15 votes

May 2024 Backlog Burner: Conclusion and Recap

Posted by kfwyre (edited )
Tags: backlog burner.2024.may, event

The May 2024 Backlog Burner event is officially over!

Over the course of the month of May, 13 participants moved 105 games out of their backlogs.

There were 7 bingo wins (5 Standard and 2 Golf).
Congratulations to @aphoenix, @CannibalisticApple, @Durinthal, @Eidolon, @kfwyre, @Weldawadyathink, and @Wes!

Also, congratulations to all other participants as well: @Carrow, @J-Chiptunator, @Mendanbar, @Notcoffeetable, @semsevfor, and @Shevanel

Finally, appreciation to those who didn't play any games but still popped in to talk about them with us: @brews_hairy_cats and @Wafik

It has been an absolute blast doing this with everyone. Thank you all for participating.

Use this topic to post your final bingo cards, give recaps of your games, and share any thoughts you have on the event itself.

Reminder: the Backlog Burner will now run on a regular schedule during every May and November. Our next event is only five months away!

Highlights:

Quick links:

Full Game List (alphabetical)

#

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Full Game List (by week)

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

23 comments

  1. [2]
    Wes
    Link
    That was a fantastic event! Way more people participated than I was expecting, and the game picks and writeups were so good. I read every one of them (and added a few new entries to my backlog as...
    • Exemplary

    That was a fantastic event! Way more people participated than I was expecting, and the game picks and writeups were so good. I read every one of them (and added a few new entries to my backlog as a result...).

    I also think the timing was perfect. We got in just past the Helldivers 2 surge, but before the Elden Ring DLC dropped. We can only hope the timing works out that well in the future.

    I love the highlights section at the top. It's good to see some numbers put to everything. 99 games is way more than I would have predicted.

    Let me give a quick review of my own played list, as sorted by completion. Each links to my own review comment.

    Finished (7): Open Roads, The Corridor, DS3: Archthrones mod, To the Moon, A Short Hike, Overgrowth, Vault of the Void (a few wins anyway)

    Still playing (4): Blasphemous, Cook-Out, Lumino City, Trailmakers

    Dropped (4): Metal: Hellsinger, Mirror's Edge: Catalyst, ScourgeBringer, Pid

    Not bad, really! I finished a lot more than I was expecting. And of the four I dropped early, two I got moderately far in.

    Standout games: These were the games that really stuck out to me as being worth the time, or enriching in some way.

    To the Moon

    The soundtrack to this game has legitimately been in my head for the last week. It just pops up with its simple melodies, asking me to think about it again. And who am I to refuse?

    It was a beautiful story told in a lovely way, and I'm definitely interested in playing more from this series. I've already gone back and played the two holiday minisodes it includes. They were pretty short and sweet - maybe 30 minutes each. There's two more games in the main series, and a sort of spinoff called A Bird story which is more experimental. I'm looking forward to playing each of them.

    A Short Hike

    This one wasn't at all what I expected. For some reason I thought it was going to be a simple, linear platforming adventure. But the beautiful art style, relaxing atmosphere, and surprising amount of things to do really drew me in. I went back and completed all the little things I'd missed last time. It's a very cute game.

    Blasphemous

    Blasphemous was also better than I expected. I'm probably about 2/3rds of the way through the game now, but I expect to finish it this week. I'm including it in this list not because it necessarily spoke to me on some deep level, or that I resonated with the story (which I still find rather cryptic), but because it had a specific vision and managed to deliver on it. And mechanically I just found it fun. Blasphemous borrows a lot from Souls games, but it does so thoughtfully and selectively. A lot of games will copy all mechanics without really considering if they actually work well for their specific game or not.

    While less standout, I also enjoyed playing Open Roads, Overgrowth, and Vault of the Void. DS3 Archthrones was also an incredible show of effort, but a total overhaul mod is a harder recommendation to make to a general audience.

    I think at this point I'll be happy to take a bit of a break while focusing on cleaning up what games I've still got unfinished. The Backlog Burners are extremely productive, but also leave me feeling a bit worn out. So I'm looking forward to simply doing nothing for a while.

    I don't think there were any dud categories. The only one I struggled with was "Has gravity manipulation", which is embarrassing because I originally suggested that category. There just weren't as many games that let you manipulate gravity as I'd first assumed.

    I did have a few ideas for new categories while playing. I'd like to see some that focus more on themes, like evolution, betrayal, desperation, or pride. I think these require a little thinking to execute on, but would have a lot of valid options and lend themselves well to explanation ("here's why I picked this game...").

    Another interesting category might be to play a demo or "prologue" experience, since that's a good way to try something new you otherwise wouldn't buy. Though it might clash a little with the idea of them being on an existing backlog.

    By the way, for anybody wanting to clear their bingo card (either to generate a new one, or just to clean up), they can do so by clicking [Edit Rules] at the top of the page, then the [Reset] button. This will delete all site data stored in the browser.

    Finally, before signing off, I'd just like to offer a huge final thank you to @kfwyre for putting this whole shebang together. Planning events like this can often take months of prep work, and the amount of effort that went into creating just the category list alone was herculean. I can't tell you how many revisions there were. Beyond that is creating the writeup for each week, engaging with everyone in the comments, and of course actually playing the games. Making a donation after all of that is just above and beyond. So that's a huge kudos from me. Thanks for putting so much into this.

    Also a big thank you to everyone who participated, either by playing games, sharing their thoughts, or just following along. Tildes has a strong community spirit, and I think that's because so many here are willing to give their all in everything they do. I love that about the community.

    I hope everybody has enjoyed the May Backlog Burner, and that we'll see you again next November.

    6 votes
    1. Thales
      Link Parent
      Blasphemous is awesome! As I wrote in a thread a couple years back: Not sure if you're aware but there's a sequel, Blasphemous 2, that was also fairly well-received! Haven't played it yet myself...

      Blasphemous
      Blasphemous was also better than I expected. I'm probably about 2/3rds of the way through the game now, but I expect to finish it this week. I'm including it in this list not because it necessarily spoke to me on some deep level, or that I resonated with the story (which I still find rather cryptic), but because it had a specific vision and managed to deliver on it. And mechanically I just found it fun. Blasphemous borrows a lot from Souls games, but it does so thoughtfully and selectively. A lot of games will copy all mechanics without really considering if they actually work well for their specific game or not.

      Blasphemous is awesome! As I wrote in a thread a couple years back:

      The artstyle for this game is gorgeous, one of my top 10 for any indie game. It's ignited an enduring ardour in me for weird saints, disturbing Catholic relics, and creepy Christian iconography.

      If anyone was scared away by the early reviews criticizing the game's controls and difficulty spikes, the dev team took that feedback and released a series of patches that mostly cleared up the issues. It's a very fluid, fun game now.

      (Though some of the side-quests and secret areas are absurdly obscure and difficult to find. Trying to 100% the game without a guide would be grueling).

      Not sure if you're aware but there's a sequel, Blasphemous 2, that was also fairly well-received! Haven't played it yet myself but I've had it in my wish-list for a while. (Maybe a good candidate for next year's backlog burner ;)).

      4 votes
  2. kfwyre
    (edited )
    Link
    My Final Bingo Card I got THREE bingo wins! Mode: Standard Winning Bingo! Finished 16/25 ✔ DIG - Deep in Galaxies A romhack or total conversion mod Has romanceable characters ✔ The Deadly Tower of...

