02.02 - Moonlighter
02.12 - Inscryption

Knocked 2 games off of my HLTB Gaming Challenge, which is going to be the list that I focus on tackling to help me work through my backlog and to prevent me from being overwhelmed with choices.

Started 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim (PS5) and Eastward (Switch), so I'm hoping to finish them in March!

Pokémon Legends: Arceus - 01.08.24 - Finally beat the main content. An enjoyable experience as a Pokémon fan, but Game Freak needs to step up its next entries. I plan on working through the postgame content when I need a break from other games.

Donkey Kong (NES) - 01.09.24 - A short, sweet arcade game that I never played. I had some fun playing the original.

The Last Campfire (NS) - 01.13.24 - Such a charming, wonderful game. I loved the artwork, the messages, the music/ambiance.

Mighty Gunvolt (3DS) - 01.14.24 - An interesting, short Mega-Man-inspired platformer.

January started out as a great month and slowed down with exams. I'm participating in the 2024 Gaming Challenge, so it felt good to knock 4 games off of the list early on. I'm looking to continue with the momentum in February.

A nice challenge could be to play a remake/remaster of a game! Remakes/remasters have been popular recently and may give people the chance to visit updated versions of games where the QoL features weren't present or just enjoy an enhanced experience.

I can't believe that it's December already. This year has flown by. I'm nowhere near finishing the 2023 challenge, but I'm proud of my progress. I can't recall a year where I've played this many games and enjoyed/prioritized gaming.

I wanted to use this challenge as an opportunity to try some games that I normally wouldn't have tried, to give me some direction, and to eliminate analysis paralysis. Between Gamepass, PSPlus, the hShop on my 2DS, and my miyoo mini the choices were really endless...(yikes). An unforeseen benefit of this challenge - it has helped me figure out games to carry over to my smaller, priority backlog and to the 2024 challenge.

I can't wait for the 2024 gaming challenge.

Nov/December Update: 20/54

Advance Wars - Game Boy Advance (8/10)

A pretty slow month for me. I didn't game much from mid-October to mid-November. I've been working on Sea of Stars on PS5, Luigi's Mansion on 2DS, and Advance Wars for GBA. I'm hoping to get a few more games done in December - especially after finals this semester.

09.22 - The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (2019)
09.24 - The Gardens Between
09.28 - Sonic Advance

Overall, September was a decent month.

I'll nominate Metroid Dread in honor of the start of the spooky season!

Currently, I've been playing -

The City That Never Sleeps DLC for Spider-Man (PS5)
Hi-Fi Rush (Series S)
Link's Awakening (NS)
Advance Wars (emulated on my miyoo mini).

I'm hoping to finish CTNS DLC soon and dive back into Hi-Fi Rush. It's finals week and I have some time off before school starts up again, so I plan on taking advantage of that time to finish some games in my backlog.

April was a great month for me!

04. An ancient game (released 30+ years ago) - Castlevania (NES) - 04/03
15. A spin-off game - Dr. Mario (GB) - 04/08
38-2. A racing game - Forza Horizon 5 (Series S) - 04/11
50. A game picked by HTLB randomizer - Marvel's Spider-Man (PS5) - 04/21

Completions: 12/50
Bonus: 1/9

I'm hoping to complete the Spider-Man DLC (#52 on my list aka a bonus), ABZÛ, and Link's Awakening this month!

Castlevania (NES) - 04/03
Dr. Mario (GB) - 04/08
Forza Horizon 5 (Series S) - 04/11
Marvel's Spider-Man (PS5) - 04/21

April was a pretty good month for me! I enjoyed all of the games I played, but Spider-Man was by far my favorite. It's definitely made its way into my list of favorite games. A perfect game to be my first platinum as it came naturally to me and I had a ton of fun with it! I plan on completing the DLC this month.

Current update on my progress!

31. A tabletop or card video game - Slay the Spire - 02.14.23
28. A post-apocalyptic game - Gears of War: Ultimate Edition - 03.08.23
02. An old game (released 10+ years ago) - Metroid: Zero Mission - 03.15.23
07-02. A Golden Joystick award winner (any year - 1991 GOTY) - Sonic the Hedgehog - 03.15.23
06. A quick completion (less than an hour) - Kirby's Dream Land - 03.17.23

Completions: 8/50
Bonus: /8

Managed to squeeze in a few games this month!

