ZOMG buried: Input on cutting down this massive backlog?

Deusfaux

Ok so I decided I really need to stop "wasting" time playing games that are not the absolute top tier games, regardless of how good they still are blah blah blah. I'm taking this list and picking out the best/biggest/most important games - determined both by review scores and how often they are still talked about to this day. The list follows and after that my choices. Note: a lot of the formatting in the list might not make sense, just ignore it for now. It's generally by platform

Earthbound
Super Mario RPG

FF I+II
FF III DS
FF IV PS /Adv
FF V Adv
FF VI Adv
FF X
FF MQ
FF TA
FF X-2
~~~FF CC
~~~FF XI
FF XII
FF XII: RW
FFVII: DoC
Kingdom Hearts /II
Xenosaga / II /III
Parsite Eve 1/2
Threads of Fate
Legend of Mana
Valkyrie Profile
Castlevania Chronicles
MGS: VR Missions

La Pucelle Tactics
Disgaea /2
Phantom Brave
GTA 3 VC SA
Metal Gear Solid 2/Substance/Document/3
Zone of the Enders 2
Rez
Frequency
Castlevania: Lament of Innocence
We Katamari
Front Mission 4
Devil May Cry 2 / 3
God of War / II
Grandia II /III
Shadow of the Colossus
---Soul Calibur III
Castlevania: Curse of Darkness
Dragon Quest VIII
DDR Extreme 2
---Tekken 4
Beatmania
Street Fighter Alpha Anthology
FFVII: Dirge of Cerberus
Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria
Okami
BULLY
Guitar Hero 2 (co-ops)
Guitar Hero 80's (co-ops)
Mortal Kombat Armageddon
Sega Genesis Collection
DDR Supernova
Dawn of Mana

Lumines / II
Metal Gear Acid! /2
GTA: Liberty City Stories
Me & My Katamari
Mega Man Maverick Hunter X
Tekken: Dark Resurrection
MGS: Digital Graphic Novel
Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth
Ultimate Ghosts and Goblins
Loco Roco
GTA: Vice City Stories
Every Extend Extra
MGS: Portable Ops
FF Anniversary I
FF Anniversary II
FF Tactics: The Lion War
Castlevania: Dracula X Chronicles

Sword of Mana
Metroid Fusion
Metroid Zero Mission
Zelda 4 Swords
Zelda: The Minnish Cap
Kingdom Hearts CoM
Fire Emblem
Fire Emblem Sacred Stones
---Pokemons
Metal Gear Solid GB
Golden Sun II
Castlevania: Circle of the Moon
Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance
Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow
Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages /Seasons

Advance Wars DS
Kirby Canvas Curse
Nintendogs
Castlevania DoS
Viewtiful Joe Double Trouble
Mario & Luigi
~~~Animal Crossing
Yoshi Touch and Go
Super Mario 64 DS
Super Princess Peach
Metroid Prime: Hunters
Tetris DS
NEW Super Mario Bros
Brain Age
Big Brain Academy
Megamax ZX
Children of Mana
Elite Beat Agents
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
Pokemon Pearl /Diamond
Chocobo Tales
LoZ: Phantom Hourglass
Heroes of Mana
FF XII: Revenant Wings

Eternal Darkness
Metroid Prime/2
Metal Gear TS
Zelda 1/2
Zelda Wind Waker
~~~Zelda 4 Swords
Viewtiful Joe /2
Pikmin 2
Paper Mario
Baten Kaitos
Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance
Skies of Arcadia Legends
---Donkey Konga /2
Pokemon Box
Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat
Resident Evil 4
Killer 7
Geist
Odama
Starfox Assault
Zelda: Twilight Princess

Zelda: Twilight Princess
Super Paper Mario
Metroid Prime 3

***---Halo /2
Panzer Dragoon Orta
Fable
---Crimson Skies
***---Splinter Cell /2 /3
---MechAssault /2
Prince of Persia: SoT/ WW/ TTT
***Steel Battalion / Line of Contact
Jet Set Radio Future
---Super Monkey Ball Deluxe
Ninja Gaiden Black
Full Spectrum Warrior
Jade Empire
---Burnout Revenge
Beyond Good and Evil
BLACK
---Karaoke Revolution / Party
DDR Ultramix 3
Shenmue II

