The last game lost to your incomplete list thread

[DXCHASE]

So i cant always add to the "completed" game list, but can add to this often. I couldn't find a similar thread, so whats a game you wont finish and will be chalked up as another incomplete game that you know you probably wont finish anytime soon, if ever.

So i have a couple of recent ones...

Dying Light 2
Deathloop

Started both and just kinda feel meh about completing the rest.

 

[Brian Boru]

Hah, if you'd started this 2-3 weeks ago, I'd have the thread filled by now! I'm working my way thru my Steam backlog, mostly hiding games, but trying out ones which look promising. I mentioned some in passing in a weekly Random thread.

I'm being overly critical on this run-thru since I already have plenty of great games to play and replay, so don't let me put you off trying any of these.

I made very short notes for myself in one of my OneNote gaming notebooks, so for what it's worth, here they are:

Agent A: A Puzzle in Disguise
Navigation a chore

Agatha Christie - The ABC Murders
Awkward clue hunting

Art of Murder - FBI Confidential
Annoying.

Axes and Acres
Confusing

Bioshock 1-2-3
Depressing setting

Borderlands 2
Crap guns
Too much melee
Not open world

Codex of Victory
Like X-Com

Dishonored
Depressing setting

Don't Take It Personally, Babe, It Just Ain't Your Story
Well written teen drama & future lack of privacy

Four Kings One War
Chess w 4 armies, U play 2

Islanders
Builder

Life is Strange
Controls crap

Life is Strange 2
Click Privacy Policy = N/A

Relicta
Like Portal & Talos

The Great Art Race
Annoying, Confusing

The House of Da Vinci
Clunky, annoying

The Witness 25/100
Boring, arty

Untitled Goose Game
Bad map, clunky controls

More to come…

 

[Zloth]

Has the forum got enough disk space for reports on all Brian's games??

Two semi-recent ones from me:

Phoenix Point: really good on paper. The battle system is better than XCOM 2's, really. However, there are psychology problems. First, the advancements you make are mostly tiny. You get a bunch of them, so you are getting stronger, but there are never any leaps to really help you feel the advancement. Also, even though there are lots of advancement options, the soldiers didn't really get much individuality once you gathered a few. Even when playing Long War in XCOM with a lot more soldiers, being able to customize their look and give them modded voices made it so I knew every one of them. In Phoenix Point, they tend to look and sound about the same. After about 40 hours, I couldn't muster the desire to play anymore.

Persona 4: why do so many people love this game!? The enemies were funny and I liked the surreal climbing-into-a-TV, but otherwise? Blah. The story was somewhat interesting, but only somewhat. The battle system was average at best. Teddy "helpfully" telling you how many enemies there are and constantly giving you encouraging words got downright insulting - seriously, I do not need you telling me how great I am every time I defeat an enemy. The dungeons were awful, randomized messes.

 

[WoodenSaucer]

I tried playing Black Flag again, and just didn't connect this time. I also tried Tunic a while ago, and it wasn't for me.

 

[Pifanjr]

I'm pretty sure I'm not going to continue Control. I have uninstalled the game yet, but thinking about playing it doesn't make me excited.

The game says that you need to keep moving to avoid dying, but I've found that just staying behind cover and throwing objects at anything that comes close works much better. The times I've tried running I've been shot down. However, just waiting for enemies to come to me as I kill them one by one just feels like a chore. Maybe the game would be more fun if I hadn't gotten so rusty in shooting stuff, but I'm not willing to practice in the hopes it gets better.

 

[Zloth]

Suuuuure. You're just scared of what that rubber ducky is going to do to you!

QUACK QUACK!!!

Have you been reading the little notes that are all over the place? That's half the fun right there.

 

[WoodenSaucer]

I think I'm going to have to agree with Brian on one thing. I started playing Dishonored 2, and it's just too depressing. I'm just not really enjoying it. So I think I'm going to drop it.

The kicker is that I'll be dropping it to play A Plague Tale: Requiem. That won't be depressing at all, will it?

