big list update

2025.01.25

Another year of no real progress. All I play are the same old games (Starcraft, etc.) to kill time; nothing new (or even just old games new to me). I used to blame my old hardware, but there are many games on my bucket list that would run just fine on what I have. Now I can get new hardware, but that will still take some time to research, buy, build, and set up.

What is my bucket list; maybe I should start there. Some things are obvious, like RDR2, but there are long forgotten games like KOTOR that I could probably play now. Games like Arcanum and Vampire:TM I could have played years ago, even on my previous computer.

I'm also stuck on this notion of playing them all in chronological order. I thought maybe it could be something as simple as not wanting to go from modern graphics back to older graphics, but its not that; some of my favorite games are not even in 3D, or even just text. I think its more a sense of completionism, perfectionism, FOMO, and other negative traits.

I still want some kind of list. I have so many games on Steam and GoG, archived on disk, and on old media in the attic. It would be nice to know where which games are, what order they were release in, the ability to sort them by various criteria... of course, this all leads to a spreadsheet.

Exporting from Steam... not so easy. Same with GoG. There are scripts, but I don't want to run them (this old machine, with outdated OS and browsers, security concerns, etc.) I guess I could try building it from my blog updates from right here. After all, this is the other main video game I play: buying games on sale and listing them.

This a good time to reflect: I don't own any of these products. These are not things I possess, so much as have access to. Some things are more accessible than others. If I lose my Steam account, that leaves a huge hole. I stopped buying physical media years ago, and then they stopped making it. This is why I have a GoG account, to download offline copies of things. But hardware fades, operating systems fade.

Best to play and enjoy these things while I can.

Gathering up annual status blog posts, going back in time those get less useful.

Of course there's the Big List page - that's going to be completely replaced by the spreadsheet. It was getting unwieldy years ago.

how i'm making the list:

working dir: Z:\Z\personal\text\game\inventory\spreadsheet\

to do:

copy blog text into ss (done)

check ss against steam:

    have (done) [https://steamcommunity.com/id/$NAME/games?tab=all&sort=name]

MOVED the spreadsheet from local to google drive {2025.05.08}

    add new games since blog dump, copy from blog (working) {2025.05}

    release date (!)

    wishlist (!)   

    pub, dev (!)

check ss against gog (as above)

    have (!)

    release date (!)

    wishlist (!)   

    pub, dev (!)

check ss against physical inventory (in attic)

add franchise field (so can sort by that)

so far the only system fields that matter currently are Steam, GoG, and physical. maybe add other field, to list games that started on older systems ('classic'), and to differentiate original vs emulate, list different dates, etc. or maybe 'most significant' field. For example, June's Journey runs on a windows system, but the most significant field would be iPadOS. but something like Asteroids or Space Invaders are significant as arcade and Atari 2600 (at least to me). maybe they should have separate listings, especially made more relevant if they came out in different years.

list sets (so it searchable) add note about what games it contains

finally, sort by fields want to play rating, and release date. that should be my to do list.

meanwhile, SC2 and GTA5O.

status 2025

2025.01.01 Steam

$3.99 Stellaris (2016)

$4.99 Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition (2016)

$4.99 Okami HD (2017)

$4.99 Resident Evil / biohazard HD REMASTER (2015)

$4.49 Rise of the Tomb Raider: 20 Year Celebration (2016)

$4.49 UnderRail (2015)

$3.99 Divinity: Original Sin - Enhanced Edition (2015)

$2.99 Back 4 Blood (2021)

$2.49 Grim Dawn (2016)

$17.99 Stray (2022)

$4.79 Strange Horticulture (2022)

$3.56 Vangers (1998)

$17.49 Hogwarts Legacy: Digital Deluxe Edition (2023)

$1.99 Prince of Persia (2008)

$1.99 Batman Arkham Origins (2013)

$2.99 Titanfall 2: Ultimate Edition (2016)

2025.01.02 GoG

$2.09 Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine (1999)

$7.49 Star Trek: Elite Force II (2003)

$2.49 TRON 2.0 (2003)

$6.82 Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition Digital Deluxe Edition (2018)

$2.09 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

$3.99 Mad Max (2015)

$3.49 STAR WARS™: X-Wing Special Edition (1994)

$3.49 The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition (2009)

$3.74 Shadowrun: Dragonfall - Director's Cut (2014)

$4.19 Krush Kill 'N Destroy Xtreme (1997)

2025.01.17 GoG

$2.39 Riven (1997)

$2.49 Another World: 20th Anniversary Edition (2006)

$2.49 Severed Steel (2021)

$4.99 S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl (2007)

2025.01.19 Steam

$2.99 Zero Escape: The Nonary Games (2017)

$3.99 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition (2016)

$4.99 What Remains of Edith Finch (2017)

2025.01.21 GoG

$3.74 Anno 1404: Gold Edition (2010)

2025.01.25

big list update

Steam 2025.01.27

$1.99 Dungeons Gold (2012) [pack of Dungeons, DLC,]

Dungeons (2011)

Dungeons - Into the Dark (2011)

Dungeons - Map Pack (2011)

Dungeons - The Dark Lord (2011)

2025.02.04 GoG

$4.99 S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat

2025.02.05

remove all The Sims 3 dlc from mywishlist. It never goes below 9.99.

