Games Played: Rayman (0:03), Wario Land (0:13), Okami (0:29), ToeJam and Earl (0:43), Illusion of Gaia (1:00)

I don't really mind that there are games in my library I haven't played yet. Honestly, I like the feeling of knowing that I always have games that I've always wanted to play to look forward to. If it were actually possible to finish everything for all retro consoles, that would be pretty depressing knowing that there's no retro games left for you to experience for the first time. Sometimes, having things left to discover can be better than already having discovered everything.

The financial side of having games but never playing them hits hard, especially with modern games. If anything I want on Switch or PS4 is remotely on sale I'll scoop it up despite knowing I probably won't get to it for a while. Retro games are a little different though, I usually only buy the ones I really want to play so I can get to them sooner and don't mind paying the money for them.

RPGs, it's always RPGs. I like them as a genre but they're so time intensive, and yet usually end up being so expensive if you wait too long on acquiring them. As a result they're definitely the genre with my worst collect to playthrough ratio

I've got way too many games to count that I haven't played, at least not for any significant amount of time. Generally I just like collecting games and will buy whatever catches my eye. To me having the physical copy is as rewarding as playing the game, like collecting stamps only more interactive.

Considering that it's easy to get game over in Ghosts n Goblins in 30 seconds - playing for only 30 seconds can count as having "played the game".

“Having something you don’t use makes ore sense when it’s something you don’t want to use like exercise equipment or your conscience” LMAO this one cuts close!

I feel personally attacked…you’re getting too good at making videos Mr Bird!

I am still working on completing my entire backlog. This year alone I have already beaten 32 games. For a game I own but not played the most noteworthy is Zelda 2.

That Outro song is so good! I get stuck in my head all the time.

I loved this video and love this channel! I was literally thinking about this topic alot recently. The term "Mid LOG" NEEDS TO BE ADOTPTED AS A REAL GAMING TERM. It is a thing that actually occurs. I have games shift from back to mid log; while doing current gaming. I find that playing games during seasons (horror for Halloween, RPGs for Thanks giving , adventure for Christmas, ect); helps. Also watching videos of retro KZfaqr gamers help. Or playing games of popular franchises that have a current resurgence in theaters (Super Hero games when the same or similar movie is in theaters). Basically stuff like this helps me narrow down what I play in the back to mid log.

Nice little Easter egg including you playing illusion of time/Gaia when talking about not having enough time to play games lmao. 😂

What I love about your videos Mr. Bird is that even though you never reach a clear conclusion about anything, the videos are still enjoyable. The road is more important than the destination!

Just thinking about the list of games I haven’t played makes my head hurt. For PS3 alone I have 400 physical games (not including all the digital) and more than half of them are still in the plastic..... Overall, I know I’m not going to play every game in my collection, but just knowing they’re there makes me feel all warm inside. I enjoy my games just by looking through them and knowing there’s all new adventures just waiting for me to tackle if the moment arises. Man, I just love video games.......

Necro-ing an old video here, but I've only just discovered this awesome channel. Speaking for myself, I'm in the category of 'not enough hours in the day' at this point in my life and tend to just casually play games from my youth that I've reacquired, but also pick up any that are reasonably priced that passed me by back in the day but not necessarily with any intention of playing them imminently. My life won't always be this busy, and I like to think I'll have a wealth of games to return to someday, on original hardware, when I have less pressure on my available time. Plus they make nice shelf ornaments that give me pleasure to look at in the meantime.

Another problem I find with games on the long side, especially RPGs, is that I'll get half way through them and then something will come up and I have to put the game down for a while. Then when I come back I don't remember exactly where I was, or the game-specific skills/reflexes I've built have been lost, so I have to start again from the beginning. If this happens a few times in a row over the years I get burnt out on the first half and get sick of the game without ever actually having beaten it!

After watching dozens of @Retro Bird videos, I realized I'm in the choir. Preach on, brother!

Totally love when you have the crt gameplays in the background when doing your monolog. Keep them coming!

