2025 was an incredible year for video games, at least releases anyway. Clair Obscur, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Blue Prince, and so many more titles like these captivated us all, but the problem is, I didn’t play any of them. In fact, while I did indeed accomplish my goal of beating at least 24 games in 2025, I still feel like I missed out on a lot of potential classics I could have fallen in love with or hidden gems I could have given a spotlight to. Plus, while I’ve written many more reviews for VGU.TV this year than I have previously, I’d like to be much more intentional about which games I even attempt to review for the site as well.

So, based off these desires, I’ve decided to actually put together a list of my gaming specific new years resolutions for 2026. Now, I hope to stick to most of these but of course, my ability to complete all of these depends on how my year goes in all other categories. I’m always transitioning into new parts of life, shifting into new priorities, and working on new goals, so think of this list as more aspirational guidelines than a strict list of things that MUST happen. Now, with that disclaimer out of the way, let’s get to the list.

1. Don’t Buy New Games with Expectation to Review Them

This was the most detrimental habit I picked up during 2025. I know I buy a lot of games, probably too many, but the cost of those games is so negligible that I never really feel the financial weight of them on my wallet. But this year, I tried to at least attempt to keep up with new releases to review for the site, which meant I spent a non-negligible amount on games that I never even touched. I was at least a little bit responsible, as I never payed full prices for any of them, but picking up titles like Doom: The Dark Ages, Atomfall, and Clair Obscur every other month or so began to stack up by the end of the year.

So, this year, I’ll be more careful of letting the conversation around a game hype me into picking it up, but not into actually playing it. The first way I’ll stop that is by not even picking them up within release year. This doesn’t mean I’ll necessarily not play or buy any game that releases in 2026, but I just don’t want “oh I’ll review this for the site” to be in my head when I make the purchase.

Plus, I’ve come to realize that getting codes directly from developers and publishers for content made for VGU.TV is better for my writing process anyway. By this I mean, If I buy a game, even though my own money is on the line there, I’ve already parted ways with that cash, so I often don’t feel a need to retroactively justify the purchase by judging the quality of what I already own. But when I am graciously given a code by the creators of the game, I do feel an obligation to let them know what I think, and it shows! Of the 8 reviews I wrote for the site in 2025, 3 were for games that I received from pubs and devs, and 3 were for games that I had access to through a subscription service. Those numbers don’t lie, so in 2026, I’ll try to lean more on my backlog and, if a new game does tickle my fancy, I’ll work harder to see if I can get a code for it, just so I have a little bit of fire on my heels to keep me focused on working on that review.

2. Buy Fewer Video Game Bundles

I’ve more or less primarily switched over to being a PC gamer once I picked up a Steam Deck a few years back, and I still play a lot on my ROG Ally X today. However, as any new PC gamer will tell you, I have gone completely crazy on video game deals. I will never do the math on how much money sites like Green Man Gaming, Fanatical, and Humble Bundle have taken from me over the last few years, for fear of passing out at the sight of the number.

The most eye opening change I made this year relating to this is my use of Infinite Backlog. The site is great, more nitty gritty alternative to sites like Backloggd, but one of it’s newly added features, Backlog Golf, has really shown me just how many games I acquire throughout the year. The goal is to get as low of a score as possible, where acquiring new games drives the score up and completing, dropping, or beating games will drive the score down. This may include games I’ve played/own through subscription services, like PlayStation Plus and Humble Choice, but even without those counted I have purchased easily well over 100 games, and maybe even double that number, in the last year. I have some ideas on how to get through more of that massive list of games, but in the meantime, I have to stop that list from swelling.

I should simply stop buying so many bundles, and I’ll try doing that by poking holes in the justifications I normally make to myself for buying them. Does the bundle have a game in it that I’m interested in? Well, maybe I shouldn’t buy it unless I’m interested in multiple games in the bundle, or maybe even every game. Am I buying a bundle because it’s cheaper to buy that one game there than on it’s own? Then maybe I should just wait until that one game is on sale instead of piling up keys that I won’t use. But what if I’m interested in every game in a bundle, and there are no games in it that I own? Well, maybe that’s a proper time to pull the trigger, especially if the price is right, but even then I should look into my backlog and try playing something that will give me the same taste of that game I’m craving.

3. Beat All of the Games On My Top 100 List

A while back I made a grand show of the fact that I came up with and properly sorted my 100 favorite games. I’ve added and subtracted from that list over the years as new games come and old ones don’t quite stand up in comparison. However, one point of embarrassment for me has been the fact that I haven’t quite beaten every game on that list. Sure, games like Knockout City can’t even be played online anymore, and because it’s a multiplayer game, there is really no way to “beat” it. But two games in particular, Ape Out and Metro Exodus, are titles I need to complete.

