How to deal with the backlog?

[ExcessOfEvil]

I think it's easy to fall into that category as the games come out faster than us working class can complete them.
I have stopped buying games to try and complete what I have.

My trouble is that I would like to have 1 game that I can completely get into and play it till the wheels fall off.

I'm hoping that Diablo 3 will be that game...it's just too much effort to get really involved in every game I play.

[Charl]

...
I'm hoping that Diablo 3 will be that game...it's just too much effort to get really involved in every game I play.

Yes! Can't wait for a game to come out that rocks me over. Diablo 3, Torchlight 2 and Skyrim. Everything else can burn in a fire for all I care.

But I digress, I've made a decision. Infamous 2 will be my last purchase until I get through at least 30% of my current gaming backlog.

[OmegaFenix]

Personally I find its always a good idea to keep a title or 3 stashed away unfinished for a Rainy day.

[Charl]

So playing through Castlevania: Lords Of Shadows, just finished chapter 2 ... god this game is boring :/
Worth it to play until the end? Or should I save myself the trouble?

Finished enslaved last night ... what a pile of crap. Ninja theory really needs someone to help them with their technical fucks ups. Honestly I've lost all hope for DmC now. Heavenly sword was better than Enslaved though, but still. DmC locked at 24 fps confirmed?! :<

[Necuno]

I wish I had only a backlog of 40 games

/lewks at steam library
/lewks at retail pc games
/lewks at x360 retail games

So sitting with close to 40 games on PS3/ Xbox/ PC that I have yet to finish. Some of them are small, but most of them are 'AAA' budget games. My main gripe is that its just growing. Every time I tell myself 'No, finish what you currently have first', but then I always end up buying new releases Day 1. I then play it for a few hours, perhaps even days and then bam! 4-5 months go past without me touching it.

I would love to say that this is a time constraint issue, but I find myself staring at my screen after work, wondering what I should do. Perhaps this is caused by the idea of overwhelming choice?

Anyway I need a system. I'm starting to get afraid that my mindset of not finishing games will cause me to lose interest in the hobby itself. What's the point of buying games if I only spend a few hours playing them and then ignoring them! It feels like I'm in a broken relationship with electronics, where each purchase is just a new way of me trying to make it work, but sadly the new purchase is just a charade of not accepting that my hobby is dying for me.

The other problem is that looking at my backlog, the amount of time it will take to actually deal with it is super intimidating.

But then I get excited at the idea of new games coming out. Everytime I see a well made launch trailer or read a hands-on preview on a game I 'need to own', I get goose bumps. Yet come a few days after I bought it, I end up ignoring it.

I've tallied it up and sitting on close to R16 000 worth of games I have yet to finish, 5 of them have yet to be opened :<

I need a support group :|

So anyone want to share their system of dealing with a backlog?

[Charl]

Gah at chapter 3 with castlevania ... might throw this on 'bluuuuurgh' pile :<

[fayainz]

Gah at chapter 3 with castlevania ... might throw this on 'bluuuuurgh' pile :<

hey if you plan on getting rid of it I'll gladly take it off your hands Been wanting to play it for a while

[Duke Dude]

I never used to have a backlog, until I got a 4mb/s line...
I now play so much multiplayer that the SP games I buy just sit (I have around 15 I'm still having to finish !) . I dedicated the whole of next year to finishing all my unfinished games. I'm only buying 4 games (SSX, Mass Effect 3, Tomb Raider and the next Total War) next year and that's it. The rest of the time I'm just gonna finish the games I already have.

Maybe try and set aside some time just for them? Don't play any other game (I lent BFBC2 to a friend of mine, so I forced myself to finish some SP games) during that time, just choose a game or two and just play those instead.

[Charl]

I never used to have a backlog, until I got a 4mb/s line...
I now play so much multiplayer that the SP games I buy just sit (I have around 15 I'm still having to finish !) . I dedicated the whole of next year to finishing all my unfinished games. I'm only buying 4 games (SSX, Mass Effect 3, Tomb Raider and the next Total War) next year and that's it. The rest of the time I'm just gonna finish the games I already have.

Maybe try and set aside some time just for them? Don't play any other game (I lent BFBC2 to a friend of mine, so I forced myself to finish some SP games) during that time, just choose a game or two and just play those instead.

Yeah same boat. I think that might be the best way to handle it. Sure the problem I created is my own damn fault. I mean I don't have to finish the games I bought, it's just a decision I made sometime ago and it's been eating at me for a while.

Infamous 2 is already bought (coming in two days). But I've already started going through my games.
Infact, I've been using The Backloggery to keep track. Well on my way to deal with this now - mentally that is

[Graal]

I've decided to have gaming days to deal with my backlog. Today is Dead Space 2 day. Tomorrow will be Splinter Cell Conviction day. Still have to decide what Thursday and Friday will be. If I don't finish a game on it's alotted day, it gets shifted to the back of the queue. :P