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Neogaf 2012 Backlog Blitz - Where we give the middle finger to Steam sales

Netto-kun

Member
Update

- Finished Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2.
- Bought Steam version of Ys: The Oath in Felghana and finished that as well.
- Still working of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D. But I spent way too much time trying to get a huuuuge fish.
- Planning to grab Kid Icarus: Uprising tomorrow, so that'll still make my March score at 0 (unless I get around to beat OoT 3D and some other short games). :lol

Games bought in March:
Twisted Metal (PS3)
Ys: The Oath in Felghana (Steam)
Kid Icarus: Uprising (3DS)

Games beaten in March:
The Legend of Heroes: Zero no Kiseki (PSP)
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 (3DS)
Ys: The Oath in Felghana (Steam)

Current score: 0


February
Bought: 6
Beaten: 8
February score: +2

January
Bought: 3
Beaten: 8
January score: +5

Backloggery
 

Geoff9920

Member
Completed: +2

Back to the Future: Episode 3 - Citizen Brown
Hard Reset - Not nearly as mindless a shorter as it would appear at first glance. A shooter that doesn't hold my hand? Upgrades that force me to consider what I'll need in the future and aren't just a pointless treadmill? Crowd control in an FPS? Add in a huge variety of weapons (10 - each with it's own Alt Fire mode) and some smart old school design and you get what turns out to be a very nice surprise. I'll have to replay this when the Extended Edition comes to steam. (We are getting this as a free update, right? RIGHT? I'm lookin' at you Flying Wild Hog.)

New Total: 4
Previously Completed: +4

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning - Completionists beware... this is a game that has almost too much content. Fortunately, the combat in the game is very good - albeit a little too easy - and the main and factions quests have a lot of interesting locations and quests. However, the side quests feel too similar too each other despite having a wide variety of story related reasons for occurring. All in all this is a very solid debut effort from the guys at 38 studios.

New Total: 5
 

ghibli99

Member
Bought/finished Dear Esther (PC) the other day. Not really a game, but it was still a really cool experience, and I got a lot out of it. I'll likely play through it once or twice more just to get more of the dialogue bits I missed and explore the paths I didn't take.

About 2.5 hours into Persona 4 (PS2). Reeeeally slow start, unfortunately. In all that time, I haven't really done much and just now awakened my first persona. I understand the need to establish the storyline, but the manner in which it's done makes this take far too long.

Also in the middle of the Turnabout Samurai case in Phoenix Wright (DS). Finally getting the hang of this game, and am having a great time. Really liking the localization, too. They did a nice job with this one.

Tried Bit.Trip Beat (PC) and thought it was OK, but it's not my thing (despite how it appeals to my love of retro and music games). I wasn't very good at it with the mouse. I need a 2600 paddle or Arkanoid controller for this. Not counting this towards my total, unless I put more time into it, but it's getting "shelved" for now.

At +6 for the year and holding.
 

Brashnir

Member
About 2.5 hours into Persona 4 (PS2). Reeeeally slow start, unfortunately. In all that time, I haven't really done much and just now awakened my first persona. I understand the need to establish the storyline, but the manner in which it's done makes this take far too long.

I'm having flashbacks to the Giantbomb Endurance Run, where they went through like 5-10 episodes doing nothing but hitting X.
 

ghibli99

Member
I'm having flashbacks to the Giantbomb Endurance Run, where they went through like 5-10 episodes doing nothing but hitting X.
Yeah, it's not too far off from the truth... I can count on one hand the number of times I've had any control over my character so far. :p I hear it picks up shortly, though, so I"m looking forward to that.

Edit: Aaaand, it picked up. LOL At about the 3-hour mark, it's finally become a (very familiar) game. :)
 

entremet

Member
Update

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
2. Mass Effect 2: Arrival
 

ghibli99

Member
Slowly going alphabetically through my rather hefty Steam backlog... just played about 30 minutes of The Ball. This one's pretty good so far! Kind of fills the void left after the most excellent Portal 2. I might actually finish this one after playing several Steam games that ranged from meh to just plain bad.
 

kyubajin

Member
Update to backlog

Beaten: Aliens: Infestation
Game is solid but fairly easy and short, totally worth 10-15€ but certainly not 40€.

Total score 2012: -9
 

Brashnir

Member
I've been in a platforming mood lately, so I bought The Adventures of Tintin for 360, bringing me down to +11 for 2012.

Bought in 2012 - 9
Rayman:Origins
Gears of War 3:
Batman: Arkham City
Zen Pinball 3D
Warhammer 40k: Space Marine
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
De Blob 2
Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom
Adventures of Tintin

Finished in 2012 - 20
Batman:Arkham City
Batman:Arkham Asylum
Gears of War 3
Rayman:Origins
Prince of Persia:The Forgotten Sands
Alan Wake
Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon
Fable 2
Super Mario 3D Land
Super Meat Boy
Warhammer 40k: Space Marine
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
Mech Commander 2
Zen Pinball 3D
Chrono Trigger
Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth
Elefunk
Back to the Future: Episode 3: Citizen Brown
Back to the Future: Episode 4: Double Visions
Back to the Future: Episode 5: Outatime

I picked up my save on Donkey Kong Country Returns, so hopefully I'll be clearing a platformer out soon.
 

