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Name a game sitting in your backlog. Play for an hour. Come back & post impressions.

S

Skel1ingt0n

I can't *believe* these lazy developers keep making file sizes so damn large. Btw, how does technology work?
DO YOU HAVE A HUGE BACKLOG?!

DO YOU HAVE GAMES SITTING ON YOUR SHELF, JUST COLLECTING DUST?

Why... why don't you play your video games? God knows you spend months - no, years - hyping that next game to high heaven, only to play for an hour and then decide to hop on GAF and start hyping the next game on your wish list.

What are your reasons?

- Spending too much time browsing GAF, instead?
- Enjoy hyping games more than actually playing them?
- Not willing to deal with all those bugs and glitches pre-patch?
- Got tricked by the bullshots?
- The online was broken last time you played? Unbalanced, maybe?
- Got stuck on an especially difficult section, and shelved it?
- Bought the game cheap, even though you never actually intended to play it?
- It's just sitting on the shelf, still sealed?

... ALL OF THE ABOVE?

***

Well then get off your ass, and go sit on your ass. Think about the games that you really do want to play at some point, but just haven't yet. Think a bit longer. A little bit longer.... .... NOW NAME ONE! Share that game here - explain why you bought it, why you're not currently playing, and why you think it's a good title to be the next one you play!

... Then, actually play it. Play it right now. No excuses. And in the next 24 hours, come back and share your impressions. Was it good? Was it shit? Did you spend an hour installing updates? Do you think it's worth playing some more... decide if you want to play it some more. If not, NAME ANOTHER GAME.

Here, we'll give those that don't come back and give their impressions a hard time for not being able to deliver. We'll also share our games and our stories. And maybe, just maybe, you'll find someone's experience to be worth pushing you over the edge to try the same game.








***

I'll start: I'm going to play GTAV on PC. Here's the problem; I played it on PS3 for a while, but holy shit did the framerate and jaggies destroy my enjoyment. I got about six hours or so into the story, but couldn't really press on with other games stealing my time. So, then I bought it on the Xbox One - now it finally ran decently. I played for about 10 hours, and then decided to wait for the PC version. FINALLY, the PC version came out: 1080p @ 60fps with all the options maxed out. I really love this game - but after playing the first 5 hours of the story for a THIRD time, I couldn't push on. I grew bored. There's so much to do, and so much to explore; I loved the characters, the music, the story. Everything is just great - so why is it just sitting in my Steam Library not being touched? This could easily be one of my favorite games ever - but it's not going to be if I don't play it.
 
C

Chromium.Wings

Member
Civilization V. Wish me luck.


EDIT: Just spent about 2 1/2 hours playing a game. I'm currently on turn 205 of that game, and it seems like it's just now starting to get into wartime. Alright, so here's my impressions:

Pros:
  • The game seems to suck up a lot of time, and can be picked up or dropped at the drop of a hat. Seems like it might be a good game to play if I'm waiting on a phone call but still wanting to play a game, even if I'm not a fan of turn based games.
  • It seems to hold your hand in just the right ways, but not too much.
  • It's pretty simple to learn, but I bet it's a bitch to master.
  • The diplomatic side of things seems very interesting to me. The diplomacy with other nations in Rise of Nations is one of my favorite aspects of that game, and this game seems to be a bit more in-depth at that.
Click to expand...

Cons:
  • It doesn't really draw me in. I mean, once you're in game its easy to get lost in it, but I don't feel any desire to go back to it and finish the game I started.
  • Turn based just doesn't sit well with me. I can see it's draw, and the ability to pick it up and drop it at a moment's notice is nice, but there's just something about turn based that turns me off. I can't quite explain it.
  • I felt like the game kept pulling me away from things I wanted to do. For example, I'd be on a unit half a world away, trying to command him because that's what my mindset is at, and before I can decide what to do with him, it pulls me back and tells me that some toolbag in my capital needs to go build a farm or something. There might be a way around this, but I don't like it when a game pulls my attention forcibly away from something. Tell me where I need to go, and let me get there.
Click to expand...

I Don't Knows:
  • The leader screens. I mean, it can be interesting, and makes the diplomacy feel a bit more immersive, I guess. But again, there were times where it'd pull me out of game to tell me that Gandhi and Japan are friends, and they're both glad that I'm friends with their new buddy.
  • The in-game menus. I kinda felt like there were a lot of things hidden behind menus making me take multiple clicks to get to them. However, I also like that it's not cluttering my game screen to much.
Click to expand...
Overall, my feelings are lukewarm. I don't hate it, but it's not really my bread and butter. But I've only liked one strategy game before Civ V, so I'm not surprised I'm not a big fan of it.
 
