ALYSSA LOST IN SPACE

Last October I decided to go through all of the games I was playing, and the games I’d yet to play as a way of shaming myself into playing more of them. My success was mixed, but it’s been almost a year since I’ve done one of these, and I really enjoyed going through them all. It’s good to remind myself of all the games I’ve started. And haven’t finished. I’m hoping public shame is a good motivator.

Currently Playing

I’ve mentioned this before that I like to jump around with my writing projects. I’m always afraid I’ll get bored, and I like to jump to different things to keep things fresh. The same is also true of the books I read, the shows I watch and, of course, the games I play. I usually have a few going at any given time and I’ll jump into whichever one I’m interested in. Not the most disciplined approach, I’ll admit. I’m also low-key wondering if I have undiagnosed ADHD, but that’s a problem for another time.

As of this month, I am actively playing four games:

• Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky Second Chapter
• Fire Emblem Three Houses (Golden Deer route this time around)
• Minecraft Dungeons
• Divinity Original Sin

I’m also playing Elder Scrolls Online every once and a while, and I’ve picked up No Man’s Sky again after the update. Not sure yet if this will be the time I actually play the story to completion, but I guess we’ll see. I have once again overwhelmed myself with all of the games I’m playing at the moment, and No Man’s Sky never seems to be high on my priorities.

Backlog Update

Taking a look at what I had on the ol’ backlog last year, there was only one game I played to completion from that list: Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, which might be obvious since I am playing the sequel. I’m about 75% into Divinity as well. The rest of the games are as follows:

• Bravely Default (Nintendo DS) – Still haven’t picked it up, but I don’t find myself reaching for my 3DS as much as I used to.
• Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies (Nintendo DS) – Started this replay, and still haven’t finished it.
• The Room (PC) – A fun game I was playing co-op with my sister last summer. We haven’t continued playing it yet, since when we have the time, we try to catch up on one of the many other games we’re playing.
• Dragon Age Inquisition (PC) – Still haven’t continued this one, and at this point, I’m considering a complete restart.
• Star Wars Battlefront II Single Player Mode – I’m a massive Star Wars fan, and I’ve heard the single-player story isn’t very long, so I should really just spend an afternoon and get it out of the way.
• Assassin’s Creed (PS3) – I think I need to be in the mood for a stealth game before I pick this one up again.

So…not a great result. Some progress is made, but I did lean towards starting and finishing new games, rather than picking up these old ones. Some of them might be retired, such as The Room and Battlefront II, but I’ll give myself until the end of the year and then decide if I’ll be picking them up again.

I do have a few games to add to the backlog because I have a problem. I didn’t buy too many new ones, as per my goal last year, thankfully. Anyway, here are the new entries to the gaming backlog of 2020:

• Fable Anniversary (PC) – Technically, this should have been on last year’s list. I just missed it while writing that post. I’ve started the game, but have yet to finish it, and the Fable series is one of my favourites, so I kind of want to clear this off just on principle, you know?
• Fantasy Life (Nintendo 3DS) – This game was so fun and cute and loaded with sidequests, and that made it incredibly easy to get sidetracked. I’m hoping to get through the main story at least.
• Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (Nintendo 3DS) – Another one that I meant to add last year and completely forgot about. But I’m about halfway through it, and I’ve played through the original Nintendo 64 version enough times to know this game like the back of my hand
• Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D (Nintendo 3DS) – I picked this one up last time it was on sale, and I plan to complete it along with OoT. I’ve only beaten Majora’s Mask once, and that was quite a while ago, so I’m not quite as familiar with it.

A lot of these new additions to the list are 3DS games, because I really want to make an effort to beat those games before I stop playing that system altogether. Really sad when I think about it, as the Nintendo 3DS was probably one of my favourite consoles of all time. But nothing lasts forever, and I just don’t pick it up as much as I used to. I figure it’s a good idea to play these games while I still have the motivation to.

In fact, the past couple of years I’ve really leaned into the PC gaming, so I’m thinking it’s a good idea to prioritize any games not available for the PC, as I’m that much less likely to pick them up (Nintendo Switch, aside).

Games I’ve Finished

Though my update makes things look a little grim, I did finish a number of games in the last few months! Animal Crossing New Horizons didn’t take up all of my time in self-isolation!

These are the games I’ve finished since the beginning of the year:

• Spyro Reignited Trilogy (PS4) – I’d only ever played Year of the Dragon, so it took a while for the nostalgia to kick in, but it was a lot of fun and truly a beautiful remake of a classic. It gets me excited about the possibility of remakes of other beloved games that could use that fresh coat of paint.
• Legend of Heroes: Legend in the Sky (PC) – I finally finished this! The story really picks up at the end, and I loved all of the characters. It’s definitely a very character-driven jrpg. Some of the later battles were a little frustrating mechanically, but I did manage to beat it all the same.
• Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward (Nintendo 3DS) – A visual novel with extensive branching paths and an absolutely fascinating story. Lots of great characters, too. Everything that was good about 999 but better, and it leaves you on such a cliff hanger. So naturally, I jumped straight into:
• Zero Time Dilemma (PC) – I know this game had a rocky development, so I’m glad that this series got an ending at all. But it was very unpolished, the story was not as well written and it left me very unsatisfied. They tried to do something cool with the branching paths, but it made things more confusing for me, honestly. But at least I can consider the trilogy completed.

Kind of disappointed in this list, but I haven’t been gaming as much as I thought I would, and it’s something I’m trying to make a point to do so more often – to take the time for the things I enjoy. My mood has not been great lately, so I’m either coping with my mental health or spending all of my time trying to get work done. The imbalance in my life is painfully obvious, so I’m trying to make a point to spend more time drawing, reading, and playing some games. Get in that valuable me-time, you know?

Hopefully this update is much smaller next year.

Let’s Chat!

What are you playing right now? What games are still on your backlog? What are some of the new games you’ve picked up this year? Did you play any games while self-isolating? Let me know in the comments!