What drives you to finish a game?

Willeth

This is something I've been thinking a lot about recently. Reading part 2 of Shawn Elliott's reviews symposium, I was a bit surprised when he said that 50% of all the people who played BioShock played it to completion; even more so that this is considered unusually high.

I've been thinking about why I finish a game, and usually it's because I only buy games that I know I'll enjoy. I'm going to hold off on my own opinions until I have more time to type out a real post about it, but usually it's more to external factors (other games, work commitments) than the game itself (difficulty, bad story, etc).

What say you, G&T? Do you finish every game you buy? If so, why, if not - why? Are there any specific examples of games that you remember not finishing for one reason or another? Any game that you deliberately fought through its faults to finish for whatever reason? What could they have done to grip you, in that case?

Oh and hey, spoiler warning. We're probably going to be talking a lot of spoilers in this thread. If you have something you want to discuss about the plot of whatever, don't dance around it, go ahead and talk about it, but use the spoiler tags appropriately, with context so that people have a heads-up about what's in it beforehand.

Prester John

I almost never finish games. There's a point in almost every game where I've seen everything that I really care to see. The game's done for me what it's going to do -- either I've seen all of the weapons and enemies in the game, or I've become so powerful that nothing can possibly touch me, or whatever. The few that I do play through are those in which the gameplay is so well tuned that I don't need new shinies to keep my interest, but that's fairly rare.

This, of course, contributes to a vicious cycle: Most game developers front load the cool shit, because they know most players won't play through 'till the end.

Dodge Aspen

Basically, if Im having fun, and things aren't too repetitive, I'll stick with things through to the end. I guess the story plays a role in some cases.

I think the main thing that keeps me with a game is a sense of progression. If I can learn new abilities, get more powerful weapons, and just generally improve my experience as I play more and more, I'll stick around to see what's next. I played through Resident Evil 4 6 or 7 times just to see every weapon at full power.

Also, Xbox Achievements are also a surprisingly effective tool in making me want to keep at a game.

I do finish most games I buy. Of course, it usually takes me a month or two to do so, which means I have a mile long backlog.

Big Classy

for me it's mostly the story. Hell, I'll use cheats if I have to just to find out what happens next. Current victim of said cheat usage? Max Payne 2. Yes, I suck at vidja games.

Mr_Grinch

It depends on the game. I try nowadays to complete every game I buy, just to get my money's worth but I've still got a backlog and I'm buying new games. Backlog spoilered due to not being that interesting:

PS2
Ratchet and Clank (all except the first)
God of War 1 & 2

PS3
Resistance Fall of Man
Motorstorm: Pacific Rift
Siren
Grid
Dirt (I haven't played more than two races of this)

SNES
Super Mario World
Super Mario All-Stars
Donkey Kong Country
Earthbound
Megaman X
Zelda: Link to the Past

Xbox
Ninja Gaiden
Fahrenheit (completed once but intend to finish it again)

In addition to those there are games I keep chipping away at, like Guitar Hero and Rock Band and there are AAA titles that just, for one reason or another, didn't hold my attention such as Fallout 3 and Dead Space. I accept they were entertaining games but something didn't drive me to complete them. Also being you mentioned it, I didn't finish Bioshock either.

But then there are titles like Conan (on PS3) that i picked up for £8 and I played to death. I know people hated it, it got dreadful scores and I'll admit myself it really wasn't a "top title" but I LOVED it. There was something mindless and relaxing about it.

I think what I've got going on in life in general dictates what games I finish. A year back I had more free time and I finished up Super Paper Mario, Zack and Wiki, Ratchett and Clank, Assassin's Creed and a shed load more. Now I keep myself more occupied, I've taken up Rock Climbing and Scuba Diving, I'm organising a wedding and I've taken on a promotion at work that, whilst more money is much more stressful and time consuming I have less time for gaming.

At the moment I'm just playing games that I find mindlessly enjoyable, hence why I've picked up God of War. I want something to destress with. I want to bash heads, smash brains and cause mayhem. I'm also playing through Left4Dead with a friend who I don't get to see so much anymore and it's a nice way to catch up without being in the same county as him (glass of whisky, good conversation, shooting zombies).

so tldr; if I have plenty of free time I like to try to complete each game I buy. If I'm having a busy old time with life then I want some visceral, violent, fast paced and relatively short.

Willeth

Mr_Grinch wrote: »

But then there are titles like Conan (on PS3) that i picked up for £8 and I played to death. I know people hated it, it got dreadful scores and I'll admit myself it really wasn't a "top title" but I LOVED it. There was something mindless and relaxing about it.