D

Dryk

Member
This approach isn't for me (I'm more a complete 52 games guy), but I just wanted to say I love how many different threads there are on GAF for tackling backlogs
 
V

Vinc

Member
Oh man, I like this thread idea. Looking forward to reading responses.

Not sure if it counts, but I played the first hour of Persona 4 Golden recently after letting it sit in my backlog for a while due to my broken Vita.

So far I definitely get the complaints about the slow opening, but I really enjoy the atmosphere and some of the characters. It's a bit of a hard sell so far after I got so attached to P3 characters and locations, but I'm slowly warming up to this one. It's strangely more immersive this time around, because it actually kinda makes me feel like the protagonist, like I'm moving to a new town after Persona 3, in a weird way.

Looking forward to playing more of it, though I kinda wish I was playing this on a TV instead of the Vita. I find the handheld uncomfortable, and I can't really justify getting a Vita TV.

In case this doesn't count, I'll pick Zombi U. I stupidly bought it at launch and somehow immediately lost the urge to play it as soon as I brought it home. The announcement of the re-release put it back on my mind so I'm ready to tackle it... or at least I feel like I am. We'll see how this goes.
 
S

snakey chook

Neo Member
The Unfinished Swan. It's just been sitting there since it came up on PS Plus.

I'm going to try it on Vita this afternoon.

Great thread idea!
 
F

Feltrol

Banned
I really want to buy DK 64 on the virtual console so I can finish it this time, but I don't know if I should buy it now or if I should wait. =(
 
M

Mazzo

Member
These are games that I haven't even classified on the correct tabs. Care to choose a good game for me GAF?

xytlsDC.png


Also, should I play Enslaved with kb + mouse?
 
O

Oreoleo

Member
Mazzo said:
These are games that I haven't even classified on the correct tabs. Care to choose a good game for me GAF?
Click to expand...

I think Teleglitch is sublime if you enjoy rogue-like games similar to Binding of Isaac, but it doesn't get a lot of word of mouth on GAF.

edit: Gunpoint is also really good and easy to beat in a couple hours.
 
B

Brandon F

Well congratulations! You got yourself caught!
Prinny 1. PSP/Vita. - Currently on sale, spent about an hour last night playing. If you have played Ghosts n Goblins...et al. you will have an immediate understanding as to how the double jumping works in this action platformer. No air control, full committal, often infuriating.

Otherwise, its a rather interesting, albeit basic, 2.5D sidescroller. Expected enemy fodder and pitfalls obstruct your path to the goal with liberal checkpoints to respawn at between, The real gimmicks appear to be the 1000 life limit(that's all you get to beat the entire game seemingly), and the somewhat impressive camera turn when performing an air attack(viewpoint shifts a few degrees briefly for a nice effect that utilizes the 3D visuals). Actually surprised more 2.5D games never incorporated such camera rotation effectwork into core movesets. Just adds a bit of drama to the specific move that I kind of dig. Bosses are heavy on the predictive pattern recognition, but are decently designed so far.

Only real issues having finished the first 'world' is that the "collectibles" are kind of lame. Find three dolls in each level for unknown reasons that don't really stand out well as secrets while scouring(unlike say gold coins in recent Mario games). Also bosses maybe have too much health as they devolve into tedium wear-down duels long after you learn the patterns. I am early in though so at least this is the case so far.

Not bad, good fit for the Vita, and at $2 this week(sequel is also on sale). Action platformer fans should snag it.
 
I

inm8num2

Member
Mazzo said:
These are games that I haven't even classified on the correct tabs. Care to choose a good game for me GAF?

http://i.imgur.com/xytlsDC.png[/IMGs][/QUOTE]

Absolutely recommend Tesla Effect if you're a fan of the Tex Murphy series.

Tiny and Big is a pretty fun physics puzzler with a wacky sense of humor. It's not too long, either (maybe 4 hours?).

The Swapper is maybe the best platform/2D puzzler I've ever played. The atmosphere is amazing and the game is just incredibly clever. Very highly recommended.

To the Moon is light on gameplay but very good for the story.

The Novelist is an enjoyable narrative-driven game.
Click to expand...
 
K

Komo

Banned
Mazzo said:
These are games that I haven't even classified on the correct tabs. Care to choose a good game for me GAF?

xytlsDC.png


Also, should I play Enslaved with kb + mouse?
Click to expand...

Ridge Racer Unbounded is a fantastic racer when judged by itself. It oozes atmosphere, and the gameplay is reminiscent of the Burnout series mixed with FlatOut. It's really good!
 