Perfect Dark: Zero
Gears of War
Viva Pinata
Arcade Unplugged
Splinter Cell Double Agent
Halo 3
Assassin's Creed

Grim Fandango
Dungeon Keeper 1/2
Black & White /Creature Isle
~~~Warcraft III /exp
Diablo 1 /2
Age of Emp II /Mythology
Homeworld 1/Cataclysm/2
JK Mysteries of the Sith
Jedi Knight II
Jedi Academy
System Shock 2
Deus Ex
Mafia
BF 1942
RtCW
MoH Expansions
America's Army
UT2k4
Unreal
Tribes 1/2
Alice
Giants: CK
SiN
Shogo
Solider of Fortune 1/2
Duke Manhattan
GTA 2
Doom II/Final
Heretic
Hexen II
Aliens vs Predator /Primal Hunt
Heroes of Might and Magic III exps
Marathon 1/2/Infinity
Fallout 1/2/Tactics

Max Payne 2
Doom III /exp
Half-Life 2 / Episode 1 / Episode 2
KOTOR /2
Painkiller /exp
Far Cry
Unreal II
Medal of Honor: PA
Call of Duty + exp
Republic Commando
Thief 3
Brothers In Arms
Tribes: Vengeance
XIII
Elite Force 2
Deus Ex II
Serious Sam First Gold
Halo
Battlefield: Vietnam
Tron 2.0
~~~~~~~~~World of Warcraft /exp
Medieval: Total War + exp /2
Chronicles of Riddick
Sims 2
~~~~~~~~~Star Wars Galaxies
No One Lives Forever 2
Battlefield 2
~~~~~~~~~Guild Wars Prophecies / Factions / Nightfall
Star Wars: Battlefront
Brothers In Arms: Earned In Blood
Fable: Lost Chapters
Black and White 2 /exp
Planetside + exp
Age of Empires III /exp
F.E.A.R. /exp /exp2
Serious Sam II
Quake IV
Call of Duty 2
Battlefront II
Neverwinter Nights /2
Command & Conquers
Pirates!
Peter Jackson's King Kong
Star Wars: Empire At War
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion /exp /exp2
Condemned: Criminal Origins
HoMM V /exp /exp2
PREY
Sin Episodes 1
Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War /exp /exp2
Company of Heroes /OF
BF 2142
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic
SupCom
C&C 3
STALKER
Bioshock
Lost Planet: Extreme Condition
MoH: Airborne
Halo 2
ET:QW
Hellgate: London
Call of Duty 4
Crysis
Unreal Tournament III








RESULTS

Earthbound
Super Mario RPG

God of War I + II
FFX, X-2, XII
Kingdom Hearts /II
MGS 2, 3
Shadow of the Colossus
DMC 2, 3
Okami
Zone of the Enders 2
Rez

LocoRoco
Patapon
FFI, II, FFT
MGS: PO

MGS:TS
RE4
Metroid Prime 1, 2
Legend of Zelda Wind Waker
Pikmin 2
Killer 7
Beyond Good & Evil

FFI+II, IV, V, VI
Castlevanias?
Fire Emblems?
Zeldas?

FFIII, XII:RW
Elite Beat Agents
New Super Mario Bros
Legend of Zelda: PH
Castlevania: DoS, PoR
Advance Wars: Dual Strike

Halo 1, 2
PoP: SoT
Splinter Cell 1, 2, 3
Ninja Gaiden Black

Diablo I, II + exp
Warcraft III + exp
Half Life 2 + exps

Doom 3
Crysis
Call of Duty 1, 2, 4
Max Payne 2
F.E.A.R.
Far Cry
Prey
Jedi Knight II
System Shock 2
KotoR
Deus Ex
Bioshock
Unreal


You will see a bit of bias for PC shooters (they tend to be beatable in a day or 2 anyways), and titles from Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid, and Castlevania. Only a few of the choices I havent played (at all) yet but safely assume they belong on there.

