Has Anyone Ever Actually Cleared Their Backlog?

Anything to do with games at all.
User avatar
Parksey
Moderator
Joined in 2008

PostHas Anyone Ever Actually Cleared Their Backlog?
by Parksey » Mon Jul 23, 2018 2:02 am

So posting in that "Bought/Played/Completed thread and noticed that, obviously, we all have quite substantial backlogs and that we buy more than we play. Like most, I'm going through a stage where I try and limit spending and go back to stuff I've had sitting unplayed in my PSN library for years.

My intention was to clear my backlog this year, and I've mostly only bought a handful of games. However writing down what I've actually completed in 2018 surprised me, as it was much lower than the number of games I thought I had cleared off the list. And looking what I have left to go, in terms of playtime there are some whoppers on there.

So I'm wondering if anyone has actually cleared their backlogs. I'm talking less about just trading gooseberry fool in (as most of my stuff is digital so it's impossible to wipe the slate clean that way), and more about playing titles to completion or to a satisfactory amount. And then literally being at that blissful nirvana where you buy a game and then that's your only unplayed title.

So has anyone ever managed this herculean feat? If not, how many have you actually managed to wipe from your List o' Shame?

User avatar
more heat than light
Member
Joined in 2008
AKA: mhtl
Location: Leicestershire

PostRe: Has Anyone Ever Actually Cleared Their Backlog?
by more heat than light » Mon Jul 23, 2018 6:48 am

Nah. The subscription model has put paid to that ever being a possibility. On a month where I buy absolutely nothing I still have four games from Games With Gold and whatever drops on Game Pass to play. I guess I don't have to download that stuff, but why wouldn't you when it's free?

I do try to make inroads, I have my list set up on TrueAchievements where I can sort by 'easiest completion' and work backwards which helps. But yeah, it's at 200-odd games and there's no sign of that slowing down.

Oblomov Boblomov wrote:MHTL is an OG ledge
User avatar
Drumstick
Member ♥
Joined in 2008
AKA: Vampbuster

PostRe: Has Anyone Ever Actually Cleared Their Backlog?
by Drumstick » Mon Jul 23, 2018 6:58 am

I don't really think it's possible. If I didn't buy games for a couple of years then sure, I might be able to get there, my backlog isn't massive. But then once I'd done that I'd want to buy the games I'd missed out on in those two years putting me right back where I am now.

Check out my YouTube channel!
One man should not have this much power in this game. Luckily I'm not an ordinary man.
Image Image Image
User avatar
Parksey
Moderator
Joined in 2008

PostRe: Has Anyone Ever Actually Cleared Their Backlog?
by Parksey » Mon Jul 23, 2018 7:16 am

Yeah I don't count PS Plus games or feel compelled to play them. Maybe two or three times a year there's a title I want to play and don't own (it was Darksiders 2 the other month and I guess I would, in an ideal world, play Ratchet and Clank) but a lot of it gets ignored. Only when it's a game I was planning on buying anyway in a sale, do I generally stick it on the backlog. Anything else that is decent I stick on an imaginary "I'll play that...sometime" list that I will never get round to doing.

If it wasn't a necessary subscription to play online, I wouldn't bother, plus I do an account share thing with a friend anyway and he pays for it, in return for me getting a game for the same price.

And I don't feel compelled by trophies or anything thankfully, so anything free that is either a) absolute dump or b) something I had no intention of playing gets promptly ignored.

A lot of my Vita titles were from Plus back in the day, but the quality has dried up somewhat since the last year for the PS3 or so.

User avatar
Rex Kramer
Member
Joined in 2008

PostRe: Has Anyone Ever Actually Cleared Their Backlog?
by Rex Kramer » Mon Jul 23, 2018 7:45 am

Image

User avatar
Death's Head
Member
Joined in 2009

PostRe: Has Anyone Ever Actually Cleared Their Backlog?
by Death's Head » Mon Jul 23, 2018 7:51 am

I started a topic about the "one game backlog" earlier this year. Not including freebies through PSN and on the PC, my real backlog is down to about 4 games. I have only bought two games so far this year, No Man's Sky for about £6 back in Jan or Feb (not yet started) and What Remains of Edith Finch on PSN using credit I got for Christmas (which as far as I'm concerned means I have only spent £6 on games this year)

The one game backlog is going to be a reality.

