2017 - 12 Month Pile Program

So I just went through my HLTB and marked anything with an open playthrough as Playing. There are 26. Uh, so... I think I'm gonna focus on that subset of my list for a while.

I guess first up is God of War 3, since that's what I've been playing the last couple of days, and can probably finish it this weekend.

Then I think i'm gonna try Cloq's play-for-a-week-then-alternate idea again, but focusing specifically on that subset of the my pile.

It's a quarter past midnight on October 1st and even though I really should get my butt in bed, here I am with the September report!
And not a shabby one, I might add.

Added:
None! Wheeeee!

Finished:

  • The Journey Down - Chapter Two (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif) - Pretty darn good. Looking forward to chapter three.
  • The Elder Scrolls 5 : Skyrim - Special Edition (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif) - It was time to lay it to rest.
  • Depression Quest (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif) - An interesting game, although perhaps not for everyone.
  • Sam & Max: Season 2 - Episode 1: Ice Station Santa (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif)
  • Assassin's Creed: Freedom Cry (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif) - Going on the GOTY list. It's short but powerful.
  • Sam & Max: Season 2 - Episode 2: Moai Better Blues (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif)

Dropped:

  • Zombie Ballz (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/null.gif)

Played:

  • Night in the Woods (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif) - I'm struggling with this one. I just don't get where it's trying to take me.
  • Mass Effect: Andromeda (Origin) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif) - Still going strong! I'm drawing this out, because I don't want it to end.

Remaining games: 59 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif) (57 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif))
Progress (Games): 47 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif) + 8 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/null.gif) - 51 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif) = 4
Est. remaining hours: 614 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif) (612 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif))
Progress (Est. total hours): 320 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif) + 100 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/null.gif) + 41 played IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif) - 390 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif) = 71

Backloggery's Memory Card is at 35, which is pretty darn good. I'm pretty happy with my progress, although it could always be better.

Not entirely sure where september went.
Finished: Nothing
Played: Divinity Original Sin 2

End of September report time!

GAMES COMPLETED:
- Destiny 2 (credits rolled)
- Akiba's Trip: Undead & Undressed
- Metroid: Samus Returns
- SteamWorld Dig 2

GAMES ON HOLD:
- Gravity Rush 2
- World of Final Fantasy
- Xenoblade Chronicles 3D
- Final Fantasy XII

GAMES IN ROTATION:
- Destiny 2 (Raid, leveling up)
- Akiba's Beat

OVER-INDULGENT NAVAL-GAZING AND LINT HUNTING:

So I largely consider September a success because every game purchased this month (that was also released this month) was completed. However, as can be seen, Games on Hold has either dropped games entirely or held onto games for practically the whole year. I actually completely forgot I was playing FFXII, in fact. However, this means October is relatively clean.

There are a lot of games I want to play coming out this month (most of them this week), but I think I shall hold off for now. I'm going to try and start replaying some games to record footage for my YouTube channel, which means time will be split between pile progress and pile stagnation. I've played a bit of Tokyo Mirage Sessions already in the interest of making a new video, and plan on also recording footage of Breath of the Wild and Metroid Prime 2 and 3. Those projects will likely continue into November, as Super Mario Odyssey also releases this year.

The good news is, after October (specifically after Mario), I have no planned purchases except maybe Xenoblade Chronicles 2. I'm contemplating not purchasing that one until I've at least completed Xenoblade Chronicles on my 3DS. I just don't feel right not finishing it, and am also in a good position to resume handheld gaming.

I will be continuing Akiba's Beat as it is a sort of comfort game, though a bit disappointing after the unique nature of Akiba's Trip. I'm contemplating finally starting Horizon Zero Dawn as well, or if I should instead continue Final Fantasy XII or perhaps finally complete the second half of Gravity Rush 2. Maybe I'll hop around until I find something that just clicks.

