[Bebpo]

Bought in 2012:
1. Castlevania LoS
2. Sonic & SEGA All-Star Racing
3. Ghost Trick iOS
4. Gundam G Generation World
5. Beyond the Labyrinth
6. Resident Evil: Revelations
7. Super Robot Wars: OG Saga Lord of Elemental II
8. Professor Layton 5
9. Gundam The 3d Battle
10. Tales of Innocence R
11. Uncharted Golden Abyss
12. Hot Shots Golf 6
13. Wipeout 2048
14. Little Deviants
15. Super Stardust Delta + DLC pack
16. Escape Plan
17. Blazblue Continuum Shift EXTEND
18. Twisted Metal
19. Lumines Electric Symphony
20. Touch my Katamari
21. Good People Die
22. Tales from Space: Mutant Blob Attacks
23. SSX
24. One Piece Kaizoku Musou

Cleared in 2012:
1. Dead Space Extraction
2. Uncharted 3
3. Rock of Ages
4. Orcs Must Die
5. Saints Row The Third
6. Outland
7. Final Fantasy Type 0
8. Renegade Ops
9. RAGE
10. Uncharted: Golden Abyss
11. Touch my Katamari
12. Professor Layton 4
13. Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack
14. Escape Plan

Total for 2012 = -10. Getting better. Need to finish up a few more and might even get to -5 or under!

[guest1321]

Backloggery

Bought in 2012: -5
Completed in 2012: +10
Current Score: +5

Beaten:

• Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
• Assassin's Creed: Revelations
• Batman: Arkham Asylum
• Halo 3: ODST
• Dead Space 2
• Pure
• Batman: Arkham City
• Nightsky HD
• Jamestown
• Mass Effect 3 $

Currently Playing:

• Forza Motorsport 4 (aiming for 100%)
• Crysis 2 $

Current Backlog:

• Borderlands
• Fallout New Vegas
• Project Gotham Racing 4
• Rayman: Origins $
• Warhammer 40k: Space Marine
• BIT.TRIP RUNNER
• Portal 2
• Super Meat Boy
• Rage $
• Bulletstorm $

Impressions:

Jamestown (2.5/5) - With no idea of what Jamestown was prior to playing it I was thrilled to find the gameplay similar to a game I played long ago but have since forgotten the name of. The story seemed like a tacky add on but I thought it was a nice level transition and gave the game a purpose. I was happy with it up until it started requiring that I beat all the prior levels on a harder difficulty in order to move on. Having kept a decent pace and feeling pleased with having beat the previous levels I was annoyed that I would have to replay them on a more difficult setting. I felt it was something that should have been initially clear so that I was repeating levels unnecessarily. After trying levels repeatedly due to a stupid error on my part it became clear to me why games like this no longer exist. They are exciting to an extent but get redundant quickly. Sure there are new environments but as the foes are principally the same I felt there was really no variety. I enjoyed the game but the difficulty locking seemed a lackluster way to implement more difficult bosses. Now that I've beat it I probably will not play it again.

Mass Effect 3 (5/5) - From the start I felt a sensation of profound responsibility placed on my shoulders. At times the stories urgency seemed to drift away but it never hurt slowed the story progression or deteriorate the plot. I went into it considering how annoyed I was with Mass Effect 2 and the feeling that the game was one big checklist. I never really had that feeling in Mass Effect 3 and the missions seemed to link together (main quests) and tie in (side quests) really well and that was something I truly appreciated. The emotion that Mass Effect 3 inspired in me was unlike any game I've played before. I felt pulled in to consider the feelings of the characters and try to understand what they where going through. The decisions felt meaningful and weighted with no clear option that would seem fitting of the stereotypical Sheppard. As for the mechanics of the game I was extremely impressed. Combat felt good and I hardly ever ran out of ammo which I was frustrated with at first, for having removed the authenticity of the situation, but later came to appreciate as it allowed me to focus on the game. Being able to customize weapons to the extent and ease at which Mass Effect 3 allowed was highly enjoyable. I loved being able to go from a shop which sells upgrades to buying new guns to then choosing my gun set up and finally to customizing my armor all within an area aboard the normandy. I only caught glimpses of the environment in between the action but from what I saw I was extremely impressed. Every planet I visited felt distinct aesthetically as well as layout. Sure the game had a set path for you but when the path looked as good as it did I had no issues with it. Graphically the game was a step up from its predecessor but by no means a highlight of this generation. The audio however was truly an immersive experience. The ability of the music and soundstage to go from a casual point A to point B moment and then scale up to an epic fast paced section and pull me right in was brilliant. The audio was definitely something that will bring me back to this game just for the sheer feeling of grandeur and tragedy that it invoked in me. Now that I have beat the campaign once I have been playing a lot of the multiplayer and while I was initially concerned it was going to be another online shooter it really has taken on its own form and done it in a way that suits Mass Effect very well. The fact that it ties back into the single player is also a nice feature that while probably won't have a huge effect on my play style and where I devote my time I like the fact that the two are not totally disjoint. After finishing this game I could not help but want more, something that I have not felt from a game in a while, and something that helps this game earn a perfect score in my book.

$ - indicates game purchased in 2012

[IGotBillySoSpooked]

So...I just started Uncharted. The first one for PS3.

Not liking it at all. I am on Part 5 - The Fortress and it is already hella repetitive. Bad guys show up. Shoot them. Walk 10 feet. Bad guys show up. Shoot them. Complete painfully obvious puzzle and/or follow painfully obvious path along cliff/wall face. Bad guys show up. Shoot them.