 

[Zloth]

Did you get to that clockwork mansion, @WoodenSaucer? That's one of the best levels of all time.

 

[JarlBSoD]

I would guess about 550-660 of the 660 games in my current backlog. One game i for sure won't be compleeting anytime soon (if ever) is Dragon Age Inquisition. I seriosly don't understand what people find so good about it, sure.. its an OK game, but the open world is there just for the sake of open world, just like Andromeda exept Andromeda made it even worse, the combat is just button mashing till something says swosh with cool effects. Guess the storry is decent though, at least for the first 10h, didn't make it any further The only thing going for it in my opinion is that it is better than Dragon age 2, which isn't saying allot tbh...

 

[Zimbaly]

Elden Scrolls...... I mean Elden Ring. I love it, but man I just kind of hit a point and was like. I'm done for now. I got almost 300 hours in it, mainly with one guy and didn't finish it. I just liked roaming around and killing crap and helping people. I just got no desire to finish it in a way. I am however focused on Avadon now. Let's see if it keeps my attention.

 

[Pifanjr]

Suuuuure. You're just scared of what that rubber ducky is going to do to you!

QUACK QUACK!!!

Have you been reading the little notes that are all over the place? That's half the fun right there.

I haven't seen a reference to a rubber ducky yet and I have been reading all of the notes. I agree that's half the fun, maybe even more, but the gameplay itself just doesn't do it for me.

 

[WoodenSaucer]

Did you get to that clockwork mansion, @WoodenSaucer? That's one of the best levels of all time.

No, but I think I'm getting close. Maybe I'll play a little longer.

Let me tell you something really frustrating, and you tell me your thoughts. If I were just going through the story, it wouldn't be that bad. But I think I'd miss a ton of stuff if that's all I did. What's frustrating is using the heart to try to find bone charms and runes. It seems like it's probably important to find runes, at least, but it's like a wild goose chase. You follow the heart, and it always leads you to somewhere you can't get to, so you have to take the time to figure out how to get there, or where the combination is to unlock the safe where the rune or bone charm is. It's never just walk there and pick it up. There are tons of them all over the place, but it's so time consuming for each one, and that's annoying.

How much effort do you put into finding those things vs just doing the story?

 

[mainer]

I try to avoid not completing a game I start because it really annoys me, more so than my rather large TBP piles in Steam & GOG. I also replay a lot of older titles that I've already completed at least once, rather than playing newer titles, which tends to make my unfinished game pile (UGP) smaller. But there are a few games that I've never finished.

Kingdoms of Amalur Re-Reckoning: I liked this game, the combat was really fun and fluid, there was quite a bit of game world lore, and the story was decent enough for an combat oriented RPG. I just hit a burnout point, though I don't have any specific reason for it. The game is still installed, as well as my saved games, so I do hope to go back and finish it. But it's kind of like meeting an old friend you haven't seen in years and you say, "Hey, we should get together more often!", and the friend says, "Yeah, lets do that!". But it just never happens.

*Grim Dawn: I love this ARPG and it's gritty post-apocalyptic world, the unlimited ways to build characters and the fast-paced combat. I also love how the developer, Crate Entertainment, has constantly updated the game over the years. It's still installed, and I have over 225 hrs in the game, but I've yet to finish it, and again, I can't really name a specific reason. Maybe it's because I'm not much of a "grinder" or "farmer" in ARPGs, but every time I go back to GD (which is once or twice a year), I end up starting a new character, thinking I can make a better build.

Bioshock 1: I didn't find the setting depressing as @Brian Boru did, as I find that I'm attracted to those "failed society" or apocalyptic settings. But I stopped playing about 1/4 of the way through but couldn't pinpoint the reason for this one either. I'd like to try it again, as sometimes going back to a game years later can give you a different perspective.

Risen 1: As I've stated many times, I love Piranha Bytes games, but this was the only one I couldn't finish, and that was because of the BS final battle. I ended up "rage quitting" after numerous tries and uninstalled the game. I haven't played it since back when I installed it from a DVD, but in retrospect I wish I'd kept it installed so I could attempt that final battle with a calmer mind a bit later.

