Now that it's December, I'm taking one last look at my backlog in hopes of wrapping up more games and rolling into the new year with a relatively clean plate (only to immediately fill it up again). It's a futile exercise – there's always going to be more to play – but it's become an end-of-year tradition for me.
The big one will be Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, which I'm happily chipping away at during most evenings. It's just mindless enough that I can half play it while watching TV, make a bit of progress, and feel like I accomplished something in spite of the jam-packed world map. I've heard the postgame isn't as stuffed as the first Hyrule Warriors – and well, that's probably for the best. I adored those absurdly long adventure maps, but I don't need to go through that again after Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition.
At the same time, I'll put the finishing touches on Spider-Man: Miles Morales. I'm more than halfway through the story and I find myself cramming in as many side-activities as I can between each main mission. It's a hard habit to break. I'm now at the point where I feel confident in Spider-Man's swinging, stealthing, and acrobatic attacks – it took a while to shake off the rust and perfect the flow. I can also safely call this ahead of time: I'm going to roll straight into New Game+ for those final skill unlocks.
At that point – and this is why I'm glad I got Demon's Souls and Bugsnax out of my literal and figurative system – we're getting dangerously close to Cyberpunk 2077. That's going to complicate my schedule. On the other hand, it's such a (reportedly) big game that I likely won't feel obligated to finish it in 2020.
From there, I'll probably spend a few evenings with Ori and the Will of the Wisps (other things got in the way this year), Overcooked 2: All You Can Eat (we need to finish several of the bonus campaigns), Fall Guys (Season 3 will hopefully be a step up), and Nioh 2: The First Samurai (the final expansion, at last).
As much as I want to stick to this outline, ymfah is making me want to screw around in Dark Souls III.
What does your end-of-year plan – or should I say pre-Cyberpunk 2077 plan – look like? Do you have a list of specific games mapped out, or are you just waiting to see what strikes your fancy?