[HaroldO]

or How I Learned to Buy on Impulse and Let Games Collect Dust.

A friend of mine always says that the fate of most book lovers is buying more books that one could possibly read. I don't know how that applies to other gamers but I certainly buy more video games than I could manage to play. At first I had what I called a "small buffer". Since I have no decent option to buy games locally I always buy games online, most of them imports from online stores. When you have to deal with a 2-9 weeks interval between ordering and receiving a parcel it is only natural to have a few yet unplayed games at your disposal. That used to be my excuse.

Now I have dozens of games warming the bench. Sure, most of them cost next to nothing (in some cases literally nothing), but still: it's not cheap if you buy but don't use. Right now I have:

- Final Fantasy V (PS1)
- Final Fantasy XII (PS2)
- Guitar Hero II (PS2)
- Guitar Hero Encore: Rock the 80's (PS2)
- Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (PS2)
- Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings (NDS)
- Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift (NDS)
- Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (PSP)
- Dreamfall: The Longest Journey (WIN)
- Portal (WIN)
- Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened (WIN)
- Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga (WIN)
- Lucidity (WIN)
- The Secret of Monkey Island Special Edition (WIN)
- Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (WIN)
- Loom (WIN)
- The Dig (WIN)
- Indigo Prophecy (WIN)
- Cogs (WIN)
- Trine (WIN)
- The Even More Incredible Machine(WIN)
- The Incredible Machine 3 (WIN)
- Return of the Incredible Machine: Contraptions (WIN)
- The Incredible Machine: Even More Contraptions (WIN)
- Psychonauts (WIN)
- Altitude (WIN)
- Tex Murphy: Martian Memorandum (WIN)
- Tex Murphy: Mean Streets (WIN)
- Lure of the Temptress (WIN)
- Teenagent (WIN)
- Beneath a Steel Sky (WIN)
- Ben There, Dan That! (WIN)
- Machinarium (LNX)
- Cave Story (LNX)

More than 30 games. These are only those I haven't touch it, it doesn't include those I've played for more than 30 minutes but haven't finished. I'm honestly embarrassed and decided once again to postpone buying a PS3 at least until I lower this number to 25 or less. I mean, why spend more money? I could take a sabbatical locked on a cabin with nothing but these games to pass time and I'd still probably say: "Damn, I didn't even started Cogs or Final Fantasy V."

How about you, fellow adventure gamers? Anyone else afraid to get caved in under a pile of factory sealed games? Am I the only one bothered by this? How do you deal with that?

this post was sponsored by the TL;DR Foundation

[Hammerite]

These days I play until I complete, and only then do I buy anew.

[misslilo]

Wow, that's a lot

I don't have that many, but I do have a few.
Mostly from GOG, because I'm beginning to think, that I better buy this or that game for when I retire (still a long way to go thought, lol)

It's not games I feel like playing now, but hope I will in my old age

[Denaron]

Hahaha. I have a similar habit, but indeed with Books. Usually buying a lot of cheap books that I don't even pretend to read someday.

I've decided to play 2 games at once (An adventure and other genre) so it speeds things up a bit. Normally, when some game I want is released, I've already finished one of the two I'm playing. Otherwise, I do the same thing as Hamme. I play until I complete, and only then do I buy anew.

Originally Posted by misslilo

Wow, that's a lot

Seconded!

[Hammerite]

Re-reading my post, I quite like how it is worded.

Being a university student may have affected this, given that the only gaming I can do here is PC and PSP-related (and must be kept at a limit, due to studying and socialising) - and only when I return home, do I have access to t'XBox.

[Fantasysci5]

I too have a large backlog of games that I haven't finished playing. Most of them are games I just can't get in to, for example;
-Syberia
-Myst 4
-The Experiment
-Morpheus
-KQ7
-Penumbra Series
-Septerra Core
-Daemonica
-Myst: Uru
-Jack the Ripper
-Lure of the Temptress

Just to name a few. The thing is that I try to play through a bit, and for some reason or another-usually the story is boring or the puzzles are too out of my reach-and I give up on them. I may go back to them...some day.

And the following are the exceptions, which I haven't started playing at all, or haven't given up on yet.

-Tex Murphy 1&2
-Beneath a Steel Sky
-The Shivah

[Hammerite]

BaSS, and the Shivah are both very good. Never played any of the Tex Murphys.

[HaroldO]

Originally Posted by Hammerite

These days I play until I complete, and only then do I buy anew.

Damn, I wish I could be like you.

Originally Posted by Denaron

I've decided to play 2 games at once (An adventure and other genre) so it speeds things up a bit. Normally, when some game I want is released, I've already finished one of the two I'm playing.

Seems like a fine solution. I saw the guys from The Big Bang Theory taking every friday night to play classic games so I'm doing the same now. Friday night is Vintage Game Night.
That way I can take a day a week specifically to replay classics or try the ones I missed out. I think I'll do something similar with the Wednesdays: Adventure Game Night. It's not like I'm gonna miss football on TV anyway

Originally Posted by Fantasysci5

Just to name a few. The thing is that I try to play through a bit, and for some reason or another-usually the story is boring or the puzzles are too out of my reach-and I give up on them. I may go back to them...some day.

I'm a bit stubborn sometimes. I almost quit Sherlock Holmes: Mystery of the Mummy at chapter 2 but I ended up using a step-by-step walkthrough and even so I lost hours on a slider puzzle. Just because I was excited to play the entire series in release order. I should have just given up. awful, awful game.
Others like StarCraft I just had to give up. I used to play this years ago and was bad, but not awful. I've decided to buy a new copy last year because the Brazilian release has really awful voice acting and translation and I wanted the original content. Then I realized: I've grown old, slow and lame.
Seriously, couldn't get passed the 4th mission in the Zerg Scenario.

