Unfinished Game List Keeps Growing

H0urg1ass

Due to the ability to rotate out schedules, and some generous telecommuting time, I was able to stay at home and play several games over the past two weeks.  The problem is, that I only finished one, played another for about 30 hours, and quit the other two just a few hours in.  I don't know why, but for some reason my interest in overall gaming has rapidly declined over the past five years.

I finally, after several years, installed Wolfenstein: New Order and played it through.  It's the only one I finished, but really just out of spite rather than out of any sense of real fun.  Right after the last scene played out, I was actually relieved that it was over rather than wanting more of the same.

I played X-Com Enemy Within for about 30 hours, most of which was using a mod called Long War that made a lot of game improvements.  However, this game ground me down after about the tenth restart.  You see, your characters have really shitty aim and the enemy has really good aim and it only takes 1-2 hits to kill your best trained character.  So after your alpha team gets wiped in a mission, you might as well start over.  Although the ground tactical war was really fun and researching & building new tech was great, the Air War component was an absolute grind and completely non-fun in any way.  After a while, I just stopped loading it up.

Then I tried Wasteland 2 and Dishonored 1... both of which I quit after about 4-6 hours.  Wasteland 2 was just boooooorrrrrrring, in every way possible.  The story was boring, the combat was boring, traveling was grueling, managing my inventory and never having enough ammo was boring.  The voice acting was absolutely atrocious; as if they had hired friends and neighbors to read lines off of a page.

Dishonored 1 was not the stealth game I was hoping for.  The stealth mechanics are extremely wonky and I was often being spotted while completely motionless in a totally black shadowed corner.  Also, the character models are just hideous.  What is it with Bethesda and their 100% complete and total inability to make anywhere near realistic looking character models in any of their games?  Especially the elephant hand syndrome that they have.  Normal proportioned bodies for the most part, but hey what gun is he hol.... OH GAWD HIS HANDS.  So creepy!  So distracting!

Anyone else having a problem finishing games as they get older?

If so, what's your list of unfinished games look like?

Grunty

Sure. I've got a long list of unfinished games.  But that's because I've got an list of games that's much larger of games I haven't played or even bought.  Also when I look at the games I have I don't find many easy mindless games.  

Some games I've given up on like Anarchy Online.  I've tried it a dozen times hoping it will click.  I've quit it a dozen times because of the same thing.  This year I decided I wan't going to try any more.  

Some games I get frustrated with like The Witcher.  I'd love to play the game but I can't get past the Dungeon's Lair twitch based combat mechanic; watch the birdie and hit the key. Now faster, ffaasstteerr, fffaaasssttteeerrr.

I have a long list of unfinished games because there are more games I want to play than I can play.

And I'm older than you.  It isn't age.

H0urg1ass

I too have a lot of games that I bought on impulse just simply because they were cheap and had good reviews.  However, it's almost embarrassing how few of these that I get around to playing.  Often, I play games several years after I buy them.

Far Cry 3 had been out two years before I installed it, for instance, and it's one of the best single player games I've ever played.  I'm sure there's a couple more gems in my library that I haven't installed.  Usually because I have a tendency to hyper focus on one game for long periods of time.  I'll go a year playing EVE and not touch another game, then I'll play 5-6 single player games in a row.

Lately, however, a lot of single player games have been huge disappointments for me.

Kilrain

I haven't completed a single player game since 1999.

Volgore

H0urg1ass said:

*

Dishonored 1 was not the stealth game I was hoping for.  The stealth mechanics are extremely wonky and I was often being spotted while completely motionless in a totally black shadowed corner.  Also, the character models are just hideous.

I felt the same about the stealth mechanics in DH1, but whenever i mentioned that the fans of the game got after me with pitchforks and torches!!

The character models i loved though, especially the housemaids. I found them extremely hot!

H0urg1ass said:

Anyone else having a problem finishing games as they get older?

If so, what's your list of unfinished games look like?

Definately yes. I have two partitions full with installed, unfinished games.
I sometimes thought that perhaps i caught some sort of adult ADHD because i can't really concentrate on a game for too long anymore.
So, is it me or is it that the games got less attractive or less "worthwhile" ?

I value my time more than back in the days when i was totally ok with getting up in the afternoon, not getting any clothes on, sitting right at the PC all through the night and go to bed in the early morning hours.

Another huge factor is that back in my most active gaming days i mostly played with a ton of friends. There was always someone online and always something happening, so the overall activity kept me interested for 15+hr sessions and until i fell asleep at my keyboard. If you didnt feel like gaming or the grind got you down, they told you to keep going. If you had a headache, they told you to get an aspirin and log in already.
 
Playing solo today, staying interested in whatever game totally relies on my own mood at any time and on the game itself -that is the mechanics and mostly it's story. Unlike in my old guild days, playing solo means nobody else is dragging me along. Many solo games don't have that and i also got more picky over the years.

So i rather take my dog and hit the backwoods than sit alone at my pc when a game doesn't manage to entertain me.

Octagon7711

It all depends on the games.  I've picked games up and played them like an addiction until finished.  I've started games and stopped after 5 mins.  I've dropped playing games after a short while and returned to them years later and played them to the end.   I have games that are my favorite which I have finished a number of times over the years.  

A lot has to do with my new policy of not buying pre-orders and usually waiting until a game goes on discount to buy it.  By then it's usually patched up and runs a lot better then at launch.