Yes?
User avatar
Parksey
Moderator
Joined in 2008

PostRe: Has Anyone Ever Actually Cleared Their Backlog?
by Parksey » Mon Jul 23, 2018 8:02 am

Yeah I was thinking of you when I made this topic (not like that), as I remember you talking about cutting down your spending and getting your backlog down. Wasn't sure if you actually did it.

I've managed to limit my spending this year - Monster Hunter was the only game I've bought on release,, Nioh was £15, Battlefield/Titanfall a £12 double pack, Sonic Mania Plus being £4 and Lumines being a tenner. The PSN purchases are halfed too due to account sharing.

The main problem is that my completion rate is still quite low, maybe two games a month, and the games I have on my backlog are quite lengthy. I wish they were physical games as, whilst it wouldn't be cost effective, if i could I would trade them all in and just buy them back when I needed them. Most of the games on my backlog I've had for over a year, so it's not like I'm getting my money's worth anyway.

I've slowly made progress this year, but I think it's still be a couple of years before I cleared it, at my current rate.

User avatar
Moggy
"Special"
Joined in 2008
AKA: Moggy

PostRe: Has Anyone Ever Actually Cleared Their Backlog?
by Moggy » Mon Jul 23, 2018 8:16 am

I’ve still got games in my backlog that were bought for the C64 in 1986.

It’s not possible to ever completely remove your backlog.

User avatar
Death's Head
Member
Joined in 2009

PostRe: RE: Re: Has Anyone Ever Actually Cleared Their Backlog?
by Death's Head » Mon Jul 23, 2018 8:25 am

Moggy wrote:I’ve still got games in my backlog that were bought for the C64 in 1986.

It’s not possible to ever completely remove your backlog.
Depends on how bad you've been in the past. If you don't include freebies and have the will power to stop buying, it is certainly possible. It will however mean you need to play old games which you probably don't want to play, but then you only have yourself to blame for buying them in the first place!

You have to wonder what the industry would be worth if you only bought new games after completing what you've got. I expect we are keeping a lot of companies in business that if we were more sensible with our purchases, would have gone under.

Yes?
User avatar
Rex Kramer
Member
Joined in 2008

PostRe: Has Anyone Ever Actually Cleared Their Backlog?
by Rex Kramer » Mon Jul 23, 2018 8:52 am

I often wonder whether my current purchasing and game playing habits are a by product of my formative years being playing (mostly pirated) games on Speccy and Atari ST. Having access to huge numbers of games in the past meant I rarely kept with the same game for any length of time unless it was something that I absolutely adored (Elite, Dungeon Master, Player Manager being games I remember) as I'd just move on to the next thing. It's rare that I stick at a game these days as either my interest wanes or I put it down to play something else interesting that comes along and then don't want to pick up the original game again.

User avatar
Parksey
Moderator
Joined in 2008

PostRe: Has Anyone Ever Actually Cleared Their Backlog?
by Parksey » Mon Jul 23, 2018 8:59 am

That definitely isn't true for me. I had an N64 and while my friends were literally - literally - drowning in pirated games for their PlayStation, I had to save up £50 to get a new game, which for a ten year old is basically more money than exists in the entire world. I got one game for Christmas, another for my birthday and usually one or two at various points across the year.

I got a game bought for me one time during the six weeks holidays when my sister broke her arm as it meant we couldn't go abroad in the summer. She mysteriously started falling down stairs quite frequently after this. And I've never looked back since (and neither has she).

User avatar
Moggy
"Special"
Joined in 2008
AKA: Moggy

PostRe: Has Anyone Ever Actually Cleared Their Backlog?
by Moggy » Mon Jul 23, 2018 9:11 am

Parksey wrote:That definitely isn't true for me. I had an N64 and while my friends were literally - literally - drowning in pirated games for their PlayStation, I had to save up £50 to get a new game, which for a ten year old is basically more money than exists in the entire world. I got one game for Christmas, another for my birthday and usually one or two at various points across the year.


