Patient Gamers @sh.itjust.works verycoolusername @lemm.ee 10mo ago

What is on your to-play list for 2024?

I know we're already in February, but what are you looking forward to playing this year?

I am currently limited to my PS4 and an older laptop as far as big-screen gaming is concerned, and I am going to be playing some sequels:

The Witcher II - The 3rd part is more famous but I hear 2 has the better story. I am also one of those who really enjoyed part 1!
Pillars of Eternity 2 - the first one was so good I can't wait
Red Dead Redemption II - which I got for my birthday. It is absolutely HUGE. RDR1 is in my all-time favorite games list.

As for handheld gaming, I have recently gotten a Nintendo DS Lite and a PSP so I will be playing some:

Deadeus - a 2D horror game that someone recommended on this thread
Final Fantasy Tactics funnily enough, I never played this! I did enjoy the GBA version a lot though.
Jeanne D'Arc apparently it is one of the PSP's best titles.

As someone with a lot of IRL obligations, I will be very happy if I make it through this list.

What is on your list?

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I'm trying to play through Control, finally. It's been sitting on my to-do list for ages. Not nescessarily a projet for the whole year, but it's what I got on my plate at the moment.

Playing on PC, with the unofficial patch (improves RT, texture streaming, stability, newer dlss... all the good stuff) and settings cranked. It's pretty dope tbh. I definitely suck at it, but the accessibility options (extra damage/health/regens etc) are pretty nice to scale the difficulty to my level.

Got to enjoy the SCP vibes and brutalist architecture. And Ahti, ofc.
- Dude. I never even considered there would be a community patch for Control. You just blew my dumb mind. For some reason I always just considered it one of those It's Done! games that magically didn't need anything else. (Not that there are any of those games these days).
  
  "community patch" is technically wrong, (AFAIK & IIRC) a remedy dev made it on their free time and got permission to release it as a mod (I suppose this is so remedy doesn't need to test/validate/etc it for different platforms or such).
  
  But, yea, the patch is great! Also, linky for those interested: https://community.pcgamingwiki.com/files/file/2581-control-hdrultrawidedlssrt-patch/ or https://www.nexusmods.com/control/mods/90?tab=description
- I started with Alan Wake 2, then went back to Control.
  
  Both really great, unique games, and Remedy are now up there with FromSoftware for my most anticipated games.
  
  Control was absolutely great, but they really hit another level with AW2 imo.
  
  I keep hearing AW2 is great, but... tbh I didn't much care for the first AW (and haven't played the dlc/expansion?). Kinda found the combat really annoying to deal with, but I was interested in the story. Does the sequel do combat any differently?
Star Wars: Outlaws. Looks really promising.

Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty. I played through the base game twice, so I'll need a bit more distance between the playthroughs.

Starfield, but only if there are significant updates, upgrades and expansions. I finished it twice back to back, so currently I'm a little tired of the game.

Any other single-player (action) RPG, that I stumble upon.
- Is Starfield really as dull in some sections as some people make it out to be?
  
  I'm hoping a DLC or update helps
  
  Yes, it is, I'm sorry to say. At least for now.
  
  I have a few dozen hours in Starfield, and while I wouldn't call it extremely dull, it's not not dull on a regular basis. The game has an uncanny talent for reducing space travel, planetary exploration, and crafting down to a series of nearly-identical nested menus. Crafting and world interaction feel like a step down from Fallout 4 in some ways, particularly how most of the junk is just useful for decoration.
  
  It excels at giving you less when you're expecting more, which makes it easy to overlook what it does well. There's still a lot of fun to be had in it; it feels tighter and more polished than Bethesda games generally do, and it's not a bad alternate take on NMS, which also isn't exactly a 100% compelling experience even after the work it received. (I had fun in Starfield way faster than I did in NMS, for what that's worth.)
  
  I don't regret my time in it at all, but it's kind of perfect patientgamers material. Not playing right away keeps you from burning out on it before it figures out what it wants to be.
  
