Question of the Week: What's in your backlog?

by: Randy - posted: 5/1/2009 7:46:00 PM

                              
We've all got a video game backlog.  But admitting to what's listed on it always feels like some kind of failing on the part of the gamer.  But this week?  We're manning up and admitting that, no, we've never ever (ever) been able to play all the games we wish we could have.

What's one game you have listed in your backlog?  And I ask for only one because, y'know, we just haven't got all day.

Sean Colleli:  I'm quite embarrassed to admit it, but Okami is probably the game on my backlog I feel most guilty about. I love everything about it: the charming characters, gorgeous art style and clever take on Japanese mythology.  Okami is also a very long and complex game, rivaling most Zeldas in depth, so I'm often distracted by new titles I have to review.  It's even worse now that it has been ported to the Wii with better controls, because I have absolutely no excuse to not finish it.  It's sitting over there next to my other Wii games, most of them inferior, making me feel bad about myself.  In my opinion it's one of those great games nobody played; anyone who owns a Wii and is reading this should get that game, it's cheap by now and a real overlooked masterpeice.  (Currently playing Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, seriously that thing's like crack (pun intended.))

Adam Dodd:  I have a myriad of games I need to finish including (but not limited to): Prince of Persia, Far Cry 2, Killzone 2, Halo Wars, and even Fallout 3.  If I had to narrow my growing list of backlog to a single game I feel I really need to get return to the desolate world of Fallout 3.  This is the type of game I can play for hours at a time but if I don't play it on a somewhat regular basis I lose track of what quests I'm doing and I end up not being able to get back into the game.  This has happened to me twice, hopefully the third time's the charm?  (Currently playing a rather unusual combination of LittleBigPlanet and Dead Space.)

Charles Husemann:  My backlog seems to grow weekly as my gaming time has dwindled as of late.  Right now the big games I'm longing to get into are Fable 2, Henry Hatsworth, Resident Evil 5, and Mass Effect.  Fallout 3 should also probably be on the list but there's no way I have the time to sink that much time into a game right now.  Patapon 2 is also a contender but I got stuck on the first one after realizing that I have no rhythm at all.  (Currently playing Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, X-Men: Origins: Wolverine, Peggle, Left 4 Dead.)

Randy Kalista:  The venerable PlayStation 2's recent price drop to $99 has served as a shiny, glinting-in-the-sunlight lure for my gilled existence.  It' was almost enough to incite a one-man feeding frenzy as I stood there at my local game shop, the library of PS2 titles standing at attention, the highest row of their horizontal formation just out of fingertips' reach.  But at hip level was Shadow of the Colossus.  It's a name so inseparable with PS2 gaming that it's hard to believe it's, what, almost four years old now?  Or maybe it's hard to believe it's only four years old.  Like the blasted thing is irrevocably woven into the fabric and being of videogaming itself, talk of platform specificity be damned.  Like it's always been there and that it was mere misfortune or poor timing that kept us from unearthing it any earlier.  (Currently playing Velvet Assassin, EVE Online: Apocrypha.)

Cyril Lachel:  One game?  You what to know if there's ONE GAME in my backlog?  Oh goodness, where do I even start?  At this point I've been playing so many games that it's hard to think of any one game.  I mean, I know I should have gone all the way through Grim Fandango.  And maybe I should have played Fallout 1 and 2 before jumping into the third installment.  And don't even get me started on the Splinter Cell franchise.  I own the first three games, but haven't played more than a level of any of them.  Thankfully I avoided buying the fourth game.  But if I had to choose only one, I would say that it has to be Panzer Dragoon Saga.  I have played bits and pieces of it, but never sat down to go through the full 50+ hour adventure.  Maybe I'll do that one of these days ... when I'm no so busy playing everything else.  (Currently playing Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time (DS and Wii), Street Fighter IV (Xbox 360) and Rock Band 2.)

Matt Mirkovich:  It's so hard for me to name just one game in my backlog. I have a number of games that are still sealed. One of them being Rogue Galaxy. I've kept that one around out of respect for Level-5 but I just cannot for the life of me find the time to have multiple J-RPGs in my stable at any given time. I might as well quit my job. An even bigger example is the entire Xenosaga series. I have all the games, all still sealed. I keep them around because I've wanted to play them since they were first announced, especially after how great Xenogears was. Someday I'll get it all done.  (Currently playing: Henry Hatsworth: And the Puzzling Adventure (DS), Super Robo Taiser: OG Saga Endless Frontier (DS) Killzone 2 (PS3), Street Fighter 4 (Company Tourney going down this weekend, going for back to back titles!))

Nathan Murray:  Beautiful Katamari has been sitting on the shelf for a long while now. I pull it out for parties or when my cousins visit. It's my rainy day game I guess you could say. If I'm too sick to really concentrate on anything or don't have anything new or exciting to play (meaning my copies of Rock Band 2, Call of Duty 4, Orange Box, etc. are broken/melted/scratched/stolen) then I know I can pop Beautiful Katamari in the tray and spend the next couple hours waggling the analog sticks and not having to worry about thinking too much.  (Currently playing Crsis Core: Final Fantasy VII (I'm finally starting to see what the hullabaloo is all about), Final Fantasy Tactics (PSP), Rock Band 2, Battle Forge and getting to the the last bits of Halo 3 on Legendary.)

Sean Nack:  I just purchased GTA IV, not because I'm all that interested, but  because everyone else loves it so much. I've never really understood the attraction (I'm more hero than anti-hero), but when someone whose opinion I respect describes it as a "masterful narrative," well shucks. Gotta try it out now.  (Currently playing HAWX, Rainbow Six Vegas 2, Quantum of Solace.)

John Yan:  Wow, two people mentioned two games that I wanted to play but missed: Okami and Shadow of Colossus. I guess I'll have to go with my third choice being Neverwinter Nights 2. I scoured all of Columbus Ohio during the launch of the game to pick up the DVD version. I'm a big fan of the first one and played many hours on it.  When I heard about the second one I was ecstatic. Well it's still sitting in the box in my basement being ready to install. I've seen the various expansion packs at various E3s and such and always thought I need to get into the game. Well, Neverwinter Nights 2, next week might be your chance. I'm going to install it finally and setup a server to play. It's a game that's long overdue on my playlist.  (Currently still playing Left 4 Dead, Gears of War 2.)