Backlog 2022

Kikki · Post Posted: Dec 29, 2021 11:48 am

Hey again, everyone! We've whiled away another year, and it's time again for a fresh BACKLOG thread

What is this thread about?

The Backlog thread is to discuss what you are currently playing, and see what others have to say about what THEY are currently playing. It can be a good help in deciding what games you want yourself, especially if you need feedback on new releases from people whose opinions you're familiar with. We also tend to keep track of our progress here if we're keeping a literal backlog account. Using various methods and with help from free online resources (like Grouvee, Backloggery, HowLongToBeat, etc) some of us have managed to completely eliminate our backlogs in some years. If you're bothered by or struggling with your backlog of games and need suggestions, feel free to ask how others have handled it when their backlogs started to get too big. That's part of this thread.

We also do a little bit of discussion on new releases and upcoming games that we're anticipating, BUT, what this thread is NOT about:

Pages and pages of discussion on the same game. The backlog thread gets really bloated just naturally. If people are going to chat back-and-forth to each other about Animal Crossing for 3 pages solid, then ACNH needs its own thread. (ACNH doesn't have enough buzz and can't maintain its own thread any more, so now that we don't have a live AC thread it's fine to talk about it here.) If there's a Pokemon Arceus thread (which I'm sure there will be when the release is imminent! There are lots of Pokemon fans on Fogu.) then please do discuss that game in its own thread to avoid turning the Backlog thread into a Pokemon thread. Or etc. Any game that will generate a load of discussion should get its own thread, is what I am saying...in rather long-winded fashion.

Then, to begin!

What are you all looking forward to in 2022? Got Day 1 purchases lined up already? Things you're really hyped for? Are you starting the year out with a Backlog, or are you beginning fresh, either because you HAVE no backlog, or because you're attempting a blitz? Are you playing anything right now? Do you have a strategy in mind for your backlog, or do you have a particular mindset about gaming this year? Are your tastes changing, with time or experience or...etc?

Go forth and talk gaming, everybody!

Shan O 123 · Post Posted: Dec 29, 2021 12:29 pm

Well right now I’m playing whatever until RF5 comes out in March.

Kikki · Post Posted: Dec 29, 2021 3:12 pm

I wish I could get excited about RF5, but I can't seem to feel anything for it. I'm not sure why. I mean, I don't think the graphics are all that nice, but then, they do look like Rune Factory, about half way between Tides and RF4. (I really did think the environments would be more beautiful, though...they look half-baked, to me.) The gameplay and characters look like a reskinned version of RF4, but it is a comeback game, and I loved RF4, so that's not really a point against it.

Hopefully I'll start to feel something as March 22 gets closer.

Games I'm waiting on in 2022:
-Hundred Days (winter 2021)
-Astroneer (January 13, 2022)
-Pokemon Arceus (Jan 28, 2022)
-Variable Barricade (February 24 2022)
-Edge of Eternity (Feb 10 for ps4, Feb 23 switch...turn-based combat, so probably a NO)
-RF5 (March 22, 2022)

Unknown 2022
-Two Point Campus
-Eiyuden Chronicle Rising
-star ocean 5: The divine force
-LumbearJack
-Re: Legend
-BotW 2
-Digimon Survive
-Mineko
-AI: Somnium Files sequel
-sun Haven
-My Time at sandrock...maybe (China has frozen game certification completely for months already. Not clear if this ONLY applies to 'online' games or all new games...or games with content that goes against their new moral crackdown.)

When I have a release date for BotW 2, I'll be very hyped. Even a proper title and/or a narrowed-down release window (like a season rather than the broad target of an entire year) would kick my interest into high gear. I think it's going to be late 2022, unfortunately. Though we'll be lucky if they don't announce a delay to 2023.

Astroneer and Arceus are coming up within a month, but I don't actually care about either of them much and will NOT be getting either on Day 1. I may get them some point down the road, but I need to hear more about them. They'll probably live in undecided territory on my wishlist for a long time. Variable Barricade is my first probable Day 1 purchase of 2022, as it is supposed to be pretty funny, which from late 2020 on has been what I want most in an otoge.

