Why Be a Completionist?

[Julianking93]

Meh. I don't have online so trophies are useless to me.

I know people who are the ultimate achievement whores.

There's this guy who rents every single game just to get trophies. And I mean every single game

He rents shit like Hannah Montana Sing Party just to get the trophies.

 

[GiantRedButton]

Why Be a Completionist?

I don't only wan't to be a completionist, I want to be everything.

 

[commasplice]

The "narcoleptic" comment kinda made me go, "Huh?" Did she mean to say, "insomniac"?

I did indeed mean insomniac. Thanks

No prob! Happens to the best of us.

As far as the original topic goes, I try to be a completionist, but then I get lazy and distracted. This is the reason I have never finished a Final Fantasy game in my life. I refuse to finish the game until I collect everything, but then I get bored with that and go play another unfinished game from chapter one.

 

[Wolfram23]

For me, I've only platinumed one game and that's Dirt 2 because well, it's not THAT hard to do and basically it's a reason to keep racing. Otherwise I do like trophies but I'm not hell bent on getting 100% especially if some are retardedly difficult to get or exceedingly time consuming. I'd love to 100% Demon's Souls but it'll take so damn long (farming for chunks, no thanks) I'm mostly there but there's been too many other games to play since. In Assassin's Creed 2 I'm about 98% of the way basically just need the last 30 or so feathers but again, I've got better things to do. A game like DJ Hero I'd like to get 100% because it's a reason to keep playing this fun game (which is all about replaying, just like a race game) but they have retarded ass trophies for playing 2 player on one console with 2 DJ controllers and 1 DJ 1 Guitar controller. Which won't happen. Jerks. And finally I've got back into MW2 last week, which I didn't play much since release (beat campaign, lvl 26 online then put it away) and I'm interested in getting platinum if I can get my buddy online for spec ops. That's fun and the trophies are more of a bonus.

Usually when I first start a game I like to check out the trophies, because sometimes there's trophies for performing well - MW2 example being killing 2 enemies rapelling down w/o them touching down. Or in AC2 - kill 10 enemies without getting hit. Those are fun and feels good to get. The 'gimmie' trophies are nice just because they're free trophies.

So basically, I find trophies are a decent motivation to go back and replay a game but I don't obssess over them too much. Most of my games are maybe 50% complete.

Back in the day when I couldn't afford all the new games, I got 100% in Zelda: OoT. As in all the hearts and gold skultulas. And without any strategy guides, mind you.

 

[Chardan]

Well, just half an hour ago I finished Mass Effect 2 on Insanity and have 2 achievements left. I generally try to complete every game at least to some extent, but when it comes to games I'm a big fan of I'll never stop playing. Just like my 450+ Hour Pokemon Diamond Save.

 

[lee1287]

gears of war 2,

Dantes inferno,

Assassins Creed 2

These are the games I have got the most achievements on.

So, basicaly, the games i like.

 

[Lauren Admire]

The "narcoleptic" comment kinda made me go, "Huh?" Did she mean to say, "insomniac"?

I did indeed mean insomniac. Thanks

No prob! Happens to the best of us.

As far as the original topic goes, I try to be a completionist, but then I get lazy and distracted. This is the reason I have never finished a Final Fantasy game in my life. I refuse to finish the game until I collect everything, but then I get bored with that and go play another unfinished game from chapter one.

I was THISCLOSE to finishing FF10 - literally about to fight Sin...annnnd the entire Save file was destroyed by my roommate. ><

 

[Tom Phoenix]

I would not exactly call myself a completionist, since I generally do not bother myself with things such as online achievements and whatnot.

That said, I do tend to be a completionist in games where completing additional tasks actually nets you certain in-game benefits. For example, in RPGs, I like to do all the side-quests that I can in order to delve deeper into the story as well as gain additional experience.

An example of games which I personally think reward completionists very well is the Super Robot Wars franchise:

- First, there is the fact that if you want to play the additional missions and experience the REAL ending, you have to collect a certain amount of Battle Masteries. These are optional objectives each mission has that make that mission more challenging (by, for example, providing additional tasks and/or limiting the amount of turns in which you can complete the mission).

- Second are the secrets. These are basically hidden items and mechs which you can obtain by completing certain steps throughout the game. However, the games generally tend to have branching paths at several points, making it impossible to get all the secrets in one playthrough. So in order to unlock all the secrets, the player must play the game again.

- Third are the additional modes. Basically, once you complete the game the first time around, you unlock an additional mode in which you get to play the game with the additional skill points and money you earned through the first playthrough. And once you complete that, you unlock another mode which is the same as the first playthrough, except you also have one of each mecha available to you right from the beginning.

Overall, if it is just for having a small icon and title on the internet, I would generally not bother. However, some games (like the aformentioned SRW) do make being a completionist very worthwhile.

