Back from the wilderness

It's been about six months since I've really been involved with the site in any capacity, and I've decided now is as good a time as any to offer something of an explanation. So here goes. I joined Giant Bomb on launch week with a great deal of excitement about the site. It had (and still does have) the potential to be one of the best video game websites on the internet, and I was glad to be a part of that. In fact, over the past year the site has improved dramatically, and I've been really impressed with new features and content that the staff keep serving us up with. So why the self-imposed exile? Well, in short 2009 has been a really busy year for me. I've been holding down a full-time job whilst at the same time doing my best to finish a Masters degree in International Politics, and any spare time I've had has been devoted to spending time with my girlfriend or (attempting to) keep in touch with close friends - not to mention having to get through a mountain of coursework. As a result I've barely had time to devote to playing games let alone contributing to Giant Bomb, and there came a point when I had to pretty much walk away from the site for a while. Although I've taken time out to listen to the Bombcast and check out the new videos from time to time, I haven't been doing a lot else here and that's something I hope to change over the next month or two. So a big "Hi!" to everyone on my friends list and don't worry, I haven't dropped dead or anything. 
 

Videogame Backlog

So anyway, as of next month I'm going to have a lot of spare time on my hands for the first time in ages. The following titles are on my list of games to get through, and are either releases I failed to spend any time with last year or have yet to play:
 

• Final Fantasy IV (SNES)
• Final Fantasy IV: The After Years (Wii Ware)
• Super Mario Galaxy (Wii)
• Burnout 3: Takedown (PS2)
• Grand Theft Auto IV (Xbox 360)
• Chrono Trigger (DS)
• Metroid Prime Trilogy (Wii)

 
Recommendations anyone? In addition to these I also have the daunting task of going through all the other new releases pretty much since Christmas and seeing if there's anything essential I need to get hold of. I have a lot of catching up to do!