Last year, I embarked on the 12 in 12 challenge--in order to play through some backlogged games, and buy fewer new games, I challenged myself to play through 12 games that I had purchased previously (during sales and whatnot) the were sitting in my backlog. I mostly succeeded with that challenge.
If you look at last year's list, you'll see that while I didn't get through all 12 games I designated for the challenge, I did manage to beat more than 25 games (which is a feat for me). Exactly thirteen of those games were from my backlog, so I achieved that goal, but I did not meet my goal of spending only $300 on new games. Of the games that I played (and beat) in 2016, just over half of them were games that I bought in 2016. I want to change that for 2017.
My goal for 2017 is (a) to play (to completion) more games that were purchased before 1 January 2017 than games that were purchased during 2017 and (b) play (to completion) another 12 games from my backlog.
Just like last year, I will start this year with a list of 12 games from my backlog that I want to play and beat this year. However, I am also adding a smaller section of 8 games that I want to play and beat this year that are 2017 releases. Last, I'm adding a smaller section of 4 games that I want to experience this year as Let's Plays (older games that I've decided I'm not going to play but want to experience.
12in12 Backlog games (series grouped together) to beat in 2017
1. Halo 4 & Halo 5
2. The Last of Us
3. Life is Strange
4. The Walking Dead Season 1, 2, and Michonne
5. Final Fantasy XV (Feb...fun but not cohesive gameplay; incoherent story)
6. The Ezio Collection
7. Persona 4 Golden
8. Rise of the Tomb Raider
9. Ratchet and Clank (Feb...solid fucking game. Funny, well-told story and great platforming/shooting action and exploration. Solid, solid.)
10. Witcher 2 & Witcher 3 (replay)
11. Catherine
12. Bioshock 1, 2, and Infinite
New games to beat in 2017
1. Horizon Zero Dawn
2. Mass Effect: Andromeda
3. LoZ: Breath of the Wild
4. Super Mario Odyssey
5. ???
6. ???
7. ???
8. ???
Let's Plays to watch in 2017
1. Shadow of the Colossus (Jan...I can see why people like this game, but I'm glad it's one I watched.)
2. Final Fantasy VI
3. ???
4. ???
Games Beaten (or Platinumed)
My Name is Mayo (Jan...shameful platinum run)
Monument Valley (Jan...smart puzzle game)
Super Mario Run (Jan...well-done Mario game and well-done mobile game)
To the Moon (Feb...great story, clunky mechanics)
One way I plan to maximize my gaming time with games I already own is to platinum (PS4) the games that are worthy of that accolade. I can already tell FFXV is a game I'll platinum as is Ratchet and Clank. My experience platinizing Watch_Dogs 2 last year taught me that I can wring a lot of value out of a good game after I "beat" it. However, not every game is suited for a platinum/100% experience.
I also plan to buy fewer new games this year than in 2016. I won't put a price on it, but I plan to be more intentional in 2017 (as I was more intentional in 2016 over 2015).
I'll check back in periodically on the podcast to let you know about my success with this challenge.