What's the biggest ''pageturner'' singleplayer game you've ever played?

[DYin01]

Recently, I completed both Mass Effect 1 and 2 within two weeks. As soon as I realized the end of Mass Effect 1 was dawning I ordered Mass Effect 2 so I could continue on with the story immediately after I finished it. I just couldn't put it down. A real 'pageturner' if you will.

Finishing those games has left me with a bit of a void though and I'm looking for another game that'll suck me in like that.

That's where you come in! I'm sure all of you gamers have been sucked into the vortex of a great game once and that you just couldn't put it down till you finished it. Share your stories about these great games, with narrative that keeps you on the edge of your seat and gameplay that just keeps you coming back for more. Take a dive into nostalgia lake or relive recent adventures.

Escapist, what's the biggest gaming equivalent of a pageturner you've ever played?

 

[Cpt_Oblivious]

I've got to say, Mafia and Mafia II. Those are brilliant story-games that are the best "pageturner" games I've ever played.

 

[DYin01]

Absolutely agree with you. Finished both of those games and I loved them.

 

[Dapper Ninja]

Persona 3. And it's 90 hours long. Awesome.

 

[Liberaliter]

Probably the first Mass Effect. Was a bit slow at first, but I eventually ended up staying up early into the morning to finish it.

 

[Woodsey]

Assassin's Creed 2 was the last thing (excluding ME2 and Mafia 2; although I don't feel like I sing AC2's thriller-Sci-fi-historical-fiction praises enough) like that for me.

Played it almost non-stop over an entire weekend; whereas other people's intepretation of the series' overall story rests at, "LOL WTF MUST BE A DUMB ENDING BECAUSE I CAN'T PAY ATTENTION TO A 2 MINUTE MONOLOGUE THAT EXPLAINS A HELL OF A LOT BUT ALSO REQUIRES SOME MILD BRAIN ACTIVITY ON MY BEHALF", I found it intriguing and I love how layered it all is.

The ending did exactly what a series like this should do and pushed things towards the very edge of a new level before cutting itself off, much like Lost series finales did in a way. The new game/series then has something new - and frankly quite exciting - to build itself from.

 

[DYin01]

Assassin's Creed 2 was the last thing (excluding ME2) like that for me.

Played it almost non-stop over an entire weekend; whereas other people's intepretation of the series' overall story rests at, "LOL WTF MUST BE A DUMB ENDING BECAUSE I CAN'T PAY ATTENTION TO A 2 MINUTE MONOLOGUE THAT EXPLAINS A HELL OF A LOT BUT ALSO REQUIRES SOME MILD BRAIN ACTIVITY ON MY BEHALF", I found it intriguing and I love how layered it all is.

The ending did exactly what a series like this should do and pushed things towards the very edge of a new level before cutting itself off, much like Lost series finales did in a way. The new game/series then has something new - and frankly quite exciting - to build itself from.

Assassin's Creed 2 does look good. I completed the first one and I really digged the ending there. Maybe I should get it.

@Liberaliter: That's exactly how I felt about Mass Effect 1. I almost didn't go through with it but I read so many great reviews that I just had to push through that opening. After that, it was pure gold.

 

[Dapper Ninja]

The ending did exactly what a series like this should do and pushed things towards the very edge of a new level before cutting itself off, much like Lost series finales did in a way. The new game/series then has something new - and frankly quite exciting - to build itself from.

Wait... ending on a cliffhanger that won't be resolved until a sequel or new season that may or may not exist is exactly what a series should do? I was always under the impression that a good ending is something that allows for the work to stand on its own, rather than a blatant and annoying "to be continued..."

 

[Woodsey]

The ending did exactly what a series like this should do and pushed things towards the very edge of a new level before cutting itself off, much like Lost series finales did in a way. The new game/series then has something new - and frankly quite exciting - to build itself from.

Wait... ending on a cliffhanger that won't be resolved until a sequel or new season that may or may not exist is exactly what a series should do? I was always under the impression that a good ending is something that allows for the work to stand on its own, rather than a blatant and annoying "to be continued..."

If it's part of a planned series then yeah, although AC2 is capable of standing on it's own, just like Alan Wake (for example) does. Threads are left untied, but the story at hand is resolved in both (in AC2's case that's Ezio's).

If something is planned purely as a single experience then obviously there's not much point in leaving threads.

 

[Kukakkau]

Assassin's Creed 2 was the last thing (excluding ME2 and Mafia 2; although I don't feel like I sing AC2's thriller-Sci-fi-historical-fiction praises enough) like that for me.

