Did your pile become less of a mountain? - 2011 in review

Yeah. Gonna finish Terminator in the next couple of days, get something with my $5 coupon and cancel.

trueheart78 wrote:

Well, if you aren't a day-1 purchaser, the 10% off and $5 coupons don't really compare to the trend of $25 off sales within a couple weeks of release. Add in the $17 a month savings, and 2 months of no service almost gets you a new game when it hits a $35 sale, above and beyond what you already buy.

I am for a few titles, but I get those through Amazon anyway. The time's I've actually used the 10% discount, it was on already cheap games, so the discount was like $1 or $2.

Garden Ninja wrote:

Yeah. Gonna finish Terminator in the next couple of days, get something with my $5 coupon and cancel.

When is your billing date so we can remind you prior to that? It's a support group for a reason

Garden Ninja, those were my exact reasons for canceling GameFly. It's a neat service, and it works really well for some people, but I found that the pressure to just get through each game as quickly as possible didn't really mesh with my approach to gaming. I also hung on to the service for the sake of those coupons and discounts (and GameFly really does have the best used games around, since they clean the discs up nicely and always offer original packaging and, often, new game DLC codes and the like), but they ended up just being a way to add things to the pile that I didn't play because I was too busy playing the games I had rented.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

So, word of advice to pile-clearers: don't be friends with Minarchist.

That's good advice for anybody, really.

I promise, though, it's worth it. And I think the howlongtobeat numbers are just a bit high, though it does depend what level of completion you're going for (you can literally spend hours in the velvet room and not realize it...). I would estimate maybe 70 for P3 and 60 for P4. The FES version of P3 can be skewed, but you probably don't want to play the added post-game dungeon (not worth it IMO).

I think I need to join this thread. Goozex just dropped a load on me, and coupled with the generosity of friends I am starting to develop a problem.

I see the impending doom of the fall release schedule, then I check howlongtobeat.com and realize that the only way to win this Pile-O-Shame game is to not play. What a strange game...

Regarding Gamefly, I've been using it on-and-off since 2002. During the slower release months of spring/summer, I find it a great way to work through games I might have missed last fall/winter, but I often cancel it when we get to holiday release season.

If you can time things right, it can be an economical way to play through new releases. But if your timing gets thrown off (you're not able to finish games fast enough, postal service or Gamefly screws something up, etc), you can find yourself having to wait days/weeks to get a copy of a game you want, or have to rent something lower on your list. I agree that gaming on a deadline sucks, and more often than not I end up just giving up on a game if I don't think I'm not going to make some imaginary deadline.

I'm probably going to keep my subscription active until November, but I imagine by Nov/Dec I'll have my hands so full with Skyrim, SW:TOR, and Diablo III, plus my existing backlog, that I won't have time to play Gamefly rentals.

Pile update - Decided to knock off an easy one this weekend, and started and beat Puzzle Agent, took about 2-3 hours total. Puzzles were really easy compared to Professor Layton's. Art style, characters, and story were quirky and fun, but the ending (or lack thereof) was really disappointing. Making good progress on The Witcher and Deus Ex: Human Revolution. Wouldn't be surprised if I finish both by the end of next weekend.

trueheart78 wrote:
Garden Ninja wrote:

Yeah. Gonna finish Terminator in the next couple of days, get something with my $5 coupon and cancel.

When is your billing date so we can remind you prior to that? It's a support group for a reason

October 1. With Gears of War 3 coming out tomorrow, I know I won't play pretty much anything else for at least a week or two, so I'm going to try to finish Terminator tonight, and probably send it back tomorrow whether I beat it or not. Gonna go look at what GF used games I want to use my coupon on now.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

Garden Ninja, those were my exact reasons for canceling GameFly...

Glad I'm not the only one then.

Another 11% down on FarCry 2 putting me at 73% and now it's starting to look like I'm headed into the final few missions after I go pick up some diamonds...

Got Gears of War 3, so adding it to the pile.

trueheart78 wrote:

I see the impending doom of the fall release schedule, then I check howlongtobeat.com and realize that the only way to win this Pile-O-Shame game is to not play. What a strange game...