Would you have enjoyed it as much if you paid full whack, do you reckon? I know I'm playing the shit out of Blood on the Sand, but I'm constantly aware that I didn't pay fifty quid for the privilege. If I had done, I'd still finish it and probably enjoy it, but I'd maybe be going back and getting all the gold medals and so forth as well.

Is the game's value as 'fun' related to its price?

Antihippy

Story mostly for story-driven games, and gameplay.

I find that I prefer games with not much focus on story or an end which mostly focus on the gameplay though, like fighting games and Rock band. They get quite alot more playtime.

SatanIsMyMotor

In the latest generation of games I've been finishing them simply because I've come to learn that the end of games usually have something amazing happening. Perfect example of this is Deadspace.

And the exception to prove the rule - Fallout 3.

Edcrab

Yeah, for me it's either to further an involving story or because the gameplay is so enjoyable that I want to squeeze every last drop of it from the singleplayer. Sometimes both.

Case in point, I got through the

terrible Lambda complex puzzles and to a lesser extent Xen's jumping

in Half-Life simply because I needed to know how everything ended. And up until then the gameplay was rock-solid.

Bioptic

Usually the only reason for me not finishing something is reaching a difficulty barrier - I try something, fail, fail a few more times, then move onto something new/easier. I always have a vague intention to return and get past that part, but the thought of further frustration usually kills my interest in the game.

This wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't so incredibly common - particularly with console games, which tend to never have dynamic difficulty options. I suppose I fall heavily into the 'videogames as exploratory entertainment' category category, though, rather than viewing them as some personal challenge - I can't see the point of something I bought for entertainment denying me access to certain parts of it.

Oh - I've also failed to finish many, many long-form JRPGs, partly due to poor pacing, partly due to frustration at having to grind to make progress. I usually know what I'm getting into when I start playing one, though, so time's less of a factor.

Lly

Dead space is the only game i've played to completion for, maybe years. For me it is a matter of time, and what i want out of my time. I would much rather play enough of a game to feel like i have experienced it, and then move on to another game. I know i am missing out on the full experience, but unless i get totally gripped by a game i would rather be able to experience more games to a lesser extent each time with my limited free time.

For example i loved RE4, but never completed it as i got less enjoyment as i got through (maybe got 3/4 through it) and i felt like trying out a new game. I always stop playing with the intention of going back and completing them, but i never do.

Peewi

Like others have said, it's usually fun gameplay or a story that makes me play a game all the way through, but part of it might also be that I want to feel that I've really completed it. The only games I've liked that I haven't completed have been ones I'm really bad at.

Ultrachrist

Same reason I finished books or movies or whatever else. If I like it, then I must see it through. I never really have games where I stop halfway or 3/4ths of the way through or something. I either play a game for an hour or two and don't like it and generally never touch it again or I finish it.

PeregrineFalcon

Good gameplay and good story are what drives me.

If I'm not having fun with a game, I'll simply stop playing it.

DarkPrimus

I've been known to work through a mediocre game because I want to get resolution to the game's story.

Snare

That's actually a really hard question to answer for me, since owning an XBox I've tried my best to complete every game I get and I managed to for a while...

I suppose my main reasons would be:
- Difficulty is perfectly balanced (nothing too hard or too easy THROUGHOUT)
- Achievements (I know, I know.....)
- A good story
- A gameplay element that requires skill (like learning a fighting game or something similar)

thejazzman

I finish every game I buy because I can't stand not finishing a story, if I walk into a room with some shitty tv show on I'll be glued to it for 10 minutes hovering at the door b/c I am instantly interested in the story.

I never buy a game that doesn't appeal to me b/c I research every purchase thoroughly beforehand, and even when a game annoys me I will power through or come back the next day/ game FAQS for a puzzle I cant work out.

I also get a big sense of satisfaction from having completed a game

Willeth

DarkPrimus wrote: »

I've been known to work through a mediocre game because I want to get resolution to the game's story.

Any in particular, or is this just typical behaviour for you?

DarkPrimus

Willeth wrote: »

DarkPrimus wrote: »

I've been known to work through a mediocre game because I want to get resolution to the game's story.

Any in particular, or is this just typical behaviour for you?

Just general behavior, but I'm not above resorting to cheat codes or lower difficulties if that means getting through the game quicker.

That's only for those mediocre games, mind you.

Selner

I think I can count on one hand the number of games I've actually completed.

I generally only play RPGs, which take a while to complete. Many games have a point where grinding becomes necessary, and that turns me off. Or, it gets to the "open ended" point where you don't really have to pay attention to the story and can just goof off. I'll goof off, and get bored.