Bebpo

Banned
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
25. Journey
26. Silent Hill Downpour
27. Wizorb
28. Warriors Orochi 3
29. Kid Icarus Uprising


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
15. Journey
16. Assassin's Creed Revelations


Total for 2012 = -13. Ratio is getting worse. Oh well. Gonna devote the summer to not buying games and finishing what I'm playing. Goal is to hit 0 before the fall onslaught begins.
 

Ledsen

Member
Do you guys count re-buys as "bought" for the year? for example, console games you re-buy on steam and may or may not play again in the future.
 

Arukado

Member
Updated 04/05/12

Purchased in 2012: -10
Ridge Racer Type 4
Valkyrie Profile Lenneth
Ace Combat Joint Assault
Infamous Festival Of Blood
Wipeout 2048
Motorstorm RC
Uncharted Golden Abyss
Deus Ex Human Revolution
Sonic Generations
Front Mission 3

Beaten in 2012: +9
Infamous Festival Of Blood
Sonic 4 Episode I (pc)
Wipeout Pulse + 4 DLC
Ridge Racer Type 4
Ace Combat Joint Assault
Wipeout 2048
Motorstorm RC
Mass Effect 2
Sonic 4 Episode I (android)

Total: -1 :(

Currently Playing:
Wipeout 2048 (Multiplayer)
Monster Hunter Freedom Unite
Uncharted Golden Abyss
Silent Hill Homecoming
Resonance Of Fate

On Hold: (I'll keep playing them when the time comes)
Valkyrie Profile Lenneth
Oblivion GOTY
Child Of Eden
 

ghibli99

Member
Brashnir: How did you like the BTTF games? I've been on an adventure game kick, and if those are good, I might bite.

Do you guys count re-buys as "bought" for the year? for example, console games you re-buy on steam and may or may not play again in the future.
Personally, if I spent money on it this year, I'm counting it.
 

coopolon

Member
My backloggery.

Bought so far in 2012: 2
Beaten so far in 2012: 6
Score: +4

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.
Mass Efffect 3: Was going to wait but was able to get it for $30 so figured it was worth it. Going to play ME1 and 2 again beforehand though, so maybe not such a good idea. Probably by the time I get around to it it will be $10 or something.

My original goal was to not buy any games this year. So obviously I'm not sticking to that. But I just looked through a few different lists of "most anticipated games of 2012" and really the only other game I may be tempted to buy early will be bioshock infinite, so hopefully I'll stick to -2 for my purchased for awhile.

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:
Bastion: A really great game. Beat it in about 8 hours. While the combat is certainly very simplistic, the variety of weapons, powers, and enemies kept it interesting for me. The ability to control your own difficulty with the shrines was also very welcome. Ended right when it should have, if it had gone on for a few more hours it would have overstayed its welcome. Stunningly beautiful music and artwork. And the narrator really helped set the tone. Someday maybe I’ll play it again in new-game plus mode.


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:
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning: Got to the plains and started to peter out when the game got so easy. I think I’m going to wait a few months and see what kind of DLC/patches/mods come out that will help fix some of my problems. I adore the game. I hope it eventually gets fixed to the point where you can use sagecrafting and smithing and still have a challenge in the combat. As it is now, after only using sagecrafting the game was basically broken around lvl 22 or so because nothing could hurt me anymore.

Currently Playing:
Sam and Max 204 - Chariots of the Dogs:
 

Bebpo

Banned
Do you guys count re-buys as "bought" for the year? for example, console games you re-buy on steam and may or may not play again in the future.

I don't list re-buying games I've completed on different machines because then I'd need to add them instantly as completed on my list and it's weird. You're probably talking about Ys Oath rebuy on steam and yeah I left it off personally.
 

stonedwal

Member
Been having a tough time at the day job and spending more time working on the website, so I've not finished many games in the last month.

Bought in 2012: -3
Beaten in 2012: +19
Current Score: +16

Bought:
Resident Evil: Revelations (3DS)
Mass Effect 3 (360)
Yakuza: Dead Souls (PS3)

Beaten:
Shadows of the Damned (PS3)
Mortal Kombat Armageddon (Wii)
Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil (Xbox)
Total Overdose (Xbox)
Deathrow (Xbox)
Sid Meier's Pirates! (Xbox)
Sly 2: Band of Thieves (PS3, Sly Trilogy)
Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves (PS3, Sly Trilogy)
The House of the Dead: Overkill - Director's Cut (PS3)
Urban Chaos: Riot Response (Xbox)
NBA Jam (PS3)
Banjo-Tooie (XBLA)
Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D (3DS)
Dead Island (360)
God of War: Ghost of Sparta (PS3, Origins Collection)
Resident Evil: Code Veronica X (GCN)
Resident Evil 0 (GCN)
Dragon Ball: Raging Blast (PS3)
Mass Effect 3 (360)

Currently playing:
Okami (PS2) - Haven't touched it in a month
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (N64) - Haven't touched it in 3 weeks
WWE Day of Reckoning (GCN) - Seems like a mix between the AKI games and the Smackdown, favouring the latter more than the former, unfortunately.
 

