My backlog is looking pretty intimidating.

[EvilMaggot]

Borderlands 2 for the good dose of humor and fun gameplay
Witcher Enhanced Edition for a awesome RPG and specially play the 2nd one if you havent

 

[chikusho]

I'd try to divide things up a bit by doing about two games simultaneously over the same period, and matching them up depending on how long they take to get through and what kind of mood, mechanics, involvement and experience they provide.
For instance:

Half a laugh (1-9h)

Earthworm Jim HD - Wacky 2d platformer
Munch's Oddysee HD - Wacky 3d platformer
Rock of Ages - Weird... whatever the hell you call something like this.
MDK - Fun 3d person action game + pussler.

Fun of the mill (10-16h)

Metro 2033 - First person Horror shooter.
Dead Space - 3d person Horror shooter.
Max Payne (the first one) - 3d Person Action shooter.
Psychonauts - Imaginative 3d person platformer.
Devil May Cry 3 - Action heavy 3d person action adventure.


Bottomless time-sink (17-40h+)

Thief - Slow, patient first person stealth.
The Witcher: Enhanced Edition - Top-Down RPG with branching story.
Borderlands 2 - Action heavy FPS RPG.
Okami HD - Zelda-esque Action adventure (with lots of reading long dialogue to get the story)
Two Worlds - Western RPG (don't know much about this one)
Final Fantasy VII, VIII, IX and XIII - JRPG + Lots of reading and possibly grinding.
Disciples II - Don't know much about this one either.

The next step I'd take is to combine one of the more immersive/involving games from the middle or lower lists, and doing them at the same time as an easier, pick-up-and-play game. Say, Rock of Ages with Two Worlds, Devil May Cry with Thief, or Max Payne with Okami.

 

[Lazy]

-snip-

I'm not all that bothered by The Witcher's interface and actually rather enjoy the combat, so these aren't really problems for me. I don't find the game to be all that complicated either, so again, not really a big issue in my case.

play Okami first ps2 version if possible, honestly in the Wii version they took out the beautiful ending sequence. if you cant find the actual version emulators are "cheap" and roms are not too "hard to find" usb controllers are only like $10

I have the HD re-release on PSN.

Then I would go with the original and best DMC but to be honest if you have the collection just play them all even two is not as bad as some people make out I am actually replaying it right now although Lucia is more hype than Dante in it throwing knives > guns.

I did play the first Devil May Cry for a few hours, but got bored and gave up. There were a couple of fun bits (I particularly enjoyed those couple of times when you fight that demon fellow who comes out of the mirror) but for the most part it was just tedium and occasional frustration.

If, as I'm led to believe, DMC 2 is worse, I have little interest in playing it.

Also why are there no SNES games on this backlog? youre making me look bad.

Because I don't own an SNES and never have. I'm pretty sure the only Nintendo console I've ever owned was a Gamecube.

 

[OurGloriousLeader]

FFIX is the best game evar, so play that. Metro 2033 is also fantastic.

 

[FoolKiller]

Right now I've got a pretty big backlog of games I need to complete, but I'm having a hard time deciding where to start. That's where you come in. You know, if you want. These are my options:

The Witcher: Enhanced Edition
MDK
Thief
Two Worlds
Disciples II
Metro 2033
Borderlands 2
Max Payne (the first one)
Psychonauts
Final Fantasy VII, VIII, IX and XIII
Earthworm Jim HD
Rock of Ages
Dead Space
Munch's Oddysee HD
Devil May Cry 3 (I have the HD collection but have little interest in the first two games)
Okami HD

I... think that's it. As you can see, I went on quite the spending spree this past December. Keep in mind, I kind of want to get to the newer and/or shorter games first.

Backlog? pssh... that's not a backlog, that's a To Do List

I would start with Max Payne. You can hammer that out in less than 10 hours if you try. And play Borderlands 2 on and off in the background through the whole list. Its my fallback game that I play if I don't really care about progress and just want to kill shit (although the story and game is awesome enough to sink 100 hours into anyways)

 

[Idlemessiah]

Mine's not quite as intimidating but I bought a new pc recently and splurged on RPGs.

Xbox360
-----
LotR: War in the North
Lego PotC
Lego Star Wars
AC: Revelations
AC3

PC
-----
Bastion
Just Cause 2
Metro 2033
Spec Ops: The Line
Shogun 2
The Witcher
The Witcher 2
Skyrim
Oblivion (Yes, I have yet to play Oblivion)

EDIT: Technically GTA4 should be in there since I've never even attempted any missions. But then again I did only buy it for the sandbox so I never intended to actually play the game.

