The biggest thing I learned with tackling a back log is to make sure what ever you play after your current game is of a different gameplay style, genre, or vibe. Helps with preventing burnout and keeps things fresh and keeps you engaged.
The damn back log can be daunting at times. Especially with how long some of these games are, I always feel like if you rush through it and only do the main quests you miss out on the journey, and the real experience.
What i do is play 2 games at a time so i dont get burned out of certain genres. I can switch to game 2 when i want a break. The biggest tip i have that no one talks about is the 2 game idea and picking 1 long game and 1 short game. Rn im playing Octopath Traveler 2, a 50+ hour game, alongside God Of War 1, a 9 hour game. You want to play shorter games alongside a big one so you still have the feeling of accomplishment instead of being stuck on 1 game for months on end.
@@RenniganEagleright on. I play 3 games of different genres at a time, and one of them is like an Ubisoft open world marathon. But I always tell myself to never try to rush any game. I still play a game only whenever I want to play them. That's where the 3 games at once helps. And I take my time with all of em, appreciating its graphics, audio etc.
I'm married with a wife and two kids, and for the last three years I've consistently finished around 50 games a year. 3 biggest things I do; 1. No multiplayer games (that's easy though, because I lost interest in them years ago). 2. Almost never replay games. 3. Always be playing something new, and always be playing something. Many bites eat the elephant.
I agree with this as I used a guide to get through FranBow last night so I wouldn't waste my time struggling. However on the flip side of this I can't decide if I should use guides to get through the persona series or just enjoy it and play blind. I am leaning towards using guides for persona though in order to be efficient
@ThomasFogle watch tip videos for persona then come in blind. Make sure the tip videos dont spoil the game and just teaches you how to spend time efficiently. You're not supposed to be able to see eveything in one play thru which matches the games mechanic of juggling time. If you do action A you cant to B. Which is fine and how the game works. So using a guide would defeat the purpose of a "uniquely yours" playthrough. For classroom answers/exams definitely google them to get max points. But other than that try not to use a guide unless you're reallllly stuck.
Aw man, he beat me this time. I watched the several previous years videos and made an attempt to beat as many games on my Backlog as I could during 2023. I was able to beat 115 games, he had 120. That means I have to try harder during 2024... but there are so many RPG and JRPG games still looming in the distance. So far in 2024 (2/8/24), I have beat WRC 5, Moto GP 22, PGR4, and I'm almost done with Pokémon Red Version (to name a few). Great Video Jonathan! I will try harder this year as I still have 400+ games on my Backlog...
Something I'm currently trying to implement: starting off a game with the idea I'll give it 5 hours. After those 5 hours I decide if I want to play another 5, stop playing, or the game is finished. If a game under 5 hours bores me I'll just stop with the idea to either try again later or let it go (read 3rd paragraph for more on this). Maybe a more realistic version of the don't get new games: get fewer games than you play by as large a margin as possible that's realistic to achieve. I've been doing this with books. I read like a 100 per year and have a massive backlog (or To Be Read pile) so I started with: read double the number of books you buy with as a base rule that I could buy 30. I've now pulled that down more and most of the stuff I get is sequels, but not all of it, and a subscription to an audiobook library. I'm now applying it to my games as well. It's a great way to make sure I think before I buy. I still have a bunch of metroidvanias to go through and some farming sims, which will be taking a long time, but a fun one insterspersed with shorter games. And I am currently in the middle of like 20 games I do actively want to progress in and didn't put on hold. I'm just well trained in keeping stories separate because I read a bunch of epic/political fantasy series at the same time. I also put aside games temporarily or permanently when I'm not feeling it, depending on how exactly I feel. Sometimes I need to get into a genre more by playing simpler games first and might come back later, sometimes I'm not in the mood right now but might be later, and sometimes it's just not for me. Even my Dutch teacher in secondary school was all for this mindset with books and reading because forcing yourself through a book can spoil your entire enjoyment of reading, not just the one of that book. So we got to choose the books we read instead of having mandatory reads. It's a great way to live life. You don't have to write a game off entirely, you can just put it aside for later. If you don't come back to it in over a year? Probably it wasn't the game for you (or still isn't yet). I just love storytelling in any form I can get it in, but some media I do love more than others. Games and books (including radioplays/graphic audio) just are my faves. I've always gamed to some extent, but it's only recently become something I want as a regular way to enjoy myself so I'm still searching for my way to fit it in. Building routines is hard so I'll give it some much needed time and space next to all the other things I need and want to do.
Wow i love your perseverance 😁 I play lots of games on easy or easier modes these days as I don’t always have time to master controls! I wish I’d done this years ago, I’ve always had to “beat“ games now I enjoy them! And more importantly, more of them!
Well done! I conquered mine entirely in 2023 finishing only 56 games. Starting the year just with games I got as holiday presents: Chained Echoes for me and Baldur’s Gate 3 coop with my wife. But, this year looks insane for new games too 😄
Thank you so much for the video, I really needed to hear that. I started buying more games because I was dealing with stress and in 2023 I finally was financially able to afoord a PS5. The backlog is so daunting because I really want to play those games but now I didn't have the energy to do it. Now I'm starting to notice that the key to doing this is to remember I'm doing it because of the fun, and to enjoy the games I paly is the key to playing them. You gave me hope I can finish my backlog someday. Thanks.
Not only do most people have enormous backlogs, it gets even more intimidating when there are games like Baldur's gate 3, persona 5, witcher 3, etc in the log
My tip for navigating your backlog is deciding which game to play one at a time, based on what you played last. I used to try and map out a bunch of games in a row, but that never worked for me. Instead now, I play and game, and then decide which game to pick based on the game I just finished, for example, if there are shared gameplay mechanics or narrative themes; I think you gotta be the right mood to play certain games, and chaining similar experiences is a good way to calibrate your mood for your next game
When it comes to playing through backlog I like playing 2-3 games at a time so I don't get burnt out. I enjoy switching it up instead of grinding one game nonstop till I finish it. The last game I played nonstop cuz it hooked me was Elden Ring.
Absolutely love the video! Laughed at myself when you mentioned about stop buying more games since I just bought 22 games from my recent trip to Japan.
Hope. This is the first year that I decided to really try and knock out my backlog due to there being not a lot of new releases I’m interested in in 2024, so these tips were helpful and I hope I can comment on the next years video and say I got a good amount accomplished on it.
I hope to finish my backlog this year. I'm a completionist, so for me, it's trophy related. I have 16 games left to complete trophies in so surely I can do it this year.
When I was a wee lad, I had a handful of physical games that I completed multiple times each. But as I got older, more and more options became available both physically and digitally, and that backlog grew. But, completing or even starting most of the new games I was getting slowed to a crawl. To my shame, now at 30, I have accumulated easily over 1000 games (Grouping together all physical and digital games across all consoles, all genres and lengths). There's no need for anyone to get defensive, or say things like "it's not a problem because I enjoy it", but anyone who denies gaming / game purchasing can be an addiction is categorically incorrect.
To add onto playing multiple games at once: Sometimes it's worth to do that because you'll find that one game you're playing right now isn't for you right now and you're really just digging how Hollow Knight is feeling and then you focus that bad boy down and get the W. It keeps the process fluid and takes some of the rigidity out of the backlog battle. Not to mention in my experience it sometimes keeps the experience contain that childlike wonder where you just grab games off the shelf and have a magical time and experience when you weren't expecting it. I definitely think focusing on games is still important, so if you're focusing on 4 games and you're feeling like trying something else, maybe pick up a different game for a few days. See how you're feeling, maybe you'll beat it in that time frame. Maybe you'll really like it wanna keep it as a focus game, and you decide to just let go of your playthrough of Alan Wake. That's cool, chase the flow if that sort of approach feels right for you. Edit: That comment at the end of the video about where HOPE is stored nearly knocked me out of my chair.
