My life has been getting busier and busier, but I’m still squeezing in these backlog games! Needing an excuse to give an update on my progress, I decided to double up on my post by thinking back to all the times I borrowed a game from a friend in order to play it. Read on to see my list – though, I’m certain I’m missing many!
Before you get too far, click on any of the links below to catch up on the entire backlog series!
– Games from the 2020’s (Part 1)
– Games from the 2010’s (Part 2)
– Games from the 2000’s (Part 3)
– Games from Last Century (Part 4)
– Games on the PC (Part 5)
– The Lost Nintendo Games (Part 6)
– The Lost Atari Games (Part 7)
– Handheld Nostalgia (Part 8)
– Remembered Rentals (Part 9)
Games Completed Since Last Post:
Pokémon Blue
(Game Boy, 1998)
This is monumental! I remember first playing Pokémon Blue as a Junior in high school, grinding my characters on the way home from school while riding my bike with no hands. I never ended up finishing the game because when I got to the Elite Four, my team was horribly unbalanced. I didn’t have it in me to grind a new team, nor did I have the proper move set to even make it worth it. I was so clueless back then!
After putting the game down for years, I went back to it – starting a new file and determined to do it the “right” way this time. I had chosen Charmander as my starter, and I put a good 6 hours into the game before it faded back into oblivion again.
The “Year of the Backlog” gave me the perfect excuse to return to my save file, and since I had hooked up my Super Nintendo, the experience on a television was much more engaging! Additionally, I felt fully equipped to tackle a Pokémon game since I had already completed Pokémon Sapphire over the Summer. And, of course, I had the internet to guide me along – looking up every move to make sure it was worth it before adding it to my character’s abilities.
I’m proud of my final team. In the end, I had Charizard, Zapdos (who was a beast to catch), Lapras, Nidoking, Kadabra (no trading meant no Alakazam), and Snorlax. Do you remember your final Pokémon team in the original game? Who are some of your favorites??
Shovel Knight
(Nintendo 3DS, 2014)
Scanning my list of completed games, I came to realize that the 3DS was sadly missing from the list. So, I booted up the system to see what was there, and lo and behold, Shovel Knight stared me down – still unfinished from when I started it way back in 2014.
As it turns out, I could have easily beaten this game 12 years ago because when I resumed my save file, I only had three stages remaining. What stopped me? Well, Shovel Knight has a mechanic where when you die, you lose a bunch of your money, and you have to recover floating sacks of gold from where you perished. The difficult last stages in the game meant that I was losing a lot of cash. BUT, guess what? I’m already at full power. I don’t need cash! So, I accepted my never-ending Celeste-like deaths and shoveled forward to the end.
I had close to 4 hours on my save file from before – meaning I was only an HOUR away from the credits. Propeller Knight’s stage was the stage that had been tripping me up. It took a few attempts, but once I got to the boss himself, I think I only died once. In fact, the rest of the game was relatively straightforward. Following his stage, there was a level with some platforming navigation. And then, there was a boss gauntlet which I won on my first try. Lastly, I took on the Enchantress herself, and again only died to her final form once before I figured out what to do.
I’ve been told there’s a lot of cool DLC which I could access to keep rolling with this game. But, I think I’ll put it down for now since I achieved my main goal. The backlog has a new checkmark for the year, and perhaps I’ll try the other content next year.
Currently Playing:
Machine Hunter
(Playstation, 1997)
Machine Hunter was one of the first games I was gifted for the original Playstation back when my library was probably just Crash Bandicoot and a duo of demo discs. It’s… not a great game by any means. The view is a limited top-down perspective where you can never see what is shooting at you, and your face buttons (triangle, circle, x, and square) determine in which direction you fire your own weapons. The main mechanic is that you can inhabit the bodies of the machines that you destroy, refilling your health and gaining their arsenal of munitions for your own use.
Each stage could come with a short list of objectives: rescuing hostages, disarming bombs, or simply finding the exit. However, the biggest challenge lies within navigating the stage’s massive map which could involve up to three layers of depth as you climb to greater heights. Falling from the third floor of a map might send you back to the ground, having to find your way back to a ramp that will take you to where you were before.
Passwords were still a thing in 1997 when many people did not yet own a memory card. So, I’ll be taking photos after each stage to make it easier to document. I remember finding some fun cheats back in the day that let me be invincible or skip around the stages, but I’ve never beaten the game “properly.” I’m excited to cross another childhood game off the list as I work my way through this one (albeit on “easy” difficulty to save myself some headaches!).
Something Borrowed:
Like my last post, there are a lot of these! So, I’ll keep my descriptions short.
Side Pocket
(Game Boy,1990)
I remember obsessing over the scoring mechanics of this game, trying my darndest to take advantage of any of the bonuses so I could rank higher and higher. Who knew pool would hold my attention so well?
Motocross Maniacs
(Game Boy, 1989)
Taking a page from Excitebike, this Game Boy cycling game had you racing through some crazy obstacle courses, doing tricks, and accruing a small army of mini motorcycles who followed you around and made you go faster!
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
(Game Boy, 1992)
This was the quintessential Mario game on the Game Boy, looking more like the sprites we saw in Super Mario Bros 3 and spanning a much larger world. And, of course, it had everyone’s favorite power-up, Bunny Mario!
