2012, end of the world, or end of your pile? - the 12 month thread

Steam has the GFWL Bulletstorm for $5. I wish I could tell you that I fought the good fight, and the Steam sale let me be. I wish I could tell you that - but Steam sales are no fairy-tale world.

I guess it's kind of ok since it's not 2012 yet.

honeycut1 wrote:

Steam has the GFWL Bulletstorm for $5. I wish I could tell you that I fought the good fight, and the Steam sale let me be. I wish I could tell you that - but Steam sales are no fairy-tale world.

I guess it's kind of ok since it's not 2012 yet
.

That same logic saw me pick up Renegade Ops and Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet off the dashboard this evening...

Games in my collection I most want to finish/watch the credits roll.

- Lost Odyssey
- Ico/Shadow of the Colossus
- Legend of Zelda: The Skyward Sword
- Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
- Bastion

Status: 0 of 5 (0%)

Games in my collection I would like to finish/watch the credits roll:

- Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
- Dragon Age: Origins: Awakening
- Dragon Age 2
- Donkey Kong Country Returns
- New Super Mario Bros. Wii
- Epic Mickey
- Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment
- Uncharted 2
- Radiant Historia
- Duke Nukem Forever
- Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny

Status: 0 of 11 (0%)

Games That I'd Like to Crack the Plastic Open On and Finish

- DeBlob 2
- Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom
- Dead Rising 2
- Fallout: New Vegas
- Metro 2033
- A Boy and His Blob
- Yakuza 4
- Vanquish
- Metal Gear Solid 4
- Deus Ex: Human Revolution
- X-Men: Destiny

Status: 0 of 11 (0%)

Total in Current Pile: 0 of 26 (0%)

2012 Releases I will be purchasing - list of releases

- Bioshock Infinite
- Resident Evil: Revelations
- Kid Icarus: Uprising
- Mass Effect 3
- Aliens: Colonial Marines
- Far Cry 3
- Luigi's Mansion 2
- Paper Mario 3DS
- Prey 2
- Silent Hill: Downpour
- South Park: The Game
- Dragon's Dogma
- Xenoblade Chronicles

Status: 0 of 13 (0%)

2011 and Prior Releases I might be purchasing

- Warhammer 40K: Space Marine
- Cave Story +
- Cthulu Saves the World
- Trenched
- Costume Quest
- Jurassic Park: The Game
- Back to the Future: The Game
- Mario Sports Mix
- Dungeon Siege 3
- F.E.A.R. 3
- Dead Island
- White Knight Chronicles II
- Valkyria Chronicles
- Rage
- Kirby's Epic Yarn
- Kirby's Return to Dreamland
- Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
- Battlefield 3
- Modern Warfare 3
- Assassin's Creed: Revelations

Status: 0 of 19 (0%)

Other:

- L.A. Noire DLC
- Mass Effect 2 DLC

Status: 0 of 2 (0%)

On-going (Games I doubt I'll ever truly "finish")

- Pokemon White
- Super Mario 3D Land ("beat it", but have the secret world)
- Mario Kart 7
- Demon's Souls
- Dark Souls
- Little Big Planet

Status: 0 of 6 (0%)

Swapped X-Men: Destiny from games I plan on buying to games I want to crack the plastic open on. Also moved Bastion to games I want to watch the credits roll most on.

Vrikk wrote:

I'm not going to make some list because my gaming habits are random, without pattern, and I don't get to actually do a lot of it anymore beyond random Sunday afternoons.

Don't be fooled, this isn't a "I must finish these games in 2012" list. It's more of a "Out of the games I own, these are the actual ones I want to play" list.

So to be honest, I think your concerns are actually perfect reasons to make a list. I understand your gaming time is tight and you tend to shoot from the hip, but making a cataloged list of what you have and what you'd like to get around to sometime is a great way to get past those games that you might feel like playing but in the end you'd rather be having fun somewhere else. I know I've played my fair share of games that, after 6 hours, I wonder why I bothered with it because it wasn't fun. Those games are gone from my pile, unless it's a game I've yet to crack open and then soon it will be gone.

Keep those 1200 for the 'must have' DotWs that will pop up, or top it up to another amount, and make that the 'all I will spend on the marketplace this year' allocation.

m0nk3yboy wrote:

Keep those 1200 for the 'must have' DotWs that will pop up, or top it up to another amount, and make that the 'all I will spend on the marketplace this year' allocation.

