Welp. This year's intro to the annual Gaming Goals post will read more like a confession than a celebration, because forgive me, father, for I have sinned.
Four video game targets completed on the year. That's pretty weak, especially since I made it all the way to eleven last year. I was distracted by a lot of video game things in 2021, including (but not limited to) five Yakuza games, two Ace Attorney games, two Shin Megami Tensei games, and a relapse into Monster Hunter addiction, all unaccounted for in my 2021 goals list. That's a lot of trouble. But this year, I'll try and do a better job of predicting my annual distractions, and I know I can succeed in these goals lists because I've done it as recently as 2020. My 2022 gaming goals are equal to my 2021 goals in quantity.
I'm deliberately going after fewer open-world action games and long-ass RPGs this year, because I think the sheer intimidation factor of a few of those badly hurt my progress in 2021. I also played five goddamn Yakuza games last year, all of which are 30-hour to 60-hour games and none of which were in my list of goals; but now that I'm basically caught up in the series, Yakuza won't be as much of a problem. So yes, there are more platformers in the list below than in 2021, the RPGs in the new list have brisker hour counts, and I'm going for a very specific type of open-world action game (you'll see what I mean) without abandoning Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio. My 2022 gaming goals consist of: four 2022 releases, and one backlogged game each for PS1 (played on Vita), PS2 (played on PS5), PS3, PS4, PSP (played on PC), NES (Classic), N64 (played on 3DS), Wii, and Wii U (played on Switch).
I went for a 4-9 split instead of a 3-10 split because A) I think 13 targets overall is still a good number, B) I was distracted by a LOT of 2021 releases last year (I played at least 10, which is way more than my average), and C) I have a weird predisposition towards liking numerical perfect squares. I'm also amused at how easy it was to come up with a list of 9 backlogged games for 9 different systems; I did some tinkering of course but there was no lacking for options. However, games absent from the list below CANNOT count towards my official gaming goals unless there are extenuating circumstances.
But I'm excited! Sure, I'm always excited to draw up a menu of target games every year, and in 11 years I've done an adequate job only three times (2011, 2012, and 2020). But I'm gonna press on with my annual January confidence and hope for the best. Just like in recent years: A passing grade is officially 11 games beaten out of 13. The games are listed in alphabetical order, except for the last three which I'm grouping together chronologically. Without further ado, The List:
2022 Gamers' Dozen
AI: The Somnium Files - nirvanA Initiative
The first Somnium Files was one of my favorite games of 2019, a pretty unique blend of visual novel narrative full of intrigue, quick-time event action sequences, and Somnium puzzles that were part resource management and part adventure game puzzle, obeying bizarre rules of dream logic. Well, the sequel features a new mystery and a new main character: instead of the sarcastic detective Date we get his badass adopted daughter Mizuki, teaming up with her Date's AI anime girl partner Aiba. I'm here for it.
My first holdover from previous lists on my 2022 menu (more on these later) is my continued obsession with Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio games. I played EIGHT Yakuza games from May 2020 through December 2021 and enjoyed the hell out of all of them to varying degrees. Once every 2 or 3 months is probably an appropriate pace to play these without overdosing on the mean streets of Kamurocho, and avoiding Yakuza fatigue was my main reason I didn't get to Judgment in 2021. I intend to fix that.
Kingdom Hearts II
Hoo boy. Kingdom Hearts. One of the series that I have clowned on the most over the past 17 or 18 years (holy shit). I played through about 2/3 of KH1 in 2004 or 2005 and didn't love it; I revisited it in 2018 and beat it for the first time. I overall liked it a little more the second time around, but not enough to get into the series in a major way. Kingdom Hearts II is probably the most acclaimed and beloved game in the series, and I have three copies of the game somehow (don't ask) so I'm giving it an honest shot in 2022. I might need to read the Chain of Memories manga first?
Kirby: Return to Dream Land
I have complicated feelings about Kirby, which I've brought up on this blog before, but in summary: I love a few of the 1990s Kirby games (mostly Dream Land 2, Adventure, and Super Star) and the first two 3DS Kirby games (Triple Deluxe and Planet Robobot), with the others either not my jam or unplayed. I've owned Return to Dream Land for the Wii for several years now (NO memory of when or how I got it) and it's remained untouched. Like Judgment, it's been an entry on Gaming Goals before; maybe 2022 is the year.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd
I played (and adored) the first two Trails in the Sky games in 2011 and 2017 (I think? I'd have to check the date for the 2nd) and played the first two Trails of Cold Steel games more recently. I liked the Cold Steel duology but I overall preferred the Sky games. These are well-written and fun RPGs, but also meaty in content and a little exhausting - I struggle to even attempt to play two in a row. But now is the time. I'm a few years removed from playing Cold Steel II and I received a copy of Sky 3rd from a friend last year (thanks Alana!). I'm going to close the door on the Liberl trilogy soon and then move onto the Crossbell games in (probably) 2023.
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak
My favorite game of 2021 had its sequel-slash-expansion announced for "summer 2022" and if I were to announce I was going to pass on it, no would would believe me. I loved MonHun Rise for its gameplay innovations, smoothing out of Monster Hunter's rougher edges, great monster designs, and improved multiplayer functionality. Sunbreak promises more monsters, locations, and narratives, plus a new difficulty tier and redesigned endgame. Yup. I want all of that. Riesz the Lance/Hammer/SNS huntress is ready.
I successfully avoided Suikoden for the first 25 years or so of my RPG-playing career, messing around with Suikodens I and III in the 2000s but not getting very far into either of them, before playing and loving Suikoden II in 2018. I played Suikoden III to completion in mid-2021 and liked it quite a bit. So now I'm going back to the game that started it all, and will take on the original Suikoden sometime in 2022. I'll probably use a guide so I can get all 108 characters recruited, but my expectations are a story full of drama and a castle full of heroes.