I'm not as interested in formally keeping track of my backlog in 2022. I'm also going to count completed replays as 'games played', this time, to better represent my time. A lot of the time, I don't want to play new games...I want to dive back into old favourites. Keeping track of my replays will show what I did a lot better than ignoring them because they're not first-time completions. Noting new games is only important when it comes time to fill out the annual GotY thread.

Mikodesu · Post Posted: Dec 29, 2021 5:46 pm

I'm still holding out hope for Pokemon Arceus and Rune Factory 5, but...the only game I'm really excited for at this point is Elden Ring. Soulsborne games have a...reputation, but this one seems both enticing enough and lenient enough to get me to make the jump. I'm not exactly, a 'get good' gamer, I struggled to beat Hollow Knight as is, but. I want to try. Can't say yet if being a George RR Martin fan is enough to tempt anybody to play it, but who knows.

BotW2 and Silk Song get honorable mentions since we don't have release dates or really any information about either.

For most of 2022 the plan is to focus on my backlog. If I don't buy a new game without finishing an old one, I think I'll be in good shape. My backlog isn't THAT big, but...I don't want it to be.

- Currently playing: Genshin Impact, Talos Principle
- Backlog: Portal 2, Ni no Kuni 1 & 2, Thief, Deus Ex, Dusk, 80 Days, Stephen's Sausage Roll, (on a technicality) Guardians of the Galaxy

Never finished Stephen's Sausage Roll - probably the most difficult puzzle game I've ever played, but it would be nice to go back to it. Had it on a laptop that died but Steam has cloud saves, so it should be there. And I have a key for Guardians of the Galaxy, free with my graphics card. I'm not all that interested in it, but... it definitely didn't look bad, so. Couldn't hurt to try. Maybe once I've played some stuff I really want to.

Panda Parfait · Post Posted: Dec 29, 2021 7:32 pm

2022 games:
Elden Ring
Rune Factory 5
Horizon Forbidden West (maybe? it's not a day one for me, but I will probably play it eventually)

These are just games that are 99.9% going to be out in 2022. There's a bunch more I'm interested in that may be 2022, but who knows. Elden Ring will definitely be the star of the show for me.

Mikodesu wrote:I'm still holding out hope for Pokemon Arceus and Rune Factory 5, but...the only game I'm really excited for at this point is Elden Ring. Soulsborne games have a...reputation, but this one seems both enticing enough and lenient enough to get me to make the jump. I'm not exactly, a 'get good' gamer, I struggled to beat Hollow Knight as is, but. I want to try. Can't say yet if being a George RR Martin fan is enough to tempt anybody to play it, but who knows.

Absolutely give it a try! Bloodborne is one of my favorite games of all time and I almost missed out on it because I thought I wasn't hardcore enough to play it. If you are willing to go in with a patient mindset and learn from your mistakes, you can progress through any of them. There are some really interesting worlds and lore hidden behind their git gud reputation, and I wish more people got to experience them.

Right now I'm playing Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and some FFXIV here and there. I'm getting a little bored of the latter, since all I'm really doing is grinding, but a part of me just doesn't want to stop playing because it's my comfort game. Island Sanctuary when????

I'm not going to get into my actual backlog. There's a lot of games in it, and I'll get to them when I get to them. Some I'll never touch again, whatever. I don't have enough free time anymore to force myself to play games I'm not that interested in just to say I've completed it. I'm going to play what I want to play.

Mikodesu · Post Posted: Dec 29, 2021 9:20 pm

Aw. Thanks for the encouragement, Panda Parfait! <3 I'm still a little nervous but I think the excitement will win out.

Bloodborne is still probably still Miyazaki's most stylish game. I've watched way too many game critic videos on the thing. Sony know they have a good thing or they would have put it on PC a while ago. I've been tempted to get a PS4 to play it, but Elden Ring is probably a better starting point...get my feet wet before buying a console for one game.

