When it comes to my gaming habits, I buy far more games than I will ever be able to play. The problem is, I like to play just about every genre out there, so almost everything interests me enough to pick it up on a sale! After cataloging my games last year and realizing that I had well over 1500 unplayed titles across all of my consoles, however, I decided that 2019 is the year that I make a change. I am dedicating 2019 to be the year that I tackle my backlog.
This isn’t to say that I won’t buy and enjoy any new games at all, because Kingdom Hearts 3 is coming out this year and we all know that I’m not waiting until 2020 to play that, right? Instead, I’m just going to focus less on impulse purchasing every game out there and instead work on beating the games I own as my top priority. Since I’m a goal-oriented person that works best when I have a curated list, I’m going to start by sharing some of the games or franchises I already own and have the most interest in getting to during the year. I’m not challenging myself to play every single game on this list, but hopefully by the end of 2019, I’ll have made a dent in my backlog that includes a number of these titles.
Final Fantasy titles
Final Fantasy X and XV are both near and dear to my heart, which makes me think I should branch out and try some other games in the long-running RPG franchise. I own I, II, IV, V, VII, IX, XII, XIII, and Type-0, so I have plenty to choose from. My personal preference would probably be to try tackling either IX or XII this year, but they are all up for consideration.
Far Cry titles
I have access to Far Cry 2, 3, Blood Dragon, and 4 right now and I’ve never finished any game in the series. The primary reason for this is that I used to hate stealth games with a passion, but thanks to Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, I’m far less scared of them now. I actually started Far Cry 3 at the end of 2018 and am loving it so far, but I’m sticking it on this list anyways so I actually put forth the effort to finish it.
Bioware titles
I own Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire, and since I’m not super excited for Anthem, I figure I should go back and check out some of their more classic titles! I’ve heard great things about both of these games, and while I doubt I’ll love them the way that I love their more modern titles, I’m excited to see how they evolved as a company from their earlier titles.
Tales Titles
I own Tales of Symphonia, Zestiria, and Berseria from this series and this is one of the main pillars of the JRPG genre that I haven’t touched before. I’ve put a few hours into both Berseria and Symphonia and really enjoy them, so I hope to finish them both in the future.
Assassin’s Creed Titles
Oh boy, where do I even begin? I own so many titles in this franchise that I’m not even going to list them out. Let’s just say that if I started with Assassin’s Creed and worked my way through the entire franchise chronologically, I’m only missing one or two titles. Since I apparently own an entire franchise that I’ve barely touched over the years, I think I’m far overdue to play more of them. The two I have played, Assassin’s Creed II and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, are personal favorites of mine, so I’m sure I’d love anything else I tried in this series, too.
Tactical RPG Titles
This is more of an overarching genre that I’d like to explore in more detail this year. I own a number of games from multiple franchises, such as XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Valkyria Chronicles, and Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle. While I really enjoy tactical games when I play them, I don’t prioritize them much because the learning curves can be overwhelming. This is the year that I stop worrying about the learning curve and just dive in!
Diablo-Like Titles
This is a weird description as I’ve never actually played or owned a title in the Diablo franchise. That said, I know that action-RPGs are most commonly compared to these games, and I have a ton of them that I want to get to ever since I fell in love with Torchlight. There’s the free-to-play Path of Exile that I would be interested in diving into, but there are also games I own like Titan Quest, Victor Vran, and The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing. These are great games to play while watching TV, so they will probably get a lot of play-time while I catch up on all of my favorite shows.
So Many Indie and Underrated Titles
I love indie titles, which is why I buy so many Humble Bundles, and I also tend to buy a lot of smaller games that didn’t really get the love that they deserve, even if they are AAA titles. Unfortunately, some of these smaller games get lost in the shuffle as I dive into the latest open-world craze. Here is a list that isn’t even close to definitive of what I wish to prioritize this year:
Alice: Madness Returns
ENSLAVED: Odyssey to the West
Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen
Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth (perhaps alongside reading the book?)
Alan Wake
Crypt of the NecroDancer
Guild of Dunegoneering
VA-11 Hall-A
Fluffy Horde
Super Fancy Pants Adventure
TSIOQUE
Lamplight City
2064: Read Only Memories
Kathy Rain
Sleeping Dogs
Legend of Grimrock
The Darkside Detective
Machinarium
Human Resource Machine
SpellForce 3
…and so many, many more. These are just the titles that come to my head first, but there are tons of others.
Obviously, there are a lot of games here, and it’s unlikely that I’ll finish every single one of them. My ultimate goal for this year is to play more games than I buy, and I think I’ll be able to do this. Wish me luck!
What games do you want to play that you missed out on when they first came out? Let me know in the comments!
