Revisiting Unfinished Games

[fergojisan]

Just curious what everyone's MO is when they go back to a game that they didn't beat. I haven't done this in awhile, but I would like to revisit some SNES games that I never finished, like *cough* Super Mario World. The last place I got to was the back door to Koopa's Castle, or something like that. I would like to start over from the beginning, because I have no idea of the controls anymore or where the hell I have to go (I'd like to stay away from faqs too). So, do youse guys start over or pick up where you left off? Is there a big learning curve for you if you jump back into the middle?

[Alucard79]

To me it depends on the type of game it is or the mood I'm in. For a game with a good story I would probably start over. If it was an RPG that I was already 50 hours into, I would most likely have more than 1 save, so I would just backtrack a little with a previous save file to catch myself back up as to what I was doing when I quit.

[Family Computer]

I always start over no matter what. If I go towards beating a game like say Metal Gear Solid & I had a save that was half way through, I would definitely restart.

I hate picking up in the middle of the game if it's after like a month or more of not playing that game.

[kaedesdisciple]

This is exactly what happened to me and Dragon Warrior III for the GBC. I played it when I bought it YEARS ago. I got most of the way through the light world and quit. I just recently picked up the game again and decided to start all over again because I wanted to redo my characters and make sure I got everything I needed to finish the game properly.

Now I'm through the Light World and part of the way through Alefgard and I'm looking forward to finally finishing this one. After this I will have finished 1-4 and can put the series to rest in my mind.

[Steven]

I find it best just to leave the cart in the system until you can beat it, or at least, get as close to the end as possible. (Some games the final boss or level is just too damn hard/annoying/not worth playing 20 hours to just get it right).

Also, keeping a basic gameplaying journal helps a ton. That way, if you break from a game and say, come back to it 8 months later, you can check your notes and "reconnect" a bit with what you've done and where you've been.

[Trebuken]

Starting over is easiest. You can usually breeze through parts that you have played before even if it has been awhile.

Nowadays when I find a boss or area I cannot beat I get this ridiculous sense of havinf to beat it because I should be good enough to do it after 3 decades of gaming.

[MarioMania]

I'm just finished the Desert Palace Boss on Zelda:lttp on the GBA after 9 months

[James8BitStar]

I like the "keep a journal so you won't have to restart" idea best.

Generally, if I have a journal and/or can remember most of the fundamentals I just pick up from where I was. However if its been a long time and I've forgotten alot (like what the best weapon was or what strategy I was using) I just start over.

[bangtango]

I find it best just to leave the cart in the system until you can beat it, or at least, get as close to the end as possible. (Some games the final boss or level is just too damn hard/annoying/not worth playing 20 hours to just get it right).

Also, keeping a basic gameplaying journal helps a ton. That way, if you break from a game and say, come back to it 8 months later, you can check your notes and "reconnect" a bit with what you've done and where you've been.

Good idea. I do something very similar.

I sometimes go several weeks or even months without continuing in a saved game I have. It got to the point where I'd put in the game again, expecting to play for 50-60 minutes and having to spend 65-70 minutes just figuring out where I was in the game and how to proceed from there. That sucks, especially in something like a Zelda or Resident Evil game where you are always picking up new items that "open up" previously unreachable areas and have to backtrack all over creation over and over again just to find things. I hate covering the exact same ground twice, just because I "forgot" I was already there.

What I like to do when I am playing a game I haven't finished is completely wrap up a level or all of the objectives in the area, if possible, which helps when you put the game away again. Nothing worse than having to resume in the middle of an area/level that is only halfway finished.

So I'll continue in the game until I am satisfied and once I know where I am going from there, I write down a list of 3-4 things that I have to do in the game when I resume playing it. I keep that list nearby, so I have a good outline of what I'll be doing when I start up the game again.

You know this is one of the best things about an open-ended game like Grand Theft Auto 3. You can put it away, totally ignore it for months and then put it right back in and pick up as if you'd played it yesterday. Actually, it is the same with sports games that have just a crude season mode but not a franchise mode, especially the 16-bit ones without a great deal of stat tracking or player transactions. Like the Genesis has a ton of sports games with a season mode that uses battery back-up and the whole set-up is very simple meaning you can let the game sit on your shelf for awhile and then resume the seasons at your leisure.

[shoes23]

Wish I had time to start over many games, but I simply feel that I have too many games to restart one after putting 10+ hours into it. If I can't figure out what is going on, it usually gets shelved and I move on to something new. The simple fact many of us face: Too many games, not enough time.

[Haoie]

Uh, now that I'm working full time, I don't even have time for my new games!!

[fishsandwich]

I played Shining Force 3 about SEVEN YEARS AGO and got stuck and gave up. I still have the save on a cart.