    My Final Bingo Card

    I got THREE bingo wins!

    Mode: Standard Winning Bingo! Finished 16/25
    Has permadeath
    ✔ DIG - Deep in Galaxies    		 A romhack or total conversion mod Has romanceable characters “When the hell did I buy this?”
    ✔ The Deadly Tower of Monsters    		 Considered a disappointment
    ✔ Sonic Forces
    Focuses on exploration
    ✔ In Other Waters    		 Has no achievements Focuses on relationships Nominated for a GDC Award
    ✔ Oxenfree    		 You regret buying it
    You can complete it in one sitting
    ✔ Some Distant Memory    		 Came out more than 2 years ago
    ✔ The Enchanted Cave 2    		 ★ Wildcard
    ✔ Chop Goblins    		 Released in the year you joined Tildes
    ✔ Super Lucky’s Tale    		 From a different culture or country
    ✔ Rollerdrome
    Has a lives system
    ✔ Andro Dunos II    		 Has been banned, censored, or challenged You started it but never completed it Released before you were born
    ✔ Frogger    		 From a genre you don’t normally play
    Has campaign DLC
    ✔ Hacknet    		 Has driving An updated version (remake, re-release) of an older game
    ✔ Jak and Daxter (OpenGOAL)    		 Has a weather system
    ✔ V-Rally 4    		 Great reviews, but not your usual type
    ✔ BAD END THEATER

    Event Recap

    This was, in my opinion, far and away the best Backlog Burner we've ever had. I couldn't be happier with how it went. It was great to see consistent participation from many people across the weeks, and I loved following each person's individual backlog journey and reading everybody's updates.

    A cool part of the event for me is that I feel like I tried out more games than I actually did. Reading other people's writeups is sort of like sampling those games in a small way, so the event wasn't just me eating my own entree but also me tasting a little bit of what was on everyone else's plates.

    I didn’t share this with anyone before the event because I didn't want to affect anyone's intrinsic motivation for playing their games, but I pledged to myself to donate $1 per game played to AbleGamers. I am finally able to make good on that pledge and was so excited to give them a $99 donation (which came out to $101.97 because I covered the fees). I genuinely did not expect us to play that many games, but I'm SO happy we did!

    I have to give a special shoutout to @Wes who did an absolutely spectacular job with the Bingo site. It worked flawlessly and was a centerpole for the event. I don't think this Backlog Burner would have been nearly as successful without your efforts. Thank you for all the time and work you put into that.

    Overall, this has been a fantastic time, and I'm already excited for the next one in November. Big thanks to everyone who participated and made this such a delightful community event. I can play videogames from my backlog at any time, but it feels richer, more exciting, and more fun to do it alongside all of you.

    Below is a rundown of everything I played for the event, broken into categories by how much I liked them (sorted by the order I played them, not by preference). Each link goes to my individual write-up about that game.

    Standout Games

    Good Games

    Not-for-me Games

    Inspired by @Durinthal, here was my plan for filling the remaining squares:

    My Blackout Bingo Plan
    Mode: Standard Winning Bingo! Finished 25/25
    Has permadeath
    ✔ DIG - Deep in Galaxies    		 A romhack or total conversion mod
    ✔ Wolfenstein: Blade of Agony    		 Has romanceable characters
    ✔ Boyfriend Dungeon    		 “When the hell did I buy this?”
    ✔ The Deadly Tower of Monsters    		 Considered a disappointment
    ✔ Sonic Forces
    Focuses on exploration
    ✔ In Other Waters    		 Has no achievements
    ✔ Maize    		 Focuses on relationships
    ✔ Arcade Spirits    		 Nominated for a GDC Award
    ✔ Oxenfree    		 You regret buying it
    ✔ Road 96
    You can complete it in one sitting
    ✔ Some Distant Memory    		 Came out more than 2 years ago
    ✔ The Enchanted Cave 2    		 ★ Wildcard
    ✔ Chop Goblins    		 Released in the year you joined Tildes
    ✔ Super Lucky’s Tale    		 From a different culture or country
    ✔ Rollerdrome
    Has a lives system
    ✔ Andro Dunos II    		 Has been banned, censored, or challenged
    ✔ Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance    		 You started it but never completed it
    ✔ Firewatch    		 Released before you were born
    ✔ Frogger    		 From a genre you don’t normally play
    ✔ Signal Simulator
    Has campaign DLC
    ✔ Hacknet    		 Has driving
    ✔ Neon Drive    		 An updated version (remake, re-release) of an older game
    ✔ Jak and Daxter (OpenGOAL)    		 Has a weather system
    ✔ V-Rally 4    		 Great reviews, but not your usual type
    ✔ BAD END THEATER

    Some quick notes in case anyone cares:

    • When You regret buying it ended up on my card, I had to do some soul-searching, because I really don't regret buying any games (which I think is part of why my Steam library is so big). I realized that the only games I really regret buying are ones that I picked up right before they ended up in the monthly Humble Choice bundle. That's why I chose Road 96.
    • Yes, I started Firewatch in the past. No, I didn't complete it. I genuinely need to give it another go, because my incomplete opinion is that it's boring and massively overhyped. My want to return to it is significantly stronger now that I know that it beat out Oxenfree in two categories at the GDC Awards, and I liked Oxenfree a lot.
    • Signal Simulator ended up in the From a genre you don't normally play category because I'm not exactly sure what genre a radio astronomy operator horror game would even count as. I think the concept is very cool, but also aliens give me the willies, so will I ever actually play this or will it just sit on my backlog and continue to fill me with both interest and fear?

    So, there's a part of me that wants to just keep playing my card and going for the blackout even though the event is over, but there's another part of me that is very happy with how the event has gone and is fine with closing that door.

    I think I'm going to go with the closure, in part because there are a bunch of cool looking games I uncovered during this past month that I didn't play because they didn't fit my card. Now that June is here, I think it's time for some free choice!

    6 votes
  3. [4]
    kfwyre
    Link
    Pinging all previous Backlog Burner participants/conversationalists: here is the final topic! Notification List @aphoenix @brews_hairy_cats @CannibalisticApple @Carrow @Durinthal @Eidolon...

    Pinging all previous Backlog Burner participants/conversationalists: here is the final topic!

    Notification List @aphoenix @brews_hairy_cats @CannibalisticApple @Carrow @Durinthal @Eidolon @J-Chiptunator @Mendanbar @Notcoffeetable @semsevfor @Shevanel @Weldawadyathink @Wafik @Wes

    I want to make future Backlog Burners as good as they can be, so I welcome any feedback you want to give, either as a reply or by PM. In particular, I'm curious to know:

    • What did you like about the event and how it was run?
    • Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the event?
    • Are there any bingo categories you think should be added?
    • Are there any bingo categories that are duds and should be removed?
    • Do you have any feedback on the bingo site itself? (please ping @Wes in your answer if you respond to this)

    This is the last notification you will receive from me for this Backlog Burner. I will start a new list when we begin the one in November. Thank you all for participating!

    5 votes
    1. [2]
      Weldawadyathink
      Link Parent
      I had a really fun time! I definitely played some games that I wouldn’t have otherwise. I ended up disabling a few of the bingo goals, mostly around acquisition (I have no idea where I got most of...