I've been waiting for Red Dead Redemption on PC forever, but the price is insultingly high for a mere port. And yet its the first thing I'm going to play when I get a new computer (so I can then play RDR2).

$39.99 Red Dead Redemption (2024 release of a 2010 game)

also, below the usual $4 threshold:

$3.99 Dead Space 2 (2011)

2025.02.16 Steam

$2.99 Serious Sam 3: BFE (2011)

$2.99 SiN: Gold (1998)

2025.02.24 Steam

$5.97 Spiritfarer Digital Deluxe Edition

Spiritfarer: Farewell Edition (2020)

Spiritfarer Soundtrack

Spiritfarer - Digital Artbook

$3.99 Lamentum (2021)

$4.39 Roadwarden (2022)

$0.89 The Way (2016)

2025.03.06 GoG

$3.74 Darkest Dungeon (2016)

$2.99 Distant Worlds: Universe (2014)

2025.03.11 Steam

$5.99 Garry's Mod (2006)

$2.49 Dark Messiah Might and Magic (2006)

2025.04.02 GoG spring sale

2.49 Age of Wonders 2: The Wizard's Throne 2002

1.99 Batman: Arkham Origins 2013

2.49 Heroes Chronicles: All Chapters 2000

2.99 Patrician 1+2 2001

2.49 Patrician 3 2003

2.39 Port Royale 2003

0.99 Port Royale 2 2004

1.99 Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time 2003

1.19 Silent Service 1+2 1985

2.99 Space Colony HD 2003

3.29 Space Quest 1+2+3 1989

1.79 X: Gold 1999

0.99 X2: The Threat 2003

1.99 X3: Reunion 2005

3.39 X3: Terran War Pack 2008

2025.04.18 GoG

$3.99 DOOM (2016)

$2.99 Crossroads Inn Anniversary Edition (2019)

$2.99 Warlords I + II (1990)

$2.99 Warlords III: Darklords Rising (1998)

FREE Shadow Warrior Classic Complete (1997)

2025.04.19 new hardware direction

I stopped shopping for a high end 1440p system, and for now I'm going for a mid-range 1080p one. I have a i7 8th gen and 3050 6g on the way. My gaming device is also my office machine, and I've got to move that forward; it has waited too long already.

2025.04.23 GoG

$4.34 This War of Mine: Complete Edition (2018)

$1.99 Prince of Persia: Warrior Within (2004)

$3.74 Alan Wake (2012)

$2.99 Braid (2009)

$0.97 Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen 2 (2002)

$1.99 Prince of Persia (2008)

2025.04.25 GoG

$5.99 The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition (2016)

2025.04.26 new system: 7060 + 3050; ready and testing

It's only 1080p mid range, but it's a big improvement on what I had.

7060 (i7 8th gen, 16 gb, nvme) + GTX 3050 6gb.

No benchmarking yet, but at least SC2 runs smoothly.

So does TF2, but that wasn't much of a challenge.

GTA 5 is the next obvious choice, but first I have to decide if Enhanced or Legacy. Or both.

(2025.05 started with Legacy to make a direct comparison)

2025.04.30 Steam

$3.49 The Long Dark (2017)

$4.50 Tomb Raider Definitive Survivor Trilogy BUNDLE

includes some games I already have and

Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition (2018)

and a bunch of DLC

2025.05.02 GoG May 4th sale

$2.49 Star Wars: Jedi Knight II - Jedi Outcast (2002)

$2.49 STAR WARS Episode I: Racer (1999)

$1.49 STAR WARS Shadows of the Empire (1997)

$2.49 Star Wars: Rebel Assault 1 + 2 (1993)

2025.05.06 Steam

$1.99 Thief Simulator (2018)

$4.49 Enter the Gungeon (2016)

2025.05.06 GoG

$0.89 Worms United (1996)

$1.19 Worms 2 (1997)

$2.99 Worms Armageddon (1999)

$3.74 Gibbous - A Cthulhu Adventure Deluxe Edition (2019)

$2.99 Aven Colony (2017)

Steam 2025.05.11

$1.49 Crysis Remastered (2021)

2025.05.13 Steam

$0.89 Sizeable (2021)

2025.05.21 GoG

$6.74 Deus Ex: Mankind Divided - Digital Deluxe Edition (2016)

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided DLC - Season Pass

$0.99 Dracula Trilogy (1999)

Dracula - The Resurrection

Dracula 2 - The Last Sanctuary

Dracula 3 - The Path of the Dragon

$0.99 Kathy Rain (2016)

$0.99 Sherlock Holmes versus Jack the Ripper (2009)

$3.79 Whispers of a Machine Blue Edition (2019)

2025.05.27 GoG

$2.99 ATOM RPG: Post-apocalyptic indie game (2018)

$3.14 Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days - Complete Edition (2010)

$0.99 Long Journey Home (2017)

$3.74 Saints Row: The Third - The Full Package (2011)

2025.05.27 Steam

never heard of Killing Floor (2009) or Killing Floor 2 (2016).

