Finishing Games

[Frybird]

Recently, within the past 3-4 months or so, I have noticed that I rarely finish the games I purchase.

[...]
Far Cry 3, made it to Hoydt's island then stopped.
[...]

Now heres the thing, I'm really not sure why. All the above I had a blast with and I never really got the sense that I was bored with them. I just... stopped. I'll start thinking about it an remember how much fun I had playing them and start again for thirty minutes or so, then just stop.

Anyone else have this kind of thing happen to them?

Hah, exactly the same thing for me. (And i'd guess many others).

It doesn't help that the end of the first island feels so...conclusive.
At the end of it, you get a bunch of setpiece moments, most of the story elements get sort-of-kind-of resolved, and the beginning of the second island looks very much like what happened on the first one, only that now you'll have to face a villan you haven't even seen at this point.

Given that i also accidentially spoiled the actual ending to myself, there is not much incentive to come back, even though i enjoyed most of the game so far.

------

But as for you, as i see it all the games you listed are pretty long (as in far over the 20 hour mark, except DoW2, but it sounds like you're currently playing the second expansion) maybe you are like me and tend to get bored on longer games.

Many people complain how short games are nowadays, but given that i personally have a lot of income to spare for new games, but hardly the time to play all of them, i actually appreciate games that i can finish within 10 to 15 hours as long as they remain fun to play (For example, i am fully satisfied with the length of Dishonored despite it being apparently it's main weakness) while at the same time i dread games from wich i can already see beforehand that they involve lots of grinding, subquests or expansive open worlds. After a while, i just want to have a new gameplay experience, no matter how well designed the one i'm currently playing is. But that's alright for me.

 

[xShredd]

Recently, within the past 3-4 months or so, I have noticed that I rarely finish the games I purchase.

Far Cry 3, made it to Hoydtt's island then stopped.
SWTOR, my ratattaki bounty hunter is stuck freezing her butt off on Hoth.
Guild Wars 2, made it to level 27, then stopped.
Dawn of War 2, did about 10 missions of the Eldar campaign then stopped.
Borderlands 2, made it to 41 Mechro, then stopped.

Now heres the thing, I'm really not sure why. All the above I had a blast with and I never really got the sense that I was bored with them. I just... stopped. I'll start thinking about it an remember how much fun I had playing them and start again for thirty minutes or so, then just stop.

Anyone else have this kind of thing happen to them?

Wait a level 41 Mechromancer then stopped? Does that mean the story of that game goes on for that long? I'm around level 25ish and it's looking like the game is slowly inching towards the last few areas. Then again it only takes one new batch of side quests and oops 3 hours gone.

Don't worry, you're close to the ending of the game, but after you finish it unlocks a 'True Vault Hunter' mode, which lets you play through the game for a second time with your existing character from your first playthrough. That's how he got that high, I finished the game somewhere around level 30.

 

[RobfromtheGulag]

I generally finish games. I do get the sensation sometimes however that I'm beating a game because I'm compelled to beat it, not because I'm having fun. I hate this idea, but it occurs rather often.

I really hate it when I come across a game that I actively don't enjoy yet by my nature I have to finish it anyway. This essentially turns my enjoyable gaming pursuit into a chore.

 

[TheProfessor234]

I normally finish games but I never worry about not finishing them.

There will soon be a time where I won't be able to afford all the new and flashy stuff. When that happens, I will have a mountain of things to polish off and finish then and they will take up my time.

 

[Mullac]

I always try to finish games so I can both make a fair judgement of them, and the fact they seem to haunt me if I don't. One thing that does bug me about people who don't, is when they try and review or argue about them, WHEN THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW THE FULL DAMN STORY...I'm sorry...I get angry sometimes...

 

[PeterMerkin69]

Quitting before the end is statistically normal, at least according to Bioware and a few others.

Personally, I tend to try to finish the games I buy, no matter how annoying or terrible they are. If I put the money out then I intend to get my money's worth and that's all there is to it. This is a recent development. From the NES-PS2 era I almost never finished anything, including some of my favorites. I've only gotten angrier with age and that can go a long way in helping you grin and bear.

It's easier to ***** and complain about games you don't like when you've fully experienced all the horrors they've to offer, too!

 

[feeback06]

I generally finish games. I do get the sensation sometimes however that I'm beating a game because I'm compelled to beat it, not because I'm having fun. I hate this idea, but it occurs rather often.