I played bits and pieces of Super Mario 3D World in multiplayer with my former roommate on his Wii U several years ago, and thought it was really solid but wasn't willing to pick up a Wii U for just a few games. Well, in 2021 SM3DW got a Switch version and that was exactly what I was waiting for (in the grand tradition of DKC Tropical Freeze, Tokyo Mirage Sessions FE, and Bayonetta 2). I am more interested in 3D Mario nowadays thanks to how good Odyssey was as well. Shit, maybe next year I'll finally play my copy of Mario Galaxy 2?
Another regular on my Gaming Goals list, most recently in 2021 (oops), and before then in 2015. I played the first 6 or 7 hours of Xillia when it was pretty new, in 2010 or 2011, but fell off it for reasons unclear. I've forgotten too much about the game to revisit that exact same save file, so I think my 2022 attempt (assuming it happens) will be from a fresh save. I love a lot of Tales games, so I hope I can see this one through to the end this year.
I love the Asano team's design philosophy (Tomoya Asano is the lead producer for Octopath Traveler and the Bravely series) and I love a bunch of strategy RPGs; I'm just not sure I have the stamina for a 60+ hour strategy RPG anymore. Well, I'm going to be mashing these conflicting feelings against each other this spring, because Triangle Strategy applies Octopath Traveler's STUNNING pixel art to a strategy RPG with branching story paths concept that screams "Tactics Ogre homage made in the 2020s." That sounds... pretty great! I am very worried about me having the time or energy for this game, but I'll give it a full-faith effort, because by the summertime I'll *definitely* be distracted by other games on this list.
The oldest game on any list I've ever put on this blog. I was born about a week after The Legend of Zelda's original release date (both debuts were in February 1986), and I got quite far in the NES version as a child, but was unable to find a few of the late-game dungeons. Well, now I have the internet to help me if I get lost, and the cute as fuck NES Classic platform to play it on. I won't be shy about using guides or even occasional save states, but I really, really want to cross the original Legend of Zelda off my list of unfinished games now that we're both almost 36 (shoutout to all of my other Year of the Tiger folks).
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
The fourth and final repeat offender on my 2022 Gaming Goals list, Majora's Mask is my most-procrastinated game of the 2010s and 2020s; I've put it on these lists a whopping SIX times since I've started doing these lists in 2011, first in 2013 and most recently in 2020. I got about 4 hours into a playthrough in 2020, but would probably need to start anew to re-familiarize myself with the world and controls of Majora's Mask. This is the favorite Zelda game of at least three of my friends (Kevin, Steph, and Bobby for sure, probably a few others as well) so this *better* be the year.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild's Yet Untitled Sequel
2019 was my Year of FF XIV and 2021 was my Year of Yakuza (2020 was split between those two); I'm going to try and make 2022 my Year of Zelda. I've finished exactly ten Legend of Zelda games (documented
here) and really like all of them, and would love to increase that number to 13 or 14 this year. Zelda 2022 is the sequel to Breath of the Wild, which I played in 2018 and absolutely loved, and even if it trades a few open-world elements for more dungeon running I'm still hype as hell for it.
Zelda is a unique mix of open-world action, RPG character growth, and puzzle solving that has endured for 35+ years (my entire life, as I mentioned earlier), and I've always been a fan but would like to fill out the gaps in my Zelda resume. So these three Zelda games from different decades are the plan, and if I have some time by the end of the year I'll start thinking about my unfinished copies of Phantom Hourglass and Skyward Sword. But I won't get ahead of myself - the three above are the targets.
Contingency Plan: If any of the above 2022 games fail to release in 2022 or release VERY LATE (let's say after Thanksgiving), then it's officially replaced by Spider-Man: Miles Morales. I picked up Miles Morales on PS5 midway through 2021, and it'll be near the top of my list when I'm ready for some superhero action. Perfect replacement game in case one of those 2022 games releases late (mostly side-eyeing Zelda here). If TWO games need replacing due to delays (unlikely, but just in case), then the second backup will be Hollow Knight, a game I've been putting off playing for two or three years. I have it on Switch.
29 March 2022 Edit: Zelda indeed got delayed, so Hollow Knight moves up the list. I already finished Miles Morales earlier this year, so slotting that one in feels unfair. Hollow Knight it is.
My backlog outside of the 11 non-2022 games mentioned above is still completely insane, and it's very likely that I'll step outside this list of targets to play some combination of Castlevania Advance Collection, Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate, ActRaiser Renaissance, and various JRPGs. Sometimes I can't help myself. There are also 2022 games that will probably distract me in certain months, though I'm going to try and get into fewer brand-new games this year compared to last year (where I played something like 11 or 12). But if Dragon Quest III Remake, Final Fantasy XVI, Yakuza 8, or a new Mega Man release in English unexpectedly, then they move up the priority chart.
Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker released very recently, in December of 2021, and there is a non-zero chance that I relapse into FFXIV in 2022, which will definitely throw all of my other goals and overall personal productivity in jeopardy. I can't promise this will or won't happen, but I'm acknowledging it here just in case, so it isn't a surprise if I end up apologizing in a future blog post about FFXIV taking up so much of my time.
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So that's that. I'm going to start doublefisting the year with Trails in the Sky 3rd on my PC while I try to finish Yakuza 6 on my PS5, and after that, well, I haven't thought that far ahead. But I think I can manage it this year if I pace myself. Happy New Year of video games!
Nice to see this kind of list! It inspired me to make more of a real plan of what games I want to complete this year as well.
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