But mainly, RL stuff will generally take me away for a little while. And when I get back, I won't necessarily want to play any more. Or, there will be a new game to play and the cycle starts over.

The sad part is, I almost never pick up old games and finish them. I'm trying to make an exception now, and finish all the RPGs I've gotten over the last couple years. But free time is an a minimum .

I think I also need to stop reading guides, and just play the game. As I'll read a guide, and know where hidden or hard to reach stuff is. Then I'll spend days trying to do that stuff, and eventually tire of the game.

Delinator

In most cases I just want to see how the story ends. The feeling of accomplishment after finishing a game is another reason I guess.

I'll always try to get to the end even if I have to force myself. Mirrors Edge and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed really annoyed me towards the end but I finished them nevertheless.

The price of the game is another factor. I'm more determined to finish a full price 60,- game than a 800 MS points XBLA game because if I get a few hours of fun out of an arcade game that is enough for me.
I still haven't finished Braid, Rez HD, N+, The Maw, Prince of Persia and a few more Arcade games because I just lost interest.
But if I have to pay 60,- I want to get the complete experience to get my moneys worth.

darkenedwing

I find it hard to keep my attention for long on a game, thats why I love short and sweet games. 10~ or so hours is perfect for a single player game. Multiplayer is a whole different story though. Bioshock was too long for me, I think I got about 3/4th of the way through it and just never finished it. The games have to be really amazing in my oppinion to keep my interest for a long period of time, like MGS4. I played through that game in 2 days, and I would do it again if I didn't sell my PS3.
Right now I just bought a 360 and GTA4+Lost and Damned. The only thing keeping my attention is the story, because the missions piss me off to no end.

THEPAIN73

I like the feeling of accomplishment. Seeing the fruits of my labor put to good use. If anything it's so I can brag to my buddies. I do get bored with some games though when it gets too repetitive.

The current one I am playing is Phantom Hourglass and there is one place you have to go to 5 plus times.. ON A TIME LIMIT :x . I hate that and I am completely done minus the final time through this dungeon and beat the final boss but I can't bring myself to beat it. I started playing Diamond again to get my mind off of it.

I love Diamond.

SageinaRage

I'm really bad at finishing games, because there are just so many goddamn games out there, and I'm interested in most of them. So, just about the instant one starts to become boring, I start thinking about the next one on the pile. I usually want to see the story completed, but frequently the gameplay is just so repetitive and so slow that it's not worth it. JRPG's are the worst for me, I'm always all excited when I start one, with the new story and gameplay mechanics, but about halfway through, it usually just slows down, and I have to force myself through the rest to finish it.

Scrublet

I'm a completionist. I am driven to finish everything I start. This makes me an insatiable trophy whore. However, I pick and choose. I will complete every STORY in a game I play, without cheats. For example, I just finished GTA IV. But do you think I'm going to go kill 200 fucking pidgeons and do 40 stunt jumps? Or take every single one of my friends to every single activity to make sure I get 100%? Fuck no. I pounded out most of the trophies in PixelJunk-Eden, but I'm not going to sit on WipeoutHD's barren community until I manage 50 kills for the AG-Assassin trophy.

I guess basically I finish every story or main purpose of ay game I get, and then I do all the extra stuff that I feel proud of myself accomplishing based on skill. I don't do extra stuff that just advertises I wasted a shitload of time doing grunt work. WOW's the only game I was willing to do shitwork in, and I kicked that habit after my second 70.

Meiz

The common two factors are fun to be had and story. One can definitely compensate for poor performance in one of those categories.

As a result only a select few games I have played have been finished.

Mr_Grinch

Willeth wrote: »

Mr_Grinch wrote: »

But then there are titles like Conan (on PS3) that i picked up for £8 and I played to death. I know people hated it, it got dreadful scores and I'll admit myself it really wasn't a "top title" but I LOVED it. There was something mindless and relaxing about it.

Would you have enjoyed it as much if you paid full whack, do you reckon? I know I'm playing the shit out of Blood on the Sand, but I'm constantly aware that I didn't pay fifty quid for the privilege. If I had done, I'd still finish it and probably enjoy it, but I'd maybe be going back and getting all the gold medals and so forth as well.

Is the game's value as 'fun' related to its price?

See, I'm not quite sure. If the game wasn't £8 then I probably wouldn't have taken the risk and picked it up. I only grabbed it as a bit of an impulse buy, I'd heard it was crap but I fancied something mindless. If it was full price I probably wouldn't have given it a shot and i would have missed out on a good week or two's entertainment from it.

