Alright folks, been wrestling with this for a while now. Had this huge list of games I wanted to sift through for a new project, maybe some short quick ones, others longer. Manually doing it felt like watching paint dry. Needed something to help me compare them properly, you know? Make a shortlist. So I figured, gotta find the best tool for that job.
Starting The Hunt
Did what anyone does first – went straight to Google. Typed in stuff like “best tools to compare video games” and “make game shortlist”. Got hit with a bunch of names. Saw mentions of these fancy game database sites and some apps geared towards collectors. Honestly, felt a bit overwhelming at first glance.
Picking My Top Three Contenders
Scanned through the results again, looking for tools folks actually seemed to use regularly. Three names popped up more often than others:
- Tool A: Kept seeing this one praised by folks organizing their personal libraries. Supposedly easy to add games.
- Tool B: Big name database site everyone knows. Tons of info, but felt kinda generic for this specific job.
- Tool C: Another platform focused on tracking, with features for rating and filtering.
Figured, alright, let’s put these three through their paces. Only way to really know.
Giving Each One A Test Drive
Rolled up my sleeves and started testing. Made sure I had the same bunch of games ready to plug into each one. Wanted a fair fight.
- Tool A: Got started quick, which was nice. Adding games was straightforward – just banging in names or searching. It grabbed covers and basic info alright. But then… boom. Hit the filtering. Wanted to see my games ranked by playtime and then by my own personal rating. Nope. Couldn’t combine them easily. Filters felt basic. Big bummer. My hopes sank a little.
- Tool B: Firehose of information! Seriously, everything you could possibly want to know about a game is probably here. Looked impressive. But man, felt heavy. Adding my games to a custom list was like filling out tax forms compared to Tool A. Sorting? Yeah, you can sort. But actually comparing different games side-by-side to see which fits my shortlist criteria? Like, “Which of these JRPGs has the shortest main story under 20 hours?” Nah, not without jumping through hoops. Too much noise, not enough focused tools.
- Tool C: Okay, last shot. Interface was decent. Adding my games worked well enough, similar to Tool A. Now, the filters… started clicking around. Hey, this is promising! Could actually make custom lists based on multiple things together – genre + my rating + playtime? Check. Could sort the list based on any of those things, or something else entirely? Seemed like it. Even let me view the list different ways, like big tiles or a compact list, which helped scan faster.
Comparing the Comparisons (Weird, I Know)
Sat back after using them all with my actual games. Time to be real.
- Tool A: Super easy to get stuff into it. Loved the simplicity. But felt basic as toast when it came to actually slicing and dicing the list. Good for inventory, bad for smart shortlisting.
- Tool B: The ultimate encyclopedia. Brilliant for looking stuff up. Felt powerful. But for quickly building and comparing a targeted shortlist? It was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Just awkward and slow for this particular job.
- Tool C: Found the sweet spot. Maybe adding games wasn’t quite as mindless as Tool A, but close enough. The filtering and viewing options were miles ahead for actually comparing games against my specific needs. Felt like it understood what I was trying to do.
So, Which One Won Out?
Honestly, for the specific job of making a focused shortlist and comparing games within it, Tool C took the crown. Tool A felt too limited, Tool B felt overwhelming for the task. Tool C gave me the control I needed without being a chore to use.
Ended up spending the afternoon happily building and refining my shortlist in Tool C. Finally felt productive! The takeaway? Don’t just grab the most popular name. Think about exactly what you need to do and test ’em with your stuff. What works for tracking a collection ain’t the same as making smart comparisons for a shortlist.