Brashnir

Member
Brashnir: How did you like the BTTF games? I've been on an adventure game kick, and if those are good, I might bite.

They're good. A bit easy, but if you're a BTTF fan, they hit all the right nostalgia notes without coming off as too heavy-handed with it.
 

shiptoncraig

Neo Member
Completed Wolfenstein 2009, DNF, Costume Quest, DLC Quest, Jolly Rover, Breath of Death VII and Deus Ex Human Revolution since the start of the year.

But also bought a ton of indie bundles...
 

ghibli99

Member
Finally got through Case 3 in Phoenix Wright, which took a while! I'm really hooked on this, now that I understand the flow and rhythms of it.

They're good. A bit easy, but if you're a BTTF fan, they hit all the right nostalgia notes without coming off as too heavy-handed with it.
Thanks... I might have to check these out, then. :)
 

Brashnir

Member
Finished Donkey Kong Country Returns - I have no idea what the total time was, since it was spread out over a couple years. If I had to guess, I'd say it was 8-10 hours. I picked up my save from not long after the game came out. I had made it near the end of world 5 before I got pulled away from it.

I really enjoyed the game when I initially played it, and I still enjoyed it after returning to it. It's a great-looking game (and I don't mean that with a "for a Wii game lol" tacked onto the end) and most of the time it controls really well. When I say most of the time, I mean, "any time you're not doing one of the actions mapped to shaking the controller." These actions all function, but they're a bit laggy, and as you get late in the game and start needing to pull some of them off in a tight time window, they become problematic. It's unfortunate that the Wii Remote doesn't have more buttons, because having these mapped to a button would really save a few headaches. It also doesn't help that three distinct actions are mapped to shake, and on more than one occasion I had the wrong one pop out, leading to a cheap death.

Some people have complained about the trial-and-error nature of some of the levels. It does get a bit overused for a couple stretches, but overall it didn't really bother me. I think that for most of the game, care was taken to mix things up enough that I didn't get worn out by too much of one concept at a time. Some concepts like the rocket and the mine cart come back for multiple cameos, and some, like the red/blue switch platforms are used much more sparingly. It kept me on my toes and saved the game from becoming a little too one-note.

If Retro makes DKCR 2 for Wii U, I'll pick up a system to play the game on day one.

Overall Score - 4/5

P.S. Fuck that Super Guide pig and his cocky face taunting me behind his stand like he's Lucy in Peanuts. Just because I died a few times doesn't give you the right to make me feel like a loser.



Bought in 2012 - 9
Rayman:Origins
Gears of War 3:
Batman: Arkham City
Zen Pinball 3D
Warhammer 40k: Space Marine
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
De Blob 2
Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom
Adventures of Tintin

Finished in 2012 - 21
Batman:Arkham City
Batman:Arkham Asylum
Gears of War 3
Rayman:Origins
Prince of Persia:The Forgotten Sands
Alan Wake
Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon
Fable 2
Super Mario 3D Land
Super Meat Boy
Warhammer 40k: Space Marine
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
Mech Commander 2
Zen Pinball 3D
Chrono Trigger
Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth
Elefunk
Back to the Future: Episode 3: Citizen Brown
Back to the Future: Episode 4: Double Visions
Back to the Future: Episode 5: Outatime
Donkey Kong Country Returns

Overall Score: +12
 

ghibli99

Member
Funny that you just finished DKCR... I just started back up on my DKC1 playthrough on SNES. Lots of memorization in some of these stages, but it's been fun so far. :)
 

Izayoi

Banned
I've bought 15 games so far and finished 1.

...

Thanks for giving me some perspective, OP. Time to kill myself.
 
UPDATE TIME!

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
Tales of Graces F

Yesterday, I picked up Kid Icarus and Hot Shots Golf Int'l along with MLB 12 during Target's b2g1 free.

-10

I have finished 4 games this year.

Tales of the Abyss 3d ~55hours for main story
Mass Effect 3 ~35hours for main story, 45 including one week of MP to get GR to 100%
Soul Calibur V ~20-25hours for unlocking CAS parts + single-player mode
Aselia the Eternal ~30hours for single arc playthrough

My score: -6!!!
 

guest1321

Member
Backloggery

Bought in 2012: -5
Beat in 2012: +11
Current Score: +6

Beaten:

Currently Playing:
  • BIT.TRIP RUNNER
  • Project Gotham Racing 4
  • Super Meat Boy

Current Backlog:
  • Borderlands
  • Fallout New Vegas
  • Forza Motorsport 4 [aiming for 100%]
  • Rayman: Origins $
  • Warhammer 40k: Space Marine
  • Portal 2
  • Rage $
  • Bulletstorm $

