My Back. My Log. My Backlog – Games on the PC (Part 5)

Progress continues! I’ve covered basically all of my physical media and a few of the backlog games that exist digitally on my consoles. But what of ye olde PC? I still have the case and discs for Command & Conquer: Generals which definitely won’t work on my current computer. I also have the box for Oni, but there’s no disc whatsoever. And finally, I have an old CD case that houses some media that’s too outdated to mention. That covers that.

But what about my Steam library? Thankfully, Steam is the only digital platform where I have an account. I never got into GOG or the Epic Games Store. In addition, I wasn’t one to impulse-purchase when I saw a good sale – mostly because I’ve tended to treat my computer as a device more for making music and less for gaming. I do have a meager library of 44 titles, however, and I’ll discuss below the few which I consider a part of my backlog!

If you’re just getting caught up, make sure you check out my previous parts for my 2026 Year of the Backlog:

1. Games from the 2020’s (Part 1)
2. Games from the 2010’s (Part 2)
3. Games from the 2000’s (Part 3)
4. Games from Last Century (Part 4)

---

Games Completed Since Last Post:

Pokémon Sapphire
(Game Boy Advance, 2003)

I am the very best – like no one ever was! We have reached an incredible milestone with this one, folks. I, for the very first time, have finished a Pokémon game! Pokémon Sapphire was generally what I expected. I was thankful to have a little help from the internet to shape my experience. I knew how to prepare for each new gym, and I didn’t feel like I was wasting time aimlessly training.

The game’s final battle with the champion, Steven, was perhaps one of the most stressful and simultaneously thrilling experiences of my existence. On a whim, I decided to use all 19 of my rare candies to get my team prepared, and then I headed into the Elite Four thinking I was going to sweep the floor.

Admittedly, the preparation paid off and I was able to one-shot most of the Elite Four’s Pokemon with only a few hiccups that needed rectifying. Enter the champion’s Claydol who was taking out all of my mon with one blast of Earthquake – except my Aggron who would be whittled down to about 40 HP. Each time I healed him up he would be slammed again with the same attack. Doesn’t this Pokemon have any other moves???

That’s when I remembered that Earthquake could only be used ten times total. Could I simply outlast the onslaught? I had plenty of healing items, so I waited it out, counting out loud each time he used the move. Lo and behold, after ten shots, he couldn’t use it anymore.! His other attacks either did very little damage or nothing at all. So, I spent the next several turns reviving all of my Pokemon to full health and then went all out on his last two creatures. I couldn’t be stopped! I worked hard for this and am so happy to have reached the end. I’ll never forget it!

---

Currently Playing:

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
(PS2, 2001)

I have confirmation now from my save file that I did indeed obtain Metal Gear Solid 2 back in June of 2015, and I even defeated the game’s first boss on normal difficulty. I remembered that being quite the undertaking, so I’ve decided to take it back a notch and try it again on easy. For that, I am very thankful!

When I first dove back in, I was having a really hard time with the controls. Aiming was awkward and I couldn’t consistently shoot my gun. It turns out that Metal Gear Solid 2 is one of the only games in the Playstation 2 catalog that utilized the pressure-sensitive face buttons on the standard PS2 controller. In order to draw my gun, I must gently push the square button. If i want to fire it, I press the button a little harder as I’m aiming and then release the button to actually take the shot. I thought my controller wasn’t capable of this function, but after playing around with it for a bit, I eventually figured it out.

I’ve since gotten really comfortable with the controls and have loved sneaking around from area to area. I’m over 7 hours in now, still trying to formulate an opinion about whether or not I like the first game better – though it has been a very long time since playing that one. A few moments have frustrated me: thinking I’ve disabled all the bombs in an area only to be blown up seconds later, not understanding how to put someone in a chokehold instead of throwing them to the ground, some instances of backtracking. Nothing has set me back so much to the point of wanting to quit.

I’m definitely on my way to finishing. I’m not sure if I’ll want to try it on a higher difficulty level. I’m thrilled to finally just see the story play out. So far, my biggest obstacle is how hot it gets in the room where my PS2 is hooked up!

