I started this blog specifically so I could stay motivated to work my way through my backlog and get some writing practice in the process. In today’s article I’m going to be diving deep into the nitty-gritty of each game, including why it made the list.
It’s important to note that my backlog is pretty gosh-dang random. I put these games on here because they look fun and giving myself an easy-to-follow list is an easy way to stay “productive”. I chose a bunch of games that are interesting to me and that I think are essential to play. I have decided to play through them one at a time, not touching a singleplayer game until I’ve completed the one I’m in the middle of. Without further ado, let’s dive in.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
This game is kind of a no-brainer for the backlog. I’m about 23 hours in to this game, and I really, really want to keep playing. Everything about this game just pulls you in to the world. The story is awesome, the art direction and visuals are awesome, it’s one complete package that works super well. I’m obviously a pretty decent way into this game, and I want to keep playing just because I am having the time of my life playing it. It certainly has its flaws, but this game keeps me coming back no matter what. I understand that this chunk of the article is incredibly boring, but this is honestly just how I feel about this one. Great game I have every intention of finishing ASAP.
DOOM (2016)
This is one of those games everyone seems to have played, and it’s a little embarrassing that I haven’t managed to try this one out yet. I love me a good shooter, and supposedly DOOM is one of the best, period. I chose to put this one on the backlog because it is one of the all-time classics, and as it reaches its 10-year anniversary there’s never been a better time to start playing. The order of this list is sort of being considered too, I wanted a lighter game to play after E33 and I think this one fits the bill.
Black Mesa
This one probably doesn’t need much of an introduction. If you were somehow unaware of Black Mesa, it is a faithful remaster of the original Half-Life game. It keeps essentially the same gameplay but looks substantially better. I want to beat the original half-life but those graphics didn’t hold up very well in my opinion. Black Mesa is the next best thing. I played a few hours of this (as well as the original Half-Life) in the past, but I plan to start a new playthrough since it’s really not a super long game. The 3 hours of progress I’ll save probably isn’t worth forgetting everything that happens in that three hours.
Half-Life 2
This one is the logical thing to play after Black Mesa/HL1. I do plan to play them back to back because as I understand the story moves between them pretty linearly. I’ve always heard this one is the superior of the two, but I really don’t want to miss out on the story aspects of the game. This and HL1 went on the backlog because these are some of the most influential titles in gaming history, I love Valve games, and yet I have somehow managed to avoid playing these two.
Elden Ring
I am twenty hours in to this masterpiece, and I’ve barely scratched the surface. I’ve played this one on and off for the better part of two years, and it never ceases to kick my butt every time I play. This is one of those games everyone tells you to play so you pretty much have to, but every time you play you are consistently humbled. That’s okay with me though. Every time you play Elden Ring you get a little bit better, which makes the game a little bit easier. An hour here and an hour there should eventually be enough time for me to beat the game. Hopefully.
Fallout 3
This is another game I have started but not finished. What I have played has been incredibly fun, and I am looking forward to giving this one a shot after I beat Elden Ring. I’m maybe halfway through the game at this point, but I haven’t touched the game in months. I’m completely open to trying out New Vegas and Fallout 4 as well, but that’s probably a task I will consider after the credits roll on the last game on this list. I want to beat this game because I love the setting and the gameplay, and I want to spend more time on this game.
Red Dead Redemption 2
If we want to talk about games that I’m constantly getting recommended, RDR2 might be the most popular suggestion. 50 hours of rootin, tootin cowboy action and I have played zero of ’em. Looks pretty dang fun though.
System Shock Remake
This one has a story associated with it. Several years ago, I learned about the Humble Bundle website. Long story short, I ended up with a huge bundle of games that I thought were super cool. I had never heard of System Shock, but it looked pretty cool so I decided to download it and try it out. It was awesome, but really, really hard to understand. I was probably in middle school at the time and had no idea what I was looking at, so I deleted it after several tries.
