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my brain on pixels: Summer Backlog Challenge 2012

In case you couldn’t tell from some of my recent hump day posts, I have been watching quite a bit of material over on YouTube lately.  I have been pleasantly surprised to find that there is a fairly sizable and thriving video game community there.  The community’s videos have kept me company at work while I perform mundane tasks, brining a bit of video game fun into what would otherwise be monotonous tasks.

Anywho, while watching videos, I came across this unofficial event that many video game focused YouTubers are taking part in called the Summer Backlog Challenge.  From what I can tell, this tradition was started by YouTuber StephsTooDef and this year’s kick off was this video:

So, I’ve decided to give the challenge a go this year!

The concept behind the challenge is to choose at least five video games that you already own but have not completed and try to complete them over the summer.  Officially, the challenge runs from today, June 1, 2012 through September 30, 2012.

Now, presumably, this challenge originated with people who have extra time on their hands over the summer, most likely due to a lack of school obligations during that time; however, I’m kind of past the point in my life where I have extra free time over the summer.  Nevertheless, I’ve chosen a list of games that I would like to complete during the official challenge time frame.  In order to try to make completing this challenge feasible, I have kept my list close to the challenge minimum, tried to avoid including a large number of time-heavy RPGs and filled the list with mostly portable titles to make the most of the free time I do have.

Now, on to the list!

LEGO Harry Potter Years 5-7 3DS

LEGO Harry Potter Years 5-7 [3DS]

I have been playing this game for a week or so now and I’m loving it!  I have finished out the story line and am working on collecting all the things, which is really what this game is all about.  I won’t count the game as completed until I have a 100% completion rating, meaning I have in fact collected all the things.

LEGO Harry Potter Years 1-4 PS3

LEGO Harry Potter Years 1-4 [PS3]

My love of LEGO Harry Potter Years 5-7 on the 3DS led me to exploring what the LEGO Harry Potter games are like on other systems.  The home console versions of the games seemed to be more in depth and polished, so I obtained LEGO Harry Potter Years 1-4 for the PS3!  I’ve played it a bit and can’t wait to sink my teeth in…

SMT Devil Survivor Overclocked 3DS

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked [3DS]

I absolutely love the Shin Megami Tensei series!  The original Devil Survivor game came out on the Nintendo DS and, although I played it a bit, I never finished it.  So, when I got my 3DS, I had to have the remake of this game with the expanded content, hence my purchase of Devil Survivor Overclocked.  I have already finished a good portion of this game and am enjoying it so far.

Kingdom Hearts PS2

Kingdom Hearts [PS2]

Speaking of games that I love but have never beaten…  I love Kingdom Hearts.  What’s not to love about the combination of Square Enix (most specifically Final Fantasy) and Disney?!  Sadly, I haven’t even completed the first game of many in the series.  Well, that all ends this summer…

Professor Layton and the Curious Village DS

Professor Layton and the Curious Village [DS]

The Professor Layton series receives fairly high praise from most sources that I trust.  I love puzzle games and I’m intrigued by the setting and story.  Why haven’t I played this before now?!  I have no idea.

Superbrothers - Sword and Sworcery EP iOS

Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP [iOS]

I thought that, to round out the list, I would make a slight departure from the more traditional gaming consoles and work in an iOS title.  Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP comes highly praised and with, what I hear, is a beautiful sound track.  I’m looking forward to clicking my way through this action adventure title on my iPad.

Well, that’s the end of my official challenge list.  Narrowing down the list was really hard.  Here are some of the games that didn’t make the final cut, but that I may get to if I have extra time on my hands:

  • Persona 3 Portable [PSP]
  • Shining in the Darkness [Genesis]
  • Journey [PS3]
  • Lone Survivor [Mac]
  • Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door [GameCube]

Also, I was thinking that since this challenge did start over on YouTube, perhaps I should start making videos (at least challenge related ones) over on YouTube…  Thoughts?