DAILY MANIFESTO

Your Stack Of Shame: What Do You Want To Tackle From Your Backlog First?

Posted on Monday, December 31 @ 11:42:57 Eastern by Keri_Honea

After this jam-packed Fall of releases, it's nice to have a little bit of downtime before the barrage of the first quarter unleashes upon us. I have until about mid-February to work on my lovely stack of shame that has actually grown larger over the Christmas holiday. (I knew I should have removed some of those games from my Amazon wishlist!)

The question is, where do I start first?

I've started a number of these games already: Dragon Age: Origins, Resistance 2, Halo 3: ODST, Inversion, Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, and Assassin's Creed 3. A part of me feels like I need to work on these first or just get rid of them (except for Halo 3: ODST... that one was a gift so I'll never part with it).

And then there's the other part of me that wants to play those highly acclaimed games like Batman: Arkham Asylum and Borderlands so I can see what the hype is all about.

I admit I'm having serious motivational problems moving forward with AC3, since my game time was riddled with game-breaking bugs. I know that they have been supposedly resolved with the most recent patches, but in many ways, the experience has already been soured. I think that speaks volumes about whether I will play it again, but at the same time, I'm not ready to officially say I'm done. Many people liked it, so there's a chance I will, right?

I'm also having some motivational problems with both Amalur and Dragon Age, simply because I know both will take a lot of time, and that's something I don't have much of. If only I was in my 20s with no kids; how I miss the weekends of having nothing to do but play games.

Are you working on anything from your backlog during this downtime?

Do you have any recommendations for me? (From my stack of shame please... don't add anything else to it just yet.)

Comments

Sourdeez
Joined: Feb 2012

Posted: Dec 31st, 2012 at 11:47 am
Borderlands 1 is a waste of money. Its really a c- game. Borderlands 2 on the otherhand did a great job actually listening to peoples problems and fixed alot of them. I hated borderlands 1 but I actually enjoyed borderlands 2.

If you would have taken everyone's rave reviews of borderlands 1 and just changed the name to 2 the reviews would have made more sense to me.

5 2

Sourdeez
Joined: Feb 2012

Posted: Dec 31st, 2012 at 11:48 am
Dont play ac3 if you expect a good story

Arkhum city is a must play though.

1 8

danielrbischoff
Joined: Nov 2009

Posted: Dec 31st, 2012 at 11:57 am
KERI FINISH ARKHAM CITY RIGHT NOW

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cheesegod99
Joined: Jun 2007

Posted: Dec 31st, 2012 at 12:21 pm
I agree! Play Arkham Asylum first, it sets up AC very well, and it has (in my opinion) the better story. AC is the more fun of the two games though. Both were my GOTY for the year they came out.

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danielrbischoff
Joined: Nov 2009

Posted: Dec 31st, 2012 at 12:31 pm
I just love the feeling of BEING Batman. I can't think of many other games that accomplish that as well as Arkham City does (AC being more open with the flight mechanics).

0 1

MandaloreHunter
Joined: Aug 2012

Posted: Dec 31st, 2012 at 12:46 pm
It is the quintessential super hero game for sure. Another game that "captures" the feel of the respective superhero well is that Wolverine Origins game, I love tearing through the bad guys in that game, and the battle with Sabretooth, it's pretty sweet as well!

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cheesegod99
Joined: Jun 2007

Posted: Dec 31st, 2012 at 10:51 pm
Yeah, there is nothing quite like perching on a gargoyle overhearing some baddies banter, and then swandiving 12 stories to deliver a crushing kick and then flawlessly disable all six of them within seconds. Then quickly grappling back to the rooftops to solve a Riddler puzzle using the classic gadgets. No game has ever nailed a the "feel" of a character as hard as AC nailed Batman.

0 1

MandaloreHunter
Joined: Aug 2012

Posted: Dec 31st, 2012 at 12:42 pm
I second this notion, easily one of the greatest games of all time!

0 1

danielrbischoff
Joined: Nov 2009

Posted: Dec 31st, 2012 at 12:47 pm
I need to check out Wolverine Origins. I totally missed the boat on that one.

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cheesegod99
Joined: Jun 2007

Posted: Dec 31st, 2012 at 10:52 pm
It's good not great. The graphics are so-so, the enemies are repetitive, the puzzles are annoying... but man, when you start stabbing people in the chest and then tearing them in half with those claws, it's damn satisfying.

0 1

Chunibrow
Joined: Mar 2010

Posted: Dec 31st, 2012 at 12:03 pm
I would say the best combination of low investment and great gameplay are the Arkam games there. Play asylum first then city. They don't require a huge time investment if you don't want to do all the extra stuff and they are 2 of this generations best games.

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spartan317
Joined: Dec 2005

Posted: Dec 31st, 2012 at 12:09 pm
Daniel's insistence aside.

