Why You Should Attack Your Pile Of Shame This Summer

Summer is here and gamers the world over are enjoying the downtime between new releases. At this time of year, most people decide to look into their gaming history and do a bit of tidying up. Here’s a look at some games that may be rattling about in your collection.

No Man’s Sky

This is the big one. After a rocky launch and a game that was by all accounts unfinished, the future looked bleak for Hello Games and No Man’s Sky. I actually enjoyed the base game, that had a zen-like ability to calm me down as I wandered about taking images of strange creatures from planet to planet. Most people, however, pointed to the original vision of the game and rightly were annoyed that this was missing. Fast forward a couple of years and the recent release of the Next update has basically made the game a full product with multiplayer, community options, base building and much more. It may now have a second chance at life with a release on the Xbox One as well and is the perfect summer game to spend some time with.

The Witcher 3

The final adventure of Geralt is widely regarded as one of the greatest adventures in gaming. I  would have to agree despite taking nearly 3 years to finish the main quest to a level I was happy with. I spent around 30 hours getting to Novigrad and by that stage, other games had come out and I ran out of steam. After leaving it for a period of time and letting Geralt’s beard grow back, I set about finishing the game in earnest. With the two DLC packs that add another 20 hours to the game available it would be a worthwhile venture for anyone to finish the game if they still have it gathering dust in their pile of shame.

Metal Gear Solid 5

I’m a huge Metal Gear Solid fan, I’ve had every game since the NES version and yet this is the only one I haven’t finished. I can only think it is due to the episodic nature of the last game. Despite this Metal Gear Solid 5 has arguably the best gameplay in the series and some truly stand out moments, such as the amazing beginning and interactions with Quiet and others. So luckily I have this game on my hard drive. Stepping back into the world is easy due to the open nature and replayability of the missions. A recent update lets you play as Quiet in FOB missions and generally tidies up the game. Unfortunately, this is still a bittersweet experience as while you play it is hard to imagine another Metal Gear Solid game headed by Kojima appearing anytime ever let alone soon. A good one to dip back into every now and again.

Ghost Recon Wildlands

I’ve waxed lyrical about this game from the day it came out and it is still digitally on my hard drive to dip into whenever I need to relax. It is just so much fun to fly around Bolivia and take on missions as they appear. The moment to moment gameplay is emergent and fun and ignoring the clichéd story is easy when the fun on offer is so high. With the countless updates like the Predator mission, the Splinter Cell one and now a Rainbow Six crossover, this game shows no signs of disappearing. It is the continued hidden gem of the generation and should be on everyone’s list for when the new games dry up.

Zelda Breath Of The Wild

Like many people, I acknowledge the greatness in Zelda but for some reason, I cannot blast through it like other games. For this reason, it sits in the pile of shame as I return to it and grind out more shrines and make my way slowly towards the battle with Gannon. It is just a fantastic example of game design that allows you to wander aimlessly making your own adventures as you go. Maybe this unfocussed journey is why I don’t feel the need to race through the game in a few sittings. It will remain with my Switch for when I need to get back into Hyrule, like most people the summer drought will be a good time to chip away at it some more.

What games will you be attacking this summer?