#gaming backlog

I work in higher education so we're off a few weeks for the holidays. Finally giving me the chance to go through my frankly insane backlog on Steam. I'm just gonna rapidfire through the ones I've completed so far with a brief review and recommendation if I liked it. In no particular order.

my version of spotify wrapped is the gaming spreadsheet i started in january in an effort to only play the games in my backlog and not purchase any new games in 2024. i did not actually succeed at that goal, but here are the final stats: total games played: 54 total games completed: 51 total hours played: 1000+ average games per month: 4.5 backlog games played: 42 games i replayed: 8 new games purchased in 2024: 12 games still on my backlog purchased before 2024: 12

So it's only my second blog post in this backlog series, and I'm already veering off-course from what I originally thought it was going to be lol. Basically I want these KH Re:Visited posts to be a way for me to look back on how I got into this series while I share it with a friend of mine: @plzdonthitmewithyourcar. I think both fans of the series and people with <1% knowledge about this funky ass series should be able to enjoy the post though.

Platform: Steam Deck

February 21st-March 7th, 2026

(Previous review)

Sorry for the wait on this one, guys! Got a little wrapped up writing scripts for the YouTube, among other things.

Btw, did you guys know I recently launched on a new channel? Maybe check that out, you might like it. Did this cool video on why Sonic Fans should play Metroid Games, and later this year will be a Resident Evil video.

Anyway, Resident Evil 4. The last mainline entry I wanted to check out before I touch any of the remakes(I bought the first one, and was gifted the one for 2 and 3 over Christmas), and not a bad point to jump off from.

Now, I did use some mods here. Mainly just RE4 Tweaks for invincibility, infinite ammo, and health bars on the enemies to help with the spatial awareness problems I have with games like this. I also used various small bug fixes they recommended, though sadly, Ashley's fixed camera angles did NOT work despite being turned on. Idk what happened there, but I wanted some of those fixed cameras.

I notably did NOT use the HD Project mod, since it was a lot of setup to just have a GameCube game look less like a GameCube game, and I just kinda realized that I was fine with a GameCube game looking like a GameCube game.

I emulate, I'm used to it.

As for the game itself, it's great! Amazing, even. Maybe a little sullied by having played other games that used its mechanics beforehand, but it's still a solid time. Aiming did take a moment to get used to, as Leon's hands shake like a crack addict with some guns, but we were Gucci within the first two play sessions there. 

They did a really good job translating the Resident Evil gameplay to the new perspective, even if I feel like a lot of atmosphere was lost by the change. You can definitely feel how DMC influenced this game from tone to even stealing the door transitions, but the changes are never in a way I mind, per say.

The story is…Just kinda there? I get why Umbrella got put on a bus, but their presence being less overwhelming kinda sucks. Granted, Las Plagas and the cult stuff is a decent remix of the usual Umbrella undertones, and Umbrella itself is implied to be still working in the shadows, but I still think Umbrella being an ongoing threat for a BIT longer in the series would've been nice. At least up until the 10 year mark. 

It doesn't help that there's a lot of "you missed some past stuff" in this plot. I know Wesker comes back for Code Veronica(which I plan to play next year), so he's already back from being dead or whatever he ends up as in your RE1 playthrough, but elements like Leon's former partner(and possible spurned lover? Dude exudes repressed homosexuality)Krauser make it feel like I stepped into this thing without having played most of the series, and this is only the 4th numbered entry.

Idk, it's a small weakness, and I understand wanting to weave in the old zombie narrative in this plot where people aren't undead so much as mind-controlled(which still technically fits the definition of a zombie, so I appreciate the cleverness there), but it did bug me.

The important stuff is good, though. I was diehard for Leon and Ada since my first playthrough of RE2, and their relationship here was well realized, with Leon no longer being as naive as he was back then, but still having to contend with Ada being as she always was(if a bit more blatant about it). I'm also glad they kept her RE2 voice actress for this to keep the character consistent, even if Leon didn't get the same treatment(though for his character, it kinda makes sense).

(Btw, we have the clear reference to RE2's ending with the rocket launcher being thrown to us by Ada, but no "Game Over" by Leon? Little disappointed by that…)

Luis was also a delight for how little he was in the plot, and while I'd always gotten the impression that people hated Ashley, I actually quite liked her. She's scared for her life, sure, and gets offended when a grownass man sexualizes her for no reason(2005, amirite?), But otherwise she openly volunteers to help where she can, and listens to the actual expert when he tells her to do something.