That's not a bad idea. I'm waiting to see if anything really exciting crops up in the rest of the holiday sale.

My wife and I played a bit of Strongbad Episode 5, and we really enjoyed it. We started it earlier this year right after we'd played episodes 2, 3, and 4, and we just didn't have fun with it. We must have just needed a break from Strongbad because it's more fun this time around, and we're moving through it at a pretty good clip. There's a chance we'll even finish it up tonight.

I also added a section for unplanned purchases: games I bought that weren't on The List. I realized last night that I already have seven new games I hadn't planned on getting. It's the holiday season, so I expect some of that, but still. I want to track this to see how I do with these throughout the year.

Adding a bit of a wrinkle to that is that I realized last night that I have exactly 1200 MSP on my Xbox account. I have this personal thing about having unspent balances on gift cards and point cards, so I'm feeling itchy to buy a couple games and zero that out. However, since my 360 and XBLA piles are so big, I'm trying to not buy any more games for those platforms.

Edit: Finished Mighty Switch Force.

I also played a bit of Alien Breed Evolution over lunch. My reaction to that game is a bit odd: I enjoy it well enough while I'm playing it, but the moment that I turn it off, I stop thinking about it. I don't look forward to playing it again, I don't think about my time with it, and when it comes time to find a game to play, I don't think of it. For that alone, it might get kicked off the pile. If I have no desire to play it enough to finish it, it gets kicked off the pile.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

I like trueheart's format, so I'm going to mostly steal it:

Games in my collection I most want to finish/watch the credits roll.

  • Vanquish
  • Nier
  • Resonance of Fate
  • Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom
  • Dead Space 2
  • Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked*
  • Pokémon SoulSilver
  • Ico
  • Shadow of the Colossus
  • Persona 3*
  • Persona 4
  • Kirby's Epic Yarn
  • The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword*
  • Lost in Shadow*
  • Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
  • Sin & Punishment: Star Successor

Status: 2 of 16 (12%)

Games in my collection I would like to finish/watch the credits roll:

  • Assassin's Creed 2
  • Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume
  • Rune Factory Frontier
  • Super Mario World
  • Bastion
  • Hydrophobia
  • Trenched

Status: 0 of 7 (0%)

* = In Progress
/ = Abandoned / Sold
/ = Finished / Completed

Games on the bubble
These are the games in my collection that get one more chance to engage me before they're removed from the pile forever.

  • Bastion
  • Alien Breed Evolution
  • Strongbad's Cool Game for Attractive People: Episode 5
  • Crystal Defenders R2
  • Fusion: Sentient

Status: 2 of 5 (40%)

/ = Kept/Finished
/ = Abandoned/Sold

2012 Releases I will be purchasing - list of releases

  • Bioshock Infinite
  • Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
  • XCOM
  • Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2
  • Xenoblade Chronicles

Status: 0 of 5 (0%)

2011 and Prior Releases I will be purchasing and at what price - list of releases
These are the games I will restrict myself to when the buying urge comes upon me, and for lower prices than I normally would purchase (unless digital). I will not necessarily buy all of these games.

  • Catherine
  • Dark Souls
  • The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

Status: 0 of 3 (0%)

Unplanned Purchases
These are the games I bought that weren't listed above.

  • Pushmo*
  • Cave Story 3D
  • Cave Story*
  • Mighty Switch Force
  • Mario Kart 7
  • Pilotwings Resort
  • Steel Diver

Status: 1 of 7 (28%)

Side Goals

  • The Wife, She Demands It! Replay Half-Life 2 and its episodes
  • For Switchbreak: Replay Deadly Premonition twice more for the last two achievements
  • This Year, We Go Platinum! Replay Bayonetta on Hard, beat Vanquish on Hard, and beat Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance on Hard
  • You Made Your Bed, Now f*ck In It: Have 0% of my pile marked as "Unplayed" at the end of the year

Status: 0 of 4 (0%)

I, Clocky, solemnly pledge to take part in the Pile of Shame monthly threads. Even if it is just for one game, I will put forth effort to clear my ever-growing pile, one game at a time.

I also pledge to do everything within my ability to restrict my game purchases to those that I've listed, and, if I should falter, will shamefully add them to the pile in full sight of this support group.