(*Grim Dawn is on sale on the current Steam Scream Sale for 70% off. If you love ARPGs this is one of the better ones, along the lines of Diablo 2, Sacred 2, and Titan Quest)

 

[Johnway]

Persona 4: why do so many people love this game!? The enemies were funny and I liked the surreal climbing-into-a-TV, but otherwise? Blah. The story was somewhat interesting, but only somewhat. The battle system was average at best. Teddy "helpfully" telling you how many enemies there are and constantly giving you encouraging words got downright insulting - seriously, I do not need you telling me how great I am every time I defeat an enemy. The dungeons were awful, randomized messes.

All fair comments tbh. I loved persona 4 golden my first playthrough i clocked nearly 100 hours and maxed out all the characters to level 99. but i got it on the PS vita and it did get me wondering whether JRPGS really better played on handhelds or consoles. I mean, on the pc i have far more options and frankly i would rather play something less simple/grindy then JRPGS.

Anyway my list of failures grows ever larger these days, but heres the games i can remember:

La -mulana This game is tough and gets increasingly insidious the further you get into the game. The puzzles get increasingly more cryptic, the level design more brutal and mean spirited with more instanta kill traps, punishing bosses and fewer save games in between. You can't even grind your way to victory 90% of the time as all you get is cash and there's only so much you can do with it. I hate it and i'll go as far as saying this is harder then dark souls. at least in that game i could grind, get different weapons, armor etc and try a different strategy.

Act of war - high treason the expansion to the act of war RTS game. The game crapped out on me. The sound stopped working for some reason and wasn't helped that the game was bloody mediocre as well. Beat the main game and that was enough for me.

Binding of isaac, enter the gungeon, chainsaw warrior - roguelike games i can never get the hang of and they're too tedious to play each time. Part of the problem is that the randomness means that luck plays a pivotal for success. my patience is limited and i have a massive game collection damn it!

Door kickers - Fantastic game, got too difficult. The Cell campaign was too tough. The first mission is just too tough to do successfully for me.

Frozen synapse - tactical game was far too difficult. Got about 2/3 of the way through and i had enough.

Downwell. So, so very close. Another roguelike i couldn't beat. Got to the final boss and couldn't beat it. Shame.

Endless legend - far too difficult even on easy. humiliating retreat.

Fortified - Boring tower defense game.

gun monkeys - the game is dead. no point playing it. i installed it, had a look and then crossed it off as beaten.

Grey goo - couldn't beat the final mission. Far too difficult for me. Even on normal. Part of the problem is that the Grey Goo faction just doesn't sit well with me. I could say i was rubbish at RTS games, but i think the faction was just crap.

The incredible adventures of van helsing 3. The game kept crashing. I haven't forgiven the devs for screwing over my save game file as well. i had a save game i kept for the first 2 games with all the unique skills, my character and millions of gold flushed away. A middle finger to those who bought the first 2 games and committed hours to it.

jalopy - too boring.

kholat - boring walking simulator. With no narrative path to follow it was just me walking around randomly hoping to get the story. No thanks.

luftrausers - Too difficult to unlock all the parts. So i gave up on it.

Monaco - didn't think it was too fun single player.

Pid - i hate this game with a passion. awful controls and fustrating gameplay. Looks better then it plays.

Pixel puzzle ultimate - jigsaw puzzles. You must be joking. After glass masquerade i thought i could do with some more jigsaw puzzles. But that game is too boring.

Punch club - Too grindy for my liking. Minimal activity from the player. So it was too boring.

Slayaway camp - Cool idea, but there was too much and the puzzles got too hard. So i stopped.

Space chem - boring chemistry puzzle game. Visually boring and generally boring to play.

Kill team - Game kept crashing.

World of goo - puzzle game i didn't understand.

Ghost recon advanced warfare- The pc version of the xbox360 game was terrible. Poor Ai and to top it off it did my eyes in. I stopped for health reasons. Probably the only game to ever do that.

thats most of them, but i think theres a few more....

 

[Brian Boru]

Has the forum got enough disk space for reports on all Brian's games?

