Are we forever slaves to the backlog ?

[GMZ]

I'd like to discuss this issue with you guys/trophy hunters fellows, honestly i feel like as long as we trophy hunt, most of us have a huge backlog and it's always there and always we got tons of incomplete unfinished games, as for me i made a list of games that i want to platinum and they are way over 300 games across ps3, vita and ps4, ps5 games are not even in that list yet so imagine !!!

last year 2020 i platinumed a total of 11 games only which really really sucks and scary, if i continue at this rate that means not even 20 years are enough to finish those games but the problem is i have a job that takes most of my day and when you come back home from work i get back tired and not really in the mood to play games, so yeah this and the length of lots of platinums, many games require over 50-100 hours to plat.

Now i know some of you guys will say well then narrow down your list, this might be a bit of a solution but it's not easy especially that i already bought and paid for those games, nonetheless i avoid those Rataliaka games, RPGs and sports games.

so let's say if i focus on about 15 - 20 games to beat and platinum this may take few months and by that time guess what ? you find out another 15 new games are out and here we go again, sometimes i feel like it is easier to make and create a game than beat it lol those developers never rest.

So what do you think guys of this ? i'd like to see opinions and creative ideas and solutions.

Edited January 9, 2021 by Great_MazingerZ

[SuperSaiyan3985]

Yes. I have about 25 games in my backlog and that already feels like too much. I cannot fathom having 300. 

[GMZ]

1 minute ago, SuperSaiyan3985 said:

Yes. I have about 25 games in my backlog and that already feels like too much. I cannot fathom having 300. 

AHHH lucky you man lol, if i have 25 games only my life would be easier.

[Masamune]

I was progressing fairly well in my backlog progress for the first half of last year (think I'm around/under 100 games), but then I got hooked on the F2P games Fate/Grand Order, & Genshin Impact... that pretty much halted my progress there. ?

[xZoneHunter]

I always find these posts kind of backwards. What would you rather have, absolutely nothing to play? Play your games however you wish however, if i've seen one recurring theme is that people tend to beat themselves up over games they don't really want to play and just push through for completion/platinum/finishing sake.

 

Gaming is still a hobby, you don't have to 100%/platinum/finish/play every game. The backlog will not run away, it'll still be there (online trophies aside I guess). And honestly, if a game has been in your backlog for years, you probably didn't really want to play it that much in the first place.

[GMZ]

6 minutes ago, xZoneHunter said:

I always find these posts kind of backwards. What would you rather have, absolutely nothing to play? Play your games however you wish however, if i've seen one recurring theme is that people tend to beat themselves up over games they don't really want to play and just push through for completion/platinum/finishing sake.

 

Gaming is still a hobby, you don't have to 100%/platinum/finish/play every game. The backlog will not run away, it'll still be there (online trophies aside I guess). And honestly, if a game has been in your backlog for years, you probably didn't really want to play it that much in the first place.

Like i said in the main topic, some genres i avoided already but the problem is, i have around 10 games in my profile that i did not like, thought that i would but i got disappointed and i am sure more disappointing games will come my way so yeah i may have games left behind due to no interest in playing them.

[Helyx]

I don't think I'll ever catch up.

[charxsetsuna]

I've accepted I'll never complete even half of my backlog. 

[EqualityEarth]

Online or glitched trophies will always have a high chance at defeating us one time or another. I remember when I tried to complete the titles on the back of the gamercard in Dissidia 012 (PSP). After collecting and completing everything possible, there were still 4 out of the 20 titles left. All of them were related to participating/winning in PvP mode ?‍♂️ it was hundreds of hours between me and a friend just to find out it wasn’t possible for us in the end.

I like having lots of games to choose from, especially the ones given a spotlight by GMTK, Snomangaming, etc., and I don’t forget the ones I was initially into the consoles for (Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Tales), but it does eventually start to seem like getting all the trophies you want in all the games you have can compare to trying to watch every video ever uploaded to YouTube ?‍♂️ which I think the margin of that impossibility is on a scale of lifetimes.

[GT__Jedi]

I've accepted the fact I will never clean up the 300 games in my backlog (I have many that aren't even loaded).  I now know that if I don't finish a game and get a plat, the sun will still come up the next day and all will be well.

[DaivRules]

2 hours ago, Great_MazingerZ said:

so let's say if i focus on about 15 - 20 games to beat and platinum this may take few months and by that time guess what ? you find out another 15 new games are out and here we go again

Yup, it’s best to acknowledge that you’re spending money on things and they’re going unused. Some people spends hundreds of dollars on clothes and never wear them, some people but hundreds of books and never read them, some people buy vacation homes and never use them.

 

Its a wonderful situation to be able to find yourself in. Always wanting more, even though you haven’t used what you already bought.

 

For anyone that can afford a hobby, there is almost always extra things bought and not utilized. We call it a backlog in this hobby, but it’s the same concept everywhere else. 
 

If people want to get it under control, they can. Some of us heavily curbed our spending over the last three decades as games got cheaper and cheaper and more and more plentiful. 
 

