Vote in Backlog Series 12: Go West, young man!

If my calculations are correct, we should finish another game on Backlog tonight, which means that it’s time for you to pick out the next one we play. 

It has been brought to my attention that the majority of the games we’ve played on Backlog to date have been Japanese titles. So, just to make sure that we’re all having a well-rounded diet, I’ve decided that the twelfth series of Backlog will consist entirely of games developed by Western studios. Take a gander at the list of options.

 

Fable III
Developed by Lionhead Software
Released October 26th, 2010

I honestly love the Fable series. It’s like the casual gaming answer to the action/RPG genre, with accessible combat and no consequence for player death, while still offering interesting characters and a world where there are just as many questions remaining as there are answers given. I bought Fable IIIimmediately upon release knowing that my lovely fiancée would enjoy it, but I’ve yet to put the disc in for myself. Mayhaps it’s time to go back to Albion.

Bully
Developed by Rockstar Vancouver
Released October 17th, 2006

I have a love/hate relationship when it comes to Rockstar’s games. I love the games themselves, but the character writing and sense of humor tends to be so ridiculous as to destroy any sense of plausibility in them despite the developer’s seeming need for realism.

Bully, from what I’ve experienced, seems different in this regard. There are still extreme personalities in amongst the kids, but it somehow doesn’t appear so strange for a neglected kid to have aims on scholastic domination and devise a ludicrous scheme to accomplish such a goal. I’d very much like to see how this one shakes out in the end.

 

A Boy and His Blob
Developed by Wayforward
Released October 13th, 2009

I’m a big fan of David Crane’s original A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobolonia conceptually, but the execution of that particular title makes it hard to love. That’s why I was so excited to watch the development of Wayforward’s take on the unlikely paring of metamorphic alien and jellybean-packing tyke. 

It’s one of the cutest games made in recent memory and I had quite a bit of fun in the brief bit of time that I’ve spent playing it. One on the list I’m very much looking forward to enjoying in earnest.

Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time
Developed by Insomniac Games
Released October 27th, 2009

I’ve played through the other two games in the Ratchet & Clank Future trilogy. This one actually calls to me from the shelf, entreats me to finish it. But it’s been so long that I feel compelled to start again from the beginning and that has been an effort I haven’t been able to motivate myself towards. Still, a great franchise and a fun game that I would have no problem diving into.

 

Mystery Game

Finally, we have the Mystery Game. Don’t make the mistake of choosing this for curiosity’s sake, as people have clamored before to know what it was and groaned when they learned. The intent here is to select the Mystery Game if none of the other games appeal to you, so voting for it just because you want to know what it is is kind of a dick move. 

If the Mystery Game is not chosen, it’ll roll over into the next series where it will continue to be a mystery.

There you have it. Make your selection in the comments below and get ready for a whole new series of Backlog!

 

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