I really hate it when I come across a game that I actively don't enjoy yet by my nature I have to finish it anyway. This essentially turns my enjoyable gaming pursuit into a chore.

I've looked at some games like that as well, where it feels like I'm doing laundry or dishes instead of enjoying myself. I've made a rule to myself to never finish games that feel like that.

 

[Patrick Buck]

I finish games.
If I don't finish them, it feels like I wasted money on them... Though I haven't beaten Dark souls yet, and haven't played that for months.... It's difficult OK? I got bored of Grinding.

DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Usually if I don't finish a game it's because I either get sick of it or run up against a challenge that is just too daunting to continue to struggle against such as the final boss to Persona 3.

 

[j2sexy]

I can seriously relate to this!
With so many games, I remember how much I enjoyed playing them, am really far with a fair few of them, and I just can't bring myself to play them again - AND I DON'T KNOW WHY
A good example is Persona 3 FES - I'm on roughly floor 210, was loving it and I haven't picked it up for like a year. I don't wanna start the expansion (which i'm curious about) without finishing the main game but looks like it'll never happen aha

 

[FoolKiller]

Of the sixty-some PS3 games I have, I've only completed seven.

Of the 341 Xbox 360 games I have, I've only completed 63

 

[ObsidianJones_v1legacy]

I know why I stop beating games.

I remember from the first time it happened. I used to beat games and not even think about it. But then, I started RPGs. And it wasn't just jump, shoot, a winner is you. There was a story. There was a reason. There were quests that I took up as my own, and characters that I would have love to call friends in real life.

Then I played Secret of Mana. Times all I said by a hundred. It was such a compelling story at the time, I just needed to know more. I needed more elementals to free. And then, I was confronted with the Mana Beast. And the realization of if I do this, I would change the face of the world I grew to love. But I had to. And I lost more than what I bargained for.

Those of you who played it as younglings, you remember the game over screen. And you remember that you caused that. That was a lot for a kid Obsidian Jones to take in. Made me gun shy about beating games ever since.

 

[The]

I've been trying to finish Psychonauts, but Steam keeps uninstalling it from my computer. What drives me to abandon games is accessibility, both in gameplay and in being able to actually start it up.

Captcha: political party
WHOO! POLITICAL PARTY! GET OUT THE DRINKS!

 

[go-10]

the only problem I see here is "in the last 3-4 months" you bought and played about 5 to 6 games 0__o

remember when you where a kid and didn't have any disposable income, your only option was to plea to your parents to get you games which for most of us meant about 2 games a year (Christmas and birthday). So its not really a problem with games holding you, its more of a too many games and you want to play them all

 

[jdogtwodolla]

Deus Ex HR

I got out of china the first time around (I'm told you visit places twice), stopped for a while and haven't touched it since. I keep thinking back to it and it all seems so intimidating that I don't make the effort.

 

[WendelI]

Im still not done with Fallout: New Vegas but its because i keep getting sidetracked by the DLC and all the sexy sidequests. Why the fuck should i care about some guy that shot me 3 months back when im getting shot at every daned day, I got zombies to help get to outer space man!

I guess i recently finished sonic generations so thats a plus, the game was hard too, the sonic colors stage (planet wisp) is actually quite the challenge. Its also a very good visual representation of Chrystal meth.

 

[Scarim Coral]

The last time I did that was Chrono Trigger for the DS a year ago but that because I lost interest in it once I've been several option quests to do. Granted there is Pkemon Black 2 and Mass Effect but I like to view those two as "Hiatus" as I intend to play and finish at some point (I mean it).

 

[TrevHead]

Well that's bound to happen around RPGs. You spend hours and hours customizing and leveling and grinding and getting sidetracked... and by the time you get back to the main storyline you wanna hurry up and get finished except you already got bored and have some other titles pressing. I personally hate not finishing a game. Inasmuch as I've been dragging a few now and then I always make it a point to finish them.

+1 here, I'm usually fine with most games but I have a big problem finishing RPGs as it's hard to know how many side quests to do inbetween the main quest missions.

I suppose knowing how long the main quest lasts for will help, as would a % of main quest completed indicator.

 

[NightmareExpress]

If I like the game, I finish it.
If I do not like the game, I abandon it.

That's how I operate.
Though I've finished a good deal of games that I didn't like "to get my money's worth".

 

[DeadlyYellow]

Of the sixty-some PS3 games I have, I've only completed seven.

Of the 341 Xbox 360 games I have, I've only completed 63

You're two games short of being amusing.

Go buy two games.