Help me play games.

I've got a crippling addiction to buying games without playing them. There, I said it, but in my defense Steam and GoG.com make it very easy to do so. So to make amends for this, I have decided to not buy any new game in the new year until I have completed 5 of the hundreds of games I already have. One for five seems reasonable enough, and I 've got plenty of games to keep me busy at the times where I can't finish anything. I've went through the 21 pages of unfinished games that I own, and picked out one game per page. I'm going to do this every time I finish one. To keep things from getting stale or getting stuck not being able to finish anything I have added a couple of good podcast games to play on Tuesday nights and whenever a good podcast comes about.

So now that I've got a strategy, I need some tactics. Particulars, if you will. The first 21 games in this batch are good ones, but I can't decide what order to play them in. Got any ideas?

Here are the candidates:

Podcast Games:

• Dungeons of Dredmor
• FTL
• Binding of Isaac
• Torchlight II

Games that don't require other aural stimulation

• Mass Effect 3 (definitely want to play first, as I'm late and can't avoid spoilers for much longer.)
• Darkness II ( definitely want to play this second, as I really enjoyed the demo)
• Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet
• Advance Wars: Dual Strike
• Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay/Assault on Dark Athena
• Deus Ex: Human Revolution
• Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
• Little King's Story
• Metroid Prime
• RAGE
• Rayman Origins (want badly to play with siblings on steam big picture)
• Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 (I realize that picking this game to play over some other shorter games is a mistake, but I really want to play this game.)
• Sleeping Dogs
• Knights of the Old Republic II
• Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War II
• XCOM: Enemy Unknown
• Zombie Driver

I realize that this is an incredibly eclectic list, but I feel like the giant bomb community could really help me prioritize. Also, I'd like recommendations as to how I should play these games. I know that KOTOR II has that mod that restores and refurbishes cut content, but I don't know of any other games on this list that have any necessary mods. Do you guys know of any more?

I've got a crippling addiction to buying games without playing them. There, I said it, but in my defense Steam and GoG.com make it very easy to do so. So to make amends for this, I have decided to not buy any new game in the new year until I have completed 5 of the hundreds of games I already have. One for five seems reasonable enough, and I 've got plenty of games to keep me busy at the times where I can't finish anything. I've went through the 21 pages of unfinished games that I own, and picked out one game per page. I'm going to do this every time I finish one. To keep things from getting stale or getting stuck not being able to finish anything I have added a couple of good podcast games to play on Tuesday nights and whenever a good podcast comes about.

So now that I've got a strategy, I need some tactics. Particulars, if you will. The first 21 games in this batch are good ones, but I can't decide what order to play them in. Got any ideas?

Here are the candidates:

Podcast Games:

• Dungeons of Dredmor
• FTL
• Binding of Isaac
• Torchlight II

Games that don't require other aural stimulation

• Mass Effect 3 (definitely want to play first, as I'm late and can't avoid spoilers for much longer.)
• Darkness II ( definitely want to play this second, as I really enjoyed the demo)
• Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet
• Advance Wars: Dual Strike
• Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay/Assault on Dark Athena
• Deus Ex: Human Revolution
• Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
• Little King's Story
• Metroid Prime
• RAGE
• Rayman Origins (want badly to play with siblings on steam big picture)
• Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 (I realize that picking this game to play over some other shorter games is a mistake, but I really want to play this game.)
• Sleeping Dogs
• Knights of the Old Republic II
• Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War II
• XCOM: Enemy Unknown
• Zombie Driver

I realize that this is an incredibly eclectic list, but I feel like the giant bomb community could really help me prioritize. Also, I'd like recommendations as to how I should play these games. I know that KOTOR II has that mod that restores and refurbishes cut content, but I don't know of any other games on this list that have any necessary mods. Do you guys know of any more?

You mean like that scene in Ghost but with a video game controller instead of clay?

I'd be down for that... Are you the Demi, or the Swayze?

edit: My first instinct is to say get your shit together and play some motherfucking Metroid Prime and Chronicles of Riddick.

@pyromagnestir: I decided to play Mass Effect 3 and Darkness II first since they came out this year, but I have no idea what I'm going to play after those two. I guess Metroid Pime and Butcher Bay? Do you recommend playing Metroid Prime with a guide?

:o Binding of Isaac's music is fantastic; you really oughta try being stimulated by its audio.

Also, go with shorter games first - get them crossed off your list, then move on; so, Shadow Planet, I guess.

@c0l0nelp0c0rn1:

Only if you want to scan 100% of the of the lore and enemies and stuff and get all the collectibles. If those things aren't a priority for you then you shouldn't need it, unless you get stuck on a boss, I suppose.

For games during the podcasts, try FTL first on easy. It's a quick run through to get a good amount of time playing it & then move to other things. Dungeons of Dredmor, Xcom & Torchlight 2 have some good audio/music to them but work well during the podcast, all are good choices though out of these 3 Dredmor will take the longest to dive into just because there's so much in that game now between the skills & expansions.

As for the rest here's my recommendations. The first Riddick game is stellar & fun but when I played the combined game, Dark Athena just didn't grab me like Butcher Bay did. ME3, Deus Ex & Sleepy dogs are also great choices to go play first on the list. Knights of the Old Republic2, Rage & San Andreas are also good choices but definitely hit some of the others first as there's better games on the list. GLHB!