I think what gives me hope for October is the fact that I got a lot of gaming done this month despite the fact that I spent most of it in a more Anime watching mood. It's only been the last two weeks I've dived back head-long into gaming, and even now I'm sitting here wanting to just play something rather than watch TV or whatnot. So despite a lot of hours going to anime or even comics, I've gotten about 26 hours between Metroid: Samus Returns and SteamWorld Dig 2, and then who knows how much in Destiny 2, and the majority of my play time in Akiba's Trip, plus a bit of other stuff here and there.

It's been a good month.

ccesarano wrote:

So I largely consider October a success (...)

For sure! You’re a full month ahead of us.
Seriously though, who cares if it’s a “game while watching anime” phase, it still counts and I’d thats what you need, then there you go. I had a week or two of “Watch Star Trek while playing Pharaoh/Caesar 3”, so... won’t be casting any stones!

Eleima wrote:
ccesarano wrote:

So I largely consider October a success (...)

For sure! You’re a full month ahead of us. ;)

What? I didn't say that. Where did I say that? I very much didn't say that. Get outta here ya big silly.

Seriously though, who cares if it’s a “game while watching anime” phase, it still counts and I’d thats what you need, then there you go. I had a week or two of “Watch Star Trek while playing Pharaoh/Caesar 3”, so... won’t be casting any stones!

I actually cannot game while watching a TV show/anime/movie. I end up concentrating too much on the game, and... well, that's a bit tricky with anime specifically when you're one of those jerks that insists in watching every show in Japanese with English subtitles. But even then, I only like putting on a TV show or movie while working when it's light and the tasks I have don't require a lot of attention. This way I can still pay a lot of attention to the film and catch new thematic concepts in the narrative or cinematography I might have missed the first (or prior ten) times around. Gaming would just pull so much of my attention away from that.

Perhaps if I had a game filled with grinding, but I haven't played one of those in a while except Destiny 2, and even then there's an awful lot of lining up head-shots involved.

So sadly, I am unable to kill two birds with one stone. I'd be envious of those who do, only I'm pretty sure I have a lot more free time than most of you posting here so it's kind of like being jealous of the street beggar being given free soup on Thanksgiving.

Guess I totally read that “anime watching mood” paragraph wrong, let me rephrase then. If you’re more into anime then gaming right now, that’s okay too!

ccesarano wrote:

well, that's a bit tricky with anime specifically when you're one of those jerks that insists in watching every show in Japanese with English subtitles.

Why yes I totally am.

Credits Rolled
Tokyo Xanadu
Everybody's Golf
Drive Girls
Gal Gun Double Peace
Senran Kagura Peach Beach Splash
Actively Playing
YS VIII
Utawarerumono Mask of Deception

Long Version
September was a pretty good month for me too, had alot of fun playing some comfort food style games. Didn't make much progress on the list except one game, but at this point in time I'm in who cares mode.
I finished up Tokyo Xanadu with a true ending on a Vita, this was my only game off my huge list.
I picked up Everybody's Golf on PS4 at the end of August and almost played it none stop for couple weeks until I got to the "end" of the single player, I can see myself playing this on and off for next few months as collecting outfits and just the general game play is still alot of fun.
Followed by Drive Girls on the Vita, picked this up on a whim due to a cheap launch price, while the game wasn't very good I still enjoyed it enough to finish the single player content, ended up being a pretty good palate cleanser.
I also picked up Gal Gun Double Peace on a PSN flash sale for couple bucks, turns out its a really fun on the rails shooter, I got one of the endings in the main story, this will be another game I can see myself coming back every few weeks and playing a level or two.
Lastly Senran Kagura Peach Beach Splash came out last week and I ended up finishing the story mode last night. This game ended up being way more fun then I expected, I can see myself finishing all the single player challenges and extra missions in October.

I'm feeling pretty good about my current pile, while its huge I'm sticking to my rule about buying games only if I intend to play them almost immediately. I ended up canceling my preorder for Gran Turismo Sport as I'm currently enjoying playing Project Cars and Assetto Corsa on PC and don't really need another racing game.

The only games I'm actively playing now is Ys VIII on ps4 and Utawarerumono Mask of Deception, It feels like I'm on the back half of the YS game so I expect to finish that in the coming weeks, and Utawarerumono has been a great read before bed every night.
It seems I'm in a phase where I'm really enjoying 3rd person anime style beat em ups, so I'm planning to pick up Cyberdimension Neptunia: 4 Goddesses Online at launch. By then I expect to be all done with YS and be completely finished with Senran Kagura.

