Shin Megami Tensei IV

[noiseredux]

You can do that in 10 minutes in some visual novel/murder mystery style games. So the first bad ending you get you'd say you beat it?

yeah I guess I would. And if I liked the game, I'd keep playing it to see other endings.

At any rate, I think you would agree that spending 10 mins on a visual novel and 35 hrs on an RPG are pretty different experiences.

Also... I might as well quote myself from the Games Beaten/Luke Mastered fiasco recently. Because it's strangely fitting here now:

Anyway, I'm not sure why this is even a conversation and please don't feel like I'm justifying anything to you here, but...

Obviously we all know that "beaten" is a subjective term. Let's not pretend that there's some solid rules outside of "did you get to the end credits?" So for me, personally, I have diff definitions for different games.

A shmup - I play for score. I never put a 2nd credit into a shmup. So unless I 1CC a shmup, you won't see me add one to my games beaten list. Some years back, before I started playing for score, I'd credit-feed a shmup. Not anymore.

A fighting game - depends what it is. SNK? I'll give myself "a dollar" in credits, which I think is fair for those SNK bosses. Something I'm far more versed in like a Street Fighter or DOA game I'll aim for the 1CC, or I'll give myself $1 and set it to the hardest difficulty.

I don't generally enjoy playing beat-em-ups alone. But last night, I was tying one on and just felt like playing something mindless. I've played (and beat) Turtles In Time many times in the past, and on various systems. However, it's always been w/ my wife or w/ friends. This was different though... I was just basically playing through the arcade version to remind myself the differences between the SNES version. I just wanted to see my way through. So yeah, credit fed.

And as others pointed out - a game that gives you the option to credit-feed, well... then that's the way the game was designed. Use as many credits as you want to get to the end. Fine. The challenge is more in "mastering" the game so that you don't need as many. But yes, the game is definitely "beat" in my opinion.

Let's be reminded here that those 90's arcade beat-em-ups were certainly designed to suck our quarters. And when I was a kid back then playing through with friends in the arcade, I don't think we ever felt "beaten by the game" no matter how many dollars we pumped into it.

tl;dr: it's ok to have fun playing video games.

[ZenErik]

The important thing is that you were satisfied with the result. We all have different views.

I know some people that will see a game, TV series, book, etc through to the end no matter what. I am not one of those people. I'll quit a game an hour in and never go back. Watch an episode of a TV series and believe I've seen enough. Read a few chapters of a book and not want to go on. It's very rare that I'll complete something just to complete it. I've quit anime right before the last few episodes. I've quit games 80 hours in. I'll generally only keep going if I feel there is potential or an thoroughly enjoying it.

And when I really enjoy an RPG I'll aim for the true ending. Or even all the endings sometimes.

[BoneSnapDeez]

And when I really enjoy an RPG I'll aim for the true ending. Or even all the endings sometimes.

The problem is that a lot of RPGs require you to jump through hoops and do (or not do) a lot of stupid shit (ie: things you would never discover without a walkthrough) in order to achieve the "true ending."

To get the best ending in Breath of Fire II you have to not defeat a certain boss about halfway through the game. In Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World, you lose your chance at the best ending if you get hit by lightning bolts a certain number of times!

I wish more games just had different endings instead of ranking them best, normal, "bad", etc...

[ZenErik]

SMTIV has 3 real endings. And the bad ending that noise got.

[noiseredux]

SMTIV has 3 real endings. And the bad ending that noise got.

so it has 4 endings. "Good/bad" is subjective. "Real" is stupid.

[ZenErik]

Fine. It has four endings. Law, neutral, chaos, and bad. That's just the way the game is.

[brunoafh]

I know some people that will see a game, TV series, book, etc through to the end no matter what.

I don't even like to think about the amount of time I've spent completing things I didn't want to just because I felt the need to. I swear it's some kind of disease!

On the flip side though it makes me very selective on what and what not I am willing to sit down and play or watch. If I don't intend to see it through to the end, I won't ever bother with it to begin with. Although I often do get masochistic and subject myself to a lot of stuff I know I won't like very much just to say I've done it (I can usually blast through any kind of game unless it's a time consuming RPG, so anime is the main offender here).

Anyway, there is "completing" a game and "beating" it in my mind. I would say reaching an ending counts as beating the game, unless said ending cuts the game prematurely as some bad endings do. But I have no idea about this game.

[ZenErik]

I know some people that will see a game, TV series, book, etc through to the end no matter what.

I don't even like to think about the amount of time I've spent completing things I didn't want to just because I felt the need to. I swear it's some kind of disease!

On the flip side though it makes me very selective on what and what not I am willing to sit down and play or watch. If I don't intend to see it through to the end, I won't ever bother with it to begin with. Although I often do get masochistic and subject myself to a lot of stuff I know I won't like very much just to say I've done it (I can usually blast through any kind of game unless it's a time consuming RPG, so anime is the main offender here).

Anyway, there is "completing" a game and "beating" it in my mind. I would say reaching an ending counts as beating the game, unless said ending cuts the game prematurely as some bad endings do. But I have no idea about this game.

It DOES cut the game prematurely in this case. A good 10+ hours. Depending on play style. Just like Persona 4 and other 'bad' endings.

I am pretty selective as well. But even with my selectiveness I still end up with some duds or lack of drive to finish said game. Portable games, for me, have a much higher completion rate because I can play anywhere Being restricted to playing at home, like with console games, means I generally can only play for a few hours each night Monday - Thursday. I am usually not around on weekends. That limited time often kills my drive to complete longer games.

[noiseredux]

oh guess what? The game developers say:

“However, it doesn’t mean ‘Neutral Route = true ending’ or anything of the sort,” he continues. “There are no rights or wrongs for the choices the players make, so we wouldn’t want any of you to have that misunderstanding. The goal was to have something different for each route upon completion.”

http://www.siliconera.com/2013/06/25/sh ... s-and-dlc/

[ZenErik]

Okay. Maybe you don't find it to be a bad ending. But the general consensus from those that have played the game is that the endings are law, neutral, chaos, and bad. A few also call the bad ending 'nihilistic'. Call it what you will, but I'd call it the bad ending especially because it cuts the game significantly short. You don't even get to the final bosses.