2013 - 12 month pile thread. Hello New Year, good bye pile!

mrtomaytohead wrote:
Garden Ninja wrote:

I've decided to drop New Super Mario Bros Wii. It's a fun co-op game, but I haven't had much desire to play it solo.

This is exactly how I felt. Thankfully I beat it with my wife.

I was the opposite. I loved playing it in single-player but had no desire to even attempt the co-op.

ClockworkHouse wrote:
mrtomaytohead wrote:
Garden Ninja wrote:

I've decided to drop New Super Mario Bros Wii. It's a fun co-op game, but I haven't had much desire to play it solo.

This is exactly how I felt. Thankfully I beat it with my wife.

I was the opposite. I loved playing it in single-player but had no desire to even attempt the co-op.

Part of it is that I actually played about halfway through it when it originally came out, and returned it to gamefly because I wasn't super impressed. It's not bad by any means, but I have other, better games for my platformer and / or Mario fix. I don't think I would have even bought it this time around except that it came with my new Wii.

Also, I just wrote a Powershell script to help with posts in this thread. Right now it's pretty dumb. It only does a global replace of the Backloggery icon bbcode with the correct [ IMG ] tags. In addition to Backloggery, I keep a text file as well, with the games as items inside a [ LIST ] tag, so that's enough for the moment. If anyone has any requests, let me know.

If you have Windows 7, you already have Powershell installed. Just save the file somewhere, open powershell, navigate to that location and point the script at the file with your list. It just spits the updated text to the screen, but you can redirect it to a file, then copy the contents into a new post.

PS> .\gwj-pile-thread-helper.ps1 My-Pile.txt > post.txt

mrtomaytohead wrote:

Alright, had to come check this thread to figure out who added me on backloggery. I see Eliema (your name is to hard to pronounce for me to remember, but seeing you here jogs the memory. I have no idea who Z_daddy is.

Actually, I'm fairly certain you added me first, because I had no idea what the multitap was! And it's "eh-leh-EE-mah", just some silly elvish sounding anagram I made up of my RL name, but a lot of people just go with "E" for short (and because it's less of a mouthful).

Garden Ninja wrote:

I also broke up my pile a bit to add a new category:
Technically, this isn't much different than my approach to games in general. I've just broken them out like this to remind myself that they don't get more time to hook me, just because they happen to be "Classics".

Oh gosh, I have the same problem with a whole bunch of games I bought. Games like the GTAs, and Deus Ex, I bought because they were classics. Hope I manage to get into them.
From your list, I highly recommend The Longest Journey and Syberia, those are really some great adventure games right there, no question about it.

I think NSMB Wii (and U) are good either solo or multiplayer. Having a second player helps a lot in some sections, but there are definitely some segments in both games where extra people will hinder more than help. This seems to be the case with nearly every co-op Nintendo platformer lately.

Eleima wrote:

Oh gosh, I have the same problem with a whole bunch of games I bought. Games like the GTAs, and Deus Ex, I bought because they were classics.

Guilty as well. Mine was Deus Ex and the X-COM pack on Steam a long while ago. Deus Ex is pretty good, still haven't fired up X-Com though :\

Will try to spend some time over the next few weeks putting my list together.

I still have Dishonored to play, got it back at the end of October. Thinking about going retro in 2013 - maybe NES it up, since I still want one and there are a ton of classic games I'd like to beat or re-experience.

Eleima wrote:

Oh gosh, I have the same problem with a whole bunch of games I bought. Games like the GTAs, and Deus Ex, I bought because they were classics. Hope I manage to get into them.
From your list, I highly recommend The Longest Journey and Syberia, those are really some great adventure games right there, no question about it.

To be fair, all those classics are games that I am legitimately interested in, but considering their age, I probably wouldn't have tried if they weren't considered classics.

I mis-marked Longest Journey, as I have actually put a couple of hours into it. That one I picked up because I had played (and loved) Dreamfall, and wanted to play the first game to see more of that story and world. If it weren't for that, I probably would have dropped it already as the graphics in the cutscenes are cringe-inducing and it has a major problem with adventure game logic.