One thing that can help you, on Steam anyway, is to set a limit. You can add funds to your Steam wallet. So add in a set amount and don't allow your self to go over the allowance. Can help keep the number in perspective too as to how much you are spending if the money aspect of this bothers you too. Put like a $100 limit each month and do your best to not go over.

Personally I'm trying to beat at least 1-2 of my backlog before I start any new games. I make an exception if it's a game I'm really looking forward to, but those are so far and few in between I rarely need to break that rule.

@BeachThunder: I really liked Super Meat Boy's music, so I may just have to shut off the podcasts...

@pyromagnestir: I kind of do, but I could stand doing that after I've defeated a larger chunk of my backlog

@fox01313: Yeah, I've already spent like twenty hours in Dredmor and still have only been to level 5 of the dungeon.

I've already decided to play Mass Effect 3 and the Darkness II first, and it seems like Metroid Prime and Butcher Bay will be next.

@crusader8463: Those are rully good ideas, especially the steam wallet one. That one's getting implemented for sure.

I am totally going to do this same "Don't buy games until I finish what I have" thing... after the Christmas Steam sale. I have 240 games. I have played like 60 of them.

@Ben_H: Notice why I said "in the new year". I may use that steam wallet thing to help ease the pain on my regular wallet.

Buying a physical copy of a game with no intention of playing it I can understand, but buying a steam game that just takes up HDD space? I'm lost.

@xaLieNxGrEyx: It doesn't take up HDD space if you don't install it....I also live in a place that does not have a lot of physical space for me to store things in.

I'd personally cut RAGE from the must play list. There's nothing particularly interesting about it and there are just better games.

Huh, I never thought about playing games while listening to a podcast, any recommendations?

@c0l0nelp0c0rn1: I'm glad to know I"m not the only person who only plays certain games when listening to podcasts. Causes me a lot of grief when I don't have anything to play for 3 hours of a Bombcast certain weeks.

I vote you tackle the games with spoilers you don't want to hear first and then knock out a bunch of the smaller games (or do them at the same time, when you're burned out from too much ME3 or something similar).

@OGred:

• Borderlands 1&2
• World of Warcraft
• Guild Wars
• Diablo
• Terraria
• Minecraft
• Dungeons of Dredmor
• Torchlight
• FTL

Some people swear by Bethesda games as good podcast games, but I find that immersing one's self into the world they built to be better than having Ryan or Jeff jabber in my ear.

Basically any game that involves a large amount of repetitive actions without a lot of story inbetween.

@sikapwach: I thought it looked a lot like Borderlands and I'm a huge fan of that one.

@wemibelec90: Yup, Borderlands is a ton of fun with podcasts or with people. It's terrible without either of those things.

Oh.. wow.. This just reminds me of me. I can't do this.

I'd cut RAGE from the list and never look back.

I always play my Handheld games at night, in my bed, before I sleep, uh, I mean, before I have sex with my girlfriend, yah, thats what I meant.

Also, does anyone else think of nipples when they see or hear the word aural.

I'm going to be the one who comes in here and says that you should play XCOM (hey, it's my #1 game of the year so I kind of have to)...

It's also (If you're the right kind of person) a good game to play while podcasting (as long as you can easily pause the cast when you hit a bit of dialog that you want to hear)... I can't do that because it makes me get careless and then get killed, but it might not work that way for you...

@c0l0nelp0c0rn1: It's absolutely nothing like Borderlands, unfortunately, outside of just a post-apocalyptic type setting.

I would suggest playing Rayman before or after XCOM to give those two a dramatic shade of contrast. But its not like you can pick the wrong thing, considering what you are working from.

Metroid Prime, Advance Wars: Dual Strike, or Persona 4 would all be very fine choices.

I have the same problem with just finishing shit. I'm still on Dungeon Siege 3, still need to beat LOTR WIN on Legendary and started both the Ratchet and Clank and Prince of Persia. Not to mention I just got Pain Killer and Torchlight which I've barely touched. I think it depends on my moods or something but I was gonna get Guild Wars which I've wanted forever but decided against it. I also love to listen to Todd n Tyler while I play stuff but I can't play anything story related that I haven't beaten yet or else I think I might miss something so I got GTA and some other games to play while I listen and of course you always got the online component. I would recommend putting Terraria in the podcast one as I find the music annoying at times and there is no really reason to listen to since no one talks. I would also recommend Metroid Prime the highest on that other list one of the best games ever made. Chronicles of Riddick is good too though I have only played the Xbox original version of Butcher Bay not the newer one.

@c0l0nelp0c0rn1:

I'm actually doing something similar myself.

The best tactic I've found for meso far is to rotate genres and game lengths as well when I've acquired them. Ideally to combat this problem you want to reduce the feeling failure as much as possible. Burnout/discouragement is your enemy here.

I've also found that it helps to try to make sure I clear out the oldest graphics games early. The longer you have them the staler they'll look and the harder they will be to go back to.

to give you an example of games I just rotated through since May and how I picked them:

hopefully that gives you and idea of how I attack my pile.

so looking at your list I would make sure you mix it up,

e.g. if you play Persona 4, make sure you follow that up with a newer and shorter game, e.g. Rayman Origins before moving onto another game. I'd also try to get the older gen games like Metroid Prime and Persona off the list ASAP as graphically they are going to look increasingly dated especially Metroid Prime the longer you wait.

Also I wouldn't stop buying new game entirely. But see if you can beat two off your list before buying another one.

hopefully that helps.