Backlog 2019

[Bluie]

I am hardcore ignoring sales rn, but I will totally pick up some of my 2018 ignored indies if there's some cash under the Christmas tree. Moonlighter is the only one of my wishlist that's on sale rn, so it's defs a candidate.

I had to edit my first post as I remembered the kickstarters I backed/are guaranteed codes for... whenever they come out. Titles like Chicken Wiggle Workshop and My Girlfriend is a Mermaid?! are pretty much probs gonna be early 2019 release dates, but who even knows with Re:Legend right now. Also added Animal Crossing + Pokemon 2019, because I KNOW i'll be getting those day one.

Onto currently playing backlog stuff, Labyrinth of Refrain is going OK. Got a little lost at one point and i've experienced one crash (thankfully only lost 1 rare drop which I'm sure i'll get again). I've gotten to a good point in the story to take a quick break and jump into Rain World. I've heard it's brutal, but great. I got through all of Hollow Knight, so I'm expecting it to be as challenging or worse lol. I'm really not a huge fan steep learning curves (minus Monster Hunter - because I loooove it), but something about stylied indes just makes me throw that out the window.

[Kikki]

So...Last Day of June is very atmospheric, and the point of the game seems to be exactly what I figured it had to be as soon as I realized (when researching the game in the past) that the wife's name is June. In feel, it's like playing a Tim Burton movie, a little bit. It reminds me of games like Journey and Flower. It's beautiful, but the problem is, as it always seems to be with these games...it doesn't engage enough of my brain. Cut to reduce visual length:

Spoiler:

I feel a bit like I'm playing an advent calendar. It's all laid out before me, nicely arranged and numbered, and all I have to do is open the alloted number at the right time, in order, and I'll see what's behind today's little door. And even if what I find is lovely, and if as it progresses, the theme slowly shifts into something I wasn't expecting, the process just isn't that interesting to me. It doesn't require me to actively think or make decisions...kind of like a connect-the-dots 'puzzle'.

It's very moody and pretty and reflective. But this kind of game just doesn't grab me, it seems. Perhaps because I feel like a spectator more than a participant. I have some strong hunches about how this game is going to end and what sort of message I'm going to get out of it, even though it shifts a little with each thread you uncover.

EDIT: Finished. There was ooooone little twist that I didn't expect (well, not until just a moment or two before it happened, anyway) that introduced something I'm still not clear on, but otherwise it played out just as I expected. It's quite lovely. That one little smooch in the latter part of the game gave even me a twinge. I got all achievements but one or two. One from the VERY beginning...and I think I must have missed one of the vignettes, as well. Will have to replay a little if I want them all.

[Ronin19]

So I completely forgot about my GameCube games; I just added them to the list.

I'm SO tempted to buy the games I want to buy right now, but I must wait until after Christmas!

I got through the prologue for Mass Effect and am now doing the DLC before going to rescue Liara.

[ryume]

I feel fortunate I don't want anything from the sales right now, other than Lumines Remastered on the Switch, which doesn't count at all because I never include puzzle and rhythm games in the backlog, and I owned the original on the PSP where I sunk over 100 hours into it. I just wanted it on current gen consoles.

I honestly thought I was going to have to add London Detective Mysteria to the list because it's been difficult keeping my interest, but I finished the five destined routes/epilogues today, so yay! The game isn't a bad one at all, so once again, if you're a fan of otome games, I urge you to consider picking this one up and show some support to Xseed that quality translations are wanted (not to mention needed in light of these horrid Switch releases for the genre, yuck). Jack and Lupin were my favorites, and since I did their routes last, that's probably what kept me going. Rambling thoughts below, minor spoilers, etc.

Spoiler:

Overall, the game was decent. I think I had a hard time staying engaged because, not only is the introduction LONG, it also feels incredibly disconnected from the destined routes, and I suspect even if I figure out how to unlock the true ending, it will still feel like a separate entity. It's not like Hakuoki or Amnesia where everything still ties into even the romance routes. By the time you end up on the destined route you want, your connection to your chosen one isn't as strong as other games IMO because the introduction spends a full chapter on EVERYONE, including your charmed ending folks. Anyway, the art is pleasant, and my favorite route was also the most unsatisfying in the form of Jack. I don't have a preferred order because honestly, it didn't seem to matter in terms of story revelations. Jack's felt like longest by far, but the routes were mostly self-contained, so I would say go in whatever order strikes your fancy. Perhaps my impression will change with the true ending, but having read reviews with significant spoilers, it doesn't seem likely. I also wish we had been given A LOT more on Pendleton. And Holmes was a surprisingly... err... virile young man once he and Emily were openly in a relationship

[Kikki]

I always save my favourite food for last. I also always save the route I like best for last whenever possible...I always try to play in order of preference, from least favourite to most

Jack's route was my favourite, not because I like Jack himself the best, but because his ending felt so very suitable. So...for a lack of better words...reasonable, for an otome, where no matter what the 'hero' has done, the heroine will usually forgive him and even defend everything he's done, no matter how horrible. That always makes me cringe all over, when that happens. On that level, Jack's route to me was just so satisfying, because I finally got closer to what I always wanted to happen in a route like this.

