Help me re-arrange my backlog. 2012 edition.

1/15: Thanks everyone for your help. The new order is looking pretty good and I look forward to my year of gaming. I'm going to sell all the games I got rid of in a lowball in a few weeks if you want to keep an eye out.

Another year in the books and something for me to look forward to, downsizing/rearranging my backlog. First thing your going to say is... "get rid of 99% of these" and I understand that. But I'm only going to get rid of about 50% of them, maybe 60% of them. In either event, any help is appreciated. I am just looking to see what order the community would play these games in. This will be my third year doing this now (with some help with some friends too) and it has worked out very well each time. So here are all my games, listed by system and spoiler for your viewing. Whatever you want to contribute is appreciated and thanks again. I'm going to give this till the 14th and see what comes of it.

(34 Games) (32 Games) (21 games) (11 Games) (8 Games) (7 Games) (5 games) (3 Games) (2 Games) (2 Games) (1 Game)

360 list I'd personally cut back to these as I don't have much interest in the others, or didn't care for them when I played them.

Prince of Persia
Shadow Complex
The Orange Box [Need to Beat Episode 1+2]
Limbo
Mass Effect [Need to beat Pinnacle Station DLC]
Call of Duty: Black Ops

The music games are worth playing, but I'd pair it down to just one. No real reason to play Guitar Hero and Rock Band unless you're super into those games. I'd probably ditch GH and play the Rockband games. You may be able to import the songs to your HD and just keep RB2.

Wii I'd just play the Metroid Prime Trilogy and skip the others. Especially the older games---unless you've never played them. With a long back log it's a waste to replay old games IMO. If you've not played the, then it's a different story. That goes for the older consoles as well. I've long since accepted I'll never play but a fraction of the great games out there, and just do my best to not build up a backlog and focus on the AAA games in the genres I like best on whatever console(s) I own in the current generation.


PS3 I won't comment on as I've never owned one.

First I'd recommend getting rid of all the old sports and fighting games. You dont really beat a fighting or sports game and unless you have friends to play them with then there isn't a point in having them in your backlog. Second get rid of any game you bought over two years ago since there is a very good change you have no desire to play it. Lastly, get rid of the games you know you don't have any intention of beating like Worms 1 & 2, Super Mario RPG, all those NES games for your DSi, Harms Way, Undertow, etc.

As for what order to play the games in, I'd start with the shorter stuff first so start with the DLC for games and XBLA games like Limbo. Most of those games like Shadow Complex and Mass Effect DLC can be done in a few hours.

360:
Dead Rising
Prince of Persia
Shadow Complex
Mirror's Edge
The Orange Box [Need to Beat Episode 1+2]
Mass Effect [Need to beat Pinnacle Station DLC]
Call of Duty: Black Ops

PS3:
Fallout 3
Dead Space
Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Collection
Braid
Pac-Man Championship Edition DX
Dragon Age: Origins [Need to beat Warden's Keep, Return to Ostagar, Awakening, Darkspawn Chronicles, Leliana's Song, Golems of Amgarrak, and Witch Hunt DLC]
God of War Collection [Need to beat God of War II]
Saints Row 2 Collector's Edition
inFAMOUS
Back to the Future
Batman: Arkham City

If I were you I would start with Dead Space, Costume Quest, and the Uncharted games.

Current-gen games I think are worth playing:


Prince of Persia
Crackdown
Shadow Complex
The Orange Box [Need to Beat Episode 1+2]
Rock Band (import everything to your HDD and grab RB3 - the best game in the series)
Fruit Ninja Kinect


Dead Space
Braid
Pac-Man Championship Edition DX
Batman: Arkham City
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception


Metroid Prime Trilogy

360- Shadow Complex, The Club, The Orange Box and The Triple Pack

PS3- Fallout 3 (I would play this before any others), Dead Space, Arkham City, Uncharted games

Wii- Metroid Prime Trilogy

Im not a huge gamer but I REALLY liked every one of these games. I wouldn't even consider playing the older stuff. I would just sell it one by one for newer games you want to play sooner. Just me though.

For me the PS3 list is a no-brainer: Arkham City, Uncharted 2 & 3, and SW Force Unleashed, in that order. When I have a huge backlog I tend to put off playing the 50+ hour games like Fallout, Oblivion, GTA as you can probably get through 4 or more other games in the time it would take to finish one of those. Of course, the downside to that strategy is I still haven't played Oblivion, which I have had for over 3 years.

Dead space before everything

FFVI. Can't beat that for an intro into what made modern RPGs so successful.

To run through a backlog - knock out the shortest games first.

XBOX
Mass Effect [Need to beat Pinnacle Station DLC]
Mirror's Edge
The Orange Box [Need to Beat Episode 1+2]
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Dead Rising
Prince of Persia
Crackdown
Shadow Complex
Halo Wars (Collector's Edition)
Ninja Gaiden 2
Banjo Kazooie Nuts & Bolts
Blue Dragon
John Woo Presents Stranglehold

PS3
Resident Evil 5 [Need to beat Lost in Nightmares and Desperate Escape DLC]
Dragon Age: Origins [Need to beat Warden's Keep, Return to Ostagar, Awakening, Darkspawn Chronicles, Leliana's Song, Golems of Amgarrak, and Witch Hunt DLC]
Bioshock [Need to beat the Challenge Rooms]
Braid
Monsters (probably) Stole My Princess
Bionic Commando: Rearmed
Batman: Arkham City
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
Costume Quest
Back to the Future
LittleBigPlanet
Dead Space
God of War Collection [Need to beat God of War II]
Assassin's Creed
Saints Row 2 Collector's Edition
Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Collection
inFAMOUS
Far Cry 2
Fallout 3

[quote name='Mr. Wrestlemania']To run through a backlog - knock out the shortest games first.[/QUOTE]
I don't agree with that approach, since it leaves you stuck with a lot of long games left to play, which can be annoying. It's best to alternate between short and long games (and also to alternate between different genres).

This is such a bizarre problem. How do you guys rack this much up?

[quote name='panzerfaust']This is such a bizarre problem. How do you guys rack this much up?[/QUOTE]
Eternal optimism. That someday we'll actually have time to play them.

[quote name='panzerfaust']This is such a bizarre problem. How do you guys rack this much up?[/QUOTE]

It's a deal site. A lot of people just buy stuff because it's cheap, regardless if they realistically have time to play it. Do that a bunch, and you get a backlog pretty quick.

I made that mistake last gen, so I've stopped watching the deals forum other than to check for deals on a game I want to buy and play right away.

I'd rather miss some deals, and pay more for some games, that build up a backlog and get burnt out on gaming like I did last gen because I felt pressured to just blow through games to move onto the next one and get the backlog whittled down.

[quote name='Ryuukishi']Eternal optimism. That someday we'll actually have time to play them.[/QUOTE]

I have games from 10+ years ago that have never seen a console