Tip 3 definitely resonated with me. Played Tears of the Kingdom for like 6hrs and was just getting so bored with it, called it quits and I am glad I did. Also wished I called it quits with Lies of P. I only played through it because it's a Souls Like and I usually really enjoy them and have played a ton of them, but man I just hated it and when looking back I wish I had chosen something else instead.
I've finally decided to start working on my backlog of 40 games. First game I played was Devil May Cry 5, completed it in about 8.5 hours. Was a lot shorter than I expected but I did play on Human difficulty and I didn't try exploring too much. Next game I completed was Assassin's Creed Odyssey, completed it in 52 hours. A much much longer game, but I still enjoyed the experience. I'm now currently playing dishonored and I'm 6 hours in playing on hard difficulty. Really enjoying the game and trying to loot as much as I can while also playing low chaos. I think I plan to play the original half-life next followed by something a bit different. Maybe castle crashers or hollow knight? Not sure yet, but it doesn't really matter. For the longest time I never really played single player story games. All of my gaming hours were in MMO's, competitive shooters, or other multiplayer games. I feel I have now matured a bit more now, and I think I'm more willing to actually sit down and play through a game and its story. I'm also quite enjoying some of the challenge that dishonored brings which keeps me a lot more engaged with the game as its not too easy.
Thanks a ton for this video. I’ve been looking for some tips on tackling my backlog in a structured manner, but a lot of other videos I’ve watched on this topic are some flavor of “you think you want to finish your backlog, but you actually don’t. just play whatever’s feels fun at the moment, bro!”. Of course, that philosophy is valuable in its own way and is right for some people, as you mention in your first tip, but I think approaches like yours also have a right to exist and are completely viable for many others like myself who prefer to approach everything in an organized manner. Kudos!
I’ve been chipping away at my backlog since 2020. I beat 25 games in 2021, 19 in 2022, and 40 in 2023. Hoping to get to 50 this year. Alongside all that I have been watching your vids since your 2020 backlog video. Love the content
And here I thought I was "ambitious" for trying to finish 50 games in 2024. 😅Great tips, I always enjoy this series of yours. Funny you should mention The Witcher 3. I've been playing it since 2019 and put 40+ hours into it. Obviously, it's not because it's a bad game, but because it grabs me and then it doesn't. Then I come back to it only to lose interest again. Rinse and repeat. So yeah... I'm pretty bad at "knowing when to call it", but I'm getting better.
I want to start off by saying I love this series and just rewatched the 2023 one recently so I was excited to see this uploaded! I also hope 2024 is better for you in your personal life. My methods include: 1. Add all my "must-play" games onto my backlog, and move other games to a 'To Try' list. 2. I do play one game at a time so I don't get choice paralysis when I think about gaming, I just default to let's finish what I'm playing now. 3. I also recently started following your 3rd tip and shed the mindset of I'll never move this game to my completed list or experience this game. I realized I have so many amazing games I've yet to get to that it really doesn't matter. Thanks and I look forward to the 2025 edition!
I have so much backlog to conquer this year and I started in December with a couple games I wrapped up. And crossed off another one earlier. And yes, just seeing the credits roll I can cross off another game seeing as how the 'Hard Mode' is testing my patience. There only a handful of games with NG+ I'd consider replaying. And spreading the genres also helps, Platformers, FPS, action adventure, turn based, you name it. I even have a few games I haven't even played but one or two I'd like to start soon and one I'm saving for a special day to start. When I feel there's nothing else to do, I know to call it quits even if I know 100% is impossible.
Hope, my brother. Hope. As a person with a backlog and also a platinum hunter, I gotta finish the games first, then get them trophies and platinums. Was looking forward to this video ❤
Last year I set the goal to beat 12 games. I beat 7 and got the platinum trophy in 4 of them. This year I am going for 12 games again. I hope I can get it.
I’m in the camp of being unable to fully commit to logging every game I own because it would stress me out. Instead, I make a list of 20-30 older games each year that I most want to get to and prioritize them. This helps me chip away at my highest priority backlog games, while still giving me lots of freedom to play whatever I want.
120 games! Good going. I thought I did a fair amount at 16 (with around 12 from backlog) 😅 . I think the most games I completed in a year was 22. Completed Toem today (technically twice, as I have played PS5 and Xbox versions together)
Great tips! Tackling a mountain of games is daunting so it helps to have some advice to help us sort through the pile we accumulate over the years. A follow-up video on this topic could be done, in case you come up with any new ideas in the coming months. Thanks again.
well hey this is built off the previous 3 years! If you havent seen them and want even more (arguably better tips/tricks/ideas etc) then I recommend checking them out!
I play multiple games at a time as well. as in, I install it, play for few times and get distracted. today I checked all my gaming devices to list all games I started to play. it's 57 games now, some of it years old and I'll have to restart them. my point is, don't be afraid to play multiple games but at the same point make sure you're not spreading your attention too thin. I decided I will play one of those games and one I'll need a break I'll use random number generator to pick the alternate game for the next session. don't be like me :) there's fine line between multitasking and procrastination due to lack of interest in current game.
Over the last two or three years I have really committed to a lot of these tips. I stopped playing destiny as much, haven't touched it in months. I have prioritized whole series like Yakuza/Like a Dragon to my backlog as well as the persona series. The only series that I plan on replaying is Kingdom hearts because I want to experience it with my kids and I have also never played the Kingdom hearts collection that I bought on my Xbox on the day it released, it has been sitting there waiting for me for years. I try not to go for 100% completion as much as I used too unless I am really enjoying the game and it's completion model. I would be suffering if i tried to 100% the Yakuza series for instance, but instead I am just looking to roll credits and move on. I started with Yakuza 0 and I have played them in order so far and am currently on Yakuza 5 Remastered and I am playing through the whole series now because I bought like a dragon and infinite wealth and have not played either because I wanted to play the whole series in order.
I have 800 games in my backlog. I'm also OCD and have had to get every achievement. Worse even I play a ton of online coop games and some competitive, but these are with my wife and friends so stopping is not an option. The only way I'll ever even touch my backlog meaningfully is to stop worrying about achievements and completionism and just hit Normal difficulty, and enjoy the story and gameplay of my games. Enjoy the experiences and call it done.
I'm one of those guys that didn't like Witcher 3. AT ALL. I honestly don't get all the hype on that game. But, like you said, I dropped it. I unfortunately managed to snag a trophy or two so it will always be one of those unfinished games on my trophy list. Though I don't consider it backlog as I don't ever plan to return to it. "Have you seen my wife?" Come on....
I already hit a snag. Used a randomizer to pick one of the games I have a saved game on. It came up on Assassin's Creed 2, which I played last in 2019, but was very close to beating it after trying to find all the feathers. For some reason the controller for my PC will not work with the game anymore. I even used my XBOX 360 controller and the game recognizes it, but nothing on the controller will work. So that's a bad start. After randomizing again and changing that game to Alan Wake (since I started that this past Halloween), I got Spider-Man for the PS4...which is fine for today.
