I'm Almost Done Clearing My Gaming Backlog 

Wow, I didn't know you had such a rough childhood! Damn! Props to you making it through it and finding success through the hardship! Much respect.

Man our stories are pretty similar. Although not homeless, I was raised in a poor family (though I am in Eastern Europe, Romania, so basically your average family around here). In 2004 my parents bought me a crappy PC. That PC was all I had for the next 12 years. It couldn't play nothing newer than 2004, so I basically missed the entire 7th gen of gaming. Though I still liked the old stuff I had and I was replaying them frequently. In 2015 I was finally done with high school and could finally have my own money, then in 2016 I finally bought an actual modern PC. From 2004 to 2016 you can only imagine the catching up that I had to do. Titles that I could only watch on RU-vid gameplays previosly, and was salivating over them, now I could finally play.

Congrats on getting through so many games! No easy feat to 100% as many as you have. It's certainly helped me learn about games I'm interested in getting.

I never played a CRPG before, but now I'm playing Solasta and enjoying it very much. This channel is by far one of my faves nowadays. We're going to the 100K milestone soon. Keep grinding, Mortym! Thank you, Sir!

Hey man, new sub this week because of the 100% reviews - happy to hear that you've made so much progress on the backlog. I thought clearing it was only a myth... but I narrowed mine recently to ~15 games that I really want to clear (hiding everything else, because there's simply not enough time in life) and I'm feeling great as I move through each one and check it off of the list. Keep it up!

I probably have 100+ games in my backlog that I have never booted up.

Hey Mort, it's been a blast following you for the last 2 years. Hearing your thoughts is always great, whether to compare and contrast with our own opinions on games we played in the past, or getting your insight for new titles that we haven't played yet. I'm already looking forward to your next videos!

My favourite reviewer. The variety of games and the dedication to 100% them are astounding

Seriously THANK YOU, you've rapidly become a regular part of my day. I was so intimated by CRPG but have found so much joy in them in the past few months because of you and your videos.

I just found your channel recently (from googling around for Pathfinder builds) and have been really enjoying it. Glad to hear you're doing well and the channel is taking off (funny how right around the time I found the channel, I also started seeing people post your videos to Reddit). You're living the dream dude, best of luck. I'm excited to stick around and see where things go.

I'm so happy for you that you've been able to experience all those games you might in an alternate life never have got to. And thank you for sharing your journey with us.

Printed an image for every game I own and bought a board. Started focusing on finishing one and only one of them a month while fighting the urges to start a new one midway through. Pin it to the board once I finish it before the month is out and give myself permission to start a new one. Never finished so many games in my life since I started that process and it does feel just right! Although it's not easy to not boot up something else on a whim

I appreciate how level-headed and fair your reviews are. You seem to have a great grasp on how to keep a balance between explaining the good technical aspects of games and the janky ones, as well as the positive and iffy story aspects. As with many I was brought in by your DOS2 material, but I enjoy checking out your reviews on games I know I'll never have time for. Good luck and success to you!

Congratulations Mort. Your passion comes through in spades in your videos. Glad you were able to go back and enjoy your backlog.

Congrats on the growth of the channel! Well deserved and I bet it's going to get even better. Your reviews are the reason why I expanded my backlog.

Thank you for your work, looking forward to watch more of your videos

Your reviews are always a joy to listen to.

Congrats. It's been a joy watching your channel grow.

Your work is really amazing! I really appreciate it and THANK YOU!

Your reviews are awesome. Thought provoking and easy to listen to. Thanks for the hard work!!!

Nice job getting through the backlog. Would that I had more time to devote to it. You're not far now to 100K! Appreciate your perspective and I've gone back to replay some of these titles as your review reminded me of the game, but I had forgotten my previous playthrough. Plus you've drawn my attention to newer titles that slipped by me, so thanks for that also.

Grats on getting through that! Me on the other hand I've almost finished writing down my own back log of games. It currently has ~100+ games in my steam library that I never played (and/or finished) and 200+ in the wishlist section.

I like your videos so much. I stumbled onto it when I was going through my D:OS2 addiction. Thanks for your work.

Congrats on seizing the opportunity to do all this. I've got about 60 left in my backlog, with nearly 100 completed since I decided to make a list March 2020 - around the time when we all learned we were gonna be indoors a lot. All the PC games I missed out growing up an Xbox kid or bought idlily in my 20s and never installed.

I am happy that you have persevered against hard odds. One thing that has always bugged me about a lot of RU-vidrs (esp. in 'engineering' and 'applied science') is that it's basically some millionaire's kid showing off their toys. Sure, some earn it with keen analysis, but it's usually just an empty spectacle at the end of the day. I think that's one of the things I really like about gaming RU-vidrs. The entry cost is approachable enough that it really levels the playing field. IMHO that's what RU-vid was always supposed to be about, the Voice of the People.