I got several hours into Metro before just falling off of it, but I adored every minute of it. And Ape Out is a game that I love thinking about more than I enjoy playing, yet when I do play it it consumes me completely. I love these games, and my love for them will be legitimate no matter if I beat them or not. But considering how I put them on a big list for all to see, I do feel like it’s a bit disingenuous to do so if I havent truly seen them through to thier ends. So, I plan to fix that in 2026.

4. Play the Final Sequel to my Favorite Game of All Time: Bayonetta

I fell in love with Bayonetta a few years back, and when I did, I pretty much consumed the whole franchise in the span of that year, ending it with Bayonetta 3 at the end. However, right after that, a strange new spin-off came in the form of Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon. I gotta be honest, I was not immedately interested in the game. It’s less of an over the top action game and more of a puzzle platformer. The sex appeal and massive scale is gone, and those elements are largely what defined the franchise for me. But I keep hearing that this game is remarkable in its own right. It’s art is beautiful, it’s gameplay is unique, and it’s vibes are immaculate. I will finally listen to the franchise fanatics and play this game this year, even if I have to overcome my biggest hurdle of all, actually playing my Nintendo Switch. Impressively, I haven’t touched the system for the entirety of 2025, but if I have a spare $500 lying around, perhaps I can acquire a more appealing place to play Switch games…

5. Play More Games Based on Merchandise I Already Own

I own a lot of video game bullshit. Sometimes that bullshit comes in the form of a poster or steelbook that was included with a physical copy of a game. Sometimes that bullshit is in the form of a jewelry or clothes for the franchise that I impulsively purchased because it was cheap or would make for a funny bit. Sometimes that bullshit is a statue or trinket I got from either a convention or in a collectors edition. Sometimes that bullshit isn’t even bullshit because it was a gift from a friend or family member who loves me and wanted to make me happy. Well, one habit that I have mostly ended in 2025 is my desire to acquire all this bullshit. Sometimes I can just like a thing, I don’t need to have a million tokens of that affection, especially as I run out of space to keep them in. So , now that I’m not buying as much of that stuff, I wanna extract more value out of what I own. There are a few statues and pieces of clothing I own that are for games I never played, so I figured I should, to justify me owning them.

Games/franchises that this applies to include:

1. Ghost of Tsushima

Thanks to their work on the inFAMOUS games alone, Sucker Punch will forever be one of my favorite studios. I still need to play the latter 2 entries of their Sly trilogy, but I haven’t even made an attempt to play any of the Ghost games yet. This is because that franchise just isn’t as exciting of a fantasy as having super powers. I love a good melee action game, but a grounded, historical setting just doesn’t do as much for me. However, I know people love these games, and I still have the first entry in my backlog. Now that I’ve bought an extremely nice bomber jacket during the PlayStation Gear store closing sale, I figure this is a great excuse to complete it.

2. Crash Bandicoot

Much of my friends both online and off know me as the “PlayStation guy” I play everything everywhere now, but from the start I’ve always favored PlayStation’s unique experiences. But one series I never got into was Crash Bandicoot, as Spyro the Dragon was my preference (and the first game I ever played). Ever since a friend of mine gifted me a really nice Crash statue a few years back, I’ve considered finally playing one of the games from the series, and I’ve even attempted to play the first game alongside the friend who gifted me the statue, Nicholas. But perhaps this is the year I finally dip my leg into the jean shorts that have always alluded me.

3. Outriders

No one ever talks about Outriders, but I liked it. It has some of the purest, Xbox 360 ass, pure video games vibes, and that, along with the fun combat, attracted me to the game. But I never got around to beating it. Well, a few years after release I got a gracious gift package from Kinda Funny’s Greg Miller that included Talking About Hard Things, Death Sex & Money host Anna Sale’s (then) new book and a bundle of Outriders themed goodies. If you’re curious about the lore behind such a random gift, back when the Black Lives Matter movement was at its peak, I submitted audio about my experience as a black man to Sale’s show, and in it I mentioned Blessing, another Kinda Funny member, appearing on the podcast Spawn on Me. That clip of my audio was used on the show and, as a fan of the show, Greg flipped when he heard it. It was a nice full circle moment, as I forgot Greg was even the one to put me onto the show until he tweeted about my appearance. So, based off that lore, you would think I’d be super appreciative of the gift, and I am as I’ve nearly completed the book and used the Outriders themed controller very often. But I can do better than that by, hopefully, beating the game this coming year, and finishing that book, too!