      I had a really fun time! I definitely played some games that I wouldn’t have otherwise. I ended up disabling a few of the bingo goals, mostly around acquisition (I have no idea where I got most of my games), and the ones about foreign titles (I didn’t want to try and figure out where the devs are from), but I don’t think they are bad and should be removed.

      @Wes, I have one feature request for the website. I played golf, so much of my time was spent testing out different game combinations and leaving notes for myself. When I wanted to post my markdown, I had to either remove all my notes from the website or manually edit the markdown to remove my notes. So here is my request:

      Easy version: add a notes field to each bingo square. Have the notes not appear in the markdown.

      Hard version: be able to add games in general but not be tied to any specific bingo square. Then have a drag and drop interface to attach the games to specific bingo tiles (including different logic for bingo and golf as far as reusing games).

      Even if you don’t change anything, the site was really nice to use. Good job!

      5 votes
      1. Wes
        Link Parent
        Thanks, I'm glad you liked the app! I was thinking about a notes feature too. I kept a text file on the side during the Backlog Burner event to manage a list of possible games, and for jotting...

        Thanks, I'm glad you liked the app!

        I was thinking about a notes feature too. I kept a text file on the side during the Backlog Burner event to manage a list of possible games, and for jotting down some thoughts I had while playing to include in my writeups. I think making some of that possible within the app could make sense though.

        I'd like to take a little bit of a break because I went straight from working hard on the app to actually participating in the event, but I like the idea of a notes feature, and will try to include that ahead of the next event.

        Regarding the hard version, while I can definitely see the value in something like that, I think that's a lot tougher to do without complicating the UI. Especially on mobile, space is already at a premium and drag actions are difficult on the web (people expect that to scroll). I like the notes approach because it works for both standard and golf modes, and is a little more general purpose (different players might choose to use it for different things).

        Though I will say that there is already different logic for standard and golf modes. Golf lets you reuse game entries, but standard does not. Of course this can be overridden by customizing the specific game rules.

        Thanks for the suggestions!

        4 votes
    2. brews_hairy_cats
      Link Parent
      I don't have much to add, as others said, it was a great opportunity to experience a few titles vicariously, and add a few to my wishlist! Since I didn't mention it before, Rollerdrome was neat to...

      I don't have much to add, as others said, it was a great opportunity to experience a few titles vicariously, and add a few to my wishlist!

      Since I didn't mention it before, Rollerdrome was neat to hear about from someone who really enjoyed it, that being @kfwyre. I wanted to like it, but motion sickness prevented that for me, same with Jet Set Radio. It's great to understand on some level the positive feelings it evokes, without having to go through the motions

      2 votes
  4. Durinthal
    Link
    No new additions so just copying my card over: Durinthal's bingo card (15/25, 1x win) Mode: Standard Winning Bingo! Finished 15/25 ✔ Frostpunk ✔ Final Fantasy IV ✔ Stray Gods: The Roleplaying...

    No new additions so just copying my card over:

    Durinthal's bingo card (15/25, 1x win)
    Mode: Standard Winning Bingo! Finished 15/25
    Has survival mechanics
    ✔ Frostpunk    		 Considered a classic
    ✔ Final Fantasy IV    		 Music/rhythm-focused
    ✔ Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical    		 You can complete it in one sitting
    ✔ A Year of Springs    		 From a series you have played
    ✔ Final Fantasy III
    Uses a unique control scheme Has a campaign longer than 8 hours
    ✔ Super Robot Wars 30    		 Has gravity manipulation Light and dark play a role
    ✔ Slay the Princess    		 Is mostly text-based
    ✔ a new life.
    Uses procedural generation
    ✔ Death Must Die    		 Popular game you never got around to playing ★ Wildcard
    ✔ Hades II    		 You wanted it when you were younger Known for its difficulty
    ✔ Cuphead
    Set in a dungeon You chose it based on title alone
    ✔ 2064: Read Only Memories    		 Has a review score below 64 Recommended by someone IRL It’s already installed
    ✔ Storyteller
    Has a lives system You can create your own character You don't think you'll enjoy it
    ✔ LoveChoice    		 Has both combat and puzzles
    ✔ Blossom Tales 2    		 Has environmental storytelling

    Finished (5): A Year of Springs, Final Fantasy III, a new life., Storyteller, Blossom Tales 2

    Still playing (3): Final Fantasy IV, Super Robot Wars 30, Slay the Princess

    Shelved until later (4): Stray Gods, Death Must Die, Hades II, Cuphead

    Dropped (3): Frostpunk, 2064: Read Only Memories, LoveChoice

    I've played a handful of games in the past year (more than in the past several years before that) but this was still the most in a while. Only a few I'm completely done with but I'm fine going at a more relaxed pace for a while.

    Most Time: Hades II (25 hours) — In early access but already with more combat content than all of the first game, I could keep picking away at it now to start unlocking/upgrading some aspects but I think I'm happy waiting for the full release now that I've gotten a taste and have some other things to keep me occupied and I'll probably start again from the beginning then since I find it just plain fun to play.

    Most Surprising: Slay the Princess — I'm not really a fan of horror as a genre in any medium so I wasn't that sure if I'd like this in the first place, but this is more to my taste with an eerie psychological bent rather than something that gets the adrenaline going. I returned for another full round in the past couple of days and was delightfully surprised by some of the outcomes while continuing to love the writing and visuals all along the way. I'm still shy of halfway through all 97 achievements but this is one where I want to keep diving in until I find all the nooks and crannies.

    Overall I think it was a great success for me and I played a lot of things I definitely wouldn't have gotten to any time soon. I really enjoyed the bingo card format since that made me take a look at my library in ways I haven't before (never sorted by score, for example) and pick at things that I never gave much consideration to prior to this. Still have hundreds of other games that I haven't touched/finished yet so hopefully I'll be back for the next time now that I've participated once.

    5 votes
  5. aphoenix
    Link
    This was a great Backlog Burner. I already mentioned it, but the full game list, both by week and overall, was one of the top features for me. I really liked getting that breakdown right off the...

    This was a great Backlog Burner. I already mentioned it, but the full game list, both by week and overall, was one of the top features for me. I really liked getting that breakdown right off the top. The other stellar thing was the new Bingo card generator, which was just chefs kiss brilliant, both from a technical and content perspective. I don't have any real suggestions for how to improve it in a meaningful way for either the interface or the categories, which is a pretty big compliment as I am opinionated about both interfaces and content. Overall, it was a really wonderful event.

    I already posted a summary of my Bingo card games and I don't have a lot of further thoughts about those games yet. I did uninstall the Warhammer and Okami games, and I will keep playing Brothers and plan to return to Bendy. I did do some "bonus lap" games.

    Monster Train is a rogue-like deckbuilding tower defense game. I don't think it is as good as Slay the Spire, but it is still very good, and I will likely get a lot of mileage out of it. I like the replayability, and I have been enjoying the card design and concept as a whole. Overall a solid 4/5.

    Rollerdrome is one I'm just getting into after seeing it pop up on @kfwyre's list. It's got a similar control scheme to the OlliOlli games, and it adds in guns; I haven't gotten to the "badass" feel yet as kfwyre did but I can see getting there, and I will likely keep this installed as I have OlliOlli2, and revisit it with some frequency.

