How's your backlog?

Mecha-Lollipop · Post Posted: Dec 20, 2017 8:28 pm

As soul crushingly large and unobtainable as ever.

If it was just me finding games it would probably be manageable but my husband takes great joy in digging up games he thinks I would love. My list constantly shuffles. Though ever since I stopped playing Ark I've had more time. I've also been getting back into visual novels and dating sims. Just kicked Doki Doki to the front of my list.
Between working full time, taking care of the kiddo, house work, and making time for hanging out with my husband it's hard to have time to seriously work on that list.
If only I could take a month off work.

Kikki · Post Posted: Dec 22, 2017 5:09 am

I looked up the 'backlog blitz' that Kirie mentioned and people seem to do some making-up of their own versions, but in general, if anyone is interested, it seems to be this:

-It is a year-long project
-You start the year at 0
-You get -1 for every new game you purchase (or accept as a gift)
-You get +1 for every game you finish
And one 'rule' that seems to vary more...
-You can 'abandon' games but they count for 0 (though I think you could change them to a +1 if you sell them or give them to someone who really wanted them, since that seems like positive thing, imo. I think you have to make up your own standard on abandoning games on your list.)

Only games from the active year (so if I started one it would begin in 2018) can count against you, but if you finish an older game from your existing backlog, you get to count that as a +1, giving you incentive to finish up existing games rather than concentrating only on newer ones. You can tweak it, too, if you're trying to be really strict, and have new games count as -2 instead, if you want. Or -2 if you bought it at full price but only -1 if you got it on a good sale or had it given to you or...whatever seems like it would most help you correct anything you want to correct about your gaming/purchasing habits. If you were more concerned about spending too much time on games rather than money, then you could rank them by average play time and count a game that takes only 10 hours as a -1 but a game that takes 100 or more hours as a -4 or...whatever ranking works for you, as long as you're consistent.

You 'win' if you finish the year in the + category rather than the -, and of course, the further you are into the + side, the bigger the 'win'. Some people seem to enter it almost like a competition (and if they do then they all have to use the same rules), but I'd be satisfied to do this on my own, using the basic rules.

Zeroing out the list at the beginning of the year feels less crushing, too. My backlog is at least five years old, now...those are ALL the games I own and have yet to play, not ones from just 2017. It doesn't seem as evil a backlog if I consider how long it has been accumulating. But the blitz does give you the incentive to finish older games, too, while not counting them against you forever, which seemed too depressing, so I might try that for 2018 since it is just around the corner. And I think I will cancel Ni No Kuni II, because I keep looking at it and it does not seem to be shaping up in a way I will like. I didn't like the first game, the 'kingdom building' feature appears to be nothing more than assigning staff, and there is an RTS component to the game, too (though I think it is minor) and I don't like RTS games. Doesn't sound like a smart purchase.

So I'm going to go cancel that right now. And I don't think I have any other games on the horizon. *looks at 2018 games thread* Since I am not interested in Lost Sphear at least until I finish I Am Setsuna (even though I don't think they're directly linked), I think Dragon Quest Builders for Switch is the game I am most in danger of purchasing soonest in 2018, in February, and Edo Blossoms in March. We'll see if I can either make this list more respectable, or carve it down by selling/giving away anything I feel no attachment to. Too bad I've gotten more into digital...

Ronin19 · Post Posted: Dec 22, 2017 6:50 am

My main problem with my backlog is that I like restarting certain games (Bokujou Monogatari) or making new files (Dragon Age, Mass Effect) since the games involve choices to make and/or marrying different people.

Kikki · Post Posted: Dec 22, 2017 7:28 am

I like to replay games even when they don't have a lot of choice difference...I'm the same with books and movies, too. More than reading or watching something new, I want to read Guards! Guards! and see Spirited Away for the 10th time (or etc). I recently put about 170 or so hours into a replay of Xenoblade Chronicles X. I have 3 Trio files. And so on. Experiencing favourites over and over is like comfort more than stimulation, maybe. In my case, anyway. Plus with my tastes being as specific (and mostly niche) as they are, I don't come across a lot of games that I love. I tend to have more fun replaying those than starting something new.

But that doesn't excuse that I buy the new ones anyway, lol, always trying to find another one to add to my skimpy 'loved' pile which only seems to expand by one or two games a year. If I buy them I need to take responsibility for finishing them, or it was frivolously wasted money. I'm determined to either give games away (if it is possible...too bad if they're digital) or complete them. I thought I'd give away Tales of the Abyss, but I don't want to, which means I must actually still feel like finishing it, even though I've tried 3 times and never got to point in the story where I got really interested.

Ehppy · Post Posted: Dec 22, 2017 9:50 am

Maybe I'll try my own variation of the Backlog Blitz. Sounds like it might be fun.