In addition, I'd like to put the following purchasing controls in place:

  • Items on The List (see above) are exempt from all these rules.
  • No 360 or XBLA games, not even if it's a kinda interesting game that's having a really good sale.
  • No DS games will be purchased after March 27th.
  • No buying games for any platform unless I don't have any unplayed games on that platform.

I just bit on the entire Gothic pack at the steam sale for $12.49. I loved 1 and 2 but lost them, and I'd been itching to play 4 (ArcaniA) for a while -- and didn't really want to get it on the 360 because a few achievements are bugged and unobtainable.

Anyway, I've been really good this year; I didn't even open the steam store for over a week. Stay strong, Andy.

I'm proud to announce I did NOT buy Bulletstorm in the Steam sale. Though I am tempted to use some Amazon credits to grab Rage for $20.

honeycut1 wrote:

I'm proud to announce I did NOT buy Bulletstorm in the Steam sale. Though I am tempted to use some Amazon credits to grab Rage for $20.

I feel pretty good about that myself. Still need to finish up anarchy on the 360. Super good game.

It's so nice to be able to resist every deal that's popped up for games that aren't on my "buy" list. Sure, not playing PC games much has helped tremendously, and those XBLA sales have been mostly laughable (Bastion was day 1 and on my list).

I'm really hoping EA's sale next week includes the DA2 DLC that's come out, my replay for that game will be starting before too long (debating on whether to jump into FF XIII for the first time or do my replay). Of course, this all hinges on whether or not I'm still playing Saints Row 3 for much longer (got a solid 10 hours left in it, at least).

I'm going to take a bit of a break from Cave Story. Just not feeling all the love, or perhaps I'm just exhausted from replaying the first couple hours back-to-back in two different versions of the game.

Lost in Shadow, on the other hand, is wonderful. I described it on Twitter as the "love child of Ico and Limbo." I've almost reached the top of the tower (I don't know if that's the end of the game or not), and I'm very happy that I bought it and wish I'd played it sooner.

As with Ico, though, the Japanese box art for Lost in Shadow gives a better idea of the game's mood than the crappy American box art:

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/Q4VoHl.jpg)

The English text at the bottom reads: "I rode the creepy tram toward the large tower that stood before me. With no idea what awaited me."

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/ibBwtl.jpg)

I like the prominent use of the sylph on the cover, a character of virtually no significance, as well as all of the glittery landscape. This looks like a generic kids' game, not the sad, creepy gem that it is.

If you're jumping into FFXIII let me know. I figure support group and all plus it might be nice to have someone to bounce impressions/thoughts about the game off of and seek advice from... I got a PS3 in my xmas loot and that's been on my to buy list once the PS3 dropped to an acceptable price.

Speaking of which, I'll update the list tomorrow with what should be the plan for this year.

shoptroll wrote:

If you're jumping into FFXIII let me know. I figure support group and all plus it might be nice to have someone to bounce impressions/thoughts about the game off of and seek advice from...

Totally understood. My understanding is that if you go into the game knowing what to expect, then it's not so bad, especially if you find the combat interesting.

Feel free to dig up the catch-all, as well. There were some great tips in there

Agreed.

trueheart78 wrote:

Totally understood. My understanding is that if you go into the game knowing what to expect, then it's not so bad, especially if you find the combat interesting.

I played a teensy bit (say an hour?) at my girlfriend's apartment and it wasn't totally off-putting although the pace of the combat was a bit of a shock (which I think I'll get used to). As much as I might disagree with the linear area design (which I understand is a) not the first time this happened in the series and b) is pretty much endemic to the industry as a whole currently) and some other missing staples I'm more than prepared to give the game a fair shake, and it's about time I see what all the fuss was about firsthand.

Shoptroll & Trueheart, go into the game, knowing that the first 10 chapters are fairly 'linear'. But also understand that this is part of the build for Chapter 11.

It's not 'that' linear either, I found it very similar to FFX in that respect. Yes, you are travelling from point A to point B, but there are twisty side roads that can be explored, and they almost always contain some loot of one kind or another.

I really enjoyed it, the environments, visuals and music are top notch, and it felt very familiar (again, coming off my experience with FFX). I sunk over 80 hours into it, and didn't feel annoyed with it once. I have some end game quests to wrap up now, maybe another 20 hours or so, but the credits rolled, and it was a great little game. Ignore the 'FF' in the title and just play it as a very satisfying (not epic) and rewarding JRPG.