[Denaron]

Originally Posted by HaroldO

I saw the guys from The Big Bang Theory taking every friday night to play classic games so I'm doing the same now. Friday night is Vintage Game Night.
That way I can take a day a week specifically to replay classics or try the ones I missed out. I think I'll do something similar with the Wednesdays: Adventure Game Night. It's not like I'm gonna miss football on TV anyway

Hehehe, It's indeed an interesting (and nerdy ) thing to do. Are you following exactly the same schedule as seen in BBT, each day of week is a different entertainment day? Or just weds and fridays? I wish I was organized enough to do the same!

A bit off topic but, Howard Wolowitz is my favorite one. Very funny guy!

[booB]

I have a pretty large backlog. The ones I can think of off the top of my head are:

Tomb Raider: Underworld
Culpa Innata
Sam & Max (all)
Syberia 1+2
Still Life
Keepsake
Nibiru
Return to Mysterious Island
Beneath a Steel Sky
Secret Files: Tunguska
Sacred Gold
Thief: Deadly Shadows
Freelancer
Dark Star One
Planescape: Torment
Mass Effect
Assassin's Creed
Jade Empire
Psychonauts
Splinter Cell
Hitman: Contracts
Hitman: Blood Money
Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis

... plus a handful of Wii and Gamecube games.

[Fantasysci5]

Yeah, I didn't mention RPGs, since there are so many campains, etc, that I haven't played "the full game".

[HaroldO]

Originally Posted by Denaron

Hehehe, It's indeed an interesting (and nerdy ) thing to do. Are you following exactly the same schedule as seen in BBT, each day of week is a different entertainment day? Or just weds and fridays? I wish I was organized enough to do the same!

A bit off topic but, Howard Wolowitz is my favorite one. Very funny guy!

I wish I could, but they already have their education and good and stable jobs. I don't, so I still can't devote every night to nerd fun.

Originally Posted by Fantasysci5

Yeah, I didn't mention RPGs, since there are so many campains, etc, that I haven't played "the full game".

And they do take a lot of time to finish even if you don't do most of the side quests.

[Ugignadl]

In your original list I would play first BaSS (it is pretty short and very good) and FFXII on the PS2, it is not short, but a really great game. It is an example of a FF game innovating again. I find it funny how people like to bash the FF games because they are the "same", when a lot of the time they introduce or refine various elements which are not so common and are then picked up on by many successors in the genre. You can accurately say that the gameplay of Dragon Age is based on the gameplay of FFXII. I can't say which one I like better. Dragon Age is a better *game* (in almost every way) but the gameplay, strategy and combat in FFXII... well maybe I like it better.

FFV was a bit of a chore. Some of the others I haven't played.

Personally I like to read some reviews, pick some games, very few normally and then play those few to death. Do everything, get everything, play through multiple times... I like to really immerse myself in the experience.

Get playing!

[HaroldO]

Final Fantasy XII is one of my priorities, as soon as I finish the ones I already started. I'll probably like the combat mechanics as they seem to be very similar FF XI's. BASS I've install on my Eee PC along to play during an air travel I have planned for end of the month. I hope the battery won't die at a crucial and exciting part.

[Vahkris]

I've got a rather large backlog myself. See my sig below. I found a neat website to help me keep track of them all.

http://www.backloggery.com

You have to manually enter each game, but all you're entering really is the name and which platform (PC, Wii, PS3, etc) it is for, and you can assign a status of "beaten" which is just completing the main story (or whatever your own criteria of beaten it is) or "completed" which is all campaigns/trophies/bonuses/secrets/etc done. I was kind of surprised/scared once I got them all in a list and saw how many games I literally just haven't played.

As for Final Fantasy XII, I played it and while they tried to make it like FFXI gameplay-wise...to me it was like they took more of the worse parts of MMO gameplay rather than the best parts, but YMMV.

[Niko]

I usally pre-order the ones i am 100% sure on, then i just buy other games i like the look of as they are released, and i also look back at older games i missed first time around. so i usally have one more game than i can play at a time usally. at the moment my gaming PC is broken after 2 years of solid gaming, and awaiting parts, so i have a backlog of....

- Memento Mori
- Assassins Creed 2
- Mass Effect 2
- Stalker:Call of Pripyat
- A farewell to Dragons

And the list is going to just get longer, as its going to take me time to finish these, meanwhile i have other games orderd, so i am looking at a pile up but at least i wont be bored this year

[SharonB]

Talk about a backlog of games to play -- I have 80 adventure titles that I haven't played or have only started to play. This does not include RPG's or casual titles. I'm never going to get to them all before I die.

And... I can't stop buying more.

It's a good thing I don't have a new computer able to play some of the newest RPG's. I would be out buying them as well.

[HaroldO]

Originally Posted by Vahkris

I've got a rather large backlog myself. See my sig below. I found a neat website to help me keep track of them all.

http://www.backloggery.com

Really nice site. I'll take a few minutes later create a profile and add games.

Originally Posted by SharonB

Talk about a backlog of games to play -- I have 80 adventure titles that I haven't played or have only started to play. This does not include RPG's or casual titles. I'm never going to get to them all before I die.

And... I can't stop buying more.

hahahahaha. Don't lose hope, point & click game is very elderly-friendly. I think that when I'm old and living in a retirement home I'll finally catch up on those classic adventures I've never got to play.
- "Good morning sir, I'm a part of a NGO and I'm here to make you company.
I can read for you or play backgammon, what do you say?".
- "Listen kid, you either help me figure it out how to use this rubber chicken or amscray".