  It depends. I've put over 200 hours into Starfield and didn't experience any dull or boring parts. But I noticed them.
  
  It's an old-school game with decades old mechanics, which happened to push all the right buttons with me. But others find it's boring.
  
  Yeah it's pretty crap right now unfortunately. I'll be waiting at least 3 more years before I give it another try
  
  Not at all IMO. I love Starfield and few of the reasons people give for it being bad are objective or even true. It is a great game but people misunderstand it and get mad about it not being what they want. And so much of the hate is just pure stupidity and ignorance. People not understanding basic concepts and how things work.
At this point:

Spelunky (play more, not start playing)

Dwarf Fortress (play more, not start playing)

Enderal (and maybe beat it this time)

Minecraft (my kids are waiting for me to set up a family & friends server)
As a guy with a lot of real life commitements, I'm hoping I'll get through:

Death Stranding

Cyberpunk 2077

Half Life: Alyx

Titanfall 2

... and some recent shorter indies. But if I even finish one of the abovementioned games, I'll be happy.
- I would recommend starting with Titanfall 2. The story is linear and doesn't take a super long time to complete but you get a strong consistent feeling of progression that's quite rewarding
- Haven't played Alyx but thought all of the others were excellent. Should be able to get through Titanfall 2, it's pretty short!
  
  So I've heard! Waiting for that kind of Sunday, so I can sit down and do a focused play through. How long do you reckon it is?
- I've started Death Stranding a few days ago. I played ~ 10 hours and it's pretty fun.
  
  Yes! I've done the opening mission where you head for the incinerator, and there something about this game that makes me bot being able to stop thinking about it.
  
  I don't think I'll be able to drop +30 hours into it, but I'm very keen to play it some more.
Jeanne D'Arc apparently it is one of the PSP's best titles.

Can confirm. It was the main disc I kept in my PSP most of the time. It's great if you like Final Fantasy Tactics type games
Half the stuff I've posted on [email protected] since summer but haven't got round to playing yet! I'm actually very keen for Cursed to Golf, I think it was an Epic xmas freebie and I just love the concept of a roguelike golf game.
I wanna platinum Monster Hunter World which might just take all of 2024 alone…
Because Cities Skylines 2 is such a letdown I've been trying Timberborn and wanna start Songs of Syx. City builders are my staple but it's been years since I've caught the same high as when I played Sim City 4. CS1 was great but SC4 is still the best city builder game ever made IMO.

Tekken 8. I love fighting games too. Street Fighter 6 is great but I fell off that game hard. Capcom is way to slow to do anything with the game. It's really easy to get bored with it.

After that I really wanna go back and finish BG3. I spent a lot of time in act 1 and barely touched it after that. I don't know why I dropped it. I was having a blast. I guess that's ADHD or something.
- Have you tried Open TTD? It's retro AF, and the UI is from 1872, but it's multiplayer and free.
  
  Yeah, I put many hours into it. It's a blast.
I want to play games that are already in my library, but I have never played:

Finish RDR2

a short hike - everyone says it is great

To the Moon - a story driven adventure RPG

Yooka Laylee - a worse banjo kazooie, but it seems like a nice relaxing game
- A short hike is so good! And it's not a very long game, so it's a small commitment but so worth it
WarTales is on sale through May on GOG last I checked so I might pick it up. I’m currently midway through Shadow of War and Fallout IV, but I feel like I’ve hit a wall with motivation to play FO4 at least. Oh and trying to finish my Oblivion playthrough. Maybe one day.
I've just picked up Resident Evil 2 Remake for cheap, that'll be the first one. Then I think Last of Us, not played those yet.
A friend of mine mentioned he started Persona 3 Reload (which I didn't even know was a thing until then) so the other day I started P3P on the vita again as I never made it very far before. I was burnt out on the concept after going straight in from a P4G 125 hour game, so this time I'm looking forward to it!

I also have Driver San Francisco that I want to play through again as that game is pretty fucking awesome.

I'm going to give the first Watchdogs game a try.