Backlogs exist. Everyone gets to make their own call on what to do about theirs and everyone’s decision is just as valid.

[punkshepherd]

I think i have over 150 games in my backlog. Most of them are RPGs and strategy games too! (Could do with counting really)

 

It all depends on your point of view/philosophy. I could never see myself as a 'slave' to my backlog. 

 

The way i see it is that i have plenty of games for me to enjoy. Im not perfect enough to get platinum on them but oh well. 

 

I mean for financial reasons (not that im poor) im trying to limit my gaming spending this year so hopefully if i can take 60/70 games off the backlog this year il be chuffed. 

[Lonemankane]

I have about 40 or 60ish left

[AJ_Radio]

If you keep buying games and push older ones back, then yes, you WILL be a slave to the backlog. 
 

Avoid Flash Sales. That’s my tip and piece of advice for anyone struggling with their backlog.

[ladynadiad]

It gets even worse for people who play on multiple platforms.  Steam is probably hands down the worst because of all the sales, bundles and giveaways that make it easy to get cheap and free games, so there are tons of people who have more games than they will be capable of finishing in their lifetime.  On PSN with my not started games I have 71 games in the backlog.  On Steam I own 1286 games and only have finished 400 of them.  That backlog is made worse for me having two games that keep adding DLC (one of them has almost 2000 achievements and over $700 worth of DLC now).

 

I've accepted that I'll never finish the Steam backlog, that's part of why I focus on the PSN one so much right now because it's actually doable to finish someday.  I definitely realize that people's backlogs are getting bigger and more people have one because games are cheaper and easier to obtain than they were in the past.  I actually think this is another part of why short and easy games have such an appeal now as well.  Someone is going to be more likely to buy a low priced game that can be finished quickly and not just add to the backlog and someone looking to get the backlog down is more likely to start with easy games that can be finished in a timely manner.

Edited January 10, 2021 by ladynadiad

[LoveInHell]

Same problem here. I have a backlog of 300+ games across PS4, PS3 and PS Vita. For a few months I would go through my games from A-Z which worked great for awhile but eventually I stopped doing that. Then I started going through my games from “Last Purchased”. I was doing well until BioShock 2 crashed and I lost 1h 30 minutes of progress on the hardest difficulty so now I’m all over the place again. I start so many games up and never finish them, one of my friends told me I will never be able to finish my backlog because games keep coming out and I keep buying them. Cause seriously, I’m addicted to deals. I’m going to try to not fill up my backlog even more in 2021 and I will not get a PS5 until beginning or mid 2022.

 

Also idk about you guys but I upgraded a very small tv (40cm diagonally) to a 150cm tv and my concentrating to play has drastically changed. The big tv I’m playing on right now makes me want to watch Netflix and when I play I feel like stopping after an hour. On a small tv I was able to really “get into” the game and 100% dedicate to it for hours. I have a good headset and playing from far away doesn’t make me feel like “I’m in the game” which makes me stop sooner. I wish my room was big enough that I could have both tv’s, one for gaming and one for movies and series. So that has also slowed me down a lot and lately I feel like I wasted my money.

[AgentSmiz]

I came to peace long ago that  with the fact that I would never complete my backlog of games. I've got games in the backlog and on the backburner that have been there for years. Bloodborne and Resident Evil were amongst the first games I bought when I got my PS4 and I still haven't got round to fully completing them. There's a mountain of PS Plus games that I've got that I swore I would play and never have. I've bought games in sales and never even downloaded them.

And this is just on PS4.There's games on other platforms that I've been meaning to try but haven't. But, as I said, I'm ok with that. Occasionally, there might be a prang of guilt that I bought a game and never saw it through but chances are, I stopped playing it for a reason, like not having fun with it. There's a backlog but I don't feel compelled or have an urge to 100% it. It's more of a pool of games to choose from should I want to.

I'm not going to lose any sleep knowing that "Don't Die Mr Robot" is sat in my library and I've never played it.

[GMZ]

18 hours ago, Spaz said:

If you keep buying games and push older ones back, then yes, you WILL be a slave to the backlog. 
 

Avoid Flash Sales. That’s my tip and piece of advice for anyone struggling with their backlog.

Right now whenever i see sales on psn i just focus on DLCs and season passes to get cheaper, not really waiting to find a cheap game to buy.

[Feral]

I keep it very simple. Once the story is finished then the game is done and I no longer consider it in the backlog. Can always go back to plat it later.

 

This way just keeps that unfinished number from being ridiculously high.

Edited January 11, 2021 by Feral

[You]

I would like to blame Playstation Plus for contributing to this mess. Giving us either:-

- Very hard to get 100% games (Catherine, Sina Mora, Blazblue, Hotline Miami, Double Dragon Neon)

- Broken games (That Dragon fin soup and Camel shooting game TxK or whatever it was called on Vita, I touched neither)

- Games with tons of DLC or DLC that is so much harder/grindier than the main game (BorderLands 2, Final Horizon, Dead Nation, Killing Force 2 (Still to this day having to play this one))

- Very long or grindy games (Surge Deluxe, Dead By Daylight, Dead Or Alive 5)

 

I usually save the games each month so I can download them later, but I don't think I have played any of my 2020 Playstation Plus games given away for free.