I wouldn't mind as much if the game had a decent weapon system, but the weapon/gunfight system in this game sucks ass. It is a pain in the ass whenever a group of bad guys show up and they just keep showing up! How the hell many guys does this person have working for him!?

I still have Uncharted 2 waiting for me because I just had to buy the damn two pack.

[1-D_FTW]

So...I just started Uncharted. The first one for PS3. Not liking it at all. I am on Part 5 - The Fortress and it is already hella repetitive. Bad guys show up. Shoot them. Walk 10 feet. Bad guys show up. Shoot them. Complete painfully obvious puzzle and/or follow painfully obvious path along cliff/wall face. Bad guys show up. Shoot them. I wouldn't mind as much if the game had a decent weapon system, but the weapon/gunfight system in this game sucks ass. It is a pain in the ass whenever a group of bad guys show up and they just keep showing up! How the hell many guys does this person have working for him!? I still have Uncharted 2 waiting for me because I just had to buy the damn two pack.

Should have downloaded the demo. This formula was obvious to me from just that.

This is one of the keys I've started using to keep my backlog from growing at its previous rate. I don't care how cheap a game is, if it has a demo, I now force myself to download and play before buying. I've prevented more than a few unworthy purchases this way.

[ghibli99]

Backlog updated. +3 for the year.

P3P: Done. This is a very good game that has two big strikes against it:

First, it's just way too long. Although I put less time into this than most players, they could have easily made this shorter. Too much filler and some miscalculated pacing. By the time I reached the game's final month or so, I just wanted it to be over. With attributes and most social links at their max, there's very little left to do except grind away in the game's only dungeon and take care of other random tasks.

Second, combat is too easy to exploit. It's fun, but the game allows you to "sneak up" on every enemy in the game except for bosses. This gives you a very unfair advantage, allowing you to defeat almost everything with little-to-no effort. EarthBound is still the king when it comes to doing this type of encounter system right.

That being said, I enjoyed all the other aspects of the game. The character designs are insanely good, overall art direction is fantastic, and apart from the above, it has an extremely fun and addictive combat system. Although it does start to get very repetitive later on, the soundtrack is also terrific... jazzy, drum & bass, hip hop goodness. Story is solid and I enjoyed building the game's various social links.

I did briefly check out the girl's version of the game, and I can see how people would prefer this. She's a lot happier and outgoing vs. the more curt and quiet nature of the guy. Her responses are a lot funnier, and the musical changes are nice. Maybe I'll play through it someday.

Overall, I'd give P3P a B+. Not quite a classic, but close.

[allansm]

Bought in 2012: 4
Completed in 2012: +13
Current Score: +9

Finished:
Sideway: New York
Defy Gravity Extended
Skyrim
Tropico 4
PixelJunk Eden
Dungeon Siege III
Osmos
Cave Story +
Fractal
From Dust
Rochard
Hamilton's Great Adventure
Rock of Ages

[FollowSmoke]

Is anyone here to the point where all of their games are played? You literally are buying one game and completing it before you buy the next? I know this is a thread about backlog, but I was wondering if anyone has gotten there yet. Also, to the people who haven't gotten there, are you considering doing this once you do?

[FollowSmoke]

So...I just started Uncharted. The first one for PS3. Not liking it at all. I am on Part 5 - The Fortress and it is already hella repetitive. Bad guys show up. Shoot them. Walk 10 feet. Bad guys show up. Shoot them. Complete painfully obvious puzzle and/or follow painfully obvious path along cliff/wall face. Bad guys show up. Shoot them. I wouldn't mind as much if the game had a decent weapon system, but the weapon/gunfight system in this game sucks ass. It is a pain in the ass whenever a group of bad guys show up and they just keep showing up! How the hell many guys does this person have working for him!? I still have Uncharted 2 waiting for me because I just had to buy the damn two pack.

I know exactly what you're talking about. Those parts aren't fun at all. But what's inbetween is a blast! I played the first two games on normal. I got a third of the way through the third and just set the difficulty down to easy. I wanted to experience the story and forget about the combat.

That being said, the first Uncharted is by far the weakest of the series. Stick with it.

[ghibli99]

Is anyone here to the point where all of their games are played? You literally are buying one game and completing it before you buy the next? I know this is a thread about backlog, but I was wondering if anyone has gotten there yet. Also, to the people who haven't gotten there, are you considering doing this once you do?

Doubt you'll find them in here, but many do exist and come out of the woodwork whenever someone creates a thread complaining about their backlog. :)

[Satoho]

Keep on with the struggle my gaming brothers and sisters. I shall join in the healing process after my exams >_< lol

[barrin87]

Backlog is something that I am all too familiar with.

Purchased games in 2012: -4

Final Fantasy XIII-2
Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection
Lego Harry Potter 5-7
Everybody Dance

Completed games in 2012: +4

Final Fantasy XIII-2
Singularity
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron
Prince of Persia: The Forgotten Sands


Backlog: 31

3D Dot Game Heroes
Bayonetta
Bulletstorm
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Dante's Inferno
Dark Souls
Darksiders
Dead Space
Demon's Souls
Ico Collection
Infamous
Killzone 2
Little Big Planet 2
Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom
Mass Effect 2
Rage
Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction
Star Ocean: The Last Hope
The Fight: Lights Out
The Saboteur
Tomb Raider Trilogy
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
White Knight Chronicles
Everybody Dance
Lego Harry Potter 5-7 (currently working on)
Persona 1
Persona 3 Portable
Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection
Final Fantasy: 4 Heroes of Light
Dragon Quest V
Dragon Quest VI

If we are counting DLC games in the backlog then I would have to add about 30 more that are on my PS3.