Bluie · Post Posted: Dec 30, 2021 9:08 am

I bought a lot of games in 2021, most of which ended up not being my thing or are in reserve for... I don't really know. If there comes a time where there's no new releases or I can't afford to buy something brand new, I have things I can fall back onto, just in case I guess? My tastes changed further against games I used go through like water. I find myself more drawn to constantly updating games with online communities (mainly MMOs) rather than single player experiences, but it's not as if I'm completely against them either. My time is more limited than ever so It's easier to just pop in and do dailies than carving 30-50 hours for a JRPG that has a high probability of frustrating me and feeling like I wasted my days off trying to enjoy it. With that said, my backlog is currently:

3DS
Yokai Watch 3
Yokai Watch Blasters
Style Savvy Styling Star
Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call
Pokemon Ultra Moon
7th Dragon 2020

PS4
Dragon Ball Z Kakarot
Concrete Genie
Immortals Fenyx Rising

Always Playing
Final Fantasy XIV
Monster Hunter Rise
Black Desert Online

Almost, if not all, my anticipated games that are confirmed to release in 2022 are Switch titles. Pokemon Legends, Triangle Strategy, Rune Factory 5, and Splatoon 3 are the big ones so far. I'm actually trying to take all of March off to just relax and game, but we'll have to see if that ends up happening.

Chrysalis-Lyn · Post Posted: Dec 30, 2021 9:11 am

Glad to see a fresh thread! A new year to confront my endless backlog. (I really need to commit to finishing games.)

Looking forward to:

RF5
Pokemon Legends: Arceus (???)
Mineko's Night Market
Roots of Pacha
Kirby and the Forgotten Land (?)

Question marks for the games I'm hesitant about. I already pre-ordered RF5!

Backlog:

Lost in Random
Rainbow Billy: The Curse of the Leviathan
Ever Oasis

(and many other games that I'm not sure I will finish...)

Currently Playing:

VA-11 HALL-A
Shin Megami Tensei V
Death's Door

I'm trying to rekindle excitement for video games this year by keeping better track of what I'm playing. Hope it works!

Kikki · Post Posted: Dec 30, 2021 10:32 am

In some ways I'm really consistent. I still tend to average buying 1 to 2 games per month. That's what the game world seems able to produce in terms of games I am interested in enough to buy them after considerable research. I am so fussy and like so few of the games I try that I don't buy anything without knowing quite a lot about it in advance. If it doesn't feel like 'me'...well, I never end up enjoying games that don't have that 'me' feeling. I don't know if ANY game has ever surprised me and ended up making me like it even though I thought I wouldn't. At most, I end up liking some games more than I thought I would...but I did think I'd like them at least a little to begin with. This is why I still haven't tried Astral Chain or Nier. I think I'd like bits of them, but I get the feeling I wouldn't enjoy them overall.

I don't know if my tastes have changed, honestly. More like I become slightly more discerning each year? I get to know myself just that tiny bit better, and continue to be able to judge what I'd like more clearly, maybe. I still primarily love world-builders/beautifiers, life sims (particularly that involve farming or gardening or building) and JRPGs. I've also come to realize that even if the story looks good and the art looks good, if I don't feel any attraction of any kind to the main cast of characters, I won't get into the game. In other words, I need an MC or main cast member I really care about (Jude, Adol, Shulk, Cloud, Link, Rean, Frey) or it'll fall flat (Rex, Fenyx, Nyanza.) Plot, character and visuals are my gaming holy trinity.

I'm not worried about my backlog this year. 2020 and 2021 saw big chunks of time where I just didn't want to game at all. That may happen again in 2022...I'm expecting it, honestly. Maybe that's my stage of life atm, or maybe it's a world-situation thing, or some combo, but...for me this is not a time to care about completions of new games. I'll replay as much of my beloved old favourites as I want and only buy the new games I want most and am confident I'll love (or at least really like.)

That's what I'm thinking as we begin 2022. We'll see if it's the same this time next year! Maybe in 2023, gaming won't be my main hobby any more. Maybe I'll be back to being primarily a reader or writer or cyclist (my spine is saying a Nelson-esque 'haha!' to that last one, lol.) We'll see!