    Wandersong I reinstalled and played a few minutes of again to reacquaint myself with. I think I'll give this one another shot, because I didn't get very far into it the first time I tried it before turning it off and trying something else. It's another based on experiences from people in the TBLB (Tildes Back Log Burner), so I'm excited to give it another shot with fresh eyes.

    Another World - I grabbed a ROM of this, not the 20th anniversary edition, and I almost experienced a nostalgia overload.

    Sunless Skies - I reinstalled this and played about 30 minutes of it. I got relatively close, I think, to finishing it before and then just petered out, so I'm excited to try to pick it back up and close it out.

    5 votes
  6. [3]
    CannibalisticApple
    Link
    That one is on me, sorry! I've never seen the word "apologue" before (and my phone just tried to correct it to "apologie" so it's definitely a rare one), so I guess my brain just automatically...
    • It wasn’t until I compiled the final game list that I realized the game is called (the) Gnorp Apologue instead of Analogue

    That one is on me, sorry! I've never seen the word "apologue" before (and my phone just tried to correct it to "apologie" so it's definitely a rare one), so I guess my brain just automatically substituted an actual word. Oddly I'd even looked up the name to double-check which spelling of Analog/Analogue it was, so I really should have noticed.

    That aside, this was fun! I got to knock off a few games. I do think next time I'll be more picky with the bingo card though, or go for a golf car. I think I limited myself on what I'd play because I wanted to get at least one bingo. There's a couple games I wanted to play, but I was focused on clearing the column I'd started. Though that also meant I got to play some games I don't think I would have otherwise, namely Another World.

    I shared my thoughts on the games as I played them, so I won't mention them again. However, on the last day I ended my final update by saying I'd boot up Wizard of Legend because why not? If you remember, I got this one basically as an accident during the giveaways, so I went in mostly blind. So, I'll share my thoughts.

    I am... Not good at rogue likes. The most similar game I've played is Moonlighter, which is definitely a roguelite in comparison. With this one I had I think four or five tries, and I never got through the first floor of the dungeon. Clearly I have to make a more strategic build than the default starting arcana, and I'm wary of spending the currency given my funds are limited by my struggles. Already reset the game once after spending half the starting funds on an arcana I instantly didn't like.
    I may try it again later, but for now I'm putting that one to the side. That said, the tutorial was actually really fun and cool. I loved the museum aspect, it's a creative way to introduce all the concepts to the player without being overly annoying or hand-holdy. It made me think "Oh hey, this game might be surprisingly up my alley after all!" Heh. So, I'm glad I got to check it out just for that!

    Thanks for hosting! I'll definitely be joining the next one!

    4 votes
    1. [2]
      kfwyre
      Link Parent
      Nope, not you! I was familiar with the game before you mentioned it, and my brain fully read it as "Analogue." I even copy/pasted the name from Steam for the weekly recap (which had it correct as...

      That one is on me, sorry!

      Nope, not you! I was familiar with the game before you mentioned it, and my brain fully read it as "Analogue." I even copy/pasted the name from Steam for the weekly recap (which had it correct as "Apologue") and didn't notice the difference when I was staring right at it!

      A similar thing happened to me a few years ago. There's an old 90s story-driven game that I thought was called Planetscape: Torment. Turns out it isn't. I'd had the wrong name for it in my head for decades.

      2 votes
      1. CannibalisticApple
        Link Parent
        Guess it's on both of us then! Looking it up I found a couple other instances of people mixing up the title. Now I know a new word though, and the title makes much more sense. For anyone curious,...

        Guess it's on both of us then! Looking it up I found a couple other instances of people mixing up the title. Now I know a new word though, and the title makes much more sense. For anyone curious, apologue means "a moral fable".

        2 votes
  7. [3]
    J-Chiptunator
    (edited )
    Link
    J-Chiptunator's Final Backlog Bingo Card (14/25) Mode: Standard Bingo! Finished 14/25 Has less than 13 achievements ✔ Bastion Great reviews, but not your usual type ✔ Retro City Rampage DX ✔ Baten...
    J-Chiptunator's Final Backlog Bingo Card (14/25)
    Mode: Standard Bingo! Finished 14/25
    Has less than 13 achievements Recommended by someone on Tildes
    ✔ Bastion    		 Great reviews, but not your usual type You got from a bundle
    ✔ Retro City Rampage DX    		 Randomness determines your fate
    ✔ Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean
    Is one of the oldest games you own
    ✔ Choplifter    		 Has a moody vibe Not found on any distribution service Is beatable without killing any enemies Has aliens
    ✔ Alien 3
    Known for its impact on gaming
    ✔ Portal    		 From a genre you find challenging ★ Wildcard
    ✔ Super Mario Bros. Wonder    		 Features a mystery
    ✔ The Longest Journey    		 Light and dark play a role
    You can complete it in only a few hours
    ✔ Enduro Racer    		 Has a weather system
    ✔ Animal Crossing: New Leaf    		 Has a fishing minigame Has driving
    ✔ Jak II    		 Uses a unique control scheme
    Is mostly text-based
    ✔ Radical Dreamers - Le Trésor Interdit -    		 Focuses on exploration
    ✔ Neutopia II    		 Considered a cult classic
    ✔ Asura's Wrath    		 From a different culture or country Has time manipulation
    My last game writeups as promised, because I played them at the last few hours of May 2024

    Enduro Racer

    Imagine the 2D sidescroller motorcycle racing of Excitebike, but this time on a slightly off-angle isometric perspective and temporary motorcycle upgrades purchasable at the end of each track.

    That sums up the Master System port of Enduro Racer, an endurance-based racer that’s certainly beatable way under 20 minutes on a good-enough run of 5 tracks repeated twice. Which I did, albeit with savestates courtesy of Master EverDrive X7 used only to restart the beginning of each checkpoint.

    Some people will insist on always avoiding ramps as often as possible, but this overlooks the speed boost and gap clearing potential benefited from popping a wheelie and then releasing the down button upon hitting these slopes. It’s much easier to pull these off using a controller with a plus-shaped D-Pad over the Master System one, as the latter’s flattened square pad is prone to trigger diagonal inputs that stops wheelies.

    As for the motorcycle upgrades, I recommend getting the Engine one, since the increased top speed can allow for soaring over quite a good chunk of obstacles off from a ramp, as well of overtaking nearly twice the amount of vehicles for more points to spend at upgrades. It’s also a lot of fun speeding through incredibly fast and seeing a big amount of excess time being carried over to the next race on top of the mandatory 60 seconds extension, albeit capped at 99 seconds.

    One aspect of the upgrade I dislike is the moment motorcycle takes too much damage, crashes or fall, they all get stripped out. Particularly annoying during some stages with its numerous obstacles are more plentiful and has a tendency of having the racetrack hugging on the rightmost edge of screen eating a lot of view up ahead.

    These design choice alongside with increased contestants on the already tricky 10th and final track made the opponent racer’s behavior impossible to react to at times, leading to unfair and curse-worthy moments.

    Apparently, the bigger ROM size of its Sega Mark III version (Japanese) replaces 5 reused tracks with 5 extra ones with in its own rearranged track lineup. But regardless, this doesn’t change the fact tight track design and heightened stakes are what make Enduro Racer a thrilling ride even at short bursts.

    Alien 3 - Sega Genesis

    How do I answer the Has alien category? With the aptly named Alien 3 of course! This tough 2D sidescrolling Sega Genesis adaptation of the movie tie-in revolves around rescuing all prisoners through labyrinthine stages before scouring for an exit. I went with the easy difficulty to extend the still strict timer and set the amount of lives to 9, although it’ll be missing an optional score bonus.