[guest1321]

Is anyone here to the point where all of their games are played? You literally are buying one game and completing it before you buy the next? I know this is a thread about backlog, but I was wondering if anyone has gotten there yet. Also, to the people who haven't gotten there, are you considering doing this once you do?

I by no means am there, I've got a good amount of time ahead of me. But I do plan on getting there this year. My lack of interest in the game coming out during the spring and summer and being limited to 360 and what is available for steam on a Mac make it a little easier. So to answer your question briefly, no I'm not there, yes I am aiming to be there, and once I am I will wait for games to come out that I like and buy them.

The only reason my backlog is so large is because of all the deals in the past 6 months for 360. I honestly had 8 games for 360 prior to June 2011 and since then that number jumped up to 38. Big year!

[ismaboof]

Beaten (11)

Blackwell Ep1
Blackwell Ep2
Blackwell Ep3
Gemini Rue
Dino D-Day
Jamestown
Metal Gear Solid 4
Borderlands
Klonoa Wii
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
PixelJunk Shooter

Bought (1)

Rayman Origins

Backloggery

I'm going to be dumping some PS2 games at a pawn shop this week, so that will remove about 25 unbeatens. That just leaves tidying up and those 76 unplayed on PC. Fuck do I ever regret those indie bundles/Steam sales now. I will never dig myself out of that hole. I might as well as just ignore it.

[Brashnir]

Pulled Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth: out of the backlog and finished it over the weekend. Total playtime was somewhere around 25-30 hours.

It kind of amazes me that it took me this long to play this game. I bought it right when it came out, and played the first case and set it down to play something else (I think I had picked up a few other DS games at the same time, and Might and Magic Clash of Heroes ended up getting its hooks in me. Note to self - I never finished that one either...) and for some reason or another I never got back to it. Probably because it's a DS game and my DS library is in a different room from the rest of my other games. Out of sight = out of mind, I guess.

Anyway, on to the review.

I'm a pretty big fan of the previous Ace Attorney games, and while this changes up the formula on them a little bit, it remains very much an Ace Attorney game at its core. In many ways the change in pacing allowed by taking the game out of the courtroom helps the game out. The previous AA games would typically have long investigation sequences followed by longer cross-examination sequences. I found that this sometimes led to feeling a bit burned out by one gameplay style and yearning for a bit of the other. In AAI:MI, on the other hand, the game generally has you performing roughly the same amount of each task, but they're broken up into much smaller chunks. You hop back and forth between investigations and interviews much more frequently as the cases unfold. This allows the story to be presented a bit more naturally and definitely feels a lot less rigid than the AA 3-day-trial forumla.

A lot of fans complained about the loss of familiar faces AA4, and I felt this game perhaps recoiled a little bit too far in the other direction. While I certainly enjoy seeing familiar faces show up, they seemed to be perhaps a little bit too frequent in this title. I'm sure that re-using resources makes financial sense from a development standpoint, but it would have been nice to see a couple more new faces in the new game. The new characters that are present, on the other hand, are (for the most part) very well done and memorable.

The story never reaches the highs of AA3 (but without having 2 games worth of back-story set ups to build on, it's unfair to expect it to) but it does spin a nice yarn, with all the cases coming together in a satisfying way. And it really makes me hope that They'll make an Ace Attorney: Yatagarasu game in which you play as a three-headed vigilante team of Phoenix Wright, Miles Edgeworth (or Franziska von Karma) and Dick Gumshoe.

Overall Rating - 4/5

16 finished, 8 purchased for 2012, which puts me up to +8.

[Red_taiyaki]

Ever since I started working fulltime, my gaming time has gone caplut. Let's see here:

This year I've purchased/acquired:

Soul Calibur V
Tales of the Abyss 3D
Yakuza 4
Mass Effect 3
Little Busters! EX
Aselia the Eternal

and today, I'll be getting Tales of Graces F

-7

I have finished 2 games this year.

Soul Calibur V ~20-25hours for unlocking CAS parts + single-player mode
Aselia the Eternal ~30hours for single arc playthrough

My score: -5!!!

[ghibli99]

4-ish hours into the first God of War. Having a good time with it! A bit repetitive, and the puzzles/platforming suck so far, but the combat is fluid and crisp.

When I think about it, I don't think I've *ever* beaten a modern or even semi-modern (PS2 generation) 3rd person action/hack'n slash game. The Uncharteds come close, but those are mostly traversal and missile weapon-based vs. a focus on melee/combo/close combat. I'm kind of feeling excited that a 'new' genre is opening up to me. Now if only I could get the same thing to happen to me w/ RTS games...

[theDeeDubs]

I've been meaning to get to this, especially since I recently went nuts on a bunch of cheap 360 games. I've actually plat'd a lot of these on PS3 already. Since I'm a bit of a trophy/chievo guy, completing these might take a little longer than usual. Using guest1321's awesome formatting (hope you don't mind).


Backloggery (need to update before linkage)

Bought in 2012: -29
Completed in 2012: +3
Current Score: -26

Beaten:

• Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood
• Binary Domain $
• Syndicate $

Currently Playing:

• Assassin’s Creed: Revelations $
• Dead Rising
• Silent Hill: Homecoming

Current Backlog:

• Batman: Arkham City $
• Bayonetta
• BioShock
• Bully $
• Castlevania: Lords of Shadows
• Dark Sector
• Dark Souls $
• The Darkness II $
• Darksiders
• Dead Rising 2
• Dead Rising 2: Off the Record $
• Dead Space 1 $
• Dead Space 2 $
• Devil May Cry 4
• Dragon Age: Origins $
• Dragon Age 2 $
• Elder Scrolls IV: Skyrim $
• Fable II $
• Fable III $
• Fallout: New Vegas
• Final Fantasy XIII
• Final Fantasy XIII-2 $
• Gears of War 2
• Gears of War 3 $
• Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition $
• Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom
• Mass Effect 1
• Mass Effect 2
• Mass Effect 3 $
• Nier
• Ninja Gaiden 2
• Prototype $
• Resident Evil 4 $
• Resident Evil 5
• The Saboteur $
• Saint’s Row: The Third $
• Silent Hill: Downpour $
• Tomb Raider: Anniversary $
• Tomb Raider: Legends $
• Tomb Raider: Underworld $
• Vanquish
• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine $

Impressions:

Coming soon!