Impressions:

Crysis 2 (3.5/5) - The game was purchased entirely for its 3D support as I wanted to know what a first person shooter looked like in 3D. I can assure you that it was the least gimmicky most realistic feeling 3D that I have seen to date. Perhaps it was the perspective that made it feel so much more real, but the way that characters and parts of the map truly felt a distance away and that I was able to gauge my gameplay off my visuals in that added sense was a tremendous feeling. Without the 3D on I still thought the game looked beautiful, and in my opinion has some of the best graphics I've seen this gen. All of that aside the game faired okay. The first half felt slow and boring and took a while to get a handle on how to go into combat. After figuring out the mechanics, the sparsity of ammunition, and just general tactics the game pace picked up and became a lot more fun. The story felt about the same in pacing and while a lot of it seemed like a central idea with a bunch of loose connections. It felt like Crysis 2 wanted me to fill in the blanks on these tangents it brought in, but perhaps I was at a disadvantage for not having played the prequel. The music didn't do much for me either but it didn't feel out of place. Overall I felt the game to be fairly forgettable. It was fun once it got going but in retrospect is more of a novelty for its visual capabilities mixed with decent gameplay. I am pleased with the experience but at the same time I felt like I was left wanting more out of the experience.


$ - indicates game purchased in 2012
 

ghibli99

Member
I'm liking the quality of titles I'm seeing in a lot of folks' lists. Who knows what it will say or if it'll even be useful, but I'm going to track my overall average score for the games I'm playing. Maybe even weight it by time spent on each.

Edit: I averaged my ratings... about 91% (A-), which is good, but I'll continue to strive for quality. That damned Kingdom Hearts brought me down. ;)
 

coopolon

Member
My backloggery.

Bought so far in 2012: 2
Beaten so far in 2012: 7
Score: +5

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. Decided I'm going to stop playing for awhile to see they achieve with dlc and patches and also see what the community achieves with mods.
Mass Efffect 3: Was going to wait but was able to get it for $30 so figured it was worth it. Going to play ME1 and 2 again beforehand though, so maybe not such a good idea. Probably by the time I get around to it it will be $10 or something.

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.
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.
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.
Bastion: A really great game. Beat it in about 8 hours. While the combat is certainly very simplistic, the variety of weapons, powers, and enemies kept it interesting for me. The ability to control your own difficulty with the shrines was also very welcome. Ended right when it should have, if it had gone on for a few more hours it would have overstayed its welcome. Stunningly beautiful music and artwork. And the narrator really helped set the tone. Someday maybe I’ll play it again in new-game plus mode.
Sam and Max 204 - Chariots of the Dogs: Compared to some of the better episodes this one was rather mediocre, but it was still a good time. The funniest jokes were at the very beginning when first visiting the different locations, by the end it was barely chuckle worthy. Hope the next episode finishes the season in style.

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 tv 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 disappointment following the original. Did a few cool ideas like weapon attacks, new spell types, and upgrading weapons.


Currently Playing:
Mass Effect: I’ve beaten this game twice before and after this I’ll be playing ME2 to finally end the trilogy with ME3. So it’s going to be awhile before I clear anymore games from the backlog!
 

Netto-kun

Member
Update

- Finished Kid Icarus: Uprising. But I am still playing around with singleplayer on higher intensity and multiplayer runs so I can get better weapons for fusing. So much stuffs in-game that I still need to unlock.
- Also finished first part of Ys I & II Chronicles: Ancient Ys Vanished - Omen. The game was way shorter than expected. The final boss was pretty ridiculous until I realized that Adol also had to wear the Silver Shield and Armor to receive less damage from the fire balls.

Games bought in March:
Twisted Metal (PS3)
Ys: The Oath in Felghana (Steam)
Kid Icarus: Uprising (3DS)

Games beaten in March:
The Legend of Heroes: Zero no Kiseki (PSP)
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2 (NDS)
Ys: The Oath in Felghana (Steam)
Kid Icarus: Uprising (3DS)
Ys I & II Chronicles: Ancient Ys Vanished - Omen (PSP)


March
Bought: 3
Beaten: 5
March score: +2

February
Bought: 6
Beaten: 8
February score: +2

January
Bought: 3
Beaten: 8
January score: +5

Backloggery
 
An update after quite some time:

Bought so far in 2012: still 0!
Beaten so far in 2012: 17
Score: +17



Beaten in 2012:

Dawn of War 2 (4/5)
Eversion (3/5)
Dead Space 2 (4/5)
Puzzle Agent (4/5)
Puzzle Agent 2 (3/5)
Bastion (5/5)
Dinner Date (2/5)
Breath of Death VII /2/5)
Avadon: The Black Fortress (4/5)
Baldur's Gate 2 (5/5)
Baldur's Gate 2: Throne of Bhaal (4/5)
The Book of Unwritten Tales (4/5)
Gemini Rue (4/5)
Half-Life (4/5)
Dreamfall: The Longest Journey (1/5)
Penny Arcade. Ep. 1 (3/5)
Penny Arcade Ep. 2 (3/5)

Currently playing:

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (about one third through now).

