Gaming abstinence challenge: buying just 12 games in 12 months in 2022. Clear your pile of shame!

[Jamie John]

It's the end of September and I've gone the full month without buying a game, which I'm pretty pleased with. I was tempted by Monkey Island, but I'll pick it up at some point in the future. 

 

Additionally, I've made a big dent in the backlog this month, going from 16 to 11 games, and I'm actually motivated now to keep playing the games I already own rather than buy more. Some of the ones I've got left (including Xenoblade, FFX remastered and Ghost of Tsushima) are all big mothers, though, so if I can get to just 5 games by January then I'll be happy. As for future purchases this year, God of War 2 I'll get digital, day one, come November, but October's biggest games are all coming to Game Pass anyway, so there's not a huge amount left in 2022 that I'm planning on actually buying.

 

Finally, the Steam Deck continues to be a brilliant device for backlog clearing; being able to play Game Pass games on it, along with my Steam Games, has made it my most-played console by far this month and I've been squeezing in some playtime before work, too. I was very dubious about paying £550+ for a console at first, and although I probably didn't need to get the 512GB model, now I couldn't be without it.

 

How did everyone else do in September?

[Qazimod]

On 31/12/2021 at 20:46, Qazimod said:

1. Destiny 2: The Witch Queen (Feb)

2. Elden Ring (Feb)

3. FFVII Remake: INTERmission (May)

4. Hades (Jun)

5. Clustertruck (Jun)

6. Return to Castle Wolfenstein (Aug)

7. Catherine Classic (Sep)

 

September didn't go as planned - but in a good way? I was going to pick up Metal: Hellsinger, but held off after hearing about the brevity. The only thing I did pick up was Catherine Classic because it was on sale for £2.85 - I own it on 360 already but my Slim is packed away and I don't own anything that can do backward compatibility. It was significantly cheaper than M:H though, so I'm counting that as a "saving" in my head. 🙃

 

I only have one more "definite" purchase in mind this year, which is Persona 5 Royal on PC. It's being released at the end of October... but I might end up skipping that depending on PC compatibility/requirements woes. The only other future spends I can think of are any random sale purchases; I still have a bit of unspent PSN credit...

[Nobuo's Organ]

Jan 26 - Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum'n'Fun!

Feb 9 - Destiny 2: The Witch Queen Deluxe Edition

April 12 - Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST & Halo 4

Aug 24 - Destiny 2: Lightfall + Annual Pass (Preorder)

Sep 22 - Trombone Champ

 

This challenge is rrrather easy when you mostly just play Destiny

 

 

[ox1973]

Update:

 

1. Capcom vs SNK Card Fighters Clash (Nintendo Switch) - £4.19

2. Elden Ring (PC) - £36.99

3. Peglin (PC) - £13.49

4. Steam Deck 512GB - £565.00

5. Roundguard (PC) - £3.74

6. Cursed to Golf (PC) - £15.29

7. Arcade Paradise (PC) - £15.99

 

I loved the PS Vita version of Everybody's Golf so Easy Come Easy Golf on Switch is on the radar. Front Mission 1st remake too, if it arrives this year. Also waiting for a price drop for the Judgment games on PC. Will probably end up somewhere near 12 for the year after all.

[teddymeow]

On 04/07/2022 at 20:50, teddymeow said:

Progress Report:

 

Jan - Uncharted Legacy of Thieves (PS5) - £6.79

 

Feb - Horizon Forbidden West (PS4 with PS5 upgrade) - £52.95

 

March - Kirby & The Forgotten Land (NSW) - £39.45

 

April - Nothing

 

May - Ghostwire Tokyo (PS5) - £24.99

 

June - Mario Strikers: Battle League (NSW) - £42.95 (sold after a week!!)

 

July - Binary Domain (XSX) - £5.99 - Though I used MS Rewards to get a £10 Xbox gift card

 

August - ??

 

September - The Last of Us: Part I

 

October - LEGO Builder's Journey

 

November - God of War: Ragnarok

 

December - ??