EDIT2: But before I do that I need to do a ghost-pacifist run of DE:HR

 

[Best of the 3]

I'm surprised you actually want to play Two Worlds. Unless you mean Two Worlds 2, in which case go ahead, I've heard that one isn't so terrible. If it's Two Worlds, then be prepared for below average gameplay, story, voice acting (oh god the voice acting) and a multitude of annoyances and bugs. My 360 version of that game crashed so many times I resorted just running through that game.

Rock of Ages is a fun little time sink, I've spent a few hours on that, good for when you want a little break from serious games.

Thief, Borderlands 2 and Metro 2033 are all good. As for where to start, up to you really.

 

[Mcupobob]

I found not having a Job or relationship really gave me the spare time to get finally tackle my backlog. Though I honestly don't suggest it, as for which games you should play well I never played any of those and or wasn't a fan. Expect earth worm Jim, that game is kinda awesome.

Psychonauts is really the only game I haven't gotten around to, I tried playing it and I know this will prolly piss some people off but after it crashed on me for the second time I was like "I don't even really like this game" and haven't cared to play it since.

 

[Sunrider]

Oh man, MDK. All the nostalgia feels right here. I dunno if you'll like it or not, hell, I don't even know if I would still like it or not, but it was so much fun back in the day.
If games that hasn't aged well isn't your thing, it's probably not worth playing. Another game like that is The Witcher. It was brilliant for its time, but I'd rather cut my fingers off than play that fucking game again. It looks terrible and it handles terrible.

+1 for Okami, it should be your priority.

 

[SonicWaffle]

Right now I've got a pretty big backlog of games I need to complete, but I'm having a hard time deciding where to start.

Which ones do you want to play? Which ones do you look at and think "Eh, I'm not really in the mood right now"?

Play the former, leave the latter for later. Sorted. Don't play the ones you think you should be playing because they're the most recent or the hot-topic issue of the day, just play the ones you feel like.

 

[Nalgas D. Lemur]

Heh, that's your intimidating backlog? Mine has...let's say a bit more than those. If 20-ish intimidates you, I don't want to think what mine would do to you. Pray you don't reach that point.

Backlogged Games: 189
Time To Complete: 101 Days, 12 Hrs, 56 Mins

And that's after making a serious effort to thin it down recently...and only counting PC games...and only the ones I already own...and...maybe I should just give up now.

I personally enjoyed The Witcher the most out of everything I've played on that list, but it's kind of the exact opposite of "new" and "short".

 

[DoPo]

Heh, that's your intimidating backlog? Mine has...let's say a bit more than those. If 20-ish intimidates you, I don't want to think what mine would do to you. Pray you don't reach that point.

Backlogged Games: 189
Time To Complete: 101 Days, 12 Hrs, 56 Mins

And that's after making a serious effort to thin it down recently...and only counting PC games...and only the ones I already own...and...maybe I should just give up now.

Mine are currently 125, with probably 30-ish I've yet to get (I don't have the time for them, so why buy them?) and another few that I'm expecting this year, that's not counting what will come up as I go along. I cannot spend the serious effort - over the Christmas/New Year break I got to play...two games to the end - one was KOTOR2 (although, I'm still replaying it making opposing choices) and...FTL: Faster Than Light (so I managed to beat the flagship...if you count that). I simply don't have enough time D: I've meditated on my backlog and I'm at peace, though - I won't much care if it gets to over 200 - I'll not be scared.

 

[MrBenSampson]

I have dozens of games in my collection, across three console gererations, that I have yet to start. There are also many more that I wish to get my hands on. I should probably make an effort to play through my collection, instead of wasting time lurking in the Escapist forums. I think I'm going to sit out on the next console generation, just so I'll have a chance to play through the games I already own/have on my shopping list... First world problems, eh?

OT: The only game on your list that I've played is Dead Space. I enjoyed it a lot, but I wouldn't classify it as a horror game. It's more of a brutal shooter with minimal lighting. The only tip I can offer is to just stick with the plasma cutter. If you have trouble with the tiny enemies, then get a flamethrower as a backup.

 

[Tallim]

I still have a backlog of C64 games :/ I try and play a new one each month on top of all the modern stuff I play.

Even out of this generation that's a tiny backlog (the problems of being a solo parent etc etc)

Out of that list I'd say Metro 2033. It's not very long but it's very memorable. Okami is awesome but it is also very very long; even longer if you do all the side stuff.

 

[ninjaRiv]

I'm actually playing Thief right now, for the first time (only played the third one. Turns out the first one is just as good).

