I tend to dismiss the idea of a New Year’s Resolution, but there is something to the feeling of starting something new at the start of a new year. My New Year’s Resolution for 2016 is not overly complex or life changing. My New Year’s Resolution is to simply play through my game backlog. Over the years I have amassed a catalog of games that I want to play, but I have not taken the time to enjoy yet. I am not very good at finishing games, and I am tired of spending money on buying new ones before enjoying what I have. I want to change that.

That is what Brett’s Backlog Blitz is all about - enjoying what I have. Every week I am going to try to write a blog post summarizing what I played, how I feel about it, and if I am going to keep on playing those games. Along the way, I am going to limit the games I buy to a predetermined list that have some stipulations. I want to also share what games I do end up buying.

Along with the blog posts, my Backloggery is where I will do more granular updates and keep track of my backlog. Most of my backlog is present on my Backloggery, but I may be missing some digital games. I doubt I will get through my whole backlog in 2016, but I will try my best. Also, a lot of the games I own are 20+ hour JRPGs, which can be a bit difficult to back-to-back, so I may let some be for future years.

Rules

These are the ground rules that I am going to try to follow:

  • Write a blog post each week, published on Sunday, reviewing the week of games I played and how the blitz is going.
  • If I am not enjoying a game, I will set it to Null in Backloggery and move on. Life is too short to play games I am not enjoying.
  • At most I will only buy one new game a month. This will prevent my backlog from growing a bunch throughout the year.
  • If I own the same game on different platforms without cross-save, I will probably not play the game on all the platforms I own it on. In my Backloggery, I will set the platforms I did not play the game on to Null.
  • Games I get via PlayStation Plus (PS+) may get added to my backlog if I am interested in playing them. I am not going to count them against my buying one game a month goal.

Games I Know I Want

Going into 2016, I know there are some games that I really want to play and enjoy. These are games that I am definitely going to buy and play.

  • Fire Emblem Fates - February - I dug Awakening, which I played through most of when it came out, and I am looking forward to Fates. I doubt I will finish Awakening before Fates comes out, and I do not want to burn myself out on it.
  • Dark Souls III - April - I really enjoy the Souls games, and I want to play Dark Souls III at release. My goal is to try to play (and finish) all the Souls games first I am currently working through Dark Souls II, and I want to try to play Bloodborne and Demon’s Souls before Dark Souls III comes out.
  • Dragon Quest VII & VIII - Summer - I am a big fan of the Dragon Quest series, and I know I will play VII & VIII when they release on 3DS.
  • Persona 5 - TBA - I want to, at least, beat Persona 4: Golden, before playing Persona 5. I really enjoy the style, music, and characters of Persona games, and 5 is looking solid.
  • Final Fantasy XV - TBA - I enjoyed Episode Duscae, the demo, and I am looking forward to playing the full game.
  • The Last Guardian - TBA - I have been excited about this game for years, and I need play Ico and Shadow first.

Games I Maybe Want

There are a few games that I think that I want, but I am on the fence about.

  • Final Fantasy Explorers - January - I want to enjoy Monster Hunter (and Monster Hunter-like) games, but I always struggle to get into them beyond about a dozen hours. I enjoy the Final Fantasy characters and music, but I do wonder if I will get much out of this game.
  • Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 - February - Growing up, I loved Naruto and the PS2 fighting games. I have not kept up with the story, so I worry that I would be a bit lost. I played the demo and enjoyed it, so I will have to see. Ideally I would read the manga and get back into the series before playing the game.
  • Gravity Rush HD - February - I enjoyed what I played of Gravity Rush on the Vita, but I am not sure if I am up for playing it again. Maybe on a sale?
  • Bravely Second: End Layer - Spring - Bravely Second seems like more of Bravely Default, which is a good and bad thing. The fast-paced combat in the first game was awesome, but the story and characters were not very compelling. I will have to wait and see how this game is looking before making the decision.
  • NieR Automata - TBA - I never really got into NieR, but I am interested in this game because I enjoy the aesthetic of what has been shown so far.
  • The Legend of Zelda Wii U - I do not have a Wii U, and part of me is wondering if this will be the game to make me get one. Aside from a trailer and some other tidbits of info, there is not enough information yet to really decide.

Other Notes

  • I backed Mighty No. 9 on Kickstarter, so I will be getting a download code for that when it releases.
  • I backed Hyper Light Drifter on Kickstarter, so like Mighty No. 9, I will get a download code upon release.

The First Update

Alright, that was a lot of rambling to introduce the series. This, the first update, is what to expect in each update.

Dark Souls II: Scholar of the First Sin

I started Dark Souls II right after I finished the first Dark Souls, and I have been digging exploring Drangleic. I can’t help but wonder if I am playing too much Souls in a short time, but I am enjoying it so that is what matters. It took me some time to get used to not leveling up at bonfires, Estus Flask changes, and the animation tweaks (everything is slower and more deliberate). Unlike the first Dark Souls, I have been going in without any info about the bosses and path through the game.

I most recently made it through The Lost Bastille, but I think there is one more boss. I am playing a dexterity-focused character.

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes

I finished the main-op in preparation of The Phantom Pain. I tried a side-op, but I was not feeling it. I played a bunch of Ground Zeroes when it came out, so I did not feel like I was missing much.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

I played The Phantom Pain for about 15 hours on PS3, so a lot of what I have been playing has been replaying a lot of what I already played. The intro was a bit difficult due to it being so linear and cinematic, but I reached the point in the game where it opens up. I am really enjoying playing the game, and I have been taking a stealth approach to missions the first time through.

Bravely Default

When Bravely Default first released, I played a bunch of it. I no longer have that save, so I restarted a couple months ago. I played for a couple hours this past week, and I reached the part of the game that was in the demo. I played the demo a lot, and I played this part of the game once before, so I am struggling to focus and play through it. I stopped playing this in favor of Persona 4: Golden.

Persona 4: Golden

I am about 10 hours into Persona 4, and I am enjoying it. I have been mostly been hanging out and going to class. I think a rainy day is coming soon.

Next Week

That’s all for this week! I am looking forward to what I play this coming week. I will keep on plugging away at Dark Souls II, The Phantom Pain, and Persona 4. I took the week off, so it should be a good week for playing games.

Note: this was the last piece of content I wrote for Peaceful Respite.