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September 2021 – Ranking My Backlog
I got so busy with life since I last made a list at the start of July, that I actually didn’t get a chance to play a single game these last 2 months. Not just from my backlog, I didn’t play ANYTHING. So let’s try again. I removed some of the “horror/spooky” type games from July and expect them to revisit the list next month, I figure I can wait another month for October before I try to play them.
So what do I say is a Backlogged game? My definition is: A game that I bought more than 6 months ago, but I’ve owned it less than 3 years. I consider something shorter than that time-span to be too recent of a pick-up to be in a backlog. Anything longer than 3 years from when I purchased, I consider to be a “shelved” game, and less likely to get played after sitting so long while my pile of games keeps getting larger.
Here are the Top 10 Games in my current Backlog that I would like to play soon…
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening
September Update: My interest in this really shot up over the past couple of weeks because I think it would be rather simple and easy to play and get through.
I played the original Link’s Awakening on the GameBoy when I was a kid, and I got pretty close to the end. Unfortunately a glitch occurred that got me stuck on a statue and I couldn’t move, I stupidly did “Save & Quit”, and was forever stuck there, I never finished the game. This seems like a smooth, fun game to play with not much stress or hassle and I’ve always been a fan of top-down Zeldas. This game almost seems forgotten on the Switch, but I’d like to get to it because I could probably enjoy it and complete it much faster than some of the other games here.
Y’s VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA
I’ve heard about the Y’s series for decades but never gave much attention to it. However when I saw Y’s VIII on the PS4 I thought it looked pretty good, I almost picked it up but I held off for it to come to the Switch. I bought the Collector’s Edition at launch, then it shot up in price, so instead of opening it, I bought the standard, then that shot up in price, and instead of opening it, I bought the digital for $23! Now Y’s IX is about to release!! I need to play this! I have only heard good things about it.
Yakuza 0 / The Yakuza Series
I’m already breaking the “rules” of a backlog game, because this is a game I got a little over 4 years ago, so why did I include it? Because I have also bought Yakuza 6, Yakuza Kiwami, Yakuza Kiwami 2, Yakuza Remastered Collection and Yakuza Like A Dragon over the last 4 years and played NONE of them. So some of these games “qualify” under my backlog rules, I feel like I can’t play those before starting at the beginning of the story, with Yakuza 0. I’ve heard nothing but great things about this series even since the PS3/PS2 days and it seems like my kind of game.
13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim
Dragon’s Crown, Muramasa and Odin Sphere are the only games I’ve played by VanillaWare and I thought all 3 were unique and special. VanillaWare is one of those developers I occasionally check their Wiki page to see what projects they’re working on, I had seen 13 Sentinels in development for a while and when it released, I got picked it up with the intent of making time to play some day soon. I’m confident this is going to be a great game that slid under everyone’s radar last year. This should probably be higher in my list
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The Nintendo Switch Pro is Unnecessary in 2021
To start off, I’d like to say that IF Nintendo did release a Switch Pro in 2021, I would be excited for it, I would pre-order it and pick it up on day one. The point that I’m making here though is that not only is it unnecessary for a 2021 release, I actually think it would be more damaging to Nintendo’s business/profits than if Nintendo waited another year.
Cannablism
The Nintendo Switch has been the best selling console for 31 months straight, Nintendo would be foolish to interfere in any way that could drop the appeal of a Nintendo Switch right now. When the holiday season rolls around, the Playstation 5 and XBox Series X will almost definitely still be the most in-demand consoles, but the Switch will likely be the most available, which potentially means it might still rule the holiday season.
If Nintendo were to announce a Switch Pro, or release a Switch Pro before the end of the year, of course interest will be very high, maybe even surpassing the XSX or the PS5. But it’s almost guaranteed to have supply issues similar to the competitors, while simultaneously making the regular Switch less desirable and potentially killing most interest in the Lite altogether if the regular Switch is forced to take a price cut. I don’t see how the Switch or Switch Lite could keep the same momentum with the Pro out on the market, and it seems like Nintendo would be unnecessarily cutting their lives short, to roll out the Pro, which may not even have a reason to exist yet.
2021’s Lack of Releases
E3 2021 showed the not so well kept secret, but the pandemic has affected development time for a lot of games and compared to past years, we aren’t getting many new games in 2021 for any of the consoles. Due to the lack of big titles coming to the PS5 and XSX in Q3 and Q4, I don’t think Nintendo needs to fear losing relevancy yet. Even so, a Switch Pro would likely be comparable to the power of maybe a PS4, or XB1S, so it really only needs to look at what games are coming to PS4 and XB1 in 2021 (non-exclusive) to see what we’re missing out because of a lack of a Pro.