The Arkhams won't take a huge amount of time unless you plan on finishing the game as opposed to just beating it.

Don't bother with Borderlands as it is REALLY boring without friends and alcohol...

I'd say that just from that stack you finish up Darksiders II and give ACIII and Borderlands the heave ho.

If you haven't been drawn in by the story by now then nothing you come to will increase the odds of you overlooking the glitches in ACIII

1 2

Jobin_Wendy
Joined: Mar 2012

Posted: Dec 31st, 2012 at 1:50 pm
Thankfully I didn't bother picking it up. Sorry, GR, but your pick for GotY '12 isn't my cup of tea.

0 0

MKSmooth
Joined: Sep 2007

Posted: Dec 31st, 2012 at 12:10 pm
Well my brother got me the Mass Effect trilogy for PS3 so I should probably get around to beating those games. I also picked up Lego LoTR so that might take up a bit of my time as well.

0 1

DaVillain
Joined: Apr 2011

Posted: Dec 31st, 2012 at 12:16 pm
Funny. Ive been thinking about going back and finishing Arkham City and this officially puts it on my to do list. Also was thinking about starting Infamous 2. Downloaded the game earlier this year and never even tried it. Maybe Ill finish AC3 too, but thats a big maybe. Should hold me over until GTAV arrives!!

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TurinAlexander
Joined: Sep 2006

Posted: Dec 31st, 2012 at 1:04 pm
I've started both Spec Ops: The Line, and Arkham Asylum, so I'd like to finish those. I have Alan Wake and American Nightmare installed, but haven't started them yet. I still need to get around to The Force Unleashed 2, which I bought during last year's Steam Christmas sale. I also haven't even started KoA:R, which I also have both of the DLC packs for. Just yesterday I bought the Gods and Kings expansion for Civ 5, so I'd like to get some time in on that. I like playing Civ, but I know it's going to take hours to play a game, so it's hard for me to get started on it. Aside from that, I have a ton indie games, plus all of the games from the THQ humble bundle. Not to mention I've barely scratched the surface of Just Cause 2.

F*ck, I could keep going if I wanted to. I really need to stop buying games when I already have so many I haven't played yet.

0 1

crazydanO5
Joined: Feb 2012

Posted: Dec 31st, 2012 at 1:10 pm
Looking back, I wouldn't even touch "Kingdoms of Amalur: The Reckoning" with a stick now. That game is completely repetitive and boring!

Not much better can be said about "Dragon's Dogma", but at least the fights ALOT more fun and the game as a whole has a solid challenge.

For your first though, definitely "Arkham City".

0 1

Canon44
Joined: Dec 2012

Posted: Dec 31st, 2012 at 1:10 pm
You owe it to yourself to play Dragon Age if its brand new(ish) to you. Its easily one of the best games this generation I think.

My backlog has a few headscratchers in it, I guess.
Duke Nukem Forever (didn't finish...for good reason lol)
Crysis 2 (got halfish way through, just couldn't get into it)
Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Just haven't gotten around to it)
Game of Thrones (Despite being a huge fan, couldn't get into it)

0 1

WILLS_COOL_MODE
Joined: Oct 2010

Posted: Dec 31st, 2012 at 1:13 pm

I've seriously only finished three games on that list.

0 2

WILLS_COOL_MODE
Joined: Oct 2010

Posted: Dec 31st, 2012 at 1:13 pm

your spam filter is horrible.

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WILLS_COOL_MODE
Joined: Oct 2010

Posted: Dec 31st, 2012 at 1:14 pm
Holy **** I can't even put something that looks like it might possibly link to something on tuesdays and thursdays.

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cereal13killer
Joined: Nov 2008

Posted: Dec 31st, 2012 at 1:20 pm
BL is the way to go... Just stick to the main quest, because the game has too many pointless side quests - i.e. all of them (then go play BL2!).

I'm ashamed to admit I have a bit of a backlog. Arkam Asylum, Assassins Creed 1 - Brotherhood (I wanted Saints Row 3 for my Birthday, got the AC package), Banjo Kazooie (it was free with my xbox...), MGS4...

0 1

sg4real
Joined: Apr 2011

Posted: Dec 31st, 2012 at 1:47 pm
My backlog is on steam.
Some games on there I haven't even touched yet or barely played.
I'm not in a hurry though, they ain't going no where.

0 0

Jobin_Wendy
Joined: Mar 2012

Posted: Dec 31st, 2012 at 1:59 pm
I need to just clean house. I've been trying to finish Borderlands, New Vegas, Skyrim, Final Fantasy XIII, Portal 2, Duke Nukem Forever, Ico and Shadow of the Colossus Collection, Dead Nation, Dragon Age II, Darksiders II, and Half-life 2 for who knows how long. I think I'll tackle them in this order:

Darksiders II
Portal 2
New Vegas
Ico/SotC Collection
Half-life 2
Skyrim

Fuck the rest.