I played the GBA remake of the original Shining Force and learned how to play. I finished it at least 3 times.Then I played and beat Shining Force CD.

Now I'm working on Shining Force 2.

Next stop: Shining Force 3. I want to look at my saved characters and see how badly I sucked back then.

[Pantechnicon]

Generally I finish what I start, but if I do put something down for an extended period I prefer to start over so that I regain my footing in the narrative. That being said, I have a long overdue reunion with Phantasy Star 2 (made it to the final boss, no less) to schedule at some point.

[theshizzle3000]

I have a couple that I just never got around to finishing:

Earthbound (SNES)
Wild Arms 2 (PSX)
Star Ocean: Until The End Of Time(PS2)
Final Fantasy 12 (PS2)
and
Final Fantasy (NES)

Don't get me wrong they are all great games, especially Earthbound, but just don't have the time.

[kaedesdisciple]

You know this is one of the best things about an open-ended game like Grand Theft Auto 3. You can put it away, totally ignore it for months and then put it right back in and pick up as if you'd played it yesterday. Actually, it is the same with sports games that have just a crude season mode but not a franchise mode, especially the 16-bit ones without a great deal of stat tracking or player transactions. Like the Genesis has a ton of sports games with a season mode that uses battery back-up and the whole set-up is very simple meaning you can let the game sit on your shelf for awhile and then resume the seasons at your leisure.

That's exactly what happened with me and Crackdown. Every so often I just go back in, wander around and wipe out some gang bosses or ride on car rooftops and shoot at whatever crosses my path.

[Lady Jaye]

I'm terrible with finishing my games... but when I start on one, if I play long enough I'll make it to the end (that's what happened last time I played Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance on the Cube -- went through the whole game in about 15 hours, concentrated on mostly one day).

However, that's the exception. Usually, I'll pick a game, play it for a bit, then move on to something else. If it's been too long, or if it's a game I completely forgot how to play, I'll be more likely to restart from the beginning. In fact, in the case of adventure games, unless it's very clear where I am and what's my next task, I'll definitely tend to start over because I'm completely lost.

[Jorpho]

There have been a few times when I have stopped playing a game after a substantial time investment and not returned. Usually, the case is that I missed something critical that there's no real way of getting back without starting over completely.

With Final Fantasy Legend II, I erased my male mutant's Blizzard spell early on, and found myself missing it in the Nasty Dungeon.

With Pokemon Yellow, I had only finished off the Elite Four once. I eventually read about the famous new Catch Mew trick, which I would only be able to exploit by starting over. (I still haven't found out if that corrupts the Hall of Fame yet, though!) At least I won't have to waste so much time in the Safari Zone or the Casino next time if I can just catch Porygon and the Safari Zone pokemon the normal way.

And with Anachronox, I was annoyed that I had missed so many of the Cobalt Crawlers, among other things. I think I was pretty close to the end of that one, too. (I really need a faster computer for that one; the load times are infuriating.)

And then there's Planescape Torment, which I mostly stopped playing because it was beginning to cut into my sleep. Also I got kind of peeved that I missed my chance to give my intestines to Ignus. :D One of these days...

[exit]

I have plenty of games that I've just stopped playing, no matter how deep into the game I was. The only games I tend to beat are Action/Adventure games, I've only beaten a handful of RPGs in my lifetime and those are the games I usually play(ed) the most.

I gave my friend my extra PS2 memory card, of course I didn't go through the card and take the more important saves, so now I'm missing saves for more than half my games. No big deal tho, I forgot where I was in most of them.

[Lemmi_Is_God]

i revisited Dragon Lore for the 3do, i had a couple saves still on my system from 1997, and i finally got around to finishing it this year
this kind of game you dont need to start over from the beginning because even 10 years later i still remember almost every part of the first 2 discs i already played, but i went back to a save that was near the end of disc 2 so i could get a handle on controls again

i also kept a detail log on miracle warriors for the sega master system and i can pick that one up pretty much anywhere

as for super mario world i had that game in the system for along time as it was the only game i had and played it untill i beat it then i got yoshis island

there isnt many games i play that i even have to save a place on anymore, i try to stick with games i can pick up play for awhile and quit without ever having to remember whats going on

[kainemaxwell]

I do this many times. With rpgs or adventure titles it usually just takes me a little while to remember the controls and where I was in the game, and what I was doing too. Action games I just gotta remember the controls and get back into it (moves, where to dodge, etc).


You know this is one of the best things about an open-ended game like Grand Theft Auto 3. You can put it away, totally ignore it for months and then put it right back in and pick up as if you'd played it yesterday.
That's what I like most about the GTA titles, how you can do that. Even if you just screw around to burn off stress for a half hour it's the same thing.