Completing Video Games

[Fijiman]

I can't be bothered to get off my ass and list all of the games I've not finished 100% at the moment. However, the main reason that I haven't completed them is usually because I'm either too lazy to do so or got bored of the game. Sometimes it's because it would take too long or is really difficult, but mostly it's laziness. For example, While I have beaten the campaign in Gears 3 on all difficulties, I have not earned all of the achievements for the game yet.(nor do I plan to. Do you have any idea how long it would take to get all of the medals to onyx?)

 

[Canadamus Prime]

I always go into a game with the intention of finishing it. If I fail to do so it's because I got too frustrated with it, or the game is broken, or I got bored.
As for games I never finished:
Sonic Heroes
Persona 3
Metroid Prime 2 & 3
Mega Man X Collection
Star Trek Legacy
Spider-man: Web of Shadows
Final Fantasy IV
Dark Messiah of Might and Magic
Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer
Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo
Red Dead Redemption
Destroy All Humans

... I'm sure I have more, but my mind is blanking out on me.

 

[viranimus]

......people dont finish the games they start? You mean bad games, right? no? Broken games? no

People actually pay money, start playing a game that they like and simply dont finish it?

So this generation not only defends the 60$ price model by willingly allowing publishers try to kill the used market expecting everyone to buy new, but wont even finish a game they paid full price for?

pure insanity.

 

[Gabanuka]

So so many, but if I enjoy a game I always finish it. That mainly depends on how compelling the story is but even then I sometimes don't finish. A good example is Dragon Age actually, only this summer have I decided to replay and actually finish it, I really have no idea why I stopped the first time.

 

[Bertylicious]

I have barely played The Witcher, let alone not finished it. I was gettiing annihalated by some plants and had gone away to do some sidequests. I was leveling up and staring at the tedious character screen when I thought; "you don't have to do this Berty. You can do something fun if you like."

I exited, uninstalled it and never looked back. Then the Witcher 2 came out.

 

[MrHide-Patten]

As an Aussie where every time I want to buy a game I have to sell a vital organ, I always finish the main story campaign, and try to collect all the trophies and whatnot.

 

[dragon_tail]

I have Mass Effect 2, Dragon Age 2, Amnesia, Skyrim, Kingdoms of Amalur, The Longest Journey currently installed and unfinished. I usually tend to finish the main quest-line at least, unless the game is so horrible I can't stand it at all, then I quit. And I would have to add Dungeon Siege 2 to this list; I played it 2 times, completed around 50% both times, and stopped playing. I really want to finish it one day, it gives me a feeling of incompleteness in the back of my mind.

 

[Patrick Buck]

I've finished EVERY game I've bought. With one or two execptions, but I'm still playing them, and I intend to finish them, shit or not. I get my money's worth. :')

 

[josemlopes]

I play the game as long as it manages to keep me interested in it.

Mafia 2 did it, so did Max Payne 3. Last year I played for the first time Psychonauts and ended up finishing the game. GTA IV (even though I like the game) didnt manage to hold my interest to the story (drive to mission, watch cool and funny cutscene, long drive to objective, do boring mission and repeat). Basicly I will play the singleplayer (story in the case of GTA) but I will not finish it just because I started it.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Oh, I completely forgot about my Steam Library. There's several games on there I haven't finished inc.
Siverfall (it's shit)
Dues Ex
Mahjong Quest 1-3
Metro 2033
Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast
Titan Quest and Immortal Throne
Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines
The Witcher Enhanced Edition
Prince of Persia: Sands of Time (I got fed up with the combat)
Garshasp: The Monster Slayer (Perpetual Scowl Man)
Dungeon Siege 1-3
Dead Space (Got to final boss, then got fed up)
Fallout Tactics (didn't really want it, it came as part of a bundle)

 

[TaintedSaint]

Everyone I know finished every game they buy, I do for sure

 

[Bad Jim]

I finish about 8/10 games I start. A game has to be either bad or very boring for me to completely drop it.

However, this isn't normal. If you go on steam and look at the achievement statistics you'll see that usually less than half the people who played a game got the achievement for finishing it.

Some random examples:

Batman Arkham City: 45%
Half Life 2: Episode 2: 50%
Deus Ex: Human Revolution: 42% (Only 23% managed to save Malick, you monsters.)

I've actually completed Half Life 2 and both episodes but I don't have a single cheevy proving it. So some of those stats might be off. I beat them before the cheevies were put in. I don't think you get the cheevies if you play offline either.

Although I will admit, my completion rate is lamentable. I get bored too easily. I am quite tenacious when a game is challenging, but if it gets boring I just stop, buy another game, or play some old favourite. There are a number of games I have bought on Steam sales that I haven't even played, many of them quite good according to popular opinion.

 

[natster43]

I would say I finish about 75% of the games I buy in a timely manner.
A few I can think of that I didn't finish would be Disgaea 4, Red Dead Redemption, GTA 4, Earth Defense Force Insect Armageddon, Borderlands, Bayonetta, Vanquish, Kid Icarus Uprising, and and some others.
These haven't been beaten mostly because I either got bored with the game, a new game that I was more excited for came out, or I am playing the game with friends.