Well, I got bored with FFX. Didnt try it out until i got a ps3 back in 2007, but the combat didn't seem to matter too much, and being able to lose 45 min of game time because you don't know the one "trick" to take down a boss was something I grew out of accepting a long time ago.

Here's hoping FFXIII is better than that. Also, I have the guide for it as well, which I plan to be using a lot.

trueheart78 wrote:

Well, I got bored with FFX.

Me too... Never even made it to fight SIN. I lost traction going after all of the Legendary Weapons. The similarities with FFX would be looking to the mini-map to see where the twists and turns are.

Good to know.

Finished up Strongbad Episode 5. Overall, the series was cute, but I'm not sure I'll buy another TellTale game.

That puts me at three games finished or completed since the start of this thread with three games abandoned or sold and seven purchased.

(I also tinkered with the formating for this post, my goals, and my buying lists extensively.)

The Trueheart Format™ wrote:

Key:
* = In Progress
/ = Abandoned / Sold
/ = Finished / Completed


Games in my collection I most want to finish/watch the credits roll:

  • Vanquish
  • Nier
  • Resonance of Fate
  • Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom
  • Dead Space 2
  • Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked*
  • Pokémon SoulSilver
  • Ico
  • Shadow of the Colossus
  • Persona 3*
  • Persona 4
  • Kirby's Epic Yarn
  • The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword*
  • Lost in Shadow*
  • Metroid Prime 2: Echoes
  • Sin & Punishment: Star Successor

Status: 2 of 16 (12%)


Games in my collection I would like to finish/watch the credits roll:

  • Assassin's Creed 2
  • Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume
  • Rune Factory Frontier
  • Super Mario World
  • Hydrophobia
  • Trenched

Status: 0 of 6 (0%)


Games on the bubble
These are the games in my collection that get one more chance to engage me before they're removed from the pile forever.

  • Bastion
  • Alien Breed Evolution
  • Strongbad's Cool Game for Attractive People: Episode 5
  • Crystal Defenders R2
  • Fusion: Sentient

Status: 2 of 5 (40%)


2012 Releases I will be purchasing - list of releases
I won't necessarily be buying these Day One, but these are the games that I'm most excited about in the coming year.

  • Bioshock Infinite
  • Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
  • XCOM
  • Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2
  • Xenoblade Chronicles
  • Kid Icarus Uprising
  • Luigi's Mansion 2
  • Paper Mario 3D
  • Tales of the Abyss

Status: 0 of 9 (0%)


2011 and Prior Releases I will be purchasing - list of releases
These are the games I will restrict myself to when the buying urge comes upon me, and for lower prices than I normally would purchase (unless digital). I will not necessarily buy all of these games.

  • Catherine
  • Dark Souls
  • The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
  • Starfox 64 3D
  • The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time 3D

Status: 0 of 5 (0%)


Unplanned Purchases
These are the games I bought that weren't listed above.

  • Pushmo*
  • Cave Story 3D
  • Cave Story*
  • Mighty Switch Force
  • Mario Kart 7
  • Pilotwings Resort
  • Steel Diver

Status: 2 of 7 (28%)


Side Goals

  • The Wife, She Demands It! Replay Half-Life 2 and its episodes — Status: 0 of 3 (0%)
  • For Switchbreak: Replay Deadly Premonition twice more for the last two achievements — Status: 0 of 2 (0%)
  • This Year, We Go Platinum! Replay Bayonetta on Hard, beat Vanquish on Hard, and beat Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance on Hard — Status: 0 of 3 (0%)
  • More like "ambassador," amirite? Finish or abandon the 10 GameBoy Advance ambassador games on 3DS. — Status: 0 of 10 (0%)

I, Clocky, solemnly pledge to take part in the Pile of Shame monthly threads. Even if it is just for one game, I will put forth effort to clear my ever-growing pile, one game at a time.

I also pledge to do everything within my ability to restrict my game purchases to those that I've listed, and, if I should falter, will shamefully add them to the pile in full sight of this support group.

I'm trying to figure out a good metric for beating and/or completing Mario Kart 7. It seems like winning all the cups would be completion, so there's not really a way to just beat it. Maybe mark it null?

ClockworkHouse wrote:

I'm trying to figure out a good metric for beating and/or completing Mario Kart 7. It seems like winning all the cups would be completion, so there's not really a way to just beat it. Maybe mark it null?

