I keep buying games on sale but never play them. Which game should I play?

[Plutonian Prime]

Anybody else has that issue? I just keep playing the same games over and over but rarely touch the ones I bought years ago. I'm curious if anybody has a strong opinion about which game should I play that I haven't played yet. Not a huge fan of online games though.

[JJ0]

Originally posted by I created Rem Lezar:

Originally posted by JJ0:

Actually I have a different problem with games, but it can still prove to be a bit of a dilemma too.
When I was playing more sort of multiplayer games some years ago and as such was in contact with many online friends, I started buying games that I already had and that I thought were good.

Essentially though they had to be on sale and at a good price. Many of those games I've given away over the years, but I still have some games left to give away. It's very difficult to find someone to gift a game to who genuinely wants to try the game out and not just simply trade it on etc.

Even though I'm not in contact with those gaming friends so often anymore, I am still tempted to buy games as gifts (to keep in my inventory and to give away whenever to whoever), especially those games I've found to be mega enjoyable. Plus of course they have to be sold in a Steam sale. I just like the idea of gifting games occasionally that I found to be really good.

Well good thing you can’t buy games as gifts and store them anymore lol

I didn't realise that, as probably the last game I gifted (and recently) was direct to a friend, so it was selected at the checkout. All my other duplicates have sat in my inventory for years, with me managing to gift the odd one every year or so.

[Plutonian Prime]

Originally posted by ReBoot:

I used to have the same problem, the solution was to raise the bar. Game on 25% sale? Too expensive, won't buy. 50% sale? It its 10 bucks now, I'll get it, otherwise not. 75% off? NOW were talking. That rule has seriously cut my purchases.

This is how I buy it now too...

[Predator]

i am the same i stick to csgo mainly but i have forced myself to install other games and then play them alternating between csgo and single player games like finished witcher 2 in 60 hours absolutely loved it, now been playing witcher 3 love it even more suprising what games you find good and enjoy when you expand your options

[BossGalaga]

Make a category in your Steam Library for games you want to play, complete or *kinda* complete.

[xterminat0r]

I mainly buy games but play the free ones

[JJ0]

Originally posted by BossGalaga:

Make a category in your Steam Library for games you want to play, complete or *kinda* complete.

That's a good idea as I often forget what I've purchased unless it's a game I've paid more than usual for.

[Angel]

I used to have the same problem of hoarding games but now I only buy as I play them.
Best move I've ever made with gaming.

[BossGalaga]

Originally posted by JJ0:

Originally posted by BossGalaga:

Make a category in your Steam Library for games you want to play, complete or *kinda* complete.

That's a good idea as I often forget what I've purchased unless it's a game I've paid more than usual for.

I have a category in my library called Mostly Finished and Finish these Games. I put games that I have finished at least once (not counting multiple endings, secrets, replay, etc) in the first and games I want to finish in the second.

[JJ0]

Originally posted by BossGalaga:

Originally posted by JJ0:

That's a good idea as I often forget what I've purchased unless it's a game I've paid more than usual for.

I have a category in my library called Mostly Finished and Finish these Games. I put games that I have finished at least once (not counting multiple endings, secrets, replay, etc) in the first and games I want to finish in the second.

I also get caught out where I've played many hours in a certain game and then moved on to something else as it's completed, but then the publisher launches a new DLC. I often forget then if I've played the newer DLC. I know Steam shows "Time Played" and personally I think that should be user selectable, but the feature on DLC could be useful.

[KITTEMURT]

HI, you could try the Pre-Alpha of HyperParasite!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/838110/HyperParasite/

Follow the tutorial and enjoy!

[Quint the Alligator Snapper]

Originally posted by I created Rem Lezar:

Anybody else has that issue? I just keep playing the same games over and over but rarely touch the ones I bought years ago. I'm curious if anybody has a strong opinion about which game should I play that I haven't played yet. Not a huge fan of online games though.

I caught myself experiencing this issue, and as a result, I've tightened my criteria for buying games. For example, I've stopped looking for games myself (and only find out about them when friends tell me about them), and I will wait until deeper discounts, and I'll refuse to buy anything that has extra layers of DRM (e.g. Denuvo, Uplay). It's just more convenient this way, and it saves me money too.

But the backlog is still tough to get through.

As for the games you have... (and all of the following are single-player)

It seems you haven't played any of the Ys games yet. Try starting with Ys: the Oath in Felghana. It'll get your blood pumping and kick your ass.

On the other hand, if you want something more relaxed (action-wise) and more emotional (story-wise), try sitting down for a few hours with To The Moon. It's not that long, but it is very much worth it.

I have no clue what this game is like, but the title "The Narrator is a ♥♥♥♥" seems amusing. Maybe I could try it out. Probably good for a few laughs.

If you want to sit down with a very long, but very detailed, story, try The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky. You can even take the game with you and play it offline -- it's old enough that it can run on potatoes, but also looks gorgeous, and can be played with keyboard, mouse, gamepad, or kb+m. Unless you're absolutely dying to have playtime/achievements recorded, this is actually a great candidate for if you're going somewhere with lots of offline downtime (but do have electricity) and want to disconnect for a while and get engrossed.

Or, for a game that doesn't even have achievements at all, try Recettear. It's a resource management sim, basically, but you also get action-RPG elements to it. You may find the fan-made wiki useful.

Apparently you haven't played Portal yet. Well, it's reasonably short, and a quite decent game. (Warning: may cause nausea if you're not used to shifting first-person perspectives.)

I've been playing through Operation Abyss lately. While info on the internet about this game can be sparse, it's turned out unexpectedly to be a compelling adventure into the unknown -- particularly like the old days when you couldn't just look up info on the internet to figure everything out. If you like dungeon crawlers and character customization, this can be for you. (If you don't like character customization, there are pregens you can play with.) BTW, "Basic" vs. "Classic" only changes whether you get detailed pregen art or simpler character portraits that you can alter based on equipment.

Crayon Physics Deluxe is worth it simply to listen to the beautiful, calming music, even if you're like me and suck at puzzles.

I haven't played the paid version of Cave Story yet, but I have played the freeware version, which is one of the best games I've ever played, with a gradually unfolding story that is paced so brilliantly. My understanding is that the paid version just improves the graphics resolution and may have some minor edits to the script.

I hope these suggestions help!

[feelfreetodie]

will steam keep all these old games up to date and playable on future os? will i still be able to play a 40yrs old game? some of these games must be 20 yrs now i think.

[BossGalaga]

Originally posted by feelfreetodie:

will steam keep all these old games up to date and playable on future os? will i still be able to play a 40yrs old game? some of these games must be 20 yrs now i think.

At some point in the not so near future, you will likely need something like dosbox (win10box) to play these games.

[Crazy Tiger]

Originally posted by feelfreetodie:

will steam keep all these old games up to date and playable on future os?

No. They can't, as that could require modifications to the game files. Valve can't do that, they don't own the games on the Steam store and thusly aren't allowed to do that. Well, apart from their own games, that is.

It's up to devs to keep them updated and playable. Which isn't always possible for them.

[BossGalaga]

Originally posted by Crazy Tiger:

Originally posted by feelfreetodie:

will steam keep all these old games up to date and playable on future os?

No. They can't, as that could require modifications to the game files. Valve can't do that, they don't own the games on the Steam store and thusly aren't allowed to do that. Well, apart from their own games, that is.

It's up to devs to keep them updated and playable. Which isn't always possible for them.

It's also up to the user. For example, you wouldn't expect developers of Commodore 64 games to ensure all of their games were natively playable on Windows 10.