 

[commasplice]

I was THISCLOSE to finishing FF10 - literally about to fight Sin...annnnd the entire Save file was destroyed by my roommate. ><

You just had to mention 10, didn't you? I've brought this up at least twice on this site before, but 10 was my first Final Fantasy game. I got up to the airship bit and went, "I needs me some legendary weapons," then forgot about the game for a while. Later, a girl I was crushing on asked me if she could borrow my copy, claiming that another friend was going to let her borrow his PS2. Well, that never happened, she never played it and she eventually lost my disk. I actually forgot that she even had it until years after we dated and broke up. So, eventually, I decided to give it another shot and bought a second, used copy. I started all the way over because I'd forgotten the story and got up to the same point (albeit with more stuff unlocked) before I got distracted and--go figure--lent my PS2 to that ex-girlfriend's little brother, who now happens to be one of my best friends. I still haven't gotten it back.

 

[funksobeefy]

Have you never seen back to the future?

Is a legendary car in burnout modeled after the back to the future car.

I have seen back to the future, and that was my first guess, but its way too beefed out so I thought it had to be something else.

 

[Twilight_guy]

I generally don't play bad games anymore... not enough time or money, but when I did it was often because I wanted more out of a game. It wasn't enough to save the world and leave, I had to collect every bobble and optimize every stat. Why just play a game and then let it sit and rot for a year before maybe playing it again? I wanted to complete every fascit before I moved on. Bad games had as much to do as good games, it wqas just less fun doing it. Even then, I still sometimes stop plying bad games. Not because I decide not to play them but because they simply drop off my list of things to do.

More Cowbell!!

 

[Ossum]

It's usually because I won't get an opportunity or desire to play through again to find more stuff. So, knowing that I'll get one playthrough of a game, I'll make the experience last as long as possible.

 

[Burst6]

I usually finish as much as i can before i get bored. The only game that i have tried to complete is monster hunter freedom 2. No achievements, just me and a lot of big bad bosses who have the skin/hides/claws/teeth/some other crazy thing i need to make armor.

Right now i am at a level when one boss is pissing me off so much it made me quit.

otherwise i usually just play through a game quickly.

 

[Sjakie]

If i had my fun with it, i discard the rest of the game...like the 60? whore they are.
They should think of a achievement for that.

 

[Eleima]

I don't play all that many games, but those that I do play, I usually play to the end, and when achievements are available, well, I do my darnest to get them all. I guess that does make me something of a completionist, I guess.

Here's a thought, though... Back in the days, when we didn't have achievements, and online profiles to show off our accomplishments, we still had the "points" system. Didn't we just convert a "high score" into an "achievement"?

 

[xpacerx]

I am a platinum hunter, and I have played horrible games to the end such as Darkvoid and Matt Hazzard just to get the platinum. I have gamefly and I figure why not I rented it there is not time limit so might as well finish it. I only rent games that are in the genres I like to play like shooters etc. unlike others that will play genres they hate just to get more trophies/achievements. I just go for the platinum and could care less about DLC trophies. I do get DLC though if I like the game.

I got into this play style because my brother completed a game and was bragging about having all the points so to shut him up i did it too then I started competing with out achievement scores to see who could get the most. then a couple other friends joined in. After a while it just became common place to get all the trophies/achievements on every game I played. Of course the only people that care about how many trophies/achievements you have are the people that like to get them. I really don't care who looks at them anymore I just like them and its the way my game play has evolved. If I ever lost that data sure it would suck but I would still go on living ,

Since I have been a trophy hunter I have experienced the good and bad and seen a bunch of stuff in the games that average gamers never experience so all and all I prefer it this way. Even got a few people to start trophy hunting like me, they just get curious of why i do it and eventually want to do it to I don't even have to convince them nor do i ever try.

 

[Modus Operandi]

Why Be a Completionist?

OCD.

 

[Randvek]

Long ago, I played on MUDs. There was a quiz that circulated around. If you took it, it told you why you played MUDs. There were 4 basic reasons why. Some people wanted to explore, finding new things to do. Some people wanted to compete against other players. Some people wanted to socialize and work together. And finally, some people wanted to achieve their 'goals,' which in a MUD sense generally meant maximizing your levels or stats.

 

[Dr. Paine]

Because it feels kinda wrong to just leave them unfinished.

Unless it really is that boring. (I've given up on Legend of Dragoon after making it about half-way through disk one.)

 

[Tharwen]

As long as there are relatively regular achievements or progress markers, I sometimes play all the way through (I think Assassin's creed 2 might be the next game I do this in). If a game leaves me a gap of 20000 kills between my current achievement level and the final one, I'll be unlikely to go for it.