Beat That Backlog

I’m swapping out two games in my backlog for various reasons. Rather than simply drop a bunch of games like I did before, it seemed like a better idea to substitute in some more appropriate games so that the overall game count stays the same (and I don’t feel like I cheated myself of properly clearing my backlog). I will be switching out the following games:

1. Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars for Commandos 2: Men of Courage

Command & Conquer 3: I recently picked up the Command & Conquer: The Ultimate Collection for less than a price of a taxi in NYC so that I could play through Command & Conquer: Generals. This gave me access to all 17 C&C games in the series’ history. With such a vast collection at my disposal, it felt inappropriate to cherry-pick the third game from the list without going through the rest of the games from start to finish. Yes, this means that after all of this is said and done, I will be playing through all of the C&C games (God rest my soul). Hey, at least it will make for a unique series of articles…

Commandos 2: For the exact opposite reason as above. I recently played through the first Commandos game plus its expansion, and the third game is also on my list. It only makes sense to fill in the gap so that I don’t leave the middle part of the series unplayed. Hopefully the second isn’t as long as the first ones…

2. Final Fantasy IV for Tomb Raider II

Final Fantasy IV: Fans of FF are probably shrieking at me right now, I know. Final Fantasy IV is considered the second greatest two-dimensional FF game, bested only by the masterpiece that is Final Fantasy VI. But I’m bugged by it for the exact same reasons as above – it’s just one game in a series. I owe it to myself to play the others before I play the fourth. At least that’s what my OCD is telling me right now. Good lord, though, the feat of playing through the numbered Final Fantasy games from start to finish deserves it’s own blog entirely.

Tomb Raider II: A bit anti-climactic compared to the grandeur of FFIV, but it’s distinguishing characteristic is that it’s the only other unbeaten game in my PS1 collection! On top of that, I beat the first Tomb Raider just a few weeks before the actual start of this blog, so I won’t be bugged by having not started at the beginning! My neuroticism and I agree for once. The downside is that the lack of dual analog controls made the first game infuriating to control, and it still hasn’t changed for the second. Good thing I’ve got my good ol’ pal ePSXe and his friendly save states to help me out with the job!

So that’s that. Fun fact: Both of my replacement games were made by Eidos Interactive! Much love for the company that brought us not only to the two series above but Hitman, Freedom Fighters, Deus Ex, Thief, and TimeSplitters to name a handful. At this rate I might be through their entire catalog of games by the time I’m done my backlog.

June will mark the first anniversary of this blog, and depending on how many games I play in the next few weeks, it may just mark the end of it. The number of unfinished games in my collection is winding steadily downward. If we ignore the “co-op only” games in my Steam catalog, I have just about 15 left to beat. Many of those are halfway done as well. Among the games nearing completion are:

– Alpha Protocol
– Super Smash Bros. for 3DS
– Crash Bandicoot
– WarCraft III
– Gunpoint

My 25th birthday is on May 22. I wonder – is it enough time to clear out the rest of my games? I began this blog with roughly 75 games in various states of completion. Now, roughly a year later, I’m down to a handful of them. Some of those games only took me a few days to beat. Others, like Scribblenauts, took a firm application of discipline and patience to get through. The games left on my backlog are a healthy mix of both, so it’s tough to make an accurate estimate of how much time I have left on them.

I’ve got 56 days until May 22, and about 15 games left on the backlog. That means beating a game once every four days. Possible? Most certainly. Tough? Most likely as well. An awesome way to celebrate a 25th birthday? Hell yes.

PAX East and Daylight Saving Time make poor bedfellows. Especially when you’re up until four in the morning writing articles for your blog. I had to be at the con by 10am this morning for Watch the Skies, and my body ached with every step I made. Note to self – try not to make such poor life choices.

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