Over time many of us build up backlogs of games that we haven’t finished. However, by trying lots of games and not completing them, we lose a sense of completion and accomplishment, even if that just means getting to the end a story.
My Steam backlog is particularly sizeable and basically incompletable at this point (lots of older games, Humble Bundles etc). To make goal of getting though my backlog achievable I need to target a smaller library of more specific games that I actually want to complete; in my case, that is my PlayStation 4 library (edit: I’ve also added my Switch backlog). @UrbanReflex thought it would be a good idea to make a topic to track my progress, so here we are.
Completed
PS4
- Flow
- Flower
- Journey
- The Unfinished Swan
- Uncharted 4 [Physical Disc]
- The Last Guardian
- Bound
- Shadow of the Colossus (2018)
- Horizon: Zero Dawn
- Horizon: Zero Dawn: The Frozen Wilds
- Uncharted: The Lost Legacy
- Rise of the Tomb Raider
- Nier Automata
- Doom (2016)
- Tetris Effect
- Sonic Forces
- Soul Calibur VI
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider [Physical Disc]
- Shenmue
- Shenmue II
- Detroit: Become Human [Physical Disc]
- Red Dead Redemption 2 [Physical Disc]
- God of War (2018) [Physical Disc]
- The Last of Us: Remastered
- Life is Strange 2
- The Last of Us: Part 2
- Shenmue III
- Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection
- Final Fantasy VII: Remake [Physical Disc]
- Final Fantasy VII
- Doom Eternal [Physical Disc]
Switch
- Freedom Planet
- Panzer Dragoon: Remake
Purchased Backlog
PS4
- Undertale
- Skyrim: Special Edition
- Fallout 4: GOTY
- The Witcher III: GOTY
- Far Cry 4
- Far Cry Primal
- Gravity Rush Remastered
- Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
- RiME
- Sky Force Reloaded
- Wipeout Omega Collection
- Grand Theft Auto V
- The Good Life (forthcoming)
Switch
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Unpurchased and/or Forthcoming
PS4
- Vane
- Shape of the World
- Freedom Planet 2
Switch
- Fire Emblem: Three Houses
The list will be edited as progress is made. The goal is to complete all or at least most of these and not buy any next generation consoles until the list is cut down to a reasonable size.
Perhaps others want to share the progress of their specific backlog too?
Holy shit birds you have a lot of PS4 games! The good thing is I think a lot of them are quite linear, but others are absolutely massive; Skyrim, RDR2. Far Cry 4 is the best Far Cry though IMO.
My list is not so large:
Dreamcast
Ecco the Dolphin
Fur Fighters
Sega Rally 2
Skies of Arcadia
PC
Bioshock Infinite
Black Mesa (although I’m waiting for it to be finished…)
Far Cry New Dawn
PS4
Resident Evil Origins
Shenmue I&II
Xbox One
Call of Duty: WWII - in progress
2019 plan: I have until September 10th to get some of these out the way, ideally COD WWII and Bioshock Infinite, and then fit in Resident Evil Origins and Shenmue I&II before Shenmue III is released in November.
The ultimate dream of course is to have no backlog, and just play games at point of purchase.
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@UrbanReflex Ecco the Dolphin Defender of the Future is good. Graphics, music and atmosphere are top notch. Although, navigating the levels and completing objectives can be confusing.
I picked up most of these in sales. But yes, the collection has grown somewhat out of hand and needs to be reined in. I think open world games like Skyrim and Fallout 4 can be played here and there (indeed, I already sunk many hours into them on PC), whereas story focused games are better played in sequence. The good thing is most of these are highly regarded games that I actually want to see through to the end, with a focus on FFVII and the Shenmue games since their successors are coming out soon.
Your collection is certainly more manageable by comparison. I’d recommend setting aside a huge chunk of time for Skies of Arcadia when you get to it. I enjoyed BioShock Infinite too (don’t forget the DLC).
What does your backlog look like @legaiaflame?
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Atlantis DLC (PS4)
ToeJam & Earl: Back in the Groove! (For whatever system I decide)
That’s about it. I don’t have that much of a backlog. It’s because I’m very picky with what I play and most games I buy, I beat before moving on to the next. I’m only waiting on those for a friend.
Most games I play now days are old games I revisit. So if anything my backlog consist of games I replay over and over again each year:
Chrono Trigger/Chrono Cross
Skies of Arcadia
Panzer Dragoon Saga/PD series
Kotor 1 and 2
STAR WARS Jedi Knight II Jedi Outcast
STAR WARS Jedi Knight Jedi Academy
Zelda Oot/Majora’s Mask/and all other 3d Zelda’s
Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean
Sonic Adventure 1, 2, Heroes, Sonic 3 & Kuckles/Sonic CD/Chaotix
Brave Fencer Musashi
Shadow of the Colossus
ICO
Ys series
Evergrace/Forever Kingdom
Castlevania Legacy of Darkness
Xenogears
Legend of Legaia/Legaia 2 Dual Saga
The Granstream Saga
Astal
Magic Knight Rayearth
Metroid Prime Series
Nights series
3d Mario games/Super Mario RPG
Banjo Kazooie 1 and 2
Donkey Kong 64
Star Fox 64
Mischief Makers
Mystical Ninja Staring Goemon/Goemon’s Great Adventure
Secret of Mana/Secret of Mana 3/Legend of Mana
Breath of Fire 3 and 4
Final Fantasy 10/FF 6, FF7
Ape Escape 3
Deus Ex Human Revolution
Journey
Kirby games
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That’s impressive. I think, because I have a future looking outlook on the world, I’m constantly in pursuit of new ideas and tend to only revisit past games occasionally (apart from quick sessions of the shorter, arcade style games). You’ll save a lot of money focusing on replaying your existing collection instead!