My backlog is awful... Not as bad as some in terms of number of games, but some of the games I have waiting for me are so long.

A lot of them are games I started and still fully intend to finish, but when a new game comes along I like to start it right away while everyone else is still playing/talking about it.
It doesn't help that a chunk of my gaming time is used on games that don't really end. (Like Overwatch. Did not think it would be my thing but oh how wrong I was.)

So if I were to actually list my backlog...

Spoiler:

There are definitely more, but these are the ones I could think of off the top of my head.
Most of them are extensive RPGs. And 2018 is looking like it's gonna be stacked with releases.

So I wish you all luck with your personal backlogs!

We can conquer them. Somehow. Someday.

RopeMaidenKirie · Post Posted: Dec 22, 2017 10:11 am

Yeah, the backlog blitz was instrumental in helping me knock down my backlog. It's great because like you said, it doesn't hold past years' purchases against you, and you can tailor it to your own specific needs.

A friend of mine who also did it, she was more concerned with the amount she was spending, while I was more concerned with the actual number of games, so she had a few different rules than I did.

I personally put a 0 for games that I took off my backlog, and for remasters I didn't count if I had already beat the game before. Example is FFXII the Zodiac Age remaster that came out this year on the PS4, but I had already beat the game with a 120+ playtime back in the PS2 days. It's one of my favorite games so I rebought it just to play around with it since my PS2 is back in the states, but since I had already fully beaten it prior, I just put it as a 0. To keep it on my list to show I purchased it, but 0 so it wouldn't count against me.

I think my favorite part of it is that for me personally, it really made me think about the purchases I was considering. If it was a game I really was looking forward to and had been planning on purchasing for awhile, taking a -1 isn't a big deal since there was a higher chance I'd finish the game anyways. But for those games where I spontaneously wanted to get it, I'd think "can I really justify this?" and most of the time the answer was no.

Anyways, good luck to anyone trying it out for the upcoming year! Not sure if there would be interest, but it might be fun to try and keep this thread alive with our backlog updates and how we're doing on them. I did that on another site and it helped keep up motivation, especially on months where it feels like there's a gazillion releases happening lol

Kikki · Post Posted: Dec 22, 2017 10:43 am

I agree that remasters don't need to count. I don't feel like I need to put Twilight Princess HD onto my 'must play' list because I've already completed the game; this is just a version with high-res graphics.

Sure, I wouldn't mind if anyone who wants to do the blitz posts their progress here. If anyone wants to? Though if anyone wants to directly compare progress, I think you'd have to stick with the simple +1 -1 and 0 rather than whatever rules you come up with for your personal circumstances (such as if you make XC2 a +4 game because you'll probably take more than a hundred hours to complete it. Or if you rate them differently by cost or whatever your standard is.) But I don't care about direct comparisons, myself, so even if people want to be using all of their own rules, if it's just about sharing progress for motivation's sake, then why not?

I think I'll rank my games in the order I feel I should play them before I start playing my next game. Done XC2, not gonna purchase a new game for at least about two months, I hope, so...should be able to knock a couple off the list, unless they're really long or difficult. I kind of wish I hadn't moved the Wii U down to the basement tv now because the first game I'm inclined to play is Skyward Sword. I was already so close to finishing but now I have to start over...

Avalon Code is a game I was quite interested in but I'm not good about playing older games, though it looked rather good for a DS game. Soooo fussy, why was I born like this?

Domineam · Post Posted: Dec 22, 2017 1:45 pm

I've essentially stopped buying games because I replay my collection so much it's just a waste of money, haha. And if I do they're usually older retro games like N64 or PS1. I have a few of those and a few 3DS games that I bought and haven't started yet though. The only time I'll go for new is if it's a series I really like SoS.

I'm just wrapping up all of the end-game stuff in Bravely Default, so logically it would make sense to start Bravely Second next but I also really want to pick up my SoS: Trio file again and finish playing with the updates (not sure if I'll get the DLC yet, but it's likely). But I also really want to start Xenoblade 3D.

And this is why I haven't been able to justify getting a Switch. Slowest gamer ever.

DazzleKitty · Post Posted: Dec 22, 2017 6:32 pm

My backlog is pretty big right now. I am in the US and have both a US 3DS and European 3DS, so I have physical copies of games exclusive to each region. My 3DS backlog is the biggest.

Currently playing:
Pokemon Ultra Moon

On hiatus:
Zelda: BotW
Super Mario Odyssey
Stardew Valley
Monster Hunter Stories
Fire Emblem: Birthright

And this is my backlog. All 3DS games.
Dragon Quest VIII
Ever Oasis
Moco Moco Friends
Cooking Mama 4
Cooking Mama: Sweets Shop
Style Boutique 3
Horse Life 4
Bella Sara 2
Popolocrois

My DS backlog is even bigger but I kind of collect DS and 3DS games, and am in no rush to get to them all right now. Just playing at my own pace and enjoyment.

