Phantasy Star: Fringes of Algo

I recently read a statistic on a gaming site that claimed that fewer gamers than ever are actually completing games that they play. It seems that gamers these days are either losing interest in the game, or they are starting another game and then never going back to finish the previous game. Hence, leaving them with lots of games they have played, but few that they have actually finished.

I can't find the original article, but here is a link from an IGN article with some game completion statistics based on Steam Achievements.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/03/17/ ... nish-games

I would imagine that the Steam games would be similar in completion numbers to their console couterparts.

So do you complete the games you play? or are you one of those people with lots of unfinished games that you have never completed for one reason or another?

When I play games, I play them either to completion, or to the point where I don't feel like I will ever play them again. I rarely give games a second chance, but if I like a game, I will stick with it until it is completed. This is of course excluding MMOs, since they do not have endings.

Going back to a game for Achievements doesn't really interest me either, unless I really like the game.

I take a similar position as you. If I'm going to spend the time/money acquiring a game, I'm planning to finish it, and I take the time to ensure it's a game that I have a decent chance of enjoying enough to complete at least one beginning-to-end run. There are of course exceptions…sometimes I do end up losing interest in a game, or there's some major flaw that I just can't deal with. And some games take longer than others…BioShock is a good example. I really do love the story and the setting, but I'm just not big on first person shooters, so I play it in bursts then don't touch it again for a while. Usually I have three new (to me) games, and up to three replays going, and I don't let myself start something new until I complete something. All in all, I do jump around, but I do also try to finish what I start, though it often takes a while. There are exceptions…I'm not letting myself start anything new that'll take considerable investment until my classes and finals are over mid-May, as my time will be pretty limited, so I'm sticking to short games or games that don't really have a clear start-end story. Plus, sometimes, there are games that suck me in so much I basically touch nothing else until I finish it. Red Dead Redemption is the best recent example there. Sometimes I'll also revisit a game for DLC I haven't played. I still have LA Noire DLC I haven't touched, and I will be getting/playing the Left Behind DLC on The Last of Us at some point.

I also usually don't go for all the achievements unless I really loved a game and/or it won't be THAT difficult. Also since I'm not big on online multiplayer, I will likely never get full achievements for a lot of contemporary games anyway.

DLC is a good example of something that would bring me back to a game. The thing is that I tend to stay away from newer games, so by the time I get around to playing them, all of the DLC is available and I can buy it at my leisure. Usually right when I finish up the content in the main game, then I will move on to the DLC.

Oups ! Me, I have so many games that I haven't finished yet.. I think you can imagine what is my score about finished games ! Not much time on my hand so.. I'm eager to try a lot of games and I continue to do that but when I love a game (ah Danganronpa, 999 et Virtue's Last Reward.. sure to finish these games that I'm actually playing !).

I try to finish games to the best of my abilities, but some games I have to put to the side for whatever reason. Dark Souls II will likely be the next example of that.

A lot of that just has to do with the time I have, of which some days I can't get to a game. It is was it is, but I do usually attempt to beat a game I am playing.

Captain Spyro wrote:I try to finish games to the best of my abilities, but some games I have to put to the side for whatever reason. Dark Souls II will likely be the next example of that.

A lot of that just has to do with the time I have, of which some days I can't get to a game. It is was it is, but I do usually attempt to beat a game I am playing.

Having time for games isn't what is used to be for me either. I'm lucky if I get an hour or two on days when I work, and that's it. You'll have to let us know what you think of Dark Souls 2 when you play it. I hear a lot about these games but I have never played them. The only one I have is Demon's Souls and I have yet to touch it.

VistaBlade wrote:

Captain Spyro wrote:I try to finish games to the best of my abilities, but some games I have to put to the side for whatever reason. Dark Souls II will likely be the next example of that.

A lot of that just has to do with the time I have, of which some days I can't get to a game. It is was it is, but I do usually attempt to beat a game I am playing.

Having time for games isn't what is used to be for me either. I'm lucky if I get an hour or two on days when I work, and that's it. You'll have to let us know what you think of Dark Souls 2 when you play it. I hear a lot about these games but I have never played them. The only one I have is Demon's Souls and I have yet to touch it.