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Yeah, I’m more of a retro gamer. Unless it’s one of my fav ongoing series, a new game has to be truly unique to captivate and garner my attention. Those games above mean a lot to me with regards to: creativity, music, storytelling, atmosphere and nostalgia. It’s almost like I live in them, which scares me sometimes…
It’s crazy too, there are certain games I have to play during certain seasons like Summer, Fall, and Winter. Like I play most of the rpgs in the Summer; I guess you could call it a nostalgia thing. Having played most of those rpg’s with old friends when I was a kid during summer vacations. It’s almost like through those games I relive old memories. For instance, if I don’t play Chrono Cross in the Summer I feel unfulfilled and I can’t play it any other season!
And for Halloween I play Castlevania Legacy of Darkness and the Metroid Prime games. And throughout the fall I usually go into Star Wars mode with the Kotor and Jedi outcast games. Then when Winter comes around I tend to play most of the others; picking what else I play from the list, depending on my mood.
(-) Call Of Duty WWII
(+) Jurassic World Evolution DLC (in progress)
(+) Assassin’s Creed Odyssey DLC
I finished CODWWII, really enjoyed it. I know COD games get a bad rep but if its not over the top like all the future/near future stuff it’s not so bad. The beauty of a WWII game is that it has to be somewhat grounded.
Forgot to add DLC to my list! I’m waiting for all the Odyssey DLC to be out so I can just play it in one big chunk. Might not be this year though as by the time it is ill probably be in the Gears/Shenmue time frame. I am getting my teeth into the latest Jurassic World Evolution DLC though - I absolutely love this game!
This topic was a good idea @UrbanReflex. I’ve finished Shadow of the Tomb Raider and have started on God of War. 2-3 games in progress, which I’ll try to reduce down to 2 soon: an action and a non-action game.
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God I love the Tomb Raider and Uncharted series. I know they are (for the most part) hideously linear but I love the exploration aspect - seeing what beauty is around the next corner; unravelling the next part of the mystery. Uncharted 4 especially.
(-) Jurassic World Evolution DLC
Total items on list: 10
Shadow of the Tomb Raider looks incredible on PS4 Pro with HDR turned on, even in performance mode. Another remake of the original TR using the new engine and gameplay mechanics could be cool.
Uncharted 4 is one of my favourite games of this generation. Huge improvements to the story (compared to Uncharted 1-3). I still have a copy and am tempted to replay it with improved visuals (I originally played through it on the base PS4). Too many games, too little time.
One problem with these games is the emphasis on combat (compared to, say, the original Tomb Raider). The more realistic their characters become, the more absurd it starts to feel. The story of The Last of Us justified it’s violence; TR/Uncharted do not. This is something I’m hoping the next generation of adventure games can figure out.
Don’t get side tracked by replaying games…! 
I do miss the lack of human combat from the original Tomb Raider. Even the wildlife combat was usually part of a set piece and felt really dramatic because it was still pretty rare!
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Dreamcast
Fur Fighters
I never thought I’d see Fur Fighters appearing in someones list. I played a ton of Fur Fighters back in the day. Have fun with that one when you eventually get around to it, the controls might be a bit janky these days but otherwise I’d imagine it still holds up.
A friend of mine is awful for amassing large amounts of games he never gets around to completing, so much so he made a website to track his backlog - https://www.gamingwithlemons.com if you’re interested. It’s pretty straightforward, you can tag games as unplayed, completed etc. “Lent” in pretty handy if you ever let someone borrow your games.
My backlog used to be in great shape but recently it’s all piled up. XCOM 2 is top of the list but I recently picked up Super Mario Maker 2 and I imagine that’ll distract me for a while.
Shenmue is now complete. Although technically this was a replay since I played through the original on Dreamcast. I’ve started on a Shenmue II already since I want to get through the remasters before III comes out and they aren’t short games.
This is a pretty cool site! I would be tempted to use it if I didn’t already have everything logged elsewhere.
Bioshock Infinite is done! What a game it is… but what a mindfuck too! AC Odyssey DLC next!
Total items on list: 9
Indeed. It’s one of the most imaginative last generation games I think. Did you complete the Burial at Sea DLC as well? It’s worth playing through as it links BioShock Infinite to the original BioShock.
I did, and I enjoyed them but they added so much more confusion that I struggled to get my head around it. For me, this is what stops Infinite being a great game.
Yeah, it felt like the Infinite writer(s) were trying to be a bit too clever for their own good.
Small update: I haven’t finished any more games since my last update (
) , but I’ve marked the physical copies that I still have. Everything else is digital (or sold). I’ll try to prioritise the physical games so I can trade them in, although that will be after Shenmue II is complete (my current focus). I’ve also updated the Focus to a single game; while I may play other games on the list, it’s useful to have one main game I’m working toward finishing at a time.
Shenmue II is complete (made another topic to discuss). I might play through Detroit next, seeing as how I’m currently enjoying story driven games and it’s apparently shorter than most of the other games I listed above.
Detroit is down, and I haven’t decided what to play next. I started on Prey but it hasn’t captured me, so I’m considering skipping it. That leaves Red Dead 2 and God of War (of the physical games). If I can complete the physical games by the end of the year I can trade them in at EB Games for credit to put towards a Switch and Panzer Dragoon: Remake.
How is your backlog coming along @UrbanReflex?