I think @Johnway's got me beat!

I couldn't finish, and that was because of the BS final battle

Oh dear, if we're to add in all the not "finish" finish, then I got more already Completing the story is never a priority for me, as that's usually the weakest part of games I play.

Far Cry 5—you have to go thru 9-12 short missions which are off-genre in order to get to the boss fights. Try playing checkers and have 9-12 chess problems dropped into it. I probably should watch those fights on YT sometime, to see if they're worth grinding for.

Far Cry New Dawn—I forget why I didn't bother "finishing" this, maybe there were timed sequences…? I do recall I watched the ending on YT and confirmed I wasn't missing anything, just some standard off-genre melee shootout.

Far Cry Primal—Couldn't beat Ull in one of the final boss battles. Beat the Izila queen boss no problem first try—but it was quite boring, took over 20 minutes if I recall correctly—but a couple of attempts at Ull got nowhere, as in I couldn't see what I needed to improve or change.

Civilization—whether it's Civ 4, 5 or 6, I don't "finish" 90-95% of the games I play. The goal is getting to a stage where I have it won well before The End—that's the point of good strategy.

There are many games which lend themselves to setting your own "finish" conditions—can I get thru first X missions without using a gun or explosive?—can I research Education by turn 100?

 

[Zloth]

I seriosly don't understand what people find so good about it, sure.. its an OK game, but the open world is there just for the sake of open world,

I liked it quite a bit! The story was a good one, the characters got developed well, the graphics were nice, it was fun to have my DA2 character show up, and they tossed in some good humor here and there, too.

It isn't QUITE an open world. You can't have multiple zones and still be open world, IMHO. It was close, though, because the zones it had were fairly huge.

How much effort do you put into finding those things vs just doing the story?

It's been 5 years, but I remember having fun with those puzzles, so I did several of them. You can always use a guide to help fine them - IGN has good ones.

Bioshock 1: I didn't find the setting depressing as @Brian Boru did, as I find that I'm attracted to those "failed society" or apocalyptic settings. But I stopped playing about 1/4 of the way through but couldn't pinpoint the reason for this one either. I'd like to try it again, as sometimes going back to a game years later can give you a different perspective.

But you get to shoot BEES at enemies! OK, maybe it's a little yucky the way they crawl in and out of your hand...

Risen 1: As I've stated many times, I love Piranha Bytes games, but this was the only one I couldn't finish, and that was because of the BS final battle. I ended up "rage quitting" after numerous tries and uninstalled the game. I haven't played it since back when I installed it from a DVD, but in retrospect I wish I'd kept it installed so I could attempt that final battle with a calmer mind a bit later.

I had to look that one up in a guide for sure. That was one of the worst final battles I've played.
[/QUOTE]

Endless legend - far too difficult even on easy. humiliating retreat.

!? Maybe you missed one of the basic mechanics or something?

Civilization—whether it's Civ 4, 5 or 6, I don't "finish" 90-95% of the games I play. The goal is getting to a stage where I have it won well before The End—that's the point of good strategy.

Oh! I may have more achievements in Civ 5 than the Civ Master!!

 

[Johnway]

Maybe you missed one of the basic mechanics or something?

I sort of hit a brick wall with the game. I had dominated the main continent but when it came to conquering the foreign lands, my units were woefully under developed its not helped that it took forever to create decent enough units and i never got a foothold to finish it. Since it was all a race against time, the writing was on the wall. Hindsight its perhaps i picked the spacers faction with their crossbows as their main weapon, but that said when i switched to swords they didn't fare any better. Not going to lie, 4x games aren't really my thing. even on normal its usually enough to have me beat. Playing endless legend on EASY was too hard.

I've got a fair share of games i haven't finished, we still have a few more on the steam collection and on my handheld/console games as well, hell i could probably scrape the bottom of the barrel with amiga ones at a push.