I may go back and look into some other PSP and Vita games I never played or finished as well. Picking up the vita again after a long time is such a breath of fresh air. It feels so much better in my hands than the heavy and unwieldy steamdeck that I'm reinvigorated to go back to it. After playing an hour of P3 at work today I also still had 90 percent battery on it. I love this little thing!

You mentioning FF: Tactics as well, I was thinking about going back to a Disgaea title but I may try tactics again!
I'd be glad to finish something (anything) from the list:

Black Mesa

Pillars of Eternity

Witcher 2 (replay before 3)

Witcher 3

Wasteland 2

Bioshock

And about 100 more :-D
Factorio. This game will probably be on my list every year because it's so good. I'm currently going for all achievements, but after that I want to try to make a Bob's+Angel's megabase, or start the K2 and/or Space Exploration mods. And then the DLC should be coming out this year, with a slew of new stuff to play with and legions of QoL features for all players regardless of if they have the DLC.

Pokémon Legends Arceus. I bought the game but I wanted to finish Scarlet first. Now I've finished Scarlet (although I might want to go back to it for the postgame). I've already started Arceus, but I've barely made it out of the Tutorial.

Cities Skylines II. I already have 28 hours in it, but the planned roadmap for the game this year is quite exciting.

The Legend of Zelda, Link's Awakening (GB emulator). I wanted to game on my new daily driver, Ubuntu, and didn't want to reinstall all my Steam games because I'm dual booting Windows, so I decided to go into emulation and try the Zelda franchise. So far I've beaten level 1 and am having fun.

Cassette Beasts. Pokemon-like but with more ambition and innovation put into it. On my wishlist.

Palworld. Same as above, but also has elements of Factorio in it.

Dyson Sphere Program. Bought the game on sale. Never played it. Will get to it eventually. (I said that last year as well)

Kerbal Space Program. Same as above.
Ratchet and Clank Up your Arsenal. I recently beat a rift apart and loved it and I've never beat up your arsenal but started it a dozen times as a kid
Takeshi's Challenge made it to smartphones. Maybe it's time for me to try it finally after 38 years.
Does it count if I have been patiently waiting for Shadow of the Erdtree since they announced it? 🤔
Going to try to do more patient gaming this year after last year a certain popular RPG grabbed me for hundreds of hours. I've got Atelier Ayesha on deck and thinking about Tokyo Xanadu.

Also considering:

Horizon Zero Dawn: the Frozen Wilds

Live a Live

Midnight Suns

Ys IX: Monstrum Nox

Plus a VN, I think. Either Phoenix Wright: Spirit of Justice or Higurashi (which I started but hasn't grabbed me yet). And here's hoping OP that you starting Final Fantasy Tactics manifests a remaster finally.
Of the ones I have:

GTA V campaign. It's low on my priority list despite being the first one written here.

King's Bounty series (new ones). Finished The Legend and am halfway through Armored Princess. Not sure when I'll finish it though.

XCOM series (new one). Starting a 2nd wave marathon. Not sure I'll reach Chimera Squad.

Halo collection. Wanna go through the entire Master Chief campaign in one go. Maybe in summer.
Other random stuff depending on the craving.
I’m finally getting around to Mass Effect. So far I’m really enjoying it. The first time you get to explore what I assume is the main hub, it’s pretty cool.

I also enjoyed The Witcher 1 a few years ago, but was thoroughly disappointed with 2.

Last year I played Pillars of Eternity 1 and 2 and enjoyed both, though I prefer 1.
- I played quite a ways through PoE 1 but didn’t finish, but somehow I went through 2 much later and beat the whole game and haven’t been able to beat 1 since, despite restarting the game a bunch. Wish I’d’ve beaten it originally.
- The Mass Effect Trilogy is a masterpiece. You're in for a wild ride!
There's no way I'm finishing them all in 1yr, but these are currently on the list (PC/Steam Deck):

Totally Accurate Battle Simulator

Subnautica

American Truck Simulator

Fallout: New Vegas

Stardew Valley

The Witcher 3

Slay the Spire

Terraria
- Be careful with Subnautica. I lost 75 hours of my life in the blink of an eye to that game. It's easily one of the best survival horror adventure games ever made.
  