Additions? Deletions? Think of this as a partial list analogous to one you'd give someone for "the best films" they should watch. All the big important stuff, you know?

edit: No 360/PS3/Wii stuff yet as I don't have those consoles, though out of the games I have for them I'd put down LoZ:Twilight Princess, Halo 3, and Gears of War. Maybe MP3.

Burtletoy

I suggest losing Final Fantasy 1+2 and Devil May Cry 2.

LewieP

I would emphatically suggest skipping straight to Chaos Theory (the third Splinter Cell) It's the best so far, plays much better than the first one.

HadjiQuest

If you don't play Shenmue 2, I will hunt you down and slap you.

Also, Far Cry kind of sucked due to the mutants in the later part of the game being terribly overpowered, so I'd say go with Crysis and just ignore Far Cry since the core gameplay is very similar.

Henroid

*resists urge to make tl;dr joke*

Skip Metroid Prime 2 (I'm thinking a grand scheme of things sort of mindset guys, not necessarily saying anything is bad), Diablo the first (especially the expansion), and Unreal.

Deusfaux

DMC2 I'll keep in mind - I've heard all the bad stuff. I'm a stickler for "proper" order but if I start having less fun, I'll definitely drop it. ***

Shenmue 2 feels like its just too big to tackle... and having not played Shenmue 1?

Unreal I just added because it was a big deal at the time, and that's my PC shooter background coming in. Also it helps I could beat it in a day I'm very sure. You'll notice I have smarts enough to leave Unreal II off - although I'm sure I'd have fun there's just too many better games in the way.

***Same goes for MP2 or other sequel/prequel suggested deletions (Diablo 1, etc)

HadjiQuest

Deusfaux wrote: »

DMC2 I'll keep in mind - I've heard all the bad stuff. I'm a stickler for "proper" order but if I start having less fun, I'll definitely drop it. ***

Shenmue 2 feels like its just too big to tackle... and having not played Shenmue 1?

Unreal I just added because it was a big deal at the time, and that's my PC shooter background coming in. Also it helps I could beat it in a day I'm very sure. You'll notice I have smarts enough to leave Unreal II off - although I'm sure I'd have fun there's just too many better games in the way.

***Same goes for MP2 or other sequel/prequel suggested deletions (Diablo 1, etc)

If it's the American version of Shenmue 2, it comes with a disc that has 90 minutes of the first game's cut scenes edited into a movie to explain the plot so far.

There is no game like it, and it created the QTE fad, so you really kind of owe it to yourself to play it if you already own it.

Szechuanosaurus

Burtletoy wrote: »

I suggest losing Final Fantasy 1+2 and ALL THE REST OF THEM

Fixed, because urgh. :P

Personal bias aside, you'd do well to at least relegate any RPGs on that list to 'at the end, if I haven't died of old age yet' because they are likely to be the biggest time sinks. If we're going for knocking back as many games as humanly possible you need to prioritise the ones that are short or which you can feasibly claim to have played even if you haven't 100% completed them (eg, stuff like Rez, you could decide to just play for a week and even if you haven't finished it, you should get a good enough impression of it to know what people are referring to when they talk about it - storyline based games, by comparison usually need to be completed at least once to have a complete feel for the game).

Dirty

I say drop DMC2 (lame gameplay, and from what I've heard about 4, and what I personally know about 3, you're not missing anything storywise). Replace it with JSRF. Don't look at my sig. Avert your eyes away from my avatar. This is not bias. The game is really fun, and not really that long.

edit: I should get a non-animated avatar. Animated gifs are so 1998.

major_tom

From what I hear, AW: Dual Strike is probably the weakest of the AW series. By all accounts, you're better off picking up the recently-released sequel, Days of Ruin.

Also, though you probably don't want the second list getting any larger, leaving the Fallouts off it would be...a shame.

And for what it worth, my (albeit short-term) advice would be to drop everything and finish RE4 now, lest you be considered small-time.

cooljammer00

If you're gonna do Prince of Persia, do it right. Play the first, wiki the second, and play the third.