For now another few more to add:

parasite eve 2 - Take eveything that was good, fun with parasite eve 1 and toss it in the bin. make it a 3rd person survival horror game. might have been ok at the time (graphically its a huge step up) but the gameplay mechanics were horrible. Weapons did little damage, magic that was effective was far too limited, dodgy controls, naff designed enemies, poor camera angles and controls. it made me realize how awful tank controls could be.

The third birthday - the non canon third episode of parasite eve. yeah... this one was also terrible. i might go back to it to finish it, but playing through the first level made for a pretty convincing argument to consign that game to the bin.

Company of Heroes 2 Ardennes Assualt - never been a big fan of COH series and the game mechanics never really sat well with me. That said AA was too tough. I played in on easy and i felt my enthusiasm melt away. The problem is resource management, you can't use glorious banzai charges or play the game like multiplayer. hell, even if i was careful to pull units back and take minimal losses each time (losing the odd solder here and there and reinforcing), those losses stacked up. Felt like i was fighting with one hand tied behind my back. i might go back to it one day, but its very unlikely.

 

[Brian Boru]

4x games aren't really my thing. even on normal its usually enough to have me beat

I don't recall Endless Legend offhand, been too long, but Civ has around 9 difficulty levels—lowest = can't lose, learn the ropes. You can pick up Civ4 complete—you need the Beyond the Sword expansion included—for a song in the sales.

You might even find someone here to provide helpful tips

 

[Frindis]

The one that I keep trying to play, but never really get far in before I get bored is Dragon Age Inquisition. I probably tried the game 4-5 times now through different FTP weekends. I do like the environments and the fighting, but there is just something off with the characters that I can't put my fingers on. I guess I just don't believe in them enough to want to invest more.

 

[DXCHASE]

Undecember is my latest. Its F2P and has 10 chapters before end game. Ive gotten to 4 and now, with me having a copy of COD that i didnt think id be getting and Destiny 2 still being my jam, this probably will go unfinished, but again, it was free 🤷‍♂️

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

Hard for me to list anything here as if I drop drop off a game I always tell myself I'll come back to it, but if I pick the ones I really am not going back to if I'm honest with myself:

Far Cry 5 I picked up on sale, its just more Far Cry and they havent really changed the formula since 3. I'm happy for @Brianboru and anyone else if you cant get enough of that, I'm like that with Souls games, but for me I had fun for about 40 hours in 3 and it was enough of that.

Fallout 3, same as Far Cry I played about 40 hours and it was enough. I dont really care for the aesthetic or game that much. I played about 15-20 hours of New Vegas and was just too bored of that style of gameplay to get excited by the story. I know thats RPG heresy there

Alien Isolation. I've tried twice totalling just under 10 hours and it wasnt enough to hook me. Stealth gameplay isnt my thing really, and theres no go loud option here. Also dont like being scared that much in a game, and the tension was a bit much when the Alien was around.

High Fleet, I liked the art style and management parts but couldnt get into the ship combat on the keyboard. Points to this one for being totally unique though.

Urtuk The Desolation. This is a really good game, but it suffers from scratching too a similar itch to Battle Brothers, and I dont like it as much as I do BB.

Mass Effect Legendary. I played the second game on PS3 and liked it well enough but the story never really hooked me, it was a 75-80/100 game for me. Played 10-15 hours of ME 1 in the LE and its just not ever going to be for me, its too old now under the hood.

Most recently I dropped off of Tunic after 8 hours or so, I think I was quite near the end but I just felt like I'd had enough of it. I did like it though.

There are loads more I never finished but played a lot of, and a load more I have several hours in I intend to go back too and maybe never will, but its hard for me to think of a game I outright hated. I dont usually buy anything totally blind or that has bad reviews so I guess I avoid that.

 

[mainer]

One game i for sure won't be compleeting anytime soon (if ever) is Dragon Age Inquisition. I seriosly don't understand what people find so good about it, sure.. its an OK game, but the open world is there just for the sake of open world, just like Andromeda exept Andromeda made it even worse, the combat is just button mashing till something says swosh with cool effects. Guess the storry is decent though, at least for the first 10h, didn't make it any further The only thing going for it in my opinion is that it is better than Dragon age 2, which isn't saying allot tbh...

