Recently I picked up Valkyria Chronicles Remastered for PS4 via the Humble Bundle. The tactical/strategy RPG from the PS3 era was always on my radar, and the positive reception the game garnered made me think, “Yeah, I’ll play that someday.” And then someday became hopefully this year. This year became this console. Then this console became an old console, and I never got around to it. This is the case all too frequently with me: I really want to play some game, but for one reason or another, they slip through the cracks. While there are tons of games I want to play, there are a few that I actually do want to play and never get around to them. Even better case in point: I’ve wanted to make a post such as this for awhile now, but never got around to it! So let’s discuss today in no particular order ten games I really wanted to play, but never actually have.
This one still kind of stings, because I actually played through the original Mass Effect twice (once on PC, and once on Xbox 360), and I played and beat Mass Effect 2 on the 360. I even own ME3, I just never got around to playing it. By now the spoilers for the ending have been fully ingrained in my head, so I know where it’s going to lead, but I still haven’t brought myself to playing it. Part of that delay is thanks to Mordin Solus dying at the end of my ME2 run and me never playing it again to achieve a better ending. But really it’s just my own laziness and other games getting in the way.
In similar fashion to Mass Effect 3, God of War III went past me. I played and beat the first two games, and even played through the first PSP outing, but never got to GoW3, despite owning the game. Twice, actually: once on PS3 and once digitally on PS4. Now with the new God of War taking the world by storm, perhaps I should jump in to what many called the best God of War to date!
Persona 5 was one of the best games I played in 2017. Prior to that, my only experience with venerable Persona series of Japanese RPGs was the PS2’s standout hit Persona 3. While that game has its own following and praise, I think many more would consider its sequel Persona 4 as the better of the two. Despite this, I never actually got around to playing P4. After I got my PS Vita I was excited to track down the portable version of the game, which I did, and to finally dig in to this well-reguarded RPG… which I didn’t.
This one kind of hurts. The two Super Mario Galaxy games on the Wii are not only said to be two of the best games on the system, but two of the best games in the Super Mario series overall. That’s quite a statement. It’s also one I can’t comment on personally, as I still haven’t played them. I think during their release I was just stuck on other projects: they came out while I was still in college, and while I was working with Machinima to write reviews.
Okami is a great game by many gamers accounts, but I haven’t even touched it. This one stings a lot, since I genuinely want to play it, but moreso, I own the game on three different consoles! The original PS2 game, the Wii re-release, and now the HD version on the PS4. Yep… still haven’t played it. I have played as Amaterasu in Marvel vs. Capcom 3 though. That counts, right?
One of the biggest gaming franchises of all time, and I couldn’t tell you much about it. A few of my friends growing up absolutely loved the original trilogy on the PS1 and PS2, and would frequently talk about the game’s story and gameplay. Like many games on this list, I own all the games in the series (even the spinoff VR Missions on PS1) but still haven’t gotten around to it. At this point though, I’m thinking I’ll just leave the series alone. It’s too complicated to start in to nowadays, right?
A bit of a caveat on this one: I have played a great deal of this game, but I have never actually beaten Final Fantasy VI. Often regarded as the best game in the series, or at least the best of the 2D games, FF6 had a killer cast of characters, amazing music, and a fun storyline that was engaging and enjoyable. Unfortunately for me, I started this game literally directly after completing the first five Final Fantasy games. At the time I was trying to beat all ten of them (There were only ten Final Fantasy’s at the time!) in a row, but by the time I got to this gem I was exhausted. And sadly, never got back to it.
The StarCraft series of strategy RPGs was never as enthralling to me as the WarCraft series was, but I still dabbled in the original on PC back in the day. I have very fond memories of taking my whole gaming rig to a friends place just to LAN 8-player games. Despite this nostalgia, I never once picked up StarCraft II. I think the game is even free now, or at least part of it is? One of the reasons I stayed away, however, was the difficulty of playing online in the original with others. I have very low skill in this game, and rightfully so got my ass handed to me online. That … wasn’t so fun.
Another caveat here: I have played Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and rank it among the greatest games I have ever played. After that game I did go back and start the first Uncharted, but I never beat it. Likewise I won Uncharted 3 and 4, but never got to them either. It’s kind of a bummer too, because the games are all well regarded and console exclusives for Sony. Maybe one day I’ll get there. But if not and the only impression I have of the series is Uncharted 2, I’ll be happy.
With the release of the Super NES Classic Edition, I do finally own a copy of Super Metroid. And of all the games I have so far tried out on the SNES Classic, Super Metroid is one of them. While I defeated a few bosses, I wouldn’t say I was anywhere near the ending. Still though, the game is often said to be the best game on the Super NES, and sometimes the best game of all time, so I should really get to finishing this. I have a great liking of the series too: I’ve played many, but not all, of the franchise, and generally like all the games.
Another classic from the SNES classic, Ness’s own Earthbound has eluded my playing for two decades. A unique and very highly praised RPG, Earthbound is one of the games I want to start, but I don’t want to start. I don’t know if I want to dedicate myself to an RPG right now with so many other life things getting in the way and sapping up my time. Stupid jobs and families and responsibilities! Hmmm… maybe that’s the perfect reason to play this game…
Grand Theft Auto is a bit different from the other games here. With the other games on this list, I typically either played them, own them and want to play them, or just haven’t gotten around to finishing them. With the entire GTA series, not the least of which GTAV, I don’t really have any interest. I know I’m in the minority here, as many other gamers love these games, but they just aren’t my favorite type of game. That said, I still have some inkling to play it, but not more than the other games here.
Lastly we have one of my favorite franchises, The Legend of Zelda. For no particular reason, I never played a few games in the series. Specifically, I have yet to adventure with Link in Twilight Princess, Skyward Sword, Spirit Tracks, and Phantom Hourglass. Also… I’ve never beaten The Wind Waker. That’s a lot of Zelda games I haven’t touched! And it’s such a huge franchise that shows no signs of slowing down. Thankfully Nintendo’s all about those re-releases, so perhaps one day I’ll get an HD update of one or two of these and finally can dig my teeth in to them.
Sadly that’s only the few I can remember on top of my head. There are assuredly other games I’m completely forgetting about, but that will be a list for another day.
Which games have slipped past you as the years go by? Do you feel guilty for not playing them? Let me know!
Laters,
Jsick