$ - indicates game purchased in 2012

[guest1321]

Using guest1321's awesome formatting (hope you don't mind).

Not in the slightest. I'm glad you like it

Nice list there to by the way! Looks like you have a long and satisfying log

[ghibli99]

Just bought and finished Journey for a +/-1... I'm gonna be playing that at least a few more times, though. What an experience. Highly, highly recommended for anyone who hasn't given it a shot yet.

[stuminus3]

Couple of games beaten since my last post, no new games bought.

The PC version of Mass Effect clocks in as the longest game I've beaten so far this year at about 26 hours. I'd actually already beaten the 360 version but I decided to count the PC version as backlogged because I wanted a save file to carry over to the PC versions of ME2 and ME3. Still a great game, janky Mako bullshit and repeating side-quest scenery aside. Obviously much better on PC too.

The other game was Giana Sisters which I really enjoyed. The original 1980s game was a straight rip of Super Mario Bros but the remake has more in common with 16-bit home computer Euro platformers, which I used to love. It can get ball-crushingly hard in later levels, the 32 level "retro game" you get to play at the end is so easy to blaze through compared to the latter half of the main game. There's no timer in this game but I'd take a guess that I played this for maybe 5 or 6 hours.

Bought: 11

• Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine
• Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning
• Reckless Racing 2
• Dark Souls
• Alan Wake (PC)
• Rayman Origins
• Serious Sam 2
• Serious Sam Double D
• Serious Sam: The Random Encounter
• SSX
• Mass Effect 3

Beaten: 10

• Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary
• Doom Resurrection
• Space Miner HD
• Halo: Reach
• Gears of War 2
• Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode 1
• Reckless Racing 2
• Asphalt 6: Adrenaline
• Mass Effect
• Giana Sisters

That puts me at a more respectable -1 so far for 2012. Almost on par! If only I didn't have an overall four-digit backlog to get through I might be feeling good right now!

Currently playing:

• Dungeon Keeper
• Plants vs Zombies
• Mass Effect 2

I'm ashamed to admit I'd never played Dungeon Keeper until it appeared on GOG. I love it so far but I'm hopelessly stuck at level 10, I get demolished within minutes no matter what I do.

[coopolon]

My backloggery.

Bought so far in 2012: 1
Beaten so far in 2012: 4
Score: +3

Purchased in 2012
Kingdoms of Amalur - Reckoning: Impulse bought this for ~$45 on launch day. I've enjoyed it but am disappointed at how broken it is in terms of difficulty. I restarted after about 20 hours - this time making a hybrid build to keep it more interesting and completely forgoing all crafting. Hopefully it will be a little more interesting, but my playtime has seriously waned. Haven't touched it in over a week I think.

Beaten:
Psychonauts: A really wonderful game. It was funny, played well, and had an enjoyable story. But where the game really shined was in the incredibly creative level design. They were artistically and thematically brilliant in addition to being decent platforming levels. And it has such incredible variety, no two levels are anything alike. It's a great game. It also plays perfectly with a gamepad on the PC and looks gorgeous at 1080p.
LA Noire - The Complete Edition: Fun game. Had some real problems though. The dialogue system was far too simplistic for the depth they were going for, Phelps would regularly refer to undiscovered suspects and clues in conversations which really broke immersion, and while the story is better than Heavy Rains, it's still pretty bad. Looked great on PC, ran okay (capped at 30fps, but most of the game stayed at 30fps with occasional drops early on in some buildings), and I still enjoyed the Noire Detective story.
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords: I've started this game probably 10 times but always got stuck on the two headed troll and gave up. Finally started playing it again as my distraction game and got past the troll and got sucked into the game for another 30 hours or so. Really great game, I wished they had released the DLC on PC.[/U]
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and the Damned: I enjoyed this game a lot more than I enjoyed GTAIV. Part of the difference is that this game is a lot shorter. I thought GTAIV was WAY too long for the variety (or lack thereof) in the missions. The other factor is that I played this on PC. Man, Grand Theft Auto games should only ever be played on PC. Even with a fairly dated machine (C2D, 5870) I was still playing at ~30fps at 1080p with every setting either at or higher than console. And having mouse aim really makes the combat a lot more fun (although a bit easier.) The city just seems so much more alive with higher resolution and higher draw distance. I kind of want to wait until after I upgrade my processor (probably more than a year away) to play Ballad of Gay Tony just to see how awesome this game would be with a good processor.

Cleared from Backlog (meaning I played them and decided I don't want to play them anymore but didn't beat them)
Dungeons of Dredmore: Really enjoyed this game, is also an excellent game to play while watching mindless with the wife.
Puzzle Quest 2: Another game to play while watching mindless TV. It's just too easy though, and the new Diablo style dungeon design is really bad. Definitely a major disappointing following the original. Did a few cool ideas like weapon attacks, new spell types, and upgrading weapons.