I liked it quite a bit! The story was a good one, the characters got developed well, the graphics were nice, it was fun to have my DA2 character show up, and they tossed in some good humor here and there, too.

It isn't QUITE an open world. You can't have multiple zones and still be open world, IMHO. It was close, though, because the zones it had were fairly huge.

The one that I keep trying to play, but never really get far in before I get bored is Dragon Age Inquisition. I probably tried the game 4-5 times now through different FTP weekends. I do like the environments and the fighting, but there is just something off with the characters that I can't put my fingers on. I guess I just don't believe in them enough to want to invest more.

I've got to agree with @Zloth on Dragon Age Inquisition, I really liked that game for it's story, character interactions, depth, and voice acting; as well as the tactical real-time w/ pause combat that gave me the precise control over my party's movements & actions. Especially during those rather lengthy dragon fights, which I don't consider to be "button mashing" (just my opinion, no offense intended).

The game doesn't truly open up until after you acquire your Keep and have access to the War Room Map that gives you access to many new areas and quests. Many of those areas are optional (though still connected to the main storyline), but it gives you the freedom of choice as where to go next, so you aren't guided to follow any particular path. Not a "true" open world game, yet each area or "map" has that open world feeling.

I even enjoyed Dragon Age 2 (which often felt like a prologue to DAI), though the one unforgivable design decision in that game was the repetition of using the same maps over & over for different quests, killing any feeling of exploration & discovery. But the story & events, character interactions & personalities (as well as voice acting) carried over into DAI, especially Cassandra & Varick's story.

I realize that different gamers have different likes & dislikes when it comes to games they enjoy, and is the main reason I enjoy the PCG form more than others. We can voice those opinions in a respectful manner and not worry about a discussion devolving into personal attacks and /or derogatory comments.

Fallout 3, same as Far Cry I played about 40 hours and it was enough. I dont really care for the aesthetic or game that much. I played about 15-20 hours of New Vegas and was just too bored of that style of gameplay to get excited by the story. I know thats RPG heresy there

Mass Effect Legendary. I played the second game on PS3 and liked it well enough but the story never really hooked me, it was a 75-80/100 game for me. Played 10-15 hours of ME 1 in the LE and its just not ever going to be for me, its too old now under the hood.

No heresy committed, just your opinion. I realize that not everyone likes the 1st person Fallout games, but those 3 games (FO3, FONV, & FO4) have given me thousands of hours of immersion and enjoyment without ever getting bored, but that's just from my perspective. They each have their own individual strengths & weaknesses, and while the game mechanics, animations and visual detail are less than what we'd see in current games, I still find them preferable to newer titles.

I have the same opinion about Mass Effect Legendary (which I'm currently playing). They're still basically the same 3 ME games released years ago with updated graphics. I've been playing the originals for years now and never get tired or bored with them. The arching storyline through 3 games of Shepard, the unique character personalities & interactions (with excellent voice acting) is something I've rarely found in today's games. Again, just my personal opinion.

 

[Hitobat]

Most recently Alan's Automaton Workshop. I did enjoy the early levels, and it's a very Zach-like game which I also enjoyed. But otherwise it felt a bit too much like work, although I did want to see how the story develops.

Prior to that Heavenly Bodies, which is one of those "the controls are awkward" games, similar to Surgeon Simulator or Octodad. It was amusing/funny early on, and then again felt like it was getting repetitive. And also with less of a comedy pay off unlike the other games I mentioned.

 

[Brian Boru]

Far Cry …3. I'm happy for @Brianboru and anyone else if you cant get enough of that

Not me. I think I posted a couple of months ago that I'm done with FC3, after playing a few more hours—uninstalled after being a constant on my PC for a decade. 4 and especially 5 are so much different and better in a lot of ways, so I'll leave 3 in its venerable historical shrine

 

[Zloth]

But the story & events, character interactions & personalities (as well as voice acting) carried over into DAI, especially Cassandra & Varick's story.

That bit where Cassandra argues with and tries to attack Varric for hiding Hawk in DA:I was definitely a good bit!