It’s nearly New Year’s Eve; have you made your pop-culture resolutions yet? I’m not talking about eating better or making a career change; I mean what’s on your ongoing list of shows, movies, games and movies that you’ve been meaning to watch, play or read, but just haven’t gotten around to it.
Just because the Wikia editorial team are rabid pop-culture consumers doesn’t mean we’ve seen or played it all this year. Here are our resolutions on what we need to catch up on in 2016,and – to make things more interesting – we each challenged one or more of our teammates to a resolution as well.
Nick Nunziata
My resolution:
I fell off The Walking Dead wagon years ago. About the time I realized that watching a show just to get angry at it wasn’t good for the blood pressure. As time has gone on, more and more people have told me that it righted itself and became a show worth watching if not one worth watching as soon as it was available. Despite my trepidation I will once again foray into the world of the zombie soap opera in hopes of finding that magic the vast majority of fandom sees in it. At the very least I’ll have all the tools I need to argue my case based on fact rather than supposition.
Resolution for a fellow staffer:
I’d like challenge Eric Moro to read Brian K. Vaughn’s ‘SAGA’ all the way to the 4th trade paperback. I feel it’s one of the most ambitious and creative things going and if it invigorates him half as much as it does me it’s a win.
Eric Moro
My resolution:
Believe it or not, I haven’t seen one episode of Orange is the New Black. So my Pop Culture resolution for 2016 is to try and binge watch the entire series before season four kicks off in the summer.
Resolution for a fellow staffer:
I’d like Lesley to binge watch the two seasons of Star Wars Rebels.
Lesley Chen
My resolution:
Mine – watch The Walking Dead because I’ve never seen an episode and everyone is always talking about how it’s the best show ever. I’m pretty sure I would survive a zombie apocalypse, but it would be good to have confirmation. Also on my list is The Godfather movies because everyone screams in horror when I say I’ve never seen a single one. Also, I’m down with gangsters.
Resolution for a fellow staffer:
For Jorge – to watch a fangirl show marathon because it would broaden his experience and he’d hate it. Pretty Little Liars, Sex and the City, Downtown Abbey might be a good start.
Jorge Albor
My resolution:
Play Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. The Phantom Pain is one of the biggest games of the year, by one of the craziest game developers around today. Even so, every time I think about playing The Phantom Pain I get so overwhelmed. The world of Metal Gear is massive, and the story complex. I just haven’t been ready to take in all that Phantom Pain has to offer. That will have to wait until 2016.
Resolution for a fellow staffer:
My resolution challenge for all of my fellow staffers is to create a level in Mario Maker. The tools are so robust in Mario Maker, the possibilities so endless, that I would love to see what my fellow Wikians could produce.
Matthew Allen
My resolution:
This is the year I will finally play all the way through all of the core Dark Souls games (Demon’s Souls, Dark Souls I, and Dark Souls II). I have started all of the games – sometimes on multiple platforms – and always loved what I saw. The difficulty doesn’t even phase me. It has always just been the time required. However, these are exactly the type of game I love (atmospheric, hidden lore, deep progression and combat systems) and I owe it to myself to be able to say I finished them all.
Resolution for a fellow staffer:
I challenge Annette to get out of her comfort zone and try at least one game from a genre she wouldn’t normally play. So, since RTS games aren’t her thing, and Starcraft II: Legacy of the Void just wrapped up the trilogy, I challenge her to play through any of the three campaigns. The worst that can happen is she ends up confirming RTS games aren’t for her. However, she could discover an all new series or genre to explore.
Annette Cardwell
My resolution:
I definitely have a few. As a major Tina Fey and 30 Rock fan, I feel like a loser having never watched Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Just one of those streaming shows that slipped through the cracks for me. And then game-wise, I really need to start Metal Gear Solid V. Looks amazing and I’ve heard nothing but glowing things.
Resolution for a fellow staffer:
I can’t believe Brett hasn’t read or seen any of the Hunger Games or Harry Potter books or movies (except for a vague recollection of seeing the first movie). I challenge him to watch or read ONE of these important series all the way through, since I know that – once he starts – he won’t be able to stop.
Brett Bates
My resolution:
My wife and I just had twin boys, so my primary resolution this year is to keep it together and not fall asleep in the middle of writing this sent…zzzzzzzz. Oh, sorry about that. Where were we? Right, pop culture resolutions. Mine: Once the twins are sleeping through the night, I’m eager to tackle Ash vs. Evil Dead. Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness are two of my favorite movies of all time, and I watched the entirety of Burn Notice mainly because you can never have enough Bruce Campbell in your life. So there’s basically no way I won’t like the show. But my wife isn’t the guts-and-blood type, so I’ll have to sneak it in after hours, when everyone else is passed out for the night — aka the perfect time to watch a show like this.
Resolution for a fellow staffer:
I’m throwing down the gauntlet to Jorge. Aside from The Americans, iZombie is the most under-appreciated show on TV today. And I think Jorge Albor, as a lover of both quality TV and comics (the show is based on one), would totally dig it. He’ll need to get over the ridiculous name and put aside his zombie fatigue, because iZombie is only tangentially a zombie show.The important thing to know is that it’s from Rob Thomas, the creator of Party Down and Veronica Mars. His always-on-point and laser-sharp wit, his propensity for stupidly awesome puns, and the emotional nuance he grants to all of his characters (even the bad ones) really shine through in this show.