4. Forspoken

You know the PlayStation Gear store I mentioned earlier? The website Sony owned that sold official merchandise based on all of their most well known franchises? Well, last year, they announced they would be closing the store, and with the closure came a site wide firesale. I’ve given enough context that you should know that I didn’t need to buy a damn thing from that store. But, just like when I was allowed to visit PlayStation’s employee gift shop during my Kinda Funny Prom trip (long story), I lost all self control. I did pick up some things of real value: some clothing items I legitimately could use and some items that will and have made great gifts for others. But so much of what I bought were not even attached to franchises I cared about, but were funny to own as a bit. This applies most to everything I bought from the Forspoken franchise, or um, game. Despite the fact I have yet to even boot up my copy, I think about the game often. It got so much hate on release, yet I still think it seems really cool to play and I adore the fact a game as high profile as it featured a black female protagonist. But while I did put my money where my mouth is, I never did put my fingers and controller there as well. I may not rock the jacket, long-sleeved shirt, short sleeve tee, and bracelet that display it’s name when playing, but I do hope this is the year I finally play the magical black girl game that started my mild obsession with the sub genre in recent years.

5. Atomfall

I honestly mainly like Rebellion for Sniper Elite, but I’ve been curious about Redfall. But, and this is the most random flex ever, I won a prize pack for the game from a Bluesky giveaway several months back. Now, I have a backpack (which is now my go to pack for travel), gloves, a notebook, flashlight, a goddamn cricket bat, and some kind of wooden effigy that I’m sure I would understand if I played the game. Well, I felt obligated to pick up the game then, now all that’s left to do it boot it up.

6. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

That final entry might be a bit of a surprise, so let me explain it really quick. Despite still not having been spoiled on the game too much, I fell deep into the Clair Obscur rabbit hole when it’s critical reception began to roll in. To this day I am convinced I will love it, but the idea of being so deeply emotionally invested in anything just sounded to exhausting for me at the time. That didn’t stop me from attempting to buy the collector’s edition of the game at launch, only to settle for the regular version once it sold out. But then that didn’t stop me from pre-ordering the restock that was being handled by a different retailer. I told myself I would play the game before it arrives, and since it’s the end of the year and I’ve still heard nothing on shipping it to me, I still have time to justify this impulsive choice in the new year!

6. Start a Franchise that I Already Own Games From

As a consequence of my prior, more reckless spending habits, I’ve picked up entries in a lot of series that I just never got around to playing. This is a perfect excuse to dive into a new potential obsession, with plenty of runway to play other entries if my first tastes entices me. I own a LOT of games that fit this description, and not all of these are the most “ideal” entries to start my time with a franchise, but I’ll list them anyway. The (non-exhaustive) list of games is as follows:

1. Final Fantasy (7 Remake, 16, Stranger of Paradise)
2. Silent Hill (2 remake or 3)
3. Dragon Age (Veilgaurd or Inquisition)
4. Castlevania (Symphony of the Night, Lords of Shadow or LoS 2)
5. From Software (Dark Souls, Sekiro, Bloodborne, or Elden Ring)
6. Jak and Daxter (1-3. Daxter, or Combat Racing)
7. Amnesia (Dark Descent, Machine for Pings, Rebirth, or The Bunker)
8. Like a Dragon/Yakuza (0, Kiwami 1 and 2, 3, 4, or 7 [Like a Dragon])
9. Kingdom Hearts (1-3)
10. Sonic (Shadow X Generations, Unleashed, or Sonic 06)

7. Play a Game or Two from Two or More Generations Ago

A few years back, I played Quake II for the first time, thanks to the Nightdive remaster, and I loved it. It felt very old, but it also aged incredibly well. It made me curious to try other older games, not only to see if they hold up, but to also experience some of the classics in the cannon of gaming history. I have quite a few of these types of games in my backlog, and while not every one of these is actually a classic, I am interested to try all of them. Only time will tell which ones I actually get around to this year. Oh, and I am including remasters and remakes here, because I ultimately only want to deal with *so* much tedium and friction when I play, too much might end a playthrough outright.

The non exhaustive lists of games that apply here are:

• System Shock/System Shock 2
• Turok/Turok 2/Turok 3
• Half-Life (or Black Mesa)
• Chasm: The Rift
• Grim Fandango
• The Silver Case
• Quake
• Tomb Raider-III

8. Finish One or Two Complete Franchises

I’ve spent much of the last few years staying in my comfort zone of specific franchises. Much of the year will be dedicated to stepping outside of that comfort zone, but I also want to leave room for me to return to some of these franchises, but with a bit more intention. So, this year I wanna complete a few franchises in which I have played nearly every entry. The list below is mainly focused on series that I have 3 or fewer entries unbeaten in. For example, while I have beaten like 5 Resident Evil games, there’s no way I’d be able to beat 5 more of them within a year, especially if you include the upcoming Requiem for a 6th entry. Plus, since I have history with nearly all of these, in most cases, I can just pick the game up from where I left off ages ago and progress from there.