My plan to fight my backlog in 2012 is still working just fine. It is still at about 140 games, but I'm slowly getting there... :)
 
Update for February/March:

January (0):

Bought (-4)
Finished (+4)


February (-1):

Bought (-2):

Resident Evil Revelations
Alan Wake's American Nightmare

Beaten (+1):

Resident Evil Revelations


March (+5):

Bought (0):

Beaten (+5):

Alan Wake's American Nightmare
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Ico (HD Collection)


2012 Score: (+4)

http://backloggery.com/thebigg753
 

18-Volt

Member
My update for 2012;

Bought:
Uncharted: Golden Abyss
Wipeout 2048
U MvC3 Vita
Tales of the Abyss
Tales of Graces f
Mario Party 9
SSX
Prof. Layton 4
Raidant Historia
MGS 3D
Kid Icarus Uprising

Finished:
Rayman Origins
Saints Row the Third
Ratchet & Clank A4O
Mario Party 9
Mario Kart 7 (unlocked everything, had my points over 3000)
Prof. Layton 4

Points from last year: -2
Total points now: -2-11+6=-7
 

Brashnir

Member
I double-dipped on Rayman:Origins. I had let my nephew and niece "borrow" my 360 copy, but they love it so much I can't bear to take it back from them, so I bought the Steam version for myself. Not counting it as a +1, since it's replacing a game I already own and have finished.

While I was waiting for it to download, I added a new "finished" category to my steam folders and started moving games there from their current places. It seems like such a pitiful pittance compared to my Steam library at large. Perfect motivation to keep on clearing it out.
 

Zerokku

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?
Current Status -

My Backlog -

http://backloggery.com/Zerokku

Purchased in 2012: -8
Tomb Raider (PS1)
Okami (PS2)
Xenogears (PS1)
Rayman Origins (360)
Tales of the Abyss (3DS)
Mass Effect 3 (360)
Tales of Graces f (PS3)
Kid Icarus: Uprising (3DS)

Beaten in January +8
Recettear: An Item Shops Tale
Borderlands
Fable: The Lost Chapters
Descent II
Pokemon White
3D Dot Game Heroes
Gears of War 2
Cave Story +

Beaten in February +6
LIMBO
Metal Gear Solid
Secret of Mana
Dead Space 2
Super Mario All-Stars
Half-Life: Opposing Force

Beaten in March +4
Tales of the Abyss
Super Metroid
Mass Effect 3
Sam & Max Season Two

Total: +10

Currently Playing:
Chtulu Saves the World
Kid Icarus: Uprising
Machinarium
Puzzle Agent
Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection
 

Tomat

Wanna hear a good joke? Waste your time helping me! LOL!
So uh... I already have a huge backlog.

Just picked up every Neverwinter Nights game for $7.50 along with RealMyst and Riven.

Why do I do this to myself?
 

Sinople

Member
Update for March

Bought:
Real Myst (PC)
Riven (PC)
Ni no Kuni (PS3)
Tales of Xillia (PS3)

Finished:
Broken Sword: The Director's Cut (PC)

Total for the month: -3
Total for the year: -23

I've given up on closing the year with a positive result...
 

Bebpo

Banned
Two more clears. Yeaaaah. Almost back in the -10s.

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
25. Journey
26. Silent Hill Downpour
27. Wizorb
28. Warriors Orochi 3
29. Kid Icarus Uprising

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
15. Journey
16. Assassin's Creed Revelations
17. SD Gundam G Generation World
18. Silent Hill Downpour


Total for 2012 = -11
 
Current Score: -6

January 2012
Purchased: -2
Final Fantasy XIII-2
Soulcalibur V

Finished: 0

February 2012
Purchased: -3
Rayman Origins Vita
Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 Vita
SSX

Finished: 0

March 2012
Purchased: -2
Street Fighter x Tekken
Mass Effect 3

Finished: +1
Mass Effect - An amazing journey and to think it was just the beginning of a trilogy. Loved the cast of characters.

Currently Playing:
Mass Effect 2

Current Status:

March 2012
Purchased: -3
Street Fighter x Tekken
Mass Effect 3
Tales of Graces f

Finished in March: +3
Mass Effect
Mass Effect 2
Mass Effect 3

Current Score: -5
 

Brashnir

Member
Finished The Adventures of Tintin for 360. I had watched Giant bomb's Quick Look of the game a while back, and it looked intriguing. When I saw it on Amazon for under 15 bucks, I decided to pick it up.

The game is primarily a side-scrolling platformer. It's not quite a puzzle platformer, but there are definitely some puzzle elements to it. Your abilities in these sections are basically to jump, to punch, and to pick up certain objects in the environment. These objects can be thrown at enemies, or used to solve environmental puzzles. They range from balls and pots to banana peels, torches, and dynamite. Each type of object has its own properties and can be used on enemies in its own unique way.