Currently Playing:
Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos: I'm on the last mission. The problem is I only play RTS games against the computer, and eventually all RTS campaigns boil down to 1. Build towers 2. Upgrade everything you can 3. Build the largest force possible, go wipe enemy out. Even the heroes don't add enough variety to make the game interesting. I know the last mission will be a little different since I'm time pressed and have to help defend the two other bases but I'm not feeling the urge to play it. Will definitely get around to it eventually.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning: Got about 20 hours in (second area) and restarted because using sagecrafting the game is too easy to break. I'm hoping this time using no crafting and building a hybrid (warrior/mage) rather than pure build will keep it interesting. Another game I am rapidly losing interest in. There are some difficulty mods out though that might make it worth pursuing.

[Everdred]

Backlog on HowLongToBeat.com

Bought In 2012:
Crysis 2
Duke Nukem Forever
GTA 4

Beat in 2012:
1. Renegade Ops
2. Deus Ex: Human Revolution + Missing Link
3. BioShock
4. Crysis 2

Total Score: +1

Backlog Priorities:
BioShock 2
Dead Space
Dead Space 2
Duke Nukem Forever
GTA 4
Medal Of Honor
Supreme Commander 2

[ghibli99]

After almost a year away from it, I got back into Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP (iOS) last night. Taking it slow, just finished Session II. Quirky, but really cool game so far.

[coopolon]

My backloggery.

Bought so far in 2012: 1
Beaten so far in 2012: 5
Score: +4

Purchased in 2012
Kingdoms of Amalur - Reckoning:

Beaten:
Psychonauts:
LA Noire - The Complete Edition:
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords:
Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and the Damned:
Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos: Finally beat the game. I actually had a lot of fun with it. I did start stalling out in the Night Elf campaign because the tactics were getting so easy. The final mission was pretty great though, having to actually mount a defense while continuously building new units. I guess this is a smidgeon of what real read: multiplayer RTS gameplay is like. Going to take a break for awhile before moving on to Frozen Throne, RTS is probably my least favorite genre so don't want to overdo it. My real only complaint is that the basic tactics for 90% of the matches are turtle till fully upgraded, build as many units as you can, attack. And the primary source of variety was the dungeon roaming, which I thought was much inferior to DoW2. I've never been a big fan of the dungeon crawl in RTS games.

Cleared from Backlog (meaning I played them and decided I don't want to play them anymore but didn't beat them)
Dungeons of Dredmore:
Puzzle Quest 2:

Currently Playing:
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning: Got about 20 hours in (second area) and restarted because using sagecrafting the game is too easy to break. I'm hoping this time using no crafting and building a hybrid (warrior/mage) rather than pure build will keep it interesting. Another game I am rapidly losing interest in. There are some difficulty mods out though that might make it worth pursuing.
Sam and Max 204 - Chariots of the Dogs:
Bastion

[Everdred]

Backlog on HowLongToBeat.com

Bought In 2012:
Crysis 2
Duke Nukem Forever
GTA 4

Beat in 2012:
1. Renegade Ops
2. Deus Ex: Human Revolution + Missing Link
3. BioShock
4. Crysis 2
5. Portal

Total Score: +2

Backlog Priorities:
BioShock 2
Dead Space
Dead Space 2
Duke Nukem Forever
GTA 4
Medal Of Honor
Supreme Commander 2

Almost felt like cheating the game is so short.

[Glaurungr]

Backloggery. New entries in italic:

Bought: -41

• BEEP
• Bunch of Heroes
• Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
• Critical Mass
• Crusader Kings II
• Dungeon Defenders: Etherian Festival of Love
• Dungeon Defenders: President's Day
• Fortix 2
• Fractal
• Hacker Evolution
• Hacker Evolution: Duality
• Hacker Evolution: Untold
• Icewind Dale
• Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter
• Icewind Dale: Trials of the Luremaster
• Icewind Dale II
• inMomentum
• Lucid
• Lume
• Mass Effect 2: Arrival
• Mass Effect 2: Kasumi - Stolen Memory
• Mass Effect 2: Lair of the Shadow Broker
• Mass Effect 2: Overlord
• Mass Effect 3
• Max and the Magic Marker
• Nikopol: Secrets of the Immortals
• Plants vs. Zombies
• RoboBlitz
• Sanctum: Slums
• Sideway: New York
• Soulcaster
• Soulcaster II
• The Ball
• The Temple of Elemental Evil
• Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War
• Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Dark Crusade
• Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Winter Assault
• Wasteland Angel
• Your Doodles are Bugged!
• Zombie Shooter
• Zombie Shooter 2

Beaten: +45

• And Yet it Moves
• Aquaria
• Baldur's Gate
• Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast
• Bastion
• Blackwell Legacy, The
• Blackwell Unbound
• Blackwell Convergence, The
• Breath of Death VII: The Beginning
• Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
• Costume Quest
• Costume Quest: Grubbins on Ice
• Cthulhu Saves the World
• Dungeon Defenders
• Eets
• Fallout 3
• Half-Life
• Jamestown
• Lugaru HD
• Magicka
• Mass Effect 2: Arrival
• Mass Effect 2: Firewalker Pack
• Mass Effect 2: Kasumi - Stolen Memory
• Mass Effect 2: Lair of the Shadow Broker
• Mass Effect 2: Overlord
• Mass Effect 3
• Metro 2033
• Puzzle Agent
• Puzzle Agent 2
• Samorost
• Samorost 2
• Sanctum
• Sanctum: Slums
• Sanctum: X-Mas Carnage
• Serious Sam HD: The Second Encounter
• Serious Sam 3: BFE
• Shadowgrounds
• Shadowgrounds: Survivor
• Shank
• Toki Tori
• TRAUMA
• Trine
• World of Goo
• Zombie Shooter
• Zombie Shooter 2

Currently Playing:

• Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn
• Crusader Kings II
• Heroes of Might and Magic III: Armageddon's Blade
• Steel Storm: Burning Retribution

Current Total: +4

Most of the Mass Effect 2 DLCs were only OK, I thought, but I really liked Lair of the Shadow Broker, and I also had fun enough with the Kasumi mission. Mass Effect 3 was a great game until I hit the disastrous ending, and now I have a hard time imagining ever playing the series again.