For example, here is an early puzzle chain

  • Go to the cafe and get some bread
  • Open window and release your clothesline
  • Drop the bread on the rubber ducky, which the seagull will eat, which jostles the rubber ducky free, then pull the clothesline up with the chain
  • Go downstairs and get your ring from Fiona
  • Go outside and play with the boarding house's water system. Use your ring to close a circuit, but be careful not to shock yourself. No, those work gloves you picked up won't help with that. Just use your bare hands, carefully. Now, fiddle with the valves until the water is off. Yes, I know that half a dozen people live there. Now take the clamp that Mickey used to hold the whole dying system together. It will be fine, she can get another one. You'll be in magic land soon enough anyway, so what do you care?
  • Go pick up the rubber ducky, and combine it with the clamp and the clothesline
  • Go to the subway, and use your contraption to pick up a "key" (looks more like a tire iron) off the tracks. What do you mean, "Why do you want the key?" Shut up, don't ask stupid questions. What's that? The clamp won't close? Well, remove the band aid that was covering a hole in the duck. Now the duck will deflate and the clamp will close. Pick up your "key".

It keeps going, and a good bit of it is honey on cat hair makes a mustache level of stupid.

ClockworkHouse wrote:
mrtomaytohead wrote:
Garden Ninja wrote:

I've decided to drop New Super Mario Bros Wii. It's a fun co-op game, but I haven't had much desire to play it solo.

This is exactly how I felt. Thankfully I beat it with my wife.

I was the opposite. I loved playing it in single-player but had no desire to even attempt the co-op.

I believe that's called hating fun.

trueheart78 wrote:

Will try to spend some time over the next few weeks putting my list together.

I still have Dishonored to play, got it back at the end of October. Thinking about going retro in 2013 - maybe NES it up, since I still want one and there are a ton of classic games I'd like to beat or re-experience.

For old NES games, I have three words: The Guardian Legend.

It took me until last year to finally beat that game after having played it as a kid on the NES, and later on an emulator and finally buying a used copy for myself. I may have extra love for that game based on my early experiences, but I still loved playing it last year. The password system is a royal pain, though.

Garden Ninja, that's by far one of the worst puzzles in the game, and the vast majority are much better and make logical sense. There's one later off the top of my head that always trips me up as well, but the story and characters make dealing with those frustrations well worth the effort. I hope you stick with it.

Garden Ninja wrote:

I mis-marked Longest Journey, as I have actually put a couple of hours into it. That one I picked up because I had played (and loved) Dreamfall, and wanted to play the first game to see more of that story and world. If it weren't for that, I probably would have dropped it already as the graphics in the cutscenes are cringe-inducing and it has a major problem with adventure game logic.

To be fair, like beanman pointed out, that example you picked is the worst in the game. Honestly, it gets a lot, lot better afterwards. And the story and characters are just sooo worth it. It's really one of those games that will stay with me, even now, years and years after I've played it. Here's hoping you stick with it!

It's a shame that a puzzle that boneheaded is in the game at all, let alone near the beginning, where it will potentially turn people off your game. If I hadn't played Dreamfall, and already been interested in the world, it probably would have turned me off as well.

I do plan to continue. I haven't touched in a couple of weeks, but last time I played I had just gotten to Arcadia, and the first NPC interaction there was pretty spectacular. Perhaps it's a good thing I'm already past the crappy part of the game.

I think I now have more unplayed games than played games in my steam account. I feel a total bloody idiot =(

Maq wrote:

I think I now have more unplayed games than played games in my steam account. I feel a total bloody idiot =(

Don't feel so bad. There are some of us (*looks around innocently*) that know they have more unplayed games than played. Much, much more

Although, this week has been very productive in terms of cutting games down. I'll actually have to wait on making a 2013 list until the end of next week since I'm making such good progress on games.

CptDomano wrote:
Maq wrote:

I think I now have more unplayed games than played games in my steam account. I feel a total bloody idiot =(

Don't feel so bad. There are some of us (*looks around innocently*) that know they have more unplayed games than played. Much, much more

Although, this week has been very productive in terms of cutting games down. I'll actually have to wait on making a 2013 list until the end of next week since I'm making such good progress on games.

Buying or completing? (Heads back to the steam sale thread and XBLA daily deal news articles)

I'm making no progress at all completing games. I'm genuinely scared of going back to play Dead Space (and not a fan of games that force me to have to wait for save checkpoints), and I'm nowhere near beating FTL, no matter how hard I try (13 hours in, and I made it to the Last Stand only once!). And now that the Winter Sale's here. I'm done for, done for I tell ya! It truly is the Apocalypse!!

m0nk3yboy wrote:
CptDomano wrote:
Maq wrote:

I think I now have more unplayed games than played games in my steam account. I feel a total bloody idiot =(

Don't feel so bad. There are some of us (*looks around innocently*) that know they have more unplayed games than played. Much, much more

Although, this week has been very productive in terms of cutting games down. I'll actually have to wait on making a 2013 list until the end of next week since I'm making such good progress on games.