_____________________________________________________

 

To be clear, however: I did re-sub to GamePass for another year for £6.99 after using a bunch of MS Reward points to get 4 x 3 month Live codes. I also paid £35ish to upgrade my PS+ from Essential to Premium but those aren't actually games so they don't count...ahem...😉

 

October purchase of LEGO Builder's Journey on Xbox for £8.67.

 

Thought I had £4 of MS credit left from when I bought Binary Domain but it would appear that it expired (it was a code bought via MS Reward points).

 

Still waiting for a sub-£20 for SIFU...

[glb]

Had Terminator: Resistance on my PS5 wishlist, and got an alert the enhanced version had dropped to £19.99. Now have a proper backlog again

 

Got two slots left. Think all three on my wishlist can wait until 2023 (or go on my Christmas list) Famous last words.

 

Overview (spoilered for long)

Spoiler

Purchased

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (January)

Lego Skywalker Yortcakes (April)

Cyberpunk 2077 (April) - trade

Wolf Mountain - Sniper Elite 5 DLC (July)

Anbernic RG351MP (July - cost equivalent of two new AAA games)

Hero Emblems 2 (August)

PS+ Plus Premium (August)

Horizon Forbidden West (September)

Terminator: Resistance (October)

(two games remaining)

 

Completed 2022

Bee Simulator (PS+)
Black Ops: Cold War (PS5)

Crackdown 3 (GP)

Deathloop (PS5)

Doom Eternal (GP)

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (PS5)

Power Wash Simulator (GP)

Sniper Elite V (GP)

Two Point Campus (GP)

 

Wishlist (2022)

God of War Ragnarok

Saints Row (will buy when around £20)

The Callisto Project

 

Currently Playing (owned/subs)
Cyberpunk 2077 (PS5)

Hero Emblems II (iOS)

Horizon Forbidden West (PS5)

 

Backlog (owned not subbed)

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

Cyberpunk 2077

FIFA ‘22

Horizon Forbidden West

Mortal Kombat 11 (story mode)

Resident Evil 7

Soma

Terminator: Resistance

 

[acidbearboy]

Haven't posted in here for a while....

 

Previously

Spoiler

February:

NES remix 1 & 2 £8.99 each
Tengami 6.99
Olympia rising 4.49

 

£30 eShop voucher purchased for £27. 

54p left over on account.

 

March:

Duck Hunt (Wii-U VC) £3.49 (-54p) cost me 2.95
The Adventures of Bayou Billy (Wii-U VC) £3.49
F-Zero (Wii-U VC) £1.49

Bridge Strike (Switch) 89p cost me 66p with gold points!
Shinobi (Sega Ages) (Switch) £2.09

 

August:
Lo Fi Ping Pong (Switch) £1.59
ACA NeoGeo Big Tournament Golf (Switch) £3.14
Papers Please (iPad) £4.49
Kiki Kai Kai AKA Pocky & Rocky Reshrined (Switch physical) £30
Played them all a few times each at least. Spent the most time with Pocky & Rocky, by some margin. Great little game!

September
Viper (PS1) £16
Saw this on a video and thought it looked interesting - tried to play it on the PS3 but there was some weird issue with the sound, so I'll have to wait until I get the original PSX console out to play this one.

October
Namco Museum Arcade Pac (Switch) £4.89
Boomerang Fu (Switch) £1.53 + DLC £2.61 with gold coin discount

A trip to the arcade had me wanting Galaga and Galaga '88 at home, which Namco Museum provided. Several other games on there to try too. Boomerang Fu is more for the kids, but I have played it a few times and it is good fun!
 

I finally completed Breath of the Wild and haven't touched it since.

I never went back to FFX and I don't suppose I will now.

I got quite far into Super Metroid at the start of the year and never finished it (have completed it several times before).

I recently played A Link To The Past - think I did 5 dungeons in the dark world and have left it there (have completed it before).

Still dipping into Ridge Racer 7 on PS3 occasionally.

Played a few hours of Touhou Luna Nights which is good - hope to finish it. 

 

I've updated my backlogged account tonight - I've removed any games from my backlog list if I have played but not finished them.

