For me when a game becomes a bit too much of a slog I tend to give up.

There are two exceptions; Bioshock and Shadow of the Colossus.

I felt like I wanted to give up but that just made me feel become more engaged with the the main character.

In SOTC, Wanda didn't know that he would definitely be able to revive his loved one and certainly didn't know if he would be able to see her again if she was. It must have seemed like a bleak task with little or no encouragement. The emotive experience I took away from this game is one of the main reasons I hold it in such high regard.

So I just wondered, which games did you give up on and why?

Note: I didn't make this thread because of the main article, To Do: Finish Any Game by Tom Endo.

I had no idea that a main article was going to cover the same topic.

Lack of a difficulty curve is one that did it for me a couple of times: namely Bioshock (the game seemed to forget to put you under pressure at any point). Fable 2 only got passed this from being embarrassingly short.

"Now go get the 17 crystals of power hidden in the levels you just explored" game mechanics. Namely Metroid Prime: Corruption.

I didn't bother finishing Metroid Prime 2 for the Gamecube, because the light/dark thing got on my nerves, and I became tired of having to check a walkthrough every 5 minutes.

I also haven't finished Far Cry 2 because the sudden spike in difficulty you come across when you move to the south is a bit discouraging. I'll finish it later though.

Richard Groovy Pants:
Sterotypes or clichés usually are a big turn off for me.

For example, a year ago I was playing this little game called Gears of War and well I managed to withstand the fratboy aberration relationship the main guy and Dom(Don? Dan?) had.
Later in game I reach the point were we have to save the alpha squad or some bullshit like that and we find a black guy that's killing locusts while screaming: "Ooohz yezz!! Cole train baby!!![i]!!", needless to say I was disgusted.

But then a question posed, would the guy start eating fried chicken and screaming "[i]oh lawd!" each time he killed a locust?
Well I really can't say, since I turned the game off and set it on fire.

You'd love Gears of War 2 then!

I gave up FFXII because I hated the battle system and the story was crap.
I gave up Dead Rising due to the schizophrenic difficulty curve and the awful save system... but will go back sooner or later because it is a fun game.
Perfect Dark Zero (do I need to explain this one?).
Bully Scholorship Edition I played for about 3 hours and was on my way to save when it crashed, I left it in disgust (I've heard the 360 version is prone to crashing, is this true?).

Richard Groovy Pants:
Stereotypes or clichés usually are a big turn off for me.

For example, a year ago I was playing this little game called Gears of War and well I managed to withstand the fratboy aberration relationship the main guy and Dom(Don? Dan?) had.
Later in game I reach the point were we have to save the alpha squad or some bullshit like that and we find a black guy that's killing locusts while screaming: "Ooohz yezz!! Cole train baby!!!!!", needless to say I was disgusted.

But then a question posed, would the guy start eating fried chicken and screaming "oh lawd!" each time he killed a locust?
Well I really can't say, since I turned the game off and set it on fire.

That's still the first Act!

And no, he's just really enthusiastic. Not really a bad stereotype.

I've quit games because they're broken and I can't pass a certain point. Like in Star Fox Adventures.

Usually when a game becomes frustrating. I hate it when developers can't see the difference between challenging and frustrating.

Cole rocks. You can't tell me you have never seen a football or basketball player who acts like Cole - who in turn is supposed to be an athlete in his spare time. Yes, it's cliched, but it's also not unrealistic.

Personally, I usually finish games, and recently I've finished the vast majority of games I've bought, often on the hardest difficulty. In fact, I think the only 360 game I've bought and not finished is Eternal Sonata, and I stopped playing it because it's shite.

Usually some other game comes along and I start playing that. I haven't finished lots of games.

I usually stop playing a game when something better comes along. For example, I stopped playing Far Cry 2 when Fable 2 and Fallout 3 came out.

Games that think that walking for hours and hours and dying with every encounter is fun. namely far cry 2 and fallout 3.

I thought Cole was one of the better characters. It's not a stereotype, it's just who the guy is. You've never seen movies where the dude is killing mad dudes and getting an adrenaline rush and screaming. If you're so against stereotypes and racism, there are other better ways to help the cause than getting mad at a video game, right?

Personally, I was never able to finish Call of Juarez. Dear God that was a boring game. Here's a hint for developers: Don't make players switch characters throughout the game ESPECIALLY when you've got an awesome crazed killer as one and a whiny little punk who sneaks through a level as the other. IT GETS ANNOYING!!!

Also, if a game doesn't live up to it's previous incarnations or changes everything about the game. I'm looking at you every game after Final Fantasy VII!!!!!

