Top 10 Longest Series in My Backlog

Video games 5 Responses » Tagged with: top 5, top 5 is a phrase that here means top 10

Aug 212023

Sometimes you buy a new game and put it in your backlog.

Sometimes you buy a bundle and put multiple games in your backlog all at once.

And sometimes you buy a game, play it, and enjoy it so much that you decide to pick up the rest of the series right then, regardless of when you intend to play them.

While talking about Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name and the possibility of catching up on the series before November, it occurred to me that even though Yakuza was one of those cases, I only have a handful of them left to play. That got me curious about what games are taking up the most space in my backlog.

So here we go, the top 10 longest series waiting in my backlog.

(This was supposed to be a top 5 list, but I have so many series with exactly 8 entries in my backlog that I had to expand it to at least the top 7, so I decided to just go for it and make it a top 10.)

10. Dragon Quest

Dragon Quest takes the first spot on the list, with 6 entries in my backlog. I’ve had Dragon Quest III for a long, long time (the box art calls it Dragon Warrior III; I bought it for the GBC as a kid), although I intend to pass on it in favor of playing the upcoming remake. Dragon Quest IV, VII, VIII, and XI are also in my backlog, along with the spin-off Dragon Quest Treasures.

I really ought to get around to playing these, especially Dragon Quest XI – I’ve heard so many good things about it.

9. Tales

The Tales series is a great example of what I mentioned at the start: loving a game and buying the whole series as a result. After I played Tales of Xillia, I was interested enough to finally play Tales of Symphonia, which went on to become one of my favorite games of all time. I loved it so much, I went a little crazy and started buying every Tales game I could find.

Which means that even though I’ve played a good number of them, I still have 7 in my backlog: Tales of Destiny, Tales of Legendia, Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World, Tales of Vesperia (and the Xbox 360 version was in my backlog before I replaced it with the Definitive Edition), Tales of Graces f, Tales of Xillia 2, and Tales of Hearts.

Why in the world have I been impatient for a new Tales announcement?? How about playing those 7 games first, and then I can want a new one.

8. Shin Megami Tensei

Let’s add another situation to the earlier list: sometimes a developer puts all their games on sale ahead of a digital storefront shutting down. During Atlus’s last big 3DS sale ahead of the eShop closure, I picked up Shin Megami Tensei IV, Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse, Devil Survivor Overclocked, Devil Survivor 2, Soul Hackers, and Strange Journey Redux, while also picking up the recent Soul Hackers 2 for PS4 in a separate sale. That brings us to 7, or 8 if you count Tokyo Mirage Session #FE, which I picked up day one for the Wii U and still haven’t played. Oops.

For the sake of this list, I decided to count Shin Megami Tensei and Persona separately. If I combined them, they’d easily take the top spot.

This might be the most heinous entry on the list, because not only are these games in my backlog, but I don’t even know if I’ll enjoy non-Persona SMT or not. Still, those sale prices were too good to resist.

7. Pokémon

I didn’t expect Pokémon to make the list, since I played each generation up until the last two, which I skipped. Indeed, Pokémon Ultra Sun is the only… mainline Pokémon game in my backlog.

But I also have Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, New Pokémon Snap, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team DX, Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky, Pokémon Ranger: Shadow of Almia, and Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs.

Yep. 8 Pokémon games. Clearly I shouldn’t have been disappointed about the lack of new game announcements in the last Pokémon Presents, either.

6. Persona

How do I have 8 Persona games in my backlog? There’s Persona 2: Innocent Sin, Persona 2: Eternal Punishment, Persona 3 Portable, Persona 5 Royal… and then the return of the spin-off curse, with Persona Q, Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight, Persona 4: Dancing All Night, and Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight.

To make matters worse, I still haven’t decided whether I want to play Persona 3 Portable, the upcoming remake, or both.

5. Sherlock Holmes

This might be the funniest, because I never actually set out to buy all of this series like I did with the others.

At some point, I got a bundle of adventure games that included a whole bunch of Frogwares’s Sherlock Holmes games. And then, somehow I got more. I was surprised when I looked at my Steam library and realized I had nearly accumulated the entire series without ever actively setting out to do so.

The Case of the Silver Earring, The Awakened, the newer reimagining of The Awakened, Sherlock Holmes: Nemesis, Sherlock Holmes versus Jack the Ripper, The Testament of Sherlock Holmes, The Devil’s Daughter, and Chapter One are all in my backlog. (I also have the first game in the series, but tried it and didn’t enjoy it. I have, however, played and enjoyed two of the more casual spin-off entries.)

