Most time spent in a game uncompleted.

[Kaamos_Llama]

I'm currently slowly playing through Divinity Original Sin Enhanced edition, having played the original for 100 hours. At a total playtime of 140 hours across both the original and the 'remaster' I feel like I'm almost done with the game again. The combat was fun but the story and world isn't pulling me through, and the challenge is going out of the combat at this stage on normal difficulty.

So at 140 hours, I've started the game 3 times and played about halfway I guess, then fallen off. I have done the same with The Witcher 3, 135 hours now according to Steam, and Pillars of Eternity at 118 hours. I know my times are pretty accurate because I don't tend to leave games running in the background.

It got me wondering, whats the most time any of you have spent with a game that you've never actually seen the credits for?

I know there are types of game that don't necessarily have an ending as such, like an EU, Civ, or another sand box. Perhaps consider one of those games 'finished' by fulfilling the winning conditions on a single instance with any faction to make things easier.

 

[Inspireless Llama]

Most games I've played most are sandbox games indeed. I'm not gonna post my hours in Dota2 but it's high . Then there's ETS2, another sandbox, I have almost 1100 hours in that. I've unlocked everything I can get, but only half of the achievements. I guess the highest amount of hours I have in a uncomplete game is Skyrim, with 525 hours on Legendary Skyrim and another 200 on Special Edition. However, I finished the main quest line once, but there still are guilds that I've never done or finished.

 

[I Will Haunt You]

Excluding open-ended games like MMOs the first thing that comes to my mind is Hitman 2. 146 hours in and I still have at least two levels (the bank and the resort) that I haven't even started yet.

I also have 72 hours in Kingdoms of Amalur and haven't gotten very far into it. I started it several times and even played through a lot of one of its DLCs, but haven't come close to finishing it.

@Inspireless Llama It's easy to just lazily stroll through Skyrim and ignore teh main quest. Hell, it's too easy. Almost required. Hundreds of hours in myself and I have only completed the main quest twice.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

Yea, I should have considered MMO's. I dont play any at all myself so I guess in my head they just don't count

@Inspireless Llama Had to Google ETS2. Gotcha. I guess that's not something you can finish as such. Cities Skylines and the like are similarly open ended.

However I deem that having finished the main quests, you have finished Skyrim. Congratulations! I played Skyrim mostly on PS3 as at that time I didnt have enough money for a decent PC. I maxed out the skills I was interested in, made the Daedric armor, got bored and bee-lined the main quest.

@I Will Haunt You I havent played Hitman 2, I bounced off the first game many years ago. Are those DLC, side missions or the main story? I'd say that I've finished all the Dark Souls games for example, but I've not run through all of the DLC's. (Yet)

 

[Hveðrungr]

I finished the main quest line once, but there still are guilds that I've never done or finished.

This links to my question about this. What counts as "uncompleted"?

There are always going to be quests in a big open-world RPG that you don't get to. That goes even more so for MMOs. I have nearly 700 hours in ESO and haven't even finished Cadwell's Gold.

Then what counts as "completing" a strategy game? When you've played as all possible factions? Seems impossible in a game as big as CKII.

It feels like "completion" is a relic of days when most games were simple linear exercises. - finish this level, save the princess. Lots of games aren't like that any more.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

@Hveðrungr

It got me wondering, whats the most time any of you have spent with a game that you've never actually seen the credits for?

I know there are types of game that don't necessarily have an ending as such, like an EU, Civ, or another sand box. Perhaps consider one of those games 'finished' by fulfilling the winning conditions on a single instance with any faction to make things easier.

I mean I've got around 700 hours across Total War Warhammer 1 and 2. I've finished the campaigns for maybe 5 factions on the first game and only done the Dark Elf eye of the vortex campaign in 2. I've never touched Mortal Empires.

 

[Hveðrungr]

I mean I've got around 700 hours across Total War Warhammer 1 and 2. I've finished the campaigns for maybe 5 factions on the first game and only done the Dark Elf eye of the vortex campaign in 2. I've never touched Mortal Empires.

And that's the thing, isn't it. Have you "completed" TW:WH? It's an ill-defined term.

 

[I Will Haunt You]

@Kaamos_Llama To tell you the truth I'm not 100% sure. I guess they are technically DLC as they came to the game later but I think they still link to the main story.

@Hveðrungr No need to overthink it. I just broke it down to any game that has a decisive end that you have yet to reach. If you reached it at least once, despite its replayability, it is not unfinished. Is an RPG unfinished because I haven't beaten the game with a mage yet?