Depending on how things go in the next coming months, I would really like to dig back into Witcher 3 and start Nier Automata.

September progress~

Added:
Rise of the Tomb Raider (Steam)

Beat:
Uncharted: The Last Legacy (PS4)

Made Progress In:
Final Fantasy X HD (PS4)

Dropped:
Star Wars Battlefront II (Steam)

Another month of little to no progress I think I just have a lot going on in my personal life this year which has made it hard to make games a priority. Long games like Breath of the Wild and Final Fantasy X haven't helped either. I am going to try not buy any games for myself for the rest of the year so we'll see how that goes. I really wanted to like Star Wars Battlefront II but every time I tried playing it felt like a chore. And games are supposed to be fun, right? Another friend who checked it out for the first time recently also felt it was kind of crap to so I feel validated. Going into October, I'm looking forward to playing a survival horror game but I'm having a hard time picking which one. Maybe I'll just play each for about an hour and see which one sticks. Looking at -

Resident Evil HD Remaster
Layers of Fear
Outlast + DLC
Alan Wake + DLC
Organ Trail
Silent Hill 3

September update

Annual game budget remaining at start of September - £78

Incoming
Destiny 2 (PS4) - £50 (Gift)
XCOM 2 + War of the Chosen (PS4) - £55

Outgoing
Life is Strange - Completed!
Destiny 2. Credits rolled (great). Some end game played (Great, to ok, to boring). Sold £38.
No Man's Sky. Sold (again) £6.
Dragon Quest Builders. Sold £14.

After some sums involving the receiving and offloading of gift have come to an answer of... Annual budget remaining at end of Septembter - £81.

Plan for October

Continue with my newly formed strategy of picking up games I only want to play immediately regardless of price and... actually playing them! Worked ok with Destiny 2 before it's shiny sheen dulled. Means I'll be cracking on with the newly aquired XCOM 2. Dip into some other games on the pile, console trade-ins could be on the cards with the Switch cravings reaching peak levels.

Biggest temptations this month...

Nier Automata. SWITCH! (trying to hold out until January... really trying!)

Ok, after a few months of impulse buying and ballooning my pile with crap I won't play, I need to reign it in again.

September Update
(I didn't write it down, but I think I bought all these in September also)

Started

  • Deadpool
  • Eventide
  • XCOM 2
  • Skyrim
  • Steam World Dig 2

Finished

  • Deadpool

I've also decided to purge my physical pile, only some of which I plan to replace.

After years of going back and forth on Physical vs Digital, I realized the only reason I went physical was price. That's less of a concern if I'm just buying stuff I'm psyched to play when I get it, instead of picking up random crap just because it's $10.

I September I made zero pile progress. Go me!

I fell back into that old habit of only playing games that are uncompleteable. Incompleteable? Minus the middle 'e' maybe? I DON'T KNOW! So that was Overwatch, plunkbat, truck simulators, football manager simulators, that kind of thing. Oh but I did nearly finish Doom (2016). At least I think so. I beat a Cyberdemon so surely the credits aren't too far away. October will also be tough on the pile as I now have Warhammer 2 to play, and new releases like Shadow of War are very tempting.!

October update

Started: Monster Hunter Stories
Played: Thimbleweed Park

Monster Hunter Stories was a lot of fun, if a bit busywork; Thimbleweed Park I haven't really gotten into.

I'm kicking off this month by playing minimalist rhythm game Deemo. I've technically already seen credits after playing a tiny fraction of the songs available, so that's a game I'm certain to beat.

A bit late, but here's my September report

Pile In:
Metroid: Samus's Return (3DS)
Heat Signature (PC)
The Journey Down: Chapter 3 (PC)

Pile Out:
Splatoon 2 (Switch)

Not a super great month mostly due to a lot of real life getting in the way between work and other things I won't go into here. Spent most of the month busting my butt to get Splatoon 2 out of the way before Samus's Return and vacation at the end of the month. Had a lot of fun with Splatoon 2 and Samus's Return is great. Heat Signature is interesting but that was mostly a "support this dev you like" pick and not particularly something I'm in the mood for right now, while The Journey Down was a Kickstarter reward.

