So when we last visited this issue all the way back in… last week. We had high hopes. We had a foolproof method of reducing or eliminating my current backlog of 763 games before the new consoles came out… a method that lasted… well a week. Before I go over our new method to reduce our backlog first a few questions.
Didn’t you redo your databases for this other “new” method and now you have to painstakingly reconstruct all your work to change once again?
Yes. It isn’t that bad as Google Docs is pretty brilliant about keeping historical edits. But it is still a lot of work.
Don’t you spend more time organizing your game collection and reading about new games than actually playing them?
Yes. I am trying to get better but, like many in this hobby I suspect, I spend more time discussing writing and watching videos of games than playing them. That said I have put significant time in many games such as Sims 4 and Skyrim.
Don’t you spend more time playing with mods in Skyrim and Sims 4 than actually playing them?
Okay, I think the questions are getting a little hostile. There are certainly times that the above accusation would be accurate but we have gotten a lot better on that. Let’s try to focus on this new brilliant method to reduce the backlog.
Isn’t this an excuse to continue to buy new games?
In theory no it is a chance to play the most exciting well made games in my backlog first…but in reality yes
It was Thief that did you in, wasn’t it?
Yup, that game felt like a chore about an hour in. I would rather fire up Skyrim and roll a thief character and just steal from the houses in Riften than trudge around this game. I mean the main character has the personality of dirt, everything is so dark, the graphics are nothing to write home about, and I have wandered around the city the game takes place in for a least two hours with no idea where I am or where anything else is located in relation to each other.
It may get better and I may give it another spin in the future but it made me not want to play video games and that is a poor result from the first game in our backlog challenge.
Okay, so what are the backlog rules and what is different this time?
Here are the ground rules. It must be a game I have not played. Must be a game I own. Must be a game playable on my current PC or the Playstation 4 or Xbox One. Games on the Xbox that are not backward compatible (Such as my hundreds of Xbox Live Indie Games) will not be included in the backlog count.
All games will be given a ranking between A and F. (This is where the extensive reconstruction of the database comes in) Three ranked games will be chosen every round from the highest populated tier. So if there are 2 B games and 8 C games both B games would be automatically slotted to be played while the third slot would be filled by a randomly chosen C game.
The fourth slot will generally be reserved for a new game in a higher tier. So in the above scenario, a new game in the A slot would be randomly chosen. If no games exist in the A slot than a random game in the B slot would be chosen if however, no new games existed until the D slot a randomly chosen C game that is already owened would take the place of a new purchase.
Since I have only six owned games ranked A currently the first round will have four A games already owned in the first four slots while the second round will have the remaining two A games already owned a randomly chosen B game and a new to buy A ranked game.
As before the last slot will be my not finished/ want to play again games. This gives me a chance to revisit old favorites, play some shorter arcade titles or give a game that didn’t click with me a second chance such as Thief for example.
The other rules such as when to buy a remaster are unchanged. though my no new games, till I get through the backlog, has clearly been chucked out the window.
I can see how you have no time for gaming?
Well, that is about to change my good man as we are on our way to start our new backlog adventure. And in that spirit on to our new games.
Mad Max
Okay, this is more like it. I have been wanting to play this since it came out and I got it with Playstation Plus April of last year. This is the kind of backlog cleaning I need to get done.
There is a reason I didn’t buy Mad Max right away or even play it right after I got it for free. I have heard the game can get that open-world repetitiveness and I have to admit I have walked away from a few open-world games of late that just seemed to be grinding their gears and also grinding mine. Mafia III is a particularly good recent example of this.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
I liked the premise of this game for a long while and I have had it in my backlog for many years. But let us be honest it is Ellen from Outside Xtra whose constant pushing of every aspect of the game has elevated it from a good game I have never played like Dragon’s Dogma to a must-play just to see what she is always on about.
On the very plus side, it looks colorful and fun with a decent fiction so I am looking forward to it.
Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune
I actually bought the Uncharted collection a while ago. I have yet to touch one of them. Yes, I know. Drake’s Fortune is considered the weakest of the bunch but you got to start somewhere. Plus I like some cover-based shooting with light platforming and puzzling.
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
It is my understanding Among Thieves is a serious step up from the first game and many think it is the overall strongest of the series. Playing them back to back could make for an exciting ride.
Rumble Roses XX (Play as Evil Rose)
Our backlog game is Rumble Roses XX a favorite from the 360. I have a couple of games where I play various characters most of them with the phrase Dead or Alive somewhere in the title.
Rumble Roses XX never seemed to get the traction of other similar games but it is actually a decent wrestling game with associated kinky weirdness where you have your wrestler dress as a cat and drink from a saucer of milk why you photograph her.
Come for the wrestling stay for the spanking minigame.
Well, this is a better start. Stay tuned for the next round where we finish the Uncharted trilogy and get our first new game.