Back in my day, I would buy a game and race home to rip the seal and load that S.O.B. in my console of choice... Fast forward, I have unlimited cash reserves which has led to many games sitting on my shelf with no one to play them... Oh how the times have changed...:( I just need to retire and commit myself to full-time gaming with the hopes of becoming a KZfaq celebrity, just like RetroBird!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love the Wario going on. Listen home-slices, if you want to play a game that rolls out in an unexpected way, play the old Wario games. They look a little like a Mario Land game when you see them in a Retro Bird video but when you actually try one for the first time, you will have to grab a spatula to scrape your jaw off the ground. I'm not the most gamiest of gamers but I have yet to find a game even remotely similar to the old Wario Land games.

Geez too many! I’ve taken your Midlog idea and written my own which has made me realise how many I started and put on the back burner! Love your vids : )

If I'm halfway through a game, I've "played" it, but if I reached the credits -- assuming there's nothing weird like multiple routes like in Resident Evil 2 or something --, then I'd say I've "finished" it.

Ah, Time. The most fickle of mistresses. There really is too many great games to ever get around to playing because of the acute lack of it. Many times I've come across a game that I haven't played and then found the opportunity; (and actually really liked) only to fall back on a tried and true favorite. Jade Empire comes to mind.

I love the continued references to Timmy

I enjoy this channel, it often gives me something to think about (and laugh about).

Glad I found this channel. Well done!

Fantastic video and a great topic as always Retro Bird! I think that the biggest issue I have is simply making the time to play games especially longer ones like JRPGs and such. I am a lifelong video game fan and I am extremely passionate about them but I also love movies and certain sports and other activities which definitely eats into potential video game time. It's tricky for sure and I think that we all need to do our best not to stress out about it (which is something I am guilty of and I feel silly about it). 😉

so happy to see the video! I was waiting all day, love the videos man! All very relatable and mindful of the young retro gamers/collectors.

“Grading Services” lol. Keep up the great work my friend.

My backlog never makes me feel guilty, but my mid log keeps me up at night sometimes. Also some of my game collection I just enjoy looking at it, and dont care if ill ever play them.

Dude, love your channel. Your style is great. Keep up the good work. I’m trying to get the word out on you. You deserve a lot more viewers.

I haven't played Mega Man 2-4, but I bought them for my 3 little boys. I will issue them one at a time, after i give them an nes and a crt TWO CHRISTMASES from now 🤣🤣🤣 Seriously though Retro Bird, this video is probably my favorite of yours to date. I seldom have time for video games anymore, and it really struck a chord with me. Also, the rate at which you publish videos is astonishing, and you are a pleasure to watch/listen to. Thank you!!!

Ooo paper mario is in the thumbnail. If anyone owns that and hasn't had the chance to play it you must! A true masterpiece through and through

This was a great, quick to the punch - and equally funny video ! Sliding down the couch got me Thanks for the content and looking forward to more ! Would love to see some Paper Mario !

Okami just so happens to be on my Mid-Log. Same with Lego City undercover, Batman Arkham city, Horizon Zero Dawn, Fire Emblem Three Houses. Zelda: Majora's Mask, Metroid Samus Returns..... I really need to quit starting other games before I've beaten the one I was playing.