Buying or completing? (Heads back to the steam sale thread and XBLA daily deal news articles)

:shock:

Little of column A, little of column B

Eleima wrote:

...I'm genuinely scared of going back to play Dead Space...

Crrraaaap, I forgot I'm in the middle of that one, too.

I think backloggery helped last year. Maybe.

Although the insane Steam gifting didn't help.

So not sure if I actually did any better.

And here I am contemplating a 3DS or WiiU... that's definitely not going to help. I should probably clear the pile from one of my old systems before buying a new one right?

Eleima wrote:

I'm making no progress at all completing games. I'm genuinely scared of going back to play Dead Space (and not a fan of games that force me to have to wait for save checkpoints), and I'm nowhere near beating FTL, no matter how hard I try (13 hours in, and I made it to the Last Stand only once!). And now that the Winter Sale's here. I'm done for, done for I tell ya! It truly is the Apocalypse!! :D

Having to wait between checkpoints doesn't bother me in theory, as long as your system works. Dead Space 2 had the hard save points like DS1 did, but also added checkpoints (in memory only) and I hit a bug that made weapons unusable after dying, and I had to hard load my last save, making the checkpoints were useless. I actually tried slogging through what was essentially a hardcore run for a while, but ended up dropping it.

Stele wrote:

I think backloggery helped last year. Maybe.
Although the insane Steam gifting didn't help.

The gifting is NOT helping at all! A friend just got me the humble bundle, I'm doooooooomed.
IMAGE(http://www.real-science.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/bender-doomed.jpg)

Garden Ninja wrote:

Having to wait between checkpoints doesn't bother me in theory, as long as your system works. Dead Space 2 had the hard save points like DS1 did, but also added checkpoints (in memory only) and I hit a bug that made weapons unusable after dying, and I had to hard load my last save, making the checkpoints were useless. I actually tried slogging through what was essentially a hardcore run for a while, but ended up dropping it.

My problem is not that I need to be able to stop gaming at the drop of a hat. Kinda comes with the territory, I guess, from gaming while your infant sleeps. You never know when he's gonna wake up, and having to forsake progress just because you haven't reached the next checkpoint is a bit annoying.

Eleima wrote:
Stele wrote:

I think backloggery helped last year. Maybe.
Although the insane Steam gifting didn't help.

The gifting is NOT helping at all! A friend just got me the humble bundle, I'm doooooooomed.
IMAGE(http://www.real-science.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/bender-doomed.jpg)

Garden Ninja wrote:

Having to wait between checkpoints doesn't bother me in theory, as long as your system works. Dead Space 2 had the hard save points like DS1 did, but also added checkpoints (in memory only) and I hit a bug that made weapons unusable after dying, and I had to hard load my last save, making the checkpoints were useless. I actually tried slogging through what was essentially a hardcore run for a while, but ended up dropping it.

My problem is not that I need to be able to stop gaming at the drop of a hat. Kinda comes with the territory, I guess, from gaming while your infant sleeps. You never know when he's gonna wake up, and having to forsake progress just because you haven't reached the next checkpoint is a bit annoying.

That's a good point. When DS2 came out, my circumstances were much different and I spent much more time gaming. These days, I prefer games that can be played in small doses.

Okay, here's my first shot at a 2013 list (and a link to my backloggery):

/ = Abandoned / Finished
[color=green]Planned purchase after 01/01/13[/color]
[color=blue]Gifts after 01/01/13[/color]
[color=red]Impulse purchase after 01/01/13[/color]

Now playing...

  • Asura's Wrath (360)
  • Dark Souls: Prepare To Die Edition (Steam)
  • Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (3DS)
  • Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey (DS)

Done (one way or another)

  • Nothing yet

360 Games I own and plan to play

  • Assassin's Creed
  • Assassin's Creed Brotherhood
  • Assassin's Creed II
  • Assassin's Creed Revelations
  • Asura's Wrath
  • Batman: Arkham City
  • Bayonetta
  • Bioshock 2
  • Brutal Legend
  • Bulletstorm
  • Bully: Scholarship Edition
  • Condemned 2: Bloodshot
  • Darksiders
  • Dead Space
  • Dead Space 2
  • Dragon Age 2
  • Fallout 3
  • Halo 4
  • Lost Odyssey
  • Mirror's Edge

