The (Old) New 52: How my backlog will move forward

Hello, my name is Dali Dimovski and I’m addicted to buying video games. If there’s a hot new game coming out, I’m buying it. If there’s a sale going on, my wallet is emptying. If I can get a game in a trade, I’m going all out to get it.

And then I place it on my shelf and forget about it.

Like many others (millions?), I tend to buy games that I never get the chance to fully complete before something else appears to take away my attention. Some even remain unopened for months (or years) after purchase. My physical shelf is stocked with dozens of games, and my digital one possibly even more so, some of which I may never get to. I don’t even know why I’m keeping them around, frankly. I’m running out of room.

And time.

There are A LOT of great games that have arrived in recents months that I don’t own copies of, terrified that they’ll end up on the same shelf as the others without so much as an hour or two spent in their worlds. Yes, I do buy new games and complete them, but the freedom of a TV set all to my own is quickly disappearing the older that my daughter gets.

And so I was stuck. My pile was getting bigger, my time shorter, and my mental capacity to focus on those older games was becoming null. I was feeling hopeless.

Until the Xbox One’s backwards compatibility kicked in, of course. With our last #12Games event, I made sure to dive into some of my bigger older games, clearing out Fallout 3 (finally) and a few others. Now having the ability to finish off some of those Xbox 360 games, something was sparked in me, and I began to build up to a slow steamroll through disc after disc.

That all leads me to today. At the beginning of February I put together a list of all of the games that I’ve, ahem, collected over the years and want (need?) to complete before the same day in 2017. That’s 52 weeks. How many games? Well, I have nearly 75 games on the shelf, but realize that I won’t get through all of them in that short of a time. The natural answer came down to 52 game in 52 weeks, or one game per week. There is a lot of variety in this overwhelming mountain of entertainment, from casual and sports games to huge RPGs, from games that are nearly completed to those that still have the wrappers on. Some of the games will be quick — I may just be finishing up a sidequest or leveling up a toys to life figurine — and some will require a full finish.

For all intents and purposes, I doubt that I’ll get through all of the games/tasks on the list. Time will undoubtedly become a factor, and new game releases will also begin to pop up. Ideally I can clear out 35-40 of the games. I may even substitute some games in for others as I see fit (or as I need to). Either way, I’m ready to take on the challenge and see just how far I can get. January 31st, 2017 is the final day. That shelf is getting heavy.

Check out my list of games below, which I’ll update often, as I post a summary piece at the beginning of every month.

Coffee, GO!

Dali’s Backlog (in ideal completion order)

1. Splatoon (Wii U) – Single Player Mode Completed Feb 7
2. Rayman Legends (Wii U) – Main Campaign Completed Feb 14
3. Arkham City (Wii U) – Main Campaign Completed Feb 27
4. Fire Emblem Fates: Birthright (3DS) (Currently Playing)
5. South Park: The Stick of Truth (360) – Campaign Completed March 22
6. Link’s Crossbow Training (Wii) – “Enough” of the game Completed Feb 28
7. Xenoblade Chronicles 3D (3DS) – Main Campaign
8. Dead Space 3 (360) – Campaign (Currently Playing)
9. Skylanders Superchargers (PS4) – Last few sidequests and figurine leveling
10. Ryse (XB1) – Campaign
11. Madden 16 (PS4) – Single Season
12. Captain Toad (Wii U) – Campaign Completed March 6
13. Tomb Raider (XB1/PS4) – Campaign
14. Chibi Robo Park Patrol (DS) – Campaign
15. Majora’s Mask 3D (3DS) – Campaign
16. Forza Horizon 2 (XB1) – Clear out one more region on the map
17. Bayonetta 2 (Wii U) – Campaign
18. Arkham Knight (PS4) – Main Campaign
19. Wonderful 101 (Wii U) – Campaign
20. Wind Waker HD (Wii U) – Campaign
21. Rise of the Tomb Raider (XB1) – Campaign
22. Last of Us Remastered (PS4) – Campaign
23. Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law (Wii) – Campaign
24. Witcher 3 (PS4) – Main Campaign
25. COD MW3 (360) – Single Player Campaign
26. Mad Max (PS4) – Main Campaign
27. Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Wii U) – Main Campaign
28. Assassin’s Creed IV (Wii U) – Main Campaign
29. Forza 6 (XB1) – Three “Seasons”
30. Darksiders II (Wii U) – Main Campaign
31. Alien Isolation (PS4/XB1) – Campaign
32. Little Big Planet 3 (PS4) – Single Player Campaign
33. COD Advanced Warfare (XB1) – Single Player Campaign
34. Kirby Canvas Curse (DS) – Campaign
35. Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii) – Main Campaign
36. Dishonored HD (PS4) – Main Campaign
37. Saints Row IV: Gat out of Hell (PS4) – Main Campaign
38. Fallout 4 (PS4) – Main Campaign
39. Code Name: S. T. E. A. M. (3DS) – Campaign
40. Resident Evil Revelations 2 (XB1) – Campaign
41. Tatsunoko vs Capcom (Wii) – Arcade Mode
42. FF Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers (Wii) – Campaign
43. No More Heroes 2 (Wii) – Campaign
44. Silent Hill Shattered Memories (Wii) – Campaign
45. Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I Don’t Know (3DS) – Campaign
46. Advance Wars: Days of Ruin (Dark Conflict) (DS) – Campaign
47. The Last Story (Wii) – Main Campaign
48. Shadows of the Damned (360) – Campaign
49. Pandora’s Tower (Wii) – Main Campaign
50. Anarchy Reigns (360) – Campaign
51. Vanquish (360) – Campaign
52. Zack & Wiki (Wii) – Main Campaign

Added + Alternates:

53. Rhythm Heaven Fever (Wii)
54. Aliens Infestation (DS)