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List of Shame 2020: A Perfect Vision of Regret

Man, screw this year already. It's going to suck and we all know it.

...And that's it, that's all my melancholy new year whingeing out of the way. To the games!

We're sticking with the B-W-C system, so here's a recap:

  • [B]acklog items are those that I own but have yet to play. I made a lot of progress last year, so 2020's backlog section is shorter than usual (20, instead of 25 or 30).
  • [W]ishlist items are games I've yet to purchase but have been sufficiently convinced into someday doing so. I've split the wishlist evenly between 2019's hottest jams (15 of those) and the various outstanding games of the 2010s I've yet to check out (15 of those too).
  • [C]ompleted games are those I've finished since creating the list on 1/1/2020, which will be moved down the list and updated with their clear dates. I managed to complete half my list last year, so that's the goal to beat.

Since we're all about good vision in 2020, I'm going to predict the odds I actually complete any of these games with a rough percentage chance. I'm probably going to check in on the list throughout the year and deliberately pick games with low chances just to spite myself, because spite is pretty much all that keeps me going any more. Happy New Year!

Post-Year Update: 26/50, or 52% completion. Not the worst news this year had to give, so I'll take it.

List items

  • [B] 70%. Another Chrimbo gift. I'm worried about burning out on the new DQ, despite all the acclaim it's gotten. I also got stuck playing the Switch demo for hours because I forgot I only downloaded it for Smash Bros. Ultimate goodies, so I'm planning to wait until the second half the year to start it. Maybe I'll forget?

  • [B] 40%. It's been on my PS4 HDD for a long time, but I keep thinking I'd be better off buying its expansion for all the major QoL fixes that comes with it. I liked the first XCOM reboot, but it really does wear you down fast without some luxuries.

  • [B] 55%. Fool I am, I donated to a Kickstarter for Bard's Tale IV partly so I could get this for free. Some three or four years later in 2020, and I can't run Bard's Tale IV on my PC (kinda embarrassing) and this reboot's about to get its first sequel. I should get something out of the money I put down so long ago.

  • [B] 60%. Pour one out for AlphaDream; I haven't heard amazing things about the M&L series post-Bowser's Inside Story, but they didn't deserve to go down like that. When did it suddenly become hard to make a Mario RPG? At any rate, I've got this and Paper Jam as mementos. I might want to get on those before the 3DS is entirely obsolete.

  • [B] 50%. Ah, Graces F. The only PS3 game on this whole list, and one of two English-language/Europe-released Tales games I've yet to play. I'll check it out one of these days, if only to ensure my Tiers of Tales character ranking list is as comprehensive as it can be.

  • [B] 65%. Some CRPG voices I trust around here say it's pretty good now that it's been all patched up, and now I own it I'm sure I'll find an excuse to play when I'm not swamped with other RPGs.

  • [B] 20%. Don't get me wrong, I'm very much looking forward to playing this game and solving crimes with Yagami. However, with my OCD tendencies I can only manage one Yakuza game a year and Yakuza 6 will almost certainly be the candidate for 2020.

  • [W] 40%. Clearly, this was one of the games of 2019 to pay attention to, but I'm pessimistic it'll drop in price to something affordable (for me) before the end of 2020.

  • [W] 35%. See above. I've yet to see this game dip below £50 most places, and that's just ridiculous. I don't care how many imperiled animes it has or how much I've enjoyed Uchikoshi-san's previous works.

  • [W] 50%. I love FromSoftware, but this rebooted Tenchu isn't really what I'm looking for out of them. It's been praised enough - and seems to be earning the GOTY accolade from a lot of places - that I'll probably fold and get it eventually anyway.

  • [W] 60%. I love me some Zelda and some jammin' OCR remixes, but the price-to-playtime ratio for this is still prohibitively high. I'll give it a few months, see what Nintendo does with it discount-wise.

  • [W] 65%. The GOTY Bombcasts sold me on trying this out, since I'm old enough to remember what the internet looked like back then when images took a lifetime to download and the racism was still mostly only ironic, and the price is certainly all right. Let me recover from the expenditures of the holidays first, though.