1. Gears of War Ultimate Edition - 03.08.23
2. Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) - 03.15.23
3. Metroid Zero Mission - 03.15.23
4. Kirby's Dream Land (GB) - 3.17.23

Games completed in February 2023
1. Mario Tennis Power Tour - 02.04.23
2. Slay the Spire - 02.14.23

Here is the link for my collection. I may change some of the games as the year goes on.

Current Progress

45-2. A game made in Unreal Engine - Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice - Completed 1/3/23

03. A really old game (released 20+ years ago) - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for GBA - Completed 1/21/23

38-1. A sports game - Mario Tennis: Power Tour - Completed 2/4/23

I finished Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice (Series S) on January 3rd and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (GBA) on January 21st!

I'll be continuing my playthrough of Spiderman (PS5) and Gears of War Ultimate Edition (Series S) while working on some GBA games this February.

Only one small game this month. Finished off Bloodroots on 11/29. I enjoyed the first few acts, but act 3 leading up to the crow really bothered my eyes for some reason. Anyway, I enjoyed the story. I'm looking forward to beating some games in December/January over Christmas break.

Only completed one game this month, but I loved it. Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion (October 4th) was a great game and I’m looking forward to the sequel. I started Spider-Man: GOTY Edition on PS5, Sniper Elite 4 on my series S, and Metal: Hellsinger during October, but the only game that I found that I enjoyed was Spider-Man. Sniper Elite 4 and Metal: Hellsinger were axed from the backlog, but I’m looking forward to gaming more during my Thanksgiving break for school in about 2 weeks.

November 2022

Even though I removed some games from my backlog, it got a bit larger with the edition of PS Plus. I plan on continuing to enjoy (and finish) Spider-Man GOTY Edition while I finally try to finish up Bloodroots. I’m on Act 3-1 and I’d like to finish the game. I’ve enjoyed it, but sometimes the color palette is a little hard on my eyes, which makes it difficult to respond to enemies.

In Progress

Actively Playing
Spider-Man: Game of the Year Edition - PS5 (PS Plus)
Sonic Mania - Nintendo Switch (playing this game in between study breaks)
Forza Horizon 5** - Xbox Series S (Game Pass)
Bloodroots - Nintendo Switch

On Hold for 2022
Metal Gear Rising Revengeance - Xbox Series S
Immortals Fenyx Rising - Nintendo Switch
Pokémon Legends Arceus - Nintendo Switch

Playing Alongside My Girlfriend
Transistor - Nintendo Switch (our current focus right now)
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice - Xbox
The Last of Us: Part 2 - PS5

Removed from the Backlog - Sniper Elite 4 and Metal: Hellsinger,

Goals for November 2022
- Finish Spider-Man: GOTY Edition
- Finish Bloodroots

Overall Stats

Goal for 2022 : Complete 12 games (66% completed)

Games Completed in 2022: 8

Total Games Beaten: 21

Games on the Backlog Remaining: 134

Mid-October Update

Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion - 10/10 - 3 hr 49 minutes - 100% Completion

I absolutely LOVED this game. It was funny, colorful, and engaging with tons of pop culture and meme references. I loved the Zelda-like gameplay ("dungeons" of sorts) and the comedic banter of this game. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a short, funny game to experience. I will definitely be picking up Turnip Boy Robs a Bank in 2023!

Other Updates
Started Metal: Hellsinger - After about 2 hours, I found that I wasn't enjoying it very much, so I'm removing it from my backlog.

Started Sniper Elite 4 - Played for about 3 hours. It was enjoyable, but I wasn't very excited to play it after. I may be a bit tired of the WW2 focus of a lot of FPS or Third-Person Shooters. I'm placing this game on hold, for now, to see if I want to come back to it.

Started Spider-Man: Game of the Year Edition on PS5 (PS Plus Premium). I am absolutely loving this game after 3 hours in. This game is reminding me of why I got into video games when I was younger.