VERY SPOILER (Which by the way is not a rebuttal to anything, just an expression of my opinion, which I couldn't give before because it would have been pointless, since no one else was playing.)

Spoiler:

He's a murderer. He's not THE 'Jack the Ripper', but he's A Jack the Ripper. I didn't want Emily to have a regular romance with a murderer. He needed to pay for that, in some way. His background made me think he didn't deserve to die or suffer for years over it, but it didn't make me think it was okay or didn't need recompense. So that he couldn't just cheerfully say 'oopsy, I'll be a good boy now' and skip off to live happily ever after with Emily really suited my feelings on the situation. He got a great ending, all things considered. At least, the way I see it, he did. He could justifiably have been executed for serial murders, but he got a second chance, and at a better life than he would otherwise have ever had. AND he gets romance, too, even if it can't be openly had. He even ends up with friends. I feel like it was a very happy ending for him when you consider the surrounding situation.

I'm sure the feelings for Jack really vary, but I loved his route, ending and all, and on that level, didn't find it sad at all. Perhaps I just don't have the right romantic viewpoint or something, because I've seen a lot of others bemoaning that he doesn't get the same level of romancing that the others do, but I just don't feel like he *should*.

[Sir Stardust]

Thanks for the Atelier suggestions! I’m gonna watch some gameplay videos, I think. I was eyeing E&L/Shallie originally for being similar to MK, but the better story in Ayesha interests me. Only bad part is I’ve read the others don’t really deliver on the promise of the darker/deeper story from that one... So I’m kinda leaning towards E&L.

I was also kind of looking at Firis, buuuuut I don’t think that would very well on my Vita.

I was able to convince my BF to get L&S, though, so I’ve got more time to think about that! ^o^

[ryume]

Kikki:

Spoiler:

I don't at all disagree with your sentiment. It was satisfying to me for the exact same reasons, but unsatisfying because they're only teenagers - we all know Emily's choice isn't realistic, etc., and likely will end in heartbreak for Jack in spite of the game's efforts to convince us otherwise (even though he did end up with more than he deserved). It was UNsatisfying to my inner romantic who unrealistically wants everything to be sunshine and roses

[Kikki]

Kikki:

Spoiler:

I don't at all disagree with your sentiment. It was satisfying to me for the exact same reasons, but unsatisfying because they're only teenagers - we all know Emily's choice isn't realistic, etc., and likely will end in heartbreak for Jack in spite of the game's efforts to convince us otherwise (even though he did end up with more than he deserved). It was UNsatisfying to my inner romantic who unrealistically wants everything to be sunshine and roses

Yeah, I think that opinion is close to unanimous and I'm the weird one for

Spoiler:

actually preferring that their ending not be any more sunshine-rosy than it was. I didn't want Jack to be miserable...he was born into an awful situation and encouraged or even forced to become a murder by his own parent-ish person, more or less.

There's plenty of room for sympathy, imo. But because he did have a mind and emotions and a will of his own, and was even aware that what he was doing was wrong, I feel like he was still culpable. Because of that, the idea of his whole life as a 'ripper' being just shrugged off for romance was so unappealing to me that I genuinely enjoyed his more balanced ending, where he had to live with what he'd done instead of having it all be forgiven and forgotten like magic via the power of twoo wuv. Now, if I was USED to getting a somewhat more realistic, sadder ending, I might have wanted a sweeter ending...but I've seen a lot of otoge routes where the hero is horrible without ever having to face any real need to compensate. Sometimes he doesn't even have to change! So...it was just so darned refreshing, it felt great, for me...I didn't want anything else. Though I would have probably wished they'd given him a little more leeway if he really had been executed. I felt like they gave the two of them a pretty good amount of happiness, but in a way that didn't make me feel grubby for having read it, lol.

But yeah, I think most people wish there had been more of a true happy (love) ending for Jack and Emily than they got. And I get why...but for me, I just can't seem to be anything but pleased with the ending they did get.

I actually love Mysteria for the common route. Don't get me wrong...it's awful to have to play through it each time because it's SO long (thank goodness for that 'next choice', 'last choice' option!) but I laughed so much while going through the common route for the first time. Everyone's just so stuffed with character. But...

Spoiler:

Pendleton is my biggest disappointment. WHY wasn't there a route for him?! Even if it was neutral and non-romantic. The guy is basically a CIA agent! Why is he her butler? Why has he stuck with her? Who does he report to, if anyone? What are his goals? WHY DON'T WE EVER KNOW THESE ANSWERS? So unsatisfying.