Played it almost non-stop over an entire weekend; whereas other people's intepretation of the series' overall story rests at, "LOL WTF MUST BE A DUMB ENDING BECAUSE I CAN'T PAY ATTENTION TO A 2 MINUTE MONOLOGUE THAT EXPLAINS A HELL OF A LOT BUT ALSO REQUIRES SOME MILD BRAIN ACTIVITY ON MY BEHALF", I found it intriguing and I love how layered it all is.

The ending did exactly what a series like this should do and pushed things towards the very edge of a new level before cutting itself off, much like Lost series finales did in a way. The new game/series then has something new - and frankly quite exciting - to build itself from.

Man it's nice to have someone on here not go "aliens? wtf? lawlz" - it seemed nobody bothered to listen or even realize the series was designed as a trilogy - the 2nd games ending shouldn't tie everything up nicely.

Okay rant over

Probably AC2 for me as well - not been many epic and long enough singleplayer games I've got recently. Closest would be the end part of red dead redemption as I really wanted to find out where it was going to go

 

[DYin01]

The ending did exactly what a series like this should do and pushed things towards the very edge of a new level before cutting itself off, much like Lost series finales did in a way. The new game/series then has something new - and frankly quite exciting - to build itself from.

Wait... ending on a cliffhanger that won't be resolved until a sequel or new season that may or may not exist is exactly what a series should do? I was always under the impression that a good ending is something that allows for the work to stand on its own, rather than a blatant and annoying "to be continued..."

Truth. That's what made Mass Effect 1 and 2 so good. Even if you don't defeat all the evil in the galaxy, you still accomplished something massive.

 

[Trifixion]

The Longest Journey. Started playing it, got so engrossed in the excellent story and the fascinating characters that I could not stop until it was finished. Spent a while in some sections just 'standing in place' listening to the music as well because the soundtrack was so good.

 

[Skullpanda]

Well, the big ones for me were Shadow of the Colossus (I know there wasn't much blatant story there, but it just works so damn well!), Persona 4, and Half-Life. All outstanding games, and Persona 4 has one of the best, but most aggravating, game endings that I've ever reached...

 

[The Ambrosian]

Assassin's Creed 2 was the last thing (excluding ME2 and Mafia 2; although I don't feel like I sing AC2's thriller-Sci-fi-historical-fiction praises enough) like that for me.

Played it almost non-stop over an entire weekend; whereas other people's intepretation of the series' overall story rests at, "LOL WTF MUST BE A DUMB ENDING BECAUSE I CAN'T PAY ATTENTION TO A 2 MINUTE MONOLOGUE THAT EXPLAINS A HELL OF A LOT BUT ALSO REQUIRES SOME MILD BRAIN ACTIVITY ON MY BEHALF", I found it intriguing and I love how layered it all is.

The ending did exactly what a series like this should do and pushed things towards the very edge of a new level before cutting itself off, much like Lost series finales did in a way. The new game/series then has something new - and frankly quite exciting - to build itself from.

I completed that across two days

And I probably asked thirty people about the ending and not one of them understood it, and I had to explain it to all of them.

 

[MiracleOfSound]

Modern Warfare 2's campaign.

It was such a big adrenalin rush from start to finish... I didn't care that the story was silly as it was so much damn fun, with some really epic set pieces.

Pity it ended so quickly.

 

[Wolfram23]

Hmm... STALKER: Call of Pripyat, I guess. Or Metro 2033, actually. Or Mafia 2.

As for Mass Effect... I just can't get into that game. I got control of the Normandy and went to a couple planets but I find the combat/squad thing sucks it's not intuitive at all and my squad is absolutely retarded and then on another planet it was all talk talk talk talk talk... bleh!

The last game tho that really really hooked me was certainly Fallout 3 - much moreso than the more recent games IMO.

 

[Ossian]

ME1/2 probably my favorite games out there, better than KoTOR Simply because KoTOR 1 wasn't as good after you knew the twist, and KoTOR 2 simply sucked from plot holes.

 

[DYin01]

Hmm... STALKER: Call of Pripyat, I guess.

As for Mass Effect... I just can't get into that game. I got control of the Normandy and went to a couple planets but I find the combat/squad thing sucks it's not intuitive at all and my squad is absolutely retarded and then on another planet it was all talk talk talk talk talk... bleh!

The last game tho that really really hooked me was certainly Fallout 3.

Did you know Mass Effect was an RPG before you started playing? While combat is big part of the game, it isn't combat driven. You may like Mass Effect 2 more though. It's a little more accesible and the action is far more streamlined.

Also, I thought STALKER was quite buggy? Is it? Because it does look interesting...

 

[Ekonk]

I'll say it again. Korsakovia.

The story (along with certain other things, such as sound design) was just so great and insanely frightening that I had to soldier on through the atrocious level design. I love it.