There are also multiple enemy types, and each requires different techniques to defeat. Generally speaking, it's good to use trap doors and hidden areas in the environment to sneak up behind enemies and dispatch them quietly, but it's not always required. The enemy encounters in the game are generally varied and fun. The controls in the platforming sections are solid for both traversal and combat, if a bit unbelievable. Tintin seems more like Jackie Chan most of the time than a Belgian youth reporter, but whatever -- It's a video game.

In addition to platforming (which makes up probably 2/3 of the game), you'll be doing other various activities. These include Running around 3D environments searching for clues, following scents with Snowy the dog, Flying planes, driving motorcycles, some rail-shooter segments, and some swashbuckling swordplay. These different sequences are all generally inoffensive and control reasonably well (though the sword fighting is a bit weird) and while they're not great, they also aren't frustrating.

While it's nice that the side activities are generally easy and not prone to road-blocking the player, the game on the whole suffers from being a bit too easy. Perhaps it's that I've played Rayman Origins, DKCR and Super Meat Boy this year, but this game seems especially unchallenging. It's also a very short affair, coming in at 4 hours, 14 minutes for the single-player campaign on the in-game clock. There is also a Co-op mode where you play as both Tintin and Captain Haddock. I imagine this is more platforming with perhaps some of the other activities mixed in (The motorcycle segments seem a natural fit for co-op), but I haven't tried it. Perhaps I'll amend this review if I play it and it sways my opinion.

Overall I enjoyed the game, but it was a bit too easy for my tastes, and while I generally like short games, there's really only about 2 and a half hours of platforming in this game - which was the main draw for me. Given the price I paid for it, I'm pretty happy with what I played, but I'd have been pretty annoyed paying full retail price for it.

Overall Score - 3/5


Bought in 2012 - 9
Rayman:Origins
Gears of War 3:
Batman: Arkham City
Zen Pinball 3D
Warhammer 40k: Space Marine
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
De Blob 2
Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom
Adventures of Tintin

Finished in 2012 - 22
Batman:Arkham City
Batman:Arkham Asylum
Gears of War 3
Rayman:Origins
Prince of Persia:The Forgotten Sands
Alan Wake
Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon
Fable 2
Super Mario 3D Land
Super Meat Boy
Warhammer 40k: Space Marine
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
Mech Commander 2
Zen Pinball 3D
Chrono Trigger
Ace Attorney Investigations: Miles Edgeworth
Elefunk
Back to the Future: Episode 3: Citizen Brown
Back to the Future: Episode 4: Double Visions
Back to the Future: Episode 5: Outatime
Donkey Kong Country Returns
Adventures of Tintin

Overall Score: +13
 
I've been meaning to take the time to get everything together and partake in this as well. Would really like to work on getting my backlog down to about half of what it is by the end of year, which should be doable with good time management. I did leave some games out like Street Fighter X Tekken and Lumines seeing as they're not games I really considerable "beatable" or I have no clear goal.

I actually would be making great progress if I didn't keep on buying more games (looking at you, Vita launch)

Also shamelessly stole formatting from guest1321 because he did such a great job with it.

Backloggery

Bought in 2012: -14
Beat in 2012: 14
Current Score: 0

Beaten:
  • Deus Ex: Human Revolution
  • Portal 2
  • Super Stardust Delta $
  • Uncharted: Golden Abyss $
  • Rayman: Origins $
  • Child of Eden
  • Shinobi
  • Nano Assault
  • Resident Evil: Revelaitons $
  • Vanquish
  • Batman Arkham City
  • Mutant Mudds $
  • Metal Torrent $
  • L.A. Noire

Currently Playing:
  • Darksiders
  • Kid Icarus: Uprising $
  • Tales of the Abyss $

Current Backlog:
  • Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary Edition
  • Kid Icarus 3D Classics $
  • Xevious 3D Classics
  • Mario's Picross $
  • PushMo
  • Burnout Paradise The Ultimate Box
  • The 3rd Birthday $
  • Patapon 2 $
  • Motorstorm RC $
  • WipEout 2048 $
  • Aquaria
  • ARMA 2
  • Assassin's Creed II
  • Company of Heroes
  • Dawn of War II: Retribution
  • Deus EX: GOTY Edition
  • Deus Ex: Invisible War
  • Duke Nukem Forever
  • The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
  • The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
  • Far Cry 2
  • The Last Remnant
  • Magicka
  • Sequence
  • Serious Sam 3: BFE
  • SiN
  • Space Channel 5: Part Two
  • Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
  • Terraria
  • Thief: Deadly Shadows
  • Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2
  • Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory
  • Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent
  • Unreal Gold
  • Unreal II: The Awakening
  • The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
  • Wolfenstein 3D
  • The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Impressions:

L.A. Noire - (backstory)I'm a pretty big fan of noir, so I was really looking forward to this game when it initially came out. I had it on the 360, played it for a while, loaned it to a friend and then got it back months later, and had trouble getting back into it. I traded it in when I found out there was a complete edition coming to the PC and picked it up on the Steam holiday sale.