  Terraria is also up there. Once you play it you never really need to try another side scrolling 2D Minecraft like game again.
- I'm about to finish F:NV soon. Took me a while and was a great experience so far. Except for Old World Blues DLC which I really disliked and Honest Hearts (the Zion one) which kept crashing constantly for me so I had to skip it. Otherwise really good and really better than bethesdas F3, true to what everyone said.
  
  I got NV modded up through the Viva New Vegas guide, so hopefully that fixes the crashes for me. Figuring out how to mod it on linux was surprisingly easy too, thanks to the MO2 linux installer on github.
Some that come to mind are:

God of War Collection/3 on my PS Vita

System Shock Remastered

Deus Ex Human Revolution/Mankind Divided

I've been meaning to play The Witcher 2 but I feel like I should play the first one before I do. There's also some large mods I've been meaning to play for Fallout/Elder Scrolls games. I'm currently playing DUST for FNV
I don't really plan things out like that, but here are a few I've been putting off for one reason or another:

Red Dead Redemption 2

Mass Effect Legendary

Xenoblade Chronicles

Witcher 3

I also have a lot of IRL obligations, so I usually end up playing shorter indie games instead. I love those games, but I also enjoy longer stories, but they're a bit harder to get into.

I'll probably also play some classic Nintendo Switch games, like Kirby and Mario (haven't played any this gen aside from Mario Kart 8).
- Even speaking as a big fan of Xenoblade, it is a typical JRPG with an extremely expansive story. I hope you like it and then play the second part which is my personal favorite.
  
  I've already started it (got to the invasion part), and I can already tell it's going to have a great story. Just need to make the time to finish it.
  
  And yeah, I hear the rest of the series is great, so I'll be playing in order.
For Final Fantasy Tactics, if you're playing the PSP release, install CFW on your PSP (check reddit for a comprehensive guide on that) and then make sure to look up the patches for the game.

The PSP port made the questionable choice of stretching graphics from the original 4:3 aspect ratio into the PSP's 16:9 screen ratio, and it looks rough. Also, there's some sort of coding issue that makes most moves with particle effects slow the frame rate to a crawl.

There's patches available to fix both of those issues, with no bugs or tradeoffs.
- Wow, thanks! I have CFW but haven't thought of patching the game
Actually, since I heard about four, I also want to play The Witcher 2.

I loved one and three, but something about two just was so plotting that I couldn't get into it and stopped playing twice after just a few hours.

I really cannot explain it since I got so into the first and third, but I will probably try to play the second one now so that I have the trilogy under my belt.

I think I. Got killed super easily in the beginning of the second one and I had no idea where I was going?

I do remember that the combat was super cool.
- Most of Chapter 1 (not the prologue) is just not great. The rest of the game more than makes up for it.
  
  Thanks. I doubt I made it past the first chapter. I was just like what the f*** who cares about any of this. Where's the story?
  
  And considering how immersive the first and third games were and having so many other great games to play, I was shocked when the second one caught me with such boredom and aimlessness.
  
  I'll tuck in though, I am still excited at the prospect of having another witcher game to get into at all.
Nothing directly. I've seen my backlog of 70 or so games, and now my goal for 2024 is to just let go of the feeling that I need to complete games, and just play what I want, when I feel like it.

That being said, I'm trying out Cassette Beasts! Pretty fun so far, though I'm only around an hour in.

Also not a patient gamer for this one, but it's free so I hope it counts: Fallout: London is a release I'm looking forward to.
Interesting how OP and some people in the comments really liked Pillars of Eternity, and I tried to play it for probably fifth time, and still found it a huge slog. Forced myself to play it for 5ish hours, and despite being an RPG fan, found zero interest in any of the setting or characters, this time giving up on the game forever :/
I think I'll just keep playing DayZ.

66 comments