2017 - 12 Month Pile Program

I've got plenty to play. Just PM me your address, and I'll send it your way.

October Update

Added & Started

  • Shadow of War
  • Resident Evil 6
  • Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
  • Super Mario Odyssey

Continued

  • Skyrim

Finished

  • Steam World Dig 2
  • Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus

Made a retail therapy slip: not listed are a few games I picked up depression-shopping, played a bit of, then dropped pretty much immediately.

I did a pretty big purge of my backlog this month also. I'm going full digital, so I dropped all my disc games (sold some, gonna take the rest to GameStop probably), and cut a bunch of stuff on HLTB. There are a few games I'm unsure of there, but I want to try them before dropping (biggest ones being Amnesia and SOMA).

It's getting late, and December is right around the corner. Uh oh. Here's the November report.

Added:

  • Dishonored: Death of the Outsider (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif) - Because Bonus is the best. <3

Finished:

  • Perception (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif)
  • Batman - The Telltale Series (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif)
  • Ladykiller in a Bind (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif)
  • Assassin's Creed: Chronicles of China (uPlay) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif)
  • SUPERHOT (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif)
  • Mass Effect: Andromeda (Origin) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif)

This month's progress is dedicated to Extra Life 2017!

Dropped:
None!

Played:

  • Assassin's Creed: Syndicate (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif) - This is going to be tough to play, because my computer can't handle streaming it. Unless I try dialing down the settings or forgo streaming.
  • The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion GOTY Edition (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif) - What can I say? I'm back and I'm lovin' it.
  • Sam & Max: Season 3 - Episode 1: The Penal Zone (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif)
  • Dishonored: Death of the Outsider (Steam) IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif)IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif) - One mission in and absolutely in love with it.

Remaining games: 52 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif) (48 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif))
Progress (Games): 57 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif) + 9 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/null.gif) - 54 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif) = 12
Est. remaining hours: 583 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif) (513 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unplayed.gif))
Progress (Est. total hours): 402 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif) + 111 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/null.gif) + 16 played IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/unfinished.gif) - 427 IMAGE(http://backloggery.com/images/new.gif) = 102

Backloggery's Memory Card is still pretty at 49. Neato. Well, as I said, progress this month is largely helped by my participation in Extra Life 2017. And I did get to play some really good games, such as Perception, the Telltale Batman, SUPERHOT, and of course, Mass Effect: Andromeda. After 70 hours with it, it's leaving this distinctive void within me that can only be filled with more games and watching YouTube videos of Bioware romances. Good times.

Added:
Black Mesa (Steam - big thanks to Aggie-SWO for the key)
Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty (Steam - thanks to Roke for the key)
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp (Andriod)
VA-11 HALL-A: Cyberpunk Bartender Action (Steam - gift from a friend during the fall steam sale)

Beat:
Witcher 3 - Hearts of Stone DLC

Made Progress In:
Life is Strange (Steam)
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp (Android)

Despite being good and not buying any games this month, I still added stuff to the pile. Oh well. Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp has been surprisingly good for me actually. I haven't had a ton of time to game so being able to put in 20 minutes here and there has been great. Microtransactions be darned :p

Added:
South Park: The Broken but Whole (PS4)
Odin Sphere Leifthrasir (PSVita)

Beat:
Um... nothing, I think? Let's see... yeah, not a thing.

Made Progress In:
Dark Cloud 2
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel
Undertale

Nothing's getting finished tonight so here's my update:

Pile In:
River City: Rival Showdown (3DS)
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Switch)

Pile Out:
Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)
Metroid: Samus Returns (3DS)

Finally, a good month largely in part to the Thanksgiving holiday. Beat Mario Odyssey in less than a month, and put Metroid: Samus Returns to bed after 2 months (I'm slow, ok?). Both acquisitions will likely be taken care of by end of the year (and technically Demyx and I already beat Mario Kart 8 on Wii U so the Switch version really shouldn't count...) so I'm not too worried.

