I've invented, improved upon and outright stolen a great deal of systems for getting through my backlog, but each has eventually fallen to uncertainty. I just can not seem to categorise my collection in a manner that is truly meaningful.
I have, for example, completed Oblivion.
I can hear you laughing already, and that's my point. Can I realistically say that I'm done with it because I have unlocked all of the achievements—because I've reached the level cap and explored most of the dungeons? Is that enough for a game that boasts infinite replayability?
Can I call Fable 2 a new recruit to The Obliterated Games Alliance (I call it TOGA; G8 was taken), or do I have to play through again with a neutral character and an evil character? Even if I do, can I really say that I've smashed it when I still haven't got those dolls? I have no way of getting them—circumstances render it impossible—but it's a part of the game that I have effectively missed.
I bought four games recently. I largely completed one of them, and I played the second more than at least twelve other games, but what of the others? I fear to pop them in, just in case they become another title in the dreaded middle-ground of played but not completed.