 

I also sometimes feel a bit annoyed that I buy a game, kinda love it but am happy to never play it again since I have other stuff to do. And then years later DLC comes along, often some it one trophy of NewGame+, Very hard difficulty.

 

I remember a game called Comet Crash on PS3, it's a great tower defence game it was fairly tricky but a fun game. Then about 4 years later or so, DLC came out, going back to it I could barely even remember how to play the game, not to mention that the DLC is super hard, and like the issue with Double Dragon NEON, it's nigh on impossible to 100% without 2 offline players who are good at the game.

 

I've enjoyed a lot of the games free on PS+ but man, they are a very bad idea to anyone's backlog.

Edited January 12, 2021 by enaysoft

[AJ_Radio]

On 1/10/2021 at 1:02 PM, Great_MazingerZ said:

Right now whenever i see sales on psn i just focus on DLCs and season passes to get cheaper, not really waiting to find a cheap game to buy.

 

Good plan.

 

52 minutes ago, enaysoft said:

I would like to blame Playstation Plus for contributing to this mess. Giving us either:-

- Very hard to get 100% games (Catherine, Sina Mora, Blazblue, Hotline Miami, Double Dragon Neon)

- Broken games (That Dragon fin soup and Camel shooting game TxK or whatever it was called on Vita, I touched neither)

- Games with tons of DLC or DLC that is so much harder/grindier than the main game (BorderLands 2, Final Horizon, Dead Nation, Killing Force 2 (Still to this day having to play this one))

- Very long or grindy games (Surge Deluxe, Dead By Daylight, Dead Or Alive 5)

 

I usually save the games each month so I can download them later, but I don't think I have played any of my 2020 Playstation Plus games given away for free.

 

I also sometimes feel a bit annoyed that I buy a game, kinda love it but am happy to never play it again since I have other stuff to do. And then years later DLC comes along, often some it one trophy of NewGame+, Very hard difficulty.

 

I remember a game called Comet Crash on PS3, it's a great tower defence game it was fairly tricky but a fun game. Then about 4 years later or so, DLC came out, going back to it I could barely even remember how to play the game, not to mention that the DLC is super hard, and like the issue with Double Dragon NEON, it's nigh on impossible to 100% without 2 offline players who are good at the game.

 

I've enjoyed a lot of the games free on PS+ but man, they are a very bad idea to anyone's backlog.

 

Sine Mora is notoriously difficult. Definitely don't blame you for not doing that one.

 

I will pick up Dead Nation: Apocalypse Edition sometime in the future, but at this point I won't bother with the original game. I'm not going to boost older games with people except for the ones already on my list, and I crossed out Grand Theft Auto V entirely because of one trophy I can't get through legit means anymore, plus for me it's not worth doing all that work. San Andreas will probably be the last GTA I will complete, since both IV and V require far too much time and work to really be worth the effort.

 

It's also annoying to see stuff like Days Gone on my backlog where I not only have to do New Game Plus, but complete that playthrough without using fast travel. Are you kidding me?

 

So far this year in 2021 I haven't bought a single 'new' game. And I'm going to keep it that way until I get at least 10 - 20 more games crossed off my backlog.

 

PlayStation Plus and Flash Sales really are the worst. I regret adding as much as I've done in the past 3 - 4 years.

Edited January 12, 2021 by Spaz

[You]

If you want to get to 98% I'd recommend going back to games like GTA5 and Fallout 4 on your list, even if you don't want to get 100%, just trying to get the percent as high as you can and stopping when the game is taking the piss. I've done that with a lot of my backlog, if it's less than about 70% I usually try to get most of them out the way. Those 2 games alone are probably dropping your overall score by 0.3% or so.

Edited January 12, 2021 by enaysoft

[Trini]

Tbh I surprised myself by eliminating a small fraction of my backlog and obtaining the platinum for said games during the October-November period. 

 

As for the actual topic at hand, I feel like our backlogs will predominantly have control over our spending habits unless you're on a very strict budget and can fight off the craze appetite of spending. For the folks who work/attend school, it's just not enough hours during the day to play all the games we would like, and if we do have that time, an entirely new catalog of games will suddenly pull our interest, and the never-ending cycle continues to devour us from that point on. 

[PalaceOfLove706]

I try to look at it positively and think, “wow, I have so many games to choose from,” and then take my pick. Recently did Gauntlet and Magika 2 which I hadn’t touched in years, and they were super fun. 
 

Decided to go for an EDF 4.1 plat a couple weeks ago so that backlog is gonna suffer for sometime now. 

[charxsetsuna]

37 minutes ago, PalaceOfLove706 said:

I try to look at it positively and think, “wow, I have so many games to choose from,” and then take my pick. Recently did Gauntlet and Magika 2 which I hadn’t touched in years, and they were super fun. 
 

Decided to go for an EDF 4.1 plat a couple weeks ago so that backlog is gonna suffer for sometime now. 

Assuming EDF means earth defense force, dont those games take hundreds or more hours to plat?