The concept of using their face capture technology to hunt for tells in a detective game seemed like it would make for a perfect match - and for the most part it looks really well. The big issue I encountered was more so the interrogation response choices. You learn really fast that Cole Phelps has an anger issue and even when you press "Doubt" to try and pry a little information, it usually results in Cole yelling and flipping out. I would usually hesitate more so on what Cole's reaction would be, than what I thought the person was doing.

The game also goes on for way too long, a common issue found in a lot of Rockstar's games. There are some really nice set pieces, and a few cool locations, but for the most part, there isn't enough variety in what you do to keep the player truly engaged. Would recommend for noir fans for some of the references, but it's a long game and I'd say I probably only enjoyed it for about half the time I played it.


$ - indicates game purchased in 2012
 

Jive Turkey

Unconfirmed Member
Updating for the end of the month.

Beaten in 2012: 12

March

Ben There, Dan That (3/7) - One of the main reasons it took me so long to get around to playing the Ben and Dan games is I just couldn't stand the artwork but that really didn't last long once I fired this game up. The humor (especially the jokes about the art and animation) did quite a bit to make me overlook and quickly enjoy the game's aesthetic. A really enjoyable game that all adventure fans should try.
Tidalis (3/10) - I found this to be a unique take on the match 3 style puzzle game (funny that I played it after Ben and Dan considering the evil plot) that either never quite clicked with me or I just plan suck at. Quite possible both really. Some of the puzzles require inhuman vision and response time and others are just not very well conceived. Still I found enough fun to enjoy the game long enough to get through it. The story in the adventure mode is...Just skip the dialogue. You don't need to know why you have to solve puzzles you just do.
Endless Ocean: Blue World (3/20) - One of my favorite things in the first Endless Ocean is the near complete lack of story. You could just dive to your heart's content. In Blue World though the story is far more intrusive and while I didn't like that I did enjoy most of the other new things added. The way diving partners assist you makes them far more useful this time around. I also had some compulsive need to salvage each item and find every coin. I still haven't unlocked it all but that's simply because I refuse to train all those stupid dolphins. Takes FOREVER.
Time Gentlemen, Please (3/27) - While the second Ben and Dan game is considerably more polished than the first I didn't enjoy it as much. Mostly because the humor shifted a little more toward the crass. While there were plenty of crass jokes in Ben There, Dan That they were less frequent and offered genuine shock laughter. This one has you using used condoms and covering items in Hitler's bloody shit.

Previous games played:

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (1/1)
Flight Control HD (1/5)
Dungeons of Dredmor (1/12)
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (1/24)
Bastion (2/2)
No More Heroes (2/23)
Endless Ocean (2/24)
Limbo (2/28)

Bought: 8
The Ball
Beep
Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes
Nikpol: Secrets of the Immortals
P.A.M.
Sideway: New York
Wasteland Angel
Xotix

Total Score: 4
 

dolphx

Neo Member
Some Updates:


http://howlongtobeat.com/userpage.php?username=dolph

Purchased in 2012: -7
  • LA Noire DLC (XBox 360)
  • Bulletstorm (XBox 360)
  • Yesterday (Steam)
  • The Next Big Thing (Steam)
  • Memento Mori 2 (PC)
  • Kid Icarus: Uprising (3DS)
  • Lost Chronicles of Zerzura (PC)
Beaten in 2012: +12
  • 15 Days (PC)
  • Halo Anniversary (XBox 360)
  • LA Noire Main-Story (XBox 360)
  • Mario Kart 7 (3DS)
  • DJ Hero (XBox 360)
  • DJ Hero 2 (XBox360)
  • Super Mario 3D Land (3DS)
  • The Next Big Thing (Steam)
  • Tales of Monkey Island Episode 3 (Steam)
  • Tales of Monkey Island Episode 4 (Steam)
  • Tales of Monkey Island Episode 5 (Steam)
  • Grim Fandango (PC)

Total: +5

Currently Playing:
  • Bulletstorm (XBox360)
  • LA Noire DLC (XBox360)
  • Skyrim (Steam)
  • Hidden and Dangerous Deluxe (PC)
  • Kid Icarus: Uprising (3DS)
 
January Post - Score: -3

February Post - Score: -4

Current Score: -4

Games I beat this month (but were rented and don't count):

Syndicate

Bought in March 2012 (-2):

Mass Effect 3 (Origin)
Mario Party 9

Finished in March 2012 (2):

Mass Effect 3 - The cause of this being a relatively boring month in terms of variety. Played a loooot of Mass Effect. I played and beat this with a new character, but then replayed ME2 from scratch, including all DLC, and have restarted this again.

Mario Party 9 - Sure, yea, finished. Why not.

Currently Playing:

Mass Effect 3 - Almost done with my second playthrough, and am pretty anxious to wipe my hands of this series. I do enjoy it but I want to get back to some other games I have on deck, like Dead Island and Kid Icarus, and DMC HD this week. Still, I'll drop anything I'm playing for new ME3 DLC when it hits.
 