I'm pretty casual - I play for fun, I don't need to finish everything. 

https://www.backloggd.com/u/acidbearboy/

[Qazimod]

Pre-ordered D2: Lightfall, but as it's released in 2023 I'm going to put it on my list in next year's thread (yes, I'll take part in next year's thread.) I'm pretty sure I did the same when I pre-ordered WQ in 2021.

[Jamie John]

1. Inscryption (PC) - 7/1/22

2. Kena: Bridge of Spirits (PS4) - 28/1/22

3. Elden Ring (XSX) - 21/02/22

4. Kirby and the Forgotten Land (Switch) - 25/03/22

5. Dragon Quest XI: Definitive Edition (Switch) - 28/4/22

6. Horizon: Forbidden West (PS5) - 27/5/22

7. Sifu: Vengeance Edition (PS5) - 6/7/22

8. Streets of Rage 4 (Switch) - 1/8/22

9. (One month of PS Plus) - 15/10/22

10.

11.

12.

 

I was just going to buy Stray, as it's currently on sale for £20, but then I saw that it was part of the PS Plus game catalogue thing, which is only a tenner, so I got that instead. In fact, I got the seven day free trial, so I haven't even paid for it yet.

 

The game catalogue also includes the Director's Cut version of Ghost of Tsushima and I've got the PS4 version in my backlog that I'd been meaning to get the upgrade for, so I may well keep it for a month or so. Although, with God of War Ragnarok out in a few weeks, it may not get a look in.

[glb]

Just adding Unpacking to my completed games. Another little gem played thanks to Gamepass. Will finish one of Horizon or Cyberpunk by the end of the year, which will round off a decent year in terms of games completed. 

 

Completed 2022

Bee Simulator (PS+)
Black Ops: Cold War (PS5)

Crackdown 3 (GP)

Deathloop (PS5)

Doom Eternal (GP)

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (PS5)

Power Wash Simulator (GP)

Sniper Elite V (GP)

Two Point Campus (GP)

Unpacking (GP)

[mechamonkey]

On 08/01/2022 at 23:00, mechamonkey said:

Not sure if this is allowed so I won't provide any links but I'm currently doing a Year of Shame, this means zero money spent on games this year, playing nothing  released on paid subs post Jan 1st etc, also doing a podcast with a few like minded chums.
I put all my accounts into GOG Galaxy and have well over 1500 games, think I'll be fine....

 

Still going strong on this, no money spent 38 proper games done and loads of old emulated stuff. I've really enjoyed it so far, not really missed anything much and had a much more varied year than usual. 
The closest to new games I've come is playing the SF6 and Darktide betas this month, oh and Overwatch 2 but seeing as that cost nothing and you cant play OW1 any more I'm not counting that.

[mechamonkey]

*edit* double post sorry.

[AlexM]

1 hour ago, mechamonkey said:

Still going strong on this, no money spent 38 proper games done and loads of old emulated stuff. I've really enjoyed it so far, not really missed anything much and had a much more varied year than usual. 
The closest to new games I've come is playing the SF6 and Darktide betas this month, oh and Overwatch 2 but seeing as that cost nothing and you cant play OW1 any more I'm not counting that.

 

I'm sort-of on track for my no purchases in 2022 - I was gifted F1 2020 on Steam so I can play it on the Deck (I already had it via Game Pass). No money spent though, and I don't feel I've missed out.

 

I've discovered that I don't need many games to enjoy myself, and I'm now focusing on a few games rather than bouncing off of lots of them. Titles I enjoyed 'back in the day' are still lots of fun, tend to be more to the point with less fluff (and easier to run!), AND I finally completed Half-Life 2!

 

An added bonus is that I now rarely check out game reviews for new releases, which has been a massive time sink for me. I'm still on the forum too much though!

[teddymeow]

On 31/12/2021 at 22:31, teddymeow said:

@DarkCrisis Are you buying the Uncharted PS5 upgrades as a new game or are you doing the £10 update?