Honestly, there really isn't much I can say. I gave it about two hours worth of playtime on Saturday and I had to put it down. Honestly; the gameplay mechanics are solid and I love how the story is told on in subtle hints and the like, and the feeling of exploration is wonderful.

However, it kicks my butt every single time. I made it to the hub city of Majula and after surviving some undead & the like, I got my butt handed to me by three little pigs or warthogs or whatever they were. There is a good game there; in fact I believe it's a great game, but I can't give a fair opinion on it.

I made it a little farther in the first Dark Souls, but the second boss (bell tower gargoyle) was too tough for me. I'll give both games a better shot when I am in a better mind-set for them.

Captain Spyro wrote:Honestly, there really isn't much I can say. I gave it about two hours worth of playtime on Saturday and I had to put it down. Honestly; the gameplay mechanics are solid and I love how the story is told on in subtle hints and the like, and the feeling of exploration is wonderful.

However, it kicks my butt every single time. I made it to the hub city of Majula and after surviving some undead & the like, I got my butt handed to me by three little pigs or warthogs or whatever they were. There is a good game there; in fact I believe it's a great game, but I can't give a fair opinion on it.

I made it a little farther in the first Dark Souls, but the second boss (bell tower gargoyle) was too tough for me. I'll give both games a better shot when I am in a better mind-set for them.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't these two games basically designed to kick the player's butt? I haven't played either of them myself, so I can't speak from personal experience, but I have heard these games are completely brutal and that's how they're meant to be. My boyfriend has it and I've watched him player, and if I remember correctly, he has yet to pass the first level because it's just so ridiculously difficult.

Yes, the Dark Souls/Demons Souls games are notoriously tough. I've never played any of them, but from what I have gathered from people posting on other forums about the game is that it's a game that requires a lot of time to learn everything and understand why you are losing. You also need to learn your enemy's attacks and vulnerabilities through trial and error. There are people that say there are a lot more "cheap" deaths in Dark Souls 2 than there were in the first two games.

I guess it's a different kind of difficulty than in something like Ninja Gaiden. Ninja Gaiden requires you to know the boss enemies very well, but you also need very fast reactions to avoid their attacks, and you need to be able to differentiate between their attacks in the early start up animations of them so A: you know which attack it is, and B: So you can properly avoid it.

I'm not sure what I'm going to think of the Souls games, but I plan on playing Demon's Souls at some point. I think you may loose your progress when you die too, but I'm not sure about that. Can anyone confirm or deny that?

Wolf Bird wrote:

Captain Spyro wrote:Honestly, there really isn't much I can say. I gave it about two hours worth of playtime on Saturday and I had to put it down. Honestly; the gameplay mechanics are solid and I love how the story is told on in subtle hints and the like, and the feeling of exploration is wonderful.

However, it kicks my butt every single time. I made it to the hub city of Majula and after surviving some undead & the like, I got my butt handed to me by three little pigs or warthogs or whatever they were. There is a good game there; in fact I believe it's a great game, but I can't give a fair opinion on it.

I made it a little farther in the first Dark Souls, but the second boss (bell tower gargoyle) was too tough for me. I'll give both games a better shot when I am in a better mind-set for them.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't these two games basically designed to kick the player's butt? I haven't played either of them myself, so I can't speak from personal experience, but I have heard these games are completely brutal and that's how they're meant to be. My boyfriend has it and I've watched him player, and if I remember correctly, he has yet to pass the first level because it's just so ridiculously difficult.

From what I have gathered from players, journalists, and the developers/publishers, the game is designed to be hard, but fair. It's technically supposed to be played as a learning experience. Yes you are going to die a lot in the game, but each death is supposed to be used as a tool to figure what you did wrong and come back with a better strategy.

While the games (both DSI & DSII, not sure about Demon's) do technically have a story, the games are pure gameplay for the most part. The game only gives hints of a story and lets you put the pieces together.

For me one of the best aspects of the series is exploration and the lore-filled world. However, it's tough for me to enjoy it when I get killed and fail to learn from my mistakes. I did get past the first level at the dungeon, but even that was fairly difficult.

Dark Souls and Demon's Souls are games that require patience and endurance. A lot of people compare these games to the difficult games of eras now gone. I hope to really understand these games better because I can see the appeal, but I can also see the frustration.

And on a related note, even Yahtzee from Zero Punctuation praised Dark Souls and, to a lesser extent, Dark Souls II.