to get out of it (ie, finding the three Tetris pieces and getting to the cathedral) and it just doesn't work for me. The puzzles are okay and the scenery is awesome (see pics below), but the philosophy/theology that you read and hear during the "game" seem out of place with such a simplistic game mechanic.
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