December is looking like just Xenoblade Chronicles 2 for me. Maybe Romancing SaGa 2 if the director's tweets about a North America release in December are accurate. But I'm not expecting much else to come down the pike for me the rest of the year. I'm hoping I can bang out a couple of small indie or 3DS titles alongside the bigger Switch games but I'll see how it goes. At minimum, I'd like to get Night in the Woods wrapped by end of next week.

So it looks like I'll be somewhere around -20 for the year according to Backloggery. That's still a growing pile but this is looking to be one of my better years.

Pretty poor month for me, made no progress in just about anything.

Added:
Yakuza Zero
Mafia 3
Wolfenstein 2
Summon Night 6
Persona 4 Dancing
Final Fantasy XV
Tokyo Tattoo Girls

Finished (with)
Tokyo Tattoo Girls, not my cup of tea, beat once don't want to play again.

Currently Playing
Nier Automata
Summon Night 6
Horizon Zero Dawn
Caligura Effect
Yakuza 0
Mafia 3

Been a rough month, between stress from work and all the busyness at home didn't really get much time to wind down. Ended up playing bunch of comfort gaming such as Everybody's Golf and started up a bunch of new games. Did some retail therapy on black Friday (didn't help). In the end I did exactly what I was trying to avoid, and played a bunch of 30+ hour games at the same time and as a result didn't really accomplish much.

For December I would like to at least finish something. I'm the farthest in Horizon so I'm planning to make it my priority. I really can't see myself finishing more than one of the 30 hour games next month, so I really need to refocus and see if I can manage my playing time better.

Some progress, but not much completed.

Finished:
Cuphead

Progress:
Assassins Creed Origins
Grim Dawn

Added way too much:
Life is Strange: Before the Storm
Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
Dishonored: Death of the Outsider
Grim Dawn - Ashes of Malmouth Expansion
Tacoma
Tales of Berseria
Cosmic Star Heroine

November update

Annual game budget remaining at start of November - £77

Incoming...
Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns (3DS)- £35
Blood Bowl 2 Expansion (PS4) - £16
Humble Mobile Horror Bundle (Android) - £4
Through the Ages (Android) - £9

Outgoing...
Nowt completed. There was some wheeling and dealing going on, traded in some long forgotten pile games to help cover the cost of a 2DS + Pokemon Moon + Mario for the upcoming birthday of the boy. That's a side note though, nowt to do with my personal budget of which...

Annual budget remaining at end of November - £13

Plan for December

Apart from dipping into Steamword dig and trying out the odd game for 20 minutes or so here and there November was another month I spent very little time on the PS4. Spending more time on the 3DS and tablet instead. December I'm not sure whether that will change much, I'm enjoying Trio of Towns and although I think I've just about put down AC Pocket Camp after hitting a pay wall, there are a few board/puzzle/adventure titles want to give a spin on the tablet. We'll see.

ohhhh and.... Monster Hunter Worlds Beta Weekend! I guess I will be back on the PS4 for a bit at least.

Biggest temptations this month...
Switch

November report:

GAMES COMPLETED:
- Akiba's Beat
- Super Mario Odyssey
- Sonic Forces
- Metroid Prime (replay)
- Metroid: Samus Returns (replay)
- Metroid: Zero Mission (replay)

GAMES DROPPED:
- Lady Layton

GAMES IN PROGRESS:
- Horizon: Zero Dawn
- Pokemon Ultra Moon

OVER-INDULGENT NAVAL GAZING AND LINT HUNTING:
November was a weird month. It started out phenomenally with Extra Life weekend. I was originally feeling like sh*t because I couldn't stream and was expecting to actually give up by 2 or 3am. I decided I'd dedicate the 24 hours to recording footage for my channel, with a Metroid video, Zelda video, and Favorites of the Year video in mind.

It turned into six hours of Mario Odyssey, a revisit to Hellblade that included a more nuanced understanding and appreciation of the combat mechanics, a nearly complete replay of Metroid: Zero Mission before the WiiU gamepad's battery began to run out, and a reminder of just how wonderful The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild truly is. ...oh, and some Destiny 2, where I finally hit max light level this month.