Ehppy · Post Posted: Dec 22, 2017 8:19 pm

I'd be totally down for comparing backlog progress during a blitz, on this thread or a new one when the new year begins.
I think it'd be a lot of fun to discuss progress and cheer eachother on.

Kikki wrote: Avalon Code is a game I was quite interested in but I'm not good about playing older games, though it looked rather good for a DS game. Soooo fussy, why was I born like this?

Yeah the DS was in that awkward stage of graphics. If you went the pixel art route, you could make everything look as polished as pixel art can be, but the 3D models were always sort of jaggy or fuzzy.

Avalon Code is a really fun and unique game, but it does have its fair share of flaws. I'm sad it wasn't more popular. A sequel could have really refined it into an amazing game.
As it stands I'd still recommend it if you're so inclined, because the systems are really interesting and fun to fiddle with, and there's also a side of romance that I really enjoyed.
The whole idea of rewriting the code of the world was so interesting. I loved taking the "sickly" elements from a poisonous plant and putting it into the code of an enemy to make them weaker, or stealing a monster's "fire" element and imbuing my weapons with it.

Pachi · Post Posted: Dec 23, 2017 4:20 am

My backlog is pretty light in comparison since I own only a 3DS, but it's actually about 70% of the games I own HAHAHUHU. I've played through all of them once, but I don't want to classify them as "finished" because I want to run more playthroughs or in the case of Pokemon Sun, get around to playing post game.

Spoiler:

RopeMaidenKirie · Post Posted: Dec 23, 2017 9:55 am

I beat Xenoblade 2 last night which is great since it was a huge time sink on my backlog (much my own fault, I probably could have beat it 50 hours sooner than I did lol) finally said hell with it and beat it considering I'm going to be replaying it for NG+ next year anyways

While checking my other games against howlongtobeat.com it looks like DQV is probably the shortest I have, so I'll be continuing onto it next I think. With probably a smidge of other games between it, as I'd like to get started on Yakuza 0 pretty soon as well.

The current Steam sale is really testing me though, there are a bunch of games on my wishlist that are very deeply discounted that I'd really like to get but I'm holding strong...

Genie9 · Post Posted: Dec 23, 2017 10:14 am

My backlog is fairly small for the first time in years. The two games that are a must to beat are Persona 5 and FE: Fates.
The problem is, I cannot bring myself to play those games. I am right near the end of Persona 5, and would probably need 15 more hours of grinding levels and fusing some great Personas, but I cannot bring myself to do it. Hopefully, after XC2 I will, because it is one of my favorite games.

My issue with FE: Fates is that I hate my file. I really want to restart it, but have already sunk in so many hours. It is such an awkward position to be in, so I think I'll tackle P5 and address that can of worms.

To be honest, I am the worst at beating video games. I always get right up near the end, and drop them cause I get bored and already have a feel for where the story is going. As of the past couple years, I have withheld buying new games, and so the habit kind of went away, but it's creeping back.

Kikki · Post Posted: Dec 23, 2017 12:29 pm

That's an interesting site; I actually usually have no idea how long a game is *supposed* to take me to finish. Judging by the listings on that site, I usually take quite a bit longer than other people to finish my games. Seems like a good tool to help you decide what to play next, though, if you're debating.

Looks like Battle Chef should be under ten hours. Overall I'd call it a time-management game, though that's not what it feels like while you're playing, ime. I'm hoping I can finish it; I really like time-management games at the start but eventually they become too hectic and I get stressed which is the opposite of fun, and then I quit. So...hoping that's not going to end up as the situation with Battle Chef or it'll clog up the backlog forever.

Persona 5 looks long so might leave it a while yet. Kind of in the mood to try Danganronpa, but I'm not familiar with the series so I haven't been sure about it. Maybe I should knock Star Ocean off the list before I forget it again. Nothing about it stands out, so I have found I neither like nor dislike it. And I really should check and see whether I actually finished Ever Oasis or not, though, lol. I'm still not sure!

I tend to waste time I could be using to play trying to remember what I've got and then trying to decide between them, lol. Got a good list, now, but I still have to decide what to tackle next. I should have a full month or two before anything new sidetracks me again, so it's a good time to start chipping away at the backlog.

Genie9 · Post Posted: Dec 23, 2017 1:58 pm

I know some people can blitz through Persona games, but I can't. It's a game series in which you need to replay to get everything done, but I tend to be a perfectionist and try to make my first file as finished as can be. In reality, I know I won't go through a game more than once. So it really depends on your play style Kikki! But if you got other games you want to play, I definitely would put them before P5.