Saint Justice

get rid of the original diablo and Devil May Cry 2, you won't be missing anything.

Sharp101

Drop Prey, or if you REALLY want to play it, only play the first hour. It gets pretty lame/repetitive after the opening.

Add in at least Fallout 2. You COULD skip over Fallout 1, but fallout 2 at least is mandatory.

Strifer

cooljammer00 wrote: »

If you're gonna do Prince of Persia, do it right. Play the first, wiki the second, and play the third.

No, no, no. Play the second. It's actually good, especially if you go for the Water Sword. And you can skip cutscenes if you want to.

Gyral

Sharp101 wrote: »

Drop Prey, or if you REALLY want to play it, only play the first hour. It gets pretty lame/repetitive after the opening.

I agree. I bought this for $10 used and after the first few levels, I got really bored with it.

Hotlead Junkie

Pick up each game and say, "Do I honestly want to play this?" if so, put it in your gaming pile and enjoy it, if not, put it in another pile. If you don't know if you will play it again but loved the game anyway, keep it unless it's very hard to find again if you wanted to rebuy it.

Sell the pile of games you don't perticularly want to play and play the ones you do. This list and attitude seems really obsessive.

TheCrumblyCracker

Diablo 1 and 2's stories barely touch, you could wiki it and not be missing anything.

HadjiQuest

Also, some people will give me shit for this, but many will also agree:

Switch Jedi Knight 2 for Jedi Academy. The first few levels of JK2 are craptastic, horribly dated key-hunts without a light saber or any force powers.

Jedi Academy starts you with lightsaber and force powers, and the level design never really sags. Plus, there aren't any key-hunts either.

Mr_Grinch

That backlog is utterly terrifying!

Personally I'd sell it all and start COMPLETELY anew with recent games. Yep, you'll be missing out but it'll give you a clean sheet!

Except Shadow of the Colossus.

More serious answer, try to see which ones are shorter games, there are some there (Shadow of the Colossus again for example) you could finish in a day or twos play. Get the shorter ones out of the way then decide which of the longer ones you're really THAT bothered about.

Captain Eleven

Whatever else you do, you MUST play Grim Fandango. That is not negotiable. Great atmosphere, great writing, great voice acting, awesome story... IMHO it's the best example of the adventure genre you can find.

Strifer

TheCrumblyCracker wrote: »

Diablo 1 and 2's stories barely touch, you could wiki it and not be missing anything.

I bought the CE of the second game on release and somehow I'd recommend not to play these games. If you have to, play the game once for the story. (Yes, I have the first one too, but I just couldn't stomach the awful grind.)

Deusfaux

I wasn't sure on Grim Fandango.. I'll keep it in mind

I WILL try to relegate the massive RPGs to the end priority.

I haven't played Fallouts at all yet so that's why they're not on there - there's a handful of games I mean to give a quick spin first to get the basic idea down

Interesting thoughts on Prey - as that's probably as much as I've played

cj iwakura

Not much sense in having the DDRs on a backlog... skim through them, find the songs you like, play them to death, put it aside until the whim comes along.

All you really need is MAX2, Konamix, and maybe Disney Mix, besides.

Same with stuff like Lumines and Every Extend Extra; they're games to be played here and there, nothing to 'play through' in one sitting.


F.E.A.R. is amazing, and pretty short, like most FPSs.

I'm pretty disappointed in Max Payne, and I heard good things, so I'd say skip that.

Rez is also short, but unforgettable.


Thief 3 is long as action/stealth games go, but good.


Threads of Fate is short but fun.

I could make a dozen recommendations, but I'd say your best bet is to just pick one and finish it, and go from there. If you hit a frustrating point with a particularly lengthy game(i.e. an RPG), take a hiatus in favor of something that requires less effort(a platformer or FPS).

randombattle

Just screw them all and go play some God Hand.

-SPI-

Gyral wrote: »

Sharp101 wrote: »

Drop Prey, or if you REALLY want to play it, only play the first hour. It gets pretty lame/repetitive after the opening.

I agree. I bought this for $10 used and after the first few levels, I got really bored with it.