Unfortunately, November has been really weird mood-wise. I finally posted in the Depression thread and joined #mentalhealth in Slack, but no matter what I've essentially been feeling mostly positive during days and then, as soon as nightfall hits, depression and lethargy strike. I started Horizon: Zero Dawn, but just have trouble motivating myself to play. I was able to enjoy replaying through Metroid Prime and even Samus Returns, but otherwise no progress towards video footage being recorded beyond Extra Life. I was earlier this month and this week have been struggling with a revisit of illness and a weird back problem that I'm hoping is improving as I awoke and am feeling better today than the past two days. I'm going back to Church and watching Football so those take up Sunday time, and I've kind of been sinking back into anime and TV because passive media is just more comforting at the moment.

What's hitting me hardest as we enter December is that not only have I failed to collect as much footage as I was hoping by this point, but I sort of have to restart conceptually on my Metroid video. I may need to replay Metroid Prime again as well as Super Metroid just to make sure I have the right footage, while trying to figure out what it is I really want to do. Fortunately, if you're not scanning things in Prime (which I didn't this time thanks to Trilogy's retaining of such info between playthroughs) it doesn't matter much, but... it feels like I've fallen into the trap I keep doing with my channel in getting so wrapped up in a project I don't have a new video for months on end. So I might take a quick Metroid break, work on that script, record for other videos in the meantime and figure out how I really want to do all this. Still, it's hit me hard and helps make me wonder what I really should be playing. I want to finish Horizon and Gravity Rush 2 before Christmas, and I'm kind of glad Clock hasn't had the opportunity to ship her copy of Mario + Rabbids because that'll just be another factor (on the other hand, what if that's more delightful than both?).

I think, for now, I'm gonna just be calm about it. Once I'm no longer sick I'm going back to the gym, but on the whole I have time to play at least one game per night. On nights I'm not at the gym, two. I can record some footage then move on. So I'm going to focus right now on recording footage, then moving on to Horizon, or just playing Horizon if I don't have time to record. I should be able to make progress either way.

In the end, the real issue is fighting against depression, and I'll do better against that if I just stop letting the whole GotY and YouTube crap be such a pressure on my mind. I've got footage and my method of developing a catalog of footage so I can be prepared to work on videos one after another is not a bad plan. It's harder than I thought, but it's not a bad plan that got over-ridden by a sudden desire and inspiration to play more Metroid games and now what was going to be an alright video is probably gonna be even better (oh yeah, did I mention that with a new thesis comes even more anxiety that people will watch and be like "f*ck this asshole what a f*cker"?).

Still, even though it feels like I didn't much gaming done this month, I actually did, and I'm sure I'll have plenty of time in December to clear some stuff out.

......oh f*ck I forgot Destiny 2's expansion hits Tuesday GOD DAMMIT

October Update

Added & Started

  • Fire Emblem: Warriors
  • Toki Tori 2+
  • RIVE
  • Wonder Girl : The Dragon's Trap

Finished

  • Super Mario Odyssey
  • Eventide: Slavic Fable
  • Blackwood Crossing
  • Fire Emblem: Warriors

This month's game playing was basically defined by my purchase of a Nintendo Switch, which seems to have now become my preferred platform. My "game of the month" would have to be Stardew Valley, which is just perfect on a handheld device, with Golf Story being a close second.

I also bounced off Prey hard. I would have loved to play around in that world more, but I think I need to come to grips with the fact that I am not cut out for stealth games. I find them far more stressful than relaxing.

Added:
Golf Story (Switch)
Prey (PS4)
Stardew Valley (Switch)
Super Mario Odyssey (Switch)

Finished:
Golf Story (Switch)
Dragon Quest Builder's (PS4)

Dropped:
Prey (PS4)

Game of the Month:
Stardew Valley (Switch)

Today's my Backloggiversary, hooray! Five years and counting!

Oh, I like the idea of a "Game of the Month"!

I'm pinching that for future updates

Cheers Pinkerton.

Yup. I might grab that as well. I've been kinda using this thread more as a "what'd you play this month?" than pile management advice anyways.

shoptroll wrote:

Yup. I might grab that as well. I've been kinda using this thread more as a "what'd you play this month?" than pile management advice anyways.