E

EndMerit

Member
Earlier this week I actually pulled Yakuza 2 back from my backlog. Still really enjoying it.
Anyway, somehow I never got very far on Zone of the Enders, but maybe I could give that or ZOE2 a chance this week.
 
K

KdylanR92

Member
Hyrule Warriors-

That 1 hour turned into 6 hours straight....... I don't remember why this game is in my backlog, I fucking love this game.
 
C

Celegus

Member
Mazzo said:
These are games that I haven't even classified on the correct tabs. Care to choose a good game for me GAF?

Also, should I play Enslaved with kb + mouse?
Click to expand...

To The Moon, you'll practically be done in an hour! Bring a tissue though.
 
kingwingin

kingwingin

Member
Just today I played an beat bastion on ps4. Absolutely unbelievable game. The way it was narrated was so cool and I loved the art style.

I had transistor sitting on my hard drive forever but now my plus is gone and im upset I never played it. Also missed the recent sale since my plus was 2 weeks from lapsing.

Just now I started up gtav in hopes to beat it by the weekend. After that I'll tackle odst in the MCC
 
M

Miles X

Member
I don't have any time until next week, but I will do this for The Evil Within which has been in shrink wrap since October.
 
M

McBryBry

Member
I'd join if Steam Support would actually respond to my request to get back into my account that I sent 4 days ago. -_-
 
Y

Yurikerr

This post isn't by me, it's by a guy with the same username as me.
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zerous

Bought this at launch on Steam, in the end played the PS4 version today.

Decided to play this after watching Phantom Pain Gamescom footage and getting pretty hyped.

Well, GZ is a awesome "demo"!! The 60 minutes that i played were sufficient to complete the campaign, but i can see me playing this game for a long time just to perfect my times/ranking and trying all the approachs that are possible
 
R

Rean

Member
SMT: Nocturne

The story is pretty interesting and I like how prominently they show Dante in the game. Combat so far is fine, this isn't my first time playing these Atlus games and it doesn't seem that hard so far.

Also, The title screen is one of the best I've ever seen

320px-SMTIIINocturneTitleJP.png
 
E

egocrata

Banned
Bought it because it has giant robots, and the DS (strategy) version looked good (I do have the DS version on my backlog, as well. Don´t ask). I went through the trouble of putting the game on the PS3 four years ago and downloading the latest patch, but other than that it never got any play besides opening the tutorial.

Well, just played one hour of it, oddly enough, before opening the thread. My first impression is... well, it is pretty good.

It is not a looker, really; the robots are decent and the light show of explosions and gunnery is pretty good, but it does looks pretty plain, even from a mid-budget PS3 game. The voice acting is terrible, as expected; the music and sound are pretty stock. The framerate is pretty steady, so no complaints there.

The controls are odd. I know is a Japanese mecha things, but the whole skating around just feels dumb. Floating and tracked mechs look like ass, and never look quite right. The shooting mechanics are fun, but movement did not click with all those powerslides. The on foot section is a nice break, but it feels like a mediocre third person shooter.

All in all, it is about what I expected: PS3/360 gen mid-tier game by a Japanese studio, technically mediocre, with a few weird mechanics, above average art design (most of the mechs do look good, besides the floaters) and the nagging feeling that with a better graphics engine and a few smarter design choices it could have been better. It is a solid B game, mind you, and I´ll probably finish it at some point now that I finally started it, but not great.

I paid a whole $10 for it, so I can´t complain.
 
T

tearsintherain

Member
I bought the Telltale Games Collection on PSN when it was on sale in spring, never played a Telltale game to date but the price was too good to pass up, like $35 for all of them.

Played Game of Thrones this week, really enjoyed it. Maybe a little more QTE than I really like in games, and I felt really frustrated and angry sometimes when a decision I made turned out to be JUST AWFUL an hour or two later but then I realized hey, thats pretty much like life so that was cool. Really nicely integrated into the TV show which I like, lots of voice acting by some of the main cast.

Finished up episode 5 and now I'm stuck waiting for the final episode which probably isn't out for a month or two. Balls.

Gonna check out another one of the games soon, maybe Wolf-something or Tales from the Borderlands.

My steam library is up to 1200 games and I have not touched 99.99% of those games, I'm too afraid to even look at the library anymore. I'm like a digital hoarder on steam.
 
M

Mazzo

Member
Thanks everyone for the suggestions!

My game was Teleglitch. I can't recall how I've even got it. Probably from a Humble Bundle? I've never gave the game any chance until now. The game is only 62mb and the configuration was painless.

My first playthrough took 52 minutes. I've died on level 4 from allergies to machine gun bullets.

