The majority of Games out there have a finite lifespan. You buy them, you play them, you finish them and then ,unless they touch you in some way that compels you to play them again, you put them on your shelf to gather dust. Sometimes though you'll put a game down before you have finished it and for whatever reason, it never gets picked up again.
The reasons for this can vary. It may be that a game just isn't as good as you thought it would be. Or perhaps you stop playing with the full intention of picking it up again once you have finished the latest blockbuster title, but once you've done that the game remains on your shelf, forgotten and unfinished.
Whatever the reason, as gamers we've all got them.
Below is a list of games that I currently have sitting on my shelf, all crying out for a little bit of love and attention and wondering when, if ever, their turn will come again (I've also added a trophy completion guide so you can gauge how involved I got in the game and how likely it is that I'll complete it).
Killzone: Shadow Fall
This was the game that I got as part of a bundle with my shiny new PS4 console. At the time there were two bundle options and given that the other was Knack (anyone remember that game?) I think I made the better choice...but only just.
There wasn't anything particularly wrong with this game, in fact visually it was fairly impressive showcasing the power of the new console over that of it's predecessor in style. It just wasn't anything new and it was incredibly linear which was a shame as some of the backdrops looked absolutely gorgeous. Sadly though you couldn't explore any of it as the game almost forces you to stick to it's narrow path.
I slogged my way through five levels before I was tempted away by the free to play 3D Space shooter Resogun, and I never looked back.
Date Last Played: 10th January 2014
Trophy Completion Level: 7%
Likelihood of Finishing the Game: Not likely. Games have already moved on since this game came out making it seem outdated and the roster of upcoming games look far more compelling. Somehow I don't see myself fitting this in between The Last Guardian and No Man's Sky.
Watch Dogs
You know that a game is good when years after playing it you remember what happened from beginning to end. The fact that I remember very little about this game probably tells its own story.
In fact its hard for me to think about this game without thinking about Grand Theft Auto V or Assassins Creed since a combination of the two is essentially what was delivered to us under the guise of next generation gaming.
Don't get me wrong, those first few hours or so were great fun but it wasn't long before it all began to feel very familiar. These were the early days for the new consoles and there weren't many big titles around so it's easy to see why so many people bought into the hype but in my opinion the game just didn't live up to it. I managed to complete 3 of the 5 chapters in Watch Dogs before my attention was grabbed by another game, Sniper Elite 3 which offered me the chance to shoot men in the testicles and watch them explode as a bullet passed through them, all in super slow motion. Now that's next generation gaming!
Date Last Played: 8th June 2014
Trophy Completion Level: 15%
Likelihood of Finishing the Game: Highly unlikely. If nothing else this game has taught me not to jump on the hype train and to take a much more considered view with my purchases. This means that despite the glossy launch trailer I don't think I'll be buying the upcoming sequel either.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
Surprised to see this game on the list? So am I. The Metal Gear series has been a constant in my gaming life and knowing that in all likelihood this would be the last 'proper' Metal Gear game I was expecting it to go out on a high and in some aspects it did. The photo realistic settings of the deserts of Afghanistan and the jungles of South Africa are a joy to behold and in true Metal Gear style the story is as bonkers as ever.
For this final instalment Hideo Kojima rang the changes, bringing in an open world environment to the normally linear franchise and the sneaking element didn't seem as important as it used to be. This turned out to be a bit of a problem for me. While I firmly believe that it's important for games to try and move on with each iteration it just felt like this had moved so far away from it's core that it almost didn't feel like a Metal Gear game.
As with Watch Dogs the first few hours of this game were fun...actually more than fun, they were pretty spectacular. But after a while the cracks started to show. The missions became repetitive, the base building exercise felt like a chore and I found the base attack mini game to be intrusive and plain annoying (although you have the option to turn this off).
Ultimately I stopped playing this to play The Witcher 3's Hearts of Stone expansion and once I'd finished that it was all about Fallout 4 leaving little time to go back and finish Snakes final adventure.
Date Last Played: 3rd October 2015
Trophy Completion Level: 32%
Likelihood of Finishing the Game: Pretty good. Despite it's faults It's not a bad game and I genuinely would like to see how the Boss's descent into madness plays out. There is still plenty of value in Metal Gear Online too. I would expect to finish this game at some point...just don't ask me when!
Alien: Isolation
There are two very good reasons why this game appears on this list.
Firstly, the game is hard...I mean really hard. I don't think I've died as much in any game as much as I have in this one. I know that's kind of the point here (there is a trophy you can get for being killed by the Alien 100 times) but when everything in the game is trying to kill you, the Alien, the Androids, even the very ship itself as it falls apart, you kind of feel that the odds are stacked against you.
The second, more important, reason is that it is absolutely, pant wettingly terrifying! I've played some pretty scary games in my time, Dead Space, Outlast, I even had a go at the recent Resident Evil 7 free demo but none of them come close to conjuring as much fear as this does.
Since I stopped playing this game I have actually picked it up on several occasions with the full intention of playing it..but then I remember the horror and break out in a cold sweat before quickly replacing it on the shelf.
The game itself is brilliant, being a fan of the original film (it's probably my favourite film of all time) I appreciate the detail of the setting as well as the attempt to capture the mood and tension which for me it does perfectly. Some of the hacking mini puzzles are a bit tiresome, but they do provide a distraction from running and hiding which you do a lot in this game.
Honestly its a great game and I should be playing it right now but my heart is racing just thinking about it!!
Date Last Played: 28th January 2015
Trophy Completion Level: 34%
Likelihood of Finishing the Game: Very high. There is nothing wrong with game itself and despite being released back in 2014 it still holds its own against the current crop of games. I will finish this game...I just need to man up first!