This month is basically trying to clear the deck a little more for Super Mario Odyssey at end of the month. I would like to get through Samus's Return and finish finding the remaining collectibles in Splatoon 2. Any extra time is probably going to go into Persona 5 since I want to get more time in with that before the community GOTY voting.

Very late post here, but:

Pile in:
Divinity Original Sin 2

Finished:
Pharaoh

Not a ton of play time this past month but I did manage to make it about half way through Dragon Quest Builders. I've already probably clocked about 30 hours on that game over the past two months, though, so I'm not sure how long I'll keep going. From what I understand, D:OS2 is a 100+ hour game so I imagine there will be little movement in the pile for the next couple of months.

Well I'm not finishing anything tonight so might as well get the party started:

Pile In:
A Hat in Time (PC)
Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)

Pile Out:
None

Busy month in real-life brings not much progress. I think I'm close to finishing Metroid: Samus Returns assuming they don't pull a Metroid: Zero Mission and drop another 25% more game on me after the credits (which would be cool but I digress). Super Mario Odyssey is really really really good but it's going to take some time.

November plan is to mainline Super Mario Odyssey (HOOK IT INTO MY VEINS) and picking away at Metroid: Samus Returns and then some smaller stuff on the nights I'm not playing it. My original plan was to tackle Night in the Woods now that the leaves outside have changed but then they went ahead and announced a free content update for December which has totally tossed that plan out the window. Jerks. So I dunno, Heat Signature or Pyre instead? Or maybe I'll just play NitW just to spite the update.

Quite good month for my progress.

Completed:
Divinity Original Sin 2
Super Hot
Resident Evil HD
Super Mario Odyssey

Added:
More Europa Universalis IV DLC - which Ill never get around to play
Resident Evil 5 - one for the long term pile
Cuphead - thought I would finish it this month, but Super Mario Odyssey took over. Stupid last boss left.

Oh, it's that time of month again already. Well..

Added:
Seasons After Fall (Steam - this is an unlock from the Humble Monthly I got in September)
Kentucky Route Zero (Steam - traded one of the Humble Monthly keys for this)
Samorost 3 (Steam - same as above)

So A+ for somehow sticking to my guns and not buying anything this month even if I did end up adding some things.

Beat:
Layers of Fear (Steam)
Final Fantasy X HD (PS4)

Made Progress In:
Resident Evil HD remaster (PS4)
Silent Hill 3 (PC)

Overall, it wasn't a bad month for the pile. Hoping to get to more shorter games now that I've cleared Final Fantasy X off my backlog.

Been a pretty great month for me again!

Credits Rolled
YS VIII
Hatsune Miko Project Diva X
Cyberdimension Neptunia: 4 Goddesses Online
Doki Doki Literature Club

Currently in Progress
?

Long Version
Month started off pretty strong with getting true ending in YS VIII, then having a bit of fun and good change of pace with Project Diva X, I'm not very good at rhythm games but having an easy mode made that game enjoyable. Then 4 Goddesses Online released and pretty much took up the rest of the month, with me actually getting a Platnium Trophy in that game. The last week was pretty much spent in limbo with nothing really grabbing me, did a bunch of video game tourism trying to find the next "hook". That resulted with some comfort gaming of Rocket League and revisiting some games from previous months and finishing up the remaining content. Based on recomendations of GWJ I did end up trying out Doki Doki, and playing to is completion over the course of the weekend.

The only thing I have planned for November is Summon Night 6, which should be arriving by end of the week I hope.

New: Shin Megami Tensei IV, Super Mario Odyssey
Played: Stardew Valley
Finished: Deemo

I started this month by "finishing" the rhythm game Deemo multiple times; of course, since it's a rhythm game, it's really about score chasing and not just seeing the credits. In particular, this game has over 200 songs and I've played less than half of them.