The game has crude but effective graphics, and the gameplay is interesting, I like the fact that if you aim the mouse away from the character you gain accuracy but lose aiming speed. The only strategy I've applied so far was to run back to the door at the first sign of enemies to create a bottleneck. I've probably passed on many secrets. Shooting the heavy rifle felt good :]

Game over stats

Will probably play it again.

Azurex said:
Ridge Racer Unbounded is a fantastic racer when judged by itself. It oozes atmosphere, and the gameplay is reminiscent of the Burnout series mixed with FlatOut. It's really good!
Click to expand...

Good to know! I've just got it from the Namco Bandai Bundle. I'm aware its reception was pretty poor, but I've watched a gameplay video on youtube and it seems exciting. I LOVE Flatout 2, if it's anything like that I think I'll like it too.

inm8num2 said:
The Swapper is maybe the best platform/2D puzzler I've ever played. The atmosphere is amazing and the game is just incredibly clever. Very highly recommended..
Click to expand...

That might be my next game, then!
 
F

fivepersondude

Member
Does this count games I've played, but bought again? Either way I have a huge backlog. I'm either gonna start Phoenix Wright: DD, Mind=0, hmmm. I have two other portable game to choose from that escape me right now. Either way, choose GAF. There are two mystery games one on 3ds, other on Vita.
 
L

Luminaire

Member
fivepersondude said:
Does this count games I've played, but bought again? Either way I have a huge backlog. I'm either gonna start Phoenix Wright: DD, Mind=0, hmmm. I have two other portable game to choose from that escape me right now. Either way, choose GAF. There are two mystery games one on 3ds, other on Vita.
Click to expand...

I think in the spirit of the thread, I'd do something you haven't put a lot of time into/haven't played yet.
 
D

Dryk

Member
Mazzo said:
These are games that I haven't even classified on the correct tabs. Care to choose a good game for me GAF?
Click to expand...
Of those I have played:

HOARD
The Swapper
There Came an Echo
To the Moon

You should play all of them. They're short and while they're not all great I think they're all worth a look. But you should especially play HOARD (if you've got a controller) because nobody ever talks about it.

tearsintherain said:
My steam library is up to 1200 games and I have not touched 99.99% of those games, I'm too afraid to even look at the library anymore. I'm like a digital hoarder on steam.
Click to expand...
I'm in a similar situation but I know how many I haven't touched and it's only about 75%.
 
M

Mazzo

Member
Dryk said:
Of those I have played:

HOARD
The Swapper
There Came an Echo
To the Moon

You should play all of them. They're short and while they're not all great I think they're all worth a look. But you should especially play HOARD (if you've got a controller) because nobody ever talks about it.
Click to expand...

When I found out that I had to actually speak english to the mic it turned me out of There Came an Echo. As you can probably see my english is not perfect xD

I'm not against narrative focused games per se, but I enjoy gameplay focused ones more. And unfortunately my pc controller is broken... So I think I'll try Swapper next :D

edit: The Swapper, 1 hour in

I got this from the Humble Indie Bundle 11 and sadly never played it. Probably because I have too many games.

This is a puzzle game that revolves around materializing clones of yourself, and making them mimic your movements, or taking direct control of them to resolve puzzles. It's a cool primary mechanic, and it also ties in with the narrative of the game. I love the moody atmosphere and the graphics are nice.

I have not found any new powers yet, but the game has thrown in new kinds of obstacles that mix the puzzles a little bit, and there are hints of new kinds of puzzles in the future
with zero-g gameplay
. That said, I hope there are more creative power ups ahead. Will keep playing.

edit 2: 5 hours in

Finished the game. The zero g stuff was not explored further, the game kept remixing the basic mechanics until the end, but since it is this short, that's not so bad. I thought the ending was pretty neat, and I chose
not to shoot the poor guy
. Unfortunately, I've looked at the achievements only after completing the game, and they're all
hidden rooms
I didn't even know existed, so I have 0% achievement completion even though I collected every text log, and the game won't let me go back on my save to explore...

Anyway, good game, about a 8/10
 
E

EricB

Member
Brandon F said:
Prinny 1. PSP/Vita. - Currently on sale, spent about an hour last night playing. If you have played Ghosts n Goblins...et al. you will have an immediate understanding as to how the double jumping works in this action platformer. No air control, full committal, often infuriating.

