Report #16: July 2021
Summer is a bad season for backlog slaying, and July especially so. With everything else going on, I usually struggle making time for knocking a few titles off the list. No different this year, except I actually managed to start and finish one whole game: Catherine. I went in not knowing much about it, but having seen a few seconds’ worth of clips I thought it was going to be a narrative-driven adventure, with some dream-sequence mini-games sprinkled in for good fun. Turned out the platform/sokoban mini-game I had seen is actually the game, interjected by a few cutscenes and some minimally interactive drinking in a bar. The story starts out kind of interesting but turns into all kinds of disappointing later on - especially after a big reveal late in the game. While the platforming parts were pretty fun and decently challenging, I felt the game overstayed its welcome by quite a margin.
I bought a new game for the first time in a while - but also not really. For a long time, I’ve been meaning to get started on my old copy of Baldur’s Gate, but it runs poorly and patching it has proven to be a bit of an effort. So when the Enhanced Edition turned up on the Summer Sale, I picked it up, hoping that it could be a nice fall experience. I’ll keep you posted.
Take it easy on the Spritzes, assassins.
Beaten
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Catherine Classic
Playing Here and There
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Broken Sword 1 - Shadow of the Templars: Director's Cut
3.0 hours playtime
no achievements
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GRID
5.1 hours playtime
no achievements
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Planet Coaster
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PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS
For Consideration, August
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Yooka-Laylee
New Purchase
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Baldur's Gate: Enhanced Edition
Talks about not having enough time for gaming, buys Baldur’s Gate :D
Joke aside, BG is one of those classics that is still on my bucket list. I definitely want to play it at some point, but the sheer amount of hours always puts me off. Hope you enjoy your playthrough should you decide to play it soon!
HA! I mean, you’re not wrong. To your second point, if I accept that I have limited time for gaming, what games do I choose to play - the all-time classics, or titles that I can fit into my schedule with a minimum amount of fuss? Too often, I think, I’ve gone the second route, at the expense of some great games that I already own. I think I have to reconsider my backlog strategy a little…
Good point! I think I have the same problem. I set myself the goal to play more long games this year, so far it’s working out pretty well. But it’s definitely tempting to just go for the smaller (or easier) titles. The latter also help shrinking the backlog quicker and I have to admit it’s very satisfying to see those completed numbers on BLAEO go up quicker.
I hope you find a way to balance your strategy in a satisfying way!