---

Backlog Games from my Steam Account:

The Cave
(2013)

Reason I stopped playing: I gave up on The Cave pretty quickly when I realized it had one of my most despised game mechanics. In order to move forward, you must swap between several characters, all who have their own unique abilities – which meant constantly backtracking through the same areas to move your characters into the same locations. It reminded me of The Lost Vikings games which also played out the same way.

I think if the game were multiplayer, it would have some real traction as you work together with your friends trying to figure out who is needed for what task – almost like an escape room! But, as a single-player experience, it tended to drag. Apparently it has a good rating on Steam. Am I missing something??

La Mulana
(2006)

Reason I stopped playing: Back in the late 2010’s, I got into the hobby of streaming and had created two successful Let’s Plays with OneShot and Minit. I had a little bit of summer left before heading off to grad school, so I needed a new game.

La Mulana came across my radar and hit all the right places: an Indiana Jones-type adventure with an old-school feel that required extensive note-taking in order to solve all the cryptic clues of an ancient labyrinth. It was perfect. Well, it was perfect until each session just turned into me wandering aimlessly for 45 minutes. If I wanted to actually finish the game, I’d need to spend a little more time on my own.

And then suddenly summer was over. A new life journey was upon me!

Psychonauts
(2005)

Psychonauts is another game I’ve never started, but it was gifted to me by my friend Mandikat who insisted that I must play it (it was on super, super sale so it wasn’t a big deal for her to purchase it for me). She loved to reference it, and she even talked about one of the characters as a guest blogger when I did a post about the Top Ten Evil Doctors in Video Games. I mean, a quirky mid-2000’s 3D platformer? I agree that I’d probably love it!

The game showed up on my WordPress Reader recently in a post from Da_Hubbz exploring the games they wished had come to GameCube. Perhaps this is the universe giving me a sign?

Myst (series)
(Starting with Riven, 1997-2005)

After reading Cary’s Top 5 Favorite Point-and-Click Games on his Virtual Bastion blog, I started to get Myst on the mind again. I have the entire series in my Steam library (having already beaten the original game and tried the second game). When I asked the internet which was the easiest in the series, it responded back with a resounding Myst III: Exile, noting that the puzzles were much more concentrated.

So, I set out right away to get it installed on my computer and spent a minute loading it up to see if it works! After finishing Metal Gear Solid 2, I think this might be a high contender for my next project. Better get my pencil and paper ready!

The Dig
(1995)

Reason I stopped playing: I had a very brief moment during a couple breaks in grad school where I figured “what the heck?” I devoted all of Thanksgiving break to gaming, and I went HARD! First, I downloaded and finished all of Half-Life 2. Then, I spent an entire day starting and finishing Day of the Tentacle Remastered. I was totally vibing with the point-and-click gameplay, so I got The Dig shortly thereafter – lauded as a fully cinematic experience from LucasArts, the same company that did Day of the Tentacle.

It’s common to hit a wall in a point-and-click game (hope this doesn’t happen in Myst III), but combined with the slow trudge that my character does when walking from screen to screen was excruciating. Again, I wanted to get through it without a guide, but time was cut short as I had to get back to my studies. Trying to play now would be nearly impossible without starting over since I’ve spent so much time away from it.

Classic Marathon (series)
(1994, 1995, 1996)

Well, looky here! All the Marathon games are FREE on Steam! My friend and I spent a lot of time in our youth learning how to set up a Local Area Network between their desktop computer and his brother’s laptop so we could play endless rounds of deathmatch on the first and second Marathon games. Since we spent so much time with the multiplayer, I barely ever got to experience the single-player story. I only caught glimpses of it when his brother would play.

So, it was a no-brainer to grab them as soon as I noticed they were available for free. One problem, though – they don’t seem to work on my computer. I checked all the system requirements. I should be fine. Come on, the game is 30 years old!!! I’ve been waiting a long time to hear the cartoony cries of the Bobs again. I guess I’ll have to wait a little longer.

---

Thanks for stopping by to read my post! Are you playing any games from your backlog? Any games from your frontlog? Leave me a comment and tell me about it! Also, be sure to “like” this post, and follow me for more fun gaming content.

Check out my latest posts: