Choosing what to play next on the backlog can be tough but at least it gives me things to talk about!!
I can’t believe it’s that time again already! It’s been a long week and a weird couple of days for the backlog, but it just feels right talking to you. The last we spoke, I was finishing up The Messenger and struggling with whether or not I’d be continuing Vambrace: Cold Soul. The good news is, I’m 100% finished with The Messenger and a new Backlog Review for it should hopefully be on its way in the next week or two. The bad news, on the other hand, is that I’ll probably not be finishing up Vambrace. That’s not to say I won’t be going back to it at some point, especially since I caught wind that it’ll be coming to the Switch, but for now I’m just going to set it aside. I can see myself getting way more into it on a console anyways.
After wrapping up The Messenger though, I’ve kinda been in backlog limbo. Normally, I'd have three or four games I’m ready and raring to play, but this past week I’ve been waffling! First, I tried Void Bastards on the Xbox One. It was one of the games on offer with Game Pass and I was looking for something a bit mindless to play during my stream, so I thought it would be a perfect fit. And not only that, the game itself was developed by some of the former team members that brought us the highly coveted Bioshock franchise!
Needless to say, Void Bastards showed us the same level of polish you would expect from those devs. The included rogue-like elements were a treat and I loved the traits each prisoner could acquire. It was similar to what you’d find in Rogue Legacy. The different afflictions (good or bad) either helped or hindered you and they added an element of surprise that made each run interesting and exciting! It’s super fun, and super silly. I had a blast playing it on stream, but unfortunately after the stream ended, I had a hard time wanting to go back and play it!
Honestly, I’m not sure why. I really did enjoy myself and I would like to go back and give it a real go. But maybe what it was, was that I felt guilty that I wasn’t actually playing something on my backlog.
That’s when I thought to myself, “maybe I do just need to play something on my backlog”. Although a simple concept, it’s not the easiest thing to decide on. But eventually I landed on a game that has been eluding me for a while now. One that’s part of a series I hold near and dear, Resident Evil: Code Veronica X.
Just so I don’t seem completely neglectful, I will say I have actually played this game. But for one reason or another, I never got around to completing it. Truthfully, it’s probably because it was originally released on the Dreamcast and I thought it heresy to play it in any other capacity. To this day, I still don’t have a copy of it on my Dreamcast though!
Nowadays, I don’t have that stigma about the game. I mean I own it on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 afterall. So, I thought why not play those versions? Why not finally knock it off my “games I should have probably played long ago” list? So, that’s what I did. However, after jumping in and playing for a bit, I was reminded why I never dedicate the time to completing it. For one, it still had tank controls, which normally I’m ok with, but you really need to be in the mood to deal with them if you’re going to play a whole game where they’re featured. And secondly, it has that distinctly “Dreamcast” feel. Which again, I feel like I need to be in the mood to play. I’m sure I’ll catch some flak for that statement, but it’s hard to explain. The end result though, is that it loses that creepy atmosphere you’d want in a Resident Evil game. I'm sure you understand, dearest backlog!
It took a few tries, but after coming to the hard realization that I wasn’t in the mood for all that. I set it aside, once again. Hopefully for a little less time than say… the 20 odd years from before.
And that’s been my struggle for the past week! But I am happy to say that I was able to settle on something, just in time for this entry. Actually, I want to thank my wife for helping me come to a decision! Well, for half of what I’m about to talk about. The other half, I kinda decided on my own. You know, to play as a side game and such.
You see, she thought of a fun little technique where we both picked out a few games we’d like to play, then we’d have to argue our points for each choice. Which, if everything goes smoothly we’d come to a consensus and a new game to play! There wasn’t really a heated debate or anything. Truth be told, out of all the game to choose from, there was actually a few that overlapped! And the end result was a game the both of us have been wanting to play for a while now, Full Throttle. The classic biker dude adventure game from LucasArts and the infamous Tim Schafer. I’m very excited to get started, especially since it’s been so long since I played a good point and click. You can guarantee I’ll have something to say about it the next we meet as well!
As for the other game I’ll be biding my time with? Well, let’s just say it’s a little less pure than Full Throttle, but equally as fun and that’s, SENRAN KAGURA Peach Ball. The “excuse to look at half naked ladies” game disguised as a pinball game! I’ve only played a little bit of it so far, but if you can get past the whole fanservicey part of it, there’s a pretty solid pinball game underneath. Though saying that, I can't help feeling icky, like when I try to justify playing Dead or Alive: Beach Volleyball for its “good volleyball mechanics”. Don’t worry, I won’t try to make excuses, but it’s pretty much set in stone that I’ll be talking more about it in the near future! For the good of the backlog, of course!
Well my dearest backlog, I think that’ll do it for me for another week! It may have taken me longer than I would have wanted, but I’m glad to have some new games to focus on! For one, I’ll be playing a classic game I’ve heard so much about and it makes me doubly excited to share the experience with my wife. As for the other game? Well, I can’t say I won’t enjoy that either. I may just have to dim the lights and wait until the children go to sleep before I go for that jackpot and highscore.
Until next we meet, have a wonderful weekend and a fantastic week!
Currently Playing
Full Throttle (PlayStation 4)
SENRAN KAGURA Peach Ball (Nintendo Switch)
Total Backlogged Games: 728
Total Completed Games: 43
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And you can keep tabs on my backlog by checking out the Backlog Odyssey Backloggery game list!
