Opinionation: When Do You Quit?
I'm a firm believer that games are supposed to be fun. That might sound silly, but think about all the things that less than perfect games make you go through to be able to enjoy them. I'm talking about sharp difficulty increases, level grinding, slow plot points, minigames with no real purpose, the list goes on. I'm wondering just how you tell when enough has been enough. When do you quit a game?
I remember back in the day my friend sold me on an original Xbox by showing my Ninja Gaiden. As I picked up the controller and played through the first level I thought to myself, "Oh man, what a game!" It had it all. Incredible visuals, brutal sound design, lightening quick action, and presented a solid challenge to jaded players like myself that didn't exactly get into Devil May Cry. So when I got my own system and copy of the game I eagerly began to play through the game. A few weeks later, I find myself stuck on one of the games more ridiculous bosses and after what feels like my 87th attempt on slaughtering the thing, another thought enters my mind. "This isn't fun." Sadly, by this point in the game I wasn't playing for story or the large-chested eye candy and I was simply going through the motions. It was right then and there that I put the game down and moved onto bigger and better games. The very thing that drew me to this game is the very thing that pushed me out.
A somewhat more recent situation like this that tempted me to quit an otherwise fantastic game was Dead Space. At some point past the game's halfway marker, the designers at EA thought it would be fun to take a break from their slick approach to combat to play a Resident Evil-styled turret shooting minigame. I'll probably never know why they put this sequence in the game (perhaps it's some meta-dig on the whole "moving and shooting" thing?), but I do know that its poor controls, limited visibility, and terrible difficulty balance nearly made me quit the game. Instead of quitting, I begrudgingly got through it eventually and was really happy that I persevered because I was so wrapped up in the story and I got to see one of the most satisfying games endings I've seen in a long time.
I know I'll never be one of those people that beats every game I own. There simply just aren't enough hours in the day and, quite frankly, not all games are worth beating. Knowing when to wrap it up as a player can be pretty tricky, especially when you have more tempting fare to move on to. So now I pose the question to you dear readers, when do you quit a game? What makes you quit games? Have you ever come back to a game after quitting it to ultimately vanquish it or does it go away forever? How do you know it's worth it, or not? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Game-Boy
Posted to Miscellany, Video Games on 26 May 2010
· Comments (15)
Other stuff like this: dead space, ninja gaiden, opinionation, quiters
I'm not sure I'd say my games have to be fun, but they must certainly be engaging. As you pointed out with Dead Space, the story is what seemed to compel you to push through--though that section is particularly bad from what I've read.
For me, the standard procedure is that if I find myself not enjoying the game, not seeing any reason to continue (was not engaged), I then go and sell or trade in said game. I'd rather it not even be on my shelf if it has been that much a waste of my time.
There are plenty of unfinished games on my shelves, but they should be ones I know I won't quit again.
I have never beat devil may cry, pretty much for the same reason. The second boss fight with the giant spider is a little much for me and I can't take dying every time so I moved on. Sad thing is I played it before at a friends house and beat it, hence why I bought the game in the first place. But now I own Devil May Cry 1-3 and I can't play 2 or 3 until I beat the first so they all just sit in a box.
Mick, 3 is a prequel to 1, so if you wanted to play it in a storywise sequential manner, you'd be fine to go ahead (it's probably still my favorite of the series).
+1 for use of that picture from 'Cat's Eye' ^_^
Great points. I recently had this situation happen to me with the first Assasin's Creed game. I really liked the story but I could not deal with the terrible controls. I got near the end but finally just gave up playing it and just watched the ending video on youtube. Fortunately I got the play and finish the 2nd game but I have several games that I have on my shelf that I just don't want to finish because of some element that doesn't make it enjoyable anymore.
I've always been a sentimental man-child when it comes to letting go of old video games. I do have a handful of gamer friends that share that ol' nostalgic feeling though so keeping others interested enough to play together isn't hard. :P
But some of my friends can't staaand it when I pull out my copy of Brawl again... and again. :D I'm slowly adapting though! I just traded in Borderlands (which just got horribly repetitive, even after the DLC) and Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm (which I loved but absolutely zero friends even remotely liked and has a new version coming out in Winter 2010 anyways) for Super Mario Galaxy 2 (do I even have to say how amazing...). But even then it was hard to part ways.
Then again, there's always that friend who appreciates a trip down memory lane just as much as I do when I bust out my SNES copy of Kirby Superstar. *swoon* Ahhh, replay value. You are the siren that drowns me in a sea of nostalgia...
For me I tend to have that issue with the sandbox games. While I initially loved Grand Theft Auto IV, I eventually grew tired of having to drive around such long distances to move forward and progress with the missions. Similarly, while Just Cause 2 is a massive game (I've spent over 60 hours on it and currently stand at 58% completion), the way you can easily move from place to place fairly quickly (via extraction or simply using the parachute and grappling hook to bypass the roads) keeps the pace exciting, even when the missions are a bit "same ol', same 'ol". I will finish JC2, whereas I doubt I'll ever finish GTA IV.
The only game I own that I haven't beaten is oblivion. Don't get me wrong. I have over 100 hours clocked into the game. But the main quest story line... Just ugh... I never went as far as the town that was burned to the town from all the demons and such. It was just lacking any interest...
One day though... One day...