Aren't we all beyond Pile Management advice now, anyhow?

Eleima wrote:
shoptroll wrote:

Yup. I might grab that as well. I've been kinda using this thread more as a "what'd you play this month?" than pile management advice anyways.

Aren't we all beyond Pile Management advice now, anyhow? ;)

I think it’s more that pile advice is beyond us.

Anyone else already making pile plans for the new year that will inevitably be abandoned by March?

Will do it in early January I think - still time left this year to save the burning pile of crushed dreams and plans!
Never really made pile plans before this year, but I kinda liked it. Think I have done reasonably well at sticking to the plan. At least for the first 6 months or so.

I am. I’m taking a look at my list and thinking of dropping games from the Backlog. Games that were either purchased in bundles or games that I had little interest in and were nevertheless gifted to me. If it’s been on the Pile for the 1000+ Days, it’s not looking good...

This is going to sound sacrilegious from a guy who has been a PC gamer since six years of age. .. BUT I'm actually considering making the Switch my primary gaming platform in 2018.

Not only would this allow me to wipe all my non-Switch games from the backlog, but the slower pace of releases on the Switch should make it less likely that the new backlog will grow to the same gargantuan size as my old one.

The closest I have is the gaming goals, which is emphasizing purchasing games that I am absolutely excited to play and to ignore pressure towards playing what others are saying is great. Sometimes that works, but I got enough to play.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

Anyone else already making pile plans for the new year that will inevitably be abandoned by March?

I'd like to apologise to the group for doing an abysmal job of maintaining this thread this year.

I haven't updated the OP links since January, and I've only visited the thread a few times since then (mainly to clear the "unread" listing in my recent activity list).

2017 involved me clearing my "real life pile" that I've neglected for the last 5 years. So many tasks around the house, so much stuff and stashed crap to sort through, so many half finished tasks and projects to complete... Age and long-term injuries complicating and impeding progress at every turn. Not my most enjoyable 12 months in recent times.

I'm physically spent and mentally exhausted. But there is light at the end of the tunnel. My monstrous "To-Do" list is almost complete, with only a few big ticket items left to finish during the month of January.

So I'd like to give the group a choice.

A) I can relinquish custodianship of the 12 month pile program to someone else to set up and run for 2018.

B) I'm more than happy to set up the next one, but I'd be a little distracted in terms of maintenance for the first part of 2018.

Let me know which way we'd like to go? (and apologies again).

No need to apologize. We totally get it.

Which of those options do you prefer? Don't feel obligated to maintain this project if it's just added stress, but don't feel obligated to relinquish it, either, just because real life is busy.

What Clock said. If you like making the threads and maintaining them, then I think we don't need any first post maintenance until you've got things cleared up and the energy for it.

Clocky's right, absolutely no need to apologize!!! She's absolutely right, you do what you feel is best. Personnally, I'd like to see you stay at the helm. If the only issue is updating links to the monthly thread, we can always have another doogjer make post #2 with those threads? Honestly, ti's fine, though.

Same. know I'm relatively new but this thread is your baby and I loves it

I'd like to see you continue too fella, if you're quiet because RL is busy then no worries. On the other hand if you want to drop it that's cool too. Whatever works for you.

Just pop in now and again to let us know all is fine and good with you!

ClockworkHouse wrote:

Anyone else already making pile plans for the new year that will inevitably be abandoned by March?

I think I'll continue with my game of budgeting, fresh for 2018. I'm going to tweak it somewhat because although it did curtail my overall spend there were definite side effects which weren't ideal for the pile itself. I have just the £1 left of my 2017 pile after just purchasing Elite Dangerous on sale for £12. I'm not sure how I've managed it as I'm usually rubbish with budgeting and money. At the same time though as I say trying to hit that budget goal hasn't been a totally positive thing. Needs some thought.

Do whatever you need to do Monkey

ClockworkHouse wrote:

Anyone else already making pile plans for the new year that will inevitably be abandoned by March?

I think I started my purchase tracking document back in July, so yes. I've got some vague plans in my head but nothing I'm committed to yet.

I'll have the 2018 thread live in the next day or so.

I love you all