[crimsonheadGCN]

Update:

Bought in 2012: -3

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Steam)
Red Faction: Armageddon (Steam)
Payday: The Heist (Steam)

Finished in 2012: +9

Bastion (Steam)
Hydrophobia: Prophecy (Steam)
Resident Evil 5 (Steam)
Trine (Steam)
Zeno Clash (Steam)
Braid (Steam)
Metro 2033 (Steam)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Steam)
Halo: Reach (360)

Total: +6

I'm playing through Gears of War (360), Monster Hunter Tri (Wii), and Red Faction: Armageddon (Steam) now.

[Brashnir]

Finally got around to finishing Elefunk. I bought this game years ago, and played through like 80% of the game (I didn't think it was that far at the time), but then the game decided to no longer recognize my save file and I just didn't feel like playing through the first part all over again in order to finish it.

Last night I got that bridge-building itch again and fired it up. I played through the entire game in more-or-less one sitting this time, and it took about 5 hours. I really enjoy this type of game, and while this isn't the best entry in the genre, it's pretty solid.

In most bridge building games, you get a bit more freedom and fidelity with how you place and lay out your materials - allowing you to build just about any structure type you like. In Elefunk, rather than being given X amount of straight pieces with which to make your triangles, squares and other-shaped structures, you're given an assortment of pre-made shapes made from either steel or wood, along with some rope/cable. Each stage gives you a rather limited number of pieces to work with, and it's up to you to bridge the gap(s) as efficiently and quickly as possible.

The choice to use pre-made shapes is occasionally annoying, but isn't really a mark against the game. It makes a lot of sense with the console controller, and helps to give this game its own identity. This game also has a wider variety of challenges than other bridge builders I've played, with some levels requiring multiple bridges on top of one another, and some having various hazards which must be avoided.

The game has (I believe) 20 total puzzles in the main puzzle mode, and 4 bonus stages, which have nothing to do with the game. In the bonus levels, you have to jump your elephant off a ramp, shake the controller to build boost, and land him in a bulls-eye. Honestly, the game would be better off without them. This was a pretty early PS3 game, so they probably added these sections to take "advantage" of the sixaxis functions of the PS3 controller. They're pretty dumb, but ultimately easy and don't get in the way much.

In the end, I enjoyed the game, but I do wish there was a little more to it.

Overall Score - 3/5.

This puts me at 17 finished : 8 Bought for a +9 score in 2012.

[ghibli99]

Finished my first playthrough of Flower (PS3) last night after having been away from it since '09. After recently playing Journey, I wanted to go back and check out tgc's other stuff. Really cool game. I had some problems with the Sixaxis controls and some depth perception, but I loved the atmosphere, tech, message, and especially the soundtrack. Good stuff.

+6 for the year. I started Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (DS) last night... finished the first case.

[Brashnir]

+6 for the year. I started Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (DS) last night... finished the first case.

Awesome. I wish I could play it again for the first time.

Some of the puzzle solutions are a bit "wtf," but the games are really great and memorable, especially the first 3.

[ghibli99]

Awesome. I wish I could play it again for the first time. Some of the puzzle solutions are a bit "wtf," but the games are really great and memorable, especially the first 3.

After enjoying Ghost Trick so much, I really wanted to see what this series was about. I'm digging the music and presentation so far!

Still pluggin' away at God of War. Just finished the Cliffs of Madness. Not really a spoiler, but boy are they aptly named. :P

[IGotBillySoSpooked]

Finished Uncharted.

Very perplexing game. I go through all these puzzles to find these hidden areas and there are already like 500 people in there ready to kill me. How the hell did they find their way in? Do they sell Drake's notebook on Amazon or something!?

On top of that, half of the time, these puzzles just lead you to some building that is openly visible out in some court yard or something. WTF?

Overall, I'd give it a 6/10. There are fun parts, but there isn't much to it. Shooting some guys, then climb around on ledges and stuff. Wash, rinse, and repeat ad nauseum.

Despite my underwhelming experience with the first game, I started Uncharted 2 last night. The opening sequence with the train is one of the coolest openings to any game that I have ever played. I didn't get very far, but hopefully it proves to have a bit more variety than the first.

[Polk]

Update:

Bought: 0
Beaten: 6
Score: +6

Beaten:
Cave Story + (PC)
Batman: Arkham Asylum (PC)
Deadly Premonition (360)
John Woo Presents Stranglehold (360)
Stacking (360)
Just Cause 1 (360)


NP: EA Sports MMA (servers are going offline in a month)

[paperboywriter]

Apparently I'm some sort of gaming hipster...