Though I do gotta question why Leon doesn't just give her a gun? I kinda wondered this with Sherry in RE2, as well. Like, sure, Sherry was a child, but I think those types of reservations go out the window when you're a kid frequently left to yourself in the zombie apocalypse. Ashley is a teenager whom you could give a gun, quickly show her how it works, and then she can defend herself a bit when you can't. 

Oh yeah, and the merchant. Through an infinite ammo cheat, I robbed that man blind.

So yeah, maybe not as revolutionary today as it was back then, but the original RE4 is still a good time. Maybe among the best good times you could have across its various platforms. And now I consider myself free to mix in remakes with the mainline entries I still gotta play, so maybe we'll hear about those in the future.

8/10.

And as for next time? Well, I'm taking a slight gaming break so I can get actual video production on my YouTube scripts started, but I'll probably do Spider-Man: Web of Shadows on Nintendo DS next! See ya then!

How many video games are in your backlog right now?

Feed your dashboard by answering my question, blogger.

Ough lemme count brömther-

Platform: Steam Deck

January 13th-24th, 2026

Here we are again, boys and goyles. Our second completed game of 2026!

And already, I had to skip over another game in favor of it, so we're off to a great start!

Anyway, Doom Eternal! Been curious about the Bethesda Doom games for a few years, but I thought I'd have to play 2016 first, which I never got in a sale(this game was from my friend who shares his library with me).

But upon asking last year, they said I could jump into Eternal without any additional context, so I went ahead and added it to the list for THIS year.

And yeah, I can definitely tell that I'm missing a bit of context. Things are going on that feel like they're more important than I'm aware…But at the same time, the game doesn't really HINGE on the story that much, it's just a way to get you from point A to point B(more so than usual in video games, anyway). Plus, I think the game KNOWS you don't really care about the story that much, and specifically forms its narrative AROUND that. Everybody is going to Doom Guy like, “Listen, we have a SYSTEM for how the demons are oppressing Earth and stealing souls. Just get in line and play the role we want you to!” And Doom Guy is just like…”Nah.”

It gets funnier every time it happens. Like, they just get more and more frustrated that you're not playing along and just wanna wreck shit, it's hilarious AND satisfying!

(Though why was that robot scientist guy talking like he was gonna betray me? Like, bro, don't talk so passionately about how the demons are killing humans and sending them to hell!)

And speaking of being hilarious and satisfying, the gameplay! I've made it no secret that I'm not always that fond of the FPS genre, often finding the perspective disorienting and the level design lacking, with it usually devolving into simple enemy spamming over just giving you something interesting to do. Most times, I just wish the game was in a different perspective entirely.

But not Doom Eternal. No, this game is PERFECT in first person because it knows EVERY WEAKNESS these games can have and either doesn't fall into those trappings like a total chad, or builds the game AROUND them!

For example, enemy spam? Hits you with it RIGHT out of the gate! Paces you out into arenas with nearly perfect amounts of enemies and variety. You use nearly ALL of your weapons here, and every kill is satisfying to pull off! Especially the headshots, bro! Most satisfying headshots I have ever pulled off in a video game.

And I mean, sure, I'm so soy that I had to use console commands to activate invincibility, but I feel that a skilled player could easily have fun trudging through this battles and managing your resources effectively against the hordes of hell. Chainsawing through enemies is especially satisfying, even if the fuel you have for the chainsaw kills isn't always consistent.

And the best part is that, by putting the spam into its own, designated area, the level design can actually BE level design! You platform(btw, using the center gun mode makes it way easier to know where your feet are, so more FPS games should include it), climb walls, solve puzzles, find secrets and collectibles, and overall just THINK your way through levels all the way until the end! And it's all intuitive enough that I only had to look something up ONCE in my entire playthrough! Do you know how rare that is for ME?

This legit feels more like a better first person Metroid than ANY of the Prime games I've played(and it has a better 3D map, too)!

Now, does some of this start to get old? Eh, a bit, yes, but only in the last level and a half. It's helped by the fact that the campaign is very short, all things considered, and I think that was intentional since the levels are huge anyway. Checkpoints were definitely welcome here, and I used them a lot.

So yeah, maybe I'm a Doom fan now? I'll probably go back and do the extra DLC campaigns at a later time, hopefully in time for the end of year post, but for now, I came, I saw, I rip and teared, and I LOVED it.

10/10