I really enjoy the 100% reviews. It's a valuable perspective as sometimes games take a bit to get going or grab the player. That said, I also like the initial impressions that you've been experimenting with lately. Those are good quick bites from somebody who I trust and you've convinced me a couple times to get the game. Keep up the awesome work!

Thank you for all the quality content. Your channel is a true gem. My go to media for CRPGs!

Thank you for these videos! Time is in short supply, so my backlog keeps growing. Additionally, my friends are even shorter on time, which is why I have few people to talk games about. Your videos provide therefore a pleasant escape! :)

You inspired me to go through some old games I'm curious. Thank you!

I think all of us should thank you, Mort. You have a unique and friendly community that shares a passion for classic CRPGs or more current RPGs. I'm 35 years old, when I first played Baldur's Gate at 11 years old I knew I was in for something different. It came from growing up with Zelda or Super Mario. That game made me love fantasy literature, not long after playing D&D for the first time (something I still do) and of course similar games, as well as making PC my platform of choice. Later came Baldur's Gate 2, Icewind Dale or NWN, among others. Games that have stayed with me forever. In a way, it has defined me. I found your channel by chance, precisely looking for someone to talk about these classic CRPGs on RU-vid. I have never left a comment on your channel before, but I think today I should thank you. Thanks to you I am replaying (after a few years) all those classics that marked my childhood. I haven't been going through a good stage in my life these past few months. Your channel has become my new "safe place" when I need to relax or listen to something. And rediscovering those games, with their stories and characters, is certainly helping me a lot. Thanks Mort. Greetings from Spain!

Love your content Mortym. As a long time subscriber, I just want to say I truly appreciate all the work you put into covering/reviewing games. I've discovered many I'd otherwise probably have missed if it wasn't for your coverage.

Keep up the solid work and I'll keep viewing. I'm sure I'm not the only one that feels that way.

You have a great passion for video games and that shines through in your videos. Love your stuff!

Thank you! Great channel.

Ty for the videos brother! I’ve said it before but it’s nice to have something to listen to on my work drive every morning

You've opened my eyes to games that I missed as a kid, your insight adds value to everyone, just in there own way.

Thank you Mort. Your reviews are consistent, fair, and enlightening. Your tastes align fairly close to my own, and you're well spoken. A damn good resource for anyone who games. Hope to see you continue to do well.

Happy man! I have games for years waiting in my backlog.

Your RU-vid channel is quality and your takes are quality. It’s awesome to see someone live out a dream! Keep on keeping on!

i love your work. i watched every video, i can relate to your situation and i hope you can continue to provide us with great content. best of luck

Thank you for the videos you make. I also have a lot of games left that I would like to play, but I don’t have time for them because of job.

This year in April, seeing Icewind Dale 1 EE on sale, I suddenly remembered all good words spoken about most famous cRPG games, mostly their story and writing level. Despite hating turn based combat system with real time with pause, I bought the game and some of few more later, then found your channel. Don't regret subscribing it at all.

Dude, I'm so glad you could improve your life and do what you love, I hope nothing less than eternal success and happiness to you.

You're one of the only gaming channels I regularly watch. I always look forward to new uploads. Thank you.

You're the only youtuber I know that actively talks and loves CRPG's. Which is very important to me since CRPG's and strategy games are basically all that interests me nowadays. But your very calm and positive atitude is quite refreshing in today's world as well.

I’m glad you got to catch up man. Especially as your job! That’s a happy job if I ever heard one hehe

Your videos are part of my daily "boot up" process. Thank you, and keep it up!

I have to say... I've been looking for a channel that reviews old games alongside the new. I think there are a lot of people who don't just play the latest and greatest. Recent and relevant reviews like yours on games that released a while ago are invaluable and I really enjoy that about your channel.

Sseing someone so passionate about his own job is really hearthwarming. And an amazing content tô watch at the morning haha Hope this Channel continue tô grow even more! :D

You're killin it Mort! I love your channel and your method of reviewing 😁

And please keep up on the amazing work!

I used to binge a ton of TV, but for the past few days I've been binge playing my backlog. It feels so much better completing a game than completing a TV season.

So happy for you Mort, being able to live out this dream :) One which, I'm sure many of us share

Glade you have done so much keep it up.