Phaserlight

H0urg1ass said:

Due to the ability to rotate out schedules, and some generous telecommuting time, I was able to stay at home and play several games over the past two weeks.  The problem is, that I only finished one, played another for about 30 hours, and quit the other two just a few hours in.  I don't know why, but for some reason my interest in overall gaming has rapidly declined over the past five years.

I finally, after several years, installed Wolfenstein: New Order and played it through.  It's the only one I finished, but really just out of spite rather than out of any sense of real fun.  Right after the last scene played out, I was actually relieved that it was over rather than wanting more of the same.

I played X-Com Enemy Within for about 30 hours, most of which was using a mod called Long War that made a lot of game improvements.  However, this game ground me down after about the tenth restart.  You see, your characters have really shitty aim and the enemy has really good aim and it only takes 1-2 hits to kill your best trained character.  So after your alpha team gets wiped in a mission, you might as well start over.  Although the ground tactical war was really fun and researching & building new tech was great, the Air War component was an absolute grind and completely non-fun in any way.  After a while, I just stopped loading it up.

Then I tried Wasteland 2 and Dishonored 1... both of which I quit after about 4-6 hours.  Wasteland 2 was just boooooorrrrrrring, in every way possible.  The story was boring, the combat was boring, traveling was grueling, managing my inventory and never having enough ammo was boring.  The voice acting was absolutely atrocious; as if they had hired friends and neighbors to read lines off of a page.

Dishonored 1 was not the stealth game I was hoping for.  The stealth mechanics are extremely wonky and I was often being spotted while completely motionless in a totally black shadowed corner.  Also, the character models are just hideous.  What is it with Bethesda and their 100% complete and total inability to make anywhere near realistic looking character models in any of their games?  Especially the elephant hand syndrome that they have.  Normal proportioned bodies for the most part, but hey what gun is he hol.... OH GAWD HIS HANDS.  So creepy!  So distracting!

Anyone else having a problem finishing games as they get older?

If so, what's your list of unfinished games look like?

I think the most recent game I "finished" (one completion) is Massive Chalice.  I am currently playing through it again on a harder difficulty.

I use the term "currently" very loosely; between a 3 year old son and a salaried management position, several other social commitments and a couple hobbies outside gaming, I have almost no time for video games anymore.

That's not to say I don't enjoy it; I'm still very passionate about gaming and game design.  However, when it comes to choosing between spending quality time with my family, pulling out the acoustic guitar, exercising, or strapping on a VR headset... the VR headset is dead last on that list in terms of priority.  All video games are.

I own about 40 titles on Steam; the majority of them I've played for less than an hour.  I'm sure many of them are great titles deserving of my time, I just don't have time.  The grand irony seems to be now I can afford them.  I suppose I tell myself I'll get to them one day, but in reality what seems to be happening is the next interesting thing comes along that looks like something I absolutely just can't miss (although I'm starting to get wiser).  Often times these games have unbelievable discounts and are literally only a buck or two.  The Steam "wishlist" is a diabolical contraption; remember that awesome indie game you wishlisted?  Yeah, you, wishlisted it, and now it's only 99c!

I own 72 titles in Gear VR, but similarly, only a handful of them I come back to time and time again.

I've even taken to using a random number generator to decide what game I'll play when I have a few minutes for the pastime, or simply going from the end of the list (the one I haven't played in the longest amount of time).

dreadlordnaf

H0urg1ass said:

Due to the ability to rotate out schedules, and some generous telecommuting time,,,

Haha, sounds like you were really productive during "telecommuting".  

Sovrath

H0urg1ass said:

Anyone else having a problem finishing games as they get older?

If so, what's your list of unfinished games look like?

I'm the same as when I started playing video games. Games I like I finish. Games that don't really speak to me I tend to leave by the wayside.

having said that, I only have "so much time" for video games so I'm making my way down the unfinished games on my hard drive. Anything that I have to force myself to play I just remove.

Dullahan

Kilrain said:

I haven't completed a single player game since 1999.

Lol, know what you mean. After playing an mmo, it's always hard to go back to single player. I usually try to play one every year. Usually Fallout or TES.

kitarad

I have this horrible habit replaying something when after playing a mission or chapter or whatever they are calling a part of the game I go read and find out that I had damnit missed some loot or some trivial opportunity for my companions to remark about something. So I am so OCD that I cannot go on and until I go back and replay it. This makes the whole game longer and sometimes I give up as a result. I know what the problem is I just cannot stop myself.

TatsuyaHiroki

I do have this problem, although I partly blame it on my OCD than anything.

Theres also the case when I pick up randomly a game from my library out of gutts feeling and I stumble upon something that catches my attention for at least 20-30 or so hours (like I did with DFO before technical issues made me kind of tired of it)

or when there are games such as civilisation that i really want to get into but after like 30 minutes or so I just dont enjoy it anymore and uninstall the whole thing.

ste2000

H0urg1ass said:

Dishonored 1 was not the stealth game I was hoping for.  The stealth mechanics are extremely wonky and I was often being spotted while completely motionless in a totally black shadowed corner.  Also, the character models are just hideous. 

If you like Stealth games you should try Deus Ex, last 2 games are pretty good.

Cleffy

I've never been able to play multiple games at the same time just to complete them. Usually I play one game for months or years, and might touch other games. I think it's a bit healthier and cheaper not to force yourself into completing as many games as possible. Just enjoy a few select games.