I have just started playing threegames at once (god of war ragnarok, Elden Ring, and sea of stars) and I think that’s the perfect amount for me. I haven’t built a backlog but god has my dad. Since I have access to all those I’ve been working through those. Also I HOPE you make a discord
Awesome video mate! This really does give some great structure and strategy for smashing the backlog. I can be one of those guys that looks at my collection of games going back to ps2 and just unable to decide, so I'll just play nothing and jump on CZcams or something instead 😮💨🤣 Appreciate the tips Jonathan!
I miss 2020, despite the pandemic. That year I was able to finish college, gain a bunch of money out of work, get a girlfriend and still beat over 100 games. Too bad it went all downhill from 2021 on. My main tip is just to pick up a game and play it until the credits roll, then go for the next one. No secret. What messes up most playthrougs is changing the game each session, while looking forward for a new one, so you just fill up your HD and many stuff just stand there untouched for a long time. If you dedicate enough to a single title at a time, it's kind of a breeze to beat over 100 games in a year, as long you don't get distracted with online multiplayer ones, which can steal countless hours with little to no payout. What also helps is having some sort of handheld device, so while you play more demanding or specific games on pc or console, you enjoy some handheld titles whenever possible, adding to the list. I have a Vita, so I've beaten many games with that, even through emulation or native software.
Your tip about playing more than one game is very true. My back log is massive in 2023 I started getting heavy into Nintendo switch and retro game collecting. So I’ve had 4-6 games at a time playing through a few are very long rpgs so it’s nice having a few quicker ones along side it.
"I lost my job at Insomniac." Translation: Unless he committed a fireable offense, he and a bunch of employees were laid off once the game was done because the studio was not immediately starting on the next project. Happened to me a couple times. Finally left the AAA games industry so I could work in an industry with more stable employment so I could more reliably support my family. The way devs and publishers treat their employees across all technical disciplines is shameful.
Well hey I am sorry to hear this happened to you and you are right this a common occurrence in AAA gaming but this is not what happened to me. I was in a very different just worse situation that one day I may share with everyone. Not at this time though, still very raw strong feelings and there is still a lot of hurt. Hope you have been able to support the fam more consistently and better.
@@TotallyTubularJonathan Sorry, bruh. Yeah, I was let go from Disney Interactive the week of Christmas, and I was at Red 5 Studios when nobody was paid on THAT Christmas. Scorned a lot. Now I work I.T. as a Support Engineer. Pretty much the only good thing to come out of my time in AAA games: it helped my resume, lol.
Dead space remake Resident evil 4 remake Final fantasy 16 Mass effect 2 Zelda totk Vampire survivors Sekiro Rocket league LoL God of war ragnarok Hogwarts legacy Mario wonder Metroid trilogy Cod the new one Mortal kombat 1 as good as plat those damn kameos Castlevania sotn Hotline miami Gt7 Crash team racing Little nightmares 2 The doom games all of them Duke nukem 3d Mafia definitive edition Deadpool Horizon forbidden west Returnal Some indies for sure And some online That was 2023 I feel like I did good and Im holding of buying new games as much as I can. Games like BG3 I just cant fit in my schedule rn... :(
You missed the tip "Don't have a baby". My boy is about to turn 1. He's my world. But the amount of time you have to play plummets. But it didn't stop me picking up new games I liked or good deals and just had no time to play any of them. So my backlog will be huge when I can get back into it!
First off congrats, but you See the trick is just wait until he is old enough to play games then have him playthrough backlog games for you. Double the efficiency!
@@TotallyTubularJonathan I can only hope. I've got an entire room dedicated to gaming. Modern and retro. Watch and he ends up hating gaming and is into playing music instruments 😂
I personal personal tip I have (that's very subjective I know) if you play on PC, is to get one of those PC Handheld devices (Steam Deck, ROG Ally, etc). I checked my backlog games that I finished in 2023 an 80% of them I played on the Steam Deck, for me the portability and flexibility that it gives you makes it a great device to finish games.
The way I've been handling my backlog is by using a random spinner app. I know it's kinda silly but so far it's worries and has made it so I don't play two similar games in a row. I do have rules of course especially since I included the games I want to plat or 100% that I've already beaten. So far this has worked for me and I do still play my multiplayer games and stuff with friends
I really like the tip to know when to call it. After a few hours, i had to stop Apotheon (it just didnt do it for me, especially for mechanic that weapons break over time)
Hope. I'm playing through the Megami Tensei games right now, then Yakuza, then finishing the rest of the Ace Attorney games. Much love to everyone who sees this.
The backbone peripheral is how I plan to squeeze in more backlog time... Also I beat alot of difficult indie games and not so easy AA/AAA games so sometimes I don't mind setting a 50 hour JRPG to easy or even god of war to easy just to experience the story and get on with my backlog. What are you guys thoughts on setting a game to easy just to knock it off your backlog or to just experience the story
I played res4and dead space remake on normal just to be a little more relaxed with the experience. Still some challenge but nothing to bang my head against the wall.
I do the same now. I don't have time to master the mechanics or the complexity of a game anymore. I just enjoy the journey and modify the difficulty if it's too easy.
The Games in my Backlog are not there because I feel guilty for buying them but because I want to play them no matter if I bought them or I have access to them with Game Pass for PC. If I bought a Game a long time ago and I have no interest in playing it then it will not be a part of my Backlog and I just ignore that I own it. The tip with playing multiple Games at a time could be really helpful for me as I always stick with only one Game at a time but I tend to get bored really quick if I do something for multiple days in a row.
1. I would love to have a backlog list but I don't have time to make the list. 2. I know I'll never beat every game and I'm 100% ok with it. 3. I'm making a stream account to help with me beating my backlog.
Honestly after i spent 2021 clearing about a 50 games backlog and about another 25-30 maybe purchases from that year I've never had a backlog bigger than 10 games the past 3 years pretty much.
I do this weird thing where I play games on certain days, unless one of them hooks me. Then, I will play that game exclusively until I finish it. I also put them on a randomizer and give weight to the ones i want to play the most and I use luck to pick my next game.
I ended up beating 107 games in 2023 (100 if you don’t count individual Fortnite seasons and 1 expansion I counted because of its length) and I’m currently trying to beat my 4th game this year (The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Mostly blind playthrough)
I gave up on the backlog halfway through 2023. Deleted my excel sheet and haven't looked back. It's a losing game when you consider that ps plus alone adds at least 2 or 3 games a month that I want to play between all the tiers they have. And at the end of the day yes I might forget a couple games that I wanted to play but if I forget them did I really want to play them that much? I just go with what I currently am excited to play and I try to tackle franchises I am interested in with single games in between as pallet cleansers. That being said I salute all the backlog clearers, I simply did not enjoy the backlog grind anymore.
Heres one im surprised is not one of your tips but: differentiate your game genres. If you spent a long time on a huge rpg like xenoblade maybe try a different genre for the next game like maybe fighting or racing. Its to prevent fatigued over playing too many of the same type of super long games.
Listen bro, we have very similar goals in life, you want to play as many game as possible and make videos. My goal is to finish every single modern video game and I write reviews on metacritic. I always had an extreme passion for video games, it has always been my hobby and I do feel that this is what I am supposed to be doing. Including game pass and playstation plus premium I now own thousands of games and there are so many I haven't finished I am not sure if I am ever going to make it. In any case I just also wanted to say as FPS games are my favourite genre pretty close with ARPGs I wanted to ask if you are planning to make rankings for this genres in the future, thanks! Btw my approsch is always play what i am having the most fun and never waste time on games that are extremely grindy like AC odyssey and of course just drop a game if not enjoying it as much. Also i usually play simultaneously one game from each genre that i like. Right now i am playing through deathloop for fps, starfield as rpg, RE4 remake as horror and nioh 2 as arpg soulslike.
