Frank Can’t Finish

My name is Frank, and I have a problem. My problem is finishing. Finishing videogames.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

In the words of a popular gaming podcast, The author should try sucking less. LOL... OK on serious note, this guy just sounds like he has ADD and easily gets distracted by the next shinny thing. I am sure we all have had spouts of this when it comes to games now and then.

[Warprincess116]

I agree. I know some games do get boring when you played them for awhile but you just have to finish it.

[limewax]

Exactly, A lot of games would have sucked a lot worse had I not put in the time to get the good out of them that often is buried near the end, especially if you like JRPG's, often the meat of the game is actually post-game completion.

Author, man up and play properly. Demons souls is in my PS3 right now and Im not throwing in the towel. Theres about 2 games in total I need to finish I think, Lost Odyssey and SO4, the latter of which may not prove its worth anyway

[DEagle-izer]

I have never finished a Final Fantasy series game (excluding spinoffs) in my life!

And usually when I do get back to them after a long time, I don't even know what to do next.
The closest ive ever came to finishing a FF game was FFX.

[hay]

@DEagle-izer: Try FF13. You just go forward.

[The Matrix]

I never have a problem with

[Solidus187-SCMilk]

Pretty much every game I buy I finish, but Ive never bought a game I didnt like.

I have rented a few that I never finished tho. the most recent would be darksiders and dragon age.

I got kinda bored of darksiders and didnt have time to finish it. Dragon age just had a horrible framerate despite how bad it looked. I figured if I ever play DA I would have to get the pc version.

[Convas]

I finish every game I touch. Mostly because I'm a completionist and like to get every penny out of my gaming purchases. Also, it's probably because I don't buy every other game that comes out.

This applies to women as well.

[Balt]

If a game isn't over in 5 hours or less I have a real hard time justifying the investment in time. I really do. The game has to be so good that it offers up a more dynamic experience as you go. Most games, 97% of them, are all the same -- Doesn't matter if it's 2 hours in or 10 hours in; they play the exact same way as they did when you start the game up. Nothing changes. The locations and that's it. You keep doing the same exact things over and over and over.

I loved Uncharted, but even still you only did

Duck behind cover
Run
Jump
Shoot
Climb ladders
Give a boost
Solve light puzzle

And that was it. All games are like this. The formula is stale. There needs to be something more to do, new ways to play, if games are to be any longer. If I'm sitting there, 10 hours into a game and I'm still doing the same thing as I was at 2 hours into the game there is no point in playing.

[Perjoss]

Try Civilization 5 on the PC, you dont do any of the things you mentioned above, and yet somehow you have an amazing amount of choices to make. Come to think of it there is some shooting, but you dont actually do it yourself, if you decide to go for a military victory you will command some units to open fire :)

[bwazy]

Usually you combine such game play elements with the most important one of all. The story. Sure uncharted was pretty much duck, shoot, solve puzzle and repeat (I'm over simplifying I know), but it was the amazing and interesting story and personalities of the characters that kept you going... That's why all the Final Fantasy games (prior to X-2) kept me engaged and made the grind so worth wile.

[Downtown boogey]

Amazing story?
It wasn't amazing, but the characters were relatable and the cutscenes were enjoyable as a whole.

Off topic:
Would've anyone else liked, if Shambala wouldn't eventually have existed in Uncharted 2 the idea being that Drake's almost as bad as Lazarevic for believing in something as fantastical and pursuing it so hard..? Like a reality check for Drake.

[gypsygib]

Then you'd be playing a different game in the end. What did you want Uncharted to do with the gameplay, turn into a racing game or a fighter.

Everything sounds repetative when broken down into its base components

Life:

Wake-up
Washroom
Eat
Travel
Work
Eat
Travel
Washroom
Responsibilities
Entertainment (sex, drink, games, movies, vacation, TV, reading, ect)
Eat
Sleep

Repeat.

[ChozenWoan]

Shenmue 3?

[eggbert]

Anyone here ever try taking over the ENITRE WORLD in the Hearts of Iron games? Takes so ridiculously long, I usually play as the Germans and own continental europe, north africa, 75% of russia, and some of the mideast, but then I get too lazy to mount an offense against the rest Asia/N America/S America/Africa.

Same with the Total war games, I always end up controlling half the map, and then I can't expand anymore because the cities all suffer for squalor and begin to revolt.

[Perjoss]

i heard crazy stuff regarding multiplayer games of Sins of a Solar Empire taking over 100 hours to finish, you can save mid game and carry on the next day etc and it gets pretty epic towards the end. Pretty crazy considering its like a skirmish thing and not even a campaign, just build and destroy type stuff.

[BeAGamer]

that's what she said

edit: a user named Frank must have disagreed

[bwazy]

Wow. Sucks to be you Fred. Skimming over your article my only advice is this,

Don't be sheep.

[gypsygib]

Maybe the author hates the end-game difficulty spikes in games. The can be frustrating. But I still finish 95% of my games.

[--------]

-
I only buy games that I'm sure I'll love. Tons of gameplay videos, demos and if I'm lucky, a beta beforehand.

Buy game
Complete game
Get Platinum Trophy
Play Multiplayer
Keep or Trade In for sequel

Probably sounds like I take gaming really seriously, but I hate starting without finishing (insert multiple sexual references here)

;)

[SuMtOnE]

im havin the same exact problem. =( before when i was in my youth. I would beat say on the Snes Final Fantasy 6 & Chrono Trigger the crap out of it. and I would replay it Numerous time starting with a NEW GAME. but now as I get older, I can't sit through more than 2 Hr per a game. =( now i have many games sittin there untouch and some of them unopen.

[gypsygib]

That's a serious problem

[GoldPS3]

I think the last games I couldn't finish was Gears 2. I finish just about every single game I buy though.

[CanadianTurtle]

This is a problem for many gamers, believe me. Not only that, but it's a bad habit too.

Especially if you have a lot of money. A lot of reckless gamers tend to buy every game that comes out, and play all of them at the same time. Take your time dude. Relax, play one at a time. Just play it 1 hour a day, even if you don't want to. Just do it, and you'll grow into it.

[iBoozeEasily]

I don't think there's anything cool about playing a game, just to make it to the ending, when you feel like you own or can go buy a game that will give you more fun. Even if this new type of fun will also be short lived. Variety is the spice of life. And, when I'm on my deathbed wishing for a couple more hours of sweet, sweet life, I don't think I will take any satisfaction in the fact that I beat some crappy game, just to be thorough. Fred is smart. Ditch the game when it stops being fun.

[earbus]

I get bored to quick really only finish racing games.