Final Fantasy Legend I-III
(Game Boy, 1990-1993)
I guess I was playing RPG’s early (my first being Dragon Warrior) and these FF Legends games were the perfect bite-sized adventure for me to manage. I distinctly remember playing through all three of the GB games, eating in-game meat and watching my monsters evolve into strange creatures!
Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3
(Game Boy, 1994)
It’s Wario’s turn to be the hero as he amasses enough treasure to buy his own castle! I’m certain I completed this one to 100%, earning the finest housing a greedy weirdo can muster!
Wario Blast
(Game Boy, 1994)
I loved me some Bomberman so when my friend got this game, I wanted to play it on my own for a few days, too. Not quite as good as the Super Nintendo version, but still pretty fun.
Metroid 2: Return of Samus
(Game Boy, 1991)
I’m flabbergasted that I ever beat this game as a kid. A giant world to explore with NO MAP. I spider-ball’d my way through every nook and cranny, took down the Mother Brain, and fostered a baby Metroid.
The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages
(Game Boy Color, 2001)
After my friend loaned me Oracle of Seasons and I finished it, he generously did the same for Oracle of Ages. However, I got lost quickly between the two ages and never ended up finishing it. I do own this one now on 3DS. And, I think I could play it on Nintendo Switch Online. Should I put it on the official backlog list to try to finish this year???
Super Bomberman 2
(Super Nintendo, 1994)
My friends and I mostly played this game’s ultra competitive multiplayer battle mode (with use of the multi-tap for four-player SNES action!). One day I got curious about the single-player campaign and away I went. I loved it!
Wing Commander
(Super Nintendo, 1992)
I watched my friend and his brother play this game pretty often and I couldn’t quite understand their fascination with it. As an onlooker, it’s very disorienting trying to follow the action of someone taking down ships from the view of the cockpit. I needed to try it out for myself. It entertained me for awhile, but ultimately was too difficult to finish.
Populous
(Super Nintendo, 1991)
I have a love-hate relationship with Populous. A game where you play as a god who just flattens the land for people so they can build castles. When I borrowed this from my friend, it was an experiment to see if this game made any sense at all. I became a little obsessed, constantly wanting to come back to see what else the game had in store. I remember there was even a level where the people would build different variations of video game handhelds and consoles as their shelter!
Final Fantasy III (USA)
(Super Nintendo, 1994)
I felt pretty lucky to be able to borrow FF3, heralded as one of the greatest games of all time. I’m surprised he gave it to me in the first place. We had played it together many times with use of the “two-player mode,” but there’s something so special about experiencing this story at your own pace. And, later this year, I’ll be playing it again as I finish up my Pixel Remaster save file that I started last year!
Chrono Trigger
(Super Nintendo, 1995)
Somewhere in my blog, I told the story about how I borrowed this game by accident from my friend when I jokingly stuffed a bunch of his SNES games in my bag while I was at his house. I emptied out the entire bag, but when I got home, Chrono Trigger was still there. He was a little miffed but he eventually just let me keep it for a time so I could try out the game on my own. Like FF3, I went hard with this one – trying to earn as many endings as I possibly could with my limited time. Incredible game.
Final Fantasy III
(Nintendo DS, 2006)
The *true* Final Fantasy III (I won’t get into the timeline of the Final Fantasy games here), I was glad to finally be able to play the Famicom version of FF3 – one that never came to the United States until they made this 3D remaster for the Nintendo DS. Looking back at it now, it’s not very memorable. I just know there was a major grind at the end before I could beat the final boss. I prefer the Pixel Remaster version much, much more.
Final Fantasy VIII
(Playstation, 1999)
I know I’ve also told the story about FF8 where I made it to the final dungeon only to have my save file deleted when I formatted my memory card to play Symphony of the Night. I was just a kid! I didn’t know what “format” meant! When I told my friend about this, he loaned me his strategy guide so I could play through the game right away with ease. I’m kind of glad I did this because now I have a special love for FF8 that many others do not share.
Final Fantasy IX
(Playstation, 2000)
I’m noticing a lot of Final Fantasy games on my list… A high school buddy loaned me his copy of FF9 when I was at his house and took notice of the game. And…..I still have it! Whoops. This one left a great impression on me, though. The music was especially wonderful, and I’ve even learned to play a few of the game’s pieces on the piano.
Shadow of the Colossus
(Playstation 2, 2005)
So, so, so glad my friend let me borrow this iconic masterpiece. I had no idea what I was getting into and had never played a game with such a hard-hitting story at the time. Just me and my horse and a journey across a sprawling world to battle giant beasts – not knowing the implications of my actions.
God of War 2
(Playstation 2, 2007)
I impulse purchase the original God of War and loved so much the story surrounding all the Greek mythology. When my friend learned of my enjoyment of the first game, he let me borrow his copy of the sequel – which I played over two days for 8 hours each day. It was a good weekend!
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
(Nintendo Wii, 2011)
Realizing there was a small gap in my Legend of Zelda catalog, my friend did the unthinkable and MAILED me his copy of Skyward Sword. Not only did this grant me the chance to finally play it for myself, but he let me keep it when I was done – citing that he simply just didn’t want it back.
Thanks for stopping by to read my post! Can you remember some standout games that you borrowed from your friends? Or, are you working through any of your backlog games? Share your experience with me in a comment!
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