The Hannie Corner 
I have a habit of buying games I might play…one day. These include most of the Assassin’s Creed titles and Tomb Raider games and games I played or started years/decades ago. I’m engrossed in AC Odyssey at the moment and when I finish that game, I may play another AC title or Shadow of the Tomb Raider – if I don’t finish Rise of the Tomb Raider.
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I loved AC Odyssey so much that I had to take a break and read books for a while because I’m having trouble finding a new game I want to play! I’m finally coming out on the other side of my gaming slump, but that’s probably the most attached that I’ve found myself to a game for a long time.
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I’ve only been so obsessively in a game since Witcher 3 – before that Baldur’s Gate.
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Hannie, great post! I haven’t played Assassin’s Creed Odyssey yet because like you I also have so many games on my bucket list this 2019. Now, that brought it up, I kinda look forward to it after finishing my current game. I think the game will suit me well because I’m a huge fan of RPGs. Thanks again for sharing.
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Thanks for reading! Having a big backlog is a good problem to have, at the end of the day, but I do want to prioritize finishing what I already own because who knows what hidden gems may exist within my library?
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Wow you have so many games! And I’m so excited for Kingdom Hearts 3! I’m working on my backlog but nothing is going to prevent me playing that game!
I have some 2018 titles I want to get to like God of War, but also some others like Ratchet & Clank, Witcher 3, Uncharted, Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen and even a couple of newly acquired Pokemon games that I missed out on.
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I have my eyes on Far Cry 3 for the immediate future, and from there, I’m just going to try and tackle as many games I already own as possible this year. Witcher 3 is also on my backlog, but I’m afraid of its length and not ready for that level of commitment right now…
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Lots of great games on your plate! In particular, glad to see ENSLAVED on the list. Not sure how it’s aged, but I remember loving it at the time while also feeling like that game deserved better.
Though I did not have a backlog nearly as large as yours, it was large enough that I knew I’d never get around to it all. Since most of it were physical games, I made the tough decision to just sell everything I knew I’d never ger around to. In hindsight, I feel like I made the right choice. Used most of that money on a few games I would end up playing instead.
My queue is nowadays is very short, but I somehow still have a sealed copy of Witcher 3 here. And I still haven’t played my launch copy of Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, which I bought for the Gamecube in like 2003…
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I just started Ori and the Blind Forest, so that’s my big one right now!
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I just finished the main quest in Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey and I am just completely in love with it. I’m definitely getting the DLC and it has certainly made me want to go and play the other AC (of which I’ve only played 85% of the first installment). I plan to just continue exploring it until Anthem comes out (though we don’t know much about it, I’m still very hopeful, just because I love BioWare so much). I hope you’re able to make a dent in your backlog and can’t wait to read about your experiences with these games!
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I can’t wait to get started! Right now, I’m still suffering the aftereffects of a gaming hangover with AC Odyssey. I put triple-digits into that game and am just too stuck in that world to find any other game nearly as interesting! It’s a good problem to have, I suppose.
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I am RIGHT there with you. There are other games I could play, but I just really enjoy that one, so I’m just going through and trying to get trophies and clear up some areas, instead. Not the worst problem to have!
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The backlog struggle is for realz! Good luck. Definitely let me know what you think of Final Fantasy XIII when you play it. That game has a special place in my gamer heart, haha.
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Really? I never would have guessed you like Final Fantasy XIII! 🙂 For real, though, I played about half of it a long time ago when it first game out, but never finished. It’s been long enough that I could give it another shot and finish it this time!
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I know!! People are usually SHOCKED when I tell them that 😛 I hope you enjoy it if/when you give it another shot, eh 🙂
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I’m doing the same thing with my books this year! I’ve got way too many to use up. Sounds like you’ve got some really good games to play.
Going to play Final Fantasy 10 this year … After I finish Spyro Reignited! 😉
Happy New Year xx
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Final Fantasy X is my favorite game of all time, and Spyro the Dragon was my childhood. You have some great games there!
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AC Odyssey is such a great game but so freaking long. I just put it on pause because I have so many other games I want to get to before I buy any new ones.
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I get that. I only finished it because I wanted to uninstall it to make room for other games. My final hour count to finish all of the main questlines was a little over 100, and I still have so many side quests and map markers I could go back and do if I wanted.
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I just finished the Odyssey part of the game. And I was like ya know what… I think I am done for right now.
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I agree with all those that say that AC Odyssey is long and understand when they only play the main Odyssey or whatever. I’ve maxed my Kassandra and still have a few unfinished quest including Chapter 2 of the DLC. I’m at 420 hours and counting – and determined to do everything. That’s me – I played over 600 hrs in Witcher 3 doing everything I could including Gwent. OCD?
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That’s massively overwhelming, not unlike my own backlog.
Honestly though, you owe it to yourself to give the time Valkyria Chronicles. There’s simply nothing else like it.
Well, apart from Valkyria Chronicles 4…
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It’s installed on my computer for the day the mood strikes me!
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