[Blue Rose]

I wanted to beat DOS2 before the 2019 but sweet baby « Mayor Thomas » that end game fight is RIDICULOUS. Im probably gonna have to lower the difficulty rating cause im tired of the difficulty but still, orz.

[Harvest Moon kawaii]

Recently beat:

Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu (Switch)

Backlog:

(3DS, Nintendo Switch, and PC) = A lot (over 50 games)

Currently playing:

Death Mark (Switch)
Katamari Damacy Reroll

Games I have pre-ordered:

New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe (January 11th 2019)
Yo-Kai Watch 3 (February 8th 2019)
Steins;Gate Elite (February 16th, 2019)
Yoshi's Crafted World (Spring 2019)
Luigi's Mansion 3 (2019)
Animal Crossing Switch (2019)

Games I'm thinking about pre-ordering:

Song of Memories (It seems both the PS4 and Switch versions were pushed back to 2019.)

Games I want:

Kirby Star Allies
Luigi's Mansion (3DS)
Town of Light Deluxe Edition
Little Dragons Cafe

Merry Christmas everyone, and I hope you all have a happy new year. I got Katamari Damacy Reroll for the Nintendo Switch for Christmas. So, that's plus one to the backlog for 2018/2019.

Sorry that the information here mostly the same as what I just posted in the 2018 thread, I just know that about 99%/100% of my games will leak into 2019. I also have no idea on how many games I finished this year (2018). I know it wasn't enough, though.

I also got the new Gudetama Tamagotchi that released in the US December 2018, and I'm excited for that. I haven't played tamagotchi since I was a kid.

[Ronin19]

Well, now I'm adding « Harvest Goddess » of War, Spiderman, Assassin's Creed Odyssey, Cattails, Dragon's Dogma, Xenoblade Chronicles 3D, and Spyro to my backlog. Not sure which one I'll play first; they're all currently installing

[Bluie]

^Cattails is a lovely relaxing time if you need to wind down! It's also getting an update soon that they still haven't 100% detailed what it's adding besides marriage to a fan favourite cat.

Alright, so, it's Boxing day. I'm using my Walmart gift card to buy digital eshop codes. Of course they don't have the amount of my gift card, so I have to individually purchase codes until I use it up. They take fooooorever to deliver them, but once I get them all, i'm gonna use them to pre purchase YIIK: A Postmodern RPG.

Then I rolled over to Indigos online shopping with my other gift card and the video games section had been ransacked, minus the few games not on sale, so I picked up Captain Toad Treasure Tracker (that comes with an amiibo??). It's not gonna be here til mid Jan if the free shipping is anything to go by, so I'll get to it lol~

[Keera]

My backlog is abysmal. I'm going to make a conscious effort in 2019 to try to cut it down, at least to an extent - both with gaming and reading. I've been doing the Humble Monthly subscription, and I bit the bullet and did a yearly sub when it was on sale recently. But it'll take some time for me to sit down and go through what I've got and come up with a list of the games I really want to try to get through over others.

First up on the plate though is (re)playing through all of the Kingdom Hearts games on the PS4 in preparation for KH3. I'm so ready for this game; I took that entire week off from work.

[Ronin19]

I am so good at adding games to my backlog, lol. I just bought the Atelier Arland series for Switch. I'm also going to wait on DC Lego Super Villains and Xenoblade Chronicles 2 for my birthday in the new year, so I'm done buying games this year.

[Night Owl]

I kinda failed at finishing games in 2018... I think I bought more games than I finished. Although certain games did get dropped (like Little Dragons Cafe) towards the end. I did beat Dragon Quest XI's main story though. And I could write an entire essay on the "post-game" and why it started to annoy me. DQXI's on the backburner until I feel like grinding up 10 levels to stand a chance against bosses. Although I hope the Switch port comes over. I love what they've done already with it. I'd totally buy it again on Switch just because of what they've added.

Currently playing:
Hakuoki: Edo Blossoms (10 of 12 routes done) with a side of Dark Cloud. I probably won't beat Dark Cloud this time around, but it was more of an itch that I needed to scratch. Dark Cloud tends to lose me late-game when I realize I need to sit there and grind ABS or Attachments for weapons.

Games I've ordered:
Valkyria Chronicles 4 (played the demo, found it interesting. I need a strategy game until FE: Three Houses comes out)
Code: Realize Bouquet of Rainbows (waiting for Mysteria on PC. Vita space is getting tight, and I don't want to shell out for a new memory card)

Rest of my backlog? ... Oh « Harvest Goddess », why do I keep buying games. I really need to start beating them rather than just putting them down when I need to grind items/levels.