You're my favorite YT channel, and I'm glad you are able to get paid to do something you enjoy! Well done on clearing the backlog of games that you missed when you were younger. I know they are before your time, but I think it would be interesting to see you play some of the even earlier CRPGs such as the Gold Box games and the early Ultimas. If you ever decide to, e-mail me and I might be able to give you some pointers on how to get them running properly on a modern PC, though GoG pretty much gives you all the tools you need for that. In the early days of computer gaming (i.e. the 1980s) the PC (which ran DOS at the time) wasn't the best home computer for gaming. That title belonged to the Commodore 64 and the Apple II, both of which had better graphics and sound than those early PCs running DOS. However, the early Ultimas have been modded and patched so that they can be run on a modern PC with similar, or even better, graphics and sound. Anyway, sorry for the wall of text. Keep up the good work!

Glad to hear you got to catch up on that time period. A bunch of great games were released back then. I see 100 K peeking over the horizon ! Keep up the great work brother !!

Glad you got your backlog done. As you say it is important to see where things have come from. I do remember one game where you said the combat was the same as dragonfall, when they both came from xcom (or to a lesser extent something like Temple of Elemental evil), which did feel a little weird. Anyway congrats on your sucess. Not sure if you can get a key for it now easily, but Alpha Protocol I have had a lot of fun with. Some interesting choices. It plays a LOT better with a controller though

Mortismal needs even more subscribers! These reviews are above and beyond a lot of what's out there.

One game that would be interesting to see a review for, and is a very important part of the history of crpgs, is Ultima IV. It was released in 1985 and was possibly the first crpg that actually felt like a role-playing game. It had an open world where you could talk to pretty much anyone and rather than vanquish a great evil, the goal of the game was to achieve spiritual enlightenment. The game is available for free on gog and takes up less room on the hard drive than the manuals do (this was back when they provided printed manuals for your games).

Your channel is so unique and quality! You and Gman are my homies here

Stumbled upon your channel while I was looking for news on the Larian's Baldur's Gate 3. And while I did not agree with your generally positive sentiment for that title, I did decide to check the rest of your reviews and grew quite fond of your style ;) keep up the great work! Your channel is kind of a gem ;)

Love your channel, I think I found it through pathfinder videos and watching most of content since then. If it comes to gaming backlog, this is quite new game, but very very challenging, focused of build creation - Battle Brothers, would love to see your review :)

Big gratz on working through so many titles. I'll be caught up on my backlog in 2050 at this rate, if no other games release until then lmao

You're an inspiration, my guy!

Congrats man. The good thing about playing all the good old games now is that you don't have to waste time on all the current bad ones. When done with your back catalog, we will hopefully have more great games again.

How many players can claim to even be close to clearing their game backlog/library ! And you did it with a 100% achievement approach and taking less time than I do (I am a very slow completionist, but do not 100% games). I am also going back to play games I missed during years I did not play (I stopped gaming during my university studies, which was about 10 years :P). Recently, I did Wasteland 1 Remastered (it has many design issues that were oddly not changed and that were not normal for 1988) and now doing Wasteland 2 (great design, except maybe some questing incoherences in the canyon, but loving it).

You have been enjoyable to watch, and thank YOU for the content. Now, I believe it's time to enlarge your backlog by buying you games..

The best RU-vid channel man, keep going 💪💪

the goat is at it again. this is like my second profile and you're the only one I follow. let's get that 100k soon.

The reviews of older crpgs is like going back to when I was a kid, long before having a kid of my own, a serious job, and all that life stuff. Don't have the time to finish many games anymore, so they don't really stick with me like the ones from the past did. So it is always pleasant to see retro rpg reviews.

I'm fairly similar in that I didn't really do much gaming from about the early 2000's until recently - basically I missed most of the PS2 and PS3 era. So a lot of my gaming at the moment is catching up with the most significant titles that I didn't play at the time. I'm sure my backlog isn't as big as yours, but my goal is to clear it somewhat so that I'm able to mostly play newer titles around the time they come out.

This has quickly become one of if not my favorite gaming channels.

Thank you Mort for your dedication. :)

I don't recall when I started subscribing to your channel, but it has been for quite some time. I'm really enjoying your approach as it really sets it apart from other reviewers. I'm one of those that played the first Baldur's Gate back when it was new, so your focus on CRPG's gives your channel a special place in my heart. I am no AD&D expert by any means. The most important aspect for me in a game is its narrative. If the story is not interesting or it doesn't pull me in, I lose interest in it quickly. Keep up the good work.

Thank you for your exceptional content! =)

Hey Mort, love the video as usual. I would be really interested to see your list of go to crpgs that you replay just for fun. Because similar to your situation, although not because of work, I feel as though I've played almost all of them at this point. So I'd be very interested in which game(s) a veteran of the genre goes back to for fun?

Glad you get to do this!! I was poor and homeless as a teenager as well. Now I just work 60-70 hours a week and miss playing games I still try but most of the time I am too tired 😢 Working on figurephotography more these days!! Keep growing!!! I enjoy your channel!!