 

[Hveðrungr]

@Hveðrungr No need to overthink it.

Oh how little you know me.

 

[Johnway]

Path of exile I have over 900hrs and i have never completed all the end game content or completed all the maps in the atlas. In this league i didn't complete all the maps or fully defeat the conquerers or even faced sirius once before i stopped. I collected my cloak as a prize and promptly stopped playing.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

And that's the thing, isn't it. Have you "completed" TW:WH? It's an ill-defined term.

Well yes, and no. By my own requirements in the OP, yes.

Of course to say completed is a generalization, that's why I qualified it somewhat. I could have been clearer I suppose. It was only meant to be a bit of fun anyway

@Johnway I also didnt really think about MMO's. I have no idea about PoE, but I assume with a lot of new seasons as well as nerfs and balancing there are sometimes new areas/bosses, so you'd never really complete it anyway?

 

[Johnway]

Path of exile is actually an online ARPG. You can play it solo and generally i play the leagues as whilst they do nerf and buff various things, the leagues themselves are significantly different adding additional features, story, spells/skills gems etc. I generally draw the line when you've completed the final end game content once. Like defeating all the conquerers, sirius and mapping all the maps and unlocking each map fully.

Interestingly, in each league you have to start a new character and usually as part of the 40 challenges, beating the end game content is a target. The standard league its possible to beat all the content as it doesn't change quite as often.

 

[Frindis]

Baldur's Gate 2. I got about 100 hours in it, but not even close to the end. *looks angry at Neera* Not really her fault, I guess I just got lazy

Oh, Minecraft, not sure if you can complete it, but I have probably 200+ hours in that game. I mostly played Hunger Games/Skywars and similar mods with my nephews.

 

[Inspireless Llama]

I did put my ETS2 in my "finished" category, just like I did with Skyrim. For me the game counts as finished after the first time I'm done with it. Skyrim I"ll play alot, then won't play it for a long time and then start again. Same with Euro Trucks. Other games I'll just play once, for me it counts as finished as soon as I finish the main story. Most games I won't do all sidemissions because it's either collectables and that gets incredibly boring, or they're too long / too much / boring.

As far as it goes for the game I played longest before completed, that was Witcher 3. 180 hours when I completed the DLC.

I'll do sidemissions as long as I haven't finished the main story, or if I enjoy the game enough to actually want to do them.

If it goes about Steam and reaching a "100% achievement rate", I only have 1 'completed' game, and that was a visual novel.

 

[Zloth]

The X games are rather sandboxy so better not count them.

Final Fantasy 12 is probably the most hours without finishing. For my first run at it, I didn't understand what I was supposed to do. I would get to the end of an area and <gasp> go on to the next area. After a while, the game got way too hard. Months later, I learned about this concept called "grinding." I took another crack at it. This time, when I got to the end of an area, I fought my way back to the start of the level then back to the end again until I had completed the knowledge base (forget what it was really called) for every critter in the area.

That worked far, far better. Unfortunately, it was also less fun. The story wasn't grabbing me, either. All the baddies were wearing full helmets nearly all the time so I had no clue which was which. The battles were fun for quite a bit of the game but wasn't fun enough. I ended up quitting in what I think was the final castle.

No idea what the total hours were (this was back on console, well before the Zodiac Age edition) but it must have been over 100 hours.

Another one would be Pillars of Eternity 2. The main story was good but the rest of the stories... ugh. I didn't care at all which faction was winning and losing. I didn't like any of them so I didn't feel any desire to help any of them out. I didn't hate any of them, either, so I couldn't get interested in siding with a dubious faction to defeat an overwhelming evil. The balance seemed off, too. I had a few instances where I would start a quest, do very well in the early stages, then find myself facing red-con enemies in the final rooms - forcing me to abandon the whole thing, gain a level or two elsewhere, then come back to finish it. That completely destroyed the flow of the story it was trying to tell. I liked PoE1 quite a bit and kept hoping PoE2 just had a weak start but, after 102 hours, it was pretty clear I was wasting my time.

 

[I Will Haunt You]

@Zloth Oh, man, when you mentioned Final Fantasy i had to look at my play time on FFXV: 86 in hours and I left off I think well before the end. Also 51 hours in Pillars of Eternity and I just gave up on that one. Seems I have quite a bit of unfinished gaming.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

@Johnway I thought that there are towns where players can chat, trade etc even if they solo or smal scale co-op the main game areas. Thats why I thought of PoE as an MMO, but hey its just a label I've said it before, I wish there was one game that would hold my interest like that. I'm a little jealous.