Fast forward a few years, and the System Shock Remake came out. I was super excited. Finally I can play this awesome game without tripping over these stupid controls and impossible graphics. I waited for a sale, bought it, played for about 2 hours and had a blast. And then haven’t touched it since. This was such an awesome game and I honestly don’t know why I dropped it, but I do know that I want to sit down and power through the story. It might be hard, but I think it will be extremely fun.
Callisto Protocol
I know what you’re thinking if you’re reading this. Callisto Protocol is a really weird choice for this list, isn’t it. I’ve mentioned some of the greatest games of all time, then now I’m listing a survival horror shooter that has mixed reviews on Steam?!?
You’d obviously be valid for thinking that. Callisto Protocol is not a game with a reputation for being good. Heck, who knows if the 10ish hours this game takes to beat will be anywhere near worth it. However, you clearly are underestimating the power of the Epic Games Store Weekly Free Game. Sometimes the gripes surrounding a game dissolve when there isn’t any cost actually sunk into the game. I’m excited to jump in and expand my horizons into a genre (horror) that I’ve never really played. This game might be oppressively mediocre, but it’s got good graphics and it only takes 10 hours to beat. I think I’ll live.
Sleeping Dogs
This is one that I’ll occasionally see brought up on the internet as a hidden gem. I don’t know much about it other than that I bought it for ~$2 on Steam, so I might as well give it a shot. I really don’t have much to say about this one except that it looks pretty fun. I do like open-world games and while I don’t expect this to be Cyberpunk, I do think it’s going to be really, really fun.
Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon
I bought this and Elden Ring in a bundle, and I played it for a short amount of time before giving up and switching back to Elden Ring. It was really fun within that time period though. The more videos I watch the more I want to play this one. The combat looks awesome, the story looks memorable, and who doesn’t want to fly mechs around and shoot at stuff?
Control
Yet another game in the “I bought it for very cheap then got distracted” category, Control is a game that seems incredibly fun. The small portion I played felt good and had immaculate style and story as well. It wouldn’t take much for me to keep playing and hopefully beat the game. With Control Resonant coming out in the next year or so, I should probably lock in and beat this one if I want to avoid spoilers.
Remnant II
All I know about this game is that it’s a soulslike with guns. That sounds pretty freakin’ awesome. That’s all I care about with this one. I’ll update when I get closer to playing/beating this game but man does it look fun.
Robocop: Rogue City
This is the last one on the list, and I should honestly switch it for something that’s going to be a little more satisfying to beat. Anyway, I love me a good old fashioned FPS. No fancy quest markers, no multiplayer mode, none of this “live service” shenanigans. I just want to sit down and play. And I think that is what Rogue City is going to Excel at. I don’t know much about this game but the graphics look good and everyone seems to recommend it, so I might as well.
Metal Eden
This was a game I originally listed in my “Honorable Mentions” section. That was before I saw it on Humble. All is to say I am now the proud owner and must now play it so as to not regret my decisions. I am really, really looking forward to that. Stay tuned.
Honorable Mentions
There’s a few games I’m entertaining the idea of that don’t quite deserve “backlog” status. It’s mostly games I don’t actually own or only have a vague idea about which one in a series I should play.
A Resident Evil Game: As I mentioned earlier, I’m not a big Horror fan. That said, Resident Evil has made a very good name for itself and is something I want to play at least once.
Legend of Dragoon (PS1): I really want to play this game. That said, I am a stickler for playing games on original hardware so it’s likely going to be a while before I’m able to try this one.
Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight: This one isn’t out yet but this is a “take the day off work” type of release. I am very excited for this one.
Deus Ex: This one is going to be very difficult and very frustrating, but might be worth it.
Conclusion
Long story short, I have a ton of games I’d like to beat. This is barely scratching the surface of my game library too, there’s roughly 1.2 Gazillion games I could have put on the list. That’s ok though, the goal is to keep things manageable. I plan to make blog posts when I complete or make major progress in these games, so make sure to check back often to see if I’ve posted.
If you have a game you’d like to recommend, send an email to blog@spacepickle.co.