My last is when games completly suck ESPECIALLY when they've already got everything BUT gameplay already done for them (Storyline, concept art, characters, etc.) when they could be fantastic SUPERMAN!!!!

Also, Game Developers are a recluse and quite species... unable to develope social and behavioral patterns neccesary for lasting personal relationships in what we like to call "the real world". Hence, they must rely on stereotypes so that the audience can be force fed how we're supposed to feel and react to each character. I would say that, with the exception of Hideo Kojima, all game developers lack much skill in character development.

(Please, if you're going to argue with me about this, don't use characters who don't speak or say 1-2 lines in a game as examples as well developed characters.)

Richard Groovy Pants:
Stereotypes or clichés usually are a big turn off for me.

For example, a year ago I was playing this little game called Gears of War and well I managed to withstand the fratboy aberration relationship the main guy and Dom(Don? Dan?) had.
Later in game I reach the point were we have to save the alpha squad or some bullshit like that and we find a black guy that's killing locusts while screaming: "Ooohz yezz!! Cole train baby!!!!!", needless to say I was disgusted.

But then a question posed, would the guy start eating fried chicken and screaming "oh lawd!" each time he killed a locust?
Well I really can't say, since I turned the game off and set it on fire.

I think you (mis)underestimate the awesomeness that is Cole. You probably won't understand what I mean, but he's just...well, supposed to be like that. That's what makes him cool. And it's more of a being badass thing than a racial thing. I think he's the only black guy I've ever seen or heard of in the Gears of War universe, actually.

As for me, I hate not finishing things. Books, videogames, even movies to an extent. I almost always finish videogames, and that's the reason I hate the holiday rush of game releases. it doesn't give me enough time to play through, enjoy, and finish my games. The last game I didn't finish was Far Cry 2, because it lasts so long and Gears of War 2 came out. And I can't even remember the last game I didn't finish before that. Far Cry 2 was a first in a long time. I'll have to go back and beat that.

I usually just give up on a game when it BORES ME TO DEATH. Games that say "Go get this, then go do this then go back to that SAME ROOM because there is something there that we forgot to tell you to get" Mainly the Metroid Prime Series. I HATE BACK TRACKING! Makes me feel like i am never getting anywhere.

normally i don't give up on games, especially if its just because a boss keeps killing me. the only time i have given up is when i have to search for something and can't find (metroid 2 echoes 2 is a prime example (see what i did there))

When I have to do 2 or 3 levels which don't have enough change in enviroment/enemy, momentum in storyline or I am constantly infuriated by NPCs, bugs or a chain of really difficult scenarios with little chance of completion without quickloading 5 or 6 times.
All of those are reasons I won't finish a game.
Or if there are 2 games I really want to play, i'll try out both and one will feel better at the beggining to me and then a potential good game is left cast aside and sometimes forgotten if I get distracted by something else shiny.

Hey Joe:
I usually stop playing a game when something better comes along. For example, I stopped playing Far Cry 2 when Fable 2 and Fallout 3 came out.

Fable 2 is not as good as the first one in my opinion. It' kept the really annoying inventory controls. You can no longer assign items to the D-pad. It just seems like it's been hampered to make it better for 'casual' players.

Why they didn't migrate to an open world structure is beyond me.

Eldritch Warlord:
I've quit games because they're broken and I can't pass a certain point. Like in Star Fox Adventures.

You never finished Starfox Adventures? Oh dear. That's probably the easiest game I own. Tut tut.

I generally never finish games because I get bored with them or it's just a bad game. Turok Evolution was a good one that I wouldn't have finished, if not for the fact that I'm forcing myself to go through the series. *Sigh*

And I actually finished Call of Juarez. Very much enjoyed it, though I do see your point with the character switching. Could get a little iffy at times.

I never finished Goblins Quest 3 because it bugged out on the penultimate level.

I looked on wikipedia to find out who had attained the licence rights for it and asked them for a new copy. Remember, EULAs rarely have time restrictions on them so by my calculations you are indefinitely entitled to any game you purchased. They said that they didn't have any more copies :(

Richard Groovy Pants:

I couldn't care any less if "Cole rocks" or not.
And yes I've seen many basketball and American football players like him. How does that help with the stereotype deal? It doesn't.
The fact that Cole Train has to act like the stereotypical black athlete is just annoying, make him an intellectual next time ;o.

Augustus Cole:
Hell yeah, baby. Everyone wants to see The Cole Train play!

Augustus Cole:
[under fire] Yeah! Wooo! Bring it on, sucka! This is my kinda shit!