Final Fantasy and Witcher are the longer games in your list. If you want to start with the new and short, go for Dead Space and Metro. Both great games (the latter is better) and they're not very long. But the best games on your list, imo, are Thief, Witcher, Psychonauts, Final Fantasy VII, Metro and Okami. It's still a good list, though. You should enjoy all of those.

 

[Lazy]

It looks terrible and it handles terrible.

Looks terrible? I don't know about that. The character models are a bit crap, I'll admit, but the environments are quite beautiful.

Which ones do you want to play? Which ones do you look at and think "Eh, I'm not really in the mood right now"?

Play the former, leave the latter for later. Sorted. Don't play the ones you think you should be playing because they're the most recent or the hot-topic issue of the day, just play the ones you feel like.

The problem is that I'm terribly indecisive. I'm not the kind of person who can just look at a big list of games and say "I want to play that first."

 

[SonicWaffle]

Which ones do you want to play? Which ones do you look at and think "Eh, I'm not really in the mood right now"?

Play the former, leave the latter for later. Sorted. Don't play the ones you think you should be playing because they're the most recent or the hot-topic issue of the day, just play the ones you feel like.

The problem is that I'm terribly indecisive. I'm not the kind of person who can just look at a big list of games and say "I want to play that first."

Well then, work backwards. When you get home at the end of the day, look at the games on your shelf and think "Which of these am I not in the mood to play?"

Some days you just can't be bothered with RPG level-grinding or the hectic pace of an FPS. It should help you to narrow down your options.

 

[Nalgas D. Lemur]

Heh, that's your intimidating backlog? Mine has...let's say a bit more than those. If 20-ish intimidates you, I don't want to think what mine would do to you. Pray you don't reach that point.

Backlogged Games: 189
Time To Complete: 101 Days, 12 Hrs, 56 Mins

And that's after making a serious effort to thin it down recently...and only counting PC games...and only the ones I already own...and...maybe I should just give up now.

Mine are currently 125, with probably 30-ish I've yet to get (I don't have the time for them, so why buy them?) and another few that I'm expecting this year, that's not counting what will come up as I go along. I cannot spend the serious effort - over the Christmas/New Year break I got to play...two games to the end - one was KOTOR2 (although, I'm still replaying it making opposing choices) and...FTL: Faster Than Light (so I managed to beat the flagship...if you count that). I simply don't have enough time D: I've meditated on my backlog and I'm at peace, though - I won't much care if it gets to over 200 - I'll not be scared.

I have also long since accepted that I will never, ever complete everything on my list. A lot of the time what I consider to be progress is installing half a dozen games, playing them for half an hour to an hour each, and then uninstalling all the ones that don't immediately grab me (often most of them, depending on what I happen to have grabbed) and crossing them off the list. If something about the UI or controls or whatever is bugging me and I'm not really into it and there's no simple fix, oh well. There are always a couple hundred other options. Coincidentally, KOTOR2 is probably one of the next RPGs for me too. I put it off for so long until the restored content mod was finally done.

 

[Lazy]

I'm surprised you actually want to play Two Worlds. Unless you mean Two Worlds 2, in which case go ahead, I've heard that one isn't so terrible. If it's Two Worlds, then be prepared for below average gameplay, story, voice acting (oh god the voice acting) and a multitude of annoyances and bugs. My 360 version of that game crashed so many times I resorted just running through that game.

Thankfully I have the PC version, which is actually playable. As for the voice acting, while it's definitely a far cry from "good," it does have a certain hammy, laughable charm to it. Two Worlds II by comparison is the auditory equivalent of trying to eat an entire loaf of stale bread.

 

[The White Hunter]

Final Fantasy VII, VIII, IX and XIII - JRPG + Lots of reading and possibly grinding.

VII - Lots of grinding makes the game a lot more fun and less frustrating, and an FAQ on hand to help if you get stuck somewhere (but that goes for all but 13).
VIII - Do. Not. Grind. Every enemy is tied to your level so it's actually beneficial to stay fairly weak and low level, just horde high power draws and train up your GF's, but there's no need to be anywhere near max level at the end.
IX - Do it in one go, don't leave it like I did, 30 hours in and when I came back a month or two later I had no idea what the hell I was doing
XIII - There can be a fair bit of grinding, use the internet to find good spots to take the sting out of it.

OT: Honestly my backlog of half-finished puts this to shame. Damn thing goes back to the PS1 I think o-o.

If you feel like a story I'd get on those FF's, if you feel like a quick burst of action Earthworm Jim can be cleared in maybe 2 hours your first time, but otherwise the gentleman I have quoted has given sound advice and I would urge you to utilise it

Oh, and Xenoblade Chronicles. That's lurking in my backlog too. The fucker, now there's some grinding!