 

[thatrpgguy]

I have a ridiculous amount of games which I haven't finished but plan on finishing eventually.
Some of them:

Final Fantasies IV, VI, VII, IX, X, XII
Kingdom Hearts (I got to the battle with Dark Riku before I rage quit)
Kingdom Hearts II (The idiotic lightcycle minigame which I need to win to finish but can NEVER beat)
Lufia (My feces have better entertainment value)
Suikoden I
Xenogears
Earthbound
Silent Hill
Disgaea

This is mainly a result of me trying to complete about 30 games at the same time, though, and having the attention span of a goldfish.

 

[Aarowbeatsdragon]

the only 2 games that i own that i havnt finished yet are tom clancys ghost recon advanced warfighter which i got in that xbox live sale, its an okay game but it gets boring quite easily and MGS peace walker HD because while its a good game its just missing most of the things that made the other games in the series amazing. such as the boss battles, theyre boring mech fights whereas in the previous games they were memorable human fights! ill finish it soon though

 

[dillinger88]

I don't have any statistics of how many games I own/have played/completed, but I play games for enjoyment. Thus, If I stop enjoying a game, I stop playing it.

I understand why people want to 100% every game or even just force themselves to finish a story, even if it's bad. Especially if you've paid full price for it! But for me, turning a game into a chore is the fastest way for me to recess into gaming fatigue.

 

[Reyold]

I'll stop playing a game if I get to a part that pisses me off, but most times I'll go back later and finish. Right now I've got The Witcher I and II waiting. Bought II first, went and bought I before I got too far, something in I pissed me off, and now they're both waiting. I've heard nothing but good things about them, and enjoyed what I've played, but I keep getting drawn back to Fallout: New Vegas. 250+ hours.

I'm the same way. Though if I get really stuck, it's pretty hard for me to get back into it.

Probably the only exception to that was Final Fantasy Tactics A2. After getting stuck on a boss, I didn't touch it for months. When I finally tried again, I not only beat the boss, but went on to beat the game. One of the best games I ever played.

That said, I'm surprised people don't often finish games. It... kinda blows my mind.

 

[WaysideMaze]

......people dont finish the games they start? You mean bad games, right? no? Broken games? no

People actually pay money, start playing a game that they like and simply dont finish it?

So this generation not only defends the 60$ price model by willingly allowing publishers try to kill the used market expecting everyone to buy new, but wont even finish a game they paid full price for?

There are different reasons for it. Here's a few of mine;

1 - From Dust - Bought it when it was on a deal with Bastion, but it failed to hold my interest all the way through, and I got bored. I've still got it installed, and may finish it someday.

2 - Kingdoms of Amalur - I actually started off really liking this game. The combat was fun and fast, the world was colourful and each area was unique. Then the game started to feel like a grindfest. Get given quest to kill X number of monsters, get better gear, move to next area, repeat. And when I looked at just how much of the game I hadn't yet explored I just lost interest. Again, it's still installed, and I fully intend to go back and finish it, just when I have nothing else.

3 - Mirrors Edge - I bought this because I like the idea, I can appreciate when people try new ideas. It just didn't work for me. For a parkour game it was just far too linear, and this game really did not need those awful combat sections. Again, I just got bored, and again, I do intend to finish it, eventually.

Basically, to sum up, if a game fails to interest me I don't feel compelled to finish it. I have plenty of other, far more interesting games that I could be playing instead.
I've already wasted my money, why waste my time as well?

 

[viranimus]

......people dont finish the games they start? You mean bad games, right? no? Broken games? no

People actually pay money, start playing a game that they like and simply dont finish it?

So this generation not only defends the 60$ price model by willingly allowing publishers try to kill the used market expecting everyone to buy new, but wont even finish a game they paid full price for?

There are different reasons for it. Here's a few of mine;

1 - From Dust - Bought it when it was on a deal with Bastion, but it failed to hold my interest all the way through, and I got bored. I've still got it installed, and may finish it someday.

2 - Kingdoms of Amalur - I actually started off really liking this game. The combat was fun and fast, the world was colourful and each area was unique. Then the game started to feel like a grindfest. Get given quest to kill X number of monsters, get better gear, move to next area, repeat. And when I looked at just how much of the game I hadn't yet explored I just lost interest. Again, it's still installed, and I fully intend to go back and finish it, just when I have nothing else.

3 - Mirrors Edge - I bought this because I like the idea, I can appreciate when people try new ideas. It just didn't work for me. For a parkour game it was just far too linear, and this game really did not need those awful combat sections. Again, I just got bored, and again, I do intend to finish it, eventually.

Basically, to sum up, if a game fails to interest me I don't feel compelled to finish it. I have plenty of other, far more interesting games that I could be playing instead.
I've already wasted my money, why waste my time as well?

Fair enough, though....

Ok I cannot speak for Amalur because I have yet to play it. However From Dust is a pathetic horrible excuse for a game. Mirrors edge while its intentions were good its method of delivery lacked a degree of polish greatly needed. Now if Amalur is as you said one that turns into a grind fest, that is a failing of development. I think thats pretty much covered under where I said Bad games.

Might not be BAD bad... but massive design flaws or out and out bad game play is bad.

If youve already wasted your money... then stopping playing is only going to ensure your money is completely wasted. Even working your way through a bad game is better than a good day at say, work/school. So there are plenty of worse things you could be doing.

 

[Vault101]

makes me think peopel don't really care...and probably why they half ass alot of endings

if I like a game enough I will finish it...out of pure obligation