0 1

Jobin_Wendy
Joined: Mar 2012

Posted: Dec 31st, 2012 at 2:42 pm
Oh yeah, and Brutal Legend! I've been putting it off for way too long.

0 0

moretokes
Joined: Apr 2011

Posted: Dec 31st, 2012 at 2:09 pm
I'm at last boss in mgs1 Liquid is just too hard

0 0

elmoreoocyte
Joined: Apr 2012

Posted: Dec 31st, 2012 at 2:45 pm
Both the Batman games and Borderlands!

0 0

zanzibarmcfate
Joined: Oct 2011

Posted: Dec 31st, 2012 at 3:28 pm
Too many to list, but probably most notably Bioshock and Deus Ex, along with finishing the last chapter or two of Max Payne 3 (really cool at first, but it just goes on and on).

Netflix and my ever-lasting fascination with sports games takes up what time I can devote to clearing the backlog.

0 1

Kassen
Joined: Aug 2012

Posted: Dec 31st, 2012 at 3:28 pm
I would recommend FTL if you like spave games. Im sufprised ive spent 20 hours plus on it.

Else id say arkham.

0 0

Alex_Osborn
Joined: Jan 2012

Posted: Dec 31st, 2012 at 3:35 pm
I'm gonna go against the grain and say Resistance 3. Supremely underrated IMO.

0 2

sliverstorm
Joined: Jun 2007

Posted: Dec 31st, 2012 at 5:36 pm
Definitely do NOT play Resistance 2. That game was just totally like whatever. Skip it.

3 had fantastic weapons with pretty good engagements and a blah story and characters that could have been great with a little more TLC. I don't think it's the best game in that stack, but it IS the most 'bite-sized', so if you just feel like blasting the crap out of stuff for 6-8 hours, you'll have a good time.

But seriously Arkham Asylum/City.

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usaglory
Joined: Mar 2009

Posted: Dec 31st, 2012 at 4:13 pm
I'm currently playing two games that should take quite a while to finish. When I'm done (I'm hoping I can actually finish them) I want to tackle yet another classic RPG.
As for Keri, I would recommend immersing yourself in the world of Dragon's Dogma interspersed with something a bit more light-hearted like an action game (God of War or Darksiders). If you do tackle Dragon's Dogma do write a piece giving us your thoughts about it.

0 1

oblivion437
Joined: Nov 2006

Posted: Dec 31st, 2012 at 4:28 pm
The second and third (storywise) titles in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. trilogy. Clear Sky was amazing and I'd like to finish the other two. I want to beat FTL at least once and then do a crazy dive digging into the game's secrets. I also need to do a full and proper playthrough of the Oscuro version of Oblivion.

0 0

Nick_Tan
Joined: Jul 2006

Posted: Dec 31st, 2012 at 4:32 pm
After Arkham City, I would say Dragon Age: Origins. BioWare had substantial time to polish the story and give all the characters strong lines of dialogue.

0 1

darkvictory
Joined: Apr 2011

Posted: Dec 31st, 2012 at 4:54 pm
I agree with Nick, go with Dragon's Age: Origins. My backlog only has Lollipop Chainsaw, which will have to wait until I finish the Mass Effect trilogy.

0 1

213EDD
Joined: Sep 2007

Posted: Dec 31st, 2012 at 5:29 pm
My backlog consists of
FTL
Doom 3: BFG
The Witcher 1
SFxMM
My match in Sins of the Solar Empire
Skyrim
XCOM: EU
Orcs Must Die 2
Terraria
Guild Wars 2
The Binding of Isaac

0 0

damo_rox619
Joined: Jan 2007

Posted: Dec 31st, 2012 at 9:52 pm
im not really working on anything particular at the current time except AC3, but in my shame pile of games that i started and just stopped playing are dishonored and borderlands 2, with the latter having halo 4 to blame

0 0

R0ADK1LL
Joined: Jul 2009

Posted: Jan 1st, 2013 at 12:09 am
I've just started AC: Revelations, will wait a bit before buying AC3. In alphabetical order, still gotta play Darksiders II, finish my stealth replay of Dishonored, I Am Alive, LA Noire DLC, Metro 2033, Rocksmith (I don't know if I can ever 'finish' that one), finish Stacking, and finally Transformers: Fall of Cybertron. ...At some point I need to get Far Cry 3 & Guild Wars 2 as well.