 

Trying to figure out if this counts as my first purchase of the year or not. 🤔

 

Jan - Uncharted Legacy of Thieves (PS5) - £6.79

 

Feb - Horizon Forbidden West (PS4 with PS5 upgrade) - £52.95

 

March - Kirby & The Forgotten Land (NSW) - £39.45

 

April - Nothing

 

May - Ghostwire Tokyo (PS5) - £24.99

 

June - Mario Strikers: Battle League (NSW) - £42.95

 

July - Binary Domain (XSX) - £5.99 - Redeemed £10 of MS Rewards points for Xbox credit so *technically* free

 

August - Olli Olli World (PS5) - £16.49

 

September - The Last of Us: Part I (PS5) - £53.85

 

October - LEGO Builder's Journey (XBX) - £8.37

                 Resident Evil 2 & 3 (PS5) - £1.42 (used some MS Reward points to buy £15 PSN credit)

 

November - God of War: Ragnarok (PS5) - £59.85

 

December - The Callisto Protocol (PS5) - £44.99 - Smyth's Toys is the cheapest I've found

 

 

Well, that's me out for the year. 12 months, 13 purchases. I'm amazed at myself that I only slipped once (October) but even then it was using not real money to do so.

[Jamie John]

Well done, @teddymeow! (Unless you happen to slip up and buy something else in the next two months...)

[teddymeow]

10 minutes ago, Jamie John said:

Well done, @teddymeow! (Unless you happen to slip up and buy something else in the next two months...)

 

Erk, here's hoping that doesn't happen... Worst case scenario, I go all teenager and put games on my Christmas list... 😂😂😂

[thesnwmn]

On 18/10/2022 at 16:09, AlexM said:

 

I'm sort-of on track for my no purchases in 2022 - I was gifted F1 2020 on Steam so I can play it on the Deck (I already had it via Game Pass). No money spent though, and I don't feel I've missed out.

 

I've discovered that I don't need many games to enjoy myself, and I'm now focusing on a few games rather than bouncing off of lots of them. Titles I enjoyed 'back in the day' are still lots of fun, tend to be more to the point with less fluff (and easier to run!), AND I finally completed Half-Life 2!

 

An added bonus is that I now rarely check out game reviews for new releases, which has been a massive time sink for me. I'm still on the forum too much though!

 

But did you buy a Deck instead 🤔🤣

[Paulando]

I was doing well for the first half of this year, spent way less than I normally would have and was averaging 1-ish game per month.

 

Then I got a Steam Deck and it all went to shit 

 

Cheap keys, Steam sales, bundles, access to games I’d wasn’t able to play before, games I wanted to re-buy to enjoy on the platform etc. I haven’t spent a huge amount, with the most expensive game being around £15, most of them a few quid each, so it pales in comparison to even a couple of RRP PS5 games, but I have bought a fair number of them.

 

It’ll definitely cool down now I’m past that new hardware honeymoon phase. I’ve still spent much less this year than I have for a long time, and my habits have definitely changed for the better too, so I’m still glad I gave it a go 

[AlexM]

1 hour ago, thesnwmn said:

 

But did you buy a Deck instead 🤔🤣

I would have done but I managed to get it as a birthday present 😁

[Qazimod]

October:

 

On 31/12/2021 at 20:46, Qazimod said:

1. Destiny 2: The Witch Queen (Feb)

2. Elden Ring (Feb)

3. FFVII Remake: INTERmission (May)

4. Hades (Jun)

5. Clustertruck (Jun)

6. Return to Castle Wolfenstein (Aug)

7. Catherine Classic (Sep)

8. Persona 5 Royal - Steam (Oct)

 

P5R was the last of my "definite" purchases - unless there's some kind of surprise announcement/release at the end of the year, I'm not planning to buy that much else. I might get an older game this month as my birthday is coming up, and I do still have a bit of PSN credit for things, but we'll see.

[Jamie John]

Ending the month with game 10 of 12:

 

1. Inscryption (PC) - 7/1/22

2. Kena: Bridge of Spirits (PS4) - 28/1/22

3. Elden Ring (XSX) - 21/02/22

4. Kirby and the Forgotten Land (Switch) - 25/03/22

5. Dragon Quest XI: Definitive Edition (Switch) - 28/4/22

6. Horizon: Forbidden West (PS5) - 27/5/22

7. Sifu: Vengeance Edition (PS5) - 6/7/22

8. Streets of Rage 4 (Switch) - 1/8/22

9. (One month of PS Plus) - 15/10/22

10. God of War: Ragnarok (pre-order) - 31/10/22

11.