As always, another video about retro video games that makes me think a whole lot more about life than just video games. Thanks - your channel is my favourite on KZfaq, and the only channel I follow where I am waiting urgently for the next video! 1) Hardware with few-to-no games - my friend's child broke my Nintendo DS, and DSs were not available in stores anymore, so I purchased a 2DS so I could still play my DS games (it was $80 and came with Mario Kart 7). The only games that I have purchased for the 2DS were one of the Pokemon gameboy games, and the Megaman 1-6 collection (it was selling for $5). Strictly speaking, I haven't purchased a single game specifically for the 2DS (since Mario Kart came with it). 2) Games I haven't played - the PS3 to PS4 upgrade situation: My friend bought a PS4, and then bought HD versions of several games. He gifted me a few PS3 games since he now has the PS4 versions. I haven't played them yet. (sheepish grimace) 3) I once bought a Nintendo DS game (Unsolved Crimes) for $5 at the local Walmart. I don't know why, and I don't know why I never even pulled it out of the case (it's in its original unopened packaging). If you want it, I'm happy to mail it to you :D 4) Games I've bought that I haven't played: I used to be disappointed by the Wii U. Then I discovered the Virtual Console. then I heard the VC was phasing out games and it would no longer be accepting credit card payment in Canada (now I'm disappointed in the Wii U again). But, before the Virtual Console was hobbled, I scrambled and purchased (too many?) retro games. I'm talking GBA games like Warioland 4, Metroid Zero Mission, Metroid Fusion. I also purchased some SNES games like Kirby 3 and DKC 3 to justify (to myself) putting the same games onto my SNES classic (I like playing with the SNES controllers). I got some NES games too. I also purchased 8 or so TG16 games, since I couldn't bring myself to import the TG16 Mini console (the system + controller + AC adapter + 2nd controller is over $400 CDN). I may never get around to the PS3 games (and I will never open True Crimes), but I like my odds of playing through the TG16, GBA, and NES games I bought for the Wii U Virtual Console (I have played the SNES games I bought, but just on the SNES Classic).

This video IS me lol! 10 years hopefully from retirement then my job us playing all the epic video games I've missed out on working to support my family!

Ya I got into game collecting. So now 80% of my collection is games I have never played yet. But I like to look at them on my shelves.

I generally think I'm pretty good about this stuff, but sometimes I might get gifted some games from a friend who doesn't have their old consoles anymore, and that puts me in a dilemma. It's a game that I wasn't interested enough about to have bought, but getting rid of it would seem ungrateful, so it often just sits unplayed on the shelf. Also, if I've had the chance to visit somewhere that's selling lots of cheap or undervalued games, I might pick up a lot of stuff I wouldn't have bought otherwise, but it might take me a long time to getting around to actually playing all of it. I think compilation titles and mini consoles can really stress you out if this is something you worry about. There's a huge number of JRPGs on these things that are hailed as all-time classics, and I've barely scratched the surface of them because the time investment's too intimidating. It can be a real pain if you start feeling guilty about this stuff, but whenever I get too bogged down by it, I'll just turn back to Kirby's Pinball Land and remind myself that playing games is supposed to be fun.

Oh man... that Time/Thyme pun... A+. Another great conversation piece, you really understand us collectors. I have *thousands* i have never played, and i'm ok with it. I may get rid of many but the idea of "someday" is strong, plus i love perusing the shelves. My "Well thats not happening" games: Panzer Dragoon Saga & Crusader of Centy. Games I own and egregiously never played: Mario Galaxy 1/2, Xenogears, Klonoa, Suikoden II, Majora's Mask & Twilight Princess... i could go on =[

First video I've seen of yours. Really great content , thank you

C'mon man! Timmy has been looking for that copy of Mean Bean Machine since 1994!😂😂

Another great one! It does need more Nanners! I noticed you bypassed my (near) psychotic comments about the longer you own a game you haven’t played the more mystique about it grows 😝

never thought of sending my bread holders for professional grading

Sometimes, just collecting them is fun. Or..see one at a shop, 'never heard of this one before..' grab it..play it for 30 seconds..on the shelf...

I got Dragon Quest 8 on 3ds for an awesome price, I don’t know if I’ll ever find the time to play it but very happy to own it :)

😊the writing of the script of this video is stellar!

Gauntlet on the Sega Genesis was made like the Arcades for multi player, now that I'm an adult it is harder to find multi players to help so it's basically a trophy wife now. Also Ever Drive Games that come with 50 to 900 games on 1 cartridge! I'm playing the cartridge but not really playing ALL the games it has to offer. I try, but some of them I do a hard pass like: Grooming Your Pet the game! My little Niece wanted to play this Barbie game on the DS & I was like I have that game it was a game on my DS Ever Drive Cartridge! Saved the afternoon that day!

I just have flash carts and ode solutions. I sold off my entire collection of games and kept the hardware, for me it's about the experience. Love all the odd ball controllers and light guns!