    The alien soldiers that populates throughout the game are nimble enough to move on and off-screen to the point of needing to shoot some ammo at every step or so to avoid being blindsided. Sometimes they lay themselves down, which requires crouching to even be able to hit on them unless when using hand grenades.

    After playing the few levels out of dozens and watching a YouTube video of a much later progression in the game, there isn’t much variety to be found between the levels. And thus, the gameplay quickly becomes repetitive.

    I’ve got many games to go through, so I’m far from being compelled to finish this movie tie-in. The rock and techno soundtrack from Matt Furniss, although unfitting to the ambient horror vibe it’s known for, is a banger particularly with the standout being Stage 4. Somehow, I kept thinking that one soundfont came from a cartoony 16-bit penguin walking.

    A great CRT filter like the aperture grill combined with horizontal scanlines and HDR injection output out of my Morph with a RetroTINK-5x Pro daisy-chained into made the drooling alien stage card spritework look more detailed. I’m impressed even with the RGB input, known for being the cleanest among 240p/480i analog signals.

    Animal Crossing: New Leaf

    I was initially going with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for having a weather system in place, notable for its rainy ones breaking the game’s pacing a bit too often. But then, I found myself wanting some Animal Crossing nostalgia fix that also fits in this category, so I went with arguably the best entry in the franchise, New Leaf.

    It’s a life simulation game that’s not only a culmination of content and ideas from past instalments, but also adds way more on its own to further convince that this second life is worth living through. Most notably the only appearance of many minigames, including a full-fledged version of Puzzle League and Desert Island Escape.

    Despite the suddenly entrusted mayor role prominently touted as a main selling point, we only get to erect buildings and landmarks (aka Public Work Projects) and set one of the four ordinances that affect the way the game works. Having such a limited customization capability works in favor of the game, as the point of the franchise is simply cohabiting with villagers, quirks and all.

    This was further enhanced by fact I played the Japanese version of the game nearly 7 months preceding its international launch. Dealing with a completely different language alongside with tonnes of new additions really made me feel like I moved to a completely different world, with myself having memorized most of the hiragana and katakana letters through painstakingly translating Gulliver’s unique manner of speech.

    Sadly, New Horizons has undermined the appeal of cohabitation with villagers due to bringing too much agency on customization, mainly the powerful terraforming tools to alter much of the landscape and forcing overly saccharine villagers to move to a different spot. It’s a few steps too close at dictating how they conduct their lives.

    The mainstay tools even started to break beyond just the axes, as to encourage using the game’s engaging and varied crafting system. It constantly disrupts the flow the game even with the customization kit exploit, as I always have to count how many uses each individual tool has. That becomes stressful, which diminishes the franchise’s well-established relaxing vibe. And it’s still never fully addressed even after progressing much further into the island, obtaining the golden tools that actually break and a paltry chance of temporary durability boon from Katrina’s stand at Harv’s Island. Thankfully, New Leaf is spared from all of it.

    Like every other instalment that came before, it also has rain that brings quite a few advantages. Being able to catch the elusive and pricey coelacanth fish, instantly watering all flowers to prevent wilting and significantly increasing odds of growing a hybrid flower, and spawning buried gyroids the following day. That didn’t happen tonight at my launch day town, Poutine.

    After waking up from a month-long slumber (or rather, 5+ years), I’ve sold some ores at premium prices in the recycling shop, danced around at Club LOL, and cleared out unwanted flowers, weeds, clovers. I also took forever to find the Epona villager until I realized she really was literally nowhere to be found.

    Yes, I instinctively check every villager on a daily basis to see if any is considering moving, and I prevented Gaston from actually doing it after I said something along the lines of “no”. I purposefully keep every single personality in existence so to get every Public Work Projects quicker, alongside with waiting 5 minutes or so for a villager to ping on me. I’ve managed to get nearly all of them, and I still had to go through lots of repetitive and unrelated dialog boxes.

    Asura’s Wrath

    Asura’s Wrath is one of the cases where style trumps over function that might’ve not impressed the western critics as much as the Japanese ones back in 2012, but has managed to captivate quite a cult following.

    This action and cinematic game consists of run-of-the-mill rail shooting and ground combat segments, alongside with truck load of Quick Time Event (QTE) button prompts, at least on Easy difficulty. To rely on these to judge a game like I did in the past would be dismissing the numerous stylistic choices that went into turning the game into a very interactive and epic anime as mere cosmetics.

    Among them, we have camera angles that emphasize the emotion characters are conveying (more specifically wrath), high stakes storyline and the sheer volume of life-threatening threats compared to human-sized but ludicrously strong characters. All of these are structured episodically, even down to ~20 minutes length and intermission cards.

    So far I’m impressed, but I still have to play more than just the first episode to further shape my opinions.

    Choplifter

    Get to da choppa! Sorry, I couldn’t resist…

    Along with several other games I got for my recently purchased Master System, Choplifter is among them and is one of the oldest games I currently own. Originally published in 1982 on Apple II by Broderbund, Sega managed to port its 1985 coin-op arcade version to its latest 8-bit home console in 1986. Graphically and gameplay wise, this impressive conversion remained largely identical to its source material.

    The objective for each level is to bring at least 20 prisoners to your base, or 40 to trigger instant stage clear, all while not taking too long to the point of running out of fuel. It only takes one hit to the helicopter to crash and burn, as does with a too abrupt landing while trying to board prisoners.

    Controlling the helicopter is rather unintuitive. In order to turn around, the 2 button must be held and not merely tapped. Otherwise, it’ll switch between weapons, with the bomb only being useful at dispatching the tanks that appear while boarding prisoners.

    The square-shaped D-Pad only serve to strafe the vehicle, which is useful for continuing at shooting at one direction while moving. Its touchiness stems from the fact it doesn’t take long for the momentum to build up and become much harder to stop it, and therefore trickier to dodge the enemies and bullets.

    While the helicopter advances forward, it’ll shoot at a downward angle instead of straight ahead, ideal for taking down machines below the vehicle but struggles at hitting elsewhere. For that reason, I wouldn’t advise trying to hit any aircraft that’s hovering more than a bit above the ground.

    I really should get some kind of NES to DB-9 pin adapter for tough cookie games like Choplifter to take advantage of the much more stable D-Pad. I kept dying on the first level because of this alongside with its kinda steep learning curve striking right from the get go, but it got a promising gameplay loop. So for now, it’ll be shelved.

    Super Mario Bros. Wonder

    Finally, a brand-new entry to the real deal 2D platforming after a decade of no-show. This is my choice for the wildcard spot, and I did play it around the time of my first few bingo card spots. You might’ve already seen some of my points being touched on by someone else on Tildes in one of the weekly recurring What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? topics.

    The latest Super Mario Bros. instalment is a 2D sidescrolling hop and bop platformer that focuses more on providing elements of surprise. Not just the tried-and-true level design philosophy of the past 2D Mario games that’s largely reliant on reaching from point A to B, but also ones we’ve never seen before outside the Super Mario Maker sub-series.
    Some more successful at achieving what they set out to do and impact the game’s appeal than others, like the ones teaching how to use the newly-included badges that alters abilities or add another one.