I always start a game and then drop it. Then when I come back to it, it feels boring because I've already played a lot of it. Checking through my playstation library, the games I have started but haven't finished are: Elden Ring, Baldur's Gate 3, Yakuza 2, Metal Gear Solid 2, Sekiro, Devil may cry, Bioshock, Blasphemous, Postvoid, Carrion, Bloodborne, Dishonored, Superliminal, Resident evil 6, Rise of the tomb raider, Night in the woods, Visage, Dream daddy, Like a dragon ishin, Soma, Jump king, Darkwood, Signalis, Dredge, Life is strange before the storm, Celeste, Jedi survivor, Plague tale innocence, Death's door, The messenger, Prey, Olliolli world, Nier Automata, Metro exodus, Prodeus, Warhammer 40k boltgun, Trek to yomi, Control, The evil within and Hollow knight? Somebody pick one and I'll finish it next because I can't decide.
Watching this series, I was wondering how much time per day you played on average and how long the average game you played were? I personally could not fathom having enough time to beat 120 games but then again most of the games I play are at least 20 hours long.
Well I recommend pausing when I show what games I finished! Its all over the place I finished plenty of under 10 hour games but played several 30+ hours games
So yeah i think i also realized at one point i need to cut down on playing Destiny 2 as my go to game and play my other games because it was taking up most of my time that could have been saved for other games and ever since then i've been able to actually finish games. The strat i ended up going for is prioritizing my single player title (may have co-op) and blast through them and if your friends are on and want to play then sure that's where your multiplayer titles come in. I don't mean speedrunning your games necessarily but rather play titles that can be completed without rushing and that you take your time playing. Titles like Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart or maybe Hogwarts Legacy as an example. Avoid titles you know you're bad at or is infinitely replayable with no real end to them. You don't really want to invest time in a game you won't progress or like or get you hooked because that will hold you back. If you end up however being stuck in section on the game and its effectively a roadblock, maybe consider taking a break from it and playing some thing else and come back to it when you're ready for it. A good example is Lies of P. I get stuck from time to time in that game. When i feel like i progressed enough i give it a break. The idea here it to not feel pressured to beat it or finish it at all cost. Move on instead because it's clear you will need to invest more time on it considering the type of game it's which brings me to knowing the type of game to play. Some games you may not be bad at but rather the game is by design inherently difficult and as a result you may or may not be able to complete it simply because it will ask for your time to learn a bunch. Can't think of any off the top of my head.... Oh well. What else? Oh having a friend over or a sibling that you play with often can actually boost your rate of completing games much faster. Lol i guess this turned out to be tips. Consider not buying games all the time. This is probably what causes us to be in the position we are in with having so many games to go through because out of the many games we have a lot of us really just play a couple consistently over and over with many hours clocked in and this causes us to have huge backlog collecting dust. If there's a game you already played on another platform or you just know you played already then skip it and consider it played. Looking at you Skyrim. Unless you just really want to play something you played before then sure have at it. It happens sometimes you're stuck and you need a guide. Feel free to look one up. This isn't cheating if you're really stuck and just want to make progress. I think that's it. Just adding stuff that helped me and could be helpful. I have 48 games completed out of my 491 games owned lol (unsure if that's even accurate). This year i'm planning to complete 30 games. I manage to complete games i bought like 5-6 years ago just before the year ended and now i'm in such a roll that i don't want to stop. It's been working for me so far. Gl you yall. Opps this was a long one😅
I don't know how it is possible to beat hundreds of games per year unless they're really short games. Luckily I only have 15 games left in my backlog, 15 that I actually bought with the intent to finish. There are other games that I have which were given away for free at some point, but I don't count giveaways because if I didn't spend money on them, then I don't feel like I really have to play or finish them.
i made a pact with myself that i'm not buying any games this year for all the reasons you mentioned here. also, RDR2 didn't hook me in so i stopped playing it LOL come at me, people
Not sure I'll ever finish my backlog. I treat it like a desert, a couple of times of week. It took me 3 months to finish Spider-man with my daughter. Currently working through 2017 God of War. At this pace, I should have it completed by March. I'll probably not get through everything I want to play.
oh I can personally relate to this. I had a save file for sleeping dogs for like 7 or 8 years. In 2020 that was like the first game I went after when I started tackling my backlog. And you know what its a great game! So finish it! Its worth it!
@@TotallyTubularJonathan is definitely taking that tip of not replaying stuff and no live services games to heart because iam on my 7th play though of resident evil 4 remake
Man, I watched the title and finally I saw someone that actually finish games, youtubers nowadays dont play shit till the end but talk too much! Huge respect to you my friend! I finished 111 games last year and for me only someone who actually finish games deserves respect and can speak in a legit way about videogames! Once again man, huge respect! That's how it is to be a true gamer! Yeah, I have backlog but still I love to know how many games I have nowadays and when I was a kid I needed to repeat the same games all over! I want new experiences, new games, there's so many games to play, it's actually great to have backlog, for me it's actually positive! Thanks a lot for such a great video
I still have yet to find out if a backlog is something for me. I know I like replaying my old favorites but I feel I need to force myself to play other stuff while I wait for the games that genuinely interest me. As a kid I'd always play what was gifted to me or I just picked what was interesting. If I didn't like it I stopped playing and played something else. I'm not sure why this is harder to do as an adult.
The biggest thing I learned with tackling a back log is to make sure what ever you play after your current game is of a different gameplay style, genre, or vibe. Helps with preventing burnout and keeps things fresh and keeps you engaged.
The damn back log can be daunting at times. Especially with how long some of these games are, I always feel like if you rush through it and only do the main quests you miss out on the journey, and the real experience.
This is exactly why I 100% my games
Same for me too
What i do is play 2 games at a time so i dont get burned out of certain genres. I can switch to game 2 when i want a break. The biggest tip i have that no one talks about is the 2 game idea and picking 1 long game and 1 short game. Rn im playing Octopath Traveler 2, a 50+ hour game, alongside God Of War 1, a 9 hour game. You want to play shorter games alongside a big one so you still have the feeling of accomplishment instead of being stuck on 1 game for months on end.
@@RenniganEagle 💯
@@RenniganEagleright on. I play 3 games of different genres at a time, and one of them is like an Ubisoft open world marathon.
But I always tell myself to never try to rush any game. I still play a game only whenever I want to play them. That's where the 3 games at once helps. And I take my time with all of em, appreciating its graphics, audio etc.
My #1 tip is that you can't beat the backlog if you don't put the hours in. You've got to actually play games in order to beat your gaming backlog.
I'm married with a wife and two kids, and for the last three years I've consistently finished around 50 games a year. 3 biggest things I do;
1. No multiplayer games (that's easy though, because I lost interest in them years ago).
2. Almost never replay games.
3. Always be playing something new, and always be playing something. Many bites eat the elephant.
Good to knoe marriage and kids cant stop a gamer from gaming. Im less worried now for when im older and start a family
Another one I want to add is, don’t be afraid to use guides or walkthroughs sometimes. These can help you utilize your time more efficiently.
