Giving up on a game.

[saturnfan]

I have a serious issue with just having far too many games and getting and starting new games before I beat the ones I was currently playing. So I don’t feel I have truly given up on them, but it’s difficult to go back to them after long periods of time.

One of these days I want to make a stack of games and commit to beating them, somewhat similar to what I do with my book collection.

So much easier to finish a book, though, in my opinion.

I would agree, since I read more than playing video games. But I have the same problem. I read one book, then buy 3 more. So my backlog is absurd.

[Violent By Design]

My number one reason for giving up on a game is something disruptive happens that makes me take a break from a game for along time. I was playing Shining Force 2 and my controller stopped working, so I just don't feel like playing it anymore. I've had save states get deleted with roms I've played, and even lost my PS2 memory card temporarily as well.

Second reason is if a game is just boring. Last game I played that I stopped out of boredom was World of Goo. Haven't even thought about going back to it.


I recently took a hiatus from Rockman and Forte due to difficulty, but it's really more of just getting a breather. It took me so long to get to Wily, that once I got there I decided I needed a break before I grind myself into countless repetition to get past him.

[Zing]

I have given up on several games, but never due to difficulty. For example, I quit Legend of Mana after giving it two opportunities to win me over. I really wanted to enjoy the game. The graphics and music are amazing. The sheer amount of content and things to do are mind boggling. However, the actual combat is one of the most boring activities I have ever experienced in a game. It's far too easy, requires only the repeat pressing of a single button, and the friendly AI is essentially nonexistent.

[AznKhmerBoi]

Thats strange because i found Resident Evil 1 to be the hardest of them all.

[Haoie]

Just play on easy. No shame in that.

And giving up on a game is no biggie.

[Damm64]

Thats strange because i found Resident Evil 1 to be the hardest of them all.

Indeed, is THE only resident evil game so far that i had trouble with ammo, in 2 and 3 and 0 got plenty ammo to clean my way every time.

On topic, i only stop playing the game if it dosen't catch my attention anymore or if i get frustrated enough with the game...

[Opa Opa]

RE 3 is a PAIN. Mostly because there isn't a Normal mode. You're forced to choose between Easy and Hard. And you never want to beat a game on Easy mode! They practically make you choose the Hard difficulty.

Nemesis is a freakin' beast. There's one fight with him at about the two-thirds mark that I died at least eight times before I finally won.

I would have given up on the game had I not been playing it for the annual "Month of Horror" thread.

[Retrodude]

What really burns me up is when a game is reasonably challenging but not frustrating and then all of a sudden, seemingly out of nowhere, they throw in one mission/level/whatever that is so hair-pulling, controller-smashing UNFAIR that you ragequit. That happened the other day with Bully. I was just going along, enjoying the game, not having to repeat too many things, and then I hit the bike race against the Greasers. AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!! Why do you do this to me Rockstar? WHY?!?

[LugNutX]

There are too many games out there for me to force myself to play through anything. If I get a couple hours in and I'm just not feeling it, I'll mark it off the list. With hundreds of games in my backlog, I would rather spend time finding something I will enjoy than making myself work through it just to see what the fuss is about.

I do the same with books.

Also, I love games where you can change the difficulty on the fly. I typically play on "normal" or "average" mode, but if it takes me more than 5-6 tries to get through a tough section, I'll bump the difficulty down to "easy" temporarily.

Lastly, I'll second the notion that short games are not a bad thing. I'm married, have a full-time career, house to maintain, bills to pay, friends and family to see, blah, blah, blah...there's not a lot of room for a 50+ hour game, as others have mentioned.

Part of the reason I enjoy retro games is because most are designed to pick-up-and-play. I don't need to remember what happened on Level 1 of Super Platformer Extreme to enjoy my save for Level 8. Hell, many retro games can be "beaten" in a single sitting anyway.

While I do enjoy a great, story-driven game, studios think EVERYTHING needs a story these days. And they can be fairly complicated. I dare someone to put aside a modern game and try to come back to it a few months (years?) later. You might as well start over...

Why do we need to flesh-out Crash Bandicoot's childhood issues or the moral dilemma Mario faces in stomping on Goombas?? Why so serious!?

[Retrodude]

If I get a couple hours in and I'm just not feeling it, I'll mark it off the list.

I'll second that. I've been buying lots of PS2 games lately because they're so cheap and, probably due to my short attention span, if I'm not hooked within a couple of levels, I pass. I set aside The Incredibles and Spider-Man (the movie game), but I am quite enjoying Prince Of Persia: The Sands Of Time, so I might try and finish that one.