Methods of getting through backlog

Hell Monkey

Hell Monkey

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So I have a MASSSIVE backlog of games at home.

My backlog is up around 175 games at present. These range from current stuff on 360 and PS3, to a ton of PS1 and PS2 rpgs.

I'm trying to find a system to work through them while still playing precious new releases (like Reach).

I was wondering if anyone had any strategies or tactics they use tow ork on their backlog and could share them.

(I had tried an A-Z method but got stuck after Ar Tonelico when I tried to move to Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Spirits which I just wasn't feeling)
 
Step 1: Don't bother playing a game if you don't enjoy it after 2 or 3 hours, maybe more for an RPG since they all start slow. Sell it.

Step 2: Stop buying average games that nobody is going to remember in years to come. (Examples: Afro samurai, 50 Cent blood on the sand, Dbz: Burst Limit) Chances are those games are going to be executed better with a different story later. Or just sell them while you can, nobody is going to want them next gen but collectors.

Step 3: ???

Step 4: Profit!
 
Stop buying games until you clear it out. Maybe make exceptions for a few big "must play right now" type games.

Trade/sell some of the games you're 90%+ sure you'll never play. As well as one you try out and can't get into.

Focus on beating one game and moving on to the next.

Do that and you can clear it out eventually. Then move on to doing what I do and don't buy games you aren't going to play right away! I never have a back log of more than 1 to 2 games these days, and I enjoy gaming more with not having a back log staring at me and making gaming feel like work. And I never even had a large backlog, just 5-10 games on the shelf to get through.

Now I can take my time and enjoy games as I don't have any self-imposed pressure to beat it and move on to the next one.
 
I have a pretty big one too, but slowly but surely my completion percentage is getting higher. I was below 50% at the start of the year, but now I'm at 66%.

My advice is to stop buying so many games and maybe think about selling some.
 
I have a similar backlog. What I do is alternate. I'll typically pick a game from my past-gen backlog that should take a while (usually an RPG). Once I've completed it, I'll switch back over to a current gen game that will definitely be shorter and in a different genre (action or FPS, for example). Switching it up like this keeps any particular genre from getting stale but also keeps me going through the backlog a little at a time without missing out on the hottest/newest games.
 
Stop going on to the internet (and CAG) as much. That helps. Play fast with a lack of attention to detail, memorable quotes, etc.

I used to just pop in a disc, see if I like it, and the sell it/trade it. It worked and really helped out/forced me to clear back stock and I mostly got the money I put into the games back (thanks to the fact I'm a CAG and only buy super cheap, ala $5 CC sale, etc.).
 
Put everything you don't play or are only slightly interested in on your tradelist. Thats what I do. I still mean to play them...but if someone makes an offer...I get a game I want more. I guess this just makes your backlog bigger....but often people will trade 1 game for 2 of your cheaper ones. It helps to consolidate. Most games suck these days...they just get hyped by noobs. There is nothing wrong with getting rid of games.

I also have a backlog of about 80 or so games....so I've been getting rid of them recently.
 
[quote name='hiccupleftovers']Stop going on to the internet (and CAG) as much. That helps..[/QUOTE]

Well I'm only on CAG (and internet in general) from work, when I also couldn't be playing a game anyway.
 
Think he meant that coming to CAG and seeing deals leads to temptation to buy more games and thus increase the backlog.
 
Sell any games that aren't must plays for you, especially long RPGs. Anything you are really on the fence about, you should play for a couple hours and then decide. If you do eventually clear your backlog, you can always go back and rebuy some of the ones you sold. Also, it helps if you play whatever you are in the mood for, rather than forcing yourself to play games in a specific order. That way you are more likely to play through more games quickly, rather than slowly trying to inch your way through a game you aren't in the mood for.
 
[quote name='HaLLuZiNaTiOnZ']Step 1: Don't bother playing a game if you don't enjoy it after 2 or 3 hours, maybe more for an RPG since they all start slow. Sell it.

[/QUOTE]

This is the best advice so far, if a game hasn't done squat in two hours I don't give two shits how amazing it gets later it goes.

But yeah you want to cut down on your backlog first thing is to stop buying, any deal you got off CAG doesn't mean much when you never will play the game anyway. Save 20 bucks buying it now but wait so long to play it the value is in the teens by the time you open it.
 
Just pick out the game you feel like and play that. My system is to play 2 or 3 games at once. But only 1 game will be the complex one with things like combat system, long story, and etc. And the rest will be simple ones where you need to memorize only few things at most.
 