I agree with this as I used a guide to get through FranBow last night so I wouldn't waste my time struggling. However on the flip side of this I can't decide if I should use guides to get through the persona series or just enjoy it and play blind. I am leaning towards using guides for persona though in order to be efficient
@@ThomasFogle Maybe just if you get stuck on Palaces or Dungeons. Aside from that, try to avoid the guide as much as you can.
@ThomasFogle watch tip videos for persona then come in blind. Make sure the tip videos dont spoil the game and just teaches you how to spend time efficiently. You're not supposed to be able to see eveything in one play thru which matches the games mechanic of juggling time. If you do action A you cant to B. Which is fine and how the game works. So using a guide would defeat the purpose of a "uniquely yours" playthrough. For classroom answers/exams definitely google them to get max points. But other than that try not to use a guide unless you're reallllly stuck.
Aw man, he beat me this time. I watched the several previous years videos and made an attempt to beat as many games on my Backlog as I could during 2023. I was able to beat 115 games, he had 120. That means I have to try harder during 2024... but there are so many RPG and JRPG games still looming in the distance. So far in 2024 (2/8/24), I have beat WRC 5, Moto GP 22, PGR4, and I'm almost done with Pokémon Red Version (to name a few). Great Video Jonathan! I will try harder this year as I still have 400+ games on my Backlog...
Something I'm currently trying to implement: starting off a game with the idea I'll give it 5 hours. After those 5 hours I decide if I want to play another 5, stop playing, or the game is finished. If a game under 5 hours bores me I'll just stop with the idea to either try again later or let it go (read 3rd paragraph for more on this).
Maybe a more realistic version of the don't get new games: get fewer games than you play by as large a margin as possible that's realistic to achieve.
I've been doing this with books. I read like a 100 per year and have a massive backlog (or To Be Read pile) so I started with: read double the number of books you buy with as a base rule that I could buy 30. I've now pulled that down more and most of the stuff I get is sequels, but not all of it, and a subscription to an audiobook library.
I'm now applying it to my games as well. It's a great way to make sure I think before I buy. I still have a bunch of metroidvanias to go through and some farming sims, which will be taking a long time, but a fun one insterspersed with shorter games. And I am currently in the middle of like 20 games I do actively want to progress in and didn't put on hold.
I'm just well trained in keeping stories separate because I read a bunch of epic/political fantasy series at the same time.
I also put aside games temporarily or permanently when I'm not feeling it, depending on how exactly I feel. Sometimes I need to get into a genre more by playing simpler games first and might come back later, sometimes I'm not in the mood right now but might be later, and sometimes it's just not for me. Even my Dutch teacher in secondary school was all for this mindset with books and reading because forcing yourself through a book can spoil your entire enjoyment of reading, not just the one of that book. So we got to choose the books we read instead of having mandatory reads. It's a great way to live life. You don't have to write a game off entirely, you can just put it aside for later. If you don't come back to it in over a year? Probably it wasn't the game for you (or still isn't yet).
I just love storytelling in any form I can get it in, but some media I do love more than others. Games and books (including radioplays/graphic audio) just are my faves.
I've always gamed to some extent, but it's only recently become something I want as a regular way to enjoy myself so I'm still searching for my way to fit it in. Building routines is hard so I'll give it some much needed time and space next to all the other things I need and want to do.
Im sorry you had a rough 2023. I hope this year is a whole lot better! Looking forward to new videos on your channel! Subbed ❤️
Wow i love your perseverance 😁 I play lots of games on easy or easier modes these days as I don’t always have time to master controls! I wish I’d done this years ago, I’ve always had to “beat“ games now I enjoy them! And more importantly, more of them!
Well done! I conquered mine entirely in 2023 finishing only 56 games. Starting the year just with games I got as holiday presents: Chained Echoes for me and Baldur’s Gate 3 coop with my wife. But, this year looks insane for new games too 😄
Thank you so much for the video, I really needed to hear that. I started buying more games because I was dealing with stress and in 2023 I finally was financially able to afoord a PS5. The backlog is so daunting because I really want to play those games but now I didn't have the energy to do it. Now I'm starting to notice that the key to doing this is to remember I'm doing it because of the fun, and to enjoy the games I paly is the key to playing them. You gave me hope I can finish my backlog someday. Thanks.
Not only do most people have enormous backlogs, it gets even more intimidating when there are games like Baldur's gate 3, persona 5, witcher 3, etc in the log
i was waiting for it, thanks for delivering!
Your channel is so underrated, it is been the gem i've been looking for
My tip for navigating your backlog is deciding which game to play one at a time, based on what you played last. I used to try and map out a bunch of games in a row, but that never worked for me. Instead now, I play and game, and then decide which game to pick based on the game I just finished, for example, if there are shared gameplay mechanics or narrative themes; I think you gotta be the right mood to play certain games, and chaining similar experiences is a good way to calibrate your mood for your next game
When it comes to playing through backlog I like playing 2-3 games at a time so I don't get burnt out. I enjoy switching it up instead of grinding one game nonstop till I finish it. The last game I played nonstop cuz it hooked me was Elden Ring.
Absolutely love the video! Laughed at myself when you mentioned about stop buying more games since I just bought 22 games from my recent trip to Japan.
Hope. This is the first year that I decided to really try and knock out my backlog due to there being not a lot of new releases I’m interested in in 2024, so these tips were helpful and I hope I can comment on the next years video and say I got a good amount accomplished on it.
I love to just watch these yearly videos of yours, makes me motivated to play
I hope to finish my backlog this year. I'm a completionist, so for me, it's trophy related. I have 16 games left to complete trophies in so surely I can do it this year.
When I was a wee lad, I had a handful of physical games that I completed multiple times each.
But as I got older, more and more options became available both physically and digitally, and that backlog grew. But, completing or even starting most of the new games I was getting slowed to a crawl. To my shame, now at 30, I have accumulated easily over 1000 games (Grouping together all physical and digital games across all consoles, all genres and lengths).
There's no need for anyone to get defensive, or say things like "it's not a problem because I enjoy it", but anyone who denies gaming / game purchasing can be an addiction is categorically incorrect.
To add onto playing multiple games at once: Sometimes it's worth to do that because you'll find that one game you're playing right now isn't for you right now and you're really just digging how Hollow Knight is feeling and then you focus that bad boy down and get the W. It keeps the process fluid and takes some of the rigidity out of the backlog battle. Not to mention in my experience it sometimes keeps the experience contain that childlike wonder where you just grab games off the shelf and have a magical time and experience when you weren't expecting it.
I definitely think focusing on games is still important, so if you're focusing on 4 games and you're feeling like trying something else, maybe pick up a different game for a few days. See how you're feeling, maybe you'll beat it in that time frame. Maybe you'll really like it wanna keep it as a focus game, and you decide to just let go of your playthrough of Alan Wake. That's cool, chase the flow if that sort of approach feels right for you.
Edit: That comment at the end of the video about where HOPE is stored nearly knocked me out of my chair.
Tip 3 definitely resonated with me. Played Tears of the Kingdom for like 6hrs and was just getting so bored with it, called it quits and I am glad I did.
Also wished I called it quits with Lies of P. I only played through it because it's a Souls Like and I usually really enjoy them and have played a ton of them, but man I just hated it and when looking back I wish I had chosen something else instead.