Yeah it’s an age thing. When I started gaming you could buy games for £1.99 from the local newsagent.

And if you didn’t have £1.99 you could just get a mate to make a copy onto a blank cassette.

jawafour
Member
Joined in 2012

PostRe: Has Anyone Ever Actually Cleared Their Backlog?
by jawafour » Mon Jul 23, 2018 9:16 am

Moggy wrote:I’ve still got games in my backlog that were bought for the C64 in 1986...

Snap! For every system I have bought since the 80s, I have games that I haven't completed. Or even played :shifty: .

My brother plays videogames but he only gets about one game a year. He normally plays that game to completion or at least gets decent value from it. His past couple of games have been Destiny and CoD: WW II. He doesn't get a gaming backlog :) .

Moggy wrote:And if you didn’t have £1.99 you could just get a mate to make a copy onto a blank cassette.

Oh, man, I've never been into copying games. Even back then I barely had a copied game; I preferred to (if possible) buy it or not have it. I do remember having a copy of Pole Position for my '64, though - mainly because I a pal gave the tape to me and I couldn't find an original copy. I felt bad about it, but it's probably fair to say that Atari made their money back in my ST days.

User avatar
Moggy
"Special"
Joined in 2008
AKA: Moggy

PostRe: Has Anyone Ever Actually Cleared Their Backlog?
by Moggy » Mon Jul 23, 2018 9:25 am

jawafour wrote: I do remember having a copy of Pole Position for my '64, though - mainly because I a pal gave the tape to me and I couldn't find an original copy. I felt bad about it, but it's probably fair to say that Atari made their money back in my ST days.


You’re a pirate.

I’ve reported this post.

TO THE POLICE.

User avatar
Drumstick
Member ♥
Joined in 2008
AKA: Vampbuster

PostRe: Has Anyone Ever Actually Cleared Their Backlog?
by Drumstick » Mon Jul 23, 2018 9:31 am

jawafour wrote:Snap! For every system I have bought since the 80s, I have games that I haven't completed. Or even played :shifty:

Who could ever have possibly foresaw this statement coming?

Check out my YouTube channel!
One man should not have this much power in this game. Luckily I'm not an ordinary man.
Image Image Image
User avatar
Saint of Killers
Member
Member
Joined in 2008

PostRe: Has Anyone Ever Actually Cleared Their Backlog?
by Saint of Killers » Mon Jul 23, 2018 9:36 am

Yup. In the sense that I don't feel beholden to complete or even start every game I buy.

User avatar
Dual
Member
Joined in 2008

PostRe: Has Anyone Ever Actually Cleared Their Backlog?
by Dual » Mon Jul 23, 2018 9:45 am

Usually eat a bowl of fruit and fibre for a couple of days if I'm backed up.

User avatar
KjGarly
Member
Joined in 2008
AKA: TheArbiter
Location: Liverpool

PostRe: Has Anyone Ever Actually Cleared Their Backlog?
by KjGarly » Mon Jul 23, 2018 10:03 am

I think it would be impossible to clear my backlog now across PC, PS4 and Xbox One with family life and work.

Image
Image
User avatar
<]:^D
Member
Joined in 2008

PostRe: Has Anyone Ever Actually Cleared Their Backlog?
by <]:^D » Mon Jul 23, 2018 11:39 am

Dual wrote:Usually eat a bowl of fruit and fibre for a couple of days if I'm backed up.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

User avatar
Dual
Member
Joined in 2008

PostRe: Has Anyone Ever Actually Cleared Their Backlog?
by Dual » Mon Jul 23, 2018 11:56 am

<]:^D wrote:
Dual wrote:Usually eat a bowl of fruit and fibre for a couple of days if I'm backed up.

:lol: :lol: :lol:


Re-read the thread and change the context from video games to constipation


Return to “Games”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: D_C, Godzilla, Jezo, kerr9000, Kriken, Ploiper, SEP and 257 guests