And, if I’m being honest, Infinite Backlog is partially responsible for this challenge as well. The site is similar to Backloggd, so you can mark your completion status of a game, leave reviews, and rate them. But it’s way more gamified as you can track achievements across platforms, automatically import new game purchases from several storefronts, and earn XP for every interaction you have with the site. One of the most compelling gamified features is Challenges; these ask you to beat a list of related games all for one small completion bonus. There are seasonal challenges, but the persistent ones are the Series challenges. There are dozens of those that I’d like to complete this year, and for some of those I’m only a few entries away. Perhaps this will be the motivation I need to complete some of those so I can watch that digital bar fill up.

The non-exhaustive list of games in this category are:

1. Resistance
   • Resistance 2
   • Resistance Retribution
2. Ratchet and Clank
   • Secret Agent Clank
   • Tools of Destruction
   • Ratchet and Clank 3
3. Saints Row
   1. Saints Row
   2. Agents of Mayhem (?)
4. FEAR
   • FEAR 1
   • Extraction Point
   • Percius Mandate
5. Red Dead Redemption
   • Red Dead Revolver
6. Killzone
   • Killzone
   • Killzone 3
   • Killzone Liberation
7. Life is Strange
   • True Colors
   • Life is Strange 2
   • Captain Spirit
8. Far Cry
   • Far Cry Classic
   • Far Cry 6
   • Far Cry New Dawn
9. Crysis
   • Crysis
10. Remedy-verse
    • Alan Wake 2
    • Control DLCs
    • Quantum Break

9. Play a Little More Trash

So much of this list is about trying to be a better gamer. I’m not necessarily trying to be the best at pressing buttons or completing challenges, but I seek to have a wider understanding of this medium that I’ve spent over half of my life falling in love with. This means I must leave my comfort zone, and also dip into the unseen corners of the franchises I have enjoyed. But a wider understanding doesn’t only mean the highs of the medium, but also the lows. That part I also wanna tackle but, luckily for me, I call those trenches home. From Magus to Terminator Salvation, I’ve played quite a bit of trash out there, or at least games with little to no cultural relevance today. Sure, most games as service titles could also be described as having no cultural relevance, but those at least have momentum of other players to encourage play where critics and academics ignore them. But games like these do have lessons about the medium to teach, in that “What Not to Do at a Stop Light” kinda way. Some games I hope to play that fall in this category include:

1. Clive Barker’s Jericho
2. The Quiet Man
3. Wanted: Dead
4. Drakengard 3
5. Homefront: The Revolution
6. Naughty Bear
7. Funko Fusion
8. Devil’s Hunt
9. Gungrave
10. Balan Wonderworld
11. Fuse
12. Gangs of Sherwood
13. Bullet Witch
14. Alien Breed: Impact
15. Kane and Lynch: Dead Men

10. The 12 for 12 Challenge

This challenge comes from a Bluesky trend I saw going around a few weeks ago. The gag is, you put up this little grid of 12 slots for games, your followers recommend games for you to play, and you fill those slots with games based off of the recommendations of others. Well, I wanted to not only participate in this trend, but also use it to work on some of the goals I discussed earlier. The main reason I wanted to participate is that I wanted to get some new shared experiences that I can discuss among those close to me, and playing the games they love will help with that. But not only am I playing some new games I otherwise wouldn’t touch, but I am also dipping into new franchises and playing at least one classic game. This list ended up being not only pretty varied, but full of titles that will likely give me new perspectives on the medium here and there.

I've been going over my gaming plans in 2026 and one goal I wanna do is play more games outside my comfort zone and dig into the backlog more. I figure the best way to do both is to open it to y'all!Have mercy on me tho, I'm morel likely to beat it the shorter it is. I'm an adult damnit!

— Emmett Watkins Jr (@ejsponge61.com) 2025-12-24T14:17:52.148Z

Now, what you might notice is that this is resolution is quite a bit bigger than all the others. Previously I was only asking myself to play one or two or three games each time, but this is 12 whole games I’m putting myself on the hook for. Well, I think I can still do it for a few reasons. I beat 30 games this past year, but I had several months there where I didn’t play anything. Rather than these being healthy breaks or time spent on projects, they were most often time wasted scrolling online or passively consuming shallow content. I want to be better about this, so I’m looking to train myself to use games as the alternative to reach for when I want to not think too much about the world. Also, if you remember the Infinite Backlog challenges I mentioned earlier, this will also potentially help with those. I’ve already been lucky when a seasonal challenge has come up and I just so happened to have played a game relevant to the theme and have gotten those easy free points. Perhaps clearing this list will help me complete even more of them in this new year.

That’s all I have for today, but not this year! I have a few more wrap up articles for some of my favorite things of 2025, so stay tuned for those coming soon. After that, look forward to seeing more from me on both the site and the Youtube Channel. I’m pretty optimistic for the new year, and I hope that means a bit more activity from me online. Here’s to a 2026 that’s better than the last year in all ways possible, and hopefully a much more stable video game industry. Keep it real, keep it trill, and play on, Playas!