I've finally decided to start working on my backlog of 40 games. First game I played was Devil May Cry 5, completed it in about 8.5 hours. Was a lot shorter than I expected but I did play on Human difficulty and I didn't try exploring too much. Next game I completed was Assassin's Creed Odyssey, completed it in 52 hours. A much much longer game, but I still enjoyed the experience. I'm now currently playing dishonored and I'm 6 hours in playing on hard difficulty. Really enjoying the game and trying to loot as much as I can while also playing low chaos. I think I plan to play the original half-life next followed by something a bit different. Maybe castle crashers or hollow knight? Not sure yet, but it doesn't really matter.
For the longest time I never really played single player story games. All of my gaming hours were in MMO's, competitive shooters, or other multiplayer games. I feel I have now matured a bit more now, and I think I'm more willing to actually sit down and play through a game and its story. I'm also quite enjoying some of the challenge that dishonored brings which keeps me a lot more engaged with the game as its not too easy.
Thanks a ton for this video. I’ve been looking for some tips on tackling my backlog in a structured manner, but a lot of other videos I’ve watched on this topic are some flavor of “you think you want to finish your backlog, but you actually don’t. just play whatever’s feels fun at the moment, bro!”. Of course, that philosophy is valuable in its own way and is right for some people, as you mention in your first tip, but I think approaches like yours also have a right to exist and are completely viable for many others like myself who prefer to approach everything in an organized manner. Kudos!
For me, the multiple games at once is the key.
I’ve been chipping away at my backlog since 2020. I beat 25 games in 2021, 19 in 2022, and 40 in 2023. Hoping to get to 50 this year.
Alongside all that I have been watching your vids since your 2020 backlog video. Love the content
Yeah some guy said he didn't want to see a 100+ backlog video, but I was really excitedd for it, I recenlty got into your videos, luv em!
I see Killer7, that's great! I'm glad to see that there's more people being aware of the game
And here I thought I was "ambitious" for trying to finish 50 games in 2024. 😅Great tips, I always enjoy this series of yours.
Funny you should mention The Witcher 3. I've been playing it since 2019 and put 40+ hours into it. Obviously, it's not because it's a bad game, but because it grabs me and then it doesn't. Then I come back to it only to lose interest again. Rinse and repeat. So yeah... I'm pretty bad at "knowing when to call it", but I'm getting better.
I want to start off by saying I love this series and just rewatched the 2023 one recently so I was excited to see this uploaded! I also hope 2024 is better for you in your personal life.
My methods include:
1. Add all my "must-play" games onto my backlog, and move other games to a 'To Try' list.
2. I do play one game at a time so I don't get choice paralysis when I think about gaming, I just default to let's finish what I'm playing now.
3. I also recently started following your 3rd tip and shed the mindset of I'll never move this game to my completed list or experience this game. I realized I have so many amazing games I've yet to get to that it really doesn't matter.
Thanks and I look forward to the 2025 edition!
I didn't expect to encounter such a sweet tone, but it was nice. Everyone could use more hope for sure, thanks :3
I have so much backlog to conquer this year and I started in December with a couple games I wrapped up. And crossed off another one earlier. And yes, just seeing the credits roll I can cross off another game seeing as how the 'Hard Mode' is testing my patience. There only a handful of games with NG+ I'd consider replaying. And spreading the genres also helps, Platformers, FPS, action adventure, turn based, you name it. I even have a few games I haven't even played but one or two I'd like to start soon and one I'm saving for a special day to start. When I feel there's nothing else to do, I know to call it quits even if I know 100% is impossible.
Hope, my brother. Hope. As a person with a backlog and also a platinum hunter, I gotta finish the games first, then get them trophies and platinums. Was looking forward to this video ❤
Last year I set the goal to beat 12 games. I beat 7 and got the platinum trophy in 4 of them. This year I am going for 12 games again. I hope I can get it.
Just the kind of Positive Gaming Video I needed to start 2024! Thanks man! Love your channel and informative videos.
I’m in the camp of being unable to fully commit to logging every game I own because it would stress me out. Instead, I make a list of 20-30 older games each year that I most want to get to and prioritize them. This helps me chip away at my highest priority backlog games, while still giving me lots of freedom to play whatever I want.
I play like 5 games for hundreds of hours per game every year so there’s no backlog for me but it was interesting to hear
What are your 5 games?
120 games! Good going. I thought I did a fair amount at 16 (with around 12 from backlog) 😅 . I think the most games I completed in a year was 22. Completed Toem today (technically twice, as I have played PS5 and Xbox versions together)
Great tips! Tackling a mountain of games is daunting so it helps to have some advice to help us sort through the pile we accumulate over the years. A follow-up video on this topic could be done, in case you come up with any new ideas in the coming months. Thanks again.
well hey this is built off the previous 3 years! If you havent seen them and want even more (arguably better tips/tricks/ideas etc) then I recommend checking them out!
I play multiple games at a time as well. as in, I install it, play for few times and get distracted. today I checked all my gaming devices to list all games I started to play. it's 57 games now, some of it years old and I'll have to restart them. my point is, don't be afraid to play multiple games but at the same point make sure you're not spreading your attention too thin. I decided I will play one of those games and one I'll need a break I'll use random number generator to pick the alternate game for the next session. don't be like me :) there's fine line between multitasking and procrastination due to lack of interest in current game.
Over the last two or three years I have really committed to a lot of these tips. I stopped playing destiny as much, haven't touched it in months. I have prioritized whole series like Yakuza/Like a Dragon to my backlog as well as the persona series. The only series that I plan on replaying is Kingdom hearts because I want to experience it with my kids and I have also never played the Kingdom hearts collection that I bought on my Xbox on the day it released, it has been sitting there waiting for me for years. I try not to go for 100% completion as much as I used too unless I am really enjoying the game and it's completion model. I would be suffering if i tried to 100% the Yakuza series for instance, but instead I am just looking to roll credits and move on. I started with Yakuza 0 and I have played them in order so far and am currently on Yakuza 5 Remastered and I am playing through the whole series now because I bought like a dragon and infinite wealth and have not played either because I wanted to play the whole series in order.
I have 800 games in my backlog. I'm also OCD and have had to get every achievement. Worse even I play a ton of online coop games and some competitive, but these are with my wife and friends so stopping is not an option. The only way I'll ever even touch my backlog meaningfully is to stop worrying about achievements and completionism and just hit Normal difficulty, and enjoy the story and gameplay of my games. Enjoy the experiences and call it done.
Great video. Subbed.
I’m challenging myself this year to tackle my backlog and document the process here on CZcams. Thanks for the tips!
Finally, someone who says to play multiple games at the same time.
This is awesome. I'm trying to conquer my backlog...starting with my ps2, nfs most wanted is what I'm on right now
I’m so happy I have like three games on my backlog I can’t wait to play them!
I'm one of those guys that didn't like Witcher 3. AT ALL. I honestly don't get all the hype on that game. But, like you said, I dropped it. I unfortunately managed to snag a trophy or two so it will always be one of those unfinished games on my trophy list. Though I don't consider it backlog as I don't ever plan to return to it.
"Have you seen my wife?" Come on....
I feel like I was already waiting for this video, always a good watch!
i love watching these videos! i was able to finish 50 this year and im hoping to get my backlog to under 100 games by next year
I already hit a snag. Used a randomizer to pick one of the games I have a saved game on. It came up on Assassin's Creed 2, which I played last in 2019, but was very close to beating it after trying to find all the feathers. For some reason the controller for my PC will not work with the game anymore. I even used my XBOX 360 controller and the game recognizes it, but nothing on the controller will work. So that's a bad start. After randomizing again and changing that game to Alan Wake (since I started that this past Halloween), I got Spider-Man for the PS4...which is fine for today.