Glad I found your video!

Turned up the Comedy for this one ☝️ I’m a fan, I haven’t owned a game I haven’t played! Although my backlog is starting to grow lol 😂 Thnx dude! I got into retro gaming thnx to you! Bought snes, grew up with it, loving it again! Got fed up with a new COD every 6 months, a very long time ago!

I started "collecting" games when I was still a teenager in the late 90s to early 2000s. I got my first job and I wanted to use my money to get all the PS1 RPGs I could never afford before I had a job. Back then I still had time to play almost all of the games I bought. But then in the mid 2000s as an adult working and an MMORPG taking up ALL of my free time, I kept buying all the PS2 games (mostly RPGS) that I wanted to play and had zero time for. Then I got married and had kids and barely have time for gaming all but I still have that huge backlog of PS2 games, many of which aren't even opened to this day. And I still put those games off because I'll buy new games that I want to play first. The worst part is that almost all of my back log are RPGs, so I know it'll be a huge time investment to finish any single one of them, so I just never try to play them.

Ah yes, confronting the dreaded backlog... I'm staying away from the 9th generation systems until I can make a sizable dent on mine. It doesn't help that recently I came into possession of a working Xbox 360 and proceeded to buy all the Fables and most of the Halos since I've never owned any Xbox until now.

I literally skipped the beach all last summer just to play games on my brand new Switch OLED. This is a real thing! Great Stuff!

I've started watching games on KZfaq longplay to satisfy wanting to play games I have no time for.

This is a great video. I actually watched it twice! Like others have posted I have too many unplayed games to list but your video helped me put things in perspective and cut myself some slack. I really like the term “mid log”. I’d rather have a game I’ve never played than a game in mid log. When you get around to booting them up again you have to ask yourself, what was this game about? Who is that character? What button does what on this consoles controller? It makes restating a midlog game a real pain and probably makes the chances of finishing the game even worse! Keep up the good work! You may have a future as a video game therapist. I know your advice has helped me. :)

My mid-log is so long that it has reverted into it's primordial back-log state, because I know I've started many of my games and then left it alone long enough to forget what was happening.

Those okami clips hit home. I remember a mag I followed closely raved about it constantly and it sat at the top of my want to play list. The time comes for it to get the HD treatment on PS3 and I picked it up only to never get past the intro section for some reason.

Ive literaly got thousands of games over many systems i havent played.

Loved the Console Wars book. Have that book myself and an excellent read.

@Retro Bird Great video because I have a huge collection and there is no way I'm going to finish all those games. I don't feel bad though because when I do finally complete games it's satisfying and disappointing at the same time because the experience and the journey is over 😑 I guess that can be your next topic "How beating games can be bittersweet"

Another excellent vid. Honestly, there is a spectrum among people who buy video games for themselves with "Pure Gamer" at one end and "Pure Collector" at the other, and lots of room in the middle. The Gamer wants to play games, and doesn't mind a disc-only setup or a ROM. The act of gaming is what gives them enjoyment. The Collector enjoys hunting down games for purchase and finding them for a decent price. That act building a library and finding those deals is what gives them enjoyment. I have made peace with the fact that I moved from being a Gamer to more of a "Collector who occasionally games" over the years. I flat-out won't ever get to every item in my backlog, and that's okay. With that said, that has informed/directed my thinking about how and what I spend my money on. I plan to stop buying new consoles for at least 10 years, or maybe much longer, to put some restrictions on my hobby (so I'm not collecting frantically for NEW systems I don't currently own) and give me a chance to finally and sit back and enjoy what I've spent all of this time, money, and effort on acquiring.

Very cool vid and something I'm definitely guilty of 😅. Some notable game I have but have never played, hmmm where to start. Pikmin, Super Mario Galaxy, Panzer Dragoon Zwei, Odin Sphere, and well most of my collection to be honest 😂. However, I did finish Okami (about 92-hours into it) this year and it was awesome!

Love seeing that subcount of yours going up - keep up that consistency, it's paying off and the quality isn't suffering one bit 👍

I have a pretty massive backlog (mostly nintendo games). As for midlog: dkc3, super mario 3rd world, metroid prime remastered, final fantasy 3 (snes), castlevania rondo of blood.