    I also find that controlling Mario here is a notch snappier than the rest of the Super Mario Bros. series, perhaps outside of Super Mario World and its twitchy movement that many ROM hacks took advantage of. It does wonders to contribute to the tighter platforming feel that makes the tougher levels even more enjoyable.

    Part of what made the New Super Mario Bros. series rather sterile is how it’s just content on mostly reusing assets from the Wii era with just enough touch-ups to justify making a new game out of these. Wonder took the aesthetics playbook from the CRT era of 2D Mario and applied to 3D characters and set pieces, by abusing camera perspective tricks and exaggerating character expressions. It effectively livens up the game’s world by a lot.

    Portal

    The original Portal, a hit 3D puzzle-platform game initially thrown in the Orange Box compilation as a bonus that would go on becoming the influential highlight over the classic Half-Life 2 with both Episode DLCs and Team Fortress 2. In less than 4 years, the cultural icon also gets its own and pretty much the only sequel.

    As a console gamer, this is my first time experiencing with keyboard and mouse with a typical shooter control scheme on an actual game, despite regularly using these devices for other purposes. The pinpoint accuracy of mouse pointer proved to be extremely helpful on generating portals exactly where I wanted to warp to.

    The lateral thinking puzzles in the game involve clever usages of blue and orange portal generator that can be plopped any white-colored floor, wall and ceiling to create a literal gateway between the two areas. The minimalistic amount of set pieces found in the game alongside with the player character’s velocity complement with the main game mechanic by giving some nice degree of complexity.

    I’m almost at the end of the main campaign, and one complaint I have about the game so far. In some places of the first turret puzzle, I couldn’t see what’s ahead of me. Despite the past levels had conditioned me to examine my surroundings, I was pretty much forced to Leeroy Jenkins my way through bullets here and die in the trial and error process.

    Last month was when I had my first ever Backlog Burner, and it was a success at getting myself a good excuse for discovering games I would've overlooked otherwise. Due to a combination of my randomizer’s stingy RNG and my own procrastinating tendencies, I wasn’t able to get a single winning line despite going through 14 games.

    My games rule operated in Standard Game Mode similar to a typical physical bingo card, with the win condition bring filling either a row, column or diagonal of 5 tiles. I then let the randomizer deciding the exact game order to play, and had a few possible wins with one or more tiles away.

    If I pushed myself further through like what the RNG wants me to, that would be 3 more to fill a winning diagonal line. Those games are Stardew Valley, Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition and Pocket Card Jockey in that order.

    The star tile located in the middle acts as a wildcard reserved for any game of my choice without any specific category. This is the only spot I get to decide when I’ll play, so it functionally acts as a free tile.

    I spent some time thinking of possible games before allowing certain categories to be generated on my bingo card. No duplicate and similar ones are allowed on my bingo card, given the sheer amount of my backlog that hasn’t been cleared.

    Before starting my bingo card for real, I came up with a well-balanced variety of genres as far as my backlog goes to expand my gaming tastes beyond platforming and Animal Crossing. That way, I ended up discovering plenty of games that appealed to me, helping reinforce my love for my gaming and finding some duds to further appreciate the better games. Here's what I got:

    Standout games (2): Bastion, Portal
    Good enough to continue (6): Radical Dreamers - Le Trésor Interdit, Baiten Kaitos, Jak II, The Longest Journey, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Asura’s Wrath
    Still good, but shelved (4): Enduro Racer (finished with save states), Retro City Rampage DX, Animal Crossing: New Leaf (finished), Choplifter
    Dropped (2): Neutopia II, Alien 3 – Sega Genesis
    Planned, but didn’t reach (11): Stardew Valley, Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition, Pocket Card Jockey, ARMS, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, Wave Race: Blue Storm, Chrono Trigger, Okami HD, Dead Cells, ‘Splosion Man, LIMBO

    And here's a look at what my backlog bingo card could've been if fully completed
    Mode: Standard Winning Bingo! Finished 25/25
    Has less than 13 achievements
    ✔ 'Splosion Man    		 Recommended by someone on Tildes
    ✔ Bastion    		 Great reviews, but not your usual type
    ✔ Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition    		 You got from a bundle
    ✔ Retro City Rampage DX    		 Randomness determines your fate
    ✔ Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean
    Is one of the oldest games you own
    ✔ Choplifter    		 Has a moody vibe
    ✔ LIMBO    		 Not found on any distribution service
    ✔ Wave Race : Blue Storm    		 Is beatable without killing any enemies
    ✔ Pocket Card Jockey    		 Has aliens
    ✔ Alien 3
    Known for its impact on gaming
    ✔ Portal    		 From a genre you find challenging
    ✔ Dead Cells    		 ★ Wildcard
    ✔ Super Mario Bros. Wonder    		 Features a mystery
    ✔ The Longest Journey    		 Light and dark play a role
    ✔ The Legend of Zelda : A Link Between Worlds
    You can complete it in only a few hours
    ✔ Enduro Racer    		 Has a weather system
    ✔ Animal Crossing: New Leaf    		 Has a fishing minigame
    ✔ Stardew Valley    		 Has driving
    ✔ Jak II    		 Uses a unique control scheme
    ✔ ARMS
    Is mostly text-based
    ✔ Radical Dreamers - Le Trésor Interdit -    		 Focuses on exploration
    ✔ Neutopia II    		 Considered a cult classic
    ✔ Asura's Wrath    		 From a different culture or country
    ✔ Okami HD    		 Has time manipulation
    ✔ Chrono Trigger

    And that pretty much concludes my last month's Backlog Burner run. I'll check out the remaining games in the coming days and then finish the ones I deem worthy of my time, alongside dropping my writeups on a certain weekly gaming thread. Maybe I'll also generate another bingo card with the same rulesets, but this time over the course of 3 months and with the requirement of beating a game to fill out a space.

    See you guys on the November Backlog Burner event!

    4 votes
    1. [2]
      Wes
      Link Parent
      Great write-up. Thanks for including so much detail of your process. I'd love to give Animal Crossing another go and see how the formula has evolved. I played the version for the GameCube years...

      Great write-up. Thanks for including so much detail of your process.

      I'd love to give Animal Crossing another go and see how the formula has evolved. I played the version for the GameCube years ago, which I think was a port from an N64 version. I've heard some complaints that New Horizons is too slow, and that a lot of content is time-gated, so maybe New Leaf is indeed the way to go.

      I love that people are still discovering Portal for the first time in 2024. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! Funny enough, I first tried the game on a console. As a PC gamer, I was extremely unfamiliar with controller-based inputs and had trouble with the final boss (I had 0 seconds remaining when I finished). You made the opposite journey and needed to learn PC controls, which I'm sure also took some getting used to. Really it's a testament to Valve's design that the game was accessible in both form factors, even to absolute beginners.

      Thanks for participating, and see you next November!

      3 votes
      1. J-Chiptunator
        Link Parent
        The twin stick configuration that's standardized since the 6th video game generation of home consoles definitely isn't ideal for quick precision aiming, particularly if the reticle moves slowly....

        The twin stick configuration that's standardized since the 6th video game generation of home consoles definitely isn't ideal for quick precision aiming, particularly if the reticle moves slowly. That's where the IR pointer of the Wii remote and especially the motion sensor/right stick combo of the 8-9th gen controllers excels at, although I'm unsure if the latter is frequently used outside of Nintendo.