Otherwise, its a rather interesting, albeit basic, 2.5D sidescroller. Expected enemy fodder and pitfalls obstruct your path to the goal with liberal checkpoints to respawn at between, The real gimmicks appear to be the 1000 life limit(that's all you get to beat the entire game seemingly), and the somewhat impressive camera turn when performing an air attack(viewpoint shifts a few degrees briefly for a nice effect that utilizes the 3D visuals). Actually surprised more 2.5D games never incorporated such camera rotation effectwork into core movesets. Just adds a bit of drama to the specific move that I kind of dig. Bosses are heavy on the predictive pattern recognition, but are decently designed so far.

Only real issues having finished the first 'world' is that the "collectibles" are kind of lame. Find three dolls in each level for unknown reasons that don't really stand out well as secrets while scouring(unlike say gold coins in recent Mario games). Also bosses maybe have too much health as they devolve into tedium wear-down duels long after you learn the patterns. I am early in though so at least this is the case so far.

Not bad, good fit for the Vita, and at $2 this week(sequel is also on sale). Action platformer fans should snag it.
Click to expand...


I loved this game to death (pun not originally intended), but it remains among a small handful of games in which I was unable to defeat the last boss no matter how many times I tried. Never tried the sequel.
 
Z

Zeuanimals

Member
Does it count if I have it on PC but can barely run it, but then it just comes out on consoles and I start playing? Did this with The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. Looks nice, I don't much care about graphics anymore so it's not that big of a deal for me, but it is definitely a looker. I found myself running around, searching for things just to find nothing for a long time and I was starting to get pretty bored until I got to the Church. I'm conflicted with the story but mostly the characters, the story's good but the characters seem a bit unrealistic and a bit too harsh on Ethan and they obviously play a big part in the story.

They all came down to look for Ethan because he missed dinner? Maybe he was gone for damn long time, but still. Everyone was also a complete dick to the kid which doesn't seem realistic irregardless of how backwater his family is, and they don't really seem to be. They remind me of Gordie Lachance's dad from Stand By Me, except way more dickish.

I liked the twist and I thought it was gonna go a different way with Paul being the Sleeper since it's his purpose in life to solve cases like these, but he didn't seem like a Sherlock Holmes type to me and there would've been too many inconsistencies if this were the case. Also wouldn't have hit as hard.
 
L

Lindsay

Dot Hacked
I dunno where my memory card (physical or virtual) with the my save file is so I started from scratch! Got to 17.6% complete and ended the hour failing Sneaking Mode: Socom: Time Trial: Level 9. Just 6 levels shy of beating Sneaking Mode! I don't remember how much further I got in the game before this if at all but I think I'ma keep on pushing ahead an maybe try to beat the game this time around... or get to another/the same point where I found it to hard an quit again.
 
N

Nathan_Drake

Member
I like this idea. It is late and the wife and kid are away on vacation. I have plenty on Wii U games I haven't touched and a ton of PS4 games from Plus.

I am between these options:
Hyrule Warriors
Shovel Knight
Zombie U
Bayonetta 2
Captain Toad
Journey (PS4 version. I have beat it on PS3 so not sure if this counts)

Any suggestion among these?

Edit: Will check back in 5 minutes. If nothing I will go for Bayonetta since I cant play this when kid is home ha
 
T

TheWorthyEdge

Member
Nathan_Drake said:
I like this idea. It is late and the wife and kid are away on vacation. I have plenty on Wii U games I haven't touched and a ton of PS4 games from Plus.

I am between these options:
Hyrule Warriors
Shovel Knight
Zombie U
Bayonetta 2
Captain Toad
Journey (PS4 version. I have beat it on PS3 so not sure if this counts)

Any suggestion among these?

Edit: Will check back in 5 minutes. If nothing I will go for Bayonetta since I cant play this when kid is home ha
Click to expand...

Shovel Knight or Journey. Both are amazing.
 
F

Flandy

Member
tearsintherain said:
I bought the Telltale Games Collection on PSN when it was on sale in spring, never played a Telltale game to date but the price was too good to pass up, like $35 for all of them.

Played Game of Thrones this week, really enjoyed it. Maybe a little more QTE than I really like in games, and I felt really frustrated and angry sometimes when a decision I made turned out to be JUST AWFUL an hour or two later but then I realized hey, thats pretty much like life so that was cool. Really nicely integrated into the TV show which I like, lots of voice acting by some of the main cast.

Finished up episode 5 and now I'm stuck waiting for the final episode which probably isn't out for a month or two. Balls.

Gonna check out another one of the games soon, maybe Wolf-something or Tales from the Borderlands.

My steam library is up to 1200 games and I have not touched 99.99% of those games, I'm too afraid to even look at the library anymore. I'm like a digital hoarder on steam.
Click to expand...

Play The Wolf Among Us
It's amazing
 
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