Holiday Catch Up

Coming home for the holidays isn't different from any other time because I come from a family that doesn't celebrate Christmas. It's a good time for me to catch up with friends and stare at their trees with amazement while getting  silly off egg nog, but then I return to a relatively quiet house. Because of this, Christmas is the best time for me to catch up on any video games I have been putting on the backburner for trivial reasons like academia or bank account balances. I decided to prepare my plan of attack with a list of games I know I'd like to get through ideally before 2012 ends to avoid the inevitable year-end guilt, but sometimes life happens and all we can say is c'est la vie.

I Am Alive

I mentioned in a previous post my love for the disaster genre. In response, fellow players recommended I pick up I Am Alive and admittedly I had completely forgotten the game existed. I recall the amount of anticipation in its marketing before it was revealed to be a downloadable title to have really piqued my interest. For a game that went in and out of development limbo, I'm interested to see how I respond to the narrative and gameplay.

Sleeping Dogs

To hear the words "open world" just as the school year is about to begin is one of those cruel jokes orchestrated by the universe. Our review of it convinced me. I knew I would get lost in Hong Kong having ludicrous adventures which is why I made the difficult decision to put off playing this game until I had some time to truly become obsessed. Besides, I knew any free moment I had would be dedicated to Borderlands 2 and to bring in another addictive game would be a one-way ticket to drop out failure.

Doom 3: BFG Edition

Due to nostalgia the Doom franchise can do very little wrong in my eyes. Like a mother's love for her sniveling young, I tend to overlook imperfections and hold it close to my bosom. Doom 2 was the first horror game I ever played and I've been in love (read: traumatized) since the first obliteration of an Imp. At first I was hesitant to add this title to my list since it's technically 8 years old, but I'm looking forward to strolling down memory lane with the BFG edition. Also, I quite enjoyed playing Doom 3 when it came out and to own it for my PS3 will be a lovely perk.

The Unfinished Swan

It's difficult for me to pry my eyes away from artistically eloquent games. I was completely floored by Flower and Journey, responding to every physical movement of the games with emotion. They were on the forefront of my mind before I went to bed. The category of "interactive art" games is significant, seductive, and a refreshing ingredient to the myriad of first person shooters and action adventure titles that I play on a regular basis. I know The Unfinished Swan is relatively short, so I'm sure this is a title I can fit into my New Year's Eve deadline.

The Walking Dead

My friends talked endlessly about it. I have watched it live on our feed. I know the endings, the characters, and the choices. Yet I still have a strong urge to experience this game on my own. I respond strongly when faced with choices that weigh morality against strategy. Although I've spoiled the narrative for myself, The Walking Dead is a game that has marked its territory on many year-end Top 10 lists and I want to give it a shot for myself.

Can I do it? I'd like to think so. For me this list is slightly too ambitious, but I know these are the games I kept telling myself throughout the year that I need to get to, or that I will eventually check off. With so many games and such little time, do you have any you're trying to wrap up before the year is over?