        Moving a playable with the WASD/Arrow keys in a 3D environment certainly took me a while to adjust to, even near the end of Portal's main campaign. I did eventually rely on pressing up while changing the camera's direction with the mouse to adjust the direction she's going to, unless when I need to keep facing at one direction while moving.

        1 vote
  8. [2]
    Eidolon
    Link
    Unfortunately I haven't had time to update you all as the month went by, and didn't have much time to game either. I did however get to playing all the games along one bingo line, and finished...

    Unfortunately I haven't had time to update you all as the month went by, and didn't have much time to game either. I did however get to playing all the games along one bingo line, and finished one. Here they are:

    Finished game:

    Mýrdalssandur, Iceland [Game created by a solo dev]

    This was one of those 'how the hell did this get into my Steam library' moments. After looking into it, I would have picked it up for free, and it is no longer on the Steam store. It's a photography simulator based on the southern plains of Iceland. The landscape is rugged, a little misty and you don't have a map. Designed in Unreal Engine 4, the visual style is realism.

    The aim of the game is to visit the sites of photos that are laid out on the guide-board to the area. You have to orientate your way around and look for the visual signatures that are in the photos. Being in the rough area and taking an image makes a little satisfying bell sound.

    You can walk around paths that curve their way through the natural features, but you can't just run across the landscape as you'll run into invisible walls. There are plenty of occluded sights when you find little pathways and deviations from the main area. I did get lost but it was satisfying roaming around. Once I got my snaps a gate opened, and I could enter the next area - this time in gorgeous sunset. I won't spoil the ending, but it was an impressive still shot. It took around an hour and twenty minutes to finish the game, so it was a bit easy perhaps, but it really was a tranquil experience, especially with the subtle soundtrack featuring soft piano. It now looks like it was a test project, as the developer is releasing a new game called 'Lushfoil Photography Sim' which covers 10 landscape areas. I've wishlisted it!

    Partially finished games:

    Outer Wilds [Game you purchased at full price]

    I'm in the late stages of the game but I gave up because I got too scared. Yes, that might sound a bit funny but this game gave me the existential horrors. I hate it and love it at the same time, and I do highly recommend and rate it. It's been sitting unplayed for over a year now, so I think it qualifies as being on the backlog. This one was a bit of a fail, as I've been using a different mouse, and it turns out that the game forces hardware acceleration, and so I couldn't move the camera very fast. I did persist a bit but this resulted in some avoidable deaths and I will have to search out a new mouse before I get back to this one.

    Hellion [Abandonware]

    Hellion is the only game on my bingo sheet that qualifies as abandonware. I picked it up on Steam when it was released by the developers for free after they canned the project. It's subsequently been removed from Steam but survives in a very passionate mod community under the banner of the Hellion Rescue Project. It's a first-person Space survival game where you pilot a ship to visit stations and gather resources.

    I tried the base game even though I knew it would have its quirks and bugs. You start by having to navigate a dysfunctioning space installation and you have to make an escape. This includes periods of anti-gravity where it's not easy to get around, but coming from an X4 spacesuit context, it wasn't so bad. I made it out of the base and got into a ship before making my way to another nearby station, and trawling through it. Rinse repeat, and I was starting to get the gist of the game, but didn't get deep into it.

    Hellion is held up as being somewhat of a unique entity and a lost gem in Space games, which is why it had piqued my interest. It looks aesthetically like a low-budget Starfield, and reminds me of Elite Dangerous Odyssey and Empyrion. I didn't get far enough into the game to really understand why it has such a cult following. Who knows, maybe that's a task for November ;)

    X3 Albion Prelude [Game with time manipulation]

    This game qualifies because it involves a tool called SETA that allows you to speed up time. X4 was my introduction to the series, and I arrived pretty late in the piece after the Split DLC had dropped. So I missed a lot of that teething period and honestly haven't encountered that many bugs - and so it's pretty much my favourite contemporary space game. I'm currently waiting for the new DLC and update to drop, so it was the perfect time to look at the X3 series, which is highly regarded. After sifting through some recommendations I landed on Albion Prelude. It is an add-on to the base game Terran Conflict, but you start a new save.

    As to be expected, I was thrown into the deep end and found myself grasping at controls and the intricate and confusing menu system. Not too far into the game, an AI ship crashed into a station - classic Egosoft. As a sandbox, the game is what you make of it. I'm only in the very beginning, but am really enjoying it so far. I don't know yet whether I'll get much playtime, but it's gone from backburner to frontburner!

    Sekiro [A game you find challenging]

    Like others who discovered Fromsoftware through Elden Ring, I found Sekiro. I think the difficulty of Sekiro is part of its attraction and why it is held out by Fromsoftware geeks as being in its own league. I honestly doubt I will finish this game. I am just not good at fast-paced melee co-ordination with a sword and board, let alone parrying which this entire game is built around. So, during this month, I started the game and then got stuck, and then persisted, focusing on two early game mini boss fights: the Chained Ogre and General Naomori Kawarada.

    I managed to down both of them, using different tactics, dodging for the ogre and parrying in close range with Kawarada. I failed miserably on many attempts but it was satisfying to get a bit better. Then, I somehow got into the rhythm and dance of the fight and finished them. It was a bit of a rush, getting into that groove and balancing restraint with aggression. I'm pretty happy with that, and I'll keep plodding on.

    So, that's my bingo sheet! Some of these games ticked off other categories too: Set in a real-world location; ; from a different culture/country; from a different country (Mýrdalssandur, Iceland), Long-running series (X3 Albion Prelude).

    Thank you for having me along - it's been a bit of a stressful month and I really appreciate being able to still dip into this event. Big thank you to @kfwyre and I look forward to future events!

    4 votes
    1. kfwyre
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      I'm happy that you were able to find some time to game in your busy month, and the fact that you were still able to get a bingo is very cool! I updated the main post with your additions -- you...

      I'm happy that you were able to find some time to game in your busy month, and the fact that you were still able to get a bingo is very cool!

      I updated the main post with your additions -- you helped us hit some pretty cool milestones!

      The biggest was that you pushed us over 100 games completed! When I saw before that we had stopped at 99, I was simultaneously floored that we had played so many but also a tiny bit bummed that we were only one game short of an extra digit. No need for me to fret anymore though -- you got us that digit!

      You also knocked another letter off of our remaining alphabet list. We now have a game starting with X thanks to you playing X3! You also brought the average games played per person to a nice, round 8.0.

      Thanks for participating in the event! I hope this following month is less stressful for you.

      2 votes
  9. [3]
    Carrow
    Link
    I phased out for the last week, in part due to life stuff getting me down, in part because I didn't really play a backlog game. I would like to summarize my experience because it has been a...

    I phased out for the last week, in part due to life stuff getting me down, in part because I didn't really play a backlog game. I would like to summarize my experience because it has been a positive one.

    The event got me to play a bunch of different games where I may have only played a couple this month. I have a bad habit of feeling the need to stick through media, this event helped free me both from that and a certain associated anxiety with starting a game, if that makes any sense. I had several games I decided not to finish, but still appreciated my time with them. Maybe they just didn't vibe with me at the time, maybe I'll return, but who cares? I could probably play a new, quality game every week for the rest of my life and still miss out on tons. Steam has had some good sales lately, I don't think my actual backlog shrunk lol.