I'll 2nd 3rd or 4th the notion of stopping a game if you aren't enjoying it after an hour or two. Also, if it has sat on the shelf for a year or more, you didn't really want to play it in the first place and should just get rid of it. (especially if GS is doing the trade 5, get 20 promo or trade 2, get 40 off this game )
 
let me get this straight... backlog is games that you haven't played... or is it games that you have played but not yet finished.
I have games that I haven't even opened yet, and I have games that I still need to finish. Despite all my backlog I still bought ghostbusters when I saw it for 15 dollars. When I see a game that I know I may want to play on sale I end up buying it and adding it to my backlog.
 
Play the games you are interested in first, then for all the ones that you don't really care about.. skip all the cut scenes and stop caring about the storyline..
 
I would say sign up on backloggery.com as it really motivates you, but unfortunately new sign-ups are temporarily closed.
 
[quote name='Phelmo']skip all the cut scenes and stop caring about the storyline..[/QUOTE]

What's the point of playing a game then...?

Just pick a game out of your backlog that looks interesting and play it without worrying what else is on there. You'll get to what you get to. Nobody can play EVERYTHING, you just have to pick and choose.

I would suggest not playing games just to say you've played through it. I bet you'll tire of games really fast.
 
Pick out a handful of games that you're fairly sure you'll like(if you've been gaming for awhile you've learned what you like and what you don't as well as be able to pick out the crap with reviews,hunches etc)and sell the rest. You can always buy back a game later for cheaper way down the line if it's something you later realize is a must play classic. Though there's only a handful of those per generation IMO.

Then only buy a new game when you've finished the old one,whala no backlog!

edit to add:why keep around games you'll probably never play? trade them in now and get the most credit for them,that way when you start buying one new game at a time you won't have to spend any money for awhile.
 
How do people feel about cutting out sequels/prequels? Like if both fable 1 and 2 are in your queue, just leave out fable 1 (maybe even 2 in favor of the upcoming 3)?

I admit I have usually gone for playing the whole series of games like mass effect or assassins creed. In the case of assassins creed it ended up being a good thing as i found i liked ac1 better than ac2. But i know many people liked ac2 better so for many it would have been a good choice to skip.

For mass effect though I did it because of the save file transfer feature.

At the same time though my backlog is like 5 games not 175 :).

Also I'd be extremely judicious as to which previous gen console games to play through. A good number of them don't age well and they will just feel a little subpar. I'd cut out most of the previous gen stuff except for a very select few games that were either mind blowingly good or have a big personal bias (like if you were a huge fan of final fantasy, then play through those, etc)

Ruahrc
 
In the last few years ive gotten smart working my backlog i don't just jump on any game i see a deal on if i know I'm not going to be able to play it anytime soon I no longer will buy it because then ill end up putting it on the shelf and by the time i get to it it decreases in price even more from when i got the deal.

That's why I'm happy of the 3 games i paid full price for i got all the platinum's before the games dropped in price. Which on ps3 for me its CODMW2, LBP, Demons souls i paid 59.99 per title but i made sure i got my platinum before they dropped in price any further.

That's the one thing i like about trophies because i don't play to get trophies, i get trophies in what i play and with this logic i'm also able to use trophies has a value mark on my games.

Example if i pay 59.99 for a title i don't want to still be at less then 10% in completion with trophies when the same title hits 19.99 other wise i feel i lost some moneys worth. :joystick:
 
[quote name='laaj']Just pick out the game you feel like and play that. My system is to play 2 or 3 games at once. But only 1 game will be the complex one with things like combat system, long story, and etc. And the rest will be simple ones where you need to memorize only few things at most.[/QUOTE]
This is pretty much my own system.

If you're playing multiple games at once, I find that it helps if they're in different genres. It varies things up a bit.
 
I play a lot of games and I have a very high completion rate. Here are my rules:

1) Buy for you and your CURRENT lifestyle- understand that there are games that would have been an excellent fit for you 10 years ago, that you can't play anymore due to time constraints, social setting changes, etc. I find myself with a pile of unplayed games that I thought my wife might play with me, or co-op games that friends showed interest in playing. I used to love fighting games, but now my friends all have different schedules and playing by yourself just isn't the same. I used to love RPGs, but I've grown away from them- I have to remind myself every time a new one comes out. Also- Co-op heavy games (RE5, Borderlands, Lost Planet 2, etc) never work out the way I plan, and I end up not finishing them.

2) Trade-in anything that you are on the fence about and don't look back.

3) Don't fret over trophies.

4) New First, Old Later - It helps stop the bleeding. Play new releases when they come out, and try to finance them with trade-in credit. Play something great from your backlog when nothing is coming down the pipe.
 
Stay away from RPGs if you really want to kill your backlog.

One thing I did is make a stack of my backlog and put it right next to my couch. Anything I didn't want to play right away got put on Goozex and I'm slowly working through the rest.
 