Mario Kart is a weird series to "beat", like Mario Party and Smash Bros. The single-player game mostly exists as a vehicle for unlocking stuff in multiplayer. I wouldn't hesitate to go straight from unbeaten to completed once you have all the unlocks done. The rules of Backloggery state that's what the "Completed" designation is for.

If they have a star/ranking system for your performance on each cup I'd consider maxing those out on each cup as completion. Which is the metric I used for Mario Kart DS, and would've used for Mario Kart: Super Circuit if I had remembered to mark it in my Backloggery...

Otherwise, beaten = beat (bronze/silver) each cup, completion = gold each cup.

When do you see the credits?

So I signed up for the $1 gamefly month a week or so ago, and en route are MGS: HD collection and Batman Arkham City. Hoping I can make it through them before my month is up! If I make it through either (MGS3 or Batman) then it will have totally been worth it.

trueheart78 wrote:

When do you see the credits?

After beating every cup on 50cc.

ccesarano wrote:
trueheart78 wrote:

When do you see the credits?

After beating every cup on 50cc.

Then that is technically beating the game, in my book. The first section of my lists is titled "Games in my collection I want to finish/watch the credits roll."

trueheart78 wrote:
ccesarano wrote:
trueheart78 wrote:

When do you see the credits?

After beating every cup on 50cc.

Then that is technically beating the game, in my book. The first section of my lists is titled "Games in my collection I want to finish/watch the credits roll."

This sounds right to me. But aren't there a number of unlockable characters in Mario Kart games? I would think once all the cups are won and the hidden characters/karts unlocked, then the game is "Completed."

Well, at 1-something in the morning I beat X-Men: Destiny, which was awfully quick. Still, 2012 is already looking better with a game knocked off the pile as soon as it began.

Games in my collection I most want to finish/watch the credits roll.

- Lost Odyssey
- Ico/Shadow of the Colossus
- Legend of Zelda: The Skyward Sword
- Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
- Bastion

Status: 0 of 5 (0%)

Games in my collection I would like to finish/watch the credits roll:

- Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
- Dragon Age: Origins: Awakening
- Dragon Age 2
- Donkey Kong Country Returns
- New Super Mario Bros. Wii
- Epic Mickey
- Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment
- Uncharted 2
- Radiant Historia
- Duke Nukem Forever
- Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny
- X-Men: Destiny

Status: 1 of 11 (9.1%)

Games That I'd Like to Crack the Plastic Open On and Finish

- DeBlob 2
- Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom
- Dead Rising 2
- Fallout: New Vegas
- Metro 2033
- A Boy and His Blob
- Yakuza 4
- Vanquish
- Metal Gear Solid 4
- Deus Ex: Human Revolution

Status: 0 of 10 (0%)

Total in Current Pile: 1 of 26 (3.85%)

2012 Releases I will be purchasing - list of releases

- Bioshock Infinite
- Resident Evil: Revelations
- Kid Icarus: Uprising
- Mass Effect 3
- Aliens: Colonial Marines
- Far Cry 3
- Luigi's Mansion 2
- Paper Mario 3DS
- Prey 2
- Silent Hill: Downpour
- South Park: The Game
- Dragon's Dogma
- Xenoblade Chronicles

Status: 0 of 13 (0%)

2011 and Prior Releases I might be purchasing

- Warhammer 40K: Space Marine
- Cave Story +
- Cthulu Saves the World
- Trenched
- Costume Quest
- Jurassic Park: The Game
- Back to the Future: The Game
- Mario Sports Mix
- Dungeon Siege 3
- F.E.A.R. 3
- Dead Island
- White Knight Chronicles II
- Valkyria Chronicles
- Rage
- Kirby's Epic Yarn
- Kirby's Return to Dreamland
- Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
- Battlefield 3
- Modern Warfare 3
- Assassin's Creed: Revelations

Status: 0 of 19 (0%)

Other:

- L.A. Noire DLC
- Mass Effect 2 DLC

Status: 0 of 2 (0%)

On-going (Games I doubt I'll ever truly "finish")

- Pokemon White
- Super Mario 3D Land ("beat it", but have the secret world)
- Mario Kart 7
- Demon's Souls
- Dark Souls
- Little Big Planet

Status: 0 of 6 (0%)

Happy new year fellow pilers. May you find lost gems and new favourite games as you dig deep into your ever burgeoning pile.