8 Sherlock Holmes games, randomly skipping over one in the middle of the series, and I still haven’t finished any of them. Maybe the next mystery month should just be a Sherlock Holmes month.

4. Metal Gear

All right, this one can be explained. I recently picked up Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection on PS3. This is an amazing bundle that includes 8 games: Metal Gear, Metal Gear 2, Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions, Metal Gear Solid 2, Metal Gear Solid 3, Metal Gear Solid 4, and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker.

Technically, I also have access to Metal Gear Solid V, if I resubscribe to PlayStation Plus. So in short, if I ever actually get into the Metal Gear series, I have pretty much everything I need.

3. Final Fantasy

I didn’t expect Final Fantasy to earn a spot on the list at all, much less one this high up. After all, I only have Final Fantasy XII and what else? Oh. Final Fantasy IV Interlude, Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, Final Fantasy XIII-2, Lightning Returns, Final Fantasy Tactics, Stormblood, Shadowbringers, and Crisis Core. Thanks to sequels, expansions, and spin-offs, I somehow have 9 Final Fantasy games in my backlog.

At least I’m currently playing Stormblood, so that’s something.

2. Trails

I debated for a while about where exactly to put Trails on this list. Technically, I only have 7 Trails games in my backlog. Trails in the Sky SC, Trails from Zero, Trails to Azure, Trails of Cold Steel, Trails of Cold Steel III, Trails of Cold Steel IV, and Trails into Reverie.

However, it’s functionally 9 games. Skipping entries isn’t a good idea, so I won’t be able to play through those 7 without also playing the 2 missing from my backlog. And each one of these games is going to take a long, long time to finish. I really need to attack the Trails series with the same devotion I showed the Yakuza series.

And at last, that brings us to the final entry on this list, from the developer that never sleeps…

1. Atelier

12.

Twelve.

TWELVE!

All right, there’s a reason for this! While the newer Atelier games go on sale regularly enough, the older ones do so rarely enough that if you see a sale, it might be years before the next one. So when the Atelier trilogy packs went on sale a while ago, I… picked up the Arland Trilogy and the Dusk Trilogy…

…and Atelier Sophie because I wanted to play it ahead of Atelier Sophie 2, which I preordered… and of course I got Atelier Ryza 2 because I expected to play it right away… and I picked up Mana Khemia when I thought the Vita store was shutting down… and I was lucky enough to find a good Ebay price on Atelier Iris… and I ordered the Atelier Marie remake because it just looked so cute…

In short, I should take the next mainline game being a gacha game as the reprieve it is – a rare opportunity to catch up on my backlog and play some of these games that I’ve apparently been hoarding.

What a terrifying glimpse into my backlog. I think I liked it better when I just looked back at the oldest ones. Still, if the Yakuza series can escape the backlog, there’s hope for all these series as well! Which series do you have the most unplayed entries of?

Top 10 Upcoming 3D Platformers

Video games No Responses » Tagged with: 3D platformer, top 5, top 5 is a phrase that here means top 10

Jan 182017

Back in 2015, I wrote about five upcoming 3D platformers. I learned about several more after that.

Some of these, such as Ratchet and Clank and FreezeMe (stay tuned for my review later this year) have already come out, but many 3D platformers are still on the way.

If you miss the 3D platformers of old, here are 10 upcoming games to keep your eye on.

10. Fiona Frightening and the Wicked Wardrobe

The concept for Fiona Frightening sounds fantastic: a 3D platformer about a young witch who uses her Creep allies and the Wicked Wardrobe to fight a Boogieman intent on rewriting the story with himself as the winner. It was planned for the Wii U and would have music by Grant Kirkhope. Plus, Linkara voiced one of the characters.

Unfortunately, the reason it’s so low on my list is because it appears to be in limbo. The game is still being made, but progress seems slow.

I hope to see more of Fiona Frightening soon.

9. Lobodestroyo

Like Fiona Frightening, the much-anticipated Lobodestroyo, which stars a wolf named Mutt and a luchador spirit named Dorado, has gone rather quiet.

In fact, it went so quiet, many people worried this N64-inspired 3D platformer was dead until the developers explained their setbacks.

They have a new website and a new plan. Lobodestroyo isn’t dead, but it might be quite a while before we get to play it. Nevertheless, it should be a fantastic game when that day comes.

