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To celebrate the completion of another semester of university (I’m now mid-way through my fifth year), I’m going to throw myself into a game from my backlog. The problem is that my backlog is huge, and I’m not sure which game to play. I’ve narrowed it down to these eight choices — all of which I hope to eventually take off the backlog — but I need help making the final decision. What, dear Bitmobbers, should I play next?
Planescape: Torment (PC)
Some say Planescape is the best RPG ever made. I wouldn’t know, since I didn’t even know it existed until four years ago, and have only played the first few hours (maybe a little more — I can’t remember). I can say that I did enjoy the time I spent with it. The only reason I didn’t play longer was that I knew I couldn’t afford the time needed to play this 100 hour gem. The story drew me in even in that short time, and I fear I may lose myself entirely in the game for days on end (if I let myself start playing).
Arcanum: Of Steamworks & Magick Obscura (PC)
I bought this off Good Old Games during a sale earlier this year because of three things: I like steampunk, people say Arcana is a great game with a deep and well-told story, and it apparently has some similarities with Fallout 1 and 2 in gameplay and style. Has anyone here played it? I don’t have much experience with western/computer RPGs, but loved Fallout 2.
Far Cry 2 (PS3)
It was the talk about Far Cry 2’s emergent narrative opportunities that drew me to the title. Whether I agree with the people who champion this game is still unknown, since I’ve yet to play even a minute of it.
Chrono Trigger DS (Nintendo DS)
This game is perhaps a strange inclusion on this list, since I have (effectively) completed it. I played the SNES version of Chrono Trigger around ten years ago and loved it. Just this week I bought the DS port/remake. Should I give it another whirl ahead of these other games?
Alone in the Dark: Inferno (PS3)
This came bundled with my PS3. I’ve never taken it out of the case, but would love to give it a try someday. I know the Xbox 360 version got highly mixed reviews, but this one was supposed to fix the problems. I’m really interested in the way it approaches horror, and how it re-imagines a classic franchise.
Odin Sphere (PS2)
This game is still in its shrink-wrap. I bought it on a whim a couple of years ago because I’d heard great things about it, and I knew it was rare (the copy I bought is one of only three I’ve seen in the wild so far). I know it has beautiful 2D graphics and has some kind of combat system. I vaguely remember reading that it has a good story. I like stories. Will I like Odin Sphere?
Tropico 3 (PC)
I played this for about three hours in December last year, then got distracted and never returned to the game. I enjoyed it, though, and would love to return to this strange twist on the SimCity formula.
Psychonauts (PC)
Another game that I bought on sale from Good Old Games, I have wanted to play Psychonauts for several years, but just never got around to it. I hear it’s good.
So, which of these eight titles should I throw myself into? You'll be able to follow my trials and tribulations with the eventual victor on Twitter (or accost me for making the wrong choice). And I might even post something on Bitmob that puts my unique spin on [insert game name here].