I’ve been meaning to come up with a better name to this post then just the monthly report. It gets the premise to the point, but with others who do the same thing it just stands out as a generic title.
Besides my lack of talent to come up with good title names, welcome to the Backlog Report for November 2021. I went from feeling like crap at the beginning of the month to feeling lazy and accomplished at the end. My mood is all over the place around this time of the year. This could be due to me anticipating the holiday break from work and feeling overworked before then. Writing took a back seat during this so that I could focus my remaining energy on taking care of my responsibilities while trying not to feel bad playing games during my free time. Being an adult is hard and makes me look at the world jaded a bit, but I look at the good of things to help with the bad times. With all of that, I am surprised with what I was able to accomplish under these stupid mind times.
Finished This Month
Mario Party Superstars
This is one of two games that I finished this month while attending a wedding. That might sound like I was just randomly playing my Switch during the cutting of the cake, but it was nothing like that. As part of the wedding party, I was tasked with not only being the best man, but to also bring games for people to play (being the resident gamer). The night before we played a round and doing so got me to level 50 to view the credits. By my definition, getting credits equals me beating a game, so I counted it. Outside of that, Mario Party Superstars is a fun return to formula for Mario Party. It is a fun game to play or just watch other people play and have a good time. Plus, the online works perfectly and explains where all of Nintendo’s R&D for internet connectivity went to (I’m looking at you Switch Online). Play with friends and have a good time like it’s 1999 okay.
Castlevania: Dracula X
This was the second game that I finished while attending a wedding. No, I did not do this during the sharing of the vows. I woke up early like I normally do while everyone else was still asleep. So I just casually beat this game to pass the time. I was sure that I wasn’t going to get around to finishing this game anytime soon, but as you read in my Castlevania Advance post, I found a doable way to get this game done. The only thing I’m upset with is that I couldn’t blast the music during the final stages since I didn’t want to wake anyone up and invoke the wrath of the bride. I would be fighting my own curse for generations to come.
Dark Souls Remastered
Hold up a second. Did I really just beat this game that I thought would take me years to beat? What started off as a curiosity into the series to me learning about all of the lore that I could, I can finally say that I have beaten the first game in the Dark Souls series. I know saying that in 2021 is not the biggest achievement that it was a few years ago, but damn it I’m going to have this moment since I literally thought I was never going to finish that game. I can definitely see myself replaying the game and finishing the other versions that I have since I am familiar with the game now. Will I still hate most of the things that you have to deal with in the game? Oh yeah. Will I be wiser to know different solutions to get around said annoying things? Absolutely. Will I be less annoyed about it? No. I will still be annoyed by some things.
Pokémon Shining Pearl
As with tradition when new Pokémon games come out, Kat and I will spend time together playing through the different versions and comparing out thoughts. After replaying through the Sinnoh region and remembering why I didn’t like this version in the first place, I am have come to the same mindset that this is one of my least favorite regions. I just don’t like it, but some of the quality of life changes makes it easier to go back to than the originals. The improved Grand Underground is addictive for some reason and now I want a Pokémon spelunk game where you just dig underground and find horrific things. Doing things in the post game, but as it stands this is one of the weaker generations for me personally.
New Additions
Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life Special Edition
What happened here? Harvest Moon: A Wonderful Life is one of my favorite games on the GameCube and have a lot of nostalgia for. Whatever this is that I bought for $7 USD is not even close to that game. How did this port go so bad and worse than the source material? You would think they would fix the game up a little before bringing it to the PS2 on PS4 library, but no, they didn’t! I had to boot up my GameCube copy to compare the differences in audio, performance, and gameplay and was sad with how bad this port was. Jokes on me since I’m going to play it and get that platinum trophy eventually just so I can scare people one day.
Harvest Moon: Save the Homeland
Ha! You thought I wouldn’t return and get this game after my mass Harvest Moon buying spree. You fools! No Harvest Moon game will escape my grasp; and it’s only a moment of time before I catch them all!
It was on sale the same time I saw A Shitty Life and it actually plays way better than it. Enjoying it so far.
Shin Megami Tensei V
I wouldn’t say that I am a big Megten fan, but I do enjoy hard JRPGs that reward strategy and pushing your limits. I won’t lie and say that this game would look and perform better on something with a bit more power, but I have warmed up to the game’s aesthetic at this point to enjoy myself. I’m still in the beginning area but hope to play this one and off and not take as long as I did with SMT IV.
Pokémon Shining Pearl
I am a simple person who will play a new Pokémon game when it comes out. They normally tend to come out when I’m feeling weighted down by the world and need some type of escapism to relive my childhood days. While Shining Pearl managed to take my mind off things, it didn’t succeed in bringing back good memories. I had forgotten most reasons why this is one of my least favorite generations, but they are still present and the remakes made them even more apparent. Spending time playing with Kat side-by-side while she played Brilliant Diamond was a bonus however.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD
I almost forgot that I picked these next two games up. I hardly ever see this game in the wild, so I scoped it up when I did see it. Wind Waker was one of the 3D Zelda titles that I got almost all the way through and derailed towards the end. The quality of life changes in the version may be enough for me to set sail and give it another shot.
Super Smash Bros for Wii U
I saw this the same time I saw Wind Waker and said why the hell not. Blame the collector in me for just collecting things I find neat.
SaGa Frontier Remastered
I thought I was safe during the Black Friday shit to avoid buying anything. Most games I saw on sale I already had, so it was much easier then years before. If I hadn’t finished and enjoyed a SaGa game earlier this year, I might not have been interested in picking this up. I know it plays different from Scarlet Grace and people’s opinion of the game are either good or bad, but I’m willing to make my own judgement on this and give it a try.
Romancing SaGa 3
Pretty much what I said about Frontier.
Currently Playing
With me wrapping up Shining Pearl and Dark Souls Remastered, I have a clean plate at the moment. I haven’t decided on what to tackle next, but I do know Trails of Cold Steel IV has been calling my name for a while. I do have some urges to jump into another Dark Souls game (probably finish DS2), but I may take a look at other short games that I can finish over the holidays.
Plans for Next Month
The holiday season is rapidly approaching, and that means a three week break away from work. This is perfect time for me to get the house in order, but I know I will spend the majority of time knocking out time for some of the longer games that I have on my list. This is why ToCS4 might be the best choice with other games sprinkled in there just to give me a break from the cycle. I do want to get my post out on Tales of Arise by then and maybe some fun other things for the blog.
50/50 Challenge Update
I don’t have much to really update. I finished four games this month and that has helped keep me on track with my gaming accomplishments. Whatever weight I lost during the first half of the month was probably regained during the second half, but I felt I did a lot of work preparing for the feast instead of enjoying it. If there is any proof that I am sliming down a little bit is that I had to increase the notches on my wristwatch by 1. It was feeling way looser at my normal setting, so that tells me something besides the time. I will try my best to incorporate some morning exercise activity during my break so I’m not just getting my exercise by pacing around the house.
Challenge Statistics:
Weight loss: 7 pounds
Pounds to go: 43
Games Finished this Month: 4
Total Games Finished: 12/50
And away I goooooooooo….
Tales From The Backlog 