Playstation 3 Games I Own And Plan To Play

  • 3D Dot Game Heroes
  • Alice: Madness Returns
  • Ar Tonelico Qoga
  • Dante's Inferno
  • Final Fantasy XIII
  • God Of War 3
  • Metal Gear Solid 4
  • Metal Gear Solid HD Collection
  • Record of Agarest War
  • Shadow of the Colossus
  • Star Ocean: The Last Hope International
  • Valkyria Chronicles
  • Vanquish

3DS/DS Games I Own And Plan To Play

  • Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
  • Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner
  • Shin Megami Tensei: Stange Journey
  • The World Ends With You

Playstation Portable Games I Own And Plan To Play

  • Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lion
  • Corpse Party
  • Persona 3 Portable

PC Games I Own And Plan To Play

  • Dark Souls: Prepare To Die Edition
  • Dishonored
  • F.E.A.R
  • Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
  • Just Cause 2
  • The Longest Journey
  • Saint's Row The Third
  • Sleeping Dogs
  • Warhammer 40K Dawn of War II
  • The Witcher
  • The Witcher II

PS2 Games I Own And Plan To Play

  • God Hand
  • Way of the Samurai
  • Yakuza

Future releases I am considering

  • Bioshock Infinite (PC)
  • Company of Heroes 2 (PC)
  • Last Of Us (PS3)
  • StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm (PC)
  • Shin Megami Tensei IV (3DS)

CptDomano's code of backlogger conduct

  • I 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 will not shop for games unless I actually plan to buy something and play it right away.
  • I also pledge 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 and play them all the way through right away.

I was gifted a huge pile of games in the Steam sale (thank you everyone). But my pile is starting to scare me. So I've created a backloggery account, and will be joining you all in playing through some of the goodness this year. Goals to follow after I fill in my list.

(I assume that Multitap == Friends List... this is confusing.)

Katy wrote:

I was gifted a huge pile of games in the Steam sale (thank you everyone). But my pile is starting to scare me. So I've created a backloggery account, and will be joining you all in playing through some of the goodness this year. Goals to follow after I fill in my list.

(I assume that Multitap == Friends List... this is confusing.)

Welcome to the group.

Yeah, multitap == friends list. They were trying to be clever with that one.

CptDomano wrote:

Playstation 3 Games I Own And Plan To Play
[list=1]
[*]3D Dot Game Heroes

Play with a guide handy. There are a ton of bonus items that are completely missable if you don't get them at just the right time, and even an ongoing one that you have to revisit after every single dungeon. Also, its real easy to not find some of the good stuff if you don't know where to look, including the best place to get more coins.

Putting together my lists and man, it's looking very sparse for newly released games in 2013 that I actually want to play.

2012 leftovers and PS+ extras? Those will keep me busy, that's for sure.

trueheart78 wrote:

Putting together my lists and man, it's looking very sparse for newly released games in 2013 that I actually want to play.

Keep in mind that the latter half of 2013 has been more empty than usual. While a lot of games aren't announced until early in the year, there is speculation that a lot of unannounced launch titles for new consoles are being withheld until those systems are revealed.

ccesarano wrote:
trueheart78 wrote:

Putting together my lists and man, it's looking very sparse for newly released games in 2013 that I actually want to play.

Keep in mind that the latter half of 2013 has been more empty than usual. While a lot of games aren't announced until early in the year, there is speculation that a lot of unannounced launch titles for new consoles are being withheld until those systems are revealed.

Oh, I know, but still... 3 titles?

I'm sure I'll be buying at least 1 when the 720 comes out (maybe, might be a wash... concerned with the longterm Xbox plans MicroSoft may have)

Personally I'm hoping to hold off on a new PS3 or 360. As it is I don't even know when I'm getting a WiiU.

I thought about tallying the games I plan on buying up there, but that never works. El Shaddai would not have been on that list, but since I saw it for $20 I figured "Why not?"

I'm really looking forward to new systems, hoping Sony figures out how to upgrade PSN to be more competitive with the multiplayer features that Live offers, but I'm not holding my breath.

It's quite likely I'll be on the Microsoft train from the get-go, but that's saying hardware failures are rare, good launch titles are present (hah!), and that it looks worthwhile to buy in early. I'm tired of early-adopters being burned by false promises, so out-of-the-gate capabilities will be entirely what I'm going off from.

I'll probably be on my 360 until 2015 with those requirements....

I've been thinking about how I play games, and how I want to tackle the pile this next year.