- Back 4 Blood – While it looks like a fun game, it is primarily focused on online multiplayer which is not a strength of the Switch and when given the choice, would likely buy on another platform than Switch. This doesn’t seem like anything that people would preference for their Switch
- Battlefield 2042 – This falls in a similar situation as Back 4 Blood, but this game would probably be even more demanding of near flawless performance and who knows how probable that would be for the Switch Pro to deliver on.
- Dying Light 2 – I barely played the first Dying Light, it didn’t seem bad though, and I would pick this up on a Switch Pro and I could see this being preferential for a lot of people over the PS4 or XB1, but the PS5/XSX would likely be the most preferred console because those owners are thirsty for something to play
- Far Cry 6 – Pretty much the exact situation as Dying Light 2
- Rainbow Six Extraction – As with the other multiplayer games, this just doesn’t seem like it would be desirable for the Pro
- Sports (EA) – I know there is a long list of reasons Madden is garbage, but yes, I would buy it on Switch or Switch Pro on Day 1. I don’t know if EA would even bring it to a Pro, seeing as they never brought Madden to the regular Switch, although EA is more friendly with Nintendo these days and they would just have to port over the PS4 version, so maybe.
July 2021 – Ranking My Backlog
My Backlog of games is so out of control that I’ve decided to create a specific definition of what a “Backlogged Game”, and I’m also going to rank the games in my Backlog that I’m most interested in playing. Each month I will create a new list, hopefully having played a few of the ones from the month prior and cleared some space for new entries. I need some organization and structure to tackle this Backlog.
So what do I say is a Backlogged game? My definition is: A game that I bought more than 6 months ago, but I’ve owned it less than 3 years. I consider something shorter than that time-span to be too recent of a pick-up to be in a backlog. Anything longer than 3 years from when I purchased, I consider to be a “shelved” game, and less likely to get played after sitting so long while my pile of games keeps getting larger.
Here are the Top 10 Games in my current Backlog that I would like to play soon…
Luigi’s Mansions 3
I’m a huge fan of the Luigi’s Mansion series and still have not managed to put any time into this game despite buying it at release. This is the game I want to play the most that’s in my backlog, but I keep hesitating because I feel it’s an “October/Halloween” game. I might have to ignore that feeling and just finally play it
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
I love the Castlevania series, and like to see people do their own independent thing, this was a project I actually gave money to when it was in the kickstarter phase. I was excited to play at release, but held off due to performance issues that would be fixed in a later patch. By the time the patch came out, I was buried in other things to be able to play. Like Luigi’s, this has also been kinda pushed off as a October/Halloween game, and again I should just ignore that.
Y’s VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA
I’ve heard about the Y’s series for decades but never gave much attention to it. However when I saw Y’s VIII on the PS4 I thought it looked pretty good, I almost picked it up but I held off for it to come to the Switch. I bought the Collector’s Edition at launch, then it shot up in price, so instead of opening it, I bought the standard, then that shot up in price, and instead of opening it, I bought the digital for $23! Now Y’s IX is about to release!! I need to play this! I have only heard good things about it.
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I Need To Play My PS4
The Playstation 4 was easily my most played console between 2014 – 2016, but for the past 18 months, I haven’t even turned it on. In the 6 months before that, I had played it for less than 10 hours. So what happened in 2017 that affected my Playstation 4 time? My tastes in gaming changed, I wasn’t happy with what I had been playing recently, and then around this time, Nintendo released the Switch. A few things in my personal life had also changed, and in respect to my privacy I’ll just say I had a career change, and I also had a some family events occur that reduced my playing time. But I still managed to play games these past 18 months, I just shifted away from the bigger titles on PS4.
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NBA 2K19: Money Over Everything
I’m not the best 2K player, but I do feel like my progress, and my enjoyment is being crippled by a greed to sell me microtransactions with in-game currency. The game has become a grind. I did not play much of the 2K series from 2K6 – 2K17, only a few hours from a couple of them. Last year however, I put in over 150 hours into NBA 2K18. I became aware of the grind for VC (Virtual Currency) then, but it appears to be even worse in 2K19.
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How I Define Retro Gaming
It’s easy to figure out where “Retro Gaming” begins, but where does it end? Where do we draw the line that defines retro gaming, and gaming outside of the current generation? The definition of “retro” in the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it in relation to fashion, but says “relating to, reviving, or being the styles and especially the fashions of the past : fashionably nostalgic or old-fashioned“. All this leaves us with is a very vague “of the past” or “nostalgic” to apply towards Retro Gaming.
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