I’ve got a hefty backlog of games that I want to play. Many gamers refer to this backlog as a “pile of shame,” as they are often games that they’ve been meaning to get around to for quite some time. There’s quite a few games out there for my current systems, the PS2 and the PSP, and many of these great games are available at very cheap prices (around 20 bucks or less). With those low prices, it’s quite easy to pick up a game for a good deal periodically. Unfortunately, each game you get for a good deal can make the pile of shame grow even larger. I’ve done my best to limit my purchases to games that have been highly rated (generally 8/10 or above) or that happen to be on one of the many greatest games lists. In this way my gaming dollar and gaming time is only spent on the higher-quality titles. Nevertheless, in picking up great games at a bargain, my backlog had gotten quite large. In an effort to attack my pile, here’s a list of games that I am working on.
I’ve been chipping away gradually at this backlog. I’ve tried to limit myself to only playing one game on my PSP and one game on my PS2. I recently finished Ratchet&Clank:Size Matters on my PSP, but rather than moving on to another PSP title, I may try to spend some time unlocking additional items in Ratchet, Syphon Filter, or other games that I have finished in an effort to complete the games.
Here’s a list of games that I have finished in the last 6 months. Unless otherwise noted, the games are PS2 titles.
- Ratchet & Clank:Going Commando
- Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal
- Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
- Daxter (PSP)
- Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror (PSP)
- this one).
- Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters (PSP) (just finished last night)
Here’s the list of Games in Progress under my TV:
- Metal Gear Solid 3 (currently about 60% (~12 hours) of the way through this one).
- Ratchet & Clank (currently on the last level. As this is the first in the series, I don’t know if I’ll complete this one. )
- Kingdom Hearts (stuck on Ursula in the little mermaid level. I go back and forth if I really want to beat this one. I currently have about 25 hours invested in the game, and am likely 75% complete.)
- Bully (approximately 75% (~20 hours) finished with the story, but only 54% complete with the game. )
- Shadow of the Colossus (I’ve beaten the first two Colossi, but haven’t picked the game up in a couple of months. Likely I will delete my saved game file and start this one over.)
- James Bond: Everything or Nothing (I’m approximately 60% finished with this game, although the difficulty has ramped up significantly and may prevent me from returning.)
- DIsgaea: Afternoon of Darkness (PSP) (just got started with this one)
Finally, here’s what is sitting on my shelf:
- Resident Evil 4 (played about 5 hours into this one. I love the game, but put it down for too long. I have since deleted my save file, as I will start from the beginning again)
- God of War (same as RE4 above)
- Jak 3
- Ico (I played about 2 hours into this in one sitting. I’m not sure why I dropped it, but I’m definitely looking to get back in to this one. )
- Psychonauts
- Dragon Quest VIII ( I really want to play this one, but I am a bit concerned about the amount of time needed to finish this enormous role playing game).
- Tomb Raider: Anniversary (I beat the original Tomb Raider on PS1a long time ago, but I’m looking forward to reliving the experience).
- Prince of Persia: Sands of Time ( I got to the first real boss and put it down for a while. I’ve since deleted the saved game in hopes of returning to it again.)
- Dead Head Fred (PSP)
- Metal Gear Solid (PS1) ( I played through this one until you had to swap to the second cd. My PSOne would not switch to the 2nd disc for some reason. I got the game back from a friend, who had it for about 5 years. Even with dated graphics, I’m looking to play this one again.)
In addition to these two lists, I also have a list of games to be on the lookout for that I’d like to play but do not own. However, I’ve resolved to not purchase any more PS2 games. I figure by the time I’ve finished or played all my PS2 games to satisfaction, the PS3 will actually be within reach of my budget. On the other hand, I’m spending more time with my PSP these days, and there are quite a few titles on my to-get list.