KF2 Digital Deluxe Edition includes a copy of KF1? I don't mind buying both, but I'm curious. add both to cart, doesn't say anything about getting KF1, and that I should remove it from my cart. purchase:

$3.99 Killing Floor 2 Digital Deluxe Edition (2016)

$3.99 Heavy Rain (2020 ! check date, prob older)

$3.74 Tavern Master (2021)

check game list before and after purchase. yes, KF1 is now in the list.

that was in browser, check client, ok.

2025.05.31 Got really into "Diablo 2 (2000) Resurrected (2021)" for a bit, but it's starting to wear off. I'll be playing more for a bit before moving on, but I might be keeping D2 in permanent rotation along with GTA5, SC2, and TF2. I think it fills a niche that's been missing.

2025.06.05 GoG

$3.19 Outward Definitive Edition (2022)

2025.06.05 Steam

$1.79 Alan Wake's American Nightmare 2012

2025.06.16 GoG

$1.99 Skabma - Snowfall (2022)

2025.06.15 Steam

$2.99 Borderlands 3 (2020)

$5.99 Company of Heroes (2006)

$4.99 Wandersong (2018)

2025.06.22 GoG

$2.54 SpellForce 2 - Anniversary Edition (2017)

2025.07.09 Steam

$20.99 Cyberpunk 2077 (2020)

$3.74 Heat Signature (2017)

$3.58  Outlast Trinity BUNDLE ()

Outlast (2013) {already in library}

Outlast: Whistleblower DLC (2014)

Outlast 2 (2017)

$1.99 Psychonauts (2005)

$3.99 Uplink (2006)

2025.07.09 GoG

$3.24 Anno 1701 A.D. (2006)

$1.49 Army Men (1998)

$2.49 Desperados 2: Cooper's Revenge (2006)

$3.99 Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers – 20th Anniversary Edition (2014)

$3.99 Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor Game of the Year Edition (2014)

2025.07.11 GoG

$0.89 FlatOut (2005)

$1.49 FlatOut 2 (2006)

$1.49 Prince of Qin (2002)

2025.07.15 i want something loud and easy to get in and out of. i've finally gotten free of Blizzard games (SC2, D2R), so i'll try and stay away. maybe try L4D2...

A little less boring than L4D, but not enough. uninstalled.

2025.07.16

It's time to play something new. I thought it might be Fallout 4 or Diablo 3, but how about a series that's new to me: Red Dead.

Supposedly RDR2 is one of the best games ever but I am not ready. First, I need to play or watch the previous game(s), then I need a machine that can play it. 

For the old games my newish computer is fine; for RDR2, we'll see how it runs when I get there.

Starting with the obvious, the wiki entry, but trying to avoid story spoilers.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Dead

Gun.Smoke, 1985, Capcom, for arcade

Red Dead Revolver, 2004, Capcom->Rockstar, for PS2 + Xbox

Red Dead Redemption, 2010, Rockstar, for PS3 + Xbox360 (2024 for Windows)

Red Dead Redemption 2, 2018, Rockstar, for PS4 + Xbox One (2019 for Windows)

I have RDR and RDR2 in my Steam library; I could install and play right now. But what do I need to know about Revolver or the game it was inspired by? Is this something that can be resolved with a few YouTube videos, or maybe even watching an entire playthrough? Can I emulate? I'm OK with playing old games, as long it is good and worth playing, and I can safely get an emulator going.

Reading...

"Red Dead Redemption's Curious 8-Bit Origin Story" (Oct. 20, 2016)

[https://www.vg247.com/red-dead-redemptions-curious-8-bit-origin-story]

Good overview, links to the following 3 videos.

"Red Dead Revolver - E3 2002 Trailer" (video from 2002)

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMRkVyuzG54]

I know its a work in progress trailer, but it looks really muddy and boring

"Red Dead Revolver Retro Commercial Trailer 2004 Rockstar Games" (video from 2004)

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKFljamGsCw]

Also looks muddy and boring, but maybe a little better

"Arcade Longplay [638] Gun.Smoke" (video from 1985)

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ4LUuk1kAc]

Something about this feels familiar, and its not just the similarity to Commando (same year). I think I may have actually tried this in the arcade when it came out. Back then, if I encountered it, I would have.

The above articles' point, that Revolver has a strong arcade heritage, is made clear in the videos. I don't feel like I need to play Gun.Smoke at all; there's nothing there.

"How the Red Dead franchise began" (Oct 17, 2018)

[https://www.polygon.com/2018/10/17/17986118/how-the-red-dead-franchise-began-angel-studios-capcom-rockstar]