@Frindis As fond as my memories of BG2 are I never finished it either back in the day. I have about 10 hours in the enhanced edition recently, and I definitely will get there.

@Inspireless Llama I personally think of a game as 'completed' when I have finished the main quest, or storyline in the main game. I rarely play DLC's and although I sometimes enjoy trying to get achievements, I only have 100% achievements in Walking Dead Season 2, and most likely purely through luck. I do have 74% in Dark Souls 3. One of the only games I've ever started playing again immediately after finishingP).

@Zloth I forgot I never finished FF7. I remember I got to the crater at the end and it was quite tough, I cant remember if I couldnt be bothered to grind anymore or if its not possible at that stage. Maybe I'll play the remake.
That's a bit discouraging to hear about Pillars 2. Although I didn't finish the first game I did enjoy it, and I'd heard the second was actually better and was looking forward to getting into it one day.

 

[Zloth]

@Kaamos_Llama - it doesn't work that way. Games aren't simply better or simply worse. If you look in the reviews for the game, there's lots of people loving it. In fact, there's one right now from somebody who didn't like the main quest but liked the side quests - clearly a person that's morally depraved and <AHEM> a person who just so happens to have tastes nearly opposite of my own.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

@Kaamos_Llama - it doesn't work that way. Games aren't simply better or simply worse. If you look in the reviews for the game, there's lots of people loving it. In fact, there's one right now from somebody who didn't like the main quest but liked the side quests - clearly a person that's morally depraved and <AHEM> a person who just so happens to have tastes nearly opposite of my own.

Subjectively everything is better or worse in different ways, that add up to a total value of 'overall' better or worse to me. I tend to add a lot of weight in my personal evaluations, particularly of RPG games to the quality of the story. Of course then the 'story' itself is made up of many different aspects, the world building, characters, themes, and so on.

I'll probably still give Pillars 2 a go sometime anyway.

 

[randyl]

Pillars of Eternity - 128 hours. I got right up to the final battle, point of no return and stopped. I had a bunch of side and NPC quests left undone. I put it down to decide what to do. Eventually I removed it and haven't gone back to tie up that loose end.

The third act put me off. The first two were focused and the third just fizzled out for me. The side stories are so loose as to be nearly irrelevant except as filler. I have a few other criticisms, but there are things I enjoy about it too. I especially like how Obsidian reshaped the faction system from New Vegas for Pillars. Classes are also interesting and full of character.

 

[Pifanjr]

None come to mind that I really put a lot of time in without finishing. FF8 might have been a good one if I hadn't finished it recently (only like 15 years after I first played it... and it was so disappointing).

 

[Hveðrungr]

Pillars of Eternity - 128 hours. I got right up to the final battle, point of no return and stopped. I had a bunch of side and NPC quests left undone. I put it down to decide what to do. Eventually I removed it and haven't gone back to tie up that loose end.

You're not alone. I cut that particular Gordian Knot by setting the difficulty to Story Mode and ignoring all the remaining side quests just so I could finish the game and see what happened at the end. It was an underwhelming ending to an underwhelming game, and honestly you're not missing much by not having seen the conclusion.

 

[Sarafan]

I've spent a few hundreds hours in Hearthstone. But I don't know whether it counts. You can't finish the game in any way after all. Then there's Quake Champions, which shows 132 hours as of now. Sooner or later I tend to finish single player games that I start. The Steam counter shows that I've spent almost 200 hours in Skyrim, but I managed to finish it. Same goes for Fallout New Vegas. I haven't finished Divinity Original Sin 1, but I don't know how long I played it, because I was using GOG offline installer. I presume that it was at least several dozens of hours. So this is probably the game with the most hours spent without finishing it.

 

[Frindis]

I have to add that I have around 1000 hours or so in Diablo 3. While there is an end to the story, there is
endgame content that I have yet to complete.

 

[Oussebon]

Skyrim - 809h in oldrim + 306 in SSE. Never even started Dragonborn. Only finished the main quest and Dawnguard once.

358h in FO4, still some way from finishing the main story and haven't started any of the DLCs.

I need to get this done (the main quest). Over the top - one more big push and it'll be done by Christmas.

As far as it goes for the game I played longest before completed, that was Witcher 3. 180 hours when I completed the DLC.

Me too! 180h Must be the magic number CDPR was aiming for.

Oh how little you know me.

You did give us a taster here though!