Can you please make a follow-up about this phenomenon but with games you want to replay 😂 i can barely put a dent into my library but ill easily pick and play streets of rage and chrono trigger for the umpteenth time haha love ur channel vacationing in ur room

These days I have been selling off parts of my collection because I don’t play all of them.

Another trap that gamers sometimes fall into is that a fair chunk of games are franchise games that have many prequels, sequels, remakes, and remasters. So this creates 2 problems: 1) When they get around to playing that game, they want to play the best version of the game. So they have to do a whole bunch of research to figure out which version is the best and get that one. It might also be that the best version of the game requires a romhack or an English translation patch, and so that's a bunch of work you have to do just to get to the part where you actually play the game. 2) Most game series are deliberately made so that you can jump into the middle of a series and it's just fine, but many people have this mindset that they need to start from the beginning of the series. So, for instance, I've never played a single game in the Yakuza series, and there's like 7 games in that series now. Where do I start? Do I start chronologically at the beginning with Yakuzo 0 (the prequel that actually wasn't the first game released), or do I start from the first game released and work to the newest game released? Or should I just start with the highest rated game in the series so that I can immediately see the best that the series has to offer? Sometimes the earlier games were rougher and not as good, so starting with those might be a turn off and make you give up on the series completely. Good example: Witcher and Witcher 2 are nowhere near as good as Witcher 3. I'd recommend anyone who hasn't played any of them to just play Witcher 3 and call it a day. Or the opposite. Dead Space and Dead Space 2 are both way better than Dead Space 3.

Damn Broski. You reay hit me with this topic with black Friday on the horizon

1:05 - Time grows on plants?! Why am I just learning about this now?!

I have lots of games that I never really played but that's okay. I began Silent Hill 2 on PS2 last week and played all day. It had been on my shelf waiting for over 10 years.

High five for the Tactics Ogre sign on the door, you magnificent man of culture!

Pokemon Ultra Moon is the example I can think of the most. It's still sealed.

I literally just found your channel and have been binging the videos (amazing content) I watched a video where you pretty much convinced me to pick up retro games again, then I watch this video and now I’m convinced not to, lol.

My copy of Okami remains sealed in the shrink wrap. It would just be weird to open and play it at this point. Shout out to Illusion of Gaia though; It's one of my favorite games of all time. That's an annual play through for me. Also, having games on your shelf that you haven't played...excellent problem to have.

I... um... FFVII... and Xenoblade Chronicles X. Literally most of my games are in the mid-log. But its been so long since I stopped playing, that I feel like I'd have to start them over if I wanted to get back into them

His face in the thumbnail looks like he’s judging those collectors who rarely play their games

Most of the games I haven't played that I own are extremely expensive now lol

I bought Bioshock: The Collection on Switch. Never played it back then, and still not playing today!

That grading service skit is golden. Haha.

Outside my steam backlist (which is actually pretty short) I would have to say FFVII on PS1. It's on my "Must play" list from my friends, but as you noted in the video, time is not on my side for an epic RPG adventure. I keep telling myself I'll start it one of these days, but as life keeps compounding commitments it feels like an impossible task.

That first one on your Most Shameful Things list seems very familiar. Time is the obvious reason why I own games I've never played but other times I just don't feel like investing time into a new game. No joke, Okami is on my backlog. A++++++ for bread bag clips? Your grading service is way more honest and trustworthy than a certain four letter word grading service. Going to my game room. Be back in a year.....maybe. Bring food.

I love Resident Evil and have played most the main story games except five and six which I've had for years, both still in their shrink wrap.

Most recently it's probably Persona 5. It sits there on the shelf beckoning me. "Come play me! I'm a great game!" but then I remember it's a 50hr game at minimum and I'm like "Yeah, not today, but someday..." I also have a heap of Ps3 games that I never touched after I got them cheaply after the ps4 launched. If we're talking retro I have a cib Final fantasy v sfc cart. Never even tried it out to see if it works. Probably should do that one of these days.