I have just started playing threegames at once (god of war ragnarok, Elden Ring, and sea of stars) and I think that’s the perfect amount for me. I haven’t built a backlog but god has my dad. Since I have access to all those I’ve been working through those. Also I HOPE you make a discord
What a great couple of videos to start the year! Thanks for this, was really looking forward to it :)
Awesome video mate! This really does give some great structure and strategy for smashing the backlog. I can be one of those guys that looks at my collection of games going back to ps2 and just unable to decide, so I'll just play nothing and jump on CZcams or something instead 😮💨🤣
Appreciate the tips Jonathan!
I miss 2020, despite the pandemic. That year I was able to finish college, gain a bunch of money out of work, get a girlfriend and still beat over 100 games. Too bad it went all downhill from 2021 on.
My main tip is just to pick up a game and play it until the credits roll, then go for the next one. No secret. What messes up most playthrougs is changing the game each session, while looking forward for a new one, so you just fill up your HD and many stuff just stand there untouched for a long time. If you dedicate enough to a single title at a time, it's kind of a breeze to beat over 100 games in a year, as long you don't get distracted with online multiplayer ones, which can steal countless hours with little to no payout. What also helps is having some sort of handheld device, so while you play more demanding or specific games on pc or console, you enjoy some handheld titles whenever possible, adding to the list. I have a Vita, so I've beaten many games with that, even through emulation or native software.
Your tip about playing more than one game is very true. My back log is massive in 2023 I started getting heavy into Nintendo switch and retro game collecting. So I’ve had 4-6 games at a time playing through a few are very long rpgs so it’s nice having a few quicker ones along side it.
Wish I knew what games you were playing, some of them appealed to me.
This is my plan for this year. Is to just focus on work!.
and get caught up on my video games 😊
It's nice to see someone who actually plays games that are worth it and not just shitty shovelware games for a completion
"I lost my job at Insomniac."
Translation: Unless he committed a fireable offense, he and a bunch of employees were laid off once the game was done because the studio was not immediately starting on the next project. Happened to me a couple times. Finally left the AAA games industry so I could work in an industry with more stable employment so I could more reliably support my family. The way devs and publishers treat their employees across all technical disciplines is shameful.
Well hey I am sorry to hear this happened to you and you are right this a common occurrence in AAA gaming but this is not what happened to me. I was in a very different just worse situation that one day I may share with everyone. Not at this time though, still very raw strong feelings and there is still a lot of hurt. Hope you have been able to support the fam more consistently and better.
@@TotallyTubularJonathan Sorry, bruh. Yeah, I was let go from Disney Interactive the week of Christmas, and I was at Red 5 Studios when nobody was paid on THAT Christmas. Scorned a lot. Now I work I.T. as a Support Engineer. Pretty much the only good thing to come out of my time in AAA games: it helped my resume, lol.
What a first world problem. I feel mad lucky to be experiencing the struggle of clearing my backlog. Especially with game pass
There is no backlog only games you love and games you shouldn't waste your time with.
Dead space remake
Resident evil 4 remake
Final fantasy 16
Mass effect 2
Zelda totk
Vampire survivors
Sekiro
Rocket league LoL
God of war ragnarok
Hogwarts legacy
Mario wonder
Metroid trilogy
Cod the new one
Mortal kombat 1 as good as plat those damn kameos
Castlevania sotn
Hotline miami
Gt7
Crash team racing
Little nightmares 2
The doom games all of them
Duke nukem 3d
Mafia definitive edition
Deadpool
Horizon forbidden west
Returnal
Some indies for sure
And some online
That was 2023
I feel like I did good and Im holding of buying new games as much as I can.
Games like BG3 I just cant fit in my schedule rn... :(
You missed the tip "Don't have a baby". My boy is about to turn 1. He's my world. But the amount of time you have to play plummets. But it didn't stop me picking up new games I liked or good deals and just had no time to play any of them. So my backlog will be huge when I can get back into it!
First off congrats, but you See the trick is just wait until he is old enough to play games then have him playthrough backlog games for you. Double the efficiency!
@@TotallyTubularJonathan I can only hope. I've got an entire room dedicated to gaming. Modern and retro. Watch and he ends up hating gaming and is into playing music instruments 😂
I personal personal tip I have (that's very subjective I know) if you play on PC, is to get one of those PC Handheld devices (Steam Deck, ROG Ally, etc). I checked my backlog games that I finished in 2023 an 80% of them I played on the Steam Deck, for me the portability and flexibility that it gives you makes it a great device to finish games.
Love your content man!!! Keep up the great work and keep high spirits! 🙏
Glad you played Killer7, one of my favorites
I got so many games on my Steam account that I started but never finished. Gonna challenge myself this year to beat them all.
The way I've been handling my backlog is by using a random spinner app. I know it's kinda silly but so far it's worries and has made it so I don't play two similar games in a row. I do have rules of course especially since I included the games I want to plat or 100% that I've already beaten. So far this has worked for me and I do still play my multiplayer games and stuff with friends
I really like the tip to know when to call it. After a few hours, i had to stop Apotheon (it just didnt do it for me, especially for mechanic that weapons break over time)
Hope. I'm playing through the Megami Tensei games right now, then Yakuza, then finishing the rest of the Ace Attorney games. Much love to everyone who sees this.
Tip: “stop buying new games”
Instructions unclear, just added 10 more games to the backlog.
The backbone peripheral is how I plan to squeeze in more backlog time... Also I beat alot of difficult indie games and not so easy AA/AAA games so sometimes I don't mind setting a 50 hour JRPG to easy or even god of war to easy just to experience the story and get on with my backlog. What are you guys thoughts on setting a game to easy just to knock it off your backlog or to just experience the story
I played res4and dead space remake on normal just to be a little more relaxed with the experience. Still some challenge but nothing to bang my head against the wall.
I do the same now. I don't have time to master the mechanics or the complexity of a game anymore. I just enjoy the journey and modify the difficulty if it's too easy.
The Games in my Backlog are not there because I feel guilty for buying them but because I want to play them no matter if I bought them or I have access to them with Game Pass for PC. If I bought a Game a long time ago and I have no interest in playing it then it will not be a part of my Backlog and I just ignore that I own it.
The tip with playing multiple Games at a time could be really helpful for me as I always stick with only one Game at a time but I tend to get bored really quick if I do something for multiple days in a row.
1. I would love to have a backlog list but I don't have time to make the list.
2. I know I'll never beat every game and I'm 100% ok with it.
3. I'm making a stream account to help with me beating my backlog.
Honestly after i spent 2021 clearing about a 50 games backlog and about another 25-30 maybe purchases from that year I've never had a backlog bigger than 10 games the past 3 years pretty much.
I do this weird thing where I play games on certain days, unless one of them hooks me. Then, I will play that game exclusively until I finish it. I also put them on a randomizer and give weight to the ones i want to play the most and I use luck to pick my next game.
I ended up beating 107 games in 2023 (100 if you don’t count individual Fortnite seasons and 1 expansion I counted because of its length) and I’m currently trying to beat my 4th game this year (The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Mostly blind playthrough)
I gave up on the backlog halfway through 2023. Deleted my excel sheet and haven't looked back. It's a losing game when you consider that ps plus alone adds at least 2 or 3 games a month that I want to play between all the tiers they have. And at the end of the day yes I might forget a couple games that I wanted to play but if I forget them did I really want to play them that much? I just go with what I currently am excited to play and I try to tackle franchises I am interested in with single games in between as pallet cleansers. That being said I salute all the backlog clearers, I simply did not enjoy the backlog grind anymore.