Personally I'd stop worrying about your backlog. You buy so many games you are obviously a collector, and that's just how it goes. There isn't enough time in the day to play through everything. I buy games all the time I really have no intention of playing, but you never know, someday I might get to a couple of them :)
 
Honestly, I'm not one to talk because I'm a bit of a game-a-holic, but recently I've gotten a whole lot better about buying. I used to buy every single game when there was a great sale on it, and by the time I would got to play it, the game would be at a low price anyways.

The best thing you can do is pick the game you want to play the most, and play until you finish it. I've also tried the whole "play two games at once, etc" and it just doesn't work for me. I end up getting sidetrackted and lose interest in one of the games. Now, I pick the game I want to play, and I at least beat the main storyline. If I REALLY liked the game, then I will try to get all the achievements/trophies, but my priorirty is simply beating the campaign.

I'll also stand by what others have said about not playing RPG's first. I'm a huge RPG nut, but with the amount of time it takes to beat the average rpg, you could have completed at least 5 other games.
 
Set limits on your buying habits based on your backlog.
For example: you can't purchase a new game until you've beaten and/or sold three backlog games.
 
Thanks for all the advice. Going to put some of it into action.

I mainly only play one game until I'm done right now but may mix it up to a couple at at time so making steady progress.

My wife is of the mind, if you haven't touched it yet, get rid of it, so some are slowly disappearing that way. As one poster said though I may have crossed over to a degree into the "collection" realm over the score of years. Also with RPGs as my passion that does slow down progress a good bit.

I do have my goozex stack though almost all of my PC games are gone, (I've traded out around 100 games in the last year and a half) and I do have a membership at Backloggery as suggested. ('m at about 38% right now).

So we'll see how it goes. Thanks for all the tips.
 
I've been dealing with this recently. It got to the point where I wasn't finishing anything, and just had a giant collection. Here's what Ive been doing...

1.). Only buy the games you absolutely must have and you know you'll play a lot. An example for me is Reach.

2.) find a great rental service. BlockBuster has a pretty good plan in their store, or you might have a local place with an even better deal. If you're bored of the game after 2-3 hours, just bring it back. No point in forcing yourself to play. If you're really digging the game, and think it has legs, buy it and rent something new.

3.) clear out a huge majority of your games. Trade them, sell them, do something with them. Make 3 piles: must own, maybe and don't want. When I did this, I only had like 18 360 games in the must own pile.

4.) stay away from collecting games. The only thing they collect is dust ;)

5.) don't buy just because it's cheap. Was I tempted by a 20.00 split second the other day? Of course but that's about the price of one month at blockbuster, and I can just rent it!
 
[quote name='seanr1221']3.) clear out a huge majority of your games. Trade them, sell them, do something with them. Make 3 piles: must own, maybe and don't want. When I did this, I only had like 18 360 games in the must own pile.
[/QUOTE]
I do that as well- but about a week or 2 later, I'll review the piles again. It's amazing how much things change when you realize how much credit you can get for your games at some of these stores.
 
Wow, that's a lot of games! I think my backlog is creeping up too... To me there are three types of backlogs.

1. The backlog games actually in my collection. Rule of thumb is beat it and platinum it. If I like it, keep it, if not, sell it, duh.

2. The backlog games on rental queue. Those games are usually for quick trophies and normally I skip buying even at dirt cheap prices.

3. The backlog games on wish list. Now, this list actually helped me curb my spending. It's a long list, including many pre-orders :lol:
 
Don't ever feel bad for selling a game or thinking about selling a game...the truth is you probably won't miss it...and you weren't playing it anyway.
 
For me, the first step was to quit my MMORPG. For 2-3 years, I barely touched my console games, so basically my whole collection was a backlog.

From there, I trimmed my collection of the stuff I was probably never going to play. Easier said than done, I understand. But don't force yourself to enjoy a game. There are plenty of really, REALLY good games out there. Don't waste your time playing a mediocre one.

Now I use a strategy of playing two RPGs and two other-genre games at a time. It might be a lot for some people, but I like the flexibility. Games I can easily pick up and set down at any time, such as fighting or racing, I'll play in between. I generally don't plan what I'm going to play next. I finish a game and then I choose another one. If there's a big-ticket new release coming out, I might put it at the front of the line.

I've still got a big backlog and I still grab games if there's a good deal, but I don't mind having a backlog in principle. I like the idea of always having something to play. I am glad I've gotten it somewhat under control, though. I quit my MMORPG only a few months ago and already finished about 10 games since then.
 
I have to say stepping back and seeing at what rate I'm completing games does help. It lets me know whether I have any real hope of ever completing or need to as suggest just get rid of chunks.

Since the beginning of the year I've finished 17 new games, 8 DLC packs and replayed a game twice (Dragon Age). I also put a good 40 hours into Rune Factory for Wii and not sure when that thing ends. While not shabby it isn't great it would probably help me to stop playing Dragon Age to make progress elsewhere.
 
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