  • [W] 35%. Picked this up for free on Epic but my PC is in no shape to deal with it, so I'll be double-dipping on a console at some point in the future. I've reduced the odds of my playing it this year appropriatly.

  • [W] 60%. The new arc is complete, so I'm inclined to jump in now. I haven't heard people talk about it much, but I liked the first two enough that a new one doesn't necessarily need a lesbian romance and time-travel to get me on board.

  • [W] 5%. The definition of insanity has long since been determined as "doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result," but I'd like to suggest an alternative: "expecting to play through seven Trails games in one year."

  • [W] 30%. I really liked Dragon Quest Builders despite all its start overs, so something with a bit more permanence is more than promising. However, it will mean A) buying the game, B) waiting until enough time has passed since playing the first DQB, and C) not getting distracted by a dozen other things, including a different Dragon Quest (DQXI).

  • [W] 30%. Anime cops solving problems with supernatural whips. This game feels like it could be one of 2019's least appreciated, and I've been liking Platinum's recent output to want to give it a shot. It's a full price Switch game, though, so it might be the choice between dropping £40 on a retail copy or waiting forever for something less.

  • [W] 35%. Man... I love Super Mario Maker 2, but the game's going to be completely dead by the time I finally get around to it. I'm not sure the single-player and the graveyard of user content will keep me entertained for more than a few hours. I might've missed my shot here.

  • [W] 25%. (2017.) Playing both the Trails in the Sky sequels in one year is a little bit more attainable than seven Trails games, but I suspect one will be enough for now. I'm going to be an old, old man by the time I finally catch up.

  • [W] 50%. (2018.) I picked up Whispers of a Machine but forgot Wadjet's earlier possessed detective game! That's a conspicuous gap in their library I plan to fill in 2020.

  • [W] 50%. (2013/2018.) Heck yeah, more Ys. This is an emergency Ys in case the Ys IX localization doesn't happen this year. Either way, I'm getting some damn Ys.

  • [W] 30%. (2018.) I've now got two ways to play Octopath Traveler. The question is whether or not I can get it for less than £30 and if I decide I don't already have enough meandering JRPGs for one year.

  • [W] 40%. (2017.) I'll get the Switch version of this eventually. I'm a little intimidated by it still, I'll admit.

  • [W] 55%. (2017.) A sequel's comin', so I'm sure the original will be something I decide I should look into before too much longer.

  • [C] Completed 12/01. (Odds: 99%.)

  • [C] Completed 26/01. (Odds: 95%.)

  • [C] Completed 31/01. (Odds: 90%.)

  • [C] Completed 05/02. (Odds: 95%.)

  • [C] Completed 13/02. (Odds: 70%.)

  • [C] Completed 19/02. (Odds: 75%.)

  • [C] Completed 29/02. (Odds: 80%.)

  • [C] Completed 31/03. (Odds: 80%.)

  • [C] Completed 24/04. (Odds: 90%.)

  • [C] Completed 26/04. (Odds: 70%.)

  • [C] Completed 23/05. (Odds: 35%).

  • [C] Completed 19/06. (Odds: 75%.)

  • [C] Completed 19/07. (Odds: 75%.)

  • [C] Completed 04/08. (Odds: 80%.)

  • [C] Completed 09/08. (Odds: 65%.)

  • [C] Completed 30/08. (Odds: 80%.)

  • [C] Completed 31/08. (Odds: 40%.)

  • [C] Completed 11/09. (Odds: 50%.)

  • [C] Completed 27/09. (Odds: 70%.)

  • [C] Completed 02/10. (Odds: 85%.)

  • [C] Completed 07/10. (Odds: 65%.)

  • [C] Completed 16/10. (Odds: 40%.)

  • [C] Completed 23/10. (Odds: 40%.)

  • [C] Completed 06/11. (Odds: 50%.)

  • [C] Completed 16/12. (Odds: 50%.)

  • [C] Completed 30/12. (Odds: 60%.)