My friend, you do your "work" better than most of us. We appreciate your efforts, keep it up at the pace that suits you.

You are awesome, I like your videos and those update videos are also very entertaining, thank you ;)

100k is right around the corner 👍

Salute! My backlog has gotten so ridiculous I'll have to pass it down to my children to finish it all lol

You have quite a good list of games under your belt! I checked your channel in general and made a small list of older games I didn't notice there, if you're ever interested in trying them out (unless you have already earlier): - Ultima Underword and Grimrock series and Arx Fatalis (dungeon crawlers) - older Elder Scrolls titles - Alpha Protocol (Obsidian title) - System Shock 1 & 2, Deus Ex series (games with RPG elements but still great games)

I've been broke (and even lived in my car for a few months) a few times in my life too. I'm very glad that Steam and GOG exist and have regular sales. I'm also glad that demos are becoming much more of a thing. It lets me (and so many others) try games and buy discounted games. The indie explosion is wonderful too. I mean, compared to previous decades, like the 80's through the early 00's when basically everything was 50-60 dollars unless you got it used (console only) or pirated it (PC only).

Hearing this was like an achievement I'm happy to hear.

As a hardcore trophy hunter you are NO 1 for recon of any game i want to plat your 100% reviews are awesome thank you so much.

I went through most of my backlog as well in the past year and a half (breaking up a bad relationship two months before the wedding and getting a new pc with the wedding budget was a pretty pro move, if I say so myself), so it has been really cool to watch you do the same for yours simultaneously. On another, irrelevant note: You know which game you should add to the top of your backlog? Nioh 2.

Forming a gigantic gaming backlog is something I am actively starting to avoid, mainly for the reason that I want to avoid spending more on something than I should (or often, is worth) just because something new and shiny has come around. I'm planning to take a year off buying games in 2023, and just work through everything I've already got, and maybe pick up from 2024 with some sort of personal "patient gamer" philosophy where I only buy a game once a month, that has been our over a year so I can get the full experience, etc. I gotta say how much I appreciate your reviews of older titles in that regard, it is very useful to see perspectives of older stuff as well as new. Keep it up and congrats! P.S. On a different note, now that you got rid of 100s of hours of gaming from your back, are you considering dropping another 100 in Persona 5? I am not a JRPG person because most JRPGs I've played are extremely tropey, however, everyone seems to be praising it with the new release, and I think I'd appreciate your input on it if it is somewhere on the review list.

Love your reviews and thoughts on all things CRPG and other games, Mortym. Can't wait for the NWN2 review :)

Love to see you play some JRPGs, old and new. It has some good stuff there.

Sorry you missed out on things growing up, again love your videos. Still need to back track on some of your old ones. Have you ever tried the Wizardry games? A bit different of an RPG but remember playing it for hours when I was younger. My old D&D group actually used to have a wizardry night and each of them had to decide what their characters were doing. LOL, don't know why they just didn't do a night of D&D but they had fun. I don't have much time for gaming with everything going on in my life right now but I did just pick up the early access game Wizardry the Five Ordeals on Steam. Bringing back some good memories.

If you're interested in a retro style turn based rpg that can be played through in it's entirety quickly, I recently played and loved TOME: Terrain Of Magical Expertise. It has a kid friendly aesthetic and what I loved was the fact that it has a great story and is fully voice acted

Congrats to you Morty. I am glad you passion for these games have been paying off. I hope you plan on playing games outside of the RPG genre. There are some real good games out there on Sony's list of exclusive titles that are not out on steam. They are more story focused but not lacking in gameplay.

Good show sir!

Personally, I love seeing reviews of older games, because I still love playing a lot of those older CRPGs. I grew up on Wizardry, Ultima, the Bard's Tales, stuff like that. Might be a little further back than you were thinking but I do believe there's still a lot of good times to be found in those older games. Luckily the newer games have been pretty interesting too!

Best thing about your channel is why would I want a review from someone who hasn't really played the game.

The hell bruh, my backlog keeps increasing to a point I don't play games that aren't GOTY complete 0 bugs edition with 0 chance to wipe my saves. I need 30 hours a day just to get my chores and work done. I'm as happy for you as i'm jealous

I found your channel a few weeks ago when I looked for a divinity lore channel 😄

Thanks!

😃 your welcome. Love your vids.

I rebranded my own into "collection" because while videogames still give me joy I don't want to force myself in something that should give entertainment. I just stick to titles that "I wanted to play if for more than a year, might give it a try finally". When you dig through it for years your tastes may change and signs of burnouts might appear and belive me - nobody wants that. Also because bundles - bought for 1-3 games and never touched the rest of the package.