"I played a lot of games in 2025, thanks both to how I am as a person and also The Backlog, which forced me to power through games when I felt the itch to start something else. I'm proud of that effort: I finished every Backlog game but one, which was so average that I simply could not force myself to spend any more hours on it; that game is on the list below."
"Aside from the games I finished for The Backlog, though, I only finished one game all year. That game was Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, winner of a ton of end-of-year awards and subject of excruciating discourse. ( I also wrote about that game, and I won't pretend the allure of a complete blog wasn't a big part of me finishing it; it was also just a really good game)."
"There are many reasons for why I stopped a game before reaching the end credits. For some, I just lost interest, either due to becoming so overpowered that it felt like I was going through the motions ( Tactics Ogre: Reborn) or just because the game peaked early ( Fire Emblem: Engage). For others, I just stink at playing the game ( Hades, Hades II, Hollow Knight, Elden Ring)."
I started many games across Switch, PS5, and PC and rarely finished them. Participation in The Backlog forced completion of most Backlog titles, leaving only one Backlog game unfinished because it felt too average. Outside the Backlog, only Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 reached completion; awards and the allure of a complete blog contributed to finishing it. A rough tally shows 26 started games left incomplete. Reasons for abandoning games included losing interest after becoming overpowered, games peaking early, lacking skill for difficult titles, and recurring distraction by World of Warcraft. Many purchases were inexpensive or on sale.
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