I decided initially that I am dumping my current pile at the end of this year. Anything that I have now and isn't played at that point, probably won't be. When I mentioned that to my girlfriend, she asked why I didn't just do it right now. I don't think I want to do that, and I don't know that I'll stick with the dump-it-at-year-end plan, but I am going to be much stricter about what I play. I've said it before -- we all have, I think -- but life it too short to play crap games. That means games get much less time to hook me, and games go off the pile when I feel done with them. It also means I am going to be very careful in choosing which platforms I get games on in the future, and possibly getting current pile games on a different platform. As such, I'm making some changes.

I'm dropping Magicka & Magicka: Vietnam (Steam) from the pile. I played through about half of this with shoptroll and another goodjers whose name escapes me, and really enjoyed it. However, it's hard to play single player and most of the fun is in the co-op anyway, and we haven't set up another session in the last 8 months. Like I said, I dig it, so I'm leaving it installed, but it's not a pile game anymore. Shoppy, I'm happy to co-op this with you, if it's still on your pile. Let me know.

I'm dropping Binding of Isaac (Steam). This is another one I really dig. I've played several hours and still have only gotten into Caves II. It's great for a quick session before bed. "Beating" a roguelike isn't really the point, and it's clear that I will keep playing this, so it's off the pile and getting favorited in steam.

I'm dropping Cities XL 2012 (Steam) and Tropico 3 (Steam). I get the city building itch once in a while, but it comes and goes. I feel like I should like Tropico 3, but haven't had any interest in actually playing it. Cities will stay probably stay installed for when I feel like poking around in a free form city builder. I also have Majesty 2, which is staying on the pile only because I have actually thought about playing, just not when I was actually at my computer. At this point (or perhaps just right now) I feel like city builders are one of those genres I like to think and read about more than actually play.

I'm dropping Metroid: Other M (Wii). I had put a couple of hours into this and though it was okay. Then I played for another hour or so this morning, and basically hated it. I can actually look past the stupidity of the story, but the controls are clunky as hell and despite the veneer of Metroid, it doesn't feel like Metroid at all.

I'm switching platforms for Dragon Age: Origins (Steam). When it came out I rented it on 360, sunk some time into it and decided that I wanted the extra features of the PC version. I'm 10 hours into the PC version and while I really dig it when I do play it, I don't play it often because I prefer to play longer games sitting on my couch with a controller. The extra features are nice (although, one of them I was wrong about existing) and mods are cool, but not cool enough. I'm going to pick up DA:O on 360 sometime this year. Right now, the plan is to play couch co-op with my girlfriend after we finish Borderlands 2. I have several other long RPGs that are PC exclusives, and they might get dropped entirely.

I might switch platforms for Bastion (steam) as well, but so far that has been playable in short enough sessions, I think I'll finish it on PC.

Well, I highly doubt I'll have the time to beat anything in December considering how chaotic things have been, so I may as well start on my 2013 list now. I might edit this with another game or two, as I'm still undecided on whether I'll be purchasing Resident Evil 6 today. I'm also undecided on whether I'll be trading certain games in or not.

Any game I previously had a star on I am removing, as it has been long enough that I might as well give up (with the exception of Xenoblade and Dragon's Dogma). Also, I am removing Doom 3 BFG from the pile as it is a game I've played before and thus do not feel pressured to go through, nor do I feel guilt if it is unfinished. I like having it around, basically.

KEY:
* == Game I started
Bold == Game I'm actively working on
Strike == Game I've completed

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

- Lost Odyssey
- Ico/Shadow of the Colossus
- Legend of Zelda: The Skyward Sword
- Dragon Age: Origins: Awakening
- Dragon Age 2
- Donkey Kong Country Returns
- New Super Mario Bros. Wii
- Epic Mickey
- Vandal Hearts: Flames of Judgment
- DeBlob 2
- Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom
- Dead Rising 2
- Deus Ex: Human Revolution
- Pokemon Conquest
- Xenoblade Chronicles*
- Dragon's Dogma*
- Guilty Party
- The Last Story
- Borderlands 2
- Dead Island
- The Sly Cooper Collection
- Assassin's Creed 3
- Fatal Frame II
- Paper Mario: Sticker Star
- Far Cry 3
- Resident Evil 6

Status: 0 of 26 (0%)

Other:

- L.A. Noire DLC

Status: 0 of 1 (0%)

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

- Little Big Planet
- NHL 13

Status: 0 of 2 (0%)