That was then derailed by starting up Stardew Valley on the Switch.

Now, I'm alternating playing Super Mario Odyssey with Shin Megami Tensei IV (when shoptroll has the Switch).

Oh crap, it's November already. Better get a move on! Here's the October report.

Added:

  • Doki Doki Literature Club (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif) - What can I say? It was free.

Finished:

  • Sam & Max: Season 2 - Episode 3: Night of the Raving Dead (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif)
  • Sam & Max: Season 2 - Episode 4: Chariots of the Dogs (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif)
  • Night in the Woods (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif) - FINALLY!!! It was a good game, but it started off slow, I'd say that's my only issue with it.
  • Sam & Max: Season 2 - Episode 5: What's New Beelzebub? (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif)

Dropped:

  • DOOM 3: BFG Edition (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/null.gif) - Not a game for me. I did enjoy going back to good old Doom 2 though.

Played:

  • Assassin's Creed: Chronicles of China (uPlay) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif) - Made solid progress, will definitely finish this one in November.
  • Mass Effect: Andromeda (Origin) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif) - Really really good game. Still really enjoying it.

Remaining games: 56 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif) (54 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif))
Progress (Games): 51 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif) + 9 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/null.gif) - 52 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif) = 8
Est. remaining hours: 587 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif) (608 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif))
Progress (Est. total hours): 334 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif) + 111 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/null.gif) + 63 played IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif) - 410 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif) = 98

Backloggery's Memory Card is still pretty at 41. I don't think I'll break my 2015 record of 58, but it's still pretty decent.

Pretty simple October update

Annual game budget remaining at start of October - £81

Incoming
Wolfenstein: The New Order - £4

Outgoing
...

Annual budget remaining at end of October - £77.

Plan for November

October was a weird month, unless I'm playing alongside the boy I've barely used the PS4, prefering to play mobile, either tablet or 3DS. My theory is that I'm subconsciously testing my ability to live without the PS4 in favour of picking up a Switch. Will try not to buy anything else for the PS4 at least for now. However...

Biggest temptations this month...

I've failed to not purchase anything PS4 digitally on the first day! I was unaware that a Blood Bowl 2 expansion and teams pack had been released back in September on PS4, until that is I saw it in the latest PSN sale for 50% off. BB2 was on my GotY list last year, I stopped playing after completing the solo campaign because of there being next to zero players on console by the time I picked it up on sal. However, I've read this expansion includes a neverending solo mode... season, after season, after season X forever. Not good for the pile, but good for me as despite the games having some problems I really enjoyed my BB2 time, it was the 70%-er that I loved last year.

Also today, Humble Halloween Mobile Bundle, more than half are on my Android wishlist, so don't feel too bad about buying another of these bundles, easily get monies worth.

Going forward this month nothing is really calling to me as a must buy game at the moment, so fingers crossed can just enjoy the games I have, without adding more this month!

So, uh... my October was... hrm...

GAMES COMPLETED:
- Metroid Prime: Echoes

GAMES PLAYED/IN ROTATION:
- Xenoblade Chronicles 3D
- Akiba's Beat
- Destiny 2
- Metroid: Samus Returns
- Super Mario Odyssey

WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?! (wherein ccesarano may as well just go back to writing on LiveJournal again):

Spoiler:

Destiny 2 primarily happened as I continued to log in and chase down maximum light level. Resuming trips to the gym happened. Busy weekends happened. Football happened. But primarily, a desire to get serious about recording for my YouTube channel happened.

I'm pretty much done with Destiny 2 for now, and so is everyone else in my crew. My buddy Steve and I are gonna log in tomorrow (speaking of, did you know Steve and I discussed Destiny 2 on our podcast? You do now), but otherwise we're largely done with the hamster wheel. Rather than focus on completing Akiba's Beat I started to record footage for Metroid Prime: Echoes as I was hungering for something about more meaty than Samus Returns. Instead of getting burnt out on Metroid, I abandoned my casual return to Xenoblade Chronicles 3D halfway through the month and started a new game in Samus Returns, which has been a bit fascinating already on a second playthrough.