But wouldn't that mean I'd get to hang out with Ally Sheedy? 'Cause that might be worth it, if you asked me...

Put the nail in the coffin on Far Cry 2. Another one bites the dust, and it helps being a game that I never thought I would get around to finishing.

Zelda 2 is done, meaning that the first game in my Handheld Roadmap is complete. Onward to Devil Survivor!

trueheart78 wrote:
Garden Ninja wrote:

It's putting weird pressures on my game time. Since it is a monthly charge, in order not to waste money (even if it's only $17), I feel like I have A) make sure I nearly always have a game out, which means not necessarily playing the game I'm most interested in, and B) playing that game through as quickly as I can and returning it, in order to get the most games per month possible. For instance, I've had Terminator Salvation for a week and a half, and barely played it, since I've been playing Dead Island. If I don't finish Terminator soon, then I reach the point where I paid more to get it through GF than to buy it outright. There are a bunch of good games in the backlog that I am ignoring just to get value from the service.

Drop it.

If it unnecessarily adds to the pile or forces you to switch focus from other games that are on your hit list, it's less of a service and more of a disservice.

Garden Ninja wrote:

The only thing keeping me from cancelling is that the benefits for being a long term customer (10% off on keeping / buying games from them, and a $5 coupon every 3 months). Last time I thought about cancelling (when I moved, and didn't have a TV for a while), there was an option to put the account on hold, but that just amounted to keeping the info on file; you still lost the benefits, and it takes a year to get them back up to the same level. When I moved it was only going to put it on hold for a month, until I could buy a TV, so I just paid the $17 to keep the benefits, and I had a smaller backlog. That is no longer the case. I currently have an unused $5 coupon, so I'll use that up, either on something from the list above, or something I rented before and have wanted to get back to.

Well, if you aren't a day-1 purchaser, the 10% off and $5 coupons don't really compare to the trend of $25 off sales within a couple weeks of release. Add in the $17 a month savings, and 2 months of no service almost gets you a new game when it hits a $35 sale, above and beyond what you already buy.

I know I've failed miserably in keeping up with my pile commitments, but reading the above just now inspired me to cancel my GameFly membership. Luckily, today is my billing day so there is no overlap. trueheart, you are truly a persuasive person.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

Zelda 2 is done, meaning that the first game in my Handheld Roadmap is complete. Onward to Devil Survivor!

Congrats man! I really want to replay that game now as you're the 2nd person around here that's talked about playing it this year for the first time.

Apollo0507 wrote:

I know I've failed miserably in keeping up with my pile commitments, but reading the above just now inspired me to cancel my GameFly membership. Luckily, today is my billing day so there is no overlap. trueheart, you are truly a persuasive person.

Indeed. TrueHeart's Quartet of Contemplation is in the OP for good reason.

Thanks for the kind words — I'm glad it's helping.

I need to be talked down from buying Dark Souls. It's not on The List!

Do you enjoy screaming at the television?
Do you enjoy dying repeatedly?
Do you enjoy breaking controllers?

Then Dark Souls is the game for you!

Also, I heard Dark Souls requires you to punch a kitten before you can play it.

Garden Ninja wrote:

Do you enjoy screaming at the television?
Do you enjoy dying repeatedly?
Do you enjoy breaking controllers?

Then Dark Souls is the game for you!

That's why I want to buy it. You're not helping!

ClockworkHouse wrote:

I need to be talked down from buying Dark Souls. It's not on The List!

Why isn't it on the list?! Put it there, now! Problem solved!

See you on PS3 in a couple weeks.

ClockworkHouse wrote:
Garden Ninja wrote:

Do you enjoy screaming at the television?
Do you enjoy dying repeatedly?
Do you enjoy breaking controllers?

Then Dark Souls is the game for you!

That's why I want to buy it. You're not helping! :(

Do you like sleeping on the couch because your wife is tired of you keeping the children up screaming at the television and then coming to bed grumpy?

ClockworkHouse wrote:

I need to be talked down from buying Dark Souls. It's not on The List!