Ledsen

Member
Also borrowing superior formatting :)

Backloggery

Bought in 2012: -17
Beat in 2012: 11
Current Score: -8

Bought

  • Zelda: Spirit Tracks (NDS)
  • Alpha Protocol (PC)
  • DoDonPachi Resurrection (360)
  • Rayman Origins (360)
  • Shadows of the Damned (360)
  • Crysis 2 (PC)
  • Risen (PC)
  • Clive Barker's Undying (PC)
  • The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii)
  • Wolfenstein 2009 (PC)
  • Rage (PC)
  • Red Faction: Armageddon (PC)
  • World in Conflict (PC)
  • Dragon Quest: Hand of the Heavenly Bride (NDS)
  • Blue Dragon (360)
  • Ys: The Oath in Felghana (PC)
  • Batman: Arkham City (PC)

Re-bought (have beaten before, don't count against new games)

  • Alan Wake (PC)
  • Tomb Raider Legend (PC)
  • Tomb Raider Anniversary (PC)
  • Tomb Raider Underworld (PC)
  • Mirror's Edge (PC)

Beaten

  • Goldeneye Wii
  • Renegade Ops
  • Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet
  • Shadows of the Damned $
  • Deus Ex: Human Revolution
  • Space Marine
  • Puzzle Agent 2
  • Sonic Generations
  • RAGE $
  • Shank
  • Duke Nukem Forever


$ - indicates game purchased in 2012
 
Won a campaign in Shogun 2 now. Great game, and really challenging.

Now playing
Skyrim

Bought - 0
(PixelJunk Eden)

Beaten - 6
Gemini Rue
Back to the Future - Episode 2
Gray Matter
Ghost Trick
The Witcher 2
Shogun 2

Remaining backlog
Skyrim - 57h played.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution - 8h played. It´s ok, but not quite my type of game.
Alpha Protocol - 2h played so far.
Back to the Future - Episode 3-5
The Last Express
Trine 2
Fallout: New Vegas DLC
Renegade Ops DLC
 

guest1321

Member
Backloggery

Bought in 2012: -5
Beat in 2012: +13
Current Score: +8

Beaten:

Currently Playing:
  • Super Meat Boy
  • Bulletstorm $

Backlog Priorities:
  • Borderlands
  • Fallout New Vegas
  • Forza Motorsport 4 [aiming for 100%]
  • Warhammer 40k: Space Marine
  • Portal 2
  • Rage $
  • BIT.TRIP RUNNER

Impressions:

Project Gotham Racing 4 (5/5) - It was an interesting time to pick up PGR 4 and give it a whirl. At first I was impressed, but then I was really impressed. Backstory: I picked up PGR back in July as I thought 3.99 for such a highly acclaimed game had to be worth i, but shortly after put it down. I then picked up Forza 3 in August as I felt the need for some racing games in preparation for Forza 4. With those two racing Goliath's in my presence it was hard to want to play such a dated game. After plowing through Forza 4 and dabbling in some other games I finally decided to jump back into PGR 4 and just finish it out. Going from a racing sim to such an arcady game was shock at first but as I played it more I grew fond of how realistic it actually was. Flying through races as if they would never end the idea grew on me of how impressed people must have been when this first came out. If I was impressed with it after breathing one of the most current sims for over a month straight it really must have been a beautiful experience in its launch year. The graphics have such an effect of realism I almost don't believe it is its age. The fact that Bizarre was actually able to put in rain let alone snow!?! and still hold a decent FPS. I have zero experience with game development but I know that these guys had some crazy talent. The course selection was fresh, fast, technical and constantly exciting. The forgiveness in the game probably made it a overall more pleasant experience as I didn't feel as though I was having to hit lines perfectly every time to win and was able to just race and have fun. The car selection was great and even better because I was able to put them in my virtual "garage". I could not have been more pleased with this game and really wish I was around in its time so I could have joined in on some online action. Fingers crossed for a PGR 5!

Rayman: Origins (3.5/5) - I am not really sure what to think of this game. I was so delighted when I first played it but after a few levels I got bored of the beautiful levels and the different art style. It felt overly simple and was only complicated through adding situations that required precise timing. It no longer was about how good I was at multitasking, it was about how good I was at controlling one or so aspects with exact timing. Perhaps I can chalk this one up to hand coordination practice as even after I came back to it I felt the same way. The only time I truly had a good time playing was in co-op mode. Raymans story is innocent and in a time where every game seems to have a ridiculous plot it felt out of place but welcomed. Its happy characters, upbeat music, and its overall cheerfully goofy nature was unlike any game I can remember playing. It was stupid for the sake of being stupid and now walking away from it I am extremely pleased with my experience with it. Certain aspects frustrated me (granted it was usually my failures), but those are what will ultimately drive me to never play this game again by myself. My annoyance with Rayman: Origins was reduced as it is the first game I have been able to get my girlfriend to play with me. A good experience but seemingly forgettable.


$ - indicates game purchased in 2012
 
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