With too many games and not enough time to complete them all, a reader explains how he breaks down his video game backlog problem.
My wife, who is very much into reading, is often buying new books. I commented on how many books she had yet to read and she rightly questioned how many games I’d bought that I had yet to play.
So I downloaded an app, so I could sort out my library. Frankly I’m slightly embarrassed when I started to list them in the various categories.
I’m a sucker for a new game. Currently I have 20 games on my wishlist. Amongst other things there’s GTA 6. I’m slightly loathed to spend £70 on a digital game but it’ll be years before it drops in price and they’ll be no escaping spoilers unless you play it within the first few months of release. Although I don’t think GTA 6 will live up to the hype I think it will still be a must play game.
I’ve also got Control Resonant on the list. I don’t usually pre-order but Currys have an offer on, which drops the price to around 43 quid, which is a very reasonable price for a new game. Control is up there as one of the best games ever made and deserves more recognition. The sequel looks to be shaping up to be a worthy successor. I also want to get Toem 2 when that comes out and Zelda: Ocarina Of Time remake.
Other games that I’ll wait for a price drop are Star Wars: Galactic Racer, Moss: The Forgotten Relic, Lego Batman: Legacy Of The Dark Knight, and possibly Marvel’s Wolverine.
Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning.
I’ve also started listening to a podcast called Button Boys featuring the comedians Glenn Moore, Pierre Novellie, and Sarah Keyworth and each week they recommended some lesser known games such as Killer Frequency, Expelled!, and The Dark Queen Of Mortholme and there’s a fair few I’ve added to my wishlist. Thankfully these are usually very cheap and aren’t long games.
My backlog consists of 48 games. However, 11 of these are games from bundles which I bought for other titles. Some of them, such as Amanda The Adventurer or Loddlenaut, I will likely never play. I also bought a Resident Evil bundle and some of the titles, such as Resident Evil 5 and 6 I might never get round to, but then again it was the other titles such as Resident Evil 2 remake, Resident Evil 7, and Resident Evil Village that were the main draws.
A further 27 games were free either via Epic, Steam or Amazon. Some I might play but I’m not too worried, since I didn’t pay anything. Some of the more noticeable free games are Bioshock, Disco Elysium, Dishonored, and Dredge.
Thankfully, then, only 10 of the games on my backlog I actually paid for outright. And I don’t think I paid more than £10 for any of them. Most were in the under £5 price range.
Currently I’m playing five games, which is too much really. I had started Resident Evil (the remake version from 2002) and although I was enjoying it at times the tank controls and camera angles can be a bit grating. Having never finished an Assassin’s Creed game before I bought the Black Flag remake, which I’m really enjoying. Therefore, Resident Evil went on the back burner.
I’m currently away on holiday and have only taken the Switch 2. That means I’ve started Indiana Jones And The Great Circle. Having a good time so far, although I think Gizeh, the area I’m on at the moment, isn’t as fun to explore as the Vatican. I’ve also played a bit of Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which I enjoy but find the amount of content overwhelming, which is my issue with previous Assassin’s Creed games I’ve played. Also, whilst performance is good, the visuals look a bit blurry compared with other Switch 2 ports.
I’ve also downloaded a mobile game Bury Me, My Love which is a narrative game in the form of text messages sent to your phone about a man whose wife is escaping Syria during the war. The signal whilst I’m away is haphazard, so might have to play this more when home.
This is the real horror show. I have a whopping 22 games that I’ve paused playing. And only three are free. Another two are Game Pass games: Forza Horizon 5 and 6 – both of which I’ve played for some time but never actually completed.