Tonight, I have either finishedZack & Wikior entirely given up on the proposition. We’re done. But what will we play next? Let your voice be heard in another round of Backlog voting.
Now, I’m still a little bit on edge overZack & Wiki. I feel betrayed by its lovable graphics, which only served to disguise a cruel and heartless monster beneath. I’m deeply hurt and only revenge can soothe me. Hence, the theme for the eleventh series of Backlog: “…With a Vengeance.” All of the games are about getting back at someone who done you wrong.
Choose from one of the five games on our list in the comments and help me to soothe my soul with the purest antidote for pain.
The SaboteurDeveloped by Pandemic StudiosReleased on December 8th, 2009
Pandemic’s sandbox game set in Nazi-occupied France should have been a grand slam. It’s filled with things that are practically fixations in my life. Like breasts and Nazis. And breasts. Yet I wound up being far more interested in its contemporary at time of release,Assassin’s Creed IIand quickly abandoned playingThe Saboteurto fight another Axis power half a millennium early.
I think that if I can stay focused on accomplishing the actual missions of the game instead of being distracted by shiny blips on my radar, there’s no reason why I can’t finish this one in a timely and entertaining manner. I’ll probably really love it once I get into the meat of things but keeping my eye on the prize will be the real challenge here.
Overlord IIDeveloped by Triumph StudiosReleased June 15, 2025
Pikmin for people who love to be bad, theOverlordgames are known for their dark sense of humor and morality system which forces players to choose between being evil or being very evil. I had a ball with the firstOverlord, so much so that I played it both in its original release on Xbox 360 and the later, expanded Raising Hell for PS3.
While I was enjoying my time withOverlord II, I planned poorly and started amidst a strong spring season last year. There just wasn’t any contest at that point, but I’m ready to give this the attention it deserves now.
Gungrave: OverDoseDeveloped by Ikusabune Co., Ltd.Released on September 15th, 2004
The originalGungravecaught my eye because of its character design by Yasuhiro Nightow. The game which resulted was an button-mashing bulletfest with a story so incomprehensible that it took a 26-episode anime spin-off (and ripping off Sergio Leone) to sort out. And then they went and did it again, adding new playable characters to another disjointed plot line. This one didn’t grab me as hard and there wasn’t enough new in the gameplay to keep me interested. Now that it’s been a few years, perhapsOverDosewill feel fresh.
SplatterhouseDeveloped by Bottle Rocket/Namco BandaiReleased on November 23rd, 2010
The originalSplatterhouseseries thrilled me to no end. The bizarre and gory enemies and Rick’s monstrous beefiness is always worth a giggle, but that third game on the Sega Genesis was some seriously dark stuff. So, my interest was piqued over a reboot of the series but I sure as hell wasn’t going to buy in at launch. Now a few months later, a cheap copy has found its way into my collection. Skull cracking will happen.
Mystery Game
Finally, we have the Mystery Game. Don’t make the mistake of choosing this for curiosity’s sake, as people have clamored before to know what it was and groaned when they learned. The intent here is to select the Mystery Game if none of the other games appeal to you, so voting for it just because you want to know what it is is kind of adick move.
If the Mystery Game is not chosen, it’ll roll over into the next series where it will continue to be a mystery.
That’s it. Cast your vote in the comments below and get ready for another exciting series of Backlog, starting tomorrow.
