Every gamer has that collection of titles they fully plan to dive into eventually. Many of these games are ones we’ve purchased or downloaded over the years, just sitting idle in our Steam libraries or hard drives. It’s our “list of shame”—the gaming equivalent of buying more books while still working through the previous stack.
While our intentions are noble, the reality is that the gaming landscape is vast. And if you spend your time on ongoing live-service games like MMOs, you’re likely heavily invested in at least one, feeling a pull to keep up. If you lean towards competitive genres such as shooters and MOBAs, you need to stay sharp. This often means that time spent engrossed in those games is time you can’t dedicate elsewhere.
Like many others, I have my own list of shame. There are a few games that always pop up when chatting with friends, leading to the familiar line, “Oh, right! I need to finish/play that. It’s in my Steam library.” Most of these are single-player titles with actual conclusions.
However, there are ongoing titles that linger in my mind, whispering, “You should play this. You should have started ages ago,” yet have remained untouched for various reasons. My tendency is to be drawn in by games that feature captivating narratives. Even if it’s not a genre I typically gravitate toward, an intriguing story can pull me in (this is how I managed to play through the original Bioshock, despite battling motion sickness—15 minutes at a time).
Unsurprisingly, one MMO that stands out in my mind as a must-play, despite not being my usual genre, is Warframe. The visuals are stunning, all my friends have been raving about it forever, and I know it features an exceptional story. Plus, the soundtrack is fantastic. Other than the shooter aspect, it fits perfectly within my interests. And yet, despite it waiting patiently on my PS5, I haven’t pressed start.
Why is that? Because I keep convincing myself that once I wrap things up in my other games, I can finally add it to my play list. I’ll get to it one day, right? Just need a little break. That’s all.
However, that’s the challenge with ongoing games. If you’re like me, you want to see them through and discover how the story unfolds. And of course, we can never predict when or if that story will conclude. But isn’t that part of the excitement?
Meanwhile, Warframe’s narrative continues to evolve, making the idea of jumping in feel ever more daunting as time passes. But for those who are already playing Warframe, that’s fantastic news.
Ultimately, I suppose that’s what having so many incredible games to choose from means. Decisions must be made. But at least we’re still having a good time.
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