So no I don't think it's fun value is related to the price, but the price would have kept me from experiencing the fun.

Delinator

THEPAIN73 wrote: »

The current one I am playing is Phantom Hourglass and there is one place you have to go to 5 plus times.. ON A TIME LIMIT :x . I hate that and I am completely done minus the final time through this dungeon and beat the final boss but I can't bring myself to beat it.

I stopped playing PH when I had to go down that stupid fucking dungeon for the third time. I loved everything else about PH until that point but that dungeon killed my interest to complete the game forever.

Lunker

Delinator wrote:

I still haven't finished Braid, Rez HD, N+, The Maw, Prince of Persia and a few more Arcade games because I just lost interest.

Rez takes, like, 90 minutes tops to finish from the very beginning of the game. I can get it under 50 minutes now. Give yourself some time and play it, it gets better with each area and almost everyone universally agrees Area 5 is by far the best section of the game.

To the OP's point: I'm sure it's a product of getting older, but I've gotten to the point where "I've gotten enough out of this game that I feel the cost/experience was justified" doesn't necessarily equal "I've finished the game." It's another reason that I feel video games, instead of being compared to literature or film, should be compared to food instead. I can blissfully enjoy an excellent meal without necessarily eating every single last bite.

And not to shit on completionists or anything, but I've found that the drive to finish something for the sake of finishing something or fulfilling OCD tendencies ultimately kills any enjoyment I get out of a game. I'll occasionally push for a difficult Achievement or task in a game, but nowadays I take a very stream of consciousness approach to a game, and I don't think I've 100-percented anything in ages. Though I am working toward all 200 points of Achievements in Rez HD, though that's just a byproduct of playing the game so much.

Delinator

Scrublet wrote: »

I'm a completionist. I am driven to finish everything I start. This makes me an insatiable trophy whore. However, I pick and choose. I will complete every STORY in a game I play, without cheats. For example, I just finished GTA IV. But do you think I'm going to go kill 200 fucking pidgeons and do 40 stunt jumps? Or take every single one of my friends to every single activity to make sure I get 100%? Fuck no. I pounded out most of the trophies in PixelJunk-Eden, but I'm not going to sit on WipeoutHD's barren community until I manage 50 kills for the AG-Assassin trophy.

I guess basically I finish every story or main purpose of ay game I get, and then I do all the extra stuff that I feel proud of myself accomplishing based on skill. I don't do extra stuff that just advertises I wasted a shitload of time doing grunt work. WOW's the only game I was willing to do shitwork in, and I kicked that habit after my second 70.

I'm the same. I will try to get as much achievements as possible as long as they are at least a bit of fun to do. And until I don't have all the achievements I want to do a game isn't "finished".

Mr_Grinch

Lunker wrote: »

Delinator wrote:

I still haven't finished Braid, Rez HD, N+, The Maw, Prince of Persia and a few more Arcade games because I just lost interest.

Rez takes, like, 90 minutes tops to finish from the very beginning of the game. I can get it under 50 minutes now. Give yourself some time and play it, it gets better with each area and almost everyone universally agrees Area 5 is by far the best section of the game.

Ditto for Prince of Persia. The game is actually designed to be finished in under an hour, that's the time limit for it! I'm pretty sure it can be done in under 30mins too.

N+ I love having a quick blast on, I know it'd make it too easy but I'd prefer it if you could save before the last level in the set of 5 because countless times I'll pick it up for a quick go and get stuck for ages on the last one before being able to save!

Asiina

Delinator wrote: »

THEPAIN73 wrote: »

The current one I am playing is Phantom Hourglass and there is one place you have to go to 5 plus times.. ON A TIME LIMIT :x . I hate that and I am completely done minus the final time through this dungeon and beat the final boss but I can't bring myself to beat it.

I stopped playing PH when I had to go down that stupid fucking dungeon for the third time. I loved everything else about PH until that point but that dungeon killed my interest to complete the game forever.

Eventually you get a warp point where you can go to near the end of the last time you were there using the time it took you to get there. So like, if it took you 3 minutes to get to level 4 you can warp to level 4 and it'll take 3 minutes off your time limit. Makes it easier, but that dungeon is still annoying as hell.

Endomatic

I usually play a game to see the ending if it's single player.

This has been a disasterous thing for more than 10 years.
Most games I play I end up feeling unfulfilled or even more often, disappointed, once I finish playing them.

Scrublet

I've noticed most of my friends that don't finish games, particularly the ones who aren't naturally good at games, usually quit not long after a game gets hard. For example, most of my friends finished the Human campaign in Warcraft III, and even most of the Undead. But most of my friends called it quits on the final Undead mission, and I don't think any of them made it past Orc without cheating.

