A reader has opened up about his video game backlog of 48 titles, detailing how he categorizes them and which ones he plans to tackle. In a candid reader feature published by GameCentral, the gamer, who goes by the username matc7884, admits to being a sucker for new games and shares his strategy for managing an ever-growing collection.
The confession came after his wife, an avid reader, pointed out the number of unread books she owned, prompting him to download an app to sort his game library. The exercise revealed a backlog of 48 games, but a closer look showed that only 10 of those were actually paid for outright, with most costing under £5.
The Breakdown of the Backlog
Of the 48 games, 11 came from bundles purchased for other titles, such as a Resident Evil bundle where the main draws were the remakes of Resident Evil 2, Resident Evil 7, and Resident Evil Village. Titles like Resident Evil 5 and 6, along with Amanda The Adventurer and Loddlenaut, are unlikely to ever be played.
A further 27 games were free via Epic, Steam, or Amazon, including notable titles like Bioshock, Disco Elysium, Dishonored, and Dredge. The reader notes he isn't too worried about these, as he didn't pay anything for them. This leaves just 10 games that were purchased directly, and none cost more than £10.
Current Gaming Rotation and Paused Titles
Currently, the reader is playing five games, which he admits is too many. He's enjoying Assassin's Creed Black Flag remake and has put Resident Evil (the 2002 remake) on the back burner due to its tank controls and camera angles. On holiday with only a Switch 2, he's started Indiana Jones And The Great Circle, though he finds the Gizeh area less fun to explore than the Vatican. He's also dabbled in Assassin's Creed Shadows and a mobile game called Bury Me, My Love.
The real challenge lies in his 22 paused games, a list he calls a horror show. Only three of these were free, and two are Game Pass titles (Forza Horizon 5 and 6). Many are critically acclaimed but didn't click with him, such as The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077, both of which he struggled with due to combat and inventory systems. Baldur's Gate 3, bought at full price after getting caught up in hype, also proved difficult as he had no experience with turn-based games.
Frustrations and Future Plans
His most frustrating purchase is Spider-Man 2, which he can't get into despite loving the first two games, partly due to performance issues on his Legion Go. He plans to complete it eventually, possibly on PlayStation 5. Days Gone is another example of a game he played for about five hours but may not finish, as it's reportedly 36 hours or more according to HowLongToBeat.
Looking ahead, he has 20 games on his wishlist, including GTA 6, which he's hesitant to buy at £70 but acknowledges the need to play early to avoid spoilers. He also mentions Control Resonant, which he pre-ordered due to a Currys offer dropping the price to around £43, and other titles like Toem 2 and a Zelda: Ocarina Of Time remake that he'll wait for price drops on.
Completed Games and Scoring Dilemmas
The reader has completed 83 games in his lifetime, a number he feels is accurate given he's only been playing games with main quests for the past 13 years, averaging six to seven games a year. He's finished some games twice, including The Last Of Us, Zelda: Breath Of The Wild, and Control. Rating games on a 10-point scale has proven difficult, as he feels half points would be more precise, citing the dilemma of giving Tears Of The Kingdom a 9 when Breath Of The Wild is his favorite game ever.
He's also quit nine games, including Elden Ring, which he loved but couldn't get past Maliketh, the Black Blade after struggling with the Fire Giant. Despite quitting, he considers it one of the best games ever made and might give it another go on Switch 2. He hopes other readers have even worse backlogs to make him feel better about his own.