Games I've bought in 2012: 2

- Dear Esther
- Journey
- Gravity Bone (free download)

Games I've finished: 3

- Journey (2h)
- Dear Esther (2h)
- Gravity Bone (30min)

[entrement]

Bought in 2012:
1. Skyward Sword
2. Mario Kart 7
3. Super Mario 3DLand
4. Kirby's Epic Yarn

Cleared in 2012:
1. Skyward Sword

[LosDaddie]

4-ish hours into the first God of War. Having a good time with it! A bit repetitive, and the puzzles/platforming suck so far, but the combat is fluid and crisp. When I think about it, I don't think I've *ever* beaten a modern or even semi-modern (PS2 generation) 3rd person action/hack'n slash game. The Uncharteds come close, but those are mostly traversal and missile weapon-based vs. a focus on melee/combo/close combat. I'm kind of feeling excited that a 'new' genre is opening up to me. Now if only I could get the same thing to happen to me w/ RTS games...

I'd say that the GoW series is my favorite action/adventure franchise. I thought GoW3 was a letdown in terms of story, but the action is top notch. Ninja Gaiden is the only series that comes close, IMO.

[crimsonheadGCN]

Update:

Bought in 2012: -3

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Steam)
Red Faction: Armageddon (Steam)
Payday: The Heist (Steam)

Finished in 2012: +10

Bastion (Steam)
Hydrophobia: Prophecy (Steam)
Resident Evil 5 (Steam)
Trine (Steam)
Zeno Clash (Steam)
Braid (Steam)
Metro 2033 (Steam)
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Steam)
Halo: Reach (360)
Red Faction: Armageddon (Steam)

Total: +7

[archnemesis]

Update since my last post:



Added the following games to the backlog:
• 1... 2... 3... KICK IT! (Drop That Beat Like an Ugly Baby)
• WipEout 2048
• Afrika
• Frobisher Says!
• Escape Plan
• Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland
• flOw
• Journey

Completed:
• Super Stardust Delta
• WipEout 2048
• 1... 2... 3... KICK IT! (Drop That Beat Like an Ugly Baby)
• Lumines: Electric Symphony
• Dungeon Hunter: Alliance
• Journey
• flOw
• Everybody's Golf
• Escape Plan
• Frobisher Says!
• Cliff Diving
• Fireworks

Overall I'm ahead by eleven games this year. I'm currently playing Atelier Totori: The Adventurer of Arland for the PS3 and Asphalt Injection for the PSV.

[nonnocere]

Update - 3/18/12
http://backloggery.com/caduceus

January 2012
Purchased: 0

Finished: +2
LEGO Star Wars 3 (360) - 100%
Sly 3 (PS3) - Platinum

February 2012
Purchased: -2
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning (360)
LEGO Harry Potter 2 (360)

Finished: +2
Uncharted 2 (PS3) - Platinum
Saints Row 2 (360) - 42 achievements, probably one with this one.

March
Purchased: -2 - Best Buy coupons hurt me.
Batman: Arkham City (PS3)
Rage (360)

Finished: +1
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoing (360) - 50/50

Total: 1

Got to reverse the trend this month and finish some without getting ME3 this month.

[Brashnir]

1 more down - or is it 3 more? Back to the Future - Episodes 3 through 5.I can never decide how to count Telltale's episodic games. Since each is a discrete install and includes end credits, I suppose each episode counts as a game. It'll make my numbers look good for now, until I buy the next season and get a -5 for it out of the gate.

I'm a huge BttF fan, and when these were announced I pre-ordered as soon as I could. I played through the first two episodes as soon as they became available, but the gap between episodes dulled my enthusiasm a bit, so I decided to wait until the season ended to play the rest. It took a while, but I finally got around to it.

About halfway through episode 3, I was a bit disappointed. I really liked the notion they built the episode around (the dystopian present with Doc as societal overseer), but the puzzle structure in the episode was pretty poorly executed. After the episode makes it's turn, it gets a lot better, and the rest of the season from that point is pretty much a non-stop rollercoaster to the finish. And oh, what a finish it is. The ending manages to satisfyingly wrap up the important plot threads and time-related mishaps of the series. The ending also manages to be laugh-out-loud funny, and hit the nostalgia bone. Finally, it gives Doc and Marty a trigger to kick off a whole new series of adventures for Season 2.

While there was basically no way in hell these games were ever going to be as good as the movies, they definitely serve as a quality continuation of a series that is too far separated from its prime (damn that space-time continuum) to be resurrected in any other form.

Overall Score - (for the whole season) 4/5

20 Finished : 8 purchased for 2012. +12

[kyubajin]

Bought in 2012: 14

January 5
Doom 3 (Mac)
Dungeon Siege III (PS3)
Aliens vs Predator (PS3)
Final Fantasy VI (PSOne Classics)
Mortal Kombat Arcade Kollection (PSN)

February 3
Alice: Madness Returns (PS3)
Minecraft (Mac)
RAGE Anarchy Edition (PS3)

March 5
Aliens: Infestation (DS)
Radiant Historia (DS)
Portal 2 (PS3)
Diablo III Collector's Edition (Mac)
Neverwinter Nights 2 (Mac)

April 2
Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (PS3)
The Witcher: Enhanced Edition (Mac)

Completed in 2012 6
Outland (PSN)
DOOM 3 (Mac)
Aliens: Infestation (DS)
Alice: Madness Returns (PS3)
RAGE (PS3)
Assassin's Creed II (PS3)

Total score 2012 -9

Currently Playing:
Radiant Historia (DS)
Portal 2 (PS3)
The Witcher: Enhanced Edition (Mac)

My backloggery, feel free to befriend me there :)

[Jasper Avenue]

I hope you don't mind guest1321, but I'm also going to use your template. I like how clean it looks :)

Last year I actually challenged myself to clear out my backlog and made really good progress. First thing I did was box up all of the games that I had no intention of finishing (nearly 100 titles consisting of 360, PS2, and Gamecube games) and made a backloggery of the games I wanted to keep. Hopefully with this thread I can knock out the remaining games in my collection and work with a clean slate for the first time in about 14 years.