Augustus Cole:
Shit yeah, baby we got the hook-up! They given us a big-ass dinner!

(I actually thought to myself oh lawd whilst reading this last one)

Just give him the fried chicken and be dealt with it already.

It's like the heavy weapons guy just has to be the dumb guy, or the sniper the tough silent bastard.
Mix it up a little for gods sake...

So what you're basically saying is that stereotypical black athletes annoy you?

I kind of like to cruise through a game, I'm not someone who feels the need to beat the hardest difficulty. i'm in it more for fun and story.
When a game's difficulty outweighs the amount of fun I'm having or my interest in the story, I stop.

1) Fable 2 had a great deal of problems, not the least of which was the less enthralling storyline. It still feels like your walking through a box canyon, the look and feel of your character has been greatly downgraded since the LAST GENERATION CONSOLE, the dog that was forced along with you was fairly useless, weapons and money lost value quickly, multiplayer was some of the worst ever, and enemies were not a real barrier to get around... just a nuisance... My, quite a list... sorry for the rant. Oh, and I wanted armor back. Not for any real defense value, but just because I wanted it... so suck on it.

2) Call of Juarez may be one of the worst games to come out on the Xbox 360! I understand how you could like it, the priest was compelling, duels wer interesting, but level design, general combat, weapons, and graphics were are poorly designed. I actually enjoyed GUN way more, even though it lacked very much content... are we ever going to get a good western game?

Several things can get me to stop playing a game, bad controls, lame story, boring game play, and the game stone-walling me. I have quit a game before for having made it to the last boss, on sheer luck, and not having the right gun to kill said boss, I had to reset the system and go back to the very beginning, since this was a Megaman game that meant I had to defeat all 8 bosses after going through some of the most difficult stages ever constructed, because Capcom wants to punish their players for playing their games. Then again I was like 9 at the time so it may have just been my overall lack of coordination which led the lat stages of Megaman 3 to such epic difficulty.

I'm not saying they should hand you whatever you need before the last boss, but at least make it so the gun which you will use the most will have some degree of usefulness, be it giving you access to the weapon needed for the boss or it still being effective against said final boss.

Grand Theft Auto 4. Just because it takes way too long to complete the story. And it had too many errand missions (side-missions not included).

Mass Effect. I didn't go far into that, due to the annoyance of having to pick dialogue and sit thru cutscenes that are the average cutscene runtime multiplied by three. (Mass Effect = Cutscenes x 3 (if you're dense))

I usually stop in the middle of a game because I get bored or I find it tedious, and sometimes I find a game annoying like Twilight Princess, I got sick of switching to elf to dog in combat over and over again for certain bad guys.

I got to level 60 in WOW and around that time they just released the expansion so you could get to 70, I found it tedious and decided to stop!

Then in Brawl through the adventure mode I just got plain bored after 2 hours into it, I felt so tired and it was only 2pm! Also I didn't like the gameplay on this new installment and lost interest altogether.

Richard Groovy Pants:
American football was created after the original football, so why are you trying to make yours the "official" football? And it's soccer. Also American football is a cheap rip-off of Rugby. See? I can make snarky remarks about your sports too.

[/offtopic]

Soccer has to make way for better sports, like the Brits had to make way for their superior: America. It does nothing but hurt you when you try to get in the way of progress. Soccer is kicking a round ball around for a long time... there is nothing compelling about it and is the sport that needs the least equipment and has the fewest rules, and it is therefor easy for poorer countries to participate.

Yes, Football has an ancestrial connection to rugby, but it's like comparing old black and white tv's with today's High Def TVs. Ours is better, because WE are better. I know it's not polite to say, and I certainly respect your right to play such games and throw rocks at each other and all that good fun, but maybe when you've discovered fire you can figure out how to play a game that takes physical skill and a mental capacity greater than a pickle.

What I want to know is how a thread about not completing video games turned into the discussion of the ancestry of football/rugby and its related sports.

Anyway, for my response:

Kermi:
I kind of like to cruise through a game, I'm not someone who feels the need to beat the hardest difficulty. i'm in it more for fun and story.
When a game's difficulty outweighs the amount of fun I'm having or my interest in the story, I stop.

Pretty much that, especially since I play a lot of action RPGs (Fallout, Mass Effect, etc)

Richard Groovy Pants:

No, and stop putting words in my mouth. Stereotypes annoy me.
I think I was clear enough, sorry you didn't get it.

My mistake - I get what you're saying. But still, I find it quite strange that stereotypes annoy you that much. They're not that hard to live with.