Heres one im surprised is not one of your tips but: differentiate your game genres. If you spent a long time on a huge rpg like xenoblade maybe try a different genre for the next game like maybe fighting or racing. Its to prevent fatigued over playing too many of the same type of super long games.
Hey, anyone know the name of the car game at 14:17 ?
Apart from that another excellent video from you TTJ !
Damn, and I thought I had a good year completing 22 games 😅
I was only able to conquer mine when I got unemployed during the pandemic. 😅
Listen bro, we have very similar goals in life, you want to play as many game as possible and make videos. My goal is to finish every single modern video game and I write reviews on metacritic. I always had an extreme passion for video games, it has always been my hobby and I do feel that this is what I am supposed to be doing. Including game pass and playstation plus premium I now own thousands of games and there are so many I haven't finished I am not sure if I am ever going to make it. In any case I just also wanted to say as FPS games are my favourite genre pretty close with ARPGs I wanted to ask if you are planning to make rankings for this genres in the future, thanks! Btw my approsch is always play what i am having the most fun and never waste time on games that are extremely grindy like AC odyssey and of course just drop a game if not enjoying it as much. Also i usually play simultaneously one game from each genre that i like. Right now i am playing through deathloop for fps, starfield as rpg, RE4 remake as horror and nioh 2 as arpg soulslike.
Lovely video:)
Fucking prove you beat that many games.
I always start a game and then drop it. Then when I come back to it, it feels boring because I've already played a lot of it. Checking through my playstation library, the games I have started but haven't finished are: Elden Ring, Baldur's Gate 3, Yakuza 2, Metal Gear Solid 2, Sekiro, Devil may cry, Bioshock, Blasphemous, Postvoid, Carrion, Bloodborne, Dishonored, Superliminal, Resident evil 6, Rise of the tomb raider, Night in the woods, Visage, Dream daddy, Like a dragon ishin, Soma, Jump king, Darkwood, Signalis, Dredge, Life is strange before the storm, Celeste, Jedi survivor, Plague tale innocence, Death's door, The messenger, Prey, Olliolli world, Nier Automata, Metro exodus, Prodeus, Warhammer 40k boltgun, Trek to yomi, Control, The evil within and Hollow knight? Somebody pick one and I'll finish it next because I can't decide.
Watching this series, I was wondering how much time per day you played on average and how long the average game you played were? I personally could not fathom having enough time to beat 120 games but then again most of the games I play are at least 20 hours long.
Well I recommend pausing when I show what games I finished! Its all over the place I finished plenty of under 10 hour games but played several 30+ hours games
So yeah i think i also realized at one point i need to cut down on playing Destiny 2 as my go to game and play my other games because it was taking up most of my time that could have been saved for other games and ever since then i've been able to actually finish games. The strat i ended up going for is prioritizing my single player title (may have co-op) and blast through them and if your friends are on and want to play then sure that's where your multiplayer titles come in. I don't mean speedrunning your games necessarily but rather play titles that can be completed without rushing and that you take your time playing. Titles like Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart or maybe Hogwarts Legacy as an example.
Avoid titles you know you're bad at or is infinitely replayable with no real end to them. You don't really want to invest time in a game you won't progress or like or get you hooked because that will hold you back. If you end up however being stuck in section on the game and its effectively a roadblock, maybe consider taking a break from it and playing some thing else and come back to it when you're ready for it. A good example is Lies of P. I get stuck from time to time in that game. When i feel like i progressed enough i give it a break. The idea here it to not feel pressured to beat it or finish it at all cost. Move on instead because it's clear you will need to invest more time on it considering the type of game it's which brings me to knowing the type of game to play. Some games you may not be bad at but rather the game is by design inherently difficult and as a result you may or may not be able to complete it simply because it will ask for your time to learn a bunch. Can't think of any off the top of my head....
Oh well. What else? Oh having a friend over or a sibling that you play with often can actually boost your rate of completing games much faster. Lol i guess this turned out to be tips. Consider not buying games all the time. This is probably what causes us to be in the position we are in with having so many games to go through because out of the many games we have a lot of us really just play a couple consistently over and over with many hours clocked in and this causes us to have huge backlog collecting dust. If there's a game you already played on another platform or you just know you played already then skip it and consider it played. Looking at you Skyrim. Unless you just really want to play something you played before then sure have at it. It happens sometimes you're stuck and you need a guide. Feel free to look one up. This isn't cheating if you're really stuck and just want to make progress. I think that's it. Just adding stuff that helped me and could be helpful. I have 48 games completed out of my 491 games owned lol (unsure if that's even accurate). This year i'm planning to complete 30 games. I manage to complete games i bought like 5-6 years ago just before the year ended and now i'm in such a roll that i don't want to stop. It's been working for me so far. Gl you yall. Opps this was a long one😅
I don't know how it is possible to beat hundreds of games per year unless they're really short games. Luckily I only have 15 games left in my backlog, 15 that I actually bought with the intent to finish. There are other games that I have which were given away for free at some point, but I don't count giveaways because if I didn't spend money on them, then I don't feel like I really have to play or finish them.
Never would’ve guessed another video
i made a pact with myself that i'm not buying any games this year for all the reasons you mentioned here.
also, RDR2 didn't hook me in so i stopped playing it LOL come at me, people
Not sure I'll ever finish my backlog. I treat it like a desert, a couple of times of week. It took me 3 months to finish Spider-man with my daughter. Currently working through 2017 God of War. At this pace, I should have it completed by March. I'll probably not get through everything I want to play.
Yea I need to push through these games because I’ve been one my one save file of sleeping dogs for like 5 years
oh I can personally relate to this. I had a save file for sleeping dogs for like 7 or 8 years. In 2020 that was like the first game I went after when I started tackling my backlog. And you know what its a great game! So finish it! Its worth it!
@@TotallyTubularJonathan is definitely taking that tip of not replaying stuff and no live services games to heart because iam on my 7th play though of resident evil 4 remake
Coming here to find out ways to conquer back log. Gets caught up with games on screen and ends up adding more to back log
Man, I watched the title and finally I saw someone that actually finish games, youtubers nowadays dont play shit till the end but talk too much! Huge respect to you my friend! I finished 111 games last year and for me only someone who actually finish games deserves respect and can speak in a legit way about videogames! Once again man, huge respect! That's how it is to be a true gamer! Yeah, I have backlog but still I love to know how many games I have nowadays and when I was a kid I needed to repeat the same games all over! I want new experiences, new games, there's so many games to play, it's actually great to have backlog, for me it's actually positive! Thanks a lot for such a great video
For the 1st question. would there be people who live game to game, not getting a new game until they either despise it or complete it?
My problem with getting through my back log is just sitting down, and clicking play. I have a hard time sitting still lately.
I bought the Deus Ex bundle while watching this video
I still have yet to find out if a backlog is something for me. I know I like replaying my old favorites but I feel I need to force myself to play other stuff while I wait for the games that genuinely interest me. As a kid I'd always play what was gifted to me or I just picked what was interesting. If I didn't like it I stopped playing and played something else. I'm not sure why this is harder to do as an adult.