Notice how games are getting a lot easier, first with Halo 2 introducing infinite life as long as you don't get hit too hard, and then BioShock's instant-resurrection system.

Mr_Grinch

Piracy also stops people finishing games. I modded my oxbox to play some homebrew, but ended up downloading a shed load of games as well. I soon stopped as I only ever played the games for one night and then got some more.

So I just deleted them all and actually went back to PAYING for games and I found I got much more enjoyment out of them.

There's another case where cost <> fun to be had!

Scrublet

Lunker wrote: »

And not to shit on completionists or anything, but I've found that the drive to finish something for the sake of finishing something or fulfilling OCD tendencies ultimately kills any enjoyment I get out of a game. I'll occasionally push for a difficult Achievement or task in a game, but nowadays I take a very stream of consciousness approach to a game, and I don't think I've 100-percented anything in ages.

I used to consider it a personal shame to not 100% something. Then I was playing FF-X and trying to constantly use all my players even though I couldn't stand some of them and it was hurting my fun. I kicked Kimharhi and Rikku to the curb and toned down my Wakka use and started having tons more fun.

It took me almost no time to realize that I would have much more fun with Valkyria Chronicles playing to win rather than playing to try to get 'A's on those missions.

Lunker

Mr_Grinch wrote: »

Piracy also stops people finishing games. I modded my oxbox to play some homebrew, but ended up downloading a shed load of games as well. I soon stopped as I only ever played the games for one night and then got some more.

So I just deleted them all and actually went back to PAYING for games and I found I got much more enjoyment out of them.

There's another case where cost <> fun to be had!

I think it's more like you're using the equation "Amount of time spent playing / Cost," only you're dividing by zero. ;-)

Endomatic

Mr_Grinch wrote: »

Piracy also stops people finishing games. I modded my oxbox to play some homebrew, but ended up downloading a shed load of games as well. I soon stopped as I only ever played the games for one night and then got some more.

So I just deleted them all and actually went back to PAYING for games and I found I got much more enjoyment out of them.

There's another case where cost <> fun to be had!

This is true to an extent. I think the act of buying the game regardless of the cost will give you that feeling.

Scrublet

Lunker wrote: »

Mr_Grinch wrote: »

Piracy also stops people finishing games. I modded my oxbox to play some homebrew, but ended up downloading a shed load of games as well. I soon stopped as I only ever played the games for one night and then got some more.

So I just deleted them all and actually went back to PAYING for games and I found I got much more enjoyment out of them.

There's another case where cost <> fun to be had!

I think it's more like you're using the equation "Amount of time spent playing / Cost," only you're dividing by zero. ;-)

When you buy games, you don't (in most cases) buy 5 at once. You buy one, finish it, move on, especially if you're the kind of person who trades and buys/sells used games. People who pirate, particularly console modders, tend to download a shitton at once. Then gamer's ADD sets in, especially if you're a smoker on top of it.

SageinaRage

Scrublet wrote: »

I've noticed most of my friends that don't finish games, particularly the ones who aren't naturally good at games, usually quit not long after a game gets hard. For example, most of my friends finished the Human campaign in Warcraft III, and even most of the Undead. But most of my friends called it quits on the final Undead mission, and I don't think any of them made it past Orc without cheating.

Notice how games are getting a lot easier, first with Halo 2 introducing infinite life as long as you don't get hit too hard, and then BioShock's instant-resurrection system.

I definitely cheated my way through Warcraft 3 to see the story, but that was just as much because it took so freaking long to finish some of those missions as it was the difficulty. I just didn't care about the gameplay any more.

Asiina

I don't finish games all the time. From the OP, I've still not finished BioShock.

The worst is RPGs though. I'll get to that "Point of No Return" area which is usually labelled as IF YOU WANT TO DO SIDEQUESTS, NOW IS THE TIME. Then I'll go do some sidequests, but get bored with the game and never finish it.

Games that fall under this category:
FF3
FF8
FF9
Chrono Trigger
GTA:VC
BioShock (kinda)
Phantom Hourglass

Sometimes I'll have this happen and about a month later I'll just go "I really should finish that" so I'll go play one day and finish the game in about an hour, but by that point I've lost all interest in the story or forgotten large parts of it, so the ending doesn't have the same feeling to it.

Games that fall under this category:
FF6
FF7
FF10
Chrono Cross
Fallout 3
Mario Galaxy
Trauma Center
Every single Phoenix Wright case in the first two games
Zelda: TP
HL
HL2