12.

 

GoW is out next week, so I thought it was about time I actually pre-ordered it. I've got for the digital edition as I managed to wrangle some cheaper credit, and I don't anticipate that I'll sell it after playing it if it's as good as the first game.

 

Separately, after pieing off Xenoblade Chronicles on the Switch earlier this month and completing Hotline Miami 2, my backlog is now down to single figures, baby, with just 9 games, a far cry from the 56 games I started the year with . I'm hoping to get that down to maybe 5 or 6 by January, as after GoW it's mostly just Game Pass games that are going to keep me from chipping away from my backlog; there's nothing else I'm interested in picking up day one. Hopefully this will keep me nice and clear for the 2023 deluge, starting with Dead Space in January.

[glb]

Just updating a couple of bits. Moving FIFA ‘22 off my backlog as it is just a game that sits on my hard drive for quick plays rather than being a glaring piece from the shame pile.

 

Confession time: I’m very tempted to get a Switch for a Christmas present to self, which would blow the 12 games budget out of the water. We’ll see. Even if I do, feel like the year has been a good lesson, especially in terms of reducing FOMO around new games. Think only Lego Skywalker Saga was a day one, and that wasn’t full price and I got plenty out of it. 2023 looks pretty similar to this year in that I’ll probably get most value from Gamepass and hopefully a bit more from PS+.

 

Overview (spoilered for long)

Spoiler

Purchased

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (January)

Lego Skywalker Yortcakes (April)

Cyberpunk 2077 (April) - trade

Wolf Mountain - Sniper Elite 5 DLC (July)

Anbernic RG351MP (July - cost equivalent of two new AAA games)

Hero Emblems 2 (August)

PS+ Plus Premium (August)

Horizon Forbidden West (September)

Terminator: Resistance (October)

(two games remaining)
 

Completed 2022

Bee Simulator (PS+)
Black Ops: Cold War (PS5)

Crackdown 3 (GP)

Deathloop (PS5)

Doom Eternal (GP)

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (PS5)

Power Wash Simulator (GP)

Sniper Elite V (GP)

Two Point Campus (GP)

Unpacking (GP)

 

Wishlist (2022)

God of War Ragnarok

Saints Row (will buy when around £20)

The Callisto Project

 

Currently Playing (owned/subs)
Cyberpunk 2077 (PS5)

Hero Emblems II (iOS)

Horizon Forbidden West (PS5)

Sunset Overdrive (GP)

Terminator: Resistance (PS5)

 

Backlog (owned not subbed)

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

Mortal Kombat 11 (story mode)

Resident Evil 7

Soma

 

[glb]

Made another purchase, Saints Row for cheap. Wanted something mindless to have in the locker for the winter, and as most of my game playing is usually in an open world, it'll fit the bill perfectly. Also completed Sunset Overdrive on Gamepass. Fun game and can feel a lot of the joy present in Spider-Man when traversing the map. Well worth a look if you missed it on release.

 

Overview (spoilered for long)

Spoiler

Purchased

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla (January)

Lego Skywalker Yortcakes (April)

Cyberpunk 2077 (April) - trade

Wolf Mountain - Sniper Elite 5 DLC (July)

Anbernic RG351MP (July - cost equivalent of two new AAA games)

Hero Emblems 2 (August)

PS+ Plus Premium (August)

Horizon Forbidden West (September)

Terminator: Resistance (October)

Saints Row (November)

(one game remaining)
 

Completed 2022

Bee Simulator (PS+)
Black Ops: Cold War (PS5)

Crackdown 3 (GP)

Deathloop (PS5)

Doom Eternal (GP)

Kill It with Fire (GP)

Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga (PS5)

Power Wash Simulator (GP)

Sniper Elite V (GP)

Sunset Overdrive (GP)

Terminator: Resistance (PS5)

Two Point Campus (GP)

Unpacking (GP)

 

Wishlist (2022)

God of War Ragnarok

 

Currently Playing (owned/subs)
Cyberpunk 2077 (PS5)

Horizon Forbidden West (PS5)

 

Backlog (owned not subbed)

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla

Mortal Kombat 11 (story mode)

Resident Evil 7

Saints Row

Soma

 

[HarryBizzle]

Jan: nuffink. 

