What Games I'm Buying in 2015

I wrote one of these blog posts last year (just replace the "5" with a "4" in the title to this post), but failed to reach my spending goals.  I wasn't as bad as I was in 2013, but there is still plenty room for improvement.  I need to focus on improving my spending habits in a major way, and one of the first things to cut is video games.  So here's a post on how I'm going to do it. 

My 2014 gaming pledge not to buy any games for myself... failed miserably.  I spent much less on gaming than I did in 2013, but far from the sub-$100 mark I was hoping for.  Looking at my purchases spreadsheet, I was probably making the wrong move in trying to go cold turkey.  So for 2015, I'll single out a few games that I absolutely will get (if available) and then establish some different rules with more reasonable wiggle room. 

-The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky Second Chapter

Earlier this year I thought this game was coming out in 2014, but XSeed was a little over-optimistic with that estimate.  I'm still pumped, though, and I will buy this on the PSN the day it comes out.  Non-negotiable.  Est. cost: $30

-Persona 5, if it launches in North America in 2015

Persona 5 has a nonspecific 2015 release date... in Japan.  My guess is that North America gets it in the first half of 2016, but if it comes out in 2015 I'm buying it on day one.  I'd give P5 a 40% chance of coming out in 2015 in English if I was a betting man.  I'll probably pick up the special edition if they have one (would be going PS3 instead of PS4).  Sorry, bank account.  Est. cost: $80

-Bravely Second, if it launches in North America in 2015

Hey, Bravely Default was one of my favorite games that came out in 2014 (although it was a 2012 game in Japan...) and I'm super-pumped about the sequel.  Not as high on my list of priorities as Persona 5, but I'll want to buy this one right at launch as well.  Not 100% sure we get it in 2015; more like 75%.  Whether or not I buy a special edition depends on content. Est. cost: $50

-KickStarter Projects

If a KickStarter arises from Zeboyd Games, Runic Games, Yacht Club Games, or WayForward Technologies, then I'll at least think about backing it.  And those aren't the only companies that would give me pause; they're just the first four indies that come to mind.  And shit, if Koji Igarashi tries KickStarter for his next project I'll jump on it.  I've calmed down since binging on KickStarter in 2013, but I'm not cold on the service.  We'll see what catches my eye in the next 12 months. Est. cost: $40

-Probably a few PS3 games

Time to be realistic about it: there are still a few PS3 games I want to play, and I will probably buy a few of them cheaply on a whim.  In particular I'm looking at Rayman Legends, Tales of Xillia 2, and probably one or two character action games I'm forgetting.  I won't be buying many, but I'm sure I'll make a few dumb purchases. Est. cost: $40

-Probably more 3DS games too

My 3DS collection is already surprisingly meaty but it's far from finished.  I'll probably jump on Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward as soon as I find it at a reasonable price.  Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright and probably an RPG or two are right behind it on the list.  Dunno how much I'll buy, but I'll try and keep myself to a reasonable amount. Est. cost: $40

-Steam Sales and Humble Bundles

Yeah.  Gonna see if I can calm down with these too, but I wasn't that terrible about them in 2014.  I need to just keep up the good work I'm doing by not blowing money on them all the time. Est. cost: $20

-That's all, folks!

Pledging to buy almost nothing last year was a mistake.  After a few transgressions I went "fuck it" and spent too much.  Again.  But not this time!  I won't be splurging on a new handheld and populating it with a library of new games, so that should help things.  The grand total price of the above items is $300, which shortens significantly if Persona 5 and Bravely Second end up being 2016 games.  If I can keep my final tally of non-gifts under that three hundred mark, I'll consider 2015 a fiscal success. 

2015 GRAND TOTAL: $300

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So that's that.  $300.  Less than half of my 2014 spending total on video games.  If I break that goal and hit, say, $310, then it's no cause for alarm.  That's not even sales tax.  Much further, though, and I officially have zero self-control.  But I know I'm better than that.  I just have to prove it.

Hopefully later this week I'll have a Bravely Default review up.  If I manage that, it'll only be... a little over three months late.  Yikes.