I hope everyone has great fun in 2022, whatever direction you're headed

Simply Unknown · Post Posted: Dec 30, 2021 5:19 pm

Completed my first route of Cupid Parasite, as well as found all the *bad* ends for it, and honestly, I really enjoyed it! More details below in the spoiler tag for those who haven't played yet!

Spoiler:

I'll be going for Shelby next so looking forward to that! Then maybe I'll take a look at SMTV! We'll see if I can finish those before Pokemon Legends Arceus comes out!

Kikki · Post Posted: Dec 30, 2021 5:46 pm

I didn't do any but the 'best/true love' endings in CP. Hmm. The 'bad' endings sound better/more fun than the 'best' endings! There's something to consider...

Simply Unknown · Post Posted: Dec 30, 2021 6:17 pm

Kikki wrote:I didn't do any but the 'best/true love' endings in CP. Hmm. The 'bad' endings sound better/more fun than the 'best' endings! There's something to consider...

I know that a lot of people say they prefer some of the *bad* endings or the not as good endings to the best endings. Shelby's is the one I hear that the most about, though I know that Allan has another popular one. Some of them are totally played for comedy while others feel very realistic. I'd check them out if you think you'd be interested.

Mikodesu · Post Posted: Dec 31, 2021 9:43 am

I guess this is more 'news' than backlog, but so few people care about this...

Patch notes confirm the new Genshin quest is an Archon quest, starting Act III! Can't remember how close to Inazuma releasing the Dainsleif quest was dropped. And just today they confirmed that Yae Miko will be releasing in 2.5. So far the only confirmed character. I DO like her design, though we don't know anything about how she'll play. I think the assumption is a catalyst user, but we'll see.

Had to get some stuff done the last couple days so all I've been playing is Genshin. I did finally play through Ganyu's story quest last night to waffle on rolling on her. I play with a controller, so I've had very little luck with bow characters, BUT! I tried out the 'shoot the feet' technique with her charge attacks and it actually works really well, even on controller. So I might try...40 wishes or so. See if I can tempt the gacha gods. We'll see.

greensara · Post Posted: Dec 31, 2021 2:20 pm

I wonder if we will hear anything this year (or ever) about Genshin Impact coming to Switch. I almost think at this point maybe they decided not to do it. I'm sure all the stuff going on over there isn't helping anything either.

My backlog for 2022 doesn't look unmanageable, but I doubt I will finish them all this year. I am going to try to play and clear more or at least equal to the amount I buy so I don't build it up too much more. So, not counting puzzle and retro games:

3DS - 4

Spoiler:

GameCube - 1

Spoiler:

Switch -11?

Spoiler:

I'm probably going to keep playing Grow until I finish it. I'm probably over halfway through judging by the areas and song fragments. After that I will probably start chipping at the stuff I have already started. I haven't decided if I am getting Arceus day 1 yet or not but I am planning to get it.

Mikodesu · Post Posted: Dec 31, 2021 8:54 pm

I am unfortunately guessing the Genshin Impact on Switch ship has sailed. :/ There are still people who ask about it every Nintendo Direct, though! It could either be some conflict with Tencent OR that Genshin doesn't even run well enough on Switch to bother with, sadly. Which on one hand makes no sense... if Witcher 3 can be crammed onto Switch, I see no reason why Genshin Impact couldn't be. But what do I know?

--
Happy New Year everyone! It's just about to turn over here on the east coast. I've managed to keep my cats calm so far with some music, but once it does, I have a feeling I'll be sitting with them. :/ A vet friend of my mom's is staying with horses tonight to keep them from hurting themselves in their stalls. Hope everything goes well...

More Talos Principle tonight, and I am getting the feeling that I'm going to have to cheat to beat this thing. Got an achievement tonight that dipped to 30% of players...

Also, I am very, very done with the roaming bomb puzzles. Not a fan of puzzles that test my reflexes over my brain. It was fine at first, but I am DONE with them now. There's still a BUNCH more puzzles I haven't touched in the last area, but I am not entirely convinced you don't just have to beat everything to get an ending. And then beat more stuff to get a different ending after that...

Sad.