Hello! I'm starting this thread as a way to keep me more accountable and engaged throughout my constant battle with my backlog. I define my backlog as games that I own or have access to through a subscription service that I want to play. If that game leaves the service and I don't buy it, it is moved to the wishlist. I'll be posting updates on what I'm currently working through and once a game is finished, I'll post a review with my thoughts and feelings about the experience overall. I'll try to update this on a bi-monthly basis at the minimum to hold myself accountable. Other than listing the games that I have beaten so far in 2022 and my review on my September game, I won't be covering any games that I have completed before that. I don't 100% games much, as it isn't my preference unless I'm really enjoying an experience. If I do 100% a game, I will include that information below. I'll cover the games that I'm currently playing which fall into 3 categories:

1. Actively Playing - Games that I am continuously working through during my longer gaming sessions or as quick study breaks (usually switch games).
** A game with this symbol denotes that it is a "pick up and play game" - I started it before 2022 and play it here and there when I need a break from something else.

2. On Hold - Games that I've started this year and put aside, but I would like to finish them before the end of 2022.

3. Playing with my Girlfriend - My girlfriend and I have 3 games that we play together. One at her place, one at mine, and one "together" during our weekly gaming session when we're apart. These games will take a longer "time" (time from start to finish rather than total hours spent) to finish, since the time that we can dedicate to them is limited to when we're together versus when we are apart.

If you have any recommendations or suggestions - let me know!

Games Beaten in 2022 So Far (Before September)

Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order
Limbo
Mirror's Edge
Aerial_Knights Never Yield
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond
The Artful Escape

September 2022

The Artful Escape - 9/10 - 4.5 hours - 100% completion
This game caught me by surprise. I enjoyed Annapurina Interactive's Donut County, it was leaving GamePass, had a short run time, and it was on my 'Play Later' list, so I decided to try it before it left on the 15th.

The gameplay consisted of relatively simple platforming and "boss battles" which are a series of concerts where you press the buttons on the screen to play music. I enjoyed the colorful and vibrant art style. The voice acting was well done. The story was good, and the game didn't overstay its welcome. Overall, I'd recommend this game to anyone looking for a short experience and coming of age/finding yourself kind of story.

October 2022

In Progress

Actively Playing
Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion - Xbox Seris S (Game Pass)
Sonic Mania - Nintendo Switch (playing this game in between study breaks)
Forza Horizon 5** - Xbox Series S (Game Pass)

On Hold for 2022
Metal Gear Rising Revengeance - Xbox Series S
Immortals Fenyx Rising - Nintendo Switch
Pokémon Legends Arceus - Nintendo Switch
Bloodroots - Nintendo Switch

Playing Alongside My Girlfriend
Transistor - Nintendo Switch
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice - Xbox
The Last of Us: Part 2 - PS5

Goals for October 2022
- Finish Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion
- Start and Finish Metal: Hellsinger

Overall Stats

Goal for 2022 : Complete 12 games (58% completed)

Games Completed in 2022: 7

Total Games Beaten: 20

Games on the Backlog Remaining: 120

It was a slow month for me since I started classes again. I completed The Artful Escape. It was nice to try something new. I enjoyed the story and the laid-back experience. I started Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion and I'm hoping to finish that this month.

I’m looking forward to starting this game this weekend! It has been on my backlog for awhile and I bought it while it was on sale. Hoping to start it this weekend after finishing carrion,

I'll nominate Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion because it looks fun, it's short, and just hit Gamepass!

My goal for March was to complete Mirror's Edge (Xbox), Inside (Switch), and Pokémon Brilliant Diamond (Switch).

Games Completed - Mirror's Edge (03/05) and Aerial_Knight's Never Yield (03/08)

In Progress - Pokémon Brilliant Diamond (Switch)

I'm putting Pokémon Legends Arceus on hold so that I can focus on Brilliant Diamond and the 2 GOTM (Tunic & Untitled Goose Game) this month. I'm glad that I used my break to start & finish 2 games, but I haven't had much time to play. Here's to hoping that I'll have some more time in April. I try to only play 2 games per system so that I can make consistent progress and not get bored, but I'm trying not to rush games so that way I can enjoy them.

My goal for April is to finish Tunic (Xbox), Untitled Goose Game (Switch), and Pokémon Brilliant Diamond (Switch)

I recommend Limbo (2010) and Inside (2016). They are a bit older, but they are around 3-5 hours depending on how often you die. They are enjoyable, short, creepy platformers that are available on multiple platforms.

Aerial_Knights Never Yield (2021) is a runner that lasts about 1-2 hours. I enjoyed the soundtrack and the artwork a lot.