Illusion of Gaia love. Automatic like, but then again I like all your videos

I buy games with the intention to play because i have interest in playing them. But there's a lot i want to play and i'm busy playing other games but i would like to play them eventually. My Switch backlog alone is about 60 right now. Yes, i want to play them all one day. Just getting there bit by bit.

Toejam. And Earl is awsome. The key is identifing the randomizer early an avoiding it

About 5 years ago I picked up a ps3 slim to be essentially a server for my psp and Vita digital games. At the time there were plenty of games on the shelf for it. So I picked titles up with the thought 'would I ever like to play it?' Back then ps3 games were cheap enough you could do that.

For collector guys, it is normal to have many games and some of them aren’t playable ( only heavy Japanese or a kind of game you don’t like)

#2 on your list...I recently had a friend over because they wanted to experience the CD-i for themselves. I told them that the third party controller was actually the good one. Felt no shame. Could say the same thing aboot the Ascii-pad for the Sega Genesis, too.

The statement that "each of these consoles were originally intended to be the only console we own" is certainly not correct. Quite a few platforms existed on the market or existed for segments of their lifespan on the market knowing that they were only aiming at a particular niche, for example the Neo-Geo certainly wasn't being aimed at being the only console that the customers of this product would own. It was intended to be a premium experience for playing arcade ports. A similar situation existed for the second half of the life of the TurboGrafx 16/Turbo Duo where they specifically focused on shooters and games that were mostly unavailable on other consoles in part because they knew that anyone buying the later TurboDuo product in North America was extremely likely to already own of its 16-bit competitors as well. There are a large number of situations where consoles were created to be and marketed as supplementary products to the larger platforms on the marketplace in their generations both from the start and later on in their lifespan.

Blast Corps on the N64 is an example of one of the games I know is good and I got it for a good price ($10), so it joined my backlog. I like to visit the local retro game stores every Friday and you never know when you might find a good deal. I think most games I haven't played yet is because game hunting is part of the hobby and it's faster to hunt than play sometimes.

My list of games I own but haven't played is way too long. I keep telling myself, one day I'll retire and will have more than enough time to play my games, by then though I may have over 10,000 games.

Seeing your Color Gameboy made me want to buy a boxed one again... you know... they are really hard to find on ebay, gameboy color always pops up.

That face after you said “or you conscience”. 🤣🤣 Yep, the backlog. It used to stress me out and I’ve tried a “beat one game a month” approach, but just let it come and go. Best bet is to stick with short games like Gameboy. I’ve picked up a number of retro games the past 6 months and have to admit some have only been tested for 10-15 minutes after the initial cleaning. I feel personally targeted with that Mario 64 reference…. 🤣

This video is me, 100%. I'm 41... about ten years ago my shelf had a PS3, XBox 360, Vita, Wii, PSP, PS2, Dreamcast, Saturn, Jaguar, Jag CD, 32x, Sega CD and Genesis. I just started a full time job with police administration. Those consoles and my long list games rotted and rotted. After 5 years of maybe playing a couple of games, I cracked and sold everything because of the guilt (except the PS3). Was it a mistake? Well, I regret selling my awesome Jaguar collection. That's one I could never afford to recollect.

A friend of mine gave up on Okami because it was so long. The main villain was defeated, the story was wrapped up, and then the game yells "GUESS WHAT IDIOT, YOU'RE ONLY HALFWAY THERE." It felt like it came bundled with its own sequel.

I've just permaneatly deleted 216 games from my Steam account. Mostly some freebie crap i got like 10 years ago for whatever reason, or some bundle games i don't really care about and would never play any of them anyway. That was a good feeling.

Most shameful things… check, check, check, check. Oh shit. We forgot to give back Final Fantasy 8! Love your jokes and visual gags. I’m struggle to accept that I’m not gonna be able to play all my games. Life in short. Don’t need to spend it also worrying about how short it is.

I saw Dragon Force in the thumbnail... I hope that wasn't an example of something you own and have never played, because it is such a great game!