Way back in 2019 (already feeling like it was 3 years ago) the average yearly spending on video games in the US was $216 or about £150 in today’s money. As you could probably guess I am not an ‘average’ gamer, I buy a lot of games. So I might as well talk about them! Month to month pickups will vary due to finances, new releases, current obsessions. I am slowly building a physical game collection which I will touch upon in an article later in the year but the majority of my grabs are either physicals to play or decent digital sale discounts.
With that in mind we kick off with January, probably my quietest month in the year for pickups! Like most people I am generally broke, with the extended gap between pay packets being a pain. Few new releases come out now either, typically the big blowout before Christmas is the main release window. There are the winter digital sales which I usually raid my wish lists for. I can’t pick everything up on release so now is the time.
For those that tend to miss out on some lightning deals hopefully I can provide some insight and motivation. Some titles I pre order have limited quantities though those will take a couple of months to come so will not be mentioned here. Only when they arrive!
Physical
After a gargantuan haul of physical Switch games over Christmas (many thanks family!) there is not a whole lot I need. This has nicely set me up for the coming quieter months but actually I do have one console in need of titles. My Xbox Series X. Due to a broken console for much of 2020 I really didn't grab anything. Particularly as I didn’t know what was going to be backwards compatible.
Now I’ve made up for lost time with a bargain Fallout 4 GotY edition. I had this on PS4 but want to go back on next gen and see if my slightly negative opinion is wrong. I also failed to check out any of the DLC so that is top of the list.
Ongoing Twitch streams from Chris and Loz on From Softwares classic titles made Darks Souls a must own, thankfully Ree comes to the rescue with Dark Souls Trilogy on Xbox. This ended up being one of my first gaming homework titles and now I see what the hype is about! My favourite pickup was Snowrunner, an early birthday present from my better half. I only just bought this on PC from Epic Store and was absolutely obsessed with it, as seen HERE. My laptop was taking a battering so what better way to play then on my Series X.
Finally I nabbed Battle Chasers Nightwar on Switch. I had heard good things and it was going so cheap on Amazon (I know, I am a monster) that I had to nab it. It's one of those third party games I like to get, as once it sells out it's pretty hard to get at a decent price. This may or may not get a run out! All in all some very decent games but a quiet month.
Digital
I went a bit more wild on the Nintendo eShop. HtuR has been raving about Spiritfarer and whilst I don’t like to pay so much for a digital only game it was on sale so what the hell! Kentucky Route Zero: TV Edition was in the same boat, a game I had missed out on somehow but with killer reviews. This does have a physical version but sold out very quickly. Digital it is then! I Am Dead was the final big title, a curious indie game that came out in 2020 that I was waiting for.
Whilst first party games are expensive (particularly on the eShop) there are some absolute bargains on there. A lot of the time they’re even cheaper than Steam which is weird. I always have a couple of quid to chuck at a title. Clustertruck and AER Memories of Old were so cheap I had to take a punt, both very different but worth a look. I tend to keep an eye on the chart section of the eShop. Good super cheap games tend to rocket up the rankings and for the most part are a decent punt if you want something new .
Eight new titles is nothing to sniff at but hardly extravagant by my standards! I suppose I better get my excuses in early that I have only played three of these but as always picked up with the plan to play at some point...
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