So I beat Metroid Prime: Echoes and can move on, right? Well.... see, my original plan for my video was to do both Echoes and Corruption in one episode and determine if they carried Super and Prime's tendency to tell a story of the world rather than of Samus. But I got so many notes regarding the design of Echoes' map and the use of hub worlds that now I'm going to replay at least some of Prime 1 to get a better sense of how its own world was designed. On top of that, I bought Metroid: Zero Mission for WiiU so I could replay that and get footage to see how the 2D design evolved or adjusted following the backlash against Fusion's linearity. On one hand, this means I can hold off on Corruption since that will now be its own video, but it means rather than immediately going back to recording more Tokyo Mirage Sessions footage I'm going to be replaying Metroid Prime for the second time in two years (I think? How old is my Other M video?).

This week I've been working hard on Akiba's Beat, which itself is a mixed bag. In most cases I'd have abandoned the game by now as the mechanics are alright once you jump into combat but the dungeon and side quest design is f*cking tedious as Hell. The mechanics do not justify the game's length. However, I'm actually really interested in the narrative and want to unlock New Game + since there might be some excellent video material here (for example, the second chapter (or first? Was the first dungeon a prologue?) is going to be relevant to my Tokyo Mirage Sessions video). Right now I'm on Chapter 12 of what looks to be 16 according to the Internet. I guess I'm gunning for the True Ending, but damn these side quests pad the game out. It's such an awful juxtaposition that I want to move on to another game for the gameplay but I'm invested in the story.

So what I have is a new-found dedication to my YouTube channel. Extra Life is this weekend and I plan on using the 24 hours to capture footage of games I want to make videos on. This includes not only for videos like Tokyo Mirage Sessions and Breath of the Wild, which are going to be stand-alone episodes, but also Game of the Year stuff as I'd like to finally compile a video on all of those (PSA: I made a thread for discussing the silliness and arbitrariness of game awards so that when the GWJ awards thread pops up we have a haven for the would-be arguments). Right now the only videos I'm planning on are Metroid Prime: Echoes, TMS#FE and Breath of the Wild, but I might also start grabbing some footage on things like, say, Star Fox Zero since I want to do a video of that as well. I've always enjoyed my blog and the GWJ front page, but my favorite thing to work on is my YouTube channel and so a lot of time is going to be spent recording notes, recording footage, and beginning scripts so that by January 2018 I can start stitching videos together back-to-back rather than just 2-3 a year.

Anyway, the downside is that there's not a lot of time to dedicate to other games. I wouldn't be worried since I have all of November and December to work on the pile. I'm largely not buying anything new for the next two months except for Pokemon Ultra-Moon, and that's partially because my niece is struggling with regular Pokemon Moon and since I'm grabbing her Ultra-Sun for Christmas I want to be able to help her and she's very bad at describing things she is stuck on. Target's "buy two get one" will also be netting me a copy of Dishonored 2: Death of the Outsider for free. So... okay, I guess I did screw myself over.

"Wait! You got TWO MONTHS!"

Destiny 2's expansion releases December 5th and God dammit I know it's going to be a threat to other games.

So basically, I feel a bit of pressure. I love replaying old games and recording notes on 'em and preparing for a new YouTube video. I'm actually excited to be jumping into Zero Mission for the first time since College, and returning to Echoes with a similar gap in time was like playing an all new Metroid game. I can only imagine what Corruption, which I played once and then traded in, will be like for me when I get to it. I guess right now I'm just a bit exhausted on Akiba's Beat and want to get it over with, despite genuinely enjoying the story. By time I've finished I think I'll play Dishonored 2: Death of the Outsider, but I really want to get started on Horizon: Zero Dawn because I'm stupid and feel like the whole Game of the Year discussion wouldn't be right without me having played through it.

Oh, and I gotta finally get around to FFXV's Prompto and Gladio DLC.

So... I dunno. November could be great for me, it could be awful. Here's to hoping footage recording during Extra Life goes swimmingly, I find myself with more than enough footage to have made some real progress, and that I don't need a full replay of Metroid Prime before I can begin work on that video.