February: Sekiro (£10). Elden Ring.

March: zero

April: nada

May: zilch

June: Horizon: Forbidden West. 
July: Nope

August: nuh uh

September: that’s a no from me, dawg

October: 0

November: God of War - Ragnarok

 

 

 

This is gonna be easy but I wish it wasn’t. Seem to be very bored of games. Am enjoying Ragnarok, though. Got Sifu and Evil West on my list of things I want, too. 

[teddymeow]

On 27/10/2022 at 18:04, teddymeow said:

 

Erk, here's hoping that doesn't happen... Worst case scenario, I go all teenager and put games on my Christmas list... 😂😂😂

 

Yeah, Klonoa & SIFU from the kids for me at Chrimbo! Not my money spent, doesn't count...

 

At this rate, 2023 is going to be lean as my aim is going to be to finish more of my backlog. I started so well the first quarter of the year and then my "gaming get up and go" sort of got up and left. 😔

[Jamie John]

1. Inscryption (PC) - 7/1/22

2. Kena: Bridge of Spirits (PS4) - 28/1/22

3. Elden Ring (XSX) - 21/02/22

4. Kirby and the Forgotten Land (Switch) - 25/03/22

5. Dragon Quest XI: Definitive Edition (Switch) - 28/4/22

6. Horizon: Forbidden West (PS5) - 27/5/22

7. Sifu: Vengeance Edition (PS5) - 6/7/22

8. Streets of Rage 4 (Switch) - 1/8/22

9. (One month of PS Plus) - 15/10/22

10. God of War: Ragnarok (pre-order) - 31/10/22

11. Mushihimesama (Switch) - 26/11/22 

12.

 

Avoiding the Black Friday sales has been tough, but I've been meaning to play Mushihimesama for a while, after hearing lots of good things, and I thought the Switch version would look good on the OLED. Plus, region-scumming meant I got it for a few quid cheaper on the Polish eShop.

 

One game left for the final month of the year! I should probably pick up something for my Steam Deck in the sales; it's been gathering dust since I spent £80 on the official dock 

[teddymeow]

@Jamie John For me, Black Friday hasn't been bad. I've checked all the stores but nothing really jumped out at me.

 

December has been made easier by deciding to go for the Switch version of Elevator Action Returns. £4.26 of eshop points to spend and MS Reward points to purchase the remaining credit from elsewhere.

[Jamie John]

29 minutes ago, teddymeow said:

@Jamie John For me, Black Friday hasn't been bad. I've checked all the stores but nothing really jumped out at me.

 

December has been made easier by deciding to go for the Switch version of Elevator Action Returns. £4.26 of eshop points to spend and MS Reward points to purchase the remaining credit from elsewhere.

 

A lot of games on my Steam wishlist are on sale, but nothing that I'm aching to play. I reckon my final game purchase of the year might be Cyberpunk.

[spanx]

1. OlliOlli World (£15)

2. Elden Ring (£38)

3. Death Stranding Directors Cut Upgrade (£8)

4. Kodiak 100 Plane for MSFS2020 (£30)

5. BAe 146 plane for MSFS (£50)

6. Satisfactory (£14)

7. Stray (£18)
8. Inside (£2)

9. Super Mario 3D World (£35)

10. Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (£50)
11. Milviz Cessna 310R plane for MSFS (£30)

 

Hadn’t updated for a while. Only purchase recently was (another) new plane for MSFS which was a brilliant purchase, however moved house in mid October, and lack of proper internet (coming next week I hope) has meant downloading new games or playing anything that consumes too much data (yes, looking at you Flight Sim) has been a no-no. So no new purchases, managed to get P5R on game pass downloaded and have mainly been playing that. 
 

Looking good to hit the target for the year, and as three of my “games” were just planes my backlog is in check

[teddymeow]

Oh, shit!!

 

Managed to get a digital copy of PS5 GT7 for ¥1000 (about £6.50).

 

Would've been rude not to partake.