0 0

slowdiver
Joined: Nov 2008

Posted: Jan 1st, 2013 at 8:48 am
In my case, the words "backlog" and "catalog" are pretty much interchangeable. I've got more games than I ever get chance to play, and I can probably count the number I've beaten on the fingers of one hand. So why am I posting on here instead of cracking to? Yea, you've got me there ;)

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drathbone
Joined: May 2011

Posted: Jan 1st, 2013 at 9:51 am
My backlog includes:

Skyward Sword (almost done tho)
Witcher 2
Darksiders 2
Xenoblade Saga
ME2
ME3
Red Dead Redemption
Baldurs Gate 1+expacs
Baldurs Gate 2+expacs

0 0

drathbone
Joined: May 2011

Posted: Jan 1st, 2013 at 9:53 am
Also, Keri I would recommend playing Dragons Dogma. There's just something so fun about climbing up a griffon/cyclops/dragon and beating the fuark out of it.

0 1

FATAL1TY
Joined: Nov 2005

Posted: Jan 1st, 2013 at 12:08 pm
I have over 300 games on Steam and I've only played around 50 of them (damn Summer/Fall/Winter Sales)

As for PS3 goes:

Team ICO Collection
Silent Hills Collection
Dead Rising 2
Star Hawk
War Hammer Space Marine
Dragons Dogma (currently playing)
LA Noir
Lolipop Chainsaw
GOW3

0 0

UghRochester
Joined: Jun 2006

Posted: Jan 1st, 2013 at 3:05 pm
I have bunch of games to play (mostly for Xbox 360). I'm currently playing ICO and Shadow of Colossus collection. I have too many games. In fact, I fear trying out my new old games. Don't know how to explain it.

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hewhowasonceme
Joined: May 2011

Posted: Jan 1st, 2013 at 9:24 pm
Dragon age is awesome and ac. Not to be a OCD freak but arrange your games! Ps3 with Ps3 and 360 with 360. God that bothers me.

0 0

Klandathu
Joined: Apr 2008

Posted: Jan 2nd, 2013 at 12:25 am
I picked up Far Cry 3 yesterday, so that's pretty much at the top of my "to-do" list (a wise purchase, by the way), but I also need to make room for when the next Borderlands 2 DLC drops, and I still have buttloads to do in Assassin's Creed 3. Other than that...

I wanna go back through at some point and try and finish up more Arkham City extras.
I want to do at least one more playthrough of Mass Effect 3.
One of these days I'm going to have to delete enough crap on my hard drive to make room for the Skyrim DLC packs.

I really do want to pick up a PS3 eventually too. There are a couple of games that I definitely want (Ico/SotC, Ratchet and Clank, God of War), and several that I've never played but would really like to (the Uncharted series, InFamous, Hard Rain, and I'm sure there are a few others that I'm forgetting).

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Keri_Honea
Joined: Dec 2011

Posted: Jan 2nd, 2013 at 7:31 am
Wow, I'm honestly shocked at the number of pushes toward the Arkham games. I'm also laughing at the number of people demanding I skip AC3.

Thanks for everyone's insight! Your reasons for why I should play one game over another is actually very helpful!

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SolidSevchinko78
Joined: Jun 2012

Posted: Jan 2nd, 2013 at 8:08 am
Skip Assassin's Creed 3 its broken and really more of a chore to play.

0 0

R_Hillenbrand
Joined: Jul 2012

Posted: Jan 2nd, 2013 at 10:56 am
Binary Domain
White Knight Chronicles 1 & 2
Just finished Xenoblade so I can finally cross that out.

0 1

hanuka
Joined: Jan 2013

Posted: Jan 3rd, 2013 at 2:30 am
Damn that's a pretty big collection. I would love to finish warcraft 3 series. .

0 0

Lok-Nar
Joined: Feb 2012

Posted: Jan 3rd, 2013 at 3:24 am
Deus Ex is at the top of my list now.

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THEundying27
Joined: Sep 2012

Posted: Jan 7th, 2013 at 3:44 am
Just finished Sleeping Dogs campaign. Gonna take a break and go back later to finish the side missions. Here are other games I need to finish.
1. Saints Row 3rd
2. Red Dead Redemption
3. Splinter Cell Conviction (I probably wont finish it. I'm extremely bored of it)
4. Crysis 2. (I probably won't finish this one either. Not feeling it at all)
5. Halo 4 and beat the campaign on a harder difficulty
6. COD black ops 2 campaign (kind of boring lol)

0 0

shandog137
Joined: Mar 2007

Posted: Jan 7th, 2013 at 10:38 am
I have been working on the following:

1. Syndicate
2. AC3
3. Ratchet & Clank All 4 One
4. Resident Evil ORC
5. Ninja Gaiden 3
6. Battlefield 3 single player

...and ME3 multiplayer to mix things up a bit.

just beet Infamous festival of blood. on sale for 6.99 on PSN...longer than a movie and about the same price. Was thinking of replaying arkham city though or at least the brawler challenges

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