I’d hazard that most gamers have one, I’d suggest that it sits in the back of our minds, and every new game purchase gives us that little extra guilt. That’s right, the pile of shame.
Those games we bought and played but never finished, or got the DLC for but never played it. Worse still…….the games we bought, installed and never played. Why do we do it?
Confession time….
I’m holding my hands up here and saying “yes, I know……some of these are classics, some of these should absolutely have been played and finished by now”, and you know what?! I’m going to, from now.
Running this site and buying games to write about isn’t exactly cheap. I’m not big enough for publishers or PR teams to have any value from me, and that’s fine, I get it. So, why not stop buying games for a little while, and get that pile worked through?
I’m committing to it right here, right now.
There are literally 80+ games in my Xbox Live library, ready to be downloaded and played. There are 32 games installed on my hard drive, and I have a pile of discs that have never been finished, or the accompanying DLC hasn’t been completed.
So from today, barring the odd second-hand PS4 exclusive purchase, I’m committing to finishing some incredible games that I just let fall down by the wayside.
It’s not much in terms of a cause, but I’ll feel better at the very least!
The games
Straight off the bat I have 5 “must” titles, that I’ll be focusing on. They are as follows.
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
For crying out loud……how have I not finished it yet? Easily one of the best games in recent years, perhaps ever, and I haven’t finished it, nor have I gone back to it since August. All this despite purchasing the DLC Season Pass, too. No way should this be in any pile of shame!
I remember getting frustrated with Thuderblight Ganon, and nearly achieving it a few times, but dying over and over. So I decided to get more health, and work on improving Link before I got back. Thing is, I just stopped playing!
So this is definitely on the list, and I’m looking forward to getting back into it, finally helping Princess Zelda, and abolishing Ganon yet again!
Dishonored 2
I loved Dishonored so much, it was one of the best games I’d played in ages, and arguably one of the best on the Xbox 360. The promise of a sequel had me throwing money at the screen pretty much straight away.
Again, I got started, did the excellent clockwork mansion, found myself sinking into the groove, then just never got back into it. It was around Christmas time, and there was a lot of other stuff to play……that’s it, that is my excuse.
Suffice it to say, I’m really excited to get stuck in again. I chose Corvo, but wonder if I should start from scratch and use Emily? We’ll see.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Holy crap…….this game is excellent, some of the best sandbox-based emergent gameplay I can think of. Stealth at its finest, and Metal Gear Solid, too.
I dived in and out a few times, did a few missions, and just never gave it the time it deserved. I know exactly what I need to do on the mission I left it at, which must have been around a year ago now.
Wonder if I can remember the controls?
Brilliant game, loads of fun, I just got distracted by new games yet again…..
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
This one is different, I finished the game, and did a lot of sidequests. Hell, I even chased about and did the grind-work to get a set of armor post-game. I can’t believe that after all the time I’ve invested in it, it sits in my pile of shame.
Such an amazing game, easily one of my top 5.
Why is it in the list? I have both DLC expansions, but I never started them.
I think the fear of spending so much time back in one game is somewhat intimidating, or more specifically, it goes against my recent gaming habits of dipping in and out of online games.
The “Blood and Wine” and “Hearts of Stone” expansions are supposed to be excellent (something of which I have no doubt), and I’m genuinely looking forward to them, but I’ve just kept putting them off. Time to dive back into the incredible world of Geralt et al.
Xcom 2
I can tell you exactly why I never finished this game. Rage. Pure rage.
I love this game so much, and I really really wanted to see it through to the end, but I lost so many good men………oh, my friends and family, dying time and time again. So harsh.
That’s fine though, you get new recruits, you get them experienced and you carry on. Easy! Right?…..
Well yeah, but sometimes this game just wants you to be angry, sometimes it wants you sit front and centre while you watch your world burn down.
I know that I had a hard-fought battle that lasted ages, and I lost everyone, so I just gave up.
I need to start again, it’ll definitely frustrate me, but it’s so much fun, and the satisfaction of a seamless operation is unparalleled in most modern games. So, time to suck it up, and get back out there. The world won’t save itself!
Where to begin?
That is the big question, and to be fair, these are just the “bigger” games that I need to get through. These are just a small chunk of what I have to go at in my pile of shame. A significant selection, and all games that deserve the full attention of a player.
I don’t see any quick-wins, these are all time-consuming behemoths in their own way.
The only way I can decide is to play by the same rules as so many games and loot boxes do……….RNG.
Here we go:
Aaaaaaand the winner is……………….
Ok, never one to argue with fate. It is decided that Dishonored 2 is the first game to get back into.
On the plus side I’ve got something to cover for the next week or so!
Let’s go Corvo, time to make light work of the pile of shame.
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