I’m writing this article at the end of October 2023 and I am fairly sure that my conclusion for the year is going to remain unchanged. This year has been an excellent year for gamers to maintain a backlog list.
We could use some Quality Control
To put it bluntly, this year has seen multiple high-profile games release in sub-standard states. The most recent of these has been Cities Skylines 2 which released to a bit of a damp launch. Issues with the games performance and graphics were made clear to your average player. In defence of the developers, they did raise a warning flag about this but I feel that is something that can only be understood when it’s running on your computer.
Some titles have seen a redemption arc such as Cyberpunk 2077, No Man’s Sky and Battlefield 2042. But these are very much the exceptions to the rule. Additionally they are not quick turnarounds. Cyberpunk has recently been praised for its 2.0 release and the Phantom Liberty DLC. The game initially launched in December 2020 and that was after multiple delays. I took time off work to play the game and while I was able to complete it, a sour taste was left in my mouth. While I am happy to hear that the game is in a much better state this still took almost 3 years!
When a game launches poorly you are having to put faith in the developers that they will improve the game. Faith that has already been tested by the games launch. Anthem is a reminder that doesn’t always happen even in the big league’s.
The classics never left
Increasingly this year I have found myself going back to old games that I’ve either completed or have been waiting in the wings for me. I recently completed another play through of State of Decay 2 and with the release of the Dead Space remake onto PC Game Pass I am immediately loving it. I have had Calisto Protocol on my backlog list as a “wait for patches” item, so I suspect I’ll be looking at that once I’ve completed Dead Space again.
There are some great things about the PC Gaming scene. Firstly a lot of old games are still available and work. Shout out to GOG.com on this point. Through them I have replayed classics titles like Constructor, Cannon Fodder and Sid Myer’s Alpha Centauri. You will have to excuse the graphics in most instances as over a decade has made some games age poorly (who hasn’t?).
Secondly PC gaming has a huge variety of experiences available to you. While there have been big budget flops or otherwise compromised game launches, the Indie scene have been doing excellent work. With my recent trip to Euro Gamer expo in London this year I’m reminded of some of these smaller developers that are coming out with some fantastic titles.
Here are a few titles that I have enjoyed from smaller developers this year:
- Vampire Survivors (+DLC)
- Terra Nil
- Rimworld (+DLC)
The industry is not firing on all cylinders
I don’t want to excuse the poor behaviour of these large companies and some of their baffling business decisions that they have made. I have a feeling that the industry is having to go through something of a shift in how their production cycles and business models work. I think as players we are seeing the “grinding of the gears” as this is figured out. The unfortunate by-product is that we pay a heavy price financially. Thankfully places like Steam have decent refund policies to shelter us from the worst of it.
You cannot play everything (even if you want to!)
One thing I have noticed is that some of the games I’m looking forward to are huge. There are multiple titles in my backlog that will take me weeks, if not months, to get through. Titles like Baldur’s Gate 3, Like a Dragon Ishin and Infinite Wealth. This is before you talk about games with loads of replay ability such as Steam World Build, Frost Punk 2 and F1 Manager 2023.
Staying with Baldur’s Gate 3, despite it being one of the most lauded launches of the year, word from players suggests that the game needs some more polish. Especially towards the later acts of the game. But in good news, the developers are actively working on the game to solve these issues.
This is all before we talk about “Games as a service” like Destiny 2. Titles that are having constant updates and streams of new content being added to them. I have had to swear off that game as I found it felt more like a job trying to keep on top of the game and keep my character geared than it being something fun.
Stay organised
So this is why I think it is necessary for gamers to maintain some kind of backlog list. Something that can remember the launches that they were interested in and reminds them to come back once the rough edges have been polished off. Would I like to dive into these games with confidence day one? Absolutely. But I must acknowledge my limited gaming time so I will come around to them when a spot opens up.
My own backlog keeps track of multiple items that make it easier to find a game I want to slot into rotation. I would recommend the following bit of information to enrich your backlog list:
- Platform
- Genre
- Rough length in hours
- Release Date or year
- Link to a store page
The Multi Hobbyist 
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