Backloggery

Bought in 2012: -7
Completed in 2012: +6
Current Score: -1

Beaten:

• Deus Ex: Human Revolution (360)
• El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron (PS3)
• Dead Island (360)
• Alice: Madness Returns (PS3)
• SSX (PS3)
• Mass Effect 3 (360)

Currently Playing:

• Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
• Mass Effect 3 (Multiplayer)

Current Backlog:

Playstation 3

• Batman: Arkham City
• Dark Souls
• ICO
• Infamous 2
• Rayman: Origins
• Shadow of the Colossus
• Sly Cooper and the Thievus Racoonus
• Sly 2: Band of Thieves
• Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves
• Sonic Generations
• Twisted Metal

Xbox 360

• Castlevania: Lords of Shadow
• Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom
• Two Worlds II

Nintendo 3DS

• Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
• Tales of the Abyss

[ghibli99]

Finished God of War last night... good game with great graphics, animation, and music. Very solid/fun combat system as well, but I found the platforming, puzzles, traversal, and overall pacing to be pretty weak.

Finished the second case/chapter of Phoenix Wright last night, too. Really loving this. :)

+6 right now.

[UpperCaseN]

I finished Mass Effect 3 story yesterday, replayed the end sequence to explore dialogue choices today, and cleaned up the last of the achievements in MP that I care to. This is considered done.

Puts me at +8, for now

Beat: (+10)
1. LA Noire: Complete Edition
2. Shadows of the Damned
3. Uncharted 3
4. Kinect Adventures
5. No More Heroes: Heroes' Paradise
6. Bionic Commando Rearmed 2
7. Duke Nukem Forever
8. Alan Wake's American Nightmare
9. Outland
10. Mass Effect 3

Bought: (-2)
1. Alan Wake's American Nightmare
2. Mass Effect 3

Backlog now at: 24
http://backloggery.com/gryphter

As stated before, back to reading for me. A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones book 2) is full on. I was trying to have it done before Season 2 starts but I'll be happy if I can at least stay ahead of the episodes as they air. I don't expect to be playing anything from my backlog for a while, at least until this book is done.

[ghibli99]

As stated before, back to reading for me. A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones book 2) is full on. I was trying to have it done before Season 2 starts but I'll be happy if I can at least stay ahead of the episodes as they air. I don't expect to be playing anything from my backlog for a while, at least until this book is done.

I've started in with books as well, since I tend to do the same with those as I do games... buy a bunch, rarely ever finish any.

First up is an easy read: William Goldman's The Princess Bride.

[haikira]

On Backloggery, how do you guys use the Beaten and Completed tags? I thought Beaten would be for finished and Completed would be for 100% finished. But I noticed there's a Mastered tag, which I'm guessing is for 100%.

[vatstep]

On Backloggery, how do you guys use the Beaten and Completed tags? I thought Beaten would be for finished and Completed would be for 100% finished. But I noticed there's a Mastered tag, which I'm guessing is for 100%.

The creators of the site explain their criteria for the tags in the FAQ (here), but I think they're likely to be used a bit differently by everyone. You're on track with the Beaten and Completed criteria — Mastered is just a special one, basically.

"Mastered is a special status for Completed games. Master crystals are earned by challenging yourself beyond a game's usual scope. For example, you could pass up health expansions to limit yourself to the least possible health throughout the game, or you could use the weakest equipment. Speed runs are also a great idea. Be creative and push your skills to the limit!"

[stuminus3]

On Backloggery, how do you guys use the Beaten and Completed tags? I thought Beaten would be for finished and Completed would be for 100% finished. But I noticed there's a Mastered tag, which I'm guessing is for 100%.

I don't. It was causing me too much mental anguish to distinguish between the two so I only use the "completed" tag even if a game is technically just "beaten".

There's just too much pointless bullshit in games these days to care. Finding 100 irrelevant trinkets scattered randomly around levels is not "content". Finding secret exits to whole new levels that most people will miss in Duke Nukem 3D, now that's content. Breaking the flow of the game to be on the lookout for pointless "intel" in Call of Duty? Waste of my time and no fun at all. It gets even worse when you bring achievements into it. Is a game really completed if you haven't claimed all the achievements? Again that's not real content to me, so when I'm done I'm done. There are a number of games I'll legitimately get the 100% on, but I really just consider "completed" to be "I've beaten the game and done enough of the fluff to be satisfied".

/old man rant

[Fine Ham Abounds]

I don't. It was causing me too much mental anguish to distinguish between the two so I only use the "completed" tag even if a game is technically just "beaten". There's just too much pointless bullshit in games these days to care. Finding 100 irrelevant trinkets scattered randomly around levels is not "content". Finding secret exits to whole new levels that most people will miss in Duke Nukem 3D, now that's content. Breaking the flow of the game to be on the lookout for pointless "intel" in Call of Duty? Waste of my time and no fun at all. It gets even worse when you bring achievements into it. Is a game really completed if you haven't claimed all the achievements? Again that's not real content to me, so when I'm done I'm done. There are a number of games I'll legitimately get the 100% on, but I really just consider "completed" to be "I've beaten the game and done enough of the fluff to be satisfied". /old man rant

Loved this post, count me in as a crotchety old man.

[CecilRousso]

Bought
PixelJunk Eden - but I don´t count this, since it´s a game I didn´t buy just to blaze through, and I have already played it enough to not consider it a backlog game.

Beaten
Gemini Rue
Back to the Future - Episode 2
Gray Matter
Ghost Trick
The Witcher 2

Now playing
Shogun 2

So I say +5.