At The Punished Backlog, we embrace our gaming stockpiles with pride. Since 2017, we’ve sifted through our stack of Blu-rays, searching for gems and rekindling our love of old favorites. It’s no secret that “completing the backlog” is a fool’s errand, but that doesn’t stop us from trying.
A few weeks back, I kicked off our 2024 Gaming Backlog Challenge. The goal was simple: Complete 24 games from my collection before the end of the year. From The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt to Supergiant’s Pyre, I intended to fill some of the biggest holes in my gaming resume.
Joining me in this quest is fellow Punished Backlogger Sam Martinelli. Though our challenges are unique—Sam’s tackling 12 games, all different from mine—we’re excited to chat about our progress and hold each other accountable as the weeks and months march on.
To facilitate the conversation, we’re reviving a column from the annals of Punished Backlog history: This Week in Backlog.
No need to read up on prior entries if you’re unfamiliar. Here’s the format: Every few weeks, Sam and I will chat about what we’re playing and celebrate the games we’ve completed this year. Simple!
Setting the Stage
David Silbert: Welcome to the column, Sam! For those who might not have read your 2024 gaming resolutions piece, want to give readers a quick summary?
Sam Martinelli: Absolutely! Basically, I want to hold myself to two particular goals for this year: Prioritize playing games that I already own (or have access to via subscriptions), and abide by the “two-week rule” when purchasing new games. In short, the “two-week rule” stipulates that anytime a new game comes out (with certain exceptions, such as the forthcoming Final Fantasy VII Rebirth), I will force myself to wait two weeks after release before buying it in an effort to avoid buying something simply for FOMO.
David: Have you finalized your list of 12? If so, what backlog titles are you planning on playing this year?
Sam: I have! Here’s my list as it stands: Baldur’s Gate 3, Golden Sun, Golden Sun: The Lost Age, Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Dead Space (2023), Sonic Adventure, Slay the Spire, Toem, Halo 3: ODST, and Resident Evil 4: Separate Ways (DLC).
David: Love the list! I’ve been meaning to play Toem myself. Maybe next year, haha.
Any other thoughts on the 2024 Backlog Challenge before we recap our progress?
Sam: Your list is far more ambitious than mine!
What We Completed in January
David: When we kicked off the 2024 challenge, I had already completed the first of my backlog games: Elden Ring. There’s not much else to say about it other than it was freaking brilliant.
Though I had intended on following up with Persona 5 Royal (in anticipation of Persona 3 Reload), I got sidetracked rather quickly. Turns out, I still had the FromSoftware itch—and I scratched it with a little game by the name of Lies of P.
Loosely based on the events of Pinnochio, Lies of P is easily the best Souls-like I’ve played. It takes the ambiance of Bloodborne, adds the parry-heavy action of Sekiro, and tops it off with the flair of Devil May Cry 5. It’s a mash-up that shouldn’t work—and yet, it does. I spent 30+ hours exploring the city of Krat and felling its foes, and I can’t stop thinking about the experience.
What about you, Sam? What have you ticked off the backlog so far?
Sam: So far, I’ve made some progress with Baldur’s Gate 3, though I’m taking my time with that one. (I’m playing it kind of like an actual TTRPG—once a week for hours at a time.) I’ve started Act 3, but since I know I’m inching closer to the finale, I don’t want to brute force my way through the critical path; instead, I’m aiming to do a number of side quests before moving on.
Additionally, I managed to complete Golden Sun and Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice fairly swiftly, and I think I’m about halfway through Metal Gear Solid 2. Luckily, as a result of the “two-week rule,” I’ve avoided getting bogged down in all the brand-new releases (I’ll make it to Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown soon enough) and have been able to address my backlog more directly.
A quick rundown of my thoughts on these games:
- Baldur’s Gate 3 can be exhausting with its massive wealth of systems and mechanics, but truly is one of the most incredible RPGs of all time. A staggeringly impressive achievement.
- What Golden Sun lacks in a compelling plot and interesting characters it more than makes up for with a great turn-based battle system and engaging overworld gameplay. Most classic RPGs with random encounters don’t hold up that well in my book, but Golden Sun is charming and fun enough for me to look past its smaller flaws.
- Hellblade is a really impressive audio showcase, with the “cursed” voices arguing within Senua’s mind serving as an allegory for psychosis. On the gameplay side, while its combat isn’t exactly FromSoftware-level, there’s enough action outside of fighting that makes it worth a playthrough. I still think I would have liked it more had I played it when it first released in 2017, mostly since its audio design seemed ahead of its time.
- Metal Gear Solid 2 is easily a gameplay and narrative step up from its predecessor. There’s so much thematic brilliance mixed in with all the absurdity of the franchise’s broader lore. Not every aspect holds up (the fixed camera view and frequent back-tracking can be a little grating), but I’m having a great time regardless. Frankly, I’m disappointed in myself for waiting so long to play these games.
What We’re Playing in February
David: What have you been working on this month?
Sam: After MGS2, I’ll obviously play more BG3. Also, I hope to start Golden Sun: The Lost Age, which isn’t just a sequel to the first Golden Sun; it’s meant to serve as a companion to it. Hopefully, whatever lessons I learned in maximizing my party’s combat abilities in the first game translates well to The Lost Age. (Fun fact: Golden Sun and The Lost Age were originally planned as a single game, but couldn’t be released that way due to the Game Boy Advance’s hardware limitations.)
Heading into next month, however, I’m probably going to be too busy with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth (and possibly Persona 3 Reload) to spend much time on the backlog. As a result, I haven’t really assigned any games to March. I don’t want to dive straight into Metal Gear Solid 3 after MGS2 (especially since I know how far apart they are on the official timeline), and part of me wants to save Dead Space and Separate Ways for October during the Spooky Month.
What about you?
David: I kicked off the month with a few hours of Pyre. Although I’m enjoying Supergiant’s magical take on football/rugby, I wasn’t nearly as riveted by it as my time playing Lies of P.
So! I’ve since pivoted to 2018’s God of War. I gave this a shot back when it came out and found myself underwhelmed by the gameplay at the time. The story was sublime, but I couldn’t help comparing the combat to the masterclass that was God of War III.
Returning to the game in 2024, I’ve found the game to have aged like fine wine. The game looks stunning on PS5, and the budding father-son bond between Kratos and Atreus is as captivating as ever. I’ve taken the time to learn the intricacies of combat, and though I still find elements lacking—namely, the asinine camera—the rest of this game is shaping up to be something special.
That’s All for This Month!
Thanks for tuning into this month’s update! We’ll be back in March with more backlog setbacks and triumphs.