Although if you wanted to finish it simply to get it off the list it's really short and has zero challenge due to the way it handles the player dying (in that it doesn't matter at all if you do) So it's perfectly feasible to knock it over in one or two sittings.

august

Thief 3 is a must-play if you've played the first 2.

And if you haven't played the first 2, you should.

Sueve

Super Mario 64 and Super Mario 64 DS are basically the same game, so if you've played it on N64, then take that one of.

august

Also, Grim Fandango is one of the best adventure games of all time.

polarblue

the zelda games are good i guess but really once you have played one you have pretty much played them all. almost all follow a pretty similar formula. i have a soft spot in my heart for zelda 64 however.

Ginger Mijango

Burtletoy wrote: »

I suggest losing Devil May Cry 2.

I think you should burn it, cause if you lose it, you might find it again.

august

Zelda Wind Waker is fucking beautiful and should be played.

major_tom

-SPI- wrote: »

Gyral wrote: »

Sharp101 wrote: »

Drop Prey, or if you REALLY want to play it, only play the first hour. It gets pretty lame/repetitive after the opening.

I agree. I bought this for $10 used and after the first few levels, I got really bored with it.

Although if you wanted to finish it simply to get it off the list it's really short and has zero challenge due to the way it handles the player dying (in that it doesn't matter at all if you do) So it's perfectly feasible to knock it over in one or two sittings.

Jesus, tell me about it. You literally just die and respawn. It's freaking bizarre. The game does some interesting things with level design, though, so its worth a blast through if you're bored.

Having said that, we're looking a list of 'to-plays' that has both fallouts, SotC, and Resi 4 on it. I think you have better things to be doing with your gaming time ;-)

Mr_Grinch

Ginger Mijango wrote: »

Burtletoy wrote: »

I suggest losing Devil May Cry 2.

I think you should burn it, cause if you lose it, you might find it again.

I tip my hat to you good sir, you've reminded me I haven't seen that show in forever and a day and now have to watch it.

This evening.

Xagarath

Giants: Citizen Kabuto is essential.
It really is.
Not nearly enough people have played it.

Also consider Alice. It's a matter of personal taste, but it's a must for some. Such as myself.

Regicid3

Don't listen to LewieP. Play the first Splinter Cell before playing Chaos Theory. You only really need to play Pandora Tomorrow if you're interested in the story of Sam Fisher. PT was good to play when it was fresh and everybody was playing the multiplayer. Splinter Cell 1 is still a very solid game and PT is a continuation of it... Chaos Theory is amazing... play them both. 8-)

Play all of them. ;-)

Lothars

Strifer wrote: »

TheCrumblyCracker wrote: »

Diablo 1 and 2's stories barely touch, you could wiki it and not be missing anything.

I bought the CE of the second game on release and somehow I'd recommend not to play these games. If you have to, play the game once for the story. (Yes, I have the first one too, but I just couldn't stomach the awful grind.)

Well I think you are totally wrong, I would recommend to play Diablo 1 and 2, they are some of the best action rpg's released

The stories are not great but definitely not bad and they are something everyone who likes those type of games need to play.

Regicid3

Naw, Diablo II is only good if you played it when it was fresh or you have a small group of friends who want to go back in time... Playing it to just say you beat it is kind of dumb, unless you're into the story!

KVW

Regicid3 wrote: »

Naw, Diablo II is only good if you played it when it was fresh or you have a small group of friends who want to go back in time... Playing it to just say you beat it is kind of dumb, unless you're into the story!

Ya, playing fun games because 'they're ugly' by todays standards is stupid. Who'd want to have fun?

acidlacedpenguin

not here to crit your lifestyle or anything, but thank you for inadvertently making me feel better about myself.

Regicid3

I couldn't care less about graphics. My online nick was Izual for 5 years so... yeah. I meant fresh, as in... people, good people (aka cool... fun to play with) are still playing.

Fuck graphics! Rawrargh!

urahonky

Add these games to: www.backloggery.com

It may seem stupid, but it has helped me complete games faster than normal. My loggery is in my sig.