For what it's worth, I genuinely miss replaying games. I'm kinda jealous you've figured out a way to set aside time to do so.

October report... not so good hahaha

Beat :

World of Final Fantasy

Added:

Alien: Isolation
Until Dawn

shoptroll wrote:

For what it's worth, I genuinely miss replaying games. I'm kinda jealous you've figured out a way to set aside time to do so.

What he said. I **really** wanted to dive into Divinity: Original Sin. I was so excited for Pillars of Eternity that I backed it and then I only played an hour of it or so.
I have Torment: Tides of Numenera which I still haven't played, and... egad I wish I had the time and energy for it. Let the pressure go, CC. If you're having fun, that's what counts.

I was never part of the pile thread but now with a wife/kids, full time job, house, etc. life has gotten in the way.

I'm still rocking the next generation consoles but am getting a PS4 Pro this month with the best deal I can land. My pile will look like this (in no particular order :

Uncharted 4
Uncharted Lost Legacy
Fallout 4 GOTY
Resident Evil 7 Gold
Dying Light
MGSV
FIFA 18
Tomb Raider
Last of Us Remastered
Witcher 3

Uh....Ill be backlogged for a long time.

shoptroll wrote:

For what it's worth, I genuinely miss replaying games. I'm kinda jealous you've figured out a way to set aside time to do so.

Eleima wrote:
shoptroll wrote:

For what it's worth, I genuinely miss replaying games. I'm kinda jealous you've figured out a way to set aside time to do so.

What he said. I **really** wanted to dive into Divinity: Original Sin. I was so excited for Pillars of Eternity that I backed it and then I only played an hour of it or so.
I have Torment: Tides of Numenera which I still haven't played, and... egad I wish I had the time and energy for it. Let the pressure go, CC. If you're having fun, that's what counts. :)

I mean you're both right. For the longest time I lamented that the chase for the latest and greatest left less time to be replaying games, and this year I had a chance to replay EarthBound (and found that a weekly column playing an old skool JRPG probably isn't something people want or I'd be able to stick to), and even a bit of Darksiders: Warmastered Edition when I snagged that. But most of all I think one of the reasons I've really come to enjoy doing RamblePak is that it always gives me a good reason to go back and play through old games again. In addition, my DmC: Devil May Cry video was completed after my initial playthrough, and after replaying the game on PS4 I realized that I could have touched on so much more now that I was more familiar. So the channel really does make for a perfect excuse to go back and replay something, even if it is recent.

It's also getting me out of the mindset that I have to be all about the latest and greatest if I'm going to discuss games. Yes, there's always a market for that, but some of the best and most evergreen material is going to be built upon having played a game multiple times.

So while part of me is still looking at this year's releases and wishing I had more time, there's a part of me that's fine with this because I get to go back and replay stuff rather than just allow it to wallow in the past.

I made some decent progress in October. I finished:

  • Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle
  • ARMS
  • Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
  • Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment
  • I Am Setsuna
  • Hexcells Plus
  • Mighty Gunvolt Burst

Sharp-eyed readers will note that of those seven games, five of them were Nintendo Switch titles. I've fallen in hard on the Switch. In addition to the above, I put a lot of time in October into Breath of the Wild, Fire Emblem Warriors, and Super Mario Odyssey.

Concurrently, or perhaps consequently, my time on every other platform has vanished. I've been plugging away at ReCore on the Xbox One for awhile (and enjoying it!) but it can't beat the siren's call of curling up under a blanket with the Switch in my face.

November looks hectic with a lot of new releases headed my way. I've been very good about getting new Switch games only when I've finished one already have, or have made significant progress in one, but the pace of releases in the last few weeks has sorely tested that.

Would you mind if I borrowed Mario + Rabbids? I know I was just making a big deal out of time and all that but it's something I'm curious about but don't know if I want to spend money on.

I... wish I had a better list of things I could lend readily available. I know Garion said he'd be sending Fire Emblem: Echoes back. Perhaps I can pay you both shipping cost via PayPal and he can send it your way instead? Maybe? Or perhaps Metroid: Samus Returns?