    In summary, out of my backlog, I played: Umurangi Generation, Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, BattleBit Remastered, GNOG, DAEMON X MACHINA, Chill Corner, Ghost of Tsushima, and Dominion.

    But I also played a bunch of other new games in the last week, like Hexcells, Hexcells Plus, Hexcells Infinite, Square Cells, Cross Cells, Sokobond, and No Anglerfish (the puzzle sale got me good). I don't think I would've picked up or played all these without the event.

    As for logistics, thanks for running the event @kfwyre. I often appreciate what you bring to the community in terms of topics and engagement. No notes, the weekly posts and reminder tags were great.

    I didn't really engage with the bingo aspect, didn't incidentally complete one even between my phone and PC cards. It's a neat site deserving of praise @Wes. Despite not completing a card, I don't think any categories need removing since you can toggle them.

    4 votes
    1. [2]
      Wes
      Link Parent
      I'm actually the same way. I'm often hesitant to start something new because it feels like a commitment. Especially for a large series like Yakuza or Final Fantasy, it feels like starting them is...

      I have a bad habit of feeling the need to stick through media, this event helped free me both from that and a certain associated anxiety with starting a game, if that makes any sense.

      I'm actually the same way. I'm often hesitant to start something new because it feels like a commitment. Especially for a large series like Yakuza or Final Fantasy, it feels like starting them is taking on a massive weight.

      However, that's why I appreciate that the Backlog Burner doesn't put a huge emphasis on finishing. It's just about trying things, and seeing what works for you and what doesn't. I feel more comfortable sampling a new game or genre to see if it fits my style or not.

      I think for me it's a bit of an OCD tendency I need to get over. I still find myself choosing smaller games for these events (roguelikes, shorter adventure titles), but I applaud those that choose massive JRPGs or similar as their backlog titles.

      I'm still trying to find that balance myself, and will probably continue to do so for a while. I may end up playing fewer titles for the next burner, but try to be more daring in choosing longer games instead. There's a lot I've been putting off that I think I'd enjoy.

      So in that case, it might actually be better to play a game of golf then, which encourages fewer games that cover more aspects. Will see how I'm feeling come November. :)

      4 votes
      1. kfwyre
        Link Parent
        An idea I've juggled in the past is having the Backlog Burner be "scored" by time rather than (or possibly in addition to) titles. I do feel like our current model nudges people to play shorter...

        An idea I've juggled in the past is having the Backlog Burner be "scored" by time rather than (or possibly in addition to) titles. I do feel like our current model nudges people to play shorter games. This has its benefits for sure, but it also doesn't necessarily fit everyone's desired playstyles.

        I haven't figured out exactly how to roll that out in a way that's satisfying, but I'm open to ideas. The closest I've got is a 1 hour = 1 point system, so that a 20 hour RPG nets the same points as five 4 hour games. It feels a little clumsy to me though, since it would require people to track their playtimes and account for partial hours and whatnot (but maybe that's all part of the fun?).

        2 votes
  10. Shevanel
    Link
    I managed to get one more entry on the board without ever making a post about it before the end of the month, so I'll copy my card over with the new addition: Shevanel's Bingo card Mode: Standard...

    I managed to get one more entry on the board without ever making a post about it before the end of the month, so I'll copy my card over with the new addition:

    Shevanel's Bingo card
    Mode: Standard Bingo! Finished 6/25
    Has a skill tree
    ✔ Yakuza Kiwami    		 From a series you have never played
    ✔ Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath HD    		 You can complete it in only a few hours
    ✔ Chop Goblins    		 You got it for free
    ✔ Curse of D'Sparil (Heretic WAD)    		 Is beatable without killing any enemies
    Great reviews, but not your usual type Features a mystery Focuses on exploration It’s already installed
    ✔ Astroneer    		 From a genre you don’t normally play
    Has driving Has a non-human protagonist ★ Wildcard Released in the year you joined Tildes
    ✔ Returnal (PC)    		 Considered a cult classic
    Popular game you never got around to playing Someone else has played it for their Backlog Burner Has no achievements Has a cozy vibe Uses at most three buttons
    Owned for more than 2 years Set in a dungeon Has a lives system Has a review score above 94 An updated version (remake, re-release) of an older game

    I've had a bit of a hellish time at work as of late; nothing too bad, just very busy, and all is good now, but I unfortunately fell off of Bingo (and all of Tildes) for the last three-ish weeks. Though it's partially my own undoing that the back half of week 3 going into 4 wasn't more productive, as I could NOT stop playing Returnal. I would guess that I'm maybe 75-80% of the way to a platinum, and I've really enjoyed the journey. Combine that with my continued efforts to perfect my DLC build for Elden Ring, and getting any farther in my card was a losing battle.

    That said, immense "thank you"s to both @kfwyre and @Wes for your time and effort to put this all on! I had a ton of fun, both in forcing myself to dig into my own backlog, and chatting with others about theirs. I think this experience also helped me view some of my backlog items in a new light. I have several games that have been sitting out there forever, and I keep telling myself, "I really should play that game. It's a game I should enjoy because of its (status in the zeitgeist/Metacritic score/subject matter), so I'm going to buckle down and it enjoy it, dammit." Forcing myself to pull some of those games out and dive into them has made me realize that it's okay for me to bounce off a game, even if others like it, and even if it really is something of which I enjoy bits and pieces, if it's not something into which I want to invest the time needed for that given game. In a strange way, it actually makes me a lot more excited to keep grabbing more entries out of my backlog (maybe I'll just keep working towards blackout on my own time), content with the knowledge that if (and when) I run into a game that doesn't grab me, I can set it down and move on with my life. Looking forward to the next one in November!!

    4 votes
  11. semsevfor
    Link
    I only played one game for this backlog burner because I don't have a ton of time to play games at this time in my life, but I did go for something I have been putting off for 14 years and I...

    I only played one game for this backlog burner because I don't have a ton of time to play games at this time in my life, but I did go for something I have been putting off for 14 years and I finally played and finished StarCraft 2. I wrote down my thoughts in my backlog spreadsheet:

    Fantastic all around. Story was amazing and a great continuation of SC1. Wrapped up everything nicely with a surprisingly happy ending. Gameplay was phenomenal and really had an interesting twist on the RTS genre by adding the RPG elements in between missions by completing the bonus objectives. Everything about it was just great. Only downside was a few too many "holdout" missions for my taste, but overall I can't complain. Love this game. Sad at myself that I waited so long to finally play it, but so glad I finally did. I expect this will be the end of the series because they wrapped up the story pretty damn well and not sure where they could take it next, especially with no Raynor or Kerrigan. You can't have Starcraft without them. All in all a great ending to a great story and franchise. Beautiful. Masterpiece.

    4 votes
  12. Mendanbar
    Link
    I fell off the burner pretty early, but per the rules I have no regrets. 🙂 My nephews asked me to set up a Minecraft server for them, so I spent a lot of this month thoroughly enjoying my time...

    I fell off the burner pretty early, but per the rules I have no regrets. 🙂

    My nephews asked me to set up a Minecraft server for them, so I spent a lot of this month thoroughly enjoying my time adventuring with them and finding cool and interesting mods and datapacks to install.

    Additionally, there were updates for a couple of my other favorite games (No Man's Sky and Planet Crafter), so I was understandably distracted. I will still 100% attempt to participate in the next event, as it was a lot of fun while I was engaged.

    3 votes