8. Skylar & Plux: Adventure on Clover Island

Unlike a lot of 3D platformers on this list, which style themselves after games like Banjo-Kazooie and Super Mario 64, Skylar & Plux: Adventure on Clover Island has more of a Ratchet and Clank vibe to it. A cat and an owl team up to fight an army of robots, using upgrades and gadgets along the way.

(Ignore the “Coming 2016” in the video.)

It’s planned for the first quarter of 2017 for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One. So if you’re looking for a platformer more like Ratchet and Clank, Skylar & Plux might be just what you need.

7. Clive ‘N’ Wrench

Although I first blogged about Clive ‘N’ Wrench before its name changed, I continued to follow it through its unfortunately-unsuccessful Kickstarter campaign.

However, the developers continued their work on Clive ‘N’ Wrench despite this setback, and it’s still coming along nicely. The most recent update gave glimpses of its various worlds.

Clive ‘N’ Wrench will no longer be coming to the Wii U, but it is planned for the PC first, with Mac and Linux versions to follow.

6.Happy Hell

Meanwhile, Happy Hell (which I described as “a Faustian 3D platformer“) is also coming along well.

This quirky and spooky platformer about a cat trying to escape Happy Hell (with gameplay inspired by Nintendo 64 classics, although with a twist due to its soul-stealing premise) should be out this year for the PC, Mac, and Linux.

Keep an eye on the Facebook page for regular updates.

5. Funk Unplugged

Funk Unplugged is a 3D platformer for the PC inspired by Nintendo 64 classics and focused on the power of music. It was funded through a successful Kickstarter campaign and is planned for a late 2017 launch.

It stars an amplifier named Ampy and his friend Mik on a quest to save Rockhalla from the G-Men and reclaim the powerful platinum records. Yes. Rockhalla. It’s a paradise for rock and roll stars.

Funk Unplugged has gameplay styled after classic 3D platformers, and its wonderfully goofy premise just makes me more interested.

4. Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy

Crash Bandicoot fans let out a collective cheer of delight when the N. Sane Trilogy was announced for the PlayStation 4. Although it’s just an enhanced remastering of the original three Crash Bandicoot games, it’s still fantastic news for fans of the genre… and it might pave the way for new Crash Bandicoot games in the future.

The Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy will be out in 2017.

3. A Hat in Time

I’ve been excited for A Hat in Time ever since it was first unveiled, and I even recorded a few sections of the beta as I played through it.

This fun-filled adventure of Hat Kid and her nemesis Mustache Girl, with gameplay heavily inspired by Banjo-Kazooie, is due out in 2017 for the PC and Mac. It hasn’t lost any of its charm for me since I backed it on Kickstarter, and although it doesn’t have a definite release date yet, I can’t wait to play the full game.

2. Yooka-Laylee

I haven’t gone into great detail about the gameplay of most of these, because most of them are following a set model, the style of 3D platforming popularized by games like Banjo-Kazooie and Super Mario 64 (with some exceptions, such as Skylar & Plux).

But Yooka-Laylee takes that further than any of the others. Created by former Rare developers, it has a Banjo-Kazooie vibe through and through.

Yooka-Laylee might as well be “Banjo-Threeie,” and it’s one of my top anticipated games of 2017. Best of all, it has a solid release date. The exciting adventure of the ~~bear and bird~~ chameleon and bat begins on April 11, 2017 for the PC, Mac, Linux, PS4, and Xbox One.

A Nintendo Switch version of Yooka-Laylee will follow.

And that brings us to the one game that captured my attention more than even Yooka-Laylee…

1. Super Mario Odyssey

While Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie are my favorite 3D platformers, I love Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine. And Super Mario Galaxy, but especially the 64/Sunshine style.

I waited all through the Wii U’s life cycle for a new Mario game in the style of those three, and it never came. But for the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo announced Super Mario Odyssey, a 3D platformer with open areas in the style of Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine.

Say what you will about the Nintendo Switch, but Super Mario Odyssey looks fantastic. It’s the 3D platformer I’m currently most excited for, and I only wish it was due out sooner than Holiday 2017.

The 3D platformer genre might not be as strong as it once was, but it’s far from dead. These 10 games are all titles to look forward to, with many due out this year. From indie games to major titles, 3D platforming is still around.

Which upcoming 3D platformers are you most excited for? Are there any more I should be aware of?