There is no doubt that the 2nd half of 2011 has been one of the best few months in recent years as far as quality game releases go.  With all the gaming goodness we have had, it leaves us, the gamers who intend to fit them all into our busy schedules, with the oh so familiar  too-many-games-too-little-time dilemma. If you’re one of the many who just can’t keep up with the onslaught of great releases these past months then this guide might be for you.

August and September brought Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Resistance 3 and Dead Island with the Ico and Shadow of the Colossus HD collection wedged between all the FPS madness. October saw the return of many popular franchises with Dark Souls and Battlefield 3 as well as Id software’s highly anticipated Rage. November dropped three of the year’s biggest contenders for Game of the Year with Skyrim,  Uncharted 3 and Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. Back to defend its military FPS throne was Modern Warfare 3 which also arrived in November and yet another Assassin’s Creed game sneaked its way into the year with Assassin’s Creed: Revelations. No doubt, a lot of awesome games to be played.

First off, one of the most helpful tools you can find to help you cope with your backlog can be found at backloggery.com. Here you can create a profile, add your games and edit your progress with each individual title. The site will create a nice little graph of your progress that will help you set a visible goal. The site also allows you to personalise your profile by adding a banner and changing the color scheme as well. Get your friends to join too, as seeing them beat one game after the other might encourage you to do the same.

James understands how we feel.

Getting through the game

There’s nothing as exciting as buying and unwrapping a game you’ve been waiting for and experiencing the bliss of the initial few hours of the gameplay. However, it’s after this initial excitement dies down where many of us shelve our games in favour of the next new game, where it stays indefinitely. If your goal is to get through your backlog, a little discipline and sacrifice will be required. Also, following these tips will help you make definite progress through your backlog.

Tip #1: Make a Priority List

Setting up a priority list ahead of time will help you to determine which game to play when you have some free time. For the more disciplined among us the “play what’s in your console” rule will surely help you check it off your list in the fastest possible way. For the rest of us, choosing two or three titles as your top priority will ensure that you never have too much on your plate at the same time.

Tip #2: Play Games from Varying Genres

How do you choose what’s on your list? I’m glad you asked. Playing three RPGs at the same time is never a good idea unless you have 50 or more hours a week to spend on gaming. Choosing games from varying genres will help keep things exciting and help prevent you from getting burned out. If you’re playing Uncharted and Skyrim at the same time, don’t start playing Dark Souls. If you’re playing Fifa and Forza, don’t put Pro Evo on your priority list. You get what I’m saying…

Tip #3: Rotate the Games on Your List

Now I don’t mean you should spin the game boxes on your finger. If you have chosen two or three games that you want to get through, make sure that you stick to them and rotate on a weekly or daily basis, depending on how much time you have.

Tip #4: Set a Gaming Schedule

If you have an adventure/action title that’s maybe 10 to 15 hours long, play it on the weekday nights and play the more time consuming games on the weekends. Example: Play Uncharted 3 from Mondays through Thursdays and Skyrim or Dark Souls on Fridays through Sundays.

So many side quests!

Tip #5: Smart Saving

This is a little trick I learned over the years. If you’re at that point in the game where you fear that you’re losing interest in it, choosing when and how you save and quit becomes more important. Saving just before a new and exciting section or level will make returning to the game much easier. On the flip side, being stuck on a specific section for a few hours and then rage quitting usually makes returning to the game much more of a chore.

Tip #6: Stick to the Story Missions

Game developers create amazing, fantastical worlds to explore, from the urban environments of Arkham City, to the vast snowy landscapes of Skyrim. The drawback of these open worlds are that players get easily distracted by each little side quest or treasure hunt or spend too much time exploring every little nook and cranny of the first few areas. While I am all for getting immersed in the game world, straying too far off the main course will inevitably lead to boredom which, in turn, leads to the game getting shelved.

Tip #7: Stuck? Get a guide!

Long gone are the days or hard copy guides and cheat codes in the back of magazines. With websites such as GameFAQs, GamePressure, IGN and Gamespot hosting walkthrough sections it’s never been easier to get information about that particularly nasty section in Dark Souls. There are also tons of gaming forums as well as youtube guides where help can be found.

GameFaqs is a great place to start if you're stuck

Tip #8: Spend Less Time playing Online

Unless playing online is an integral part of the gaming experience it’s best to keep your multiplayer time at a minimum during the busy release season. Online FPSs and MMOs can become serious time holes and can easily distract you from your goal. It’s best to keep online activities for the long weekends and holidays or setting a one hour limit on your newb pwning sessions. That’s not even mentioning MMOs. Hey, I said it’s going to take some sacrifice didn’t I?

Tip #9: Rethink you Purchasing Habits

I love buying a shiny new title just as the next person, but if you actually want to be able to play everything you buy you will really need to think carefully before you put cash on counter. When buying a new game take a moment to consider the following: Do you have time to play this now or at least within the month? Would it hurt getting it 2nd hand/on sale? Will this interfere with games currently on your priority list? Is it an MMO? Checking review of games will also ensure you don’t end up with a truly aweful game clogging up your backlog.

Tip #10: Take a Break

While this sounds like a counter-intuitive move, taking a break can actually help you be a more “productive” gamer (if there is such a thing). As I’ve mentioned before, we sometimes get burned out from a certain game before the credits roll, or from gaming in general. Taking at least one night a week off to spend time on other hobbies, social interaction, homework and family might actually get you more pumped and ready for your next gaming session. As your muscles need a rest from intense exercise so does your brain (and eyes) need rest from intense sessions of gaming.

While we all wish we had time manipulation devices to stop the sands of time, until that day comes we have to make due with what we have. I hope this guide helped! Please leave a comment and happy gaming everyone!