Unlimited Saga was like that for me. I tried to love it despite its faults, had to cheat to get past one late-game area that wouldn't allow backtracking to better prepare for the unavoidable final battle, and ultimately finished two scenarios. It must have been the excellent music and visuals that kept bringing me back in, but I shelved it a couple of years ago, tried picking up where I left off several months ago, and found that I just couldn't do it. My standards had been raised so much that the busy work of nearly all JRPGs became incredibly offputting to me. I sold it for about $4, sadly, and I still have the smallest pang of guilt.
I bought Bayonetta and enjoyed a playthrough on Easy, looking forward to all the unlockables I would gain by then playing it through on Normal. Too bad Normal mode in Bayonetta is ridiculously hard. I gave up and traded it in.
Despite being a long-time gamer, I truly despise ridiculous difficulty in games. That turret section in Dead Space nearly killed me and I eventually gave up later in the game when I realized there was far more shooting and ammo conservation than I was prepared for.
Maybe I give up too easily. But I do believe that games should be fun. This can mean a certain level of challenge, sure, but there comes a point, after so many deaths, where I say "no thanks" and move on with my life.
I never finished Final Fantasy XII, after I put 20 hours into the game waiting for the combat system to stop being so terrible. It never did, and by that point I was tired of the game in general. It didn't help that during that time I discovered Oblivion and found tha the free-roaming, open-ended world in that game appealed to me a lot more than FFXII's "MMO only offline and hugely constrained" setup.
In fact, I haven't played a JRPG since, my experience with XII was so off-putting.
The only types of RPGs I could only play from start to finish are the ones that are like the Mario RPGs. They have a simple weapon to upgrading system, they have main side weapons that are fun to use (badges, sprites, etc.), simple HP/FP system...
I just want my games to look and be simple, but have a great depth of gameplay and aesthetics. I am alright with sandbox games, like GTA Vice City, Need for Speed, SimCity.
The problem is that whenever I purchase a game at a retail, used, or online store, I barely sell any of my games when I finish the game entirely. So eventually, I just play the game all over again, even though I'm tempted to buy the latest game to hit the shelves.
In most cases, if the gameplay itself is fun and engaging, I can tolerate any level of brutality that the game wishes to dish out at me. Currently I'm playing Bayonetta, which has an insanely challenging difficulty level even from the very beginning - which I feel is actually part of the fun. It pits you against harder and more brutal foes as the game continues, re-assigning former bosses as common enemies later in the game. THAT is engaging. It also inspires me to get as good at the battle system as possible - which is GREAT for the replay value. Mastering Infinite Climax difficulty will take forever but will be SO rewarding.
In terms of RPGs, the amount I am willing to grind is heavily dependent on how much I enjoy the battle system. In games such as Valkyrie Profile, Star Ocean, Valkyria Chronicles - RPGs that really get you involved in the battles, rather than the disjointed menu-driven command system that many others go by - I have fun grinding in those settings, and can go for hours. Though in others (coughFF13coughunsubtlebritishcough) where you get to a point and you just wind up fighting the same battle identically hundreds of times (coughoretoisescough) for hours? Please never ever do that to us gamers. No one likes that. If they say they do, then they're lying. Extreme repetition DOES NOT count as "extending the play time" of a game. It just doesn't. It's details like that that shows just how little you actually care about your fanbase.
When it comes to achievements/trophies, I firmly believe that every single one of those should be both fun and challenging in their acquisition. If they're fun but not challenging, then why are they achievements? If they're challenging but not fun, why would anyone other than achievement whores want them?
Oh, and I don't really understand the mentality of those who get killed a few times early on in a game and then give up and trash it.
Seriously? Have you never heard of "practice"? You don't learn virtuoso piano in five minutes after banging on the keys, do you? No. This is why amazing masterpieces like Bayonetta will be swept under the rug or, if there's a sequel, ruined in the future. Most gamers have grown soft, weak, refusing to actually try to improve their play. It's like we expect games to generously stroke our egos as we childishly plow through hordes of meatbags that adamantly refuse to ever strike back. Really? Is that how you want to play your games? Back in the day, I had to grind MYSELF, often for MONTHS, to beat some games. (Sonic 2? Anyone? Hell, most of the side-scrolling Sonics in the latter levels?)
I've developed a terrible habit lately for not playing very much of games I DO LIKE.. having a job now means I can buy more games, but have less time to do them. I collect, too! There are a bunch of things I just 'have to' have.. even though I'll try them out and switch over to another game. BioShock 2 for example. I loved the first, but I have 10 games 'on the go', as in I kind of keep unsuccessfully trying to get into them so I can finally beat them. so I bought BS2, played it for a bit, decided I liked it and wanted to play it through... set it down and started replaying one of my favourites instead. I never focus anymore, I buy games faster than I play them, but I can't resist picking them up! Egads..
I used to be pretty flaky about progressing through any game once it got even moderately difficult, as I was usually just playing around and wanted more fun than anything.
About 2 years ago, however, I decided to actually get serious about gaming again, and I've been burning through games faster than ever. I finally accepted the challenging parts of the game, and I'm finding it to be even more fun now. Ninja Gaiden was quite a thrill, and I even felt kind of proud upon completing it even on Normal (although I know a guy who beat it on the hardest difficulty!).
For me, what usually tempts me to put down a game for good is the gameplay itself. I've put 120+ hours into Fallout 3, and I've managed to beat almost every quest. But then I got to the Operation: Zeta DLC, and I just couldn't go on. It was just a mindless shooter, not at all what I want from my Fallout 3 gameplay. I was also almost tempted to drop Star Ocean 4, but I managed to get to the end finally.
Also, I agree that the Dead Space turret scene was needless, and am also glad I managed to grind through it to the rest of its amazing gameplay.