DaemonoftheWood

Vaccinating with J & J

Bumper to Bumper

Free Ballin’ with the Jeffs

Four Balls for the Win with Jeff & Jeff

Plunging In

Flipper…I Don’t Even Know Her

Saving the Outlane

Magna-save

Reading through the posts, I'm in the same boat as most. With limited time to game these days, I tend to pick games more from my backlog than buying them new when they are released. I think I have 1500 hours or so in the backlog, so never hurting for something to play. When a new game comes out that I think I'll like, I make note of it and then wait for a sale. Single player games don't generally suffer from time (as long as you aren't a graphics snob).

@topcyclist: Thanks for the feedback. I'm keeping Dishonored on the list to return to after Shadowrun. Maybe I just needed a different game for now. If I find I like Dishonored, then Dishonored 2 will go on the list for later (maybe before my Game Pass PC runs out). I certainly think it's worth pushing a little to get further in the game. I think Vinny C said the same thing about Dishonored when he played recently, that it felt better as he got more powers to use on the missions.

@nadavis1: I can only echo your time with Giant Bomb and your reaction. I'm around the same age as Vinny, Brad, and Alex (and Jeff). It was always great listening to the guys who have so much knowledge and understanding of my favorite hobby. All I can hope is that the site and podcasts continue to bring content that treats the audience like they are equals.

@judaspete: Mirror's Edge Catalyst, definitely an overlooked game. Not great, has some flaws, but there's an immense amount of freedom. And jumping around roof tops and between buildings...not sure any other game has made my feet sweat.

@gamer_152: Absolutely nailed it. I'm going to sincerely miss Brad, Vinny, and Alex each week, perhaps feeling more negative about the change than I have any right to. That said, my ultimate hope is for Giant Bomb to continue being an excellent place for gaming discussions, knowledge, and personalities that don't feel forced like wacky radio morning show hosts.

Thanks to all for the feedback! I'll evaluate again maybe after a few more games I've been wanting to play for a while (gotta love the backlog). I'll keep what you wrote in mind. Maybe another shot in a different mindset will bring a new result.

I started playing Dishonored DE last week. After a few hours in, I just wasn't hooked. I'm not necessarily saying it was the game as it could have been any number of factors (thinking about work, thinking about the GiantBomb news, etc). After taking a break over the weekend, I decided to switch it up and play Shadowrun: Dragonfall instead. Already I am more excited about sitting down and playing.

My question: Should I return to Dishonored after finishing Shadowrun? It's a widely acclaimed game that maybe I just didn't give enough of a chance. Thoughts?

@laughingman: Sanctum was a good first person tower defense game. You could build up blocks of defenses in a similar style as Satisfactory (same developer). Once the wave starts, you then also have FPS weapons to shoot at the invaders along with the defense towers. Haven’t tried Sanctum 2 yet.

Sometimes I just open my backlog file to take a look. I'm not ready for a new game just yet, still plugging away at whatever title I'm working on now, but just to look. To look at all of the games I have and want to play. Some newer games hot off the presses, some much, much older that I haven't gotten around to yet. So what good is looking when I'm knee deep in two or three other games at the moment? I can only say that I think it's nostalgia. I do not feel nostalgic for much in this world, but I do remember fondly a time when I would sit down on a Saturday afternoon and start playing games, not realizing that the hours were passing by until it was 3am and the world was quiet around me. I would dive into adventure after adventure, living each like I was there. I could play games after work. I could play at any time on the weekend. And, man, those long stretches of holiday over winter break were the best!

Some time later I became a husband and after a father. Life changed to have other responsibilities, ones that I gladly accepted but meant a change nonetheless. Gaming time decreased as it needed to and soon top shelf games ended up, well, on the top shelf. Choices had to be made on what would be played next, what could be finished in short order, and what was going to go on the I-hope-to-get-to-it list. The backlog grew and grew, even then only a percentage of the games I actually own. Games then had to be dropped from the backlog, not having enough justification to even remain on a list of games I may not ever get to. I feel I have become more of a game collector than a gamer as I work to pass along to my kids my favorite hobby, wondering if they'll ever play King's Quest, Command and Conquer, or Super Mario World.

So I open my backlog file to take a look from time to time, thinking about how much fun it will be to play this game or that game and remembering the days when the hours were long and the couch indentations deep. My best friend often says that my tombstone will read "He leaves behind a beloved wife, his children, and a two thousand hour game backlog." He's not wrong.