Anyone who follows my activities on Twitter will know that I'm an avid gamer and I was inspired by a conversation with two fellow Tweeters, Megan (@ComicalDisaster) and Stephanie (@Stephs2Def), to enter into a little challenge that will test my metal with video games. It's called the Summer Backlog Challenge and the premise is simple - select five games that you have either never played or have only partially completed and you must finish these by the end of the summer. The games I have selected are as follows:
1. Nier - One of the "hidden gems" of this console generation, and one that most of my gaming buddies hold in very high regard despite the lukewarm critical reception. Given the insane premise of the game and the mix-up of gaming styles, I can't wait to sink my teeth into this one.
2. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - A game I was never able to get into but one that everyone continues to rave about. It hasn't aged well as some other RPGs have, but it's one of the top-rated games of this generation and I'm giving it another chance.
3. Gears of War - Yet another game that everyone loves but that I never could get into, however I played this right when I bought my Xbox 360 and I have since become better at shooters and action games in general, so I might like this more now than I previously did.
4. Dante's Inferno - I started this game a while back and was immediately struck by how well it controlled and how much I liked the art design and setting of the game. I never did get far, so this challenge gives me some onus to go back and finish it.
5. Fallout 3 - I made it about 3 hours into this game before I moved on. Like Oblivion, I see why people like it but I found it difficult to warm to. However, patience is a virtue with games like this and I imagine I'll grow to love it once I delve deeper into Fallout universe.
There are no specific rules with this challenge, but there are two basic ones I will be following. First, the game is considered complete once the main storyline has been finished, so this does not require completing expansions and going for 100% of the achievements. Second, the games must be finished by September 30. The prize: Nothing but the satisfaction of completing some awesome games. I mean, since when gamers need an incentive to game?
This is going to be a challenge for several reasons. The summertime is always extremely busy for me, with lots of things to do and several birthdays to celebrate, including my own. I also tend to prefer to be doing things outdoors during this time, especially since we only get a few short months of good weather here in Canada and we relish it, so staying inside and playing video games is not usually how I prefer to spend my free time in the summer. However, work slows down a bit and I find my self having to work less overtime, so that frees some time for me to devote to the games I have selected.
Will I succeed? It's definitely possible, but at the end of the day, this is just a fun challenge and I enjoy doing things like this with fellow gamers. Let the good times begin!
No comments:
Post a Comment