What has actually sold you on the game? We all forget to add games to our lists, and that's fine for this, because if you liked Demon Souls then it's quite likely you'll like this as well. Is there something else you planned to splurge on that you can kick to the curb to keep the Pile-O-Shame from growing?

Think about all the hours you will be spending NOT clearing the pile with a game like Dark Souls. You may as well trade them all in now.

...wait, that might actually enable you anyway.

In my case, I only played the first mission of Demon's Souls, but the fact that the GameStop pre-order automatically bumps it to the limited edition at base cost, which includes the making-of documentary...

Dammit, I'm not the person to disable you. I'm trying to determine if Batman: Arkham City or Battlefield 3 is worth sacrificing in October, but I want to support one developer because they did a good job, and the other so CoD can be knocked off its throne.

All pre-orders make it the collector's edition, not Gamestop. Maybe all first shipment in stores even?

But newegg had a $12 off code for the pre-order last week.

trueheart78 wrote:
ClockworkHouse wrote:

I need to be talked down from buying Dark Souls. It's not on The List!

What has actually sold you on the game? We all forget to add games to our lists, and that's fine for this, because if you liked Demon Souls then it's quite likely you'll like this as well. Is there something else you planned to splurge on that you can kick to the curb to keep the Pile-O-Shame from growing?

I haven't played Demon's Souls, actually. I did almost buy a PS3 last year so that I could play it, but I backed away from that purchase when I heard that Dark Souls was coming to the 360.

What's sold me on the game is precisely what Garden Ninja mentioned above: it's being billed as a brutally, punishingly difficult game that rewards players for being good at the game rather than just leveling up their character. It might just be a phase, but in the last year I've discovered that I really like hard games so long as they're fair. I've been playing everything on the highest difficulty lately and have been really enjoying how tough things have been. I've even, in some cases, been disappointed when hard wasn't hard enough. So, Dark Souls sounds like it could be right up my alley.

So why didn't it make The List in the first place? Because I already have one brutally hard game on The List (Catherine), two brutally hard games in my collection (Vanquish, Sin & Punishment 2), and one brutally hard game I've finished but really want to replay (Bayonetta). Since I haven't played Demon's Souls, it's easy to take a wait-and-see approach with Dark Souls rather than jump into it with both feet. But, the more I've read about it, the more I've seen of it, the more I want to get it sooner rather than later.

What's likely to be the deciding factor here is money. I've budgeted for a few games between now and the end of the year, and I'm not going to bump Arkham City, Mario 3D Land, or Skyward Sword. If I were going to bump any of those, it would be Arkham City, but I'm not sure I'd replace it with Dark Souls anyway.

Is there are reason you want Dark Souls at launch? For example, is it supposed to have a multiplayer aspect to it, like Demon Souls did? If not, wait at least a month or two and pick it up when it hits $40. If you must have it at launch, can you wait on any of the others (not sure if that's what you meant by bump)?

Regardless, you should replay Bayonetta. That game is awesome. I need to replay it myself at some point (and buy it, since I borrowed it the first time around).

1. Yes, multiplayer like Demon's Souls.

2. Pre-orders (maybe first run shipments?) get an upgrade to the Collector's Edition, steel book case, art book and CD (much like the Demon's Souls artbook/cd packages), and mini strategy guide. All for the regular $60 price.

Stele wrote:

1. Yes, multiplayer like Demon's Souls.

2. Pre-orders (maybe first run shipments?) get an upgrade to the Collector's Edition, steel book case, art book and CD (much like the Demon's Souls artbook/cd packages), and mini strategy guide. All for the regular $60 price.

This. There seems to be a real advantage to getting it sooner rather than later.

Here are the others from Clocky's list:

Catherine
Batman: Arkham City
Silent Hill Downpour
Super Mario 3D Land
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
XCOM
Bioshock Infinite

You already said you don't want to "bump" (is this wait for a price drop, or just not get this year?) Batman, Mario or Zelda. BioShock Infinite is probably going to be next year anyway. I think Min already mentioned on TA that he would lend you Catherine. That leaves XCOM and Silent Hill. Can you wait on either of them, or